Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6630678
-
Patent Number
6,630,678
-
Date Filed
Tuesday, January 23, 200123 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, October 7, 200320 years ago
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Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 250 432 R
- 250 435
- 250 436
- 250 504 R
- 250 4931
- 422 121
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
An ultraviolet device used for flooding an air duct of an air ventilation system with ultraviolet light comprising a mounting portion, the mounting portion that is mountable to an air duct, at least one mounting bracket which is interchangeably mountable to the mounting portion and at least one ultraviolet light lamp, the lamp is mountable to the mounting bracket wherein the angle at which the lamp mounts to said mounting bracket may be configured to maximize the coverage of ultraviolet light within the air duct.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION.
The present invention relates generally to an ultraviolet device used for flooding an air ventilation system with ultraviolet light to control growth of or kill contaminants in the air passing through a ventilation system. Specifically, the present invention relates to an ultraviolet device used for flooding an air duct with ultraviolet light to control growth of or kill contaminants in the air passing through the duct, wherein the device may include one or more ultraviolet lights, mounted at an angle within the cross-sectional area of the duct, to maximize the coverage of ultraviolet therein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION.
It has long been known to use heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (“HVAC”) to provide ventilation to enclosed structures. HVAC usually comprises one or more blowers connected to a circuit of ventilation ducts to control the amount and direction of airflow throughout the structure. While some fresh air will usually be introduced into the system, much of the air within the enclosed structure is recycled through the system. HVAC is also typically employed, as the name suggests, to control the air temperature of the enclosed environment by controlling the temperature of the air directed therein.
The introduction of cool air into an HVAC system will often lower the temperature of the warmer air within the ventilation ducts forcing the warmer air to release portions of the humidity therein. Similarly, when cool air has cooled the temperature of the ventilation ducts and warmer air is then introduced into the ventilation ducts, humidity from the warmer air may condense onto the cool ventilation ducts. Also, the humidity from warm air passing over a chiller used to cool the air circulating through the HVAC will likewise condense on the chiller. In any case, HVAC systems are prone to having moisture therein.
The dark and damp conditions within the ducts of an HVAC system are conducive to the rapid growth and reproduction of contaminants such as molds, spores, bacteria, viruses and mildews which may be harmful to the people for whom the air traveling therethrough is intended. HVAC systems thus become a breeding ground for these contaminants. Inhabitants may suffer adverse physical reactions as a result, especially if they are allergic to any of the contaminants. This problem is exacerbated when the inhabitants themselves introduce additional contaminants into the HVAC system that may then multiply in the contaminant friendly HVAC environment and spread to other inhabitants located within the structure. Air filters have been introduced into HVAC systems in an attempt to remove contaminants passing therethrough before they reach inhabitants. However, these filters often become damp themselves and provide conditions which foster growth and reproduction of the contaminants.
It is known that light of the “C” band of the ultraviolet spectrum, with wavelengths between approximately 220 and 288 nanometers, (“UV light”) can control growth of or kill most contaminants currently known to exist within HVAC systems. The longer the period of time a unit of air is exposed to UV light, and the greater the density of the UV light that a unit of air is exposed to, the greater the number of contaminants within the unit of light will be killed thereby. Lamps capable of emitting UV light typically comprise a long, hollow cylinder containing one or more gasses therein that will, upon being excited by electric current, emit UV light. These UV lamps primarily radiate UV light in a direction perpendicular to the surface from which the light emanates. Therefore, UV light emits radially from tubular lamps. In other words, UV light is only emitted in directions perpendicular to the length of the UV light tube. Additionally, the intensity of the UV light emitted at any point measured radially from the lamp is inversely related to the radial distance as measured from the tubular UV light source.
The intensity of UV light emitted from UV lamps is commonly measured in microWatts. Longer UV lamps generally emit a greater intensity of UV light than shorter lamps. For example, a twelve inch UV lamp may produce 37 micro Watts at one meter from the lamp, an eighteen inch UV lamp may produce 73 micro Watts at one meter from the lamp, and a twenty-eight inch UV lamp may produce 133 micro Watts at one meter from the lamp. Therefore, in order to increase the intensity of UV light within an air duct and maximize the effectiveness of the UV device, it is desirable to employ the longest lamp that will fit within a given duct size.
Known configurations of UV lamps in HVAC systems fail to provide a sufficient amount of UV light to control growth of or kill the desired amount of contaminants. Accordingly it would be desirable to employ a device that can increase the effectiveness of a tubular UV lamp used to control or kill contaminants within an HVAC system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is one of the principal objectives of the present invention to provide an air treatment or purification device capable of efficiently controlling or killing contaminants within an HVAC system.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a device including one or more UV light emitting lamps to flood UV light over a large volume of air within a standard HVAC air duct.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a device including one or more standard UV light emitting lamps to flood UV light over a large cross-sectional area of air within a standard HVAC air duct.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide an ultraviolet device that can be mounted within an HVAC air duct that only requires access to one side of the air duct for mounting the device.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a device that has a removable bracket that allows the UV lamp to be mounted within the HVAC air duct at different angles to optimize the light coverage within the duct.
These and other objectives of the present invention will become apparent upon examining the drawings and figures together with the accompanying written description thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of the UV device, shown without a cover, and a straight-mounted UV lamp.
FIG. 2
is an exploded perspective view of the UV device shown with a straight mounting piece.
FIG. 3
is a second exploded perspective view of the UV device shown with an angled mounting piece.
FIG. 4
is a top view of the device, shown without the cover, including the wiring configuration and an angularly-mounted UV lamp.
FIG. 5
is a bottom view of the device.
FIG. 6
is a side view of the device with a straight-mounted UV lamp mounted to an air duct as seen looking down the duct with airflow into the page.
FIG. 7
is a side view of the device with an angularly-mounted UV lamp mounted to an air duct as seen looking down the duct with airflow into the page.
FIG. 8
is a side view of two devices with an angularly-mounted UV lamps mounted to an air duct as seen looking down the duct with airflow into the page.
FIG. 9
is a top view of two devices with angularly-mounted UV lamps mounted to an air duct as seen with air flow from left to right.
FIG. 10
is a perspective view of another embodiment of the UV device, shown without a cover.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
depicts one embodiment of the UV device
10
of the present invention. As shown in
FIG. 1
, the UV device
10
has a housing
12
for mounting the device
10
to an air duct
14
(
FIGS. 6
,
7
,
8
, and
9
). The housing
12
has an interior surface
16
and an exterior surface
18
(FIG.
5
). Additionally, the device
10
has a bottom portion
20
and a top portion
22
integrally formed with the housing
12
. The housing
12
includes four mounting holes
24
,
26
,
28
, and
30
(
FIG. 4
) for mounting the device
10
to the air duct
14
using bolts, screws, or any other appropriate fasteners. The configuration of the mounting holes
24
,
26
,
28
, and
30
can be adjusted to accommodate other mounting methods and devices. A left side flange
32
and a right side flange
34
are integrally formed with the housing
12
. Each of the side flanges
32
and
34
includes a hole
36
for attaching a cover
38
(
FIGS. 2 and 3
) to the device using bolts, screws, or any other appropriate fasteners.
The housing
12
, bottom portion
20
, top portion
22
, side flanges
32
and
34
, and cover
38
are preferably formed of coated steel, such as a stainless or carbon steel. Alternately, the housing
12
, bottom portion
20
, top portion
22
, side flanges
32
and
34
, and cover
38
can be formed of any material that is sufficiently strong to support the UV device
10
when mounted to an air duct
14
, inhibits the transmission of UV light, and withstand the temperatures of an HVAC duct. For example, some injection molded plastics with UV inhibitors may be able to provide adequate support, prevent UV light from escaping the air duct
14
, and withstand the temperatures of an HVAC duct
14
.
Now looking at
FIG. 4
, an electrical power assembly
40
is mounted through a hole (not shown) in the bottom portion
20
of the device
10
. The power assembly
40
has an outer end
42
and an inner end
44
. When the power assembly
40
is properly mounted through the bottom portion
20
of the device
10
, the outer end
42
of the power assembly
40
faces the exterior of the device
10
while the inner end
44
of the power assembly
40
faces the interior of the device
10
. The outer end
42
includes a switch
46
and the inner end
44
includes connections (not shown) for electrical wires. Additionally, there is a hole
48
(
FIG. 1
) for mounting a standard alternating current (“AC”) cord
50
, including a ground wire
52
and two AC wires
54
, through the bottom portion
20
of the device
10
. The ground wire
52
attaches to the interior surface
16
of the housing
12
of the device
10
using a bolt or similar attaching means. The AC wires
54
attach to the connections in the inner end
44
of the power assembly
40
.
A ballast
56
is bolted to the interior surface
16
of the housing
12
of the device
10
. The ballast
56
connects to the power assembly
40
using a second pair of AC wires
58
. The power assembly
40
operates to control the flow of current from the AC cord
50
to the ballast
56
. The ballast
56
transforms the AC current carried by the second pair of AC wires
58
into an electrical current appropriate for powering a germicidal UV lamp
60
. The ballast
56
can be a Robertson Worldwide (Blue Island, Ill.) ballast appropriately matched to the particular UV lamp
60
being implemented in the device
10
or another ballast
56
appropriate for powering the UV lamp
60
. The UV lamp
60
can be a standard germicidal UV lamp
60
such as a Light Sources (Orange, CN) UV lamp
60
or another germicidal UV lamp
60
. It is important that the ballast
56
and the UV lamp
60
are appropriately matched because each UV lamp
60
requires a particular ballast
56
for proper operation. A third set of electrical wires
62
transfer transformed current between the ballast
56
and the UV lamp
60
.
Looking back to
FIG. 1
, an elongated, hollow, viewing piece
64
, having a first end
66
and a second end
68
, is attached through the housing
12
of the device
10
. A lens
70
is mounted to the first end
66
of the viewing piece
64
to decrease the amount of UV light transmitting through the first end
66
of the viewing piece
64
. The lens
70
allows an operator to look through the viewing piece
64
into the interior of the air duct
14
to which the device
10
is mounted to verify the UV lamp
60
is operating properly. The viewing piece
64
is preferably formed of coated steel, such as a stainless or carbon steel, however the viewing piece
64
may be constructed of another material so long as the material allows the viewing piece
64
to provide an operator a view of the interior of the air duct
14
. The lens
70
is preferably constructed of glass or plastic, however the lens
70
may be constructed of another material so long as the material permits an operator to view the interior of the air duct
14
, while at the same time reduces the amount of UV light transmitting through the first end
66
of the viewing piece
64
to a level that is safe for operation by an operator.
The UV lamp
60
is secured to the housing
12
by a mounting bracket assembly
71
, which includes a mounting bracket
72
and a clamping piece
82
. As shown in
FIG. 2
, a straight mounting bracket
72
can be mounted to the interior surface
16
of the housing
12
of the device
10
. The straight mounting bracket
72
includes two mounting holes
74
and
76
for mounting the straight mounting bracket
72
to the device
10
using two bolts or similar attaching means. Additionally, the straight mounting bracket
72
includes two mounting holes
78
and
80
for attaching the clamping piece
82
to the straight mounting bracket
72
. The straight mounting bracket
72
also includes a hole
84
through which a standard UV lamp
60
may extend when properly mounted to the straight mounting bracket
72
. The standard UV lamp
60
has a first end
86
and a second end
88
. A mounting portion (not shown) including a shoulder (not shown) is located near the second end
88
of the UV lamp
60
. The clamping piece
82
includes two mounting holes
90
and
92
and a hole
94
through which the UV lamp
60
can be mounted. To mount the UV lamp
60
to the straight mounting bracket
72
, an operator slides the first end
86
of the UV lamp
60
through the hole
84
in the straight mounting bracket
72
until the shoulder of the mounting portion of the UV lamp
60
prevents the UV lamp
60
from continuing through the straight mounting bracket
72
. The operator then attaches the clamping piece
82
to the straight mounting bracket
72
, thereby clamping the shoulder of the UV lamp
60
between the clamping piece
82
and the straight mounting bracket
72
. The clamping piece
82
can be mounted to the straight mounting bracket
72
using wing-nuts, or other attaching means that enable an operator to easily mount and dismount an UV lamp
60
for repair or replacement.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, a cover
38
attaches to the side flanges
32
and
34
of the device
10
. The cover
38
includes a left portion
96
a right portion
98
and a top portion
100
. The cover
38
additionally includes two mounting slots
102
, one mounting slot
102
on the left portion
96
of the cover
38
and a second mounting slot
102
on the right portion
98
of the cover
38
. Each mounting slot
102
can be aligned with the hole
36
in each of the side flanges
32
and
34
such that the cover
38
can be bolted to the side flanges
32
and
34
. The cover
38
also includes a viewing hole
104
that, when the device
10
is properly assembled, is located above the viewing piece
64
. The viewing hole
104
operates in conjunction with the viewing piece
64
to allow an operator to look into the air duct
14
to determine if the device
10
is functioning properly.
Alternatively, as shown in
FIG. 3
, the straight mounting bracket
72
can be removed and an angled mounting bracket
106
can be mounted to the interior surface
16
of the housing
12
of the device
10
. The angled mounting bracket
106
includes two mounting portions
108
and
109
and two angled portions
110
and
111
. Each mounting portion
108
and
109
includes a mounting hole
110
and
112
for mounting the angled mounting bracket
106
to the device
10
using bolts or similar attaching means. The angled portions
110
and
111
of the angled mounting bracket
106
are each configured at an angle A relative to the mounting portions
108
and
109
of the angled mounting bracket
106
. In
FIG. 3
, angle A is approximately 37 degrees. However, since angle A determines the angle at which a UV lamp
60
is mounted into the air duct
14
, angle A should be adjusted to promote the appropriate UV lamp
60
installation as discussed below. The angled portion
110
also includes two mounting holes
116
and
118
used to attach the clamping piece
82
to the angled mounting bracket
106
as described above in relation to the straight mounting bracket
72
. Additionally, the angled portion
110
includes a hole
120
through which the UV lamp
60
can be mounted. The clamping piece
82
can be mounted to the angled mounting bracket
106
using wing-nuts, or other means that enable an operator to easily mount and dismount a UV lamp
60
for repair or replacement.
The removable mounting brackets
72
and
106
and clamping piece
82
are preferably formed of coated steel, such as a stainless or carbon steel. However, the mounting brackets
72
and
106
and clamping piece
82
can be formed of another material so long as the material is strong enough to support the UV lamp
60
that is mounted in the UV device
10
.
FIG. 6
illustrates an embodiment of device
10
incorporating the straight mounting bracket
72
mounted to an air duct
14
, as seen looking down the duct
14
. As shown, the device
10
employs the standard tubular UV lamp
60
described above to flood UV light over a substantial cross-sectional area and volume of the air duct
14
. The UV lamp
60
comprises a cylindrical tube having gas sealed therein and having a longitudinal axis
122
along the cylindrical axis thereof. The air duct
14
comprises a left side
124
, a right side
126
, an upper side
128
, and a lower side
130
. In
FIG. 6
, the UV lamp
60
is mounted such that the longitudinal axis
122
of the UV lamp
60
is substantially perpendicular to the left side
124
of the air duct
14
to which the device
10
is mounted. Because a UV lamp
60
only emits UV light in directions perpendicular to the UV lamp's
60
surface, the UV lamp
60
only emits light in a circular band extending radially outward from the longitudinal axis
122
of the UV lamp
60
. Thus, as illustrated in
FIG. 6
, the UV lamp
60
creates a cylinder of UV light around the UV lamp
60
for the length of the tubular UV lamp
60
. As a result, a rectangular area
132
within the air duct
14
between the first end
86
of the UV lamp
60
and the right side
126
of the duct
14
will not be flooded in UV light. Accordingly, the embodiment of the device
10
shown in
FIG. 6
is more effective when the rectangular area
132
is minimized. Thus, the embodiment of the device
10
shown in
FIG. 6
is most desirable when the length of the UV lamp
60
employed in the device
10
closely matches the width of the air duct
14
within which the UV lamp
60
is mounted.
FIG. 7
illustrates an embodiment of the device
10
incorporating the angled mounting bracket
106
mounted to an air duct
14
, as seen looking down the duct
14
. As in
FIG. 6
, the device
10
employs the standard UV lamp
60
to flood UV light over a substantial cross-sectional area and volume of the air duct
14
. The device
10
is mounted such that the longitudinal axis
122
of the UV lamp
60
forms an angle B neither substantially parallel nor substantially perpendicular to a horizontal centerline drawn through the air duct
14
. As shown in
FIG. 7
, angle B is declined approximately 37 degrees with respect to a horizontal centerline drawn through the air duct
14
. However, other angles are contemplated and will be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art to be consistent with the invention as described herein. Specifically, the angle B should comport to the configuration of the duct
14
into which the UV lamp
60
is being mounted. Other angles can be used to obtain different coverage areas, so long as the angle used allows the device
10
to be mounted to the side of the air duct
14
. For example, when utilizing the device
10
incorporating the angled mounting bracket
106
in a rectangular duct (not shown), rather than the square duct
14
illustrated in
FIG. 7
, the angle B can be altered to orient the longitudinal axis
122
of the UV lamp
60
into a comer of the rectangular duct, or otherwise, as necessary to increase the area of coverage of UV light within the duct
14
.
As described above, because the UV lamp
60
only emits UV light in directions perpendicular to the lamp's
60
surface, the standard UV lamp
60
only emits light in a circular band extending radially outward from the longitudinal axis
122
of the UV lamp
60
. Thus, as illustrated in
FIG. 7
, the UV lamp
60
creates a cylinder of UV light around the tubular UV lamp
60
for the length of the lamp
60
. As a result, as shown in
FIG. 7
, two cross-sectional triangular areas
134
and
136
within the duct
14
will not be flooded in UV light. An upper triangular area
134
is defined within the duct
14
by three points
138
,
140
, and
142
. The first point
138
is located at the intersection of the UV lamp
60
and the left side
124
of the duct
14
. The second point
140
is located at the intersection of the left side
124
and upper side
128
of the duct
14
. The third point
142
is located at the point along the upper side
128
of the duct
14
that is intersected by a line, drawn perpendicular to the longitudinal axis
122
of the UV lamp
60
, originating from the intersection of the UV lamp
60
and the left side
124
of the duct
14
. A second triangular area
136
is defined within the duct
14
by an additional three points
144
,
146
, and
148
. The first point
144
is located at the point along the lower side
130
of the duct
14
that is intersected by a line, drawn perpendicular to the longitudinal axis
122
of the UV lamp
60
, originating from the first end
86
of the UV lamp
60
. The second point
146
is located at the point along the right side
126
of the duct
14
that is intersected by a line, drawn perpendicular to the longitudinal axis
122
of the UV lamp
60
, originating from the first end
86
of the UV lamp
60
. The third point
148
is located at the intersection of the right side
126
and lower side
130
of the duct
14
. Accordingly, the effectiveness of the embodiment of the device
10
shown in
FIG. 7
is influenced by the size and shape of the air duct
14
, the angle B of the UV lamp
60
, the distance the UV lamp
60
is mounted from the upper side
128
of the duct
14
as measured along the left side
124
of the duct
14
, and the length of the UV lamp
60
. The embodiment of the device
10
shown in
FIG. 6
is most desirable when the length of the standard UV lamp
60
employed allows the UV lamp
60
to be mounted closer to the upper side
128
of the duct
14
, to extend the longitudinal axis
122
of the UV lamp
60
closer to the intersection of the right side
126
and lower side
130
of the duct
14
, and be mounted at an angle B that minimizes the area of triangles
134
and
136
.
FIGS. 8 and 9
illustrate an embodiment of the present invention using two devices
10
, each incorporating the angled mounting bracket
106
.
FIG. 8
illustrates the embodiment as seen looking down the length of the duct
14
with airflow into the page.
FIG. 9
illustrates the embodiment as seen from above the duct, with airflow from left to right. In this embodiment, a first device
150
is mounted a distance C upstream of a second device
152
. Distance C should be at least approximately four inches for optimum effectiveness As shown in
FIG. 8
, the two devices
150
and
152
are mounted such that the longitudinal axis
122
of the UV lamp
60
of the first device
150
crosses the longitudinal axis
122
of the UV lamp
60
of the second device
152
to alleviate the individual shortcomings of each of the UV lamps
60
. The two devices
150
and
152
are mounted such that the longitudinal axis
122
of each lamp
60
forms an angle D and E neither substantially parallel nor substantially perpendicular to any of the sides
124
,
126
,
128
, and
130
the air duct
14
. As shown in
FIG. 8
, the longitudinal axis
122
of the UV lamp
60
of the first device
150
is inclined approximately 37 degrees with respect to a horizontal centerline drawn through the air duct
14
. Additionally, the longitudinal axis
122
of an UV lamp
60
of the second device
152
is declined approximately 37 degrees with respect to a horizontal centerline drawn through the air duct
14
. However, other angles are contemplated and will be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art to be consistent with the invention as described herein. Specifically, the angles D and E should comport to the configuration of the duct
14
into which the UV devices
150
and
152
are being mounted. For example, as shown in
FIG. 8
, the two UV devices
150
and
152
may be mounted such that the cross-sectional triangular areas
134
and
136
of the duct
14
that would not be flooded with UV light by the UV lamp
60
of the first device
150
are flooded with UV light by the UV lamp
60
of the second device
152
. The UV devices
150
and
152
may otherwise be configured as necessary to increase the area of coverage of UV light within the duct
14
.
The preferred size of the UV lamp
60
is determined by the size of the air duct
14
within which a the UV lamp
60
is to be used. It is preferable to install the longest UV lamp
60
that will fit within the air duct
14
to maximize the intensity of the UV light within the duct
14
. Once the appropriate size of the UV lamp
60
is determined, then the preferred number of UV devices
10
can be determined. For example, when employing a twelve inch UV lamp
60
, it is preferable to use at least one UV device
10
for buildings approximately 1000 square feet in size, at least two UV devices
10
for buildings approximately 1500 square feet in size, at least three UV devices
10
for buildings approximately 2500 square feet in size, and at least four UV devices
10
for buildings approximately 3500 square feet in size. Alternatively, when employing an eighteen inch UV lamp
60
, it is preferable to use at least one UV device
10
for buildings approximately 1000 square feet in size, at least two UV devices
10
for buildings approximately 2500 square feet in size, and at least three UV devices
10
for building approximately 3500 square feet in size.
The improved coverage gained by using two angled lamps instead of one straight lamp is shown by the following example. Using a straight-mounted twelve inch UV light bulb within a twelve inch duct results in approximately 83% coverage, using a straight-mounted twelve inch UV light bulb within an eighteen inch duct results in approximately 56% coverage, and using a straight-mounted twelve inch UV light bulb within a twenty-four inch duct results in approximately 42% coverage. By using two twelve inch UV light bulbs mounted at an angle of approximately thirty-seven degrees in each of the ducts above, results in approximately 95% coverage, 76% coverage and 63% coverage, respectively.
As shown in another comparison, comparing the use of a single straight-mounted bulb with the use of two longer angularly-mounted bulbs in the same duct, the coverage area is increased as set forth below. Using a straight-mounted twelve inch UV bulb
60
within a twelve inch square duct
14
, as illustrated in
FIG. 6
, results in approximately 83% coverage. Using a straight-mounted eighteen inch UV bulb
60
within an eighteen inch square duct
14
results in approximately 90% coverage. Using a straight-mounted twenty-four inch UV lamp
60
in a twenty-four inch square duct
14
results in approximately 93% coverage. By comparison, using the configuration of UV devices similar to that shown in
FIG. 8
, using two fourteen inch UV lamps
60
mounted at approximately thirty-seven degrees within a twelve inch square duct
14
results in approximately at least 98% coverage. Using two twenty-three inch UV lamps
60
mounted at approximately thirty-seven degrees within an eighteen inch square duct
14
results in approximately at least 99% coverage. Finally, using two twenty-eight inch UV lamps
60
mounted at approximately thirty-seven degrees within a twenty-four inch square duct
14
results in approximately at least 99% coverage.
In addition to increasing the cross-sectional area of the air duct
14
flooded with UV light, the configuration of devices
150
and
152
illustrated in
FIGS. 8 and 9
increases the volume of the air duct
14
flooded with UV light. As discussed above, the intensity of UV light at any point decreases as the radial distance between the point and an UV lamp
60
increases. Accordingly, increasing the distance C between the two devices
150
and
152
increases the volume of the duct
14
that is flooded in UV light at an intensity capable of controlling the growth of or killing contaminants. Similarly, decreasing the distance C between the two devices
150
and
152
decreases the volume of the duct
14
that is flooded in UV light, but increases the intensity of UV light within the volume the UV light does flood. Therefore, the distance C can be adjusted at the time of installation to best suit the needs of the particular application.
FIG. 10
illustrates a UV device
154
, including two angled mounting brackets
156
and
158
, for use in applications where implementing a single device
154
to accomplish the mounting configuration illustrated in
FIGS. 8 and 9
is preferred. In addition to the two angled mounting brackets
156
and
158
shown in
FIG. 10
, the UV device
154
may include; an electrical power assembly
40
, at least one ballast
56
, appropriate electrical wiring, including an AC cord
50
, two UV lamps
60
, two clamping pieces
82
, at least one viewing piece
64
, a cover
38
, as well as any of other various mounting holes and other parts of the device described above necessary to practice the invention.
The preferred location for mounting the UV device
10
is in the supply duct (not shown) over the air-conditioning (“A/C”) coil. This location is downstream of the air filter (not shown), keeping the lamp
60
clean, and also allows the lamp
60
to inhibit contaminant growth in condensation formed on the A/C coil (not shown). Alternatively, the UV device
10
may be installed in the return air duct (not shown), preferably downstream of the air filter, or any other location within the HVAC system. If more than one UV device
10
is to be used in an HVAC system, installation in both the supply and return ducts is preferred for its cumulative effect.
It should be noted that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages. It is, therefore, intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.
Claims
- 1. An ultraviolet device for use with an air duct of an air ventilation system comprising;a housing; an ultraviolet light lamp; and a removable bracket assembly for mounting said lamp to said housing, said bracket assembly including an angled mounting bracket and a clamping piece.
- 2. The ultraviolet device of claim 1 wherein said mounting bracket is configured for mounting said lamp within the air duct at an angle of approximately 37 degrees with respect to the upper and lower walls of the air duct.
- 3. The ultraviolet device of claim 1 wherein said clamping piece, secures a shoulder of said lamp between said mounting bracket and said clamping piece.
- 4. The ultraviolet device of claim 1 further comprising a ballast mounted to said housing and coupled to said lamp.
- 5. The ultraviolet device of claim 4 further comprising an electrical power assembly attached to said housing and coupled to said ballast.
- 6. The ultraviolet device of claim 5 wherein said electrical power assembly further comprises a switch for enabling and disabling the supply of electricity to said ballast.
- 7. The ultraviolet device of claim 1 further comprising a viewing piece having a first end and a second end attached to said mounting portion wherein said viewing piece allows an operator to look into said first end of said viewing piece, through said second end of said viewing piece, to view the interior of the air duct to which said device is mounted.
- 8. The ultraviolet device of claim 7 wherein said viewing piece further comprises an elongated hollow cylinder.
- 9. The ultraviolet device of claim 7 wherein said viewing piece further comprises a lens mounted to said first end of said viewing piece to reduce the amount of ultraviolet light that can escape through said viewing piece.
- 10. The ultraviolet device of claim 1 further comprising a cover, said cover being mountable to said housing.
- 11. An ultraviolet device for use with an air duct of an air ventilation system comprising;an ultraviolet lamp; and a mounting bracket assembly including an angled mounting bracket and a removable clamping piece, whereby said mounting bracket assembly secures said lamp to the air duct such that the lamp is positioned within the air duct.
- 12. The ultraviolet device of claim 11 wherein said mounting bracket is configured for mounting said lamp within the air duct at an angle of approximately 37 degrees with respect to the upper and lower walls of the air duct.
- 13. The ultraviolet device of claim 11 further comprising a ballast mounted to said mounting bracket assembly and coupled to said lamp.
- 14. The ultraviolet device of claim 13 further comprising an electrical power assembly attached to said mounting bracket assembly and coupled to said ballast.
- 15. The ultraviolet device of claim 11 further comprising a viewing piece having a first end and a second end attached to said mounting bracket assembly, wherein said viewing piece has an aperture extending from said first end through said second end allowing an operator to look into the interior of the air duct.
- 16. The ultraviolet device of claim 15 wherein said viewing piece further comprises a lens mounted to said viewing piece such that said lens reduces the amount of ultraviolet light that can escape through said viewing piece.
- 17. An ultraviolet device for use with an air duct of an air ventilation system comprising;an ultraviolet lamp; and a mounting bracket assembly including an angled mounting bracket and a removable clamping piece.
US Referenced Citations (9)