Patent Publication Number: US-2015087222-A1

Title: Air exchange device

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to an air exchange device and, more particularly, to an air exchange device for exchange of air inside and outside of a room. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a conventional air exchange device  9  settled in a building&#39;s wall or the housing of an electrical product is shown. Taking a wall  91  of a building as an example, the wall  91  is formed to separate an internal space and an external space. The wall  91  includes an inlet  911  and an outlet  912 , and both inlet  911  and outlet  912  communicate the internal and external spaces, with a fan  92  settled across the inlet  911  and another fan  92  settled across the outlet  912 . Therefore, when the fans  92  operates, air in the external space enters the internal space via the inlet  911 , and air in the internal space is expelled via the outlet  912 . Accordingly, the air exchange device  9  can exchange air inside and outside the building cyclically. 
     However, in order to settle this air exchange device  9 , two through holes serving as the inlet  911  and outlet  912  are necessary, and this dual hole arrangement may result in decreasing of structural strength of the wall  91 . Moreover, the necessary area on the surface of the wall  91  for these two through holes is so big that the use of the surface is thus largely limited. Besides, since a side of the fans  92  is exposed to the external space via the inlet  911  or the outlet  912 , the heat and humidity of the external space may easily damage the fans  92 , and thus lower the lifetime of the fans  92 . 
     Furthermore, the fans  92  are conventionally connected with control modules composed by driving circuits, control circuits or other electronic elements, so that the fans  92  can be driven to inwardly or outwardly guide the air. However, since the control modules tend to generate a large amount of heat during the operations, an additional cooling sink or cooling device is required to lower the working temperature of said modules. This will increase the cost of the air exchange device  9 . 
     Additionally, since the fans  92  are simply connected to the wall  91  without any sound-insulating design, the operational noise of the fans  92  can easily transmit to the environment as noise pollution. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     What is needed is an air exchange device unnecessary to be mounted on a divider via two openings of this divider but still able to provide a desirable performance in air convection about the divider, to maintain the structural strength of the divider, and to provide an area of the surface of the divider large enough for any further use. 
     Another need is an air exchange device able to perform the air convection as well as to cool a control module. 
     A still another need is an air exchange device able to lower or shade the noise made during operation of the fan. 
     A further need is an air exchange device capable of increasing the structural strength of the divider without having to drill through holes on the divider. 
     A still further need is an air exchange device which ensures that the necessary amount of area of the divider is sufficient without having to drill through holes on the divider. 
     In one implementation, an air exchange device includes: an air-guiding tube having a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, the first end having a first inlet and a first outlet, and the second end having a second inlet and a second outlet; a partition settled inside the air-guiding tube and dividing a room inside the air-guiding tube into a first air-guiding space and a second air-guiding space, the first air-guiding space communicating with the first inlet and second outlet, and the second air-guiding space communicating with the first outlet and the second inlet; a fan arranged with the air-guiding tube and adapted to induce an airflow; and a control module connecting with at least one of the first and second ends of the air-guiding tube and electrically connecting with the fan. 
     In this implementation, one or more of the following features may be included: the control module connects with the second end of the air-guiding tube, and at least one of the second inlet and second outlet faces the control module; the control module has a housing with an opening, an auxiliary outlet, and an auxiliary inlet, the housing connects with the second end of the air-guiding tube by an edge defining the opening, and the opening communicates with the second inlet and the second outlet; a board is disposed inside the housing, divides an inner room of the housing into a first branch space and a second branch space, and also divides the opening into a first section and a second section, wherein the first branch space communicates with the first section and the auxiliary outlet, and wherein the second branch space communicates with the second section and the auxiliary inlet; a driving circuit or control circuit is disposed in the first branch space or the second branch space and electrically connects with the fan; a light emitter is arranged inside the first branch space or the second branch space; an alarm is arranged inside the first branch space or the second branch space; a negative air ions generator is arranged inside the first branch space or the second branch space; the fan is settled inside the first air-guiding space, the control module has an auxiliary fan disposed in the second branch space of the housing and aligned with the second air-guiding space through the second section, and a driving circuit or a control circuit is disposed inside the second branch space and electrically connects with the fan; the fan is settled inside the second air-guiding space, the control module has an auxiliary fan disposed in the first branch space of the housing and aligned with the first air-guiding space through the first section, and a driving circuit or control circuit is disposed inside the first branch space and electrically connects with the fan; the first end of the air-guiding tube has a first surface and a second surface adjacent to or opposite to each other, at least one bent portion is formed between the first and second surfaces, the first inlet is formed in the first surface, and the first outlet is formed in the second surface; the first end of the air-guiding tube has a first surface and a second surface adjacent to each other, a bent portion is formed between the first and second surfaces, the first inlet is formed in the first surface, and the first outlet is formed in the second surface; the partition has a first section, a second section and an inclined connecting section linking the first and second sections; the fan is arranged inside the first air-guiding space or second air-guiding space; the fan is arranged inside the first air-guiding space, and the control module has an auxiliary fan corresponding to the second air-guiding space; the fan is arranged inside the second air-guiding space, and the control module has an auxiliary fan corresponding to the first air-guiding space; the air exchange device further comprising another fan, with the two fans arranged inside the first and second air-guiding spaces respectively; the air-guiding tube is a tube with an adjustable axial length; the air-guiding tube further has a sleeve moveably mounted on the first end, the sleeve independently forms a first room and a second room inside, two apertures are formed in the wall of the sleeve and communicate with the first and second rooms respectively, the first room communicates with the first air-guiding space, and the second room communicates with the second air-guiding space; the first inlet or first outlet of the air-guiding tube has a filter; the auxiliary inlet or auxiliary outlet has a filter; a layer of sound-insulating material is applied to an inner surface of the air-guiding tube; the fan electrically connects with a rotation control circuit; the auxiliary fan electrically connects with a rotation control circuit; the air exchange device further comprising a cover connecting with the air-guiding tube and covering the first end of the air-guiding tube; the cover comprises an inner wall spaced from the first inlet and the first outlet; the cover has an opening; and a filter is mounted in the opening. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinafter and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, including: 
         FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of a conventional air exchange device. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an air exchange device according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the air exchange device. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the air exchange device with an arrow showing a shift motion of a sleeve. 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of an air exchange device according to another preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of an air exchange device with an auxiliary fan. 
         FIG. 7  is a sketch diagram showing the connection among a rotation control circuit, a fan and an auxiliary fan of an air exchange device according to the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of an air exchange device with a cover. 
     
    
    
     In the various figures of the drawings, the same numerals designate the same or similar parts. Furthermore, when the term “first,” “second,” “inner,” “external,” “internal,” “downwards,” and similar terms are used hereinafter, it should be understood that these terms refer only to the structure shown in the drawings as it would appear to a person viewing the drawings, and are utilized only to facilitate describing the invention. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In the following contents, a “divider” is a structure adapted to separate an external space and an internal space. For example, when a housing of an electronic product serves as the divider, the external space is the space outside the housing, and the internal space is the space inside the housing. As another example, when a wall of a building serves as the divider, the external space is the space outside the building, and the internal space is the space inside the building. Furthermore, in the following contents, a “control module” is a module including electronic elements, such as driving circuit, control circuit, or user interface, which is capable of fan driving and control, for controlling the operation of a disclosed air exchange device. Besides, according to user&#39;s need, the control module can also include various electronic members with function of lighting, alarm, or air-filtering, such as light emitter, alarm, and negative air ions generator. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the air exchange device of the preferred embodiment of this disclosure is mounted on a divider “D,” with a first side of the divider “D” exposing to an external space “S1” and a second side of the divider “D,” opposite to the first side, exposing to an internal space “S2.” The divider “D” has a through hole “D1” extending from the first side to the second side. This air exchange device includes an air-guiding tube  1 , a partition  2 , a fan  3 , and a control module  4 . The air-guiding tube  1  is arranged in and extending through the through hole “D1.” The partition  2  and the fan  3  are settled inside the air-guiding tube  1 . The control module  4  electrically connects with the fan  3 . 
     The air-guiding tube  1  can be a tube with any kind of sectional shape, and the one shown in  FIG. 2  is a tube with round sectional shape. The air-guiding tube  1  has a first end  11  and a second end  12  opposite to the first end  11 . For guiding air to enter or exit the air-guiding tube  1 , the first end  11  has a first inlet  111  and a first outlet  112 , and the second end  12  has a second inlet  121  and a second outlet  122 . 
     The partition  2  settled inside the air-guiding tube  1  can be integrally formed within the air-guiding tube  1  or detachably connected with the air-guiding tube  1 . Specifically, the partition  2  divides the room inside the air-guiding tube  1  into two independent spaces: a first air-guiding space  21  and a second air-guiding space  22 . In this embodiment, the partition  2  includes a first section  2   a , a second section  2   b  and an inclined connecting section  2   c , which links the first and second sections  2   a ,  2   b . With the inclined connecting section  2   c , airflow can be smoothly guided from the first section  2   a  to the second section  2   b.    
     The fan  3  settled inside the air-guiding tube  1  is adapted to generate airflow. The position of the fan  3  is not limited as long as the airflow generated by the fan  3  can finally enter or exit the air-guiding tube  1 . For example, the fan  3  can be arranged in the first air-guiding space  21  or second air-guiding space  22 ; specifically, the fan  3  can be arranged at the first inlet  111 , the first outlet  112 , the second inlet  121 , or the second outlet  122 . Therefore, it is not necessary to largely increase the size of the air-guiding tube  1  for containing the fan  3 . Alternatively, there can also be another fan  3  settled inside the air-guiding tube  1  as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , and the two fans  3  are arranged in the first and second air-guiding spaces  21 ,  22  respectively, so as to improve the air-driving efficiency. Specifically, with the fan  3  settled inside the air-guiding tube  1 , the air-guiding tube  1  can provide a certain degree of sound insulation to lower the noise pollution around the air-guiding tube  1  when the fan  3  operates. Particularly, the efficiency of sound insulation can be further improved if a layer of sound-insulating material is applied to the inner surface of the air-guiding tube  1 . The fan  3  has a structure designed to be driven by a motor, such as axial fan, centrifugal fan, blower, or exchange fan. 
     The control module  4  connects with at least one of the first and second ends  11 ,  12  of the air-guiding tube  1  integrally or detachably, and the control module  4  also electrically connects with and operates the fan  3 . Preferably, the control module  4  connects with the second end  12  and is disposed in the internal space “S2,” so that the repair and maintenance processes of the control module  4  can be easily performed when the divider “D” is a wall of a building. The control module  4  is preferably in a position where at least one of the second inlet  121  and second outlet  122  faces, so that the heat generated by the control module  4  can be easily dispelled when the airflow driven by the fan  3  enters or exits the air-guiding tube  1 . In this embodiment, the control module  4  has a housing  41 . The housing  41  has an opening  411 , an auxiliary outlet  412  and an auxiliary inlet  413 , with the housing  41  connecting with the second end  12  by an edge defining the opening  411 . The opening  411  communicates with the second inlet  121  and second outlet  122 . A board  42  is disposed inside the housing  41  and across the opening  411 , so as to divide the inner room of the housing  41  into a first branch space  41   a  and a second branch space  41   b , and also to divide the opening  411  into a first opening  411   a  and a second opening  411   b . Specifically, the first branch space  41   a  communicates with the first opening  411   a  and the auxiliary outlet  412 ; and the second branch space  41   b  communicates with the second opening  411   b  and the auxiliary inlet  413 . Besides, the first opening  411   a  faces the second outlet  122 , and the second opening  411   b  faces the second inlet  121 . With the above arrangement, when a driving circuit or control circuit of the fan  3  is disposed in the first branch space  41   a  or the second branch space  41   b  and electrically connects with the fan  3 , the heat generated by this circuit can be dissipated by the airflow passing through the first branch space  41   a  or the second branch space  41   b . Furthermore, an electronic member with function of lighting, alarm, or air-filtering can also be arranged inside the first branch space  41   a  or the second branch space  41   b . The electronic member is adapted to provide said function of lighting, alarm, or air-filtering, therefore, the electronic member may be a light emitter, an alarm, or a negative air ions generator. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , in use of the disclosed air exchange device, only one hole, that is, the through hole “D1” in the divider “D” is necessary. With the air-guiding tube  1  arranged in and extending through the through hole “D1,” the airflow from the external space “S1” passes through the first inlet  111 , the first air-guiding space  21 , the second outlet  122 , the first section  411   a , the first branch space  41   a , and the auxiliary outlet  412  sequentially, so as to enter the internal space “S2.” On the other hand, a reverse airflow from the internal space “S2” passes through the auxiliary inlet  413 , the second branch space  41   b , the second opening  411   b , the second inlet  121 , the second air-guiding space  22 , and the first outlet  112  sequentially, so as to be expelled to the external space “S1.” In this way, the disclosed air exchange device can be functioned for air convection. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4  now, preferably, the axial length of the air-guiding tube  1  is able to be adjusted. In order to implement the above idea, the air-guiding tube  1  may further include a sleeve  13  moveably mounted on the first end  11 . The sleeve  13  independently includes a first room  131  and a second room  132  inside, and two apertures  133  are formed in the wall of the sleeve  13  and communicate with the first and second rooms  131 ,  132  respectively. The first room  131  communicates with the first air-guiding space  21  and the second room  132  communicates with the second air-guiding space  22 . Specifically, the first room  131  and second room  132  serve as extensions of the first air-guiding space  21  and second air-guiding space  22 , and the apertures  133  respectively serve as inlet and outlet of the air-guiding tube  1 . As a result, referring to the arrow shown in  FIG. 4 , with the shift of the sleeve  13  in an axial direction of the air-guiding tube  1 , positions of the inlet and outlet toward the external space “S1,” which are the apertures  133  now, can be adjusted according to need. 
     Additionally, referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3  again, positions of the first inlet  111 , first outlet  112 , second inlet  121 , and second outlet  122  are not limited. In this embodiment, the first inlet  111  and first outlet  112  face in the same direction. Alternatively, in order to provide different performance in air convection, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the first end  11  in the external space “S1” includes a first surface  11   a  and a second surface  11   b , which are non-coplanar surfaces with at least one bent portion  113  formed between the first and second surfaces  11   a ,  11   b . For example, when there is only one bent portion  113  formed between and linking the first and second surfaces  11   a ,  11   b , they are two adjacent and non-coplanar surfaces; alternatively, if there are more than one bent portions  113 , the first and second surfaces  11   a ,  11   b , are two opposite and non-coplanar surfaces. Specifically, the first inlet  111  is formed in the first surface  11   a , and the first outlet  112  is formed in the second surface  11   b . With the above arrangement, the first inlet  111  and the first outlet  112  face in different directions due to the bent portion  113  between the first and second surfaces  11   a ,  11   b , so that the airflow going to enter the air-guiding tube  1  and the other airflow expelled thereby do not disturb each other. Preferably, the first surface  11   a  is perpendicular to the second surface  11   b , so that the airflow may enter the air-guiding tube  1  via the first inlet  111  in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the air-guiding tube  1 , and the other airflow may exit the air-guiding tube  1  via the first outlet  112  in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the air-guiding tube  1 . Therefore, an improved performance of air convection is thus provided since airflow disturbance is efficiently avoided. Moreover, at least one of the first inlet  111 , first outlet  112 , auxiliary outlet  412 , and auxiliary inlet  413 , especially the auxiliary outlet  412  or auxiliary inlet  413 , may have a filter  14  to avoid unwanted object such as dust or insects entering the air-guiding tube  1 . When the filter  14  is arranged at the auxiliary outlet  412  or auxiliary inlet  413 , the filter  14  is inside the internal space “S2” and may provide a preferable filtering performance. Besides, maintenance or replacement of the filter  14  in the internal space “S2” can be easily performed when the divider “D” is a wall of a building. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6  now, when the fan  3  is settled inside the second air-guiding space  22 , the control module  4  may further include an auxiliary fan  43  aligning with the first air-guiding space  21 . Specifically, the auxiliary fan  43  is disposed in the first branch space  41   a  of the housing  41 , so that the auxiliary fan  43  aligns with the first air-guiding space  21  through the first opening  411   a . By the auxiliary fan  43  of the control module  4 , if the driving circuit or control circuit is disposed inside the first branch space  41   a , the heat generated by the driving circuit or control circuit can be dispelled rapidly. Furthermore, since the auxiliary fan  43  corresponds with the first air-guiding space  21 , the auxiliary fan  43  can provide functions similar to those of fan  3 , such as helping performance of air convection. Alternatively, the auxiliary fan  43  may be disposed in the second branch space  41   b  if the fan  3  is settled in the first air-guiding space  21 , so that the auxiliary fan  43  aligns with the second air-guiding space  22  through the second opening  411   b . Accordingly, the auxiliary fan  43  not only rapidly dispels the heat generated by the driving circuit or control circuit if the driving circuit or control circuit is disposed inside the second branch space  41   b , but also helps performance of air convection. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , at least one of the fan  3  and the auxiliary fan  43  electrically connects with a rotation control circuit  5 , which is adapted to control the fan  3  or auxiliary fan  43  to rotate in a forward direction or a reverse direction. Therefore, when the rotation control circuit  5  controls the fan  3  or the auxiliary fan  43  to rotate in a first direction, the airflow induced by the fan  3  or the auxiliary fan  43  goes in a way shown by the arrow “I” in  FIG. 3  or  6  for air convection; when the rotation control circuit  5  controls the fan  3  or the auxiliary fan  43  to rotate in a second direction, the airflow induced by the fan  3  or the auxiliary fan  43  goes in a reverse way of the arrow “I” in  FIG. 3  or  6  for expelling the dust from inside the air-guiding tube  1  to prevent the first inlet  111  from being blocked by the accumulated dust. As such, the dust will not accumulate in the air-guiding tube  1  and hinder the air from entering the air-guiding tube  1 , thereby maintaining an ideal performance of air convection. Specifically, the rotation control circuit  5  may decide the timing to change the rotational direction of the fan  3  or auxiliary fan  43 . For example, the fan  3  or auxiliary fan  43  may be cyclically controlled to rotate in the first direction for a convection time, such as 30-60 minutes, and then be reversely controlled to rotate in the second direction for a cleaning time, such as 10-20 seconds. Alternatively, the cleaning time can be arranged to be prior to the convection time. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , the disclosed air exchange device may further include a cover  6  in the external space “S1,” connecting with the air-guiding tube  1 , and covering the first end  11  of the air-guiding tube  1 , with the cover  6  having an opening  61 . With this cover  6 , the air-guiding tube  1  does not expose to external factors in the external space “S1,” such as humidity, wind, and dust, and the look of the air exchange device is also improved. Specifically, the cover  6  comprises an inner wall spaced from the first inlet  111  and the first outlet  112  for the air in the external space “S1” to smoothly enter the air-guiding tube  1  via the opening  61  and the inlet  111 , or for the air in the air-guiding tube  1  to be expelled to the external space “S1” via the outlet  112  and the opening  61 . Besides, when the divider “D” is a lateral wall of a building or a lateral side of a housing, the opening  61  faces downwards preferably, so as to relieve the accumulation of dust. Furthermore, there can also be another filter  14  mounted in the opening  61  to avoid unwanted object entering the air-guiding tube  1 . 
     In sum, with the above illustrated air exchange device, for air convection between the external space “S1” and the internal space “S2,” only the single through hole “D1” has to be set in the divider “D” for arrangement of this air exchange device. Therefore, the structural strength of the divider “D” is maintained, and the necessary amount of area of the divider “D” is also significantly limited. Moreover, the area of the air exchange device exposed to the external space “S1” is small, and thus damages caused by heat or humidity can be efficiently avoided. As a result, the disclosed air exchange device has advantages such as high efficiency in cooling and air-convection, long lifetime, and high degree in convenience of usage. 
     Additionally, since the fan  3  is settled inside the air-guiding tube  1 , the internal space “S2” can get ride of the noise pollution due to the operational sound of the fan  3 , especially when most parts of the air-guiding tube  1  and the fan  3  are outside the internal space “S2.” Besides, with the control module  4  connecting with the second end  12  of the air-guiding tube  1  and corresponding to the second inlet  121  and second outlet  122 , the heat generated by the control module  4  can be dissipated when airflows are induced by the fan  3 . Therefore, there is no need to additionally arrange any fin or fan for cooling the control module  4 , and thus the cost of the air exchange device is limited. 
     Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to its presently preferable embodiments, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.