Abstract:
An apparatus and method of using electrical unit capable of improving air qualities in an indoor area. The electrical unit having an air circulator configured to generate an air stream, a cold plasma generator operably connected to a first and a second high voltage wires, the cold plasma generator configured to produce a high voltage between the first and second high voltage wires, a first electrode electrically connected to the first high voltage wire; and a second electrode electrically connected to the second high voltage wire; the first and second electrodes configured to generate a high voltage electric field in the air stream.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to indoor air quality improvement. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device for providing heat and improving the air quality of an indoor area using a cold plasma generator. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Air contamination is a serious health concern. It is a known concern that air can be contaminated by contaminants, such as, bacteria, viruses, allergens, and other airborne diseases. In some circumstances, these contaminants can cause us minor discomfort; however, in some serious cases, these contaminants can cause death. For example, during the 2003 SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak, 774 people died of this airborne virus. 
         [0003]    In order to improve air quality, negative ion technologies have been employed. Some negative ion technology devices use oxygen atoms that have gained an electron. Negative oxygen ions purify the air by magnetically attracting to positively charged pollutants (for example: dust, pollen, smoke, and dander) until these newly-formed larger particles of pollutants and ions become too heavy to remain suspended in air. However negative oxygen ions have a very short life (2-6 minutes) and become inactive before they can circulate completely throughout a dwelling. Furthermore, a high-powered negative ion generator typically produces “black-wall effect,” which is a hard-to-remove residue that settles on the wall or other surfaces near the ion generator. In addition, most negative ion generators use filters and require frequent maintenance. 
         [0004]    Ozone generators are also used to purify air. Ozone generators generate ozone, which are activated oxygen containing three atoms of oxygen rather than the two atoms that we normally breath. Ozone has powerful bacteria killing effect. However, ozone is also known to be harmful to humans. Furthermore, the cost associated with ozone generators are generally high. 
         [0005]    Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an electric unit that can eliminate pollutants and airborne viruses that is cost effective. Furthermore, it is desirable to provide an electric unit that does not cause “black-wall effect.” In addition, it is desirable to provide an electric unit that is not harmful to the user. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The foregoing needs are met, to a great extent, by the present invention, wherein in one aspect an apparatus is provided that in some embodiments includes a fan forced electrical unit that incorporates a cold plasma generator to provide rapidly rising, short lasting electric pulse to purify air. In another embodiments a cold plasma generator is combined with other devices that process air uses as a heater. 
         [0007]    In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an electrical unit is provided. The electrical unit includes an air circulator configured to generate an air stream; a cold plasma generator operably connected to a first and a second high voltage wires, the cold plasma generator configured to produce a pulse voltage differential between the first and second high voltage wires; a first electrode electrically connected to the first high voltage wire; and a second electrode electrically connected to the second high voltage wire; the first and second electrodes configured to generate a high pulse voltage electric field in the air stream. 
         [0008]    In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical apparatus is provided. The electrical apparatus includes means for circulating an air stream; means for generating high voltage connected to the means for circulating, means for generating high voltage operably connected to a first means and a second means for transmitting high voltage, the means for generating high voltage configured to produce a pulse voltage between the first means and the second means for transmitting high voltage; a first means for generating a high voltage electric field in the air stream electrically connected to the first means for transmitting high voltage; and a second means for generating a high voltage electric field in the air stream electrically connected to the second means for transmitting high voltage. 
         [0009]    In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method of making an electrical apparatus is provided. The method includes placing a cold plasma generator inside a housing; connecting a first and a second high voltage wires to the cold plasma generator; connecting a first electrode to the first high voltage wire; connecting a second electrode to the second high voltage wire; and placing an air circulator inside the housing, such that the air circulator moves air through an electric field generated by the first and second electrodes. The method further includes connecting a motor to the air circulator; placing a heating element inside the housing; connecting a thermo sensor to the heating element; connecting a thermal fuse between the heating element and the thermo sensor; and placing an indicator light in the housing. 
         [0010]    There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, certain embodiments of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof herein may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional embodiments of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
         [0011]    In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of embodiments in addition to those described and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
         [0012]    As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a partial exploded view of an electric heater according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a front view of an electric unit according to the present invention without the front cover and fan deck. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view taken along the  3 - 3  in  FIG. 2 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the fan-panel assembly according to the present invention showing various sub-parts. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  illustrates a first wiring diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  illustrates a second wiring diagram of another embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0019]    The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. An embodiment in accordance with the present invention provides a fan forced electrical unit that incorporates a low power cold plasma generator to provide rapidly rising, short lasting electric pulse to purify air. The low power cold plasma generator can generate an electric pulse of about 3000 volts on the order of milliseconds. 
         [0020]    An embodiment of the present inventive apparatus is illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The electric unit  100  includes a back cover  102 , a front cover  104 , and a fan-panel assembly  200 . 
         [0021]    The front cover  104  includes a knob  124 . The front cover  104  has slits  154  to permit air to flow through the front cover  104 . The front cover  104  is fitted over the back cover  102 . In some embodiments of the invention the electric unit  100  is a portable space heater. The knob  124  is connected to the thermostat  126 . A user may turn on the electric unit  100  by turning the knob  124  and may also adjust heat output of the electrical unit  100  using the knob  124 . For example, the user can adjust the temperature by turning the knob clockwise or counter-clockwise. 
         [0022]    The thermostat  126  is secured on the fan deck  106  and is electrically connected a heating element  122 . The thermostat is configured to send a signal to the heating element  122  to turn on or off when the temperature raises above or descends below a predetermined temperature. 
         [0023]    An indicator light  134  is also mounted on the fan-panel assembly  200 . The indicator light  134  is electrically connected to the heating element  122 , such that the indicator light  134  illuminates when either a thermo sensor  140  or the thermal fuse  138  fails (see  FIG. 4 ). 
         [0024]    The fan-panel assembly  200  has an opening  150  to facilitate air flow. The fan-panel assembly  200  has a fan opening  152  to allow a fan  118  to draw air into the electric unit  100  through the slits  154  in the front cover. The fan-panel assembly  200  includes slots  130  for mounting the heating element to a fan deck  106 . An element mount  108  has a gradually curved rear section, and is secured on the backside of the fan deck  106 , such that a heating element  122  is mounted between the fan deck  106  and the element mount  108 . Furthermore, the heating element  122  is mounted below the opening  150 , such that cold air passes through the heating element  122  and becomes warm, then exits the opening  150 . A motor  120  is secured on the fan deck  106  and is operatively connected to the fan  118 . 
         [0025]    A cold plasma generator  116 , also known as a plasma generator, is mounted on the back cover  102 . Two high voltage wires  110  each having two ends are electrically connected to the cold plasma generator  116  at one of their ends and the other ends are connected to a first and a second electrodes  112 ,  113  as shown in  FIG. 2 . The two electrodes  112 ,  113  are oppositely charged and are at least in part covered by plastic brackets  114 . The first and the second electrodes  112 ,  113  can be about 1.20 inches to about 1.30 inches apart. In some embodiments of the invention, the first and the second electrodes  112 ,  113  are about 1.26 inches apart. In some embodiments of the invention, the first and the second electrodes  112 ,  113  are carbon brushes. 
         [0026]    The cold plasma generator  116  generates rapidly rising pulse of discharge between the first and the second electrodes  112 ,  113 . The cold plasma generator may generate a pulse between about 2500 to about 6000 volts between the first and the second electrodes  112 ,  113 . In some embodiments of the invention, the cold plasma generator  116  generates a pulse of about 3000 volts between the first and the second electrodes  112 ,  113 . In some embodiments of the invention, the rapidly rising pulse has a cycle time on the order of a millisecond. In some embodiments of the invention, the rapidly rising pulse has a cycle of between about 1 to about 6 milliseconds. In some embodiments of the invention, the rapidly rising pulse has a cycle of between about 3 to about 4 milliseconds. 
         [0027]    A rapid discharge is a process by which a pulse current, perhaps sustained, develops from an electrode with a high potential in a neutral fluid, usually air, by ionizing that fluid so as to create a plasma around the electrode. The ions generated eventually are passed to nearby area by air stream, or recombine to form neutral gas molecules. Thus, the cold plasma generator  116  does not produce harmful by products in the process. Therefore, it is more suitable than negative ion technologies or ozone generators for purifying air in an indoor area. 
         [0028]    The electrodes  112 ,  113  are mounted on the element mount  108  and above the opening  150  of the fan panel  106 , such that when warm air exits the opening  150  and passes through the electrodes  112 ,  113 , the cold plasma generator  116  will generate a high energy pulse and split water molecules suspended in the air into oppositely charged hydrogen and hydroxyl ions. The negative hydroxyl ions will bond will bacteria or viruses in the air, interrupting their metabolism and preventing them from further reproduction. 
         [0029]    The electric unit  100  does not create “black-wall effect.” “Black-wall effect” is created by negative charged particles, This effect is used in dust collection. The electric unit  100  creates plasma, positively charged hydrogen ion and negatively charged hydroxyl ion, which has little effect to dust. Thus, unlike negative ion generator, the electric unit  100  will not create “black-wall effect.” 
         [0030]      FIG. 2  is a front view of the electric unit  100  according to an embodiment of the present invention with the front cover  104  and the fan deck  106  removed. The fan deck  106  can be made of metal with the openings  150 ,  152  (see  FIG. 1 ). The element mount  108  is secured behind the fan deck  106  and the heating element  122  is mounted in between the element mount  108  and the fan deck  106 . The heating element  122  is secured on the fan deck  106  and the element mount  108  through slots  130 . 
         [0031]    As discussed above, the cold plasma generator  116  is connected to two high voltage wires  110  and which are connected to electrodes  112 ,  113 . The electrodes  112 ,  113  are carbon brushes and are in part covered by plastic brackets  114  for electrical insulation. Therefore, the plastic brackets  114  will not effect the discharge process. Furthermore, the plastic brackets  114  can be configured to secure the electrodes  112 ,  113  on the fan deck  106 . 
         [0032]    The element mount  108  has an opening  128  for adapting a thermal fuse  128 . The thermal fuse  128  is electrically connected between the heating element and the thermo sensor. The thermal fuse  128  is a fail-safe device for the electric unit  100 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view taken along the  3 - 3  in  FIG. 2 . It illustrates the relative location of the various components of the electric unit  100 . Furthermore, it illustrates the flow of air through the electric unit  100 . First, when the fan  118  is turned on, air is pulled into the electric unit  100  through the slits  154  in the lower part of the front cover  104  (see  FIG. 1 ). The air is directed up through the heating element  122 . The warmed air then passes through the electrodes  112 ,  113  and exit the electric unit  100 . The electrodes  112 ,  113  have a pulse potential between them of approximately 3000 volts and thereby create an electric field, such that water molecules in the air passing through the field break apart into positive hydrogen ions and negative hydroxyl ions. The negative hydroxyl ions then bond to bacteria and viruses and destroying them. It is noted that the bacteria killing capability of the unit  100  can function without the heating element  122 . Therefore, a user can set the thermostat  126  to keep the heating element  122  off and still enjoy the benefit of the bacteria killing function. 
         [0034]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the fan-panel assembly  200  according to an embodiment of the present invention showing various sub-parts. The fan  118  is connected to the motor  120  via a shaft  172 . The fan  118  and the motor  120  are mounted to the fan deck  106 . The fan  118  is secured through the shaft  172  and held by the fan clip  132 . The thermostat  126  also mounted on the fan deck  106 . 
         [0035]    A thermo sensor  140  is mounted on the element mount  108  and is electrically connected the heating element  122 . If the electric unit  100  is heated beyond the pre-determined temperature, the thermo sensor  140  will cut off the circuit to the heating element  122  automatically, and when the electric unit  100  is cooled, the thermo sensor  140  will reconnect the circuit enabling the heating element  122  to function. 
         [0036]    The thermo fuse  138  is mounted on the element mount  108  and it is electrically connected to the heating element  122 . The thermo fuse  138  is an additional fail-safe mechanism. The thermo fuse  138  is configured to break the circuit to the heating element  122  if the thermo sensor  140  fails. Thus, if the thermo sensor  140  fails to break the circuit if the electric unit  100  overheats, the thermo fuse  138  will break the circuit to the heating element  122 . If this happens, the electric unit  100  will need servicing. 
         [0037]    As discussed previously, the indicator light  134  is mounted on the fan deck  106 . The indicator light  134  is electrically connected to the heating element  122 , such that the indicator light  134  illuminates when either the thermo sensor  140  or the thermo fuse  138  activates to cut power to the heating element  122 . For example, in the event that the thermo sensor  140  senses that the electric unit  100  is overheated, it will cut off power to the heating element and the indicator light  134  will turn on automatically. When the unit  100  is cooled, the thermo sensor  140  returns power to the heating element and the indicator light  134  will turned off. In the event that the thermo fuse  138  is activated, the indicator light  134  will not turn off until the electric unit  100  is serviced. 
         [0038]      FIG. 5  illustrates a first wiring diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. The wiring diagram illustrates the electrical connectivity of the various elements of the present invention. In the embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 5 , the heating element  122 , the motor  120 , and the cold plasma generator  116  are in parallel connection. 
         [0039]    As shown, the thermostat  126  is electrically connected to the power supply  160 . The thermostat  126  is also electrically connected to a wattage selection board  162  through bushing  164 . The wattage selection board allows the manufacturer to elect different wattage levels, for example, by selectively removing one or more wires  168 ,  170 , the wattage can range between 500 to 2000 watts. The wires  168 ,  170  are electrically connecting to the heating element  122 . The change of wattage may affect the maximum heating capacity of the heating element  122 . Thus, the manufacturer can manufacture heating units with various maximum heat setting by simply removing one or both electric wires  168 ,  170 . 
         [0040]    Furthermore, the thermostat  126  is electrically connected to the thermo sensor  140  through a splice  166 . The thermo sensor is electrically connected to the thermo fuse  138 . The thermo fuse  138  is further connected to the heating element  122 . The motor  120  is electrically connected to the heating element  122  and the wattage selection board  162 . The cold plasma generator  116  is electrically connected to the splice  166  and the wattage selection board  162 . An indicator light  134  is also electrically connected to the splice  166  and the heating element  122 . It is noted that this is a parallel system. When the electric unit is switched on, the heating element  122 , the cold plasma generator  116 , and the motor  120  will all be powered. 
         [0041]      FIG. 6  illustrates a second wiring diagram of another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the cold plasma generator  116  is electrically connected between the heating element  122  and the wattage selection board  162 . The cold plasma generator  116  will be disabled when the thermostat  126  is disconnected from the power source. Alternatively, the cold plasma generator  116  can be integrated with the heating element  122 . Thus, the cold plasma generator  116  can be controlled by the thermo sensor  140  and the thermo fuse  138 . 
         [0042]    In operation, when the electric unit is placed in a room, the heating element  122  generates warm air, the cold plasma generator  116  sends power to the electrodes  112 ,  113 . The potential between the electrodes  112 ,  113  creates an electric field. As water molecules in the air pass through the electric field, the water molecules are broken down into hydrogen ions and hydroxyl ions, and the motor  120  drives the fan  118  to blow the heated air and the ions out to the room and draws in cold air. The hydroxyl ions will bond with bacteria and viruses of the room. After several cycles, the room warms up and many of the bacteria and viruses will be rendered inert. 
         [0043]    The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.