Air filtration and positive pressurization system for vehicles in environmentally adverse conditions
AssigneeMarcor Management, Inc.
InventorMark C. Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for providing filtered and pressurized air into a vehicle cab, enclosure or other interior enclosed environment is described, in which a filtered positive pressure air unit comprises a sealed box, a HEPA filter, a blower, a magnahelic, power source and ductwork. Dirty air is drawn by the blower through the hose and ductwork to the HEPA filter where a certain percentage of impurities of a certain size or larger are removed. Clean air is discharged at a sufficiently high rate to create a positive pressure inside the interior enclosed environment, keeping clean air in, and dirty air out.
Claims11
A self-contained, portable positive pressurization/filtering device comprising:
- an enclosed housing having an air inlet and an air outlet;
- a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter within the housing adapted to capture substantially all particles in dirty air;
- an intake conduit coupled to said air inlet adapted to accept dirty air from an exterior environment and direct the dirty air to the air inlet of the housing;
- an exhaust port communicating with the air outlet adapted to exhaust substantially particulate-free clean air into an interior enclosed environment;
- a fan within said housing adapted to draw in the dirty air from the exterior environment, through the intake conduit and then through the HEPA filter, and exhaust the substantially particulate-free clean air to the interior enclosed environment at a rate sufficient to create a positive pressurization level with respect to an air pressure level of the dirty air in the exterior environment;
- and
- a pressure gauge for monitoring atmospheric pressure in the exterior environment and for monitoring air pressure in the enclosed environment, and where said pressure gauge operates the fan at a rate to maintain a positive air pressure in the enclosed environment relative to atmospheric pressure.
A portable, self-contained air filtering device for supplying filtered air to a closed environment comprising:
- a housing having an air inlet and an air outlet;
- a HEPA filter within the housing at a position between the air inlet and air outlet;
- a fan within the housing positioned on a downstream side of the filter with respect to a direction of air flow;
- an intake conduit having a first end coupled to said air inlet of said housing and a second end for drawing in air from outside the closed environment;
- a pressure sensor for monitoring air pressure within the closed environment and air pressure outside the closed environment and maintaining a positive pressure within the closed environment relative to the air pressure outside the closed environment;
- and
- a magnehelic pressure gauge having a positive pressure port communicating with the air in the closed environment and an ambient pressure port communicating with air outside the closed environment.
A system for providing a controlled environment, comprising:
- a closed vehicle cabin structure defining a closed environment;
- a portable self-contained filtering device for supplying filtered air to the closed environment and maintaining the closed environment at a positive pressure to inhibit infiltration of unfiltered air, said filtering device comprising:
- a housing having an air inlet and an air outlet;
- a HEPA filter within the housing at a position between the inlet and the outlet;
- a fan within the housing positioned on a downstream side of the filter with respect to a direction of air flow;
- an intake conduit having a first end coupled to said air inlet of said housing and a second end connected to a window of the vehicle and open to ambient air outside said closed structure for drawing in unfiltered air;
- a pressure sensor for monitoring air pressure within the closed environment and air pressure outside the closed environment for maintaining a positive pressure within the closed environment relative to the air pressure outside the closed environment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.