Apparatus for effecting continuous and simultaneous transfer of heat and moisture between two air streams

Claim 2

A ventilating device for ventilating a room comprising, in combination: a box-shaped housing including a suction port and an exhaust port facing each of the interior and exterior portions of a room to be ventilated; a plurality of partitions within said housing defining a suction passage and an exhaust passage each communicating one suction port and one exhaust port and wherein said suction passage and exhaust passage open into a common heatexchange space; a suction fan disposed in said suction passage operable to form a suction air stream along said suction passage; an exhaust fan disposed in said exhaust passage operable to form an exhaust air stream along said exhaust passage; and combined heat-moisture transfer means disposed within said common heatexchange space for effecting continuous and simultaneous transfer of heat and moisture between the suction air stream and the exhaust air stream, said combined heat-moisture transfer means including a plurality of laminations composed of a material sufficiently thermally conductive and permeable to moisture to effect continuous and simultaneous transfer therethrough of both heat and moisture, said plurality of laminations being superposed on one another at predetermined substantially equal intervals defining therebetween a plurality of gaps, and means for communicating alternate ones of gaps formed between said laminations with said suction passage and the remaining gaps with said exhaust passage.

Claim 3

A ventilating device as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said fans is of a centrifugal type.

Claim 4

A ventilating device as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said fans is of a cross flow type.

Claim 5

A ventilating device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said laminations of said heat exchanger are composed of Japanese paper.

Claim 6

A ventilating device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said suction and exhaust fans are of a centrifugal type including a multi-vane impeller and disposed so as to render said multi-vane impellers coaxial with each other and wherein a common electric motor for driving said fans is provided including a driving shaft connected at the opposite ends to respective ones of said multi-vane impellers.

Claim 7

A ventilating device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said suction and exhaust fans are of a centrifugal type including a multi-vane impeller and disposed so as to render said multi-vane impellers coaxial with each other, a common electric motor including a driving shaft connected at the opposite ends to said multi-vane impellers respectively, and wherein said centrifugal suction fan is disposed between said suction port communicating with said suction passage and said heat-exchange space while said centrifugal exhaust fan is the same in output as said suction fan and disposed between said suction port communicating with said exhaust passage and said heat-exchange space.

Claim 8

A ventilating device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said housing includes an opening near to the interior of the room, and a front decorated panel detachably closing said opening, and including said suction port and said exhaust port facing the room, support means disposed within said housing, and a support member secured to the internal surface of said front panel cooperative with said support means to removably support said heat exchanger therebetween such that said front panel disengages from said housing to permit said heat exchanger to be removed from said housing through saiD opening thereof.

Claim 9

A ventilating device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the housing includes an opening near to the interior of the room, and a front decorated panel detachably closing said opening housing, and including said suction port and said exhaust port facing the room, support means disposed within said housing, a support member secured to the internal surface of said front panel cooperative with said support means to removably support said heat exchanger therebetween such that said front panel disengages from the housing to permit the heat exchanger to be removed from said housing through said opening thereof, and an isolating plate capable of being detachably sandwiched at the intersection of the suction and exhaust passages between said support means and said support member thereby to cause the exhaust stream to be sucked through said exhaust port on the side of the room and simultaneously to cause the suction stream to be discharged through said suction port on the side of the room.

Claim 10

In combination: a motor vehicle; a suction conduit and an exhaust conduit opening externally of the motor vehicle; a housing including an external suction port connected to said suction conduit, an external exhaust port connected to said exhaust conduit, and an internal suction port and an internal exhaust port facing the interior of the vehicle; a plurality of partitions within said housing defining a suction passage and an exhaust passage extending within said housing from the interior to the exterior of the vehicle and opening into a common heat-exchange space; a suction fan disposed in said suction passage operable to form a suction air stream along the suction passage; an exhaust fan disposed in said exhaust passage operable to form an exhaust air stream along said exhaust passage; and combined heat-moisture transfer means disposed within said common heat-exchange space for effecting continuous and simultaneous transfer of heat and moisture between the suction air stream and the exhaust air stream, said combined heat-moisture transfer means including a plurality of laminations composed of a material sufficiently thermally conductive and permeable to moisture to effect continuous and simultaneous transfer therethrough of both heat and moisture, said plurality of laminations being superposed on one another at predetermined substantially equal intervals defining therebetween a plurality of gaps, and means for communicating alternate ones of gaps formed between said laminations with said suction passage and the remaining gaps with said exhaust passage.

Claim 11

In combination: a motor vehicle; a suction conduit and an exhaust conduit opening externally of the motor vehicle; a housing including an external suction port connected to said suction conduit, an external exhaust port connected to said exhaust conduit, and an internal suction port and an internal exhaust port facing the interior of the vehicle; a plurality of partitions within said housing defining a suction passage and an exhaust passage extending within said housing from the interior to the exterior of the vehicle and opening into a common heat-exchange space; a suction fan disposed in said suction passage operable to form a suction air stream along the suction passage; an exhaust fan disposed in said exhaust passage operable to form an exhaust air stream along said exhaust passage; and combined heat-moisture transfer means disposed within said common heat-exchange space for effecting continuous and simultaneous transfer of heat and moisture between the suction air stream and the exhaust air stream, said combined heat-moisture transfer means including a plurality of laminations composed of a material sufficiently thermally conductive and permeable to moisture to effect continuous and simultaneous transfer therethrough of both heat and moisture, said plurality of laminations being superposed on one another at predetermined substantially equal intervals defining therebetween a plurality of gaps, and means for communicating alternate ones of gaps formed between said laminations with said suction passage and the remaining gaps with said exhaust passage.

Claim 12

A combination as claimed in claim 9 wherein said laminations of said heat exchanger are composed of Japanese paper.

Claim 13

An air conditioning equipment for conditioning a room comprising: a main body having an inflow side; and a ventilating device comprising a box-shaped housing including a suction port and an exhaust port facing each of the interior and exterior portions of the room to be conditioned; a plurality of partitions within said housing defining a suction passage and an exhaust passage each communication one suction port and one exhaust port and wherein said suction passage and exhaust passage open into a common heat-exchange space; a suction fan disposed in said suction passage operable to form a suction air stream along said suction passageway; an exhaust fan disposed in said exhaust passage operable to form an exhaust air stream along said exhaust passage; and combined heat-moisture transfer means disposed within said common heat-exchange space for effecting continuous and simultaneous transfer of heat and moisture between the suction air stream and the exhaust air stream, said combined heat-moisture transfer means including a plurality of laminations composed of a material sufficiently thermally conductive and permeable to moisture to effect continuous and simultaneous transfer therethrough of both heat and moisture, said plurality of laminations being superposed on one another at predetermined, substantially equal intervals defining therebetween a plurality of gaps, and means for communicating alternate ones of gaps formed between said laminations with said suction passage and the remaining gaps with said exhaust passage; and means for supplying the suction air stream to said inflow side of said main body.

Claim 14

An air conditioning equipment for conditioning a room comprising: a main body having an inflow side; and a ventilating device comprising a box-shaped housing including a suction port and an exhaust port facing each of the interior and exterior portions of the room to be conditioned; a plurality of partitions within said housing defining a suction passage and an exhaust passage each communication one suction port and one exhaust port and wherein said suction passage and exhaust passage open into a common heat-exchange space; a suction fan disposed in said suction passage operable to form a suction air stream along said suction passageway; an exhaust fan disposed in said exhaust passage operable to form an exhaust air stream along said exhaust passage; and combined heat-moisture transfer means disposed within said common heat-exchange space for effecting continuous and simultaneous transfer of heat and moisture between the suction air stream and the exhaust air stream, said combined heat-moisture transfer means including a plurality of laminations composed of a material sufficiently thermally conductive and permeable to moisture to effect continuous and simultaneous transfer therethrough of both heat and moisture, said plurality of laminations being superposed on one another at predetermined, substantially equal intervals defining therebetween a plurality of gaps, and means for communicating alternate ones of gaps formed between said laminations with said suction passage and the remaining gaps with said exhaust passage; and means for supplying the suction air stream to said inflow side of said main body.

Claim 15

An airconditioning equipment as claimed in claim 11 wherein said laminations of said heat exchanger are composed of Japanese paper.

Claim 16

A ventilating device for ventilating a room comprising: a housing having therein means defining an air induction system for inducting air from outside the room to be ventilated into the room and means defining an air discharge system for discharging air contained within the room to the outside thereof; and combined heat-moisture transfer means statically positioned within both said air induction and air discharge system for effecting continuous and simultaneous transfer of heat and moisture between the inducted and discharged air comprising a plurality of spaced-apart and superposed heat and moisture transfer surfaces defining therebetween a plurality of superposed static air flow paths, means communicating alternate ones of said flow paths with said air induction system and the remaining alternate flow paths with said air discharge system, and wherein said heat and moisture transfer surfaces are composed of a material sufficiently heat conductive and sufficiently permeable to moisture to allow moisture flow therethrough to continuously and simultaneously effect both heat and moisture exchange between the inducted and discharged air.

Claim 17

A ventilating device for ventilating a room comprising: a housing having therein means defining an air induction system for inducting air from outside the room to be ventilated into the room and means defining an air discharge system for discharging air contained within the room to the outside thereof; and combined heat-moisture transfer means statically positioned within both said air induction and air discharge system for effecting continuous and simultaneous transfer of heat and moisture between the inducted and discharged air comprising a plurality of spaced-apart and superposed heat and moisture transfer surfaces defining therebetween a plurality of superposed static air flow paths, means communicating alternate ones of said flow paths with said air induction system and the remaining alternate flow paths with said air discharge system, and wherein said heat and moisture transfer surfaces are composed of a material sufficiently heat conductive and sufficiently permeable to moisture to allow moisture flow therethrough to continuously and simultaneously effect both heat and moisture exchange between the inducted and discharged air.

Claim 18

A ventilating device according to claim 13; including a spacer member disposed in the flow path between each two adjacent heat and moisture transfer surfaces, each said spacer member having an undulating configuration dividing the flow path into a plurality of individual and parallel flow paths.

Claim 19

A ventilating device according to claim 14; wherein the flow paths in communication with said air induction system extend transversely with respect to the flow paths in communication with said air exhaust system.

Claim 20

A ventilating device according to claim 13; wherein said heat and moisture transfer surfaces are composed of Japanese paper.