Module-type filter and mask having same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a module-type filter and a mask having same, in which external air flows through an inlet portion at the end of the filter and passes through the filter while moving in a direction toward the wide side surfaces of the filter so as to increase a movement passage in the filter, and thus, addresses limitations in the performance of selectively removing various contaminants and in a filtering function due to the thickness of the filter of the conventional art.

Description

Modular filters and masks equipped with them

[0001] The present invention relates to a filter and a mask, and more particularly, to a modular filter and a mask having the same, in which air drawn into the end of the filter moves in the lateral direction of the filter and thus passes through the filter, thereby improving the filtering effect by lengthening the movement path within the filter, and in which an internal filter having various functions is easily mounted and detached within the modular filter.

[0002] As industrial development continues to produce a daily increase in fine dust, yellow dust, smoke, and other air pollutants, our health is increasingly threatened. In particular, dust, odors, and toxic gases emitted from industrial sites and construction sites pose a direct risk to workers, particularly those with respiratory problems. Consequently, the number of workers wearing masks is steadily increasing.

[0003] Especially these days, when the COVID-19 virus has recently broken out and spread around the world, taking many lives, masks made with filters that effectively block the infection and spread of viruses have become essential and indispensable items that protect personal health and life all year round, and their demand has also increased explosively.

[0004] However, the explosive increase in demand for masks has led to the following problems:

[0005] Masks using certified non-woven filters (KF80 or higher) are very expensive and difficult to obtain, and their single-use and disposal poses a significant environmental risk. Furthermore, many uncertified masks are being sold, made from materials other than certified non-woven filters, such as cotton or polyester. These masks pose a significant risk of negative health effects due to their ineffective filtering of pollutants.

[0006] Accordingly, there is a growing demand for the use of replacement filters to extend the life of the mask.

[0007] FIGS. 1A to 1C are drawings showing one embodiment of a filter-replaceable mask according to the prior art.

[0008] Fig. 1a is a drawing showing the mask body of a conventional filter-replaceable mask, Fig. 1b is a drawing showing a state in which a filter and an exhaust valve are formed, and Fig. 1c is a drawing showing a detailed configuration of the filter.

[0009] Referring to FIGS. 1A to 1C, a conventional filter-replaceable mask (100) includes a mask body (111), a filter mounting groove (120), and a valve mounting groove (130).

[0010] A pleated filter (121) is mounted on both sides of the filter mounting groove (120), and an exhalation valve (131) is mounted on the valve mounting groove (130).

[0011] The pleated filter (121) has a structure in which a front case (121-1) having an inhalation inlet (121-1a) and an inner case (121-3) having a pleated filter body (121-2) and an inhalation outlet (121-3a) are formed integrally.

[0012] In the case of such conventional masks, when inhaling, external air is drawn in through the inhalation inlet (121-1a) of the front case (121-1) and flows across the pleated filter body (121-2) into the inside of the mask through the inhalation outlet (121-3a).

[0013] That is, there was a problem that the desired filtering effect could not be obtained because the time for air to pass through the filter was very short and the area passing through the filter was very limited.

[0014] The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problem, and the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a modular filter and a mask equipped with the same, in which the external air introduced into the end of the filter moves in the lateral direction of the filter and passes through the filter, thereby improving the filtering effect by lengthening the movement path within the filter, and in which an internal filter having various functions is easily mounted and detached within the modular filter.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above technical task, a modular filter is characterized by including: an inlet portion having at least one air inlet port through which external air is introduced; a detailed filter portion including at least one detailed filter for blocking fine dust or chemical or biological hazardous substances contained in external air introduced through the inlet portion; and an inlet air discharge portion for discharging air selectively filtered through the detailed filter portion to the interior.

[0016] The above modular filter is implemented in the form of a plate, and the air introduced from the outside passes through the inlet and then passes through the detailed filter while moving in a direction parallel to the two widest surfaces of the modular filter.

[0017] The above modular filter can be implemented to selectively filter substances contained in external air introduced into the inlet according to their physical, chemical or biological properties.

[0018] The above modular filter may have an air inlet path formed so as to be able to selectively filter substances contained in external air introduced into the inlet according to their physical, chemical or biological properties.

[0019] The above modular filter can be formed in various shapes such as a curved shape, a curved shape, or a free-form shape.

[0020] The above detailed filter unit may further include a material generating unit containing at least one of solid, liquid, gaseous or plasma-type substances, such as solid oxygen, phytoncide or biomarker substances, to provide a beneficial effect to the user.

[0021] The above detailed filter unit may further include an indicator that informs the state of the inside of the filter, which is contaminated due to a reaction process in which various substances contained in the introduced external air are removed or filtered through the detailed filter, so as to inform the remaining usable period, or so as to allow the information to be confirmed externally through a marker that has reacted with the contaminant causing substances.

[0022] The above-mentioned intake air discharge unit may further include an electric fan to facilitate discharge of air that has passed through the detailed filter unit.

[0023] According to one embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above technical task, a mask having a modular filter is characterized by including: a mask body that accommodates a user's mouth and nose and has a filter mounting groove and a valve mounting groove; a modular filter that is detachably coupled to the filter mounting groove to allow external air to be introduced; and an exhaust valve that is installed in the valve mounting groove to exhaust air inside the mask and block the introduction of external air.

[0024] The above modular filter can be coupled to the main body using magnetic force.

[0025] The mask equipped with the above modular filter may further include an exhaust section equipped with an electric fan for exhaust to facilitate exhaust of air inside the mask.

[0026] The above mask body can accommodate the user's entire face by additionally accommodating the user's eyes.

[0027] An amplification function or device in the high-pitched to low-pitched range may be additionally configured on one side of the discharge valve or the mask body so that sounds from inside the mask or the user's voice can be transmitted well to the outside.

[0028] According to the modular filter according to the present invention and the mask having the same, the external air drawn into the end of the filter moves in the lateral direction of the filter and passes through the filter, thereby lengthening the movement path within the filter, thereby improving the filtering effect.

[0029] In addition, by implementing the filter in a modular form, multiple detailed filters with various functions can be easily mounted and removed inside the modular filter, which has the effect of further improving the performance of the filter.

[0030] Figure 1a is a drawing showing the mask body of a conventional filter-replaceable mask.

[0031] Figure 1b is a drawing showing a conventional filter-replaceable mask having a filter and discharge valve formed therein.

[0032] Figure 1c is a drawing showing the detailed configuration of the filter of a conventional filter-replaceable mask.

[0033] FIGS. 2A to 2C are drawings showing an embodiment of a mask having a modular filter according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] FIG. 3 is a drawing for explaining the detailed configuration of a modular filter according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] FIG. 4 is a drawing showing one embodiment of a mask having a modular filter according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] FIG. 5 is a drawing for explaining the detailed configuration of a modular filter according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] FIG. 6 is a drawing showing an embodiment of a mask having a modular filter according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] FIG. 7 is a drawing showing an embodiment in which an outer cover is attached to a mask equipped with a modular filter according to the present invention.

[0039] Hereinafter, a QR code module having a night-time luminescence function and a thumbnail function according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0040] The terms and words used in this specification and claims are not to be construed as limited to their conventional or dictionary meanings. Rather, they should be construed in a way that reflects the technical spirit of the present invention, based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of a term to best describe his or her invention. Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations depicted in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention, and it should be understood that various equivalents and modifications may be substituted for them at the time of filing this application.

[0041] FIGS. 2A to 2C are drawings showing an embodiment of a mask having a modular filter according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a drawing for explaining a detailed configuration of a modular filter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] As shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C and FIG. 3, a mask (200) having a modular filter according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a mask body (210), a modular filter (220), and a discharge valve (230).

[0043] The mask body (210) accommodates the user's mouth and nose, and has a filter mounting groove (not shown) and a valve mounting groove (not shown) inside. The mask body (210) can accommodate the user's entire face by additionally accommodating the user's eyes as needed.

[0044] The modular filter (220) is detachably attached to the filter mounting groove, allowing external air to flow in. At this time, the modular filter (220) can be attached to the filter mounting groove using magnetic force.

[0045] The above modular filter (220) is composed of an inlet section (221), a detailed filter section (222-224), and an inlet air discharge section (225).

[0046] The inlet (221) has at least one air inlet (220a, 220b) and is a part through which external air is introduced.

[0047] The detailed filter section (222 to 224) includes at least one detailed filter that blocks fine dust or chemical or biological hazardous substances contained in the air or solution of the external air introduced through the inlet section (221).

[0048] The above detailed filter unit may further include a substance generating unit containing at least one of solid oxygen, phytoncide, or biomarker substances within it, thereby enabling the unit to provide various functions as desired by the user, thereby providing a beneficial effect to the user. The substance generating unit may generate and provide various substances that react with water vapor contained in the introduced external air and provide a beneficial effect to the user.

[0049] Meanwhile, the detailed filter unit (222-224) may further include an indicator that informs the state of the inside of the filter, which is contaminated due to a reaction process in which various substances contained in the external air introduced are removed or filtered through the detailed filter, so as to enable the remaining usable period to be known, or so as to enable the information to be confirmed externally through a marker that has reacted with the contaminant causing substances.

[0050] In this way, the modular filter (220) according to the present invention has the effect of more reliably protecting the safety of the user by configuring the inside of the filter in the form of individually customized modules according to the user's usage environment and physiological conditions.

[0051] The above modular filter (220) may be implemented to selectively filter substances contained in the external air introduced into the inlet port according to their physical, chemical, or biological properties. In addition, the modular filter (220) may be configured with an air inlet path to selectively filter substances contained in the external air introduced into the inlet port according to their physical, chemical, or biological properties.

[0052] The intake air discharge unit (225) is a part that discharges air that has passed through the detailed filter units (222 to 224) and has been selectively filtered into the inside of the mask. The intake air discharge unit (225) may further include an electric fan that facilitates the discharge of air that has passed through the detailed filter units (222 to 224).

[0053] The above modular filter (220) is implemented in a plate shape and can be formed in various shapes such as a curved shape, a curved shape, or a free-form shape. The modular filter (220) has an inlet (221) having at least one air inlet (220a, 220b), and external air flows in a direction parallel to the two widest surfaces of the modular filter, as shown in the movement path (A1, A2, and A3) in FIG. 2b, and then passes through the detailed filters (222 to 224) and is discharged through the inlet air discharge portion (225).

[0054] That is, unlike conventional filters in which external air introduced into the inlet is introduced and moved across the filter body in the shortest vertical direction, the present invention has the advantage of being able to capture and remove various particles and gases to be removed according to their individual characteristics by allowing air or solution introduced into the inlet (221) to be introduced and moved along the filter body in the longest horizontal direction.

[0055] Meanwhile, the inlet (221) may further include an intake valve that opens during intake to allow external air to flow in and closes during exhaust.

[0056] The discharge valve (230) is installed in the valve mounting groove and is implemented in the form of a check valve to discharge air inside the mask and block the inflow of external air.

[0057] When two or more exhaust valves (230) are provided, the air inside the mask can be exhausted more effectively, and at the same time, another effect is that the user's voice can be transmitted to the outside without echo. In particular, an amplification function or device in the high-pitched to low-pitched range can be additionally configured on one side of the exhaust valve (230) or the mask body so that the sound from inside the mask or the user's voice can be transmitted to the outside well.

[0058] Meanwhile, the mask (200) equipped with a modular filter according to the present invention may further include an exhaust section equipped with an electric fan for exhaust to facilitate exhaust of air inside the mask.

[0059] FIG. 4 is a drawing showing an embodiment of a mask having a modular filter according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a drawing for explaining a detailed configuration of a modular filter according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0060] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a mask (400) having a modular filter according to another embodiment of the present invention comprises a mask body (410), a modular filter (420), and a discharge valve (430).

[0061] At this time, the modular filter (420) is composed of a first inlet (421), a second inlet (429), detailed filter sections (422, 423, 424, 426, 427, 428), and an inlet air discharge section (425).

[0062] The first inlet (421) has at least one air inlet (420a, 420b) and is a portion through which external air is introduced. The second inlet (429) has at least one air inlet (420c, 420d) and is a portion through which external air is introduced.

[0063] The detailed filter units (422, 423, 424) include at least one detailed filter that blocks fine dust or chemical or biologically hazardous substances contained in the external air introduced into the first inlet unit (421). The detailed filter units (426, 427, 428) include at least one detailed filter that blocks fine dust or chemical or biologically hazardous substances contained in the external air introduced into the second inlet unit (429). The detailed filter may further include a substance generating unit that includes at least one of solid, liquid, gaseous or plasma-form substances such as solid oxygen, phytoncide or biomarker substances therein, and may be implemented in various ways to provide a beneficial effect to the user.

[0064] The intake air discharge portion (425) is a portion that discharges air selectively filtered by passing through the detailed filter portions (422, 423, 424, 426, 427, 428) into the inside of the mask. Although not illustrated, the intake air discharge portion (425) may further include an intake air discharge hole that discharges air selectively filtered by passing through the detailed filter portions (422, 423, 424, 426, 427, 428) into the inside of the mask.

[0065] The modular filter (220) of the mask (200) equipped with the modular filter illustrated in Fig. 2 is formed in a small size and separated on both sides of the mask body. In contrast, the mask (400) equipped with the modular filter illustrated in Fig. 4 is characterized by further improving the filtering effect by expanding the size of the modular filter (420) in the horizontal direction after removing the discharge valve in the middle portion.

[0066] FIG. 6 is a drawing showing an embodiment of a mask having a modular filter according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0067] As illustrated in FIG. 6, a mask (600) having a modular filter according to another embodiment of the present invention comprises a mask body (610), a modular filter (620), and a discharge valve (630).

[0068] At this time, the modular filter (420) is characterized by having each inlet including an air inlet (620a, 620b), an air inlet (620c, 620d), an air inlet (620e, 620f), and an air inlet (620g, 620h) on each side of the square.

[0069] When an inlet is added as in Fig. 6, a more improved effect can be obtained in removing fine dust or chemical or biological hazardous substances in the air or solution.

[0070] FIG. 7 is a drawing showing an embodiment in which an outer cover is attached to a mask equipped with a modular filter according to the present invention.

[0071] The mask body (400) equipped with a modular filter according to the present invention is made of plastic or synthetic resin, which may be visually objectionable. Therefore, the exterior of the mask body can be covered with an outer cover (710) made of a fabric material to provide a soft feel.

[0072] As described above, the modular filter according to the present invention allows external air drawn into the end of the filter to move laterally through the filter, thereby lengthening its travel path within the filter and improving its filtering effectiveness. Furthermore, by implementing the filter in a modular form, it is possible to implement various filtering functions by incorporating solid oxygen, phytoncide, and biomaterials into the modular subfilters.

Claims

1. An inlet having at least one air inlet and through which outside air is introduced; A detailed filter unit including at least one detailed filter for blocking fine dust or chemical or biological hazardous substances contained in external air flowing into the inlet; and A modular filter characterized by including an inlet air discharge unit that discharges air selectively filtered through the above detailed filter unit into the interior.

2. In paragraph 1, The above modular filter is implemented in the form of a plate, A modular filter characterized in that air drawn in from the outside passes through the inlet port, moves in a direction parallel to the two widest surfaces of the modular filter, passes through the detailed filter, and is then discharged.

3. In the first paragraph, the modular filter A modular filter characterized in that it is implemented so as to be able to selectively filter substances contained in external air introduced into the above inlet according to their physical, chemical or biological properties.

4. In the first paragraph, the modular filter A modular filter characterized in that an air inlet passage is formed so as to selectively filter substances contained in external air introduced into the inlet port according to their physical, chemical or biological properties.

5. In the second paragraph, the modular filter A modular filter characterized by being capable of being formed into various shapes, such as a curved shape, a curved shape, or a free-form shape.

6. In the first paragraph, the detailed filter part A modular filter characterized in that it further includes a substance generating unit containing at least one substance in the form of solid, liquid, gas or plasma, such as solid oxygen, phytoncide or biomarker substance, so as to provide a beneficial effect to the user.

7. In the first paragraph, the detailed filter part A modular filter characterized in that it further includes an indicator that informs the state of the inside of the filter that is contaminated due to the reaction process in which various substances contained in the external air introduced are removed or filtered through the detailed filter, so as to inform the remaining usable period, or so as to allow the information to be confirmed externally through a marker that has reacted with the contaminant causing substances.

8. In the first paragraph, the intake air discharge unit A modular filter characterized in that it further includes an electric fan to facilitate the discharge of air passing through the above detailed filter section.

9. Regarding masks, A mask body that accommodates the user's mouth and nose and has a filter mounting groove and a valve mounting groove; A modular filter that is detachably connected to the above filter mounting groove and allows external air to be drawn in; and A mask having a modular filter, characterized in that it includes an exhaust valve installed in the valve mounting groove to exhaust air inside the mask and block the inflow of external air.

10. In the 9th paragraph, the modular filter A mask having a modular filter, characterized in that it is a modular filter according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

11. In paragraph 10, A mask having a modular filter, characterized in that the modular filter is attached to the main body using magnetic force.

12. In paragraph 10, A mask having a modular filter, characterized in that it further includes an exhaust section having an electric fan for exhaust to facilitate exhaust of air inside the mask.

13. In the 10th paragraph, the mask body A mask having a modular filter that accommodates the user's entire face by additionally accommodating the user's eyes.

14. In paragraph 10, A mask equipped with a modular filter characterized in that an amplification function or device in a high-pitched to low-pitched range is additionally configured on one side of the discharge valve or the mask body so that sound from inside the mask or the user's voice can be transmitted well to the outside.

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