Air purifiers

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air purifier, and more particularly, to an air purifier that introduces a filter support structure including a first body supporting a filter member and having a protrusion on its lower surface, and a second body disposed under the first body and having a groove with an inclined surface on one side that contacts the protrusion, thereby drawing a filter member pulled out to the outside of a housing into an internal space of the housing and moving the filter member upward to form a seal with respect to a locking part, thereby improving the convenience of filter management.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air purifier, and more particularly, to an air purifier that introduces a filter support structure including a first body supporting a filter member and having a protrusion on its lower surface, and a second body disposed under the first body and having a groove with an inclined surface on one side that contacts the protrusion, thereby drawing a filter member pulled out to the outside of a housing into an internal space of the housing and moving the filter member upward to form a seal with respect to a locking part, thereby improving the convenience of filter management. [Background technology]

[0002] An air purifier is a device that forcibly draws in polluted outside air, purifies it, and then discharges the purified, filtered air to the outside. The air purifier includes a blower for drawing outside air into the inside of the air purifier, and a filter member having a function of filtering foreign matter such as dust and bacteria in the air. Such a known air purifier is configured to forcibly draw in polluted air in an indoor space such as a home or office, collect dust and filter it, and then recirculate and supply the purified air to the room.

[0003] In the air purifier disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 2015-0126328 by Coway Co., Ltd., a filter unit consisting of multiple filters such as a pre-filter, a pre-treatment filter, a functional filter, a HEPA filter, and a deodorizing member is housed in a filter housing part of a body. In this case, the filter unit itself cannot be pulled out by a tool due to its structure, so the user has to hold the filter unit directly with both hands in order to pull it out of the filter housing part, which is a hygienic disadvantage. In addition, even when only a part of the filter needs to be replaced, such as the HEPA filter, the entire filter unit must be separated outside the filter housing, which is cumbersome.

[0004] The air purifier with easy filter replacement disclosed in Bodyfriend's Korean Patent Publication No. 2020-0097574 discloses that when a user presses a button link member exposed to the outside, the filter push member presses the airtight maintaining portion of the filter member in a lateral direction due to the power transmitted from the button link member, thereby exposing the filter member to the outside of the case member. However, in this case, since the filter push member applies pressure to the filter member in a lateral direction, the filter member is in a somewhat unstable state inclined in a direction opposite to the part that is pressed when it is exposed to the outside of the case member, and since there is no member that applies pressure to the filter member in a direction perpendicular to the ground when the air purifier is in operation, there is a disadvantage that the airtight state of the filter member cannot be effectively maintained. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Publication No. 2015-0126328 [Patent Document 2] Korean Patent Publication No. 2020-0097574 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the air purifier of the present invention introduces a filter support structure including a first body supporting a filter member and having a protrusion on its underside, and a second body disposed under the first body and having a groove with an inclined surface on one side that contacts the protrusion, thereby drawing the filter member pulled out to the outside of the housing into the internal space of the housing and moving the filter member upward to form a seal with respect to the engagement part, thereby improving the convenience of filter management and improving the airtightness of the filter member.

[0007] In the air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, a slope corresponding to the slope of the groove provided in the second body is formed on one side of the protrusion provided in the first body, thereby improving the stability of the filter member when the first body is raised or lowered.

[0008] In an air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of grooves in the second body are formed along opposing sides of the U-shape, and a plurality of protrusions in the first body are formed to correspond to the grooves, thereby distributing the load of the first body against the second body and further improving the stability of the filter member when the first body is raised or lowered.

[0009] In an air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the coupling part of the third body is coupled to the mounting part of the first body, it penetrates the second body and is positioned above the second body, thereby enabling coupling to the third body through the structure of the mounting part of the first body that is already provided, thereby improving design efficiency.

[0010] In an air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, an inclined surface is formed on the pull-out direction side of the groove portion of the second body, and a locking surface is formed on the retraction direction side, thereby restricting movement of the protrusion of the first body in the retraction direction from the release position where the filter member can be removed, and allowing the first and second bodies to be pulled out together as a unit when the second body is pulled out in the pull-out direction, thereby improving user convenience.

[0011] The air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a third body disposed under the second body and having a coupling part that couples with the mounting part of the first body. When the second body is pulled out in the pull-out direction, the first body is coupled to the third body and pulled out together as a unit, thereby further improving stability when the filter member moves.

[0012] In an air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, the mounting part of the first body has a protruding structure corresponding to the shape of a filter member, and the connecting part of the third body is formed in a shape corresponding to the mounting part, thereby improving the connecting strength between the first body and the third body.

[0013] The air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided with a pressure stopper on one side of the third body that temporarily pressurizes a part of the second body, thereby making it possible to pull out the second body only when an external force is applied, thereby preventing the filter member from moving vertically unexpectedly from the locked position.

[0014] The air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention has a support part formed on one side of the third body, protruding toward the ground to support the load of the filter support structure, thereby preventing separation or damage of the filter support structure when pulled out and improving the stability of the filter support structure.

[0015] The air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention aims to ensure that the filter member rises or falls only at predetermined positions by including a locking portion that temporarily restricts relative movement of the second body with respect to the first body before the filter support structure is fully inserted into the housing.

[0016] The air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention aims to improve the accuracy of control related to the locking part by introducing a locking part including a locking groove and an elastic stopper protruding from the third body and descending toward the locking groove.

[0017] The air purifier according to the embodiment of the present invention aims to allow the elastic stopper to move up or down smoothly without being blocked by forming an inclined surface on one side of the locking groove included in the locking part.

[0018] The air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention aims to improve the accuracy and stability of the operation of the locking unit by providing a guide unit on one side of the fourth body that is coupled to the elastic stopper and guides the upward or downward movement of the elastic stopper.

[0019] An air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention aims to improve the stability of the filter member by guiding the ascent or descent of the first body by providing a frame portion in the fourth body that surrounds at least a portion of the outer edge of the first body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0020] In order to achieve the above object, an air purifier according to the present invention includes a housing having one side openable, a filter member disposed inside the housing and filtering external air, a locking portion disposed above the filter member inside the housing, at least a portion of which has a shape corresponding to an upper end of the filter member and is formed so as to be able to contact the upper end of the filter member, and a filter support structure to which the filter member is attached and which can be pulled out to the outside of the housing along a pulling-out direction that is a direction of the one side of the housing when the one side of the housing is open, the filter support structure including an attachment portion to which the filter member is attached, the filter device includes a first body having a protrusion formed on its underside and extending toward the ground; and a second body disposed under the first body and having a groove having a straight or curved inclined surface on one side in contact with the protrusion, wherein when the second body is retracted in a retracting direction opposite to the pulling out direction, the protrusion rises along the inclined surface of the groove, and the first body moves from a release position where the filter member can be removed to a lock position above the release position where the filter member comes into contact with the locking portion and is fixed, and at the lock position, flow between the filter member and the locking portion is blocked.

[0021] In the air purifier according to the embodiment of the present invention, a slope corresponding to the slope of the groove is formed on one side of the protrusion.

[0022] In the air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, the second body is formed in a U-shape, the grooves are formed in a plurality of portions along opposing sides of the U-shape, and the protrusions of the first body are formed in a plurality of portions corresponding to the plurality of grooves.

[0023] In the air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, the filter support structure includes a third body having at least a portion disposed under the second body to support the second body, the second body being formed in a U-shape, the third body having a coupling part coupled to the mounting part, the coupling part penetrating the second body when coupled to the mounting part and being positioned above the second body.

[0024] In the air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the second body is pulled out in the pulling-out direction, the protrusion descends along the inclined surface of the groove, and the first body moves from the locked position to the released position.

[0025] In the air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, the inclined surface of the second body is formed on the pull-out direction side of the groove, and a locking surface is formed on the pull-out direction side of the groove, and the protrusion comes into contact with the locking surface at the release position to restrict movement in the pull-out direction, and when the second body is pulled out in the pull-out direction, the first body is pulled out together with the second body.

[0026] In the air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, the filter support structure includes a third body at least a portion of which is disposed under the second body to support the second body, the third body having a connecting part connected to the mounting part of the first body, and the third body is pulled out together with the second body when the second body is pulled out in the pulling out direction.

[0027] In the air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, the mounting portion of the first body has a circular or rectangular protruding structure corresponding to a shape of the filter member, and the coupling portion of the third body is formed in a shape corresponding to the mounting portion.

[0028] In the air purifier according to the embodiment of the present invention, a pressure stopper is provided on one side of the third body to temporarily pressurize a part of the second body so as to restrict free movement of the second body.

[0029] In the air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, the third body includes a support part protruding toward the ground on one side to support the load of the filter support structure by contacting the ground when the filter support structure is pulled out.

[0030] In the air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the filter support structure is retracted, the air purifier further includes a locking portion that temporarily restricts the relative movement of the second body before the filter support structure is completely inserted into the housing, so that the first body can be lifted by the relative movement of the second body only after the third body is completely inserted into the housing.

[0031] In the air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, the locking part includes: a locking opening formed on one side of the third body; a locking groove formed on one inner side of the housing at a position facing the locking opening when the filter support structure is completely inserted into the housing; and an elastic stopper protruding toward a lower side of the third body through the locking opening, having a spring therein, and fixing the third body to the housing by descending toward the locking groove when the elastic stopper is located above the locking groove, wherein when the elastic stopper is in a position other than the locking groove, the elastic stopper rises to restrict relative movement of the second body.

[0032] In the air purifier according to the embodiment of the present invention, a slope is formed on one side of the locking groove so that the elastic stopper can rise without being locked when the third body moves.

[0033] The air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes a fourth body coupled to the third body to move integrally with the third body and cover at least a portion of the second body, and the fourth body includes a guide part coupled to the elastic stopper on one side to guide the elastic stopper to ascend or descend.

[0034] In the air purifier according to the embodiment of the present invention, the fourth body includes a frame portion surrounding at least a portion of an outer edge of the first body. Effect of the Invention

[0035] With the above configuration, the air purifier according to the present invention introduces a filter support structure including a first body supporting a filter member and having a protrusion on its lower surface, and a second body disposed under the first body and having a groove with an inclined surface on one side that contacts the protrusion, so that the filter member drawn out to the outside of the housing is drawn into the internal space of the housing and the filter member is moved upward to form a seal with respect to the locking portion, thereby improving the convenience of filter management and improving the airtightness of the filter member. In other words, the drawing and sealing of the filter member are performed in a series of continuous operations, providing the effect of allowing the user to easily attach and detach the filter member to and from the air purifier.

[0036] In the air purifier according to the embodiment of the present invention, a slope corresponding to the slope of the groove portion provided in the second body is formed on one side of the protrusion portion provided in the first body, thereby providing an effect of improving the stability of the filter member when the first body is raised or lowered.

[0037] In the air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of grooves are formed in the second body along opposing sides of the U-shape, and a plurality of protrusions are formed in the first body to correspond to the grooves, thereby distributing the load of the first body against the second body and providing an effect of further improving the stability of the filter member when the first body is raised or lowered.

[0038] In the air purifier according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the coupling part of the third body is coupled to the mounting part of the first body, it penetrates the second body and is positioned above the second body, so that the air purifier can be coupled to the third body through the already provided structure of the mounting part of the first body, thereby improving design efficiency.

[0039] In the air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, an inclined surface is formed on the pull-out direction side of the groove of the second body, and a locking surface is formed on the retraction direction side, thereby restricting movement of the protrusion of the first body in the retraction direction from the release position where the filter member can be removed, and allowing the first and second bodies to be pulled out together as a unit when the second body is pulled out in the pull-out direction, thereby providing an effect of improving user convenience.

[0040] The air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a third body disposed under the second body and having a coupling part that couples with the mounting part of the first body. When the second body is pulled out in the pull-out direction, the first body is coupled to the third body and pulled out together, thereby providing an effect of further improving stability when the filter member moves.

[0041] In the air purifier according to the embodiment of the present invention, the mounting part of the first body has a protruding structure corresponding to the shape of the filter member, and the connecting part of the third body is formed in a shape corresponding to the mounting part, thereby providing an effect of improving the connecting strength between the first body and the third body.

[0042] The air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention has a pressure stopper on one side of the third body that temporarily pressurizes a part of the second body, making it possible for the second body to be pulled out only when an external force is applied, thereby preventing the filter member from moving vertically unexpectedly from the locked position.

[0043] The air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention has a support part formed on one side of the third body, protruding toward the ground to support the load of the filter support structure, thereby preventing separation or damage of the filter support structure when pulled out, thereby improving the stability of the filter support structure.

[0044] The air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a locking portion that temporarily restricts relative movement of the second body with respect to the first body before the filter support structure is fully inserted into the housing, thereby providing the effect of ensuring that the filter member rises or falls only at predetermined positions.

[0045] The air purifier according to the embodiment of the present invention provides an effect of improving the accuracy of control related to the locking part by introducing a locking part including a locking groove and an elastic stopper protruding from the third body and descending toward the locking groove.

[0046] The air purifier according to the embodiment of the present invention provides an effect that the elastic stopper can be smoothly raised or lowered without being blocked by forming an inclined surface on one side of the locking groove included in the locking part.

[0047] The air purifier according to the embodiment of the present invention provides an effect of improving the accuracy and stability of the operation of the locking unit by providing a guide unit on one side of the fourth body that is coupled to the elastic stopper and guides the upward or downward movement of the elastic stopper.

[0048] In the air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, the fourth body includes a frame portion surrounding at least a portion of the outer edge of the first body, thereby providing an effect of guiding the ascent or descent of the first body and improving the stability of the filter member. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0049] [Figure 1] 4 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a filter member is exposed to the outside of a housing in an air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view of an air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from below toward above; [Diagram 3] 1 is a side view illustrating an air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention in a locked position; [Figure 4] 1 is a side view illustrating an air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention in a release position; [Diagram 5] 4 is a side view illustrating a state in which a filter member is exposed to the outside of a housing in an unlocked position of an air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a perspective view illustrating a filter support structure of an air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the filter support structure of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the filter support structure of FIG. 6. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view illustrating the filter support structure in a locked position. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view illustrating the filter support structure in a released position. [Figure 11] 1 is a cross-sectional perspective view illustrating a filter support structure with a portion exposed to the exterior of a housing; FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the filter support structure in a locked position. [Figure 13] FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the filter support structure in the released position; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0050] The words and terms used in this specification and the claims should not be interpreted in a limited manner based on their ordinary or dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted in a meaning and concept that corresponds to the technical idea of ​​the present invention in accordance with the principle that the inventor can define the terms and concepts in order to best describe his / her invention.

[0051] Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings correspond to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and do not represent the entire technical idea of ​​the present invention, and therefore the relevant configurations may have various equivalents and modifications that can replace them at the time of filing of the present invention.

[0052] In this specification, the terms "comprise" or "have" are intended to describe the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0053] A certain component being "in front," "in back," "above," or "below" another component means not only that it is immediately adjacent to the other component and is disposed "in front," "in back," "above," or "below," unless there are special circumstances, but also includes the case where another component is disposed between them. In addition, a certain component being "connected" to another component means not only that they are directly connected to each other, but also that they are indirectly connected to each other, unless there are special circumstances.

[0054] Hereinafter, an air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a filter member is exposed to the outside of a housing in an air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention viewed from the bottom to the top. Fig. 3 is a side view illustrating a locked position state of an air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 4 is a side view illustrating an unlocked position state of an air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 5 is a side view illustrating a state in which a filter member is exposed to the outside of a housing in the unlocked position of an air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention. It should be made clear that parts not relevant to the description have been omitted from the drawings in order to clearly explain the present invention.

[0055] The air purifier 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention is a device that includes a blower fan 32 and a filter member 20 to draw in and purify polluted air, and then discharges the purified air. In particular, the air purifier 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention is a device that can improve the convenience of replacement and maintenance of the filter member 20 for the user by introducing a unique filter support structure 40. Hereinafter, each component of the air purifier 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described, with a focus on the configuration and effects of the filter support structure 40.

[0056] 1 and 2, an air purifier 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 10, a filter member 20 disposed inside the housing 10 to filter external air, a locking portion 30 disposed above the filter member 20 inside the housing 10, and a filter support structure 40 to which the filter member 20 is attached and which can be pulled out to the outside of the housing 10.

[0057] First, the housing 10 forms the exterior of the air purifier 100, and may be formed in a box shape to provide a space for arranging each component therein. In this case, the housing 10 may be formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape as shown in Fig. 1, or may be formed in a cylindrical shape (not shown in the drawings). However, the shape of the housing 10 is not limited thereto, and various shapes of housings having spaces therein may be used.

[0058] 2, in one embodiment of the present invention, the outer surface of the housing 10 may be provided with a number of intake ports 13 penetrating at least a portion of the housing 10 so that external air can be drawn in. For example, the intake ports 13 may be formed in the form of a slit extending in one direction or a circular opening as shown in the drawing. Also, the intake ports 13 may be evenly distributed along the outer surface of the housing 10 so that external air can be drawn in evenly without being biased in a particular direction.

[0059] In an embodiment of the present invention, the housing 10 may be formed so that at least a portion of one side 12 is openable so that the internal space can be exposed to the outside. As a non-limiting example, a portion of the outer side of the housing 10 may be formed so that it can be completely separated from the housing 10, or a portion of the outer side of the housing 10 may be formed so that it can rotate about a rotation axis by being hinged to the housing 10. The reason why the one side 12 of the housing is formed so as to be openable is that the filter member 20 arranged inside the housing 10 can be pulled out to the outside of the housing 10 by the movement of the filter support structure 40 described below. A detailed description of this will be made later through the description of the filter support structure 40.

[0060] Meanwhile, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a locking part 30 may be formed on one side of the inner space of the housing 10. At this time, the locking part 30 may be formed in a plate shape extending in a direction parallel to the ground, and an outer edge of the locking part 30 may be installed so as to be connected to an inner surface of the housing 10. The locking part 30 may divide the inner space of the housing 10 into an upper space located above the locking part 30 and in which a blower fan 32 is disposed, and a lower space located below the locking part 30 and in which a filter member 20 is disposed. At this time, referring to Fig. 2, the locking part 30 includes a plurality of through holes for communicating the upper space and the lower space of the housing 10, so that the air filtered through the filter member 20 may move to the upper space of the housing 10. The air moved to the upper space of the housing 10 may pass through the blower fan 32 and finally be discharged to the outside through the outlet 14 formed at the top of the housing 10.

[0061] In one embodiment of the present invention, the lower part of the locking part 30 may come into contact with the filter member 20 as shown in FIG. 3. At this time, the part of the locking part 30 that the filter member 20 comes into contact with may be formed in a shape corresponding to the upper end of the filter member 20 so that the filter member 20 can be fixed to the locking part 30. As an example, a part of the locking part 30 may be formed in a shape surrounding the outer edge of the upper end of the filter member 20. In this way, when the filter member 20 is raised by the filter support structure 40 described below and comes into contact with the locking part 30, the filter member 20 can be stably fixed by the locking part 30, and as a result, a part of the filtered air discharged from the filter member 20 may not flow out in a lateral direction of the filter member 20. In other words, the locking part 30 can block the flow between the filter member 20 and the locking part 30, thereby improving the airtightness between the filter member 20 and the locking part 30. Hereinafter, the position where the filter member 20 comes into contact with the locking part 30 and is fixed in this manner is defined as a "lock position".

[0062] In an embodiment of the present invention, the filter member 20 disposed under the locking part 90 may be a known filter member. As a non-limiting example, the filter member 20 may be a dust collection filter such as an Ultra-Low Penetration Air (ULPA) filter, a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter, a medium filter, or a pre-filter that collects and filters ultrafine dust particles of 0.1 to 0.3 μm contained in the air or fine dust particles of 0.3 μm or more, or an antibacterial filter that removes bacteria and microorganisms contained in the inhaled air. In addition, the filter member 20 may be formed such that only some of the filters among the above-mentioned filter member configurations can be partially separated. In addition, although the filter member 20 is illustrated in the drawings as a rectangular tube, the shape of the filter member 20 is not limited thereto, and various shapes of filter members including a cylindrical filter member may be applied.

[0063] Meanwhile, the filter member 20 may be in a locked position in which it is in contact with and fixed to the engaging part 30 by rising toward the engaging part 30 by the filter support structure 40 described below as shown in Fig. 3, or in a released position in which it is spaced a predetermined distance (a) from the engaging part 30 by descending toward the ground as shown in Fig. 4 by the operation of the filter support structure 40. In particular, in the released position, the airtight state between the engaging part 30 and the filter member 20 formed in the locked position may be released.

[0064] Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a filter support structure of an air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figs. 7 and 8 are exploded perspective views showing the filter support structure of Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the filter support structure in a locked position, Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the filter support structure in an unlocked position, and Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the filter support structure in a state where a part exposed to the outside of the housing is exposed. Fig. 12 is a rear perspective view of the filter support structure in the locked position, and Fig. 13 is a rear perspective view of the filter support structure in the unlocked position.

[0065] The air purifier 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a filter support structure 40 that supports a lower portion of the filter member 20. At this time, the filter support structure 40 can be pulled out of the housing 10 along the direction of one side surface 12 of the housing 10 in a state where the one side surface 12 of the housing 10 is opened. That is, when it is necessary to separate the filter member 20 to the outside of the housing 10 for reasons such as replacement and maintenance of the filter member 20, the filter support structure 40 can be pulled out of the housing 10 by an external force of a user. In this regard, hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 1, a direction in which the filter support structure 40 is pulled out of the housing 10 is defined as an "pulling out direction d1", and a direction in which the filter support structure 40 is pulled into the interior space of the housing 10 is defined as an "pulling in direction d2".

[0066] More specifically, and with reference to FIGS. 6-8, the filter support structure 40 may include a first body 50 and a second body 60.

[0067] The first body 50 may be formed in the shape of a plate having an area corresponding to the internal space of the housing 10. At this time, a mounting part 52 to which the filter member 20 is mounted may be formed in the center part of the first body 50, and an edge part 51 may be provided around the outside of the mounting part 52. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the mounting part 52 may be formed in a form that protrudes from the edge part 51 toward the filter member 20 by a predetermined height. As a specific example, the mounting part 52 may have a protruding structure having a circular or rectangular shape corresponding to the shape of the filter member 20. As such, the mounting part 52 is formed to protrude toward the filter member 20, and thus can be coupled to the filter member 20 in a form that the mounting part 52 is inserted into an insertion part (not shown) formed in a shape corresponding to the mounting part 52 on the lower surface of the filter member 20. Through this, the filter support structure 40 can stably support the filter member 20 so that the filter member 20 does not tilt or fall to one side when pulled out or retracted. Meanwhile, a space may be formed inside the mounting part 52 so that a coupling part 72 of the third body 70 described below can be coupled thereto. This will be described later in relation to the coupling part 72.

[0068] The first body 50 may have a protrusion 54 formed on its lower surface so as to extend toward the ground. At this time, the extension length of the protrusion 54 may be the same as the distance (a) between the filter member 20 and the locking part 90 when the filter member 20 is in the release position. The protrusion 54 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other along the region corresponding to the edge 51, and may include a plurality of protrusions 54 all having the same height.

[0069] In one embodiment of the present invention, the second body 60 may be disposed under the first body 50. At this time, a groove 62 having a space formed therein to accommodate the protrusion 54 of the first body 50 may be formed in the second body 60 at a position corresponding to the protrusion 54 of the first body 50. The groove 62 may have a first inclined surface 63 formed in a straight line or curved line to which the protrusion 54 of the first body 50 is in contact. Thus, when the protrusion 54 is supported by the first inclined surface 63 and moves forward or backward in the pull-out direction d1 or the pull-in direction d2 along the first inclined surface 63, the first body 50 may rise toward the locking part 30 or fall toward the ground.

[0070] As a specific example, the second body 60 may be formed in a U-shape as shown in Fig. 7. The reason why the second body 60 is formed in a U-shape is to allow the coupling portion 72 of the third body 70 to be described later to penetrate the second body 60, which will be described later in relation to the third body 70. Meanwhile, when the second body 60 is formed in a U-shape, a plurality of the grooves 62 may be formed at positions corresponding to a plurality of the protrusions 54 of the first body 50 along the opposing sides of the U-shape. By forming a plurality of the protrusions 54 and the grooves 62, the load of the first body 50 on the second body 60 may be distributed, and the stability of the filter member may be further improved when the first body 50 is raised and lowered.

[0071] Hereinafter, the operational relationship between the first body 50 and the second body 60 will be described in detail. First, in the lock position where the filter member 20 is fixed by the locking portion 30, the first body 50 may be positioned in a state where it is supported by the uppermost side of the first inclined surface 63 as shown in Fig. 9. In this state, if the user pulls the second body 60 in the pull-out direction d1, the first inclined surface 63 moves as a whole in the pull-out direction d1, and accordingly, as shown in Fig. 10, the protrusion 54 of the first body 50 in contact with the first inclined surface 63 moves to a position adjacent to the lowermost part of the first inclined surface 63 by the first inclined surface 63. As a result, the first body 50 moves down a predetermined distance (a) toward the ground and moves to a release position where the filter member 20 can be removed, and the filter member 20 fixed to the mounting portion 52 of the first body 50 also moves down. In this case, the first body 50 can only move vertically (perpendicular to the ground) without moving horizontally (extending or retracting). If the second body 60 is then further pulled in the extending direction d1, the first body 50 and the second body 60 can move together and be exposed to the outside of the housing 10, as shown in FIG.

[0072] 10, in the case where the first body 50 is in the release position and remains stationary without moving, when the second body 60 is retracted in a retracting direction d2 opposite to the pulling-out direction d1, the second body 60 moves relative to the first body 50, and the protrusion 54 moves up along the first inclined surface 63 of the groove 62. As a result, the entire first body 50 moves up toward the locking portion 30, and the filter member 20 can move to a locked position where it comes into contact with the locking portion 30 and is fixed.

[0073] As described above, the air purifier 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention introduces the filter support structure 40 including the first body 50 with a protrusion and the second body 60 with a groove 62 with an inclined surface in contact with the protrusion formed on one side thereof, thereby drawing the filter member 20 drawn out to the outside of the housing into the internal space of the housing and moving the filter member 20 upward to form a seal with respect to the locking portion 30, thereby providing the user with an effect of improving the convenience of filter management. That is, since the drawing and sealing of the filter member are performed in a series of continuous actions, the user can draw the filter member 20 into the inside of the housing 10 and simultaneously raise the filter member 20 toward the locking portion 30 to fix it with just a single action.

[0074] 9, the groove 62 may have a locking surface 64 that is vertically upright in addition to a first inclined surface 63 that contacts the protrusion 54. In this case, the first inclined surface 63 may be formed on the groove 62 in the pull-out direction d1, and the locking surface 64 may be formed on the groove 62 in the pull-out direction d2. Thus, if the protrusion 54 contacts the locking surface 64 at the release position, the relative movement in the pull-out direction d2 may be restricted by the locking surface 64. As a result, when the second body 60 is pulled out in the pull-out direction d1, one side of the protrusion 54 receives a force from the locking surface 64, and the first body 50 may be pulled out together with the second body 60. In other words, the first body 50 is restricted from moving in the pull-out direction d1 from the locked position until the protrusion 54 comes into contact with the locking surface 64, and moves only toward the ground, but once the protrusion 54 comes into contact with the locking surface 64 (when the filter member 20 moves from the locked position to the dismantled position), the force is transmitted by the locking surface 64 and the first body 50 can move in the pull-out direction d1 together with the second body 60. This allows the user to continuously control the raising and lowering of the filter member 20 and the pulling out of the housing without separating them, thereby improving the convenience of operation for the user.

[0075] Meanwhile, the protrusion 54 of the first body 50 may have a second inclined surface 55 having a predetermined angle formed on the end side as shown in Fig. 9. In this case, the second inclined surface 55 may have an inclination corresponding to the first inclined surface 63 formed in the groove 62 of the second body 60. This allows the first body 50 to move more stably when it ascends or descends by the second body 60, thereby improving the stability of the filter member 20 arranged on the first body 50. However, the protrusion 54 having the second inclined surface 55 is merely an example, and a protrusion 54 without the first inclined surface 63 may be used as necessary.

[0076] The filter support structure 40 of the air purifier 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a third body 70 disposed under the second body 60 to support the second body 60.

[0077] 7, the third body 70 may include a coupling part 72 coupled to the mounting part 52 of the first body 50. That is, when the filter member 20 is in the locked position, the first body 50 is positioned in a state of being raised toward the locking part 30, and when the first body 50 is lowered by drawing out the second body 60, the mounting part 52 of the first body 50 may be coupled to the coupling part 72 of the third body 70. In this way, the first body 50, by being coupled to the third body 70, may rise or fall solely or mainly in a direction perpendicular to the ground without moving in the drawing-out direction d1 or the drawing-in direction d2 during the descent. Thereafter, after the first body 50 has been completely lowered, as described above, the protrusion 54 comes into contact with the locking surface 64, through which force is transmitted from the locking portion 30 and moves in the pull-out direction d1, and the third body 70 coupled to the first body 50 can also be pulled out together with the second body 60, just like the first body 50. Since the third body 70 can more effectively support the first body 50 when the first body 50 moves in the up / down or pull-out / retraction direction, the stability of the filter member 20 located above it can also be improved.

[0078] In one embodiment of the present invention, the coupling part of the third body 70 may be formed in a shape corresponding to the mounting part of the first body 50. As an illustrative example, when the mounting part 52 of the first body 50 is formed in a rectangular shape, the coupling part 72 may be formed in a rectangular shape that is finer and smaller than the mounting part 52 and may be coupled to each other by being inserted into a space formed inside the mounting part 52. In this way, the mounting part 52 of the first body 50 performs the function of mounting the filter member 20, and can be coupled to the coupling part 72 of the third body 70 by its own shape, so that a stable coupling force can be obtained without a separate coupling means.

[0079] In this case, the second body 60 may be formed in a U-shape as described above. At this time, as shown in FIG. 9, inside the U-shaped second body 60, the coupling part 72 of the third body 70 may be disposed in a form penetrating the second body 60, and the top of the coupling part 72 may be located above the second body 60. Thus, when the first body 50 is in the locked position and the second body 60 is pulled out to move downward toward the ground (moves to the unlocked position), the coupling part of the third body 70 may be inserted into the mounting part of the first body 50, and the mounting part 52 and the coupling part 72 may be coupled to each other. In this way, the air purifier 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may facilitate the coupling between the first body 50 and the third body 70 through the U-shaped second body 60 and the coupling part 72 penetrating it.

[0080] Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 12, one side of the third body 70 may be provided with a pressure stopper 74 that temporarily presses a part of the second body 60. At this time, the pressure stopper 74 is made of an elastic material and can press a position corresponding to a groove formed on one side of the second body 60 in a lateral direction. At this time, the second body 60 is pressed by the pressure stopper 74 in order to restrict the free movement of the second body 60 so that the second body 60 is pulled out only when a desired external force is applied by the user at the locked position. That is, for example, if the air purifier 100 is tilted toward one side 12 of the housing for unavoidable reasons at the locked position, if there is no member such as the pressure stopper 74 described above, the second body 60 will be pulled out in the pull-out direction d1 due to gravity, and the first body 50 may fall to the released position accordingly. The pressure stopper 74 can prevent the filter member 20 from moving vertically unexpectedly in this way.

[0081] 6 to 8, the third body 70 may have a support part 76 formed to protrude toward the ground on one side. In this case, the support part 76 may be formed in a position adjacent to a part that a user grips to pull out the second body 60. When the filter support structure 40 is pulled out to the outside of the housing 10, the support part 76 directly contacts the ground to support the load of the filter support structure. As a result, the filter support structure 40 is not positioned in a floating state even when pulled out to the outside of the housing 10, but can distribute the load through the ground. As a result, it is possible to prevent the filter support structure 40 from being separated from the air purifier 100 from the beginning or to prevent an accident in which a part of the filter support structure 40 is damaged due to the load of the filter member 20.

[0082] In one embodiment of the present invention, the filter support structure 40 may include a locking portion 90 that temporarily limits relative movement of the second body 60 with respect to the first body 50 before the filter support structure 40 is fully inserted within the housing 10.

[0083] As described above, when the second body 60 moves relative to the first body 50, the first body 50 can be lowered from the locked position to the unlocked position or raised from the unlocked position to the locked position by the second body 60. That is, the first body 50 can be raised or lowered in a direction perpendicular to the ground only when the second body 60 moves in the pulled or retracted direction (relative movement with respect to the first body) without the first body 50 moving horizontally (in the extended or retracted direction). However, if the third body 70 to which the first body 50 is connected is positioned outside the housing 10 and the second body 60 moves relatively, the filter member 20 will rise to the locked position while being positioned outside the housing 10. The locking part 90 can temporarily restrict the relative movement of the second body 60 when the third body 70 is positioned outside the housing 10 in order to prevent the filter member 20 from being raised or lowered in an unexpected position.

[0084] As a specific example, referring to FIG. 10, the locking portion may include a locking opening 92, a locking groove 94, and an elastic stopper 96. First, the locking opening 92 may be formed on the lower surface of the third body 70, and may be an opening having an area corresponding to the elastic stopper 96. The locking groove 94 is a groove structure formed on the base part 16 of the inside of the housing 10, and may be formed at a position facing the locking opening 92 when the third body 70 is fully inserted into the inside of the housing 10 as shown in FIG. 10, and may have an internal space corresponding to the volume of the elastic stopper 96. Next, the elastic stopper 96 may have a compression spring built therein and may protrude to the lower side of the third body 70 through the locking opening 92. If the elastic stopper 96 is located above the locking groove 94 formed on the base part 16 of the housing, it may descend toward the locking groove 94 as shown in FIG. 12, thereby fixing the third body 70 so that it does not move in the drawing direction d1 or the retracting direction d2. As shown in FIG. 11, when the elastic stopper 96 is in a position other than the lock groove 94 (when the third body 70 is pulled out in the pull-out direction d1), the spring is compressed by the base part 16 of the housing 10, and the elastic stopper 96 can be maintained in a state of rising out of the lock groove 94 toward the locking part 30. As a result, the third body 70 is not fixed to the housing 10 and can move in the pull-out direction d1 or the pull-in direction d2. When the elastic stopper 96 rises toward the locking part 30, the one end 66 of the second body 60 can be restricted from moving in the pull-in direction d2 by the raised elastic stopper 96, and as a result, the relative movement with respect to the first body 50 can be restricted (see FIG. 13). Thereafter, the second body 60 can move in the pull-in direction d2 only when the third body 70 is completely pulled into the inside of the housing 10 and the elastic stopper 96 is positioned above the lock groove 94 and moves down toward the lock groove 94. As a result, the second body 60 can move relative to the first body 50 only at a predetermined position (when the third body 70 is completely retracted into the housing 10).

[0085] 10 and 11, a third inclined surface 95 may be formed on a portion of the lock groove 94 on the side of the pull-out direction d1. This allows the elastic stopper 96 to smoothly rise toward the locking part 30 without being locked by the lock groove 94 when the third body 70 moves.

[0086] In an embodiment of the present invention, the filter support structure 40 may further include a fourth body 80. Referring again to Figs. 7 to 9, the fourth body 80 may be coupled to the third body 70 so as to move integrally with the third body 70. In addition, the second body 60 may be disposed between the third body 70 and the fourth body 80, and a part of the handle side of the second body 60 may be covered by the fourth body 80. As a result, when the second body 60, part of which is covered by the fourth body 80, moves in the pull-out direction d1 or the retracted direction d2, it may be prevented from floating toward the locking part 30 due to the load of the fourth body 80. In addition, the fourth body 80 has a predetermined height on both sides and includes a frame part 84 that surrounds the outer edge of the first body 50, thereby stably guiding the first body 50 to rise or fall. 13, a guide part 82 may be provided inside the fourth body 80 to be coupled with the elastic stopper 96 and stably guide the rise or fall of the elastic stopper 96. At this time, a coupling protrusion or coupling groove extending in the rise or fall direction of the elastic stopper may be formed on the outer circumferential surface of the guide part 82, and a coupling groove or coupling protrusion having a corresponding shape may be formed on the elastic stopper 96. Rail members may be provided on both sides of the fourth body 80, and these rail members may interact with further rail members provided on the inner surface of the housing to smoothly guide the filter support structure 40 when it slides in the pull-out direction d1 or the retraction direction d2 without friction.

[0087] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the concept of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment presented in this specification, and a person skilled in the art who understands the concept of the present invention may easily propose other embodiments by adding, changing, deleting, or adding components within the scope of the same concept, which may also be considered to fall within the scope of the concept of the present invention.

Claims

1. A housing having at least a portion of one side thereof that is openable; a filter member disposed inside the housing and configured to filter external air; a locking portion disposed on an upper side of the filter member inside the housing, the locking portion having at least a portion having a shape corresponding to an upper end of the filter member and configured to be able to come into contact with the upper end of the filter member; a filter support structure to which the filter member is attached and which can be pulled out to the outside of the housing along a pulling direction that is a direction of the one side surface of the housing in a state where the one side surface of the housing is opened, The filter support structure includes: a first body including a mounting portion to which the filter member is mounted and a protrusion formed on a lower surface thereof so as to protrude toward the ground; a second body disposed under the first body and having a groove on one side of which a straight or curved inclined surface is formed to contact the protrusion; a third fuselage, at least a portion of which is disposed under the second fuselage and supports the second fuselage; When the second body is retracted in a retracting direction opposite to the pulling direction, the protrusion rises along the inclined surface of the groove, and the first body moves from a release position where the filter member can be removed to a lock position above the release position where the filter member comes into contact with the locking portion and is fixed, In the locked position, flow between the filter member and the catch is blocked; the third body includes a coupling portion coupled to the mounting portion of the first body, When the second body is pulled out in the pull-out direction, the third body is pulled out together with the second body, When the second body is pulled out in the pull-out direction, the protrusion descends along the inclined surface of the groove, and while the protrusion descends along the inclined surface of the groove, the mounting portion of the first body engages with the coupling portion of the third body, and the first body moves only in the downward direction without moving in the pull-out direction or the pull-in direction.

2. The air purifier according to claim 1 , wherein one side of the protrusion is inclined to correspond to the inclined surface of the groove.

3. The second body is formed in a U-shape, and the grooves are formed along opposing sides of the U-shape, The air purifier of claim 1, wherein the protrusion of the first body is formed in a plurality of portions corresponding to the plurality of grooves.

4. The second body is formed in a U-shape, The air purifier according to claim 1, wherein the coupling part penetrates the second body when coupled to the mounting part and is positioned above the second body.

5. 2. The air purifier according to claim 1, wherein, when the second body is pulled out in the pull-out direction, the protrusion descends along the inclined surface of the groove, and the first body moves from the locked position to the unlocked position.

6. The inclined surface of the second body is formed on the pull-out direction side of the groove, and a locking surface is formed on the pull-in direction side of the groove, 6. The air purifier according to claim 5, wherein, at the release position, the protrusion contacts the engaging surface to restrict movement in the retracting direction, and when the second body is retracted in the retracting direction, the first body is retracted together with the second body.

7. The mounting portion of the first body has a circular or rectangular protruding structure corresponding to a shape of the filter member, The air purifier according to claim 1, wherein the coupling portion of the third body is formed in a shape corresponding to the mounting portion.

8. The air purifier according to claim 1 , further comprising a pressure stopper for temporarily applying pressure to a portion of the second body on one side of the third body to restrict free movement of the second body.

9. 2. The air purifier of claim 1, wherein the third body includes a support portion protruding toward the ground on one side to support the load of the filter support structure by contacting the ground when the filter support structure is pulled out.

10. 2. The air purifier according to claim 1, further comprising a locking portion that temporarily restricts relative movement of the second body before the filter support structure is completely inserted into the housing, such that the first body can be lifted by the relative movement of the second body only after the third body is completely inserted into the housing when the filter support structure is retracted.

11. The lock portion is a lock opening formed on one side of the third body; a lock groove formed on one side of the inside of the housing, the lock groove being formed at a position facing the lock opening when the filter support structure is completely inserted into the housing; an elastic stopper protruding toward a lower side of the third body through the locking opening and having a spring therein, the elastic stopper lowering toward the locking groove when positioned above the locking groove to fix the third body to the housing, The air purifier according to claim 10, wherein when the elastic stopper is in a position other than the locking groove, the elastic stopper rises to restrict the relative movement of the second body.

12. The air purifier according to claim 11, wherein an inclined surface is formed on one side of the locking groove so that the elastic stopper can be lifted without being locked when the third body moves.

13. a fourth fuselage coupled to the third fuselage so as to move integrally therewith and covering at least a portion of the second fuselage; The air purifier according to claim 11, wherein the fourth body includes a guide part on one side thereof, the guide part being coupled to the elastic stopper and configured to guide the elastic stopper to ascend or descend.

14. The air purifier according to claim 13, wherein the fourth body comprises a frame portion surrounding at least a portion of an outer edge of the first body.

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