Anodized Metal Air Filter in Lighting for Indoor Air Purification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lighting devices do not effectively address air quality improvement, as they generate heat causing air to rise and mix with pollutants, necessitating a solution that combines air filtration with antimicrobial properties.
Innovation Solution
A lighting device equipped with an anodized metal filter, made of aluminum or aluminum alloy, featuring randomly deformed threadlike elements forming non-linear pathways, treated with antimicrobial substances to enhance air purification and antimicrobial action.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a conventional lighting device generates heat, then the lighting body illuminates the room, but the heated air rises and mixes with pollutants deteriorating air quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the lighting function with air filtration by integrating a filter into the lighting device structure. The filter is positioned to intercept air flows rising from the heated lighting body, allowing the single device to simultaneously provide illumination and improve air quality by capturing pollutants in the thermal updraft.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful effect of heated air rising and carrying pollutants into a beneficial filtration opportunity. By positioning the filter to capture the thermal updraft created by the lighting body, the natural convection current that previously distributed pollutants is now utilized to drive air through the filter, transforming a harmful phenomenon into a useful air cleaning mechanism.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a filter is added to the lighting device, then air filtration is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The filter is integrated into the existing lighting device structure rather than being a separate component. The filter element is positioned within the lighting assembly to utilize the natural air flows generated by the lighting body, allowing air filtration to be achieved through structural integration that leverages existing thermal convection patterns without requiring additional mechanical systems.
3Ease of manufacture
If metal filter elements are used, then manufacturing ease and corrosion resistance are improved, but antimicrobial properties are insufficient without additional treatment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a composite material approach by combining metal (aluminum or aluminum alloy) with antimicrobial substances. The metal provides structural integrity, ease of manufacture, and corrosion resistance, while the antimicrobial coating or treatment layer provides biological protection. This composite structure integrates the beneficial properties of both materials to achieve both manufacturability and antimicrobial reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The antimicrobial treatment is applied specifically to the filter surface that contacts air and pollutants, rather than requiring the entire metal structure to have uniform antimicrobial properties. This localized treatment approach maintains the ease of metal manufacturing while providing antimicrobial effectiveness where it is most needed - at the air filtration interface.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively filters and purifies air by maximizing contact between air and antimicrobial-treated metal surfaces, improving indoor air quality while maintaining the metal's physical properties.
Implementation Method 1
the lighting body of a lighting device in any case generates heat. The air in the vicinity of the lighting body heats up and generates air flows. Typically the heated air tends to rise.
Implementation Method 2
A lighting device equipped with an anodized metal filter, made of aluminum or aluminum alloy, featuring randomly deformed threadlike elements forming non-linear pathways, treated with antimicrobial substances to enhance air purification and antimicrobial action.
Implementation Method 3
treated with substances having antimicrobial properties which fill the pores formed in the superficial oxide layer. A subsequent sealing treatment ensures that these substances remain on the surface of the treated metal, which therefore maintains all the chemical-physical properties which are typical of anodized metal, while acquiring antimicrobial properties.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a lighting device comprising a main body (10), a lighting body (20) and an anodized metal filter (30), in which said metal comprises a superficial porous layer of an oxide of said metal comprising at least one antimicrobial substance. In one embodiment, the filter comprises a plurality of threadlike elements of said anodized metal, at least partially in non-permanent contact with each other, randomly deformed to form a plurality of non-linear pathways. The air to be treated passes through said filter owing to the effect of a difference in temperature and/or the action of a mechanical device. In other embodiments, the filter comprises a metal sheet with holes.