Portable air purifier
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable air purifiers lack a compact sterilization solution for filters due to size constraints, leading to incomplete sterilization and light leakage, which affects their effectiveness in small spaces.
Innovation Solution
A portable air purifier design with a sterilizer positioned on the inner side of the housing, facing the inlet, and a reflector around the irradiator to ensure proper incident angle and irradiation distance of sterilization light, preventing light leakage and enhancing filter sterilization efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a sterilizer is added to a portable air purifier, then filter sterilization capability is improved, but device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sterilizer is nested within the housing structure of the portable air purifier, with the irradiator positioned inside the housing to face the filter. This allows the sterilization function to be integrated into the existing device volume without requiring additional external space, resolving the contradiction between adding sterilization capability and maintaining compact size.
Solution Approach 2:
The sterilizer support extends in a direction perpendicular to the air flow direction, utilizing the third dimension (depth) of the housing rather than increasing the cross-sectional area. This dimensional approach allows the irradiator to be positioned at an optimal distance from the filter while maintaining the device's compact external dimensions.
2Reliability
If light is used to sterilize the filter, then sterilization effectiveness is improved, but light leakage occurs affecting safety
Solution Approach 1:
A reflector is introduced as an intermediary component between the irradiator and the external environment. The reflector directs the sterilization light onto the filter surface while preventing direct leakage of light to the outside, thus maintaining both sterilization effectiveness and user safety by controlling the light path.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful effect of light leakage is extracted and isolated by positioning the irradiator within the enclosed housing and using the reflector to contain the light within the internal cavity. This separates the useful sterilization function from the harmful leakage effect, allowing the light to be utilized effectively without exposing users to harmful radiation.
3Length of moving object
If the housing size is reduced for portability, then ease of carrying is improved, but proper incident angle and irradiation distance cannot be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The sterilizer support is designed to be adjustable or repositionable, allowing the irradiator to be dynamically positioned at the optimal distance and angle relative to the filter. This dynamic adjustment capability enables precise control of the light incident angle and irradiation distance even within the constrained space of a compact housing, maintaining sterilization effectiveness despite reduced overall device size.
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 allows for effective sterilization of filters within a compact air purifier, improving air purification performance and maintaining a compact size, while ensuring the sterilizer does not protrude externally.
Implementation Method 1
an irradiator disposed on a lower side of the filter and installed at a height at which the irradiator overlaps the inlet and configured to irradiate light for sterilization to the filter
Implementation Method 2
a reflector disposed around an outer perimeter of the irradiator and configured to reflect light for sterilization irradiated from the irradiator to the filter
Data Source
AI summary
A portable air purifier is provided that may include a housing having an inlet forming a passage through which air is suctioned into the housing, a filter disposed at an upper side of the inlet and configured to purify air suctioned in through the inlet and flowing upward, an irradiator disposed at a lower side of the filter, installed at a height at which the irradiator overlaps the inlet and configured to irradiate light for sterilization onto the filter, and a sterilizer support configured to support the irradiator and configured to be fixed to the housing and disposed around an outer perimeter of the irradiator.