Portable air purifier
Solution Overview
Problem
Portable air purifiers face challenges in sterilizing filters due to limited size, leading to leakage of sterilization light and improper incident angles and irradiation distances, which compromises filter sterilization efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A portable air purifier design with a sterilizer positioned on the lower side of the filter, utilizing a reflector with a reflective coating around the irradiator to ensure proper incident angles and prevent light leakage, maintaining a compact size while ensuring effective sterilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a sterilizer is installed in a portable air purifier with limited size, then filter sterilization function is improved, but light ray leakage and improper incident angle occur
Solution Approach 1:
A reflector is introduced as an intermediary component between the sterilizer and the filter. The reflector redirects the light ray from the sterilizer to properly illuminate the filter surface at the correct incident angle, while also containing the light within the housing to prevent leakage to the external environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The reflector is strategically positioned to concentrate and redirect light specifically to the filter area that requires sterilization. This ensures proper incident angle and irradiation distance are achieved at the target location (filter) without compromising the compact overall design of the portable air purifier.
2Length of moving object
If housing size is reduced for portability, then mobility is improved, but proper incident angle and irradiation distance for sterilization cannot be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The reflector utilizes the three-dimensional space within the compact housing by redirecting light at different angles. This allows the sterilization system to achieve proper incident angle and irradiation distance constraints within a reduced housing size, effectively using spatial dimensionality to overcome the limitations of compact design.
3Adaptability or versatility
If sterilizer is added to portable air purifier, then sterilization capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reflector serves multiple functions: it redirects light to achieve proper incident angle, contains light within the housing to prevent leakage, and maintains the compact form factor. This multi-functional component adds sterilization capability without proportionally increasing device complexity.
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 sterilizes the filter without light leakage and ensures optimal irradiation, enhancing sterilization efficiency and maintaining a compact, portable design.
Implementation Method 1
a reflector may be disposed around an outer perimeter of an irradiator, and a light ray for sterilization irradiated from the irradiator to the filter part may be blocked from being irradiated out of the entrance part by the reflector
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a portable air purifier. The portable air purifier includes a housing provided with an entrance part forming a passage for suctioning air, a filter part disposed on an upper side of the entrance part and configured to purify air suctioned into the entrance part and moving upward, an irradiator disposed on a lower side of the filter part, installed at a height where the irradiator overlaps the entrance part and configured to irradiate a light ray for sterilization to the filter part, and a sterilizing and supporting part configured to support the irradiator, fixed to the housing and disposed around an outer perimeter of the irradiator.