Powered Mask Filtration With Separate Exhaled-Air Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing masks cause discomfort due to restricted breathing and can become unclean from saliva or moisture, and they do not effectively maintain a clean interior environment.
Innovation Solution
A mask apparatus with a fan module, air duct, and filters that supply filtered air and exhaust exhaled air, featuring a seal and pad design to facilitate smooth breathing and maintain cleanliness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a mask covers the user's nose and mouth to filter germs and dust, then filtration effectiveness is improved, but breathing comfort deteriorates due to restricted airflow
Solution Approach 1:
The mask apparatus employs a fan module that dynamically adjusts airflow to maintain both filtration effectiveness and breathing comfort. The fan creates positive pressure to push filtered air toward the user's nose and mouth, compensating for the resistance caused by the filter material while ensuring continuous supply of clean air.
Solution Approach 2:
The mask utilizes pneumatic principles by incorporating a fan-driven air circulation system. The fan generates airflow pressure to move air through the filter and air passage, creating a controlled pneumatic environment that delivers filtered air to the user while maintaining comfortable breathing conditions despite the filtration barrier.
2Ease of operation
If air is introduced and exhaled through the mask, then breathing function is maintained, but the interior of the mask becomes contaminated with saliva and moisture
Solution Approach 1:
The mask apparatus extracts the exhaled air from the breathing space and directs it away from the filter and internal components. The air passage is designed to channel exhaled air to a discharge location that prevents contact with the filter assembly, thereby removing the contamination pathway while preserving the breathing function.
Solution Approach 2:
The mask interior is segmented into distinct functional zones: a breathing space for the user's face, a filter housing for the filtration system, and an air passage for controlled airflow. This segmentation isolates the filter and internal components from direct exposure to saliva and moisture generated during breathing, maintaining cleanliness while enabling continuous breathing function.
3Reliability
If a filter is disposed between the face cover and wearing portion, then germ and dust filtration is improved, but air passage resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fan module generates sufficient airflow pressure to overcome the resistance introduced by the filter. By creating a controlled pneumatic system, the fan ensures that air is actively pushed through the filter material at an adequate rate, maintaining both high filtration efficiency and acceptable airflow characteristics without excessive energy loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The air circulation system dynamically balances filtration performance and airflow resistance. The fan module adjusts its operation to maintain optimal airflow velocity through the filter, ensuring that the filter operates at peak efficiency while the system compensates for pressure drops, thereby managing energy consumption effectively.
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
Enables comfortable breathing and maintains a clean internal environment by effectively filtering air and separating exhaled air, preventing contamination.
Implementation Method 1
a fan module disposed at the fan module mounting portion and configured to supply external air to the air duct
Implementation Method 2
a filter that filters germs and dust from the air
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
A mask apparatus includes a mask body including an air duct disposed at a front surface of the mask body, and a fan module mounting portion disposed at a suction-side of the air duct, a fan module disposed at the fan module mounting portion and configured to supply external air to the air duct, a mask body cover that is coupled to the front surface of the mask body and covers the fan module and the air duct, a seal coupled to a rear surface of the mask body and configured to contact a user's face and define a breathing space for the user, a sealing bracket that fixes a portion of the seal to the rear surface of the mask body, and a pad configured to be disposed inside the breathing space.