Roll Filter Air Cleaner with Automatic Cutting for Oil Mist Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air cleaners, such as kitchen hoods and tabletop purifiers, are often ineffective due to improper maintenance and design flaws, allowing harmful pollutants like smoke, oil mist, and bacteria to persist in kitchens, and they can spread contaminants rather than effectively filtering them.
Innovation Solution
A portable air cleaner with a removable pre-filter and roll filter cartridge that uses a color-changing filter sheet and differential pressure sensor to indicate contamination levels, allowing for easy replacement and maintenance, and features a design that prevents the spread of pollutants by efficiently filtering oil mist and odorants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional air purifiers or kitchen hoods are used, then they can filter air, but oil mist blocks the suction grill and decreases efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes oil mist from the air stream before it reaches the suction grill using a pre-filter. This prevents the oil mist from blocking the main filter and maintains efficient operation throughout the device's service life.
Solution Approach 2:
The filtration system is segmented into multiple stages: a pre-filter that captures oil mist and larger particles, and a main filter that handles finer contaminants. This segmentation allows each filter to specialize in specific particle types, preventing clogging and maintaining efficiency.
2Productivity
If oil mist clings near a discharge grill, then the air is filtered, but the oil is spread throughout the indoor space
Solution Approach 1:
The pre-filter extracts oil mist from the air stream before the air reaches the discharge grill. By removing the oil mist component separately, the discharged air is cleaner and doesn't spread contaminants throughout the space.
3Productivity
If kitchen hoods are installed, then they can fan out residual contaminants, but they are not properly maintained and become ineffective
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a differential pressure sensor that automatically monitors filter loading and provides alerts when maintenance is needed. This self-monitoring system ensures the device maintains effectiveness by prompting timely filter changes without requiring manual inspection.
Solution Approach 2:
The differential pressure sensor provides continuous feedback on the filter's loading status. When the pressure differential exceeds a threshold indicating the filter is loaded, the system alerts the user to change the filter, ensuring optimal performance is maintained.
4Device complexity
If filters are not easily replaceable, then the device structure is simpler, but maintenance becomes difficult and efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The filter assembly is segmented into modular components that can be easily removed and replaced. The pre-filter and main filter are designed as separate, accessible units that users can change without disassembling the entire device, balancing structural simplicity with maintenance ease.
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 air cleaner effectively filters pollutants and odors, reducing health risks by providing a user-friendly maintenance system that ensures continuous operation and minimizes contamination spread, improving indoor air quality.
Implementation Method 1
differential pressure sensor to indicate contamination levels
Implementation Method 2
color-changing filter sheet and differential pressure sensor to indicate contamination levels
Implementation Method 3
roll filter cartridge that uses a color-changing filter sheet to filter pollutants
Data Source
AI summary
An air cleaner includes a case, an air inlet, an air outlet, a grill covering the air inlet to filter airborne oil droplets, a fan to suction air through the air inlet and discharge air out of the air outlet, a roll filter provided between the grill and the fan to filter oil mist, and a filter roller to cut the roll filter. The roll filter includes a roller and a filter sheet wound around the roller, and the filter sheet may be unwound to extend behind the grill. When the filter sheet becomes dirty, the roll filter is further unwound so that a clean section is provided behind the grill, and the filter cutter may cut off the dirty section. During cutting, a clamp holds down the filter sheet. The case includes a slit through which the dirty section of the filter sheet passes for discarding.