KR101997989B1 - Eco chamber - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an echo chamber, comprising: an air suction portion formed at an upper end of a chamber to suck air in a chamber; An air circulation part formed at one side of the chamber to be connected to the air suction part and having a filter installed therein; An air discharge unit formed at a lower end of the chamber so as to be connected to the air circulation unit to discharge air circulated into the chamber and having a heating device therein and a power supply unit for applying electric power to the chamber.

Description

Eco chamber "

The present invention relates to an echo chamber, and more particularly, to an echo chamber for a 3D printer having an internal air circulation and various fire safety safeguards.

In general, a 3D printer capable of printing stereoscopic results in various fields such as design, medical, and architectural is divided into FDM, SLA, SLS, and DLP depending on how the stereoscopic output is produced.

FDM is an abbreviation of Fused Deposition Modeling. It is a method in which solid-based materials are dissolved by heating and then stacked and cooled at room temperature. SLA is an abbreviation of stereolithography. It is a method of instantly solidifying a liquid-based material with a strong ultraviolet ray or laser SLS is an abbreviation of Selective Laser Sintering. It is a method of laser-melting and solidifying powder-based materials. DLP stands for Digital Light Processing, which uses a liquid-based material to shoot a beam with a beam projector, And then printing is performed.

These 3D printers have become popular among the public since the patent expiration date of the 3D printers owned by companies have recently expired. Especially, FDM 3D printers are easier to handle than other 3D printers, Research, and so on, and has become an axis of popularization of 3D printers.

Such FDM type 3D printers use solid materials called filaments of ABS or PLA materials. When the filaments of the ABS or PLA materials are exposed to the outside, when they are stacked as a result of moisture due to moisture or the like, There is a possibility that the lifting phenomenon may occur, and further, there may be a problem of deformation of the resultant product due to sensitivity to temperature change and shrinkage phenomenon.

In addition, filaments such as ABS are harmful substances such as carbon monoxide when they are melted by heat, and when they are serious, there is a serious problem that even death can be caused due to the harmful substances.

As a result, some 3D printer leaders have tried to solve these problems by putting 3D printers into the chamber, which increases the cost and makes it difficult to pay for the use by individuals.

In addition, various safety devices for the heat must be provided due to the characteristics of the 3D printer handling the heat, but current 3D printer chambers are focused only on supplying the internal heat, so that they do not have a safety system for heat.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an eco-chamber for an inexpensive 3D printer equipped with various fire prevention safeguards capable of circulating the inside air, thereby ensuring safety of the operator during 3D printing, So that the above effects can be seen at a reasonable cost.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an echo chamber comprising: an air suction part formed at an upper end of the chamber to suck air in a chamber; An air circulation part formed at one side of the chamber to be connected to the air suction part and having a filter installed therein; An air discharge unit formed at a lower end of the chamber so as to be connected to the air circulation unit to discharge air circulated into the chamber and having a heating device therein and a power supply unit for applying electric power to the chamber.

Here, the chamber may be formed of a transparent plastic or glass on all sides except the surface on which the air circulation part, the air suction part, and the air discharge part are formed.

In addition, a camera module is installed in the chamber, and the camera module is interlocked with an external controller to remotely observe the inside of the chamber.

In addition, a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor are installed in the chamber, and when the temperature or the humidity reaches a predetermined level, a notification is sent to an external controller to remotely control temperature and humidity in the chamber.

In addition, the chamber may further include a fire extinguishing unit configured to detect occurrence of fire in the chamber through the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor and to be extinguished when a fire occurs.

In addition, the chamber may further include a plasma generating unit for generating active oxygen species, and the inside of the chamber may be sterilized by receiving the active oxygen species.

Further, the chamber may further include a filament recycling unit for allowing a 3D printer to generate a product and recycle the remaining filaments. The filament recycling unit includes a filament conveying unit for collecting and collecting filaments remaining at the lower end of the chamber, A heating unit for heating and liquefying filaments collected through the filament conveyance unit; A nozzle unit formed on one side of the heating unit; A pressing portion for pressing the liquefied filament to a nozzle portion at a position opposed to the nozzle portion; A cooling unit positioned in front of the nozzle unit for rapidly cooling the filament passing through the nozzle unit; A discharge pipe connected to the nozzle unit and guiding the rapidly cooled filament, and a winding unit disposed adjacent to an end of the discharge pipe to wind the filament discharged through the discharge pipe.

The echo chamber according to the embodiment of the present invention is capable of air circulation inside and various fire safety devices are provided to ensure the safety of the 3D printing operator and to easily prevent deformation of the 3D printer result.

1 is a perspective view of an echo chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 (a) is a bottom projection view of the echo chamber with the glass or transparent plastic portion of the echo chamber of Fig. 1 removed, Fig. 2 (b) Projection.
Fig. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the echo chamber of Fig. 1 with the glass or transparent plastic portion removed. Fig.
4 is a block diagram illustrating a connection between configurations of an echo chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a perspective view of an echo chamber to which a plasma generating unit according to an embodiment of the present invention is added.
6 is a perspective view of an echo chamber to which a filament recycling part according to an embodiment of the present invention is added.
Fig. 7 (a) is an illustration of an example of a transfer unit viewed from the projection of the air suction unit of Fig. 6, and Fig. 7 (b) is another example of a transfer unit viewed from the projection of the air suction unit of Fig.
Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a projection of a heating unit as a constituent of the filament recycling unit of Fig. 6; Fig.
Fig. 9 is a plan sectional view of the heating unit of Fig. 8; Fig.

Hereinafter, the description of the present invention with reference to the drawings is not limited to a specific embodiment, and various transformations can be applied and various embodiments can be made. It is to be understood that the following description covers all changes, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

In the following description, the terms first, second, and the like are used to describe various components and are not limited to their own meaning, and are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another component.

Like reference numerals used throughout the specification denote like elements.

As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It is also to be understood that the terms " comprising, "" comprising, "or" having ", and the like are intended to designate the presence of stated features, integers, And should not be construed to preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

Hereinafter, an echo chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. FIG.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the echo chamber according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 (a) is a bottom view of the echo chamber with the glass or transparent plastic portion of the echo chamber of FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the echo chamber of Fig. 1 with the glass or transparent plastic portion removed, Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the echo chamber of Fig. Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > eco-chamber < / RTI >

1 to 4, an echo chamber 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an air suction unit 10, an air circulation unit 20, an air discharge unit 30, and a power supply unit 40 ).

Specifically, the air suction part 10 may be formed at the upper end of the chamber 1 to suck hot air inside the chamber generated during the operation of the 3D printer. For this purpose, the air suction unit 10 may form a predetermined space, and a plurality of suction holes 12 may be formed at the lower end of the air suction unit 10 so that hot air can be introduced into the chamber.

It is important that the temperature inside the chamber is appropriately maintained in order to prevent the deterioration of the quality of the filament due to shrinkage when the filament is heated and melted and then solidified. To this end, So that the heated air is guided upward by the density difference.

At this time, one or more fan units 14 for sucking air may be provided in a predetermined space. Here, the fan unit 14 includes a motor and a fan connected to the motor so as to forcefully introduce the air into the air inlet 10 in addition to the natural rise of the air due to the density difference.

In addition, the fan unit 14 can appropriately lower the temperature of the air layer to be continuously heated, so that the temperature inside the chamber 1 can be kept constant.

That is, the air suction unit 10 equipped with the fan unit 14 guides the air inside the chamber 1 upward, while appropriately lowering the temperature of the hot air to prevent the temperature inside the chamber from rising above the fire range .

The air circulation part 20 can be formed on one side (preferably, the back side) of the chamber 1 and connected to the air suction part 10. This is because the air sucked into the air suction portion 10 is moved to the lower side of the chamber 1 by the temperature of the air suction portion 10 to lower the air introduced into the air suction portion 10, It can be forcibly moved downward by the operation.

At this time, a filter 22 may be installed inside the air circulation unit 20, and the filter 22 may be a HEPA filter. However, this is illustrative and not necessarily limited to a HEPA filter, and other filters may be used.

The filter 22 provided inside the air circulation unit 20 can filter the soot generated during the filament stacking to clean the air inside the chamber.

At this time, it is preferable that the filter 22 is formed so as to be easily replaced. To this end, an opening / closing part (not shown) for exchanging a filter may be formed on one side of the air circulating part 20. [

The air discharge portion 30 may be formed at the lower end of the chamber 1. The air discharge unit 30 may be connected to the air circulation unit 20. That is, the air directed downward through the air circulation unit 20 can reach the air discharge unit 30. [

In addition, air introduced into the air discharge portion 30 through the air circulation portion 20 can be discharged into the chamber 1. To this end, a plurality of outlets 32 may be formed at the upper end of the air outlet 30. [

At this time, the air discharging part 30 can heat the air introduced into the chamber 1 by having the heating device 34 inside.

That is, the air discharging portion 30 is circulated through the air suction portion 10 and the air circulating portion 20 to compensate for the temperature of the lowered air to rise again. Through this, the temperature inside the chamber 1 May be suitably maintained to prevent shrinkage of the 3D printer water.

On the other hand, the heating device 34 of the air discharge unit 30 may function to increase the temperature inside the chamber to a predetermined range at the same time as the 3D printer is initially operated. That is, the heating device 34 of the air outlet 30 can be generally involved in raising or maintaining the temperature inside the chamber.

By forming the air suction unit 10, the air circulation unit 20, and the air discharge unit 30, the temperature can be appropriately maintained within a certain range while the air circulates inside the chamber.

The power supply unit 40 may supply electric power to the chamber 1 and may be connected to a fan unit of the air suction unit 10 and a heating device of the air discharge unit 30 to supply electric power.

At this time, the power supply unit 40 may be provided with an AC cord connection, a battery, or the like so as to supply electric power.

Also, the power supply unit 40 may include an overcurrent protection device and the like so that the current can be automatically shut off when an overcurrent is generated, so that the echo chamber of the present invention can be used more safely.

On the other hand, the echo chamber 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention may further include a plurality of structures for facilitating observation and control of the inside of the chamber.

Specifically, all surfaces of the chamber except the surface on which the air circulation unit 20, the air suction unit 10, and the air discharge unit 30 are formed may be formed of transparent plastic or glass. This is to allow the operator to easily observe the inside of the chamber even outside the chamber, and the material of the transparent plastic is preferably formed of polypropylene (PP) having heat resistance.

However, the plastic is not necessarily limited to polypropylene (PP), but plastic materials which are heat-resistant and can be formed transparently can be included.

In addition, the camera module 50 may be installed in the chamber. The inside of the chamber 1, which is photographed through the camera module 50, is interlocked with an external controller 80 provided with a display, so that an image is displayed through the controller 80 .

At this time, the controller 80 may be a portable terminal such as a tablet PC or a cellular phone, a PC (Personal Computer), or the like, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, various communication methods such as Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G, and Zigbee may be applied to the communication between the controller 80 and the camera module 50. In addition to the communication methods that are currently being commercialized, further developed communication technologies can be applied. That is, the communication method is not limited.

In addition, a temperature sensor 60 and a humidity sensor 70 may be installed in the chamber 1.

This is to control the internal temperature and humidity of the chamber by appropriately adjusting the fan unit 14 or the heating device 34 or the like according to the temperature and humidity sensed inside the chamber 1 and the temperature sensor 60 and the humidity sensor The controller 70 may interlock with the external controller 80 to transmit a notification signal to the controller 80 when the temperature or humidity inside the chamber 1 reaches a predetermined range.

Accordingly, the operator having the controller 80 can receive the notification signal and remotely control the temperature and humidity in the chamber 1 through the controller 80, Can easily be observed remotely and the internal environment can be easily observed even in the vicinity of the chamber according to the appearance of the chamber formed of transparent plastic or glass.

The temperature sensor 60 and the humidity sensor 70 are not limited to the fan unit 14 and the humidity sensor 70, Or the heating device 34 or the like so as not to exceed the predetermined range.

The echo chamber 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention may further include a fire extinguishing unit 90 interlocked with the temperature sensor 60 and the humidity sensor 70.

Here, the fire extinguishing unit 90 is provided to prevent the temperature inside the chamber 1 from rising sharply due to a failure of the fan unit 14 or the heat generating device 34, When the temperature or humidity sensed through the temperature sensor (60) and the humidity sensor (70) exceeds a predetermined range or more, it is possible to receive a fire extinguishing signal by sensing fire.

The fire extinguishing unit 90, which receives the fire extinguishing signal, is installed at one side of the chamber and can spray water, fire extinguishing powder, fire extinguishing liquid, or the like into the chamber through at least one fire extinguishing unit formed in the fire extinguishing capsule form.

Accordingly, despite the failure of the fan unit, the heating device, or the overcurrent protective device, it is equipped with the safety net called the fire extinguishing part 90, which is advantageous in that it can cope with the fire occurrence space safely due to the characteristics of the 3D printer using heat.

In the above description, the fire extinguishing unit 90 is operated in conjunction with the temperature sensor 60 and the humidity sensor 70 for the sake of understanding. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a smoke concentration sensor may be installed in the chamber It is also possible to recognize the occurrence of a fire.

Meanwhile, the echo chamber according to the embodiment of the present invention may further include a plasma generator 100 for sterilization and a filament recycling unit 200 for reducing the cost by recycling the filament, which is a raw material of the 3D printer.

This will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9. FIG.

6 is a perspective view of an echo chamber to which a filament recycling part according to an embodiment of the present invention is added, and FIG. 7 (a) is a perspective view of the echo chamber of FIG. 6 is another example of a transferring portion viewed from the projection of the air suction portion of Fig. 6, and Fig. 8 is a view showing another example of the transferring portion which is a constitution of the filament recycling portion of Fig. 6, Fig. 9 is a plan sectional view of the heating unit of Fig. 8; Fig.

Specifically, the plasma generating part 100 may be provided outside the chamber 1 or may be installed so as to be unified at the upper end of the chamber 1.

Hereinafter, as shown in FIG. 5, the description will be made on the basis of a form which is diverted to the outside of the chamber 1 for easy understanding.

Here, the plasma generating unit 100 discharges active oxygen species such as UV, Ozone, H ₂ O _2, and OH radicals during plasma discharge. The active oxygen species permeates the cell membrane to destroy the DNA, .

That is, the plasma generating part 100 discharges the active oxygen species into the chamber, and accordingly, the active oxygen species flows in the chamber along the air to sterilize the inside of the human body of the operator using the 3D printer. .

The plasma generating part 100 capable of achieving such an effect can supply a small amount of water to the plasma generated at the time of discharging between the electrodes forming the two predetermined intervals. In this case, the chemical dissociation due to the reaction of the water molecules and the plasma H < + > and OH radicals can be generated.

More specifically, chemical dissociation may proceed as shown in Chemical Formula 1 below.

Referring to Formula 1, in the process of generating OH radical from H ₂ O molecules by reacting with water during plasma discharge, H ₂ O can be separated into molecules that are ionized by plasma and are in an active state. In addition, OH radicals are generated by separation and ionization, and H + is generated during this process, so that the pH, that is, the hydrogen ion concentration can be reduced. At this time, if the hydrogen ion concentration is less than 5 or more than 10, the bacteria can be killed, so that the hydrogen ion concentration can be lowered due to the H + generated by the plasma, and the bacteria can be disinfected.

In this way, the inside of the chamber flows along the air of the active oxygen species and can show the effect of penetrating the inside of the human body when the operator uses 3D.

6 to 9, the filament recycling unit 200 includes a feeding unit 210, a heating unit 220, a nozzle unit 230, a pressurizing unit A cooling unit 250, a discharge pipe 260, and a winding unit 270. [0033]

Specifically, the transfer unit 210 may be provided at the lower end of the chamber 1, and preferably at the lowermost end of the air discharge unit 30. This is for collecting filaments or the like which are drawn into the air discharge part 30 through the discharge port 32. [

That is, the transfer unit 210 may be formed at the lower end of the air discharging unit 30 to collect and collect the remaining filaments.

The conveying unit 210 may include a conveying plate 212 forming a length equal to the side width of the air discharging unit 30 and a conveying member 214 conveying the conveying plate 212 At this time, the conveying member 214 may be formed in a cylinder type or a gear type.

7 (a), when the conveying member 214 is formed in a cylinder manner, the cylinder is installed on one side of the air discharging portion 30, and the conveying member 214 is moved from one side to the other side 7 (b), when the conveying member 214 is formed in a gear mode, a rack gear is formed along the length of the air discharging portion 30, and a pinion gear meshing with the rack gear is engaged with the rack gear. It is possible to make the pinion gear rotate only along the raceway in such a manner that only part of the pinion gear is protruded. At this time, it is natural that the motor and the shaft are connected to the pinion gear.

The transfer part 210 formed in this manner may be transferred from one side to the other side of the lower end of the air discharge part 30 to collect used filaments accommodated in the air discharge part 30. [

The heating unit 220 may heat the filament collected by the feeding unit 210 to be liquefied. To this end, the heating unit 220 may include a heating device 222 such as a heating wire.

A nozzle unit 230 may be formed at one side of the heating unit 220 and a pressing unit 240 may be formed at a position opposite to the nozzle unit 230 to press the liquefied filament by the nozzle unit 230 .

The liquefied filament which is pressed by the nozzle unit 230 by the pressing unit 240 can be formed into a solid filament F having a predetermined thickness while exiting the nozzle unit 230.

The cooling unit 250 may be located in front of the nozzle unit 230 as a device for rapidly cooling the filament F.

Although the filament F is molded from the nozzle 230, the filament F is directly absorbed from the liquefied state, so that the filament F can not come straight.

Accordingly, the apparatus for maintaining the shape of the filament is required. The filament F passing through the nozzle unit 230 is rapidly cooled through the cooling unit 250, so that the molding of the filament F can be completed.

At this time, the nozzle unit 230 may be connected to the discharge pipe 260. It is preferable that the discharge tube 260 is formed to have a diameter larger than that of the filament F by guiding the filament F formed through the nozzle part 230.

In addition, the nozzle unit 230 and the cooling unit 250 are preferably disposed in the discharge pipe 260. That is, the discharge pipe 260 may be configured to surround the nozzle unit 230 and the cooling unit 250. This is to prevent external dust or the like from sticking to the filament, and to guide and cool the filament more safely.

A guide roller or the like may be provided in the discharge pipe 260 at the rear of the cooling unit 250 so as to facilitate the guide, and a pipe for discharging the cooling water or the like injected to the cooling unit may be installed at one side thereof.

The winding unit 270 may be formed adjacent to the end of the discharge pipe 260. The winding unit 270 may be provided with a supporting stand for supporting the winding-up wind-up barrel for winding filaments, and the like, for winding the filament completed through the discharge pipe 260.

The echo chamber formed in the above-described configuration facilitates prevention of contraction of the printer water found in the conventional open type 3D printer, and is configured to circulate the inside air, so that heat can be efficiently used, There is an effect that the risk of fire or the like can be prevented by arranging a device.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, You will understand. The embodiments described above are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

1: chamber
10: Air intake part
12: inlet
14: Fan unit
20: Air circulation part
22: Filter
30:
32: Outlet
34: Heating device
40: Power supply
50: Camera module
60: Temperature sensor
70: Humidity sensor
80: Controller
90: Digestive system
100: Plasma generator
200: filament recycling part
210:
212:
214:
220:
222: Heating device
230:
240:
250: cooling section
260: discharge pipe
270:
F: filament

Claims (7)

In the echo chamber,
An air suction unit formed at an upper end of the chamber to suck air in the chamber;
An air circulation part formed at one side of the chamber to be connected to the air suction part and having a filter installed therein;
An air discharge portion formed at a lower end of the chamber to discharge air circulated into the chamber so as to be connected to the air circulation portion,
And a power supply unit for supplying power into the chamber,
Wherein the chamber is provided with a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor therein,
When the preset temperature or humidity is reached, an external controller sends a notification to remotely control the temperature and humidity control inside the chamber,
The chamber may comprise:
A fire extinguishing unit for detecting the occurrence of fire in the chamber through the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor,
Further comprising a plasma generating section for generating an active oxygen species,
And the inside of the chamber is sterilized by receiving the active oxygen species.
The method according to claim 1,
The chamber may comprise:
Wherein all surfaces except the surface on which the air circulation part, the air suction part, and the air discharge part are formed are made of transparent plastic or glass.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the chamber is provided with a camera module therein,
Wherein the camera module is interlocked with an external controller to remotely observe the state of the chamber.
delete delete delete The method according to claim 1,
And a filament recycling unit for allowing the 3D printer to generate the product and recycle the remaining filaments,
The filament recycling unit includes:
A filament conveyance unit for conveying filaments remaining at the lower end of the chamber to one side and collecting the filaments;
A heating unit for heating and liquefying filaments collected through the filament conveyance unit;
A nozzle unit formed on one side of the heating unit;
A pressing portion for pressing the liquefied filament to a nozzle portion at a position opposed to the nozzle portion;
A cooling unit positioned in front of the nozzle unit for rapidly cooling the filament passing through the nozzle unit;
A discharge pipe connected to the nozzle unit for guiding the rapidly cooled filament,
And a winding portion disposed adjacent to an end portion of the discharge tube for winding the filament discharged through the discharge tube.

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