KR102464930B1 - An air cleaner using uv led and photocatalytic filter - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air purifier that is small enough to be inserted into a vehicle cup holder, capable of deodorizing as well as dust collection and sterilization, robustness, and easy maintenance.
In the present invention, a lower housing 20 having a relatively small diameter is disposed on a lower portion of the upper housing 10 having a relatively large diameter, and inside the upper and lower housings, the upper and lower housings are spaced apart from each other and fixed to the inside. The housing 30 is fixed, and a suction grate is formed in the passage through which air from the outside of the lower housing is sucked into the inside of the lower housing at one upper end of the lower housing, and at the lower end of the inner housing, air is sucked into the inner housing. It is an air purifier in which an air inlet 302, which is an inlet passage, is installed, and a discharge portion 34, which is a passage through which air is discharged from the inner housing, is formed at the upper end of the inner housing.

Description

AN AIR CLEANER USING UV LED AND PHOTOCATALYTIC FILTER

The present invention relates to an air purifier, and more particularly, it is small enough to be inserted into a vehicle cup holder and has excellent deodorization performance. It relates to an air purifier that prevents odors generated from the photocatalytic filter from leaking out of the air purifier even after repeated interruptions.

Titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) maintains high adhesion regardless of the type of substrate on which it is coated, and exhibits photocatalytic activity when a light source (mainly ultraviolet) capable of causing a photoexcitation reaction to titanium oxide is provided.

In particular, the photocatalytic reaction using titanium oxide has effects such as antibacterial and deodorizing, so it is widely used for air purification. For example, a method of deodorizing air by allowing the air to pass through a titanium oxide-coated photocatalytic filter (TiO ₂ ceramic form filter) and irradiating ultraviolet light to the photocatalytic filter to cause a photocatalytic reaction, is currently widely used. There is a deodorization method.

Since titanium oxide is generally used in a form coated on a base rather than used by itself, the shape of the photocatalytic filter coated with titanium oxide is mostly determined by the shape of the base.

Deodorization by titanium oxide has been mainly used in medium and large air conditioners, but is not well used in small or household air purifiers.

In the case of a large air conditioner with a large amount of air flow and a large flow area, the deodorization effect could be achieved without any problem if the ultraviolet rays were strongly generated and the photocatalytic filter was large.

However, in the case of a small air purifier, the size of the photocatalytic filter is also limited, the size of the device for generating ultraviolet rays is also limited, and the air flow rate is small. Therefore, it is urgent to develop an air purifier having a deodorization efficiency above a certain level even with a small photocatalytic filter and a UV generating structure. In particular, when it comes to home air purifiers, noise cannot but be considered, and electricity consumption must also be considered very sensitively. However, in the prior art, since the technology has been developed with a focus on medium and large air conditioners, there are few technologies suitable for application to such a new environment.

Next, in constructing a compact air purifier using UV LEDs and photocatalytic filters, it is also important to carefully consider in what order the fans and various filters should be arranged. In conventional mid-to-large air conditioners, dust was first filtered out with a dust collecting filter and then deodorized with a photocatalytic filter. The filter is the biggest component to drop the pressure of flowing air. It is unknown whether it will exert its function as when used for

In addition, at home, there is a need to catch harmful bacteria floating in the air, and the HEPA filter, which is known to filter even bacteria, is a filter with high air resistance, so it is difficult to apply as the air purifier becomes smaller. Since it can affect the deodorization reaction of the photocatalytic filter rather than the ground, there is a need to find another way to efficiently remove bacteria without significantly disturbing the air flow in the air purifier.

In particular, the interior of a vehicle, where the smell of cigarettes does not come off easily, is a space that desperately needs an air purifier with excellent deodorization efficiency. need. In particular, since a vehicle is a space with a lot of shaking, a form that can maintain a fixed position well in such an environment is required, and installation should be simple. In particular, since most automobile air purifiers are offered as options by automakers, there is a problem that air purifiers cannot be used continuously when changing vehicles. .

In addition, when an air purifier is used in a vehicle, the use pattern of starting and stopping the air purifier is repeated because the air purifier is used only while the vehicle is running. However, as a result of experimenting with this usage pattern on an air purifier to which a photocatalytic filter is applied, when the air purifier is stopped for a long time and then restarted, a bad odor from the outlet of the air purifier at the beginning of operation compared to a filter to which a photocatalytic filter is not applied was found to be emitted. Considering that small-sized vehicle air purifiers are repeatedly operated and stopped, and the vehicle operation time is not very long, consumers cannot help but feel uncomfortable with the smell emitted from the air purifier every time the vehicle is driven. Satisfaction may decrease.

In addition, if maintenance is difficult or production is difficult because only the function is emphasized too much, the product quality will be lowered and users will feel inconvenience.

The present invention has been devised to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide an air purifier that is compact enough to be used by being inserted into a vehicle cup holder and can be simply fixed to the interior space of a vehicle.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an air purifier with low power consumption and low noise while maximizing air purification capability.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an air purifier that is easy to maintain.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a more compact air purifier by configuring the interior in a complex but textured manner.

Another object of the present invention is to identify the cause of the odor generated at the initial stage of operation in an air purifier to which a photocatalytic filter is applied, and to provide a solution for preventing such a phenomenon.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a photocatalytic UV LED (57) installed on a UV LED substrate (55); and a photocatalyst filter installed to be spaced apart from the UV LED substrate on the surface where the UV LED for the photocatalyst is viewed. In providing an air purifier comprising a;

The photocatalytic filter provides an air purifier in which TiO ₂ is coated on a gas (基体, base).

Provided is an air purifier having an irradiance of 10-20 mW/cm ² , preferably 14-15 mW/cm ² , measured from the front face of the photocatalytic filter.

The ultraviolet ray irradiated from the UV LED for the photocatalyst has a peak wavelength of 340 to 380 nm, and preferably provides an air purifier having a peak wavelength of 360 to 370 nm.

The power applied to the UV LED for the photocatalyst provides an air purifier having a voltage of 5 to 15 V, and a current of 200 mA to 300 mA.

The photocatalytic filter has a structure in which a plurality of cells 83 in which an air flow path is formed in a direction facing the photocatalytic UV LED are formed adjacently and in parallel, and the height (h) of the photocatalytic filter is 2 to 15 mm, preferably provides an air purifier having a height (h) of the photocatalytic filter of 5 to 10 mm.

The shape of the cell as viewed in the airflow direction provides an air purifier that is square.

The thickness (t) of the flesh, which is a partition wall separating the cells, is 0.3 to 1.2 mm, preferably 0.5 to 0.7 mm.

The internal spacing of the cells is 1-4 mm, and preferably provides an air purifier of 1.8-2.2 mm.

The cell density is 30 ~ 260 cells / inch ² , preferably 80 ~ 120 cells / inch ² provides an air purifier.

The gas provides an air purifier made of a porous ceramic material.

The sintering temperature for coating the TiO ₂ on the photocatalytic filter is 350 to 450 degrees Celsius, and the sintering time is 1 to 2 hours to provide an air purifier.

An air purifier in which air flows from a place where the UV LED substrate is installed to a place where the photocatalytic filter is installed is provided.

An air purifier provided with an ultraviolet reflector is provided on a side surface between the UV LED substrate and the photocatalytic filter.

The external shape of the front surface of the photocatalytic filter as viewed in the air flow direction is circular or square.

The area of the front surface of the photocatalytic filter is 4 ² to 7 ² cm ² and the distance between the UV LED for the photocatalyst and the front surface of the photocatalytic filter is 2 to 3 cm, preferably, the area of the front surface of the photocatalytic filter is 5.3 ² to 5.7 ² cm ² and the distance between the UV LED for the photocatalyst and the front surface of the photocatalyst filter is 2 to 3 cm to provide an air purifier.

The UV LED substrate 55 is provided with an air purifier provided with a UV LED for sterilization that irradiates ultraviolet rays having a wavelength for sterilization in the same direction as the ultraviolet irradiation direction of the UV LED for photocatalysis.

An air purifier having a second carbon filter 75 installed on the rear face of the photocatalytic filter is provided.

The second carbon filter may be granular activated carbon.

The second carbon filter may be in the form of a nonwoven fabric in which the granular activated carbon is embedded.

The second carbon filter 75 may be pulp-type activated carbon.

An air purifier having a dust collecting filter 90 installed on the rear face of the photocatalytic filter is provided.

The second carbon filter installed on the rear side of the photocatalytic filter provides an air purifier installed closer to the photocatalytic filter than the dust collecting filter installed on the rear side of the photocatalytic filter.

The second carbon filter installed on the rear side of the photocatalytic filter is integrally formed with the dust collecting filter installed on the rear side of the photocatalytic filter to provide an air purifier that forms the filter member (93).

The UV LED substrate and the photocatalytic filter are installed in the inner housing 30 through which air flows, the photocatalytic filter is installed in contact with the inner wall of the inner housing having a relatively large cross-sectional area, and the UV LED substrate is installed in the inner housing with a relatively small cross-sectional area. An air purifier installed spaced apart from an inner wall is provided.

A lower housing 20 having a relatively small diameter is disposed under the upper housing 10 having a relatively large diameter, and the inner housing 30 having a hollow inner space communicating in the vertical direction is an upper housing and a lower housing. The inner housing part with a large cross-sectional area is fixed to the upper housing, and the inner housing part with a small cross-sectional area is fixed to correspond to the lower housing. The passageway provides an air purifier in which an intake grate is formed.

The air inlet 302 formed at the lower end of the inner housing is located at a lower position than the suction grate, and the lower housing and the inner housing are spaced apart from each other at a height between the suction grate and the air inlet. Provide an air purifier .

It provides an air purifier in which the fan 60 is installed upstream of the air flow rather than where the UV LED substrate is installed in the inner housing.

A fan for forcibly flowing air from the outside of the inner housing into the inner housing is fixedly installed in the fan receiving part 301 at the lower end of the inner housing, and the suction part 61 of the fan faces each other and is formed in the left and right directions. The air inlet 302 is also formed to face each other in the left and right directions of the fan receiving part 301, and the suction grate provides an air purifier formed in front of the lower housing.

The inner housing provides an air purifier divided into a left housing 31 and a right housing 32 .

The air inlet 302 provides an air purifier in which a first carbon filter is installed.

The lower housing 20 is divided into a front housing 21 and a rear housing 22, and when the front housing 21 is separated, the air purifier in which the installation part of the first carbon filter is exposed to the outside is provided.

A pair of parallel stepped members 305 are formed in the air inlet 302 , and the width of the housing 71 of the first carbon filter 70 is pressed between the pair of stepped members 305 . It provides an air purifier that is wide enough.

The round shape of the screw fastening part 306 of the inner housing and the lower housing supports the housing 71 to provide an air purifier that prevents the first carbon filter from escaping from the stepped member.

A pre-filter surface 72 is formed on the housing 71 of the first carbon filter, and an air purifier in which activated carbon is accommodated is provided.

An elastic sealer 73 is attached to the housing 71 to provide an air purifier that prevents air from flowing into a gap between the housing and the stepped member 305 .

The exhaust part 63 of the fan discharges air into the inner housing in a rear upward direction, and the cross-sectional area through which the air gradually flows from the exhaust part 63 at the upper part of the fan receiving part 301 of the inner housing becomes wider. An air purifier provided with a streamlined enlarged duct 381 is provided.

An air purifier is provided in which a flow guide 37 for inducing diffusion of air in the enlarged duct is formed inside the inner housing of the upper portion of the exhaust unit 63 of the fan.

A UV LED substrate is installed spaced apart from the upper portion of the streamlined enlarged duct 381 , and the UV LED substrate provides an air purifier installed at an angle to correspond to the streamlined direction of the streamlined enlarged duct.

The photocatalytic filter 80 and the second carbon filter 75, the composite dust collecting filter 90 is installed in the inner housing corresponding to the height of the upper housing, the air installed so as to be drawn out in one direction with respect to the inner housing Provide a purifier.

The photocatalytic filter 80 includes a catalyst unit 81; It provides an air purifier comprising; an elastic bumper 82 surrounding the periphery of the catalyst part 81 .

The photocatalytic filter receiving part 36 of the inner housing provides an air purifier in which a side of the photocatalytic filter is partially cut so that a front part of both sides of the photocatalytic filter is exposed.

The second carbon filter (75) complex type dust collecting filter (90) includes a filter member (93) for adsorbing harmful gases and collecting dust; a frame 91 for accommodating the filter member and for fixing the filter member to or withdrawing from the inner housing; and a handle (92) formed on the front surface of the frame (91).

There is provided an air purifier in which a discharge portion 34 through which air is discharged from the inner housing is formed downstream from a place where the photocatalytic filter is installed in the inner housing.

An air purifier is provided in which a streamlined reduction duct 382 for inducing a flow of air to a discharge unit is formed at an upper portion of the inner housing.

An air purifier provided with an ultraviolet radiation prevention plate 39 that prevents ultraviolet rays from being directly irradiated to the outside through the discharge unit 34 is provided upstream of the discharge unit 34 .

The air purifier provided with a PCB fixing part 33 for fixing the control PCB 51 is provided on the upper portion of the streamlined reduction duct.

The control PCB 51 fixed to the upper part of the inner housing and the upper housing 40 covering the discharge part are fixed to the upper part of the PCB fixing part 33, and the upper housing 10 is fixed to the upper part of the inner housing 30 In this state, the upper end of the upper housing provides an air purifier in contact with the lower end of the outer rim of the upper housing.

An air purifier having a discharge grate 43 communicating with the discharge unit 34 is provided in the upper housing 40 .

An air purifier in which a button 41 for pressing a switch of the control PCB 51 is formed in the upper housing 40 is provided.

An internal power cable connected to supply and control power to the fan 60 and the UV LED board 55 in the control PCB 51 extends from the control PCB 51 and comes out of the outer surface of the inner housing 30 . An air purifier that enters the inner space of the inner housing 30 through the internal power cable through hole 315 formed in the fan receiving part 301 after being in close contact with the air purifier is provided.

The internal power cable extending into the inner space of the inner housing 30 through the inner power cable through hole 315 is connected to the fan 60, and further extends along the inner space of the inner housing to form a UV LED substrate 55 ) to provide an air purifier connected to the

The filters 80 and 90 are installed to be drawn out to the front with respect to the inner housing, and the inner power cable through hole 315 provides an air purifier extending in close contact with the left or right side of the inner housing.

The internal power cable through-hole 315 is formed in the front upper portion of the fan accommodating part 301 .

An air purifier is provided in which the control PCB 51 is exposed toward the right side and the connector is inserted in the left direction, or the input power connector 512 is exposed toward the left side and the connector is inserted in the right direction.

The upper housing 10 includes a cylindrical side portion 11 and a stepped portion 12 extending inwardly from the lower end of the side portion, and the lower housing 20 is a cylindrical side portion 211 and 221 having a smaller diameter than the upper housing. , including the stepped portions 213 and 223 formed on the upper portion of the side portion, the upper housing 10 is the air fixed to the upper portion of the inner housing 30 in a state extrapolated to the lower housing 20 from the lower portion of the lower housing 20 Provide a purifier.

A through hole 13 is formed in the stepped portion 12, a cutout 215 is formed in the stepped portions 213 and 223, and the external power cable connected to the input power connector 512 is connected to the through hole ( 13) and the cut-out portion 215 are matched with each other to provide an air purifier extending to the outside through a communicating space.

A fastening protrusion 14 having an inclined surface in the circumferential direction is formed on the inner surface of the upper housing 10, and a position corresponding to the position of the fastening protrusion 14 on the upper outer surface of the inner housing 30. groove 316; and a protrusion fixing groove 317 formed adjacent to the protrusion accommodating groove 316 and the side surface facing the protrusion giving a click feeling; provides an air purifier having a formed thereon.

The protrusion accommodating groove 316 has a downwardly open shape, the protrusion fixing groove 317 has a closed-bottom shape, and the fastening protrusion 14 on the inner surface of the upper housing is formed from below the protrusion accommodating groove 316 . Provided is an air purifier in which the upper housing is fixed to the inner housing by being inserted into the protrusion receiving groove 316 and fitted into the protrusion fixing groove 317 over the protrusion that moves to the side and gives a click feeling.

In the stepped portions 213 and 223 formed on the upper portion of the lower housing, a depression 216 through which the fastening protrusion 14 can pass when the upper housing is raised or lowered by extrapolating the upper housing to the lower housing is formed. The part 216 provides an air purifier formed directly below the protrusion receiving groove 316 .

The terminal of the external power cable provides an air purifier having a terminal bent in a “L” shape.

The air purifier of the present invention increases the purification efficiency by the photocatalytic reaction, and at the same time increases user satisfaction by preventing unpleasant odors that may be generated by the photocatalytic filter from coming out of the air purifier even in a use environment that frequently starts and stops such as a vehicle. can

In addition, the air purifier of the present invention is small in size, consumes less energy, and has excellent air purifying ability.

In addition, although the air purifier of the present invention is small, it has excellent sterilization effect as well as dust collection and deodorization.

In addition, the air purifier of the present invention is not only configured in a convenient shape and compact size to be inserted into a cup holder, but also has a well-organized internal structure corresponding to such an external shape, so it is robust.

In addition, the air purifier of the present invention has a simple disassembly structure, a state in which the filter can be removed with minimal disassembly, and has a convenient structure for maintenance, so that the maintenance of the filter is convenient.

In addition, the present invention prevents the ultraviolet rays from being irradiated to the outside, thereby eliminating the harmful effects that may occur due to ultraviolet rays.

In addition, the present invention provides an effective wiring location in a compact and complex internal structure, making it very convenient to manufacture, maintain and use.

In addition, according to the housing structure of the present invention, the replacement of the external power cable is facilitated, and the external power cable is prevented from being pulled out or damaged.

In addition to the above-described effects, the specific effects of the present invention will be described together while describing specific details for carrying out the invention below.

1 is a perspective view of an air purifier according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the air purifier of Figure 1;
3 to 5 are perspective views showing a state of assembling the disassembled configuration shown in Fig. 2, respectively;
6 is a perspective perspective view of the upper housing 10 of the present invention viewed from above;
7 to 10 are perspective views of the inner housing in a state in which the outer housing (upper housing, lower housing, and upper housing) are all separated and the first carbon filter is removed from various directions;
11 is a perspective view showing the air purifier of the present invention in a state in which only the upper housing and the front housing are separated;
12 is a perspective view showing the air purifier according to the present invention in a state where the upper housing, the upper housing, the rear housing, and the right housing are omitted;
13 is a side view of the air purifier according to the present invention in a state where the upper housing, the upper housing, the lower housing, and the right housing are omitted;
14 is a perspective view showing the arrangement state of the photocatalytic filter and the UV LED substrate;
15 is a plan view of the photocatalytic filter;
16 is a graph showing the decomposition rate of acetaldehyde according to the intensity of ultraviolet rays reaching the front face of the photocatalytic filter;
17 is a graph showing the UV absorption rate of the photocatalytic filter according to the UV wavelength;
18 is a graph showing the removal rate of acetaldehyde according to ultraviolet wavelength;
19 is a graph showing the difference in the deodorization rate of acetaldehyde according to the height (h) of the photocatalytic filter;
20 is a graph showing the difference in the deodorization rate of acetic acid according to the height (h) of the photocatalytic filter;
21 is a graph showing the deodorization performance of a photocatalytic filter sintered for 1 hour with 2 g of TiO ₂ at each sintering temperature;
22 is a graph showing the deodorization performance by sintering temperature of a photocatalytic filter in which 2.5 g of TiO ₂ was sintered for 1 hour;
23 is a graph showing the deodorization performance for each sintering time of a photocatalytic filter manufactured by varying the sintering time of TiO ₂ of 2.5 to a sintering temperature of 400 ^O C in the photocatalytic filter, and
24 is a graph showing the photocatalytic reaction efficiency according to the amount of the photocatalytic material loaded in the photocatalytic filter.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in a variety of different forms, and only these embodiments allow the disclosure of the present invention to be complete and the scope of the invention to those of ordinary skill in the art completely It is provided to inform you.

In addition, the structure or configuration of any one of the embodiments to be described below may be applied to or substituted for the structure or configuration of another embodiment by a person skilled in the art as needed, and it is also possible to delete a configuration or add another configuration is self-evident

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Appearance of air purifier]

Referring to FIG. 1 which is a perspective view of an air purifier according to the present invention, the air purifier according to the present invention has an upper housing 10 having a relatively large diameter, a lower housing 20 having a slightly smaller diameter than the upper housing, and an upper It includes an upper housing 40 located on the upper end of the housing.

In the central part of the upper housing 40, two buttons 41 for turning the air purifier on and off and adjusting the air flow (wind strength) of the air purifier are provided, one each, and the on-off state of the air purifier and There are also two lamps, one each, that can visually check the degree of air flow (wind strength). The operation of the air purifier may be performed by, for example, pressing the on-off button for several seconds to turn the air purifier on/off, and pressing the wind strength control button once to adjust the wind strength.

On one side of the upper housing 40, since a discharge grate 43 from which purified air is discharged as shown is installed, the purified air passes through, and large foreign substances are caught in the grate shape, outside is prevented from getting inside.

The upper housing 10 has a larger diameter than the lower housing 20 . It is preferable that the diameter of the upper housing is larger than the diameter of the upper end of the cup holder for the vehicle, so that when the air purifier is fixed by inserting it into the cup holder for the vehicle, the upper housing does not go into the inside of the cup holder.

The lower housing 20 is composed of two divided bodies of the front housing 21 and the rear housing 22 , and a suction grate 212 is formed near the upper end of the front housing 21 .

Accordingly, external air is introduced toward the lower housing 20 through the suction grate 212 , is purified by the internal structure, and then exits through the discharge grate 43 of the upper housing 40 .

[Composition and fastening structure of air purifier]

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a disassembled state of the air purifier of FIG. 1 , and FIGS. 3 to 5 are perspective views showing a state in which the disassembled configuration shown in FIG. 2 is assembled. The reason why the upper housing 10 is disposed at the bottom in FIGS. 2 to 5 is that the upper housing is fastened from the lower end of the air purifier toward the upper part.

As shown in FIG. 1, the upper housing 10, the lower housing 20, and the upper housing 40 of the present invention form the outer shape of the air purifier, and inside it, as shown in FIG. 2, the inner housing ( 30) is installed. The inner housing is coupled to the upper housing 10 , the lower housing 20 and the upper housing 40 which are the outer housings to firmly fix the outer housing.

The inner housing 30 consists of two divided bodies as shown, and the directions of the two divided bodies of the inner housing 30 are the left housing 31 and the right housing 32, which is the lower housing 20. The direction divided into the front housing 21 and the rear housing 22 is at right angles to each other. If the division directions of the lower housing 20 and the inner housing 20, which are the outer housings, are configured to be different from each other, the housings may be structurally more strongly coupled to each other.

The PCB fixing part 33 is provided on the upper part of the inner housing 30 , which is a position so that the control PCB 51 does not cover the discharge part 34 located on one side of the upper end of the inner housing. In addition, the space of the PCB fixing part 33 is provided due to the streamlined reduction duct 382 formed under the PCB fixing part. As will be described later, a streamlined reduction duct 382 is formed at the top of the inner housing to guide the air flowing inside the inner housing 30 to the discharge unit 34, and by forming this, the PCB fixing part 33 is placed in the space provided. By providing the , it is possible to efficiently use the internal space of the small air purifier.

On the right side of the inner housing part where the PCB fixing part 33 is provided, an external power cable through hole 322 is formed as a path through which an external power cable can be connected to the control PCB 51 , and on the left side, the control PCB 51 from the An internal power cable passage hole 312 is formed as a connection path of the internal power cable for supplying power to the fan 60 and the UV LED board 55 to be described later.

In the air flow duct structure formed by the inner housing 30, as shown, from the top to the bottom, first, the second carbon filter 75 is integrally formed with the dust collecting filter 90 under the photocatalytic filter 80. are installed adjacent to each other, and the UV LED substrate 55 is fixed at a predetermined distance apart from the photocatalytic filter at the bottom thereof. The UV LEDs on the UV LED substrate are arranged toward the photocatalytic filter.

The second carbon filter 75, the composite dust collecting filter 90 and the photocatalytic filter 80 completely shield the air flow duct structure, so that the air flowing through the duct must be the photocatalytic filter 80 and the second carbon filter 75. Let it pass through the complex type dust collecting filter (90). On the other hand, the UV LED substrate 55 is installed to be spaced apart from the inner wall of the inner housing 30 by the substrate fixing part 303 protruding inward from the inner wall of the inner housing 30, so that air is introduced into the space between them. allowed to move. As will be described later, one UV LED having a peak wavelength of 275 nm is installed in the center of the UV LED substrate 55 for a sterilization effect, and a UV LED having a peak wavelength of 365 nm is radially disposed around it to activate the photocatalytic filter. three are installed.

Here, it should be noted that the second carbon filter 75, the composite dust collecting filter 90 and the photocatalytic filter 80 have a structure in which they are drawn out to the front so that they can be replaced. Due to the arrangement structure so that the direction in which these filters are drawn out (front) and the arrangement directions of the external power cable (right) and the internal power cable (left) described above do not overlap each other, it is not necessary to separate the cables when replacing the filter. none.

A fan accommodating part 301 for accommodating and fixing the fan 60 is provided at the lower end of the inner housing 30, and an air inlet through which the air sucked by the fan is introduced on the left and right sides of the fan accommodating part 301, respectively. 302 is formed.

The fan 60 used in the air purifier of the present invention has a structure that can efficiently generate air flow even in a narrow space. As shown, in the central part of the fan 60, suction parts 61 open in both directions are formed, and the air introduced through the suction part 61 is discharged by the flow of the blades at the rear upper part ( 63) is strongly excreted.

A flow guide 37 having a shape for widely distributing the flow of air discharged from the discharge portion having a narrow cross-sectional area is installed at the upper portion of the discharge unit 63 in the inner housing 30 . In addition, a streamlined expansion duct 381 is formed in the lower portion of the inner housing as another configuration for widely distributing the flow of air discharged from the discharge unit. By the above-described flow guide 37 and the streamlined expansion duct 381, it is possible to naturally induce the flow of air while minimizing the loss of kinetic energy of the air discharged at high speed from the narrow outlet.

The periphery of the air inlet 302 formed at the lower end of the inner housing 30 is formed in a flat plate shape, and stepped members 305 are respectively formed at the upper end and lower end in the longitudinal direction extending back and forth. The stepped member 305 has a fastening structure with the first carbon filter 70 covering the air inlet 302 .

The air inlet 302 formed at the lower end of the inner housing 30 is covered with the first carbon filter 70 as shown. The first carbon filter 70 is installed in the open portion of the housing 71 for maintaining the shape of the first carbon filter, and both sides of the housing 71 (the side facing the air inlet 302 and the opposite side). and a pre-filter surface 72 which is

The pre-filter surface 72 has a function of a pre-filter for filtering dust and a function of preventing activated carbon (not shown) accommodated in the inner space of the housing from flowing out of the housing.

The activated carbon inside the first carbon filter 70 deodorizes by adsorbing odor particles in the air. Activated carbon loses its adsorption power as it is used, and it is also difficult to regenerate. Therefore, in the present invention, a detachable structure was constructed with the replacement of the first carbon filter 70 in mind.

As described above, the periphery of the air inlet 302 has a flat plate shape, and stepped members 305 are formed at the upper and lower ends thereof, respectively. In addition, the width of the first carbon filter 70 (the length of one side of the square when the carbon filter is square) is equal to or slightly larger than the distance between the two stepped members. Accordingly, the first carbon filter can be installed on the left and right sides of the lower end of the inner housing by forcing the upper and lower ends of the first carbon filter between the two stepped members without a separate fastening structure.

As shown, an elastic sealer 73 is installed around the housing 71 of the first carbon filter, so that air is introduced into the gap between the housing 71 of the first carbon filter and the flat plate around the air inlet 302. it prevents

In addition, as shown in the figure, the housing shape of the first carbon filter has a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape in which the side in contact with the inner housing is widest and becomes narrower toward the opposite side. The shape of the inclined surface of the edge of the first carbon filter formed by this structure is the round shape of the screw fastening part 306 for fastening the inner housing 30 and the rear housing 22, as shown in FIG. will interlock with each other. Accordingly, by such a structure, the first carbon filter is supported in a direction toward the coupling surface of the inner housing while being engaged by the screw fastening portion.

Looking at the fastening structure of the housings, first, in a state in which the fan 60 and the UV LED substrate 55 are fixed to either side of the inner housing 30, the two powders of the inner housing 30 are fastened with screws or the like. In the embodiment of the present invention, the internal power cable connecting the control PCB 51, the fan 60, and the UV LED board 55 will be disposed on the left housing 31 while passing the internal power cable through hole 312. , After fixing the fan 60 and the UV LED substrate 55 to the left housing 31 in which the internal power cable passage hole 312 is formed, it is preferable to cover the right housing 32 and fasten the two inner housing powders.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the control PCB 51 is fixed to the substrate fixing part 303 provided at the upper end of the inner housing with screws, and the second carbon filter composite dust collecting filter receiving part 35 and the photocatalytic filter are accommodated. The second carbon filter 75, the composite dust collecting filter 90 and the photocatalytic filter 80 are inserted into the part 36, respectively.

And as shown in FIG. 5, after fixing the rear housing 22 to the lower part of the inner housing with screws (see the screw fastening groove inside the rear housing and the screw fastening part 306 of the inner housing shown in FIG. 4), the rear housing The lower housing 20 is fixed to the inner housing 30 by fastening the front housing 21 at the front, and the upper housing 40 is fixed to the upper end of the inner housing 30 .

And finally, in the state of FIG. 5 , the upper housing 10 is fitted from the lower part, and the assembly is completed when the upper housing 10 is fastened as shown in FIG. 1 .

[Relationship between housing structure of air purifier and filter replacement structure]

In the present invention, unlike when fastening other housings, when fastening the front housing 21 and when fastening the upper housing 10, the front housing and the upper housing are firmly coupled in order by a different structure without screwing. can do. According to the present invention, the upper housing 10 can be separated as shown in FIG. 5 without a separate tool, and after the upper housing is separated, the front housing 21 can also be separated without a separate tool.

Hereinafter, the fastening structure of the front housing and the upper housing will be described.

6 is a perspective perspective view of the upper housing 10 of the present invention viewed from above.

The upper housing 10 includes a cylindrical side portion 11 and a stepped portion 12 formed to extend inwardly from the lower end of the side portion. The inner diameter formed by the stepped portion 12 is the same as or slightly larger than the diameter of the lower housing 20, and the upper housing 30 is the lower housing (30) in a state where the lower housing 20 is coupled to the inner housing 30. 20) It can be extrapolated to the lower housing from the lower end and ascend to the upper part of the inner housing 30 .

The lower housing 20 includes cylindrical side portions 211 and 221 having a smaller diameter than the upper housing, stepped portions 213 and 223 formed on the upper side of the side portion, and stepped side portions 214 and 224 extending upward from the end of the stepped portion. The stepped portions 213 and 223 of the lower housing 20 are in contact with the stepped portions 12 of the upper housing 10 when the upper housing 10 is extrapolated to the lower housing 20 and fitted to the upper portion of the upper housing. The upward movement is regulated, and the upper end of the upper housing is in contact with the upper housing 40 at the height at which the upper housing is regulated.

As shown in FIG. 6 , a fastening protrusion 14 and an alignment protrusion 15 are formed on the inner surface of the upper housing. In addition, a depression 216 is formed at a position corresponding to the fastening protrusion 14 on the front stepped portion 213 and the front stepped side portion 214 of the front housing 22 , and the rear end of the rear housing 22 . An alignment groove 226 is formed in the jaw 223 at a position corresponding to the alignment protrusion 15 .

Therefore, when the upper housing 10 is extrapolated to the lower housing 20 and fitted, the above-described fastening protrusion 14 and alignment protrusion 15 must be aligned with the depression 216 and the alignment groove 226, respectively, in the upper housing (10) can be fully climbed up to this fastening position.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, on the side of the inner housing 30, a protrusion accommodating groove 316 and a protrusion fixing groove 317 are formed adjacent to each other. are all shapes corresponding to the fastening protrusion 14 . However, the protrusion accommodating groove 316 has an open bottom shape, the protrusion fixing groove 317 has a closed shape, and a protrusion giving a click feeling is formed between the protrusion accommodating groove and the protrusion fixing groove.

As described above, when the fastening protrusion 14 and the alignment protrusion 15 are aligned with the recessed part 216 and the alignment groove 226, respectively, and the upper housing 10 is fully raised to the fastening position, the upper housing 10 The fastening protrusion 14 formed on the inner surface is accommodated in the protrusion receiving groove 316, and in this state, the upper housing 10 is rotated so that the inclined surface of the fastening protrusion 14 (see FIG. 6) is formed between the protrusion receiving groove and the protrusion fixing groove. When the protrusion that gives a sense of click is passed over the protrusion, the fastening protrusion 14 is fixed to the protrusion fixing groove 317 and the upper housing 10 is completely fixed.

That is, in this state, the upward flow of the upper housing 10 is regulated by the upper housing 40 and the stepped portions 213 and 223, and the rotation of the upper housing is caused by the projections and walls formed on the left and right sides of the projection fixing groove 317. In addition, the flow downward of the upper housing is regulated by the lower part of the protrusion fixing groove 317 in which the fastening protrusion 14 is blocked.

When the upper housing 10 is fixed in this way, the front housing 21 is also constrained by the upper housing 10 and the rear housing 22, and in particular, the upper housing 10 is fixed in a shape surrounding the lower housing 20. Therefore, even if there is no separate screw fastening to the front housing 21, the front housing 21 can also be firmly fixed. However, since the upper housing 10 surrounds only the upper portion of the lower housing 20, the bottom surface of the front housing 21 has a structure to the extent that it is fastened with the bottom surface 229 of the rear housing by a snap method, etc., the front housing (21) can be firmly maintained in a fixed state.

Meanwhile, a through hole 13 is formed in the upper housing 10 , which is formed at a position corresponding to the cutout 215 of the front housing 21 . The size of the through hole 13 is such that an external power cable can pass through, and the cutout 215 allows the external power cable to pass through, and the fastening protrusion 14 of the upper housing has a protrusion receiving groove and a protrusion fixing groove. It is cut more by the angle of rotation between them.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the cutout 215 is positioned on the right housing 32 side in a state where the lower housing 20 is fastened to the inner housing 30 . This is to secure the movement path of the external power cable, and the external power cable is connected to the input power connector 512 of the control PCB 51 through the external power cable through hole 322 of the right housing 32, and then on the right Through the space between the housing 32 and the upper housing 10, the through hole 13 and the cutout 215 may pass through and extend to the outside.

The input power connector 512 may be formed of a socket type into which a terminal (not shown) of an external power cable can be inserted. The reason for applying the terminal and socket structure is to facilitate replacement of the external power cable. For example, when using the air purifier of the present invention in a vehicle, 12V DC power from the cigar jack is used, but when using at home or in an office, 220V AC power must be used, so the possibility of replacing the external power cable is sufficient, therefore, the terminal and socket structure It is preferable to connect the external power cable to the control PCB (51).

It should be noted here that the direction in which the terminal is inserted and the direction in which the external power cable is drawn out are perpendicular to each other. That is, the direction in which the terminal of the external power cable is inserted is in the radial direction, and the direction in which the external power cable is drawn out is in the downward direction. Since the terminal is supported in the direction of the terminal connection, it is possible to prevent the external power cable from being pulled out even if the external power cable is pulled from the outside.

The reason that the fastening structure of the upper housing and the front housing is configured as above is that when replacing the second carbon filter 75 of the air purifier, the composite dust collecting filter 90, only the upper housing is separated without any tools. This is to make it possible to replace the carbon filter complex type dust collecting filter. That is, in the reverse order of the above fastening method, the upper housing is rotated in the opposite direction so that the fastening protrusion 14 comes out of the protrusion fixing groove 317 giving a click feeling and returns to the protrusion receiving groove 316. 5 is removed, and in this state, the insertion portion of the second carbon filter 75 composite dust collecting filter 90 is exposed as shown. Therefore, by simply removing the upper housing, the second carbon filter 75 and the composite dust collecting filter 90 can be easily replaced.

When the handle 92 of the second carbon filter 75 composite dust collecting filter 90 is pulled, the second carbon filter composite dust collecting filter can be removed as shown in FIG. 10, and the second carbon filter complex dust collecting filter With the filter removed, only the filter member 93 in the frame 91 needs to be replaced.

In addition, after removing the upper housing as described above, since the front housing 21 can be removed from the rear housing without a special tool, as shown in FIG. 11 , the inner housing exposed by removing the front housing It is also possible to exchange the photocatalytic filter 80 and the first carbon filter 70 through the part (30).

7 to 10 are perspective views of the inner housing in a state in which the outer housing (upper housing, lower housing, and upper housing) are all separated and the first carbon filter is removed from various directions, FIG. 11 is only the upper housing and the front housing It is a perspective view showing the air purifier of the present invention in a separated state.

Looking at the inner housing of the air purifier of the present invention, the inner housing is the second carbon filter 75, the composite dust collecting filter 90, the photocatalytic filter 80, and the first carbon filter 70 are all inserted or It has a structure that can be retrieved. Therefore, after removing the upper housing 10, pull the handle 92 of the second carbon filter 75 and the composite dust collecting filter 90 exposed to the front of the inner housing to replace the second carbon filter complex dust collecting filter. After removing the front housing 21, the photocatalytic filter exposed to the front of the inner housing can be removed.

As shown in FIGS. 14 to 15, the catalyst part 81 of the photocatalytic filter is manufactured by sintering TiO ₂ in a lattice-shaped ceramic base, so both hardness and brittleness are large. Accordingly, the elastic bumper 82 is wrapped around the catalyst part 81 as shown in the figure to protect the catalyst part from impact and to make the catalyst part and the inner housing 30 come into close contact with each other.

The TiO ₂ coated photocatalytic filter has a problem in that the photocatalyst efficiency is lowered due to the attachment of foreign substances to the surface over time. is losing Therefore, the photocatalytic filter needs a detachable structure for exchange or regeneration. However, as described above, since the photocatalytic filter is formed in a shape that the periphery of the catalyst part 81 is wrapped with the elastic bumper 82, a handle for attaching and detaching to the inner housing 30 is formed like the second carbon filter composite dust collecting filter. It is cumbersome to do. Accordingly, in the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 11, the photocatalytic filter 80 fitted into the inner housing 30 by not opening only the front portion of the inner housing 30, but partially cutting the side thereof in communication with the front portion. ) as well as some of the side surfaces were exposed together. Since both sides of the photocatalyst filter can be gripped by hand due to the shape of the inner housing, it is easy to take out the photocatalyst filter.

[Electrical connection structure of air purifier]

Referring to FIG. 8 , on the surface of the left housing 31 of the air purifier according to the present invention, as shown, an internal power cable passing groove 313 and an internal power cable guide groove sequentially following the internal power cable passing hole 312 314 is formed. In addition, an internal power cable through hole 315 is formed in the front upper portion of the fan accommodating part 301 of the inner housing.

Therefore, the internal power cable connected to supply power to the fan 60 and the UV LED board 55 in the control PCB 51 is sequentially from the control PCB 51 fixed to the PCB fixing part 33 to the inner housing. Through the inner power cable through hole 312, the inner power cable through hole 313, and the inner power cable guide groove 314 along the outer surface of the inner power cable through hole 315 to enter the inner space of the inner housing The internal power cable entering the inner space is connected to the fan 60 installed at the bottom of the inner housing, and is further extended and connected to the UV LED substrate 55 . The air purifier of the present invention allows the internal power cable to pass through and enter the internal space of the internal housing through the internal power cable through hole 315 formed in the fan accommodating part 301, which is a gateway between the external space and the internal space. By maintaining the airtightness of the housing, the efficiency of accelerating the air flow by the fan is higher. Some of the air flowing inside will be leaked through the gap in the

At first glance, it seems that the internal power cable can easily enter the inner housing through the discharge part 34 of the inner housing 30 adjacent to the control PCB 51, but the air flow path of the inner housing is the second carbon filter 75. Since it is blocked by the composite dust collecting filter 90 and the photocatalytic filter 80, this path is impossible (if the cable is arranged in such a path, the internal air around the cable is bypassed, and the air purification efficiency by the filter is reduced. to fall). Also, as described above, the filters must be replaced in the front of the inner housing. Therefore, in the present invention, the internal power cable is connected to the above path through one side of the inner housing.

As shown in FIG. 10 , the internal power cable through hole 312 and the external power cable through hole 322 are formed on both sides avoiding the extraction direction of the filter, so as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 9 , the inner The structure in which the power cable and the external power cable are connected through the paths of the left side and the right side of the inner housing, respectively, is very small and greatly improves the efficiency of using the internal space of the air purifier of the present invention, which must have a removable structure of the filter on its front side. By raising it, the air purifier of the present invention can be configured more compactly.

[Flow path of air purifier]

12 is a perspective view showing the air purifier according to the present invention in a state where the upper housing, the upper housing, the rear housing, and the right housing are omitted, and FIG. 13 is the upper housing, the upper housing, the lower housing and the right housing are omitted. It is a view viewed from the side of the air purifier according to the invention.

Looking at the flow path of the air purifier according to the present invention, the air sucked through the suction grate 212 of the front housing by the negative pressure generated by the fan passes through the space between the lower housing and the inner housing and the lower end of the inner housing 30 The air is sucked into the suction part 61 of the fan 60 through the first carbon filter 70 and the air inlet 302 on both sides, and then the air discharged upward from the exhaust part 63 by the fan is a flow guide 37 ) and the streamlined enlarged duct 381 are evenly distributed in the expanded duct structure and move upward.

The flow guide 37 is inclined forward in a streamlined shape as it goes up, and the UV LED substrate 55 is also slightly upwardly inclined toward the front within the limit that the irradiation direction of the UV LED on the substrate does not deviate significantly from the photocatalytic filter. installed in state In addition, as can be seen in FIGS. 13 and 2 , the circumference of the substrate is spaced apart from the air flow duct formed by the inner housing to naturally induce the flow of air, thereby reducing the flow energy loss of air.

12 and 13, the streamlined enlarged duct 381 has a structure that is gradually enlarged toward the front as it goes up in the air flow. In other words, the air introduced into the lower housing 20 from the outside through the suction grate 212 also moves downward to the air inlet 302 at the bottom of the inner housing 30 and is enlarged by the streamlined expansion duct 381. that it has a flow path. That is, the streamlined enlarged duct 381 not only enlarges the cross-sectional area of the air flow path in the inner housing, but also enlarges the cross-sectional area of the air flow path in the space between the lower housing 20 and the inner housing 30. The air flow structure and the duct structure of the present invention allow the air purifier to be compactly configured while minimizing the air flow loss.

Next, the air rising by the fan is guided by the above-described configuration to pass through a plurality of through-holes formed in the photocatalytic filter 80, followed by the installed second carbon filter 75 and the composite dust collecting filter 90. will pass through

It should be noted here that the UV LED substrate 55 is disposed under the inner housing corresponding to the height of the lower housing 20 of relatively small diameter, and the photocatalytic filter 80 and the second carbon filter 75 are composite type. The dust collecting filter 90 is disposed on the inner housing corresponding to the height of the upper housing (10). That is, the inner housing also has an enlarged diameter at the height of the stepped portion between the lower housing and the upper housing. The UV LED substrate 55, which can be configured to be relatively small and must be spaced apart from the photocatalytic filter to some extent, is placed in the small diameter part of the inner housing. The photocatalytic filter, which must be made a little larger in order to secure an area in contact with air as much as possible, is placed in the enlarged part of the inner housing, and the second carbon filter 75, which inevitably causes a lot of air pressure drop, is a composite dust collector. It can be seen that the structure of the present invention arranged in the enlarged part of the inner housing in order to further increase the cross-sectional area of the filter through which the air passes is a structure that can greatly increase the air purification efficiency while composing the product compactly.

The air passing through the filters 80 and 90 is again guided to the narrowed discharge part 34 through the streamlined reduction duct 382 and discharged to the outside.

The streamlined reduction duct 382 is formed in a streamline shape to reduce the flow loss of air while reducing the cross-sectional area of the air flow, and the upper space of the streamlined reduction duct provided by this shape can be utilized as the PCB fixing part 33 have. The control PCB is fixed to the PCB fixing unit 33 , and operation can be performed while checking the operating state of the product on the upper surface of the air purifier. It can be said that the button for use of the air purifier of the present invention, which is fixed to the cup holder and used in mind, is on the top surface and that the discharge direction of the air is also directed upward from the top surface of the air purifier. . In addition, by providing a streamlined reduced duct structure, the flow loss of air is reduced and the air flow is guided to a narrow outlet while securing a space where the control PCB 51 can be formed, thereby making the product more compact.

On the other hand, the ultraviolet radiation prevention plate 39 is formed in the lower part of the discharge port 34 to prevent the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the UV LED substrate from being directly irradiated to the outside through the discharge port, so that the user has doubts about the harmfulness of the ultraviolet rays. You can prevent it from having.

In the air purifier of the present invention, the position and direction in which the air is sucked is directed toward the front from the upper end of the lower housing 20 (the lower part of the stepped portion of the upper housing and the lower housing), and the position and direction in which the air is discharged is the upper housing ( 40) is facing upwards from the top surface. In this way, the structure in which the inlet and outlet are arranged in different directions away from each other prevents the purified and discharged air from being re-introduced into the inlet.

Also, considering that acetaldehyde and acetic acid, which are decomposed by the photocatalytic filter, are heavier than air and sink, the air intake port is located in the lower housing to further increase the air purification efficiency.

In addition, since the present invention is intended to be used by being fixed to the cup holder, a suction grate 212 is formed at the upper end of the lower housing to suck air to be purified, and the narrow space between the lower housing 20 and the inner housing 30 In order to minimize the flow loss of air in one space, a streamlined enlarged duct 381 was formed, and the air inlet 302, which is a passage to the inside of the inner housing, was placed on both sides in the direction perpendicular to the enlarged direction of the streamlined enlarged duct. , it can be said that the most optimal air flow path for the size and use condition of the air purifier was realized in that the cross-sectional area of air flow was secured through the streamlined enlarged duct again inside the inner housing.

[Filter arrangement of air purifier]

According to the arrangement sequence of the filter along the air movement path of the air purifier of the present invention, first, air passes through the first carbon filter 70 made of the pre-filter and activated carbon, so that large particles of dust in the air are filtered out by the pre-filter. Hazardous substances such as ammonia (NH ₄ ) and acetic acid (CH ₃ COOH) are adsorbed and removed by the activated carbon, and acetaldehyde (CH ₃ CHO) is decomposed through the photocatalytic reaction of the photocatalytic filter 80, and the activated carbon is buried again. Noxious gas causing odor is adsorbed through the second carbon filter 75 and composite dust collection filter 90 made of a nonwoven fabric or a fiber filter, etc., and fine dust is filtered out and then discharged.

The pre-filter filters out large dust in advance and prevents the efficiency of the photocatalyst filter from falling due to the attachment of foreign substances such as dust to the surface of the photocatalyst filter at the rear. In addition, in order to increase the decomposition efficiency of acetaldehyde, which reacts later than ammonia and acetic acid in the competition of the photocatalytic reaction, in the present invention, ammonia and acetic acid, which are superior to acetaldehyde in the competitive reaction, are first adsorbed by activated carbon (acetaldehyde is well absorbed by activated carbon). not adsorbed), by causing a photocatalytic reaction in a state where the concentration of other gases superior to acetaldehyde in the photocatalytic competition reaction is reduced, so that acetaldehyde can be decomposed through the photocatalytic reaction at an early stage.

According to the present invention, one of the main features is that an activate carbon filter is installed both in front and behind the photocatalytic filter. The reason for disposing the carbon filter in front of the photocatalytic filter is as described above. On the other hand, the reason for disposing the carbon filter at the rear of the photocatalytic filter is because of the smell generated at the beginning of operation of the photocatalytic filter, as briefly mentioned above.

If the air purifier installed with the photocatalytic filter and light source is not operated for several hours and starts to operate, the air blown from the air purifier emits an unpleasant odor. As a result of various experiments to confirm the cause of this odor, the unpleasant odor that is blown out at the beginning of operation from the air purifier equipped with a photocatalytic filter is not a odor from the base of the filter, nor is it a gas (base). It was confirmed that the presence or absence of odor is not determined depending on the type of odor, and the presence or type of additives (dispersants) used for photocatalytic coating does not cause the odor.

In addition, it was confirmed that the less the amount of the photocatalytic material (TiO ₂ ) loaded into the base, the less the amount of odor generated.

In addition, it was confirmed that the longer the time during which the UV light source was not irradiated to the photocatalytic filter, the more severe the smell was when the air purifier was operated again. In addition, it was confirmed that even if the air purifier was operated again and there was a smell at the beginning, the smell disappeared again when the operating time elapsed.

The cause of the odor in the photocatalytic filter, which can be inferred from this fact, is that if the photocatalytic filter is left for a long time in a state where the light source that provides energy to activate the photocatalyst is turned off, the cause of the odor in the photocatalytic material coated on the photocatalyst filter is When the power of the air purifier is turned on in this state, the odor-causing gas adsorbed on the photocatalyst is separated from the air flowing by the fan and flows together, It is said that there is an odor at the beginning of the operation of the purifier.

As a result of the experiment, it was confirmed that when activated carbon is placed at the rear of the photocatalytic filter, the activated carbon is adsorbed to the photocatalyst material as above and then the separated gas is adsorbed to remove the odor at the beginning of the operation of the air purifier. did. That is, it was confirmed that the odor-causing gas that was adsorbed on the photocatalytic filter at the beginning of operation and then separated was a gas that was well adsorbed by the activated carbon.

Thus, in the present invention, in the path of purifying the air, rather than simply disposing a single carbon filter, a carbon filter is disposed both in front and behind the photocatalytic filter. Therefore, even in the same carbon filter, the roles of the carbon filter in the front of the photocatalytic filter and the carbon filter in the rear are different.

That is, the carbon filter in front of the photocatalytic filter is configured to adsorb the gas dominant in the competitive reaction in the photocatalytic filter in advance to promote the decomposition of the gas lagging behind the competitive reaction in the photocatalytic filter, and the carbon filter behind the photocatalytic filter is irradiated with a light source When the photocatalyst filter is left unattended for a long period of time, the filter adsorbed on the photocatalyst filter has a function of adsorbing it so that it cannot escape out of the air purifier.

Therefore, rather than putting the same amount of carbon filters as the carbon filters disposed in front and rear of the photocatalytic filter only in front of or only at the rear of the photocatalytic filter, it is better to divide the carbon filters in front and rear of the photocatalytic filter and arrange them separately. It is a method to further increase the photocatalyst purification efficiency and prevent odors generated during the initial operation of the photocatalyst filter.

Meanwhile, as described above, the smaller the amount of the photocatalyst material loaded into the base, the smaller the amount of odor generated at the initial stage of operation of the air purifier. On the other hand, as the amount of the photocatalytic material loaded into the gas increases, the photocatalytic reaction efficiency increases, but after the amount of the photocatalytic material increases to a certain extent, the photocatalytic reaction efficiency does not increase any more.

This is because the principle of photocatalytic reaction and the principle of gas adsorption to the photocatalytic material are different. That is, since the photocatalytic reaction mainly occurs only on the surface of the area irradiated with ultraviolet rays, when the amount of the photocatalytic material exceeds a certain level, the area irradiated with ultraviolet rays does not increase any more, so the photocatalytic reaction efficiency does not further increase. On the other hand, the gas adsorbed to the photocatalyst material while the ultraviolet light is not irradiated is not only adsorbed on the surface of the photocatalyst material, but can be adsorbed to a certain depth. it will increase

Therefore, in order to minimize the amount of odor generated at the beginning of the operation of the air purifier and to increase the photocatalytic reaction efficiency of the photocatalytic filter, the photocatalytic material should be loaded as much as the amount at which the photocatalytic reaction efficiency no longer improves even if the amount of the photocatalytic material increases. will be. For example, as can be seen in the graph of FIG. 24 showing the photocatalytic reaction efficiency according to the amount of the photocatalytic material loaded in the photocatalytic filter, loading 1.5 g of the photocatalytic material is the highest photocatalytic reaction efficiency, and the air purifier is operated It is a method to minimize the amount of odor generation in the initial stage.

On the other hand, the carbon filter contains activated carbon, and the possibility that fine particles of activated carbon are discharged to the outside of the air purifier through the flow of air cannot be excluded according to the flow of air, so a configuration to prevent this cannot be excluded. In particular, when at least one of the first carbon filter 70 or the second carbon filter 75 includes granular activated carbon, a configuration for preventing the activated carbon from being discharged to the outside is further required.

To this end, in the present invention, the second carbon filter 75 may be formed in the form of a nonwoven fabric in which granular activated carbon is embedded. Alternatively, the second carbon filter may be composed of pulp-type activated carbon. Since the nonwoven fabric or pulp is sufficient to prevent the activated carbon particles from being discharged to the outside, in the present invention, such a filter structure can be placed at least behind the second carbon filter, and for a more compact configuration, the second carbon filter itself is a nonwoven fabric I can make it into pulp form.

In addition, if the dust collecting filter is to be installed in the air purifier, the dust collecting filter may be formed integrally with the second carbon filter, or the dust collecting filter may be disposed behind the second carbon filter. Of course, it is possible to construct a more compact air purifier by using the second carbon filter composite type dust collecting filter.

According to the present invention, since the dust collecting filter is integrated with the second carbon filter or located at the rear thereof, the activated carbon particles of the carbon filter are prevented from being discharged to the outside, and the result of placing the dust collecting filter in which the pressure drop occurs the most is located at the rear of the photocatalytic filter. Therefore, it is worth noting that the pressure of the air flow in contact with the photocatalytic filter is increased to further increase the contact efficiency between the photocatalytic filter and the air.

In addition, in the present invention, the UV LED 57 for photocatalysis is disposed in front of the photocatalytic filter so that ultraviolet rays are irradiated from the front of the photocatalytic filter. It is meaningful in that the decomposition efficiency of harmful gases of the photocatalytic filter is further increased by allowing the photocatalytic reaction to occur. In addition, this arrangement allows the second carbon filter complex type dust collecting filter to be placed in close contact with the back of the photocatalytic filter, so that the air purifier can be configured more compactly. In addition, UV LEDs 56 for sterilization are installed on the substrate of the UV LED 55 of the present invention, and UV for sterilization illuminates the second carbon filter composite dust collecting filter installed in direct contact with the rear of the photocatalytic filter. Since it is possible to sterilize microorganisms or viruses filtered by the filter member 93, the sterilization efficiency is superior to that of simply irradiating ultraviolet rays in the flowing air. In addition, the UV LED for photocatalyst and UV LED for sterilization were installed on one substrate to simplify the configuration.

In addition, if a UV reflector (not shown) is installed on the inner surface of the inner housing between the photocatalyst filter and the UV LED substrate, the ultraviolet rays irradiated to the inner surface of the inner housing can be irradiated toward the photocatalyst filter again, improving deodorization and sterilization efficiency. can be raised further.

[Relationship between photocatalytic filter and UV LED]

14 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the photocatalytic filter and the UV LED substrate, and FIG. 15 is a plan view of the photocatalytic filter.

Referring to FIG. 14 , a UV LED 56 for sterilization is installed on the central portion of the UV LED substrate 55 , and three UV LEDs 57 for photocatalysis are installed around it. In particular, the UV LED 57 for the photocatalyst irradiates ultraviolet rays toward the photocatalytic filter 80 .

As shown in FIG. 15, the photocatalytic filter 80 includes a catalyst part 81 in which a ceramic porous body having a checkered grid is coated with TiO ₂ (Titanium Dioxide) and sintered, and an elastic bumper 82 surrounding the side of the catalyst part. is made of

The distance between the front face of the catalyst and the UV LED 57 for the photocatalyst is expected to vary depending on the change in the flow characteristics of air according to the distance between the UV LED substrate and the photocatalyst filter and the area and intensity of ultraviolet rays reaching the photocatalyst. As a result, when the length l of one side of the square photocatalytic filter was 5.5cm, the deodorization efficiency was the best when the distance between the light source 57 and the front surface of the photocatalytic filter 81 was 2.5cm apart, and the When the distance was reduced to less than 2cm or increased to more than 3cm, it was confirmed that the deodorization efficiency decreased sharply.

If the distance between the two is too close (2 cm or less), the area of the photocatalytic filter to which ultraviolet light is irradiated among the area of the photocatalytic filter decreases, whereas the photocatalytic activation efficiency does not increase any more even if the intensity of ultraviolet light per unit area of the photocatalytic filter becomes stronger ( saturation, refer to the experiment related to the intensity of ultraviolet rays to be described later in relation to FIG. 16), and in addition, when the UV LED substrate 55 is too close to the photocatalytic filter, the air does not flow well into the middle region of the photocatalytic filter to which ultraviolet rays are mainly irradiated. This is because the amount of air in contact with the membrane is smaller in the region where activation is most effective.

In addition, if the distance between the two is too far (3 cm or more), the intensity of ultraviolet light per unit area of the photocatalytic filter decreases, and the photocatalyst activation degree decreases. It is caused by a decrease in the amount of air in contact with the surface of the filter itself.

On the other hand, when the length (l) of one side of the filter is 4 cm or more and 7 cm or less, the deodorization efficiency is good. If the length of one side of the filter is shortened to 4 cm or less, all filters do not exist in the area to which ultraviolet rays are irradiated, resulting in wasted ultraviolet rays. Areas exist, resulting in a waste of filter material.

Next, in the case of the power supplied to the UV LED 57, when the voltage is 5V or less or the current is 200mA or less, the luminous amount is significantly reduced, and a problem of adding a UV LED occurs. When the voltage is 15V or more or the current is 300mA or more It was confirmed that even if the supply power is increased, the amount of light emission is hardly increased.

On the other hand, the inventor of the present invention found that the shape of the lattice formed in the catalyst part 81, the spacing of each cell 83 (g), the thickness of the lattice flesh (t), the length of one side of the catalyst part (l), the cell size of the catalyst part The number (n), the height of the catalyst part (h), the air flow direction (forward, reverse), the sintering temperature and sintering time of the catalyst part, the peak wavelength of the UV LED 57 for photocatalyst, irradiation on the front face of the catalyst part It was confirmed that the deodorization performance of the photocatalytic filter varies according to the intensity of the ultraviolet rays.

16 is a graph showing the decomposition rate of acetaldehyde according to the intensity of ultraviolet rays reaching the front face of the photocatalytic filter.

First, we repeatedly measured how the deodorization performance of the photocatalyst changes according to the intensity of ultraviolet rays irradiated to the front surface of the catalyst part. As a result of the measurement, it was confirmed that the deodorization efficiency of the photocatalyst increased as the intensity of ultraviolet light increased until the intensity of ultraviolet light per unit area of the photocatalyst surface was 14.67 (mW/cm ² ). could confirm that it was not. In particular, this tendency is characterized by the above-described spacing of the cells 83 (g), the thickness of the lattice (t), the length of one side of the catalyst section (l), the number of cells in the catalyst section (n), the height of the catalyst section (h), It was consistent regardless of the sintering temperature and sintering time of the catalyst part.

In addition, as a result of repeated experiments, when the intensity of ultraviolet light per unit area of the photocatalyst surface is lower than 10 (mW/cm ² ), the deodorization efficiency by the photocatalytic reaction is sharply reduced, probably due to insufficient light quantity, and the intensity of ultraviolet light per unit area of the photocatalyst surface is 20 (mW/cm ² ) When higher than that, only the electrical energy consumed to increase the intensity of ultraviolet light increases, but the deodorization efficiency by photocatalyst activation hardly increases.

17 is a graph showing the ultraviolet absorption rate of the photocatalytic filter according to the ultraviolet wavelength, and FIG. 18 is a graph showing the removal rate of acetaldehyde according to the ultraviolet wavelength.

As shown in FIG. 17, the UV absorption of the photocatalytic filter according to the UV wavelength absorbs the wavelength around 270 nm best, and it can be seen that the absorption rate decreases linearly toward 400 nm. However, when using an actual UV LED, it was confirmed that the peak wavelength of the UV LED, which has the best photocatalytic efficiency, is 365 nm. This is due to the luminous efficiency of UV LEDs. Since the light emission of the device drops sharply as UV LEDs with a smaller peak wavelength are used, a large number of UV LEDs are required to meet the appropriate UV intensity on the surface of the photocatalytic filter using UV LEDs having a low peak wavelength. However, there is a limit to increasing the size of the substrate for air flow, and the cost itself increases rapidly. As a result of the experiment with this in mind, it was confirmed that the deodorization efficiency by the photocatalytic filter dropped sharply when a UV LED having a peak wavelength of 340 nm or less was used.

In addition, when a UV LED having a peak wavelength of 380 nm or more is used, the UV absorption rate of the photocatalyst itself drops a lot and the difference from the existing black light disappears, so the use of UV LED becomes meaningless.

As a result of the experiment, it was confirmed that the deodorization performance by the photocatalytic filter can be maximized when UV LEDs with a peak wavelength of 360 nm or more and 370 nm or less are used.

19 is a graph showing the difference in the deodorization rate of acetaldehyde according to the height (h) of the photocatalytic filter, and FIG. 20 is a graph showing the difference in the deodorization rate of acetic acid according to the height (h) of the photocatalytic filter. .

The fact confirmed by the experimental results is that in the case of the photocatalytic filter having the shape as shown in FIG. 15, the area of the photocatalyst surface on the front that is increased due to the thickness (t) of the flesh of the photocatalytic filter hardly affects the deodorization efficiency of the photocatalytic filter, and the photocatalytic filter It is said that the height (depth) of the air directly affects the area of contact with air by affecting the area of the inner wall of the internal air flow path.

Therefore, it was confirmed that the deodorization efficiency of the photocatalytic filter was the best when the height of the filter was 5 to 10 mm. In addition, if the height is reduced to less than 2mm, the strength of the photocatalytic filter itself is weakened, making it difficult to use. If the height is 15mm or more, only the air resistance increases and the UV rays cannot reach or the intensity is very weak, so the deodorization efficiency does not increase but costs only. cause it to grow

In addition, when the internal spacing (g) of the cell 83 is 2 mm, the air resistance does not increase, but the shape of the filter itself blocks the ultraviolet rays irradiated into the filter and the degree of shading is not large. It was confirmed that the area inside the cell to be irradiated was most appropriate. When the internal spacing is narrowed to 1 mm or less, the air resistance increases and the amount of ultraviolet rays reaching the inner wall decreases, so the deodorization efficiency decreases. Therefore, it was confirmed that the deodorization efficiency decreased.

Looking at this in terms of cell density, when the cell density is lower than 30 cells/inch ² , the inner spacing increases by 4 mm or more, and the area of the inner wall itself drops significantly, so the deodorization efficiency is lowered, and the cell density is 260 cells. In the case of /inch ² or more, the internal spacing is narrowed to ¹ mm or less, which increases the air resistance and reduces the amount of ultraviolet rays reaching the inner wall, which can be considered to decrease the deodorization efficiency. Although the resistance does not increase, the shape of the filter itself blocks the ultraviolet rays irradiated into the filter and the degree of shading is not large, so the deodorization efficiency is the best.

Next, as a result of the experiment on the thickness (t) of the flesh, when the thickness is less than 0.3 mm, the TiO ² layer becomes too thin, so the photocatalytic efficiency decreases and there is a problem with strength. Efficiency did not increase any further. When the flesh thickness was 0.6 mm, the photocatalytic efficiency was the highest.

21 is a graph showing the deodorization performance of a photocatalytic filter sintered with _{2 g of TiO 2 for} 1 hour at each sintering temperature, and FIG. , and FIG. 23 is a graph showing the deodorization performance for each sintering time of the photocatalytic filter manufactured by varying the sintering time of TiO ₂ of 2.5 to the sintering temperature of 400 ^O C in the photocatalytic filter.

Referring to FIGS. 21 to 23 , when the sintering temperature is 350 to 450 ^O C, the deodorizing performance is good, and when the sintering time is 1 to 2 hours, it can be confirmed that there is no significant problem in the deodorizing performance of the photocatalytic filter. Therefore, considering the temperature deviation, the sintering temperature is set to 400 ^O C, and if the sintering time is shorter than 1 hour, the sintering may be incomplete. The sintering time is 1 to 2 hours.

The present invention is not limited by the embodiments and drawings disclosed herein, and it is apparent that various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention.

10: upper housing
11: side
12: step part
13: passing ball
14: fastening protrusion
15: alignment protrusion
20: lower housing
21: front housing
211: front side
212: suction great
213: front stepped portion
214: front stepped side part
215: cutout
216: depression
22: rear housing
221: rear side part
223: rear stepped portion
224: rear stepped side part
226: alignment groove
229: bottom surface
30: inner housing
301: fan receiving part
302: air inlet
303: substrate fixing part
305: step member
306: screw fastening part
31: left housing
312: internal power cable through hole
313: internal power cable passage groove
314: internal power cable guide groove
315: internal power cable through hole
316: projection receiving groove
317: projection fixing groove
32: right housing
322: external power cable through hole
33: PCB fixing part
34: discharge part
35: second carbon filter composite type dust collecting filter receiving part
36: photocatalytic filter receiving part
37: flow guide
381: streamlined enlarged duct
382: streamlined reduced duct
39: ultraviolet radiation prevention plate
40: upper housing
41: button
42: operation indicator
43: discharge great
51: control PCB
512: input power connector
55: UV LED substrate
56: UV LED for sterilization
57: UV LED for photocatalyst
58: connector
60: fan
61: suction unit
63: discharge unit
70: first carbon filter
71: housing
72: pre-filter surface
73: elastic sealer
75: second carbon filter
80: photocatalytic filter (TiO2)
81: catalyst unit
82: elastic bumper
83: cell
90: dust collection filter
91: frame
92: handle
93: filter member
d: distance from light source
g: spacing
l: length of one side
n: number of cells
h: height
t: flesh thickness
90: dust collection filter
91: frame
92: handle
93: filter member

Claims (12)

housing;
a suction grate formed on one surface of the housing to introduce air into the housing;
a discharge grate formed on the other surface of the housing to discharge air introduced into the housing;
an inner housing disposed in the housing to form a flow duct structure for air introduced into the housing;
a dust collecting filter disposed to shield the flow duct structure of the inner housing;
a substrate fixing part protruding inwardly from the inner wall of the inner housing;
a UV LED substrate disposed on the substrate fixing unit and provided with a UV LED emitting ultraviolet light into the flow duct structure; and
Including; an internal power cable connected to supply power to the UV LED substrate;
The internal power cable is disposed along the outer surface of the inner housing,
The inner housing is an air purifier that is spaced apart and fixed inside the housing.
The method according to claim 1,
and an ultraviolet reflecting plate disposed on an inner wall of the inner housing.
The method according to claim 1,
The inner housing is an air purifier formed in two parts.
The method according to claim 1,
The air purifier further comprising a control PCB connected to the internal power cable.
5. The method according to claim 4,
The inner housing further includes a PCB fixing part to which the control PCB is fixed,
An air purifier in which the control PCB fixed to the PCB fixing unit and the discharge unit through which air is discharged from the inner housing do not overlap each other.
The method according to claim 1,
The air purifier further comprising an ultraviolet radiation prevention plate disposed under the discharge grate to prevent the ultraviolet rays of the UV LED from being directly irradiated to the outside of the housing.
housing;
a suction grate formed on one surface of the housing to introduce air into the housing;
a discharge grate formed on the other surface of the housing to discharge air introduced into the housing;
an inner housing disposed in the housing to form a flow duct structure for air introduced into the housing;
a dust collecting filter disposed to shield the flow duct structure of the inner housing;
a UV LED substrate disposed in the inner housing and provided with a UV LED emitting ultraviolet light into the flow duct; and
It includes; an internal power cable connected to supply power to the UV LED substrate.
The inner housing includes an inner power cable guide groove for guiding the inner power cable along the outer surface of the inner housing,
The inner housing is an air purifier that is spaced apart and fixed inside the housing.
8. The method of claim 7,
An air purifier having an ultraviolet reflecting plate disposed on an inner wall of the inner housing.
8. The method of claim 7,
The inner housing is an air purifier formed in two parts.
8. The method of claim 7,
The air purifier further comprising a control PCB connected to the internal power cable.
11. The method of claim 10,
The inner housing further includes a PCB fixing part to which the control PCB is fixed,
An air purifier in which the control PCB fixed to the PCB fixing unit and the discharge unit through which air is discharged from the inner housing do not overlap each other.
8. The method of claim 7,
The air purifier further comprising an ultraviolet radiation prevention plate disposed under the discharge grate to prevent the ultraviolet rays of the UV LED from being directly irradiated to the outside of the housing.

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