NO20171269A1

NO20171269A1 - Vehicle cabin air purifier with pollution blocking air dispenser.

Info

Publication number: NO20171269A1
Application number: NO20171269A
Authority: NO
Inventors: Ole Hansvold; Jørgen K H Bertheau; Marcus Rosin
Original assignee: Crypto Tag Systems As
Priority date: 2017-07-31
Filing date: 2017-07-31
Publication date: 2019-02-01

Abstract

An apparatus for purifying, compressing and conveying air through a channel to an air dispenser in front of the face of a driver or passenger of a vehicle. The overpressure out of the air dispenser creates a pocket of purified air that acts as a barrier hindering polluted air to reach the respiratory organs of the user. The vehicle cabin air purifier generates instant supply of purified air that is provided in a convenient way to the user without obstructing the driver’s or passenger’s sight or movement or impeding speech. The vehicle cabin air purifier can easily be attached to for example backrests or headrests of existing vehicles as well as integrated in the interior of new vehicles.

Description

Background and prior art

In many cities the air pollution caused by vehicle emissions, smoke, fumes, dust from tires and tarmac, and more is so high that it constitutes a significant health risk. The air pollution is particularly high at congested roads and when weather conditions prevents the air from being circulated.

All vehicles have an air flow system used to input cooled or heated air into the cabin and to remove dew and ice from the windows. The incoming air is typically filtered to capture larger particles, and normally not to reduce unhealthy fumes and small [+/- 2.5μm] particles that reach deeper into the lungs and are more dangerous to health. A typical indication of polluted air in the cabin is the smell of diesel exhaust from adjacent vehicles.

So, whereas some few car models now are known to have filters like HEPA (High-efficiency particulate arrestance) that also capture smaller particles from the incoming air, most vehicles do not have such filters and can’t offer people adequate protection against air pollution.

Another aspect is that replacement of filters in the vehicle airflow system usually requires a mechanic, and it is therefore typically only done when the vehicle is undergoing regular service by when the filters may have been in-effective for a long time.

Many people close the air inflow while driving in polluted air. This hinders new polluted air from reaching the cabin, but the air already inside will still be polluted and its oxygen level gradually drops as long as the cabin is closed.

There are portable HEPA-grade air purifiers available in the after-sales market that can be placed inside the vehicle cabin. These will gradually purify the air, but will not provide clean air instantly. Also, they will be less effective or even ineffective in case of high inflow from the vehicle airflow system, and they will more or less have to start over again if a window or a door is opened. People in the cabin will meanwhile breathe polluted air.

Furthermore, one could envisage that the people in the car wore masks getting air from an air purifier. This is potentially unsafe as the mask and the air channel can hinder the driver’s head and hands movement. Wearing mask while driving is also against regulation in some countries. Besides, masks are inconvenient to wear and they complicate conversation.

Disclosure of the invention

The present invention is an air purifier located inside a vehicle cabin designed to let the driver and / or passengers instantly inhale purified air.

The present invention, denoted as vehicle cabin air purifier, is shown in figure 1. Air from the cabin [1] is drawn into the container unit [2] by an air pressure generator [3] that creates an overpressure used to move the air through purifying filters [4a and / or 4b] and further through a channel [5] to an air dispenser [6] in order to instantly create a pocket of purified air [7] in front of the respiratory organs acting as a barrier to prevent inhaling of polluted air.

The air dispenser [6] is an air outlet to be positioned in the proximity of the face of the driver or a passenger without requiring to be fixed or to be attached to the head or body of the driver or the passenger and that does not hinder head movements or sight.

The present invention complements the air flow system of the vehicle in that it instantly purifies the air that is inhaled from the air dispensers while the vehicle’s original air flow system still uses its large flow of air capacity to rapidly adjust cabin temperature and clear windows from dew or ice.

The container unit [2] may be located anywhere in or by the cabin. In order to minimize air channel pressure drop and air channel installation complexity the container unit [2] will typically be positioned close to the driver and / or passenger. An easily accessible container unit [2] allows for filters to be replaced by the driver or passengers themselves when the purification performance starting to become less effective to always ensure effective air purification.

Description of preferred embodiments

The vehicle cabin air purifier output element is an air dispenser [6] that may have various form factors in order to optimize the volume, shape and direction of the air pocket as well as its effectiveness to block polluted air.

The air channel [5] would be a self-supported adjustable tube holding the air dispenser on one end and on the other be fixed directly to the container unit [2] or fixed to a permanent part of the vehicle such as the headrest or backrest and from there continued to the container unit [2]. The air channel need to be optimized in length and diameter to carry enough air for an effective pocket of purified air [7] to be created and upheld even if a window is open or the vehicle airflow system is producing high airflow.

Claims

The vehicle cabin air purifier filter [4a and/or 4b] can comprise different elements like a prefilter to protect the air pressure generator [3] from dust and dirt, a HEPA filter to reduce also small particles, and an active carbon filter to reduce fumes. Additional types of filters may be added to protect against specific additional contaminations. The filters may be positioned before [4a] or after [4b] the air pressure generator [3] for the air to either be pulled or pushed through the filters respectively.

The container unit [2] may contain one or more air processing module(s) [8a and / or 8b] that mixes the incoming air with an artificially generated scent and / or increases or decreases the temperature of the incoming air to create a cooling or warming effect in the face and / or adds additional oxygen. The air processing modules may be positioned before [8a] or after [8b] the air pressure generator [3].

The air dispenser [6] may also be adjustable for better comfort by allowing the scented, cooled, or heated air to spread across the face, throat and neck.

The vehicle cabin air purifier would be turned on and off and air pressure adjusted mechanically by buttons and controls or electronically by smart phones or similar devices that connects with the vehicle cabin air purifier using Near-Field-Communication [NFC], Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wifi or similar.

The vehicle cabin air purifier may also comprise sensors that measures the level of pollution in the cabin air and through lamps, display or smartphone recommend if the vehicle cabin air purifier should be used and possibly a function that automatically turns on or off air purification accordingly.

Similarly, the vehicle or the smartphone may be connected via the Internet or mobile networks to get information about the level of air pollution on the route ahead to recommend when to purify the air.

The vehicle cabin air purifier can be connected with the vehicle power system or powered by a battery. A battery may be rechargeable through the vehicle power system.

A vehicle may have several vehicle cabin air purifiers, and each vehicle cabin air purifier may have several air dispensers.

Claims

CLAIM 1:

An apparatus for conveying and dispensing overpressured and purified air inside a vehicle characterized in that there are high efficiency filters and an air pressure generator that purifies and pushes over-pressured purified air through a channel to an air dispenser positioned in the proximity of the face of the driver or a passenger inside a vehicle in order to create a pocket of purified air in front of the respiratory organs of the driver or a passenger that acts as a barrier hindering polluted air to reach the respiratory organs.

CLAIM 2:

An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in the purified airflow being adjustable to i) uphold the pocket of purified air even when the cabin’s un-purified air is in motion accelerated by the vehicle airflow system or an open window or door, and to ii) lower it when the cabin’s airflow conditions are calm.

CLAIM 3:

An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in it being possible to adjust the outflow from the air-dispenser to narrow the outgoing purified air to the respiratory organs only or to spread the outgoing air to larger parts of the face and neck.

CLAIM 4:

An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in the air channel between the airdispenser and a container unit containing the air-pressure generator and air-purifying filter(s) not representing a hinder for entry or exit from the seat nor sight or movement inside the vehicle and being easily adjustable and able to hold the air-dispenser in a firm position in the proximity of the face of the driver or a passenger.

CLAIM 5:

An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in the apparatus including sensors that can indicate when air purification is recommended and possibly a control function that automatically turns on and off the air purification function accordingly.

CLAIM 6:

An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in the apparatus being electronically connected with a vehicle computer or the driver’s or a passenger’s smartphone for receiving information about when air purification is recommended for the apparatus to possibly automatically turn on or off the air purification function accordingly.

CLAIM 7:

An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in the apparatus having more than one output channel and air dispenser.

CLAIM 8:

An apparatus according to claim 1, c characterized in the apparatus containing an air processing module being an ionizer that further purifies the incoming air.

CLAIM 9:

An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in the apparatus containing an air processing module that mixes an artificially generated scent into the outgoing air.

CLAIM 10:

An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in the apparatus containing an air processing module that increases or decreases the temperature of the outgoing air.

CLAIM 11:

An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in the apparatus containing an air processing module that adds oxygen to the outgoing air.

CLAIM 12:

An apparatus according to claims 1, 8, 9, 10 and 11, characterized in the incoming air being subject to more than one air processing methods.