WO2022186494A1

WO2022186494A1 - Air purification device having pest-repelling function

Info

Publication number: WO2022186494A1
Application number: PCT/KR2022/001965
Authority: WO
Inventors: 문창현; 문정현
Original assignee: 문창현; 문정현
Priority date: 2021-03-04
Filing date: 2022-02-09
Publication date: 2022-09-09
Also published as: JP2023550344A; KR102298747B1

Abstract

An air purification device having a pest-repelling function is provided. The air purification device comprises: a lower housing in which a culture medium for growth of microalgae is held; an upper housing which is open at the bottom surface thereof to be seated on the lower housing; a light source unit which is provided to provide light to the culture medium; a top fan which is mounted to the top surface of the upper housing to generate a suction air flow or discharge air flow; a side fan which is mounted to the side surface of at least one of the upper housing and the lower housing to generate a suction air flow or discharge air flow; and a control unit which controls operations of the light source unit, the top fan, and the side fan to operate the air purification device in an air purifying mode or a pest-repelling mode.

Description

Air purifier with pest control function

The present invention relates to an air purifying device having an insect repelling function.

Recently, due to environmental problems such as extreme air pollution in urban areas and a heat island phenomenon in which the temperature inside the city increases, interest in air quality is growing.

In order to improve indoor air quality, air purification devices to which various technologies are applied have already been widely used. However, the conventional air purification apparatus is an apparatus for improving air quality by using a reaction between a filter and a chemical substance, and there is a problem in that waste such as a filter and a chemical substance is generated.

Recently, interest in air purification techniques using eco-friendly bio-technology has been on the rise, and as an example of an air purification technique using eco-friendly bio-technology, a technique for purifying air using photosynthesis of microalgae has been proposed.

That is, the air purification technique using microalgae can improve the polluted indoor air quality by capturing oxygen generated during the photosynthetic reaction of microalgae and remove excess carbon dioxide present in the room at the same time. In addition, the microalgae after growth has been dried can be reused as animal feed or manure for flowers, which has an environmental-friendly advantage.

However, the conventional air purification technique using microalgae is configured to continuously irradiate light so that the microalgae can generate oxygen through photosynthesis. However, continuously turning on a light source such as an LED has a problem of increasing electricity consumption.

In addition, if the light source is kept turned off to save electricity and light is not supplied to the microalgae, the microalgae stop photosynthesis and generate carbon dioxide through cellular respiration, and there is also a problem that the indoor air quality may be weakened.

The present invention provides an air purifying device with a pest control function that can efficiently and safely improve indoor air quality by generating oxygen through photosynthesis by light and carbon dioxide when microalgae grow and consuming excess carbon dioxide is to provide

The present invention can attract various pests such as mosquitoes by using carbon dioxide generated by microalgae in the process of cellular respiration, and provides an air purifying device having a pest control function capable of easily and reliably eradicating the induced pests. it is to do

The present invention is to provide an air purifying device with a pest control function that can control the microalgae to perform photosynthesis or cellular respiration according to the purpose of use, thereby providing a comfortable environment for various use subjects such as examinees or newborns. .

Objects other than the present invention will be easily understood through the following description.

According to one aspect of the present invention, in the air purification apparatus, the upper surface is open, the lower housing in which the culture medium in which microalgae grow is accommodated; an upper housing having an open lower surface and being seated on an upper portion of the lower housing to form a body of the air purifier; a light source unit provided in at least one of the lower housing and the upper housing to provide light to the culture medium; a top fan mounted on the upper surface of the upper housing to generate an intake airflow for introducing outside air into the inner space of the body or an exhaust airflow for discharging the inside air of the body to the outside; a side fan mounted to a side of at least one of the upper housing and the lower housing to create an intake airflow or an exhaust airflow; and a control unit for controlling operations of the light source unit, the top fan, and the side fan so that the air purification device operates in an air purification mode or a pest control mode. Here, in the air purification mode in which the microalgae generate oxygen by photosynthesis, the control unit controls the light source unit to be turned on, and controls the operation of the upper fan and the side fan so that the generated oxygen is discharged to the outside And, in the pest extermination mode in which the microalgae cellular respiration to generate carbon dioxide, the control unit controls the light source unit to be turned off, and the operation of the upper fan to generate an exhaust airflow for discharging the generated carbon dioxide to the outside can be controlled

The air purifier may include an electric shock unit fixed to be positioned below the upper fan in the inner space of the body. In the pest control mode, in order to be attracted by carbon dioxide and introduced into the internal space of the body and to move the pest located between the upper fan and the electric shock unit to the electric shock unit to receive an electric shock, the control unit controls the upper fan to generate a downdraft. You can control it to create.

An extension portion protruding toward the inner space of the body and extending in the circumferential direction is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the body, the electric shock portion is fixed using the inner circumferential surface of the extension portion, and the upper surface of the extension portion is It may be formed to have a downward inclination that decreases from the inner circumferential surface of the body toward the electric shock part.

The air purifier may further include a collecting net fixed to be spaced apart under the electric shock unit. The collecting network may be formed to have a relatively dense grid-type configuration compared to the electric network of the electric shock unit.

An opening through which pests enter the internal space of the body is formed in the body, and the opening may be opened or closed by a door driven by a door opening/closing unit controlled by the control unit.

The air purifier may further include a sensing unit that generates sensing information about the internal space of the body. The controller may control the operation of the upper fan so that when the inflow of the pest is detected by the sensing information, the direction of the air flow formed by the upper fan is switched from the exhaust air flow to the down air flow.

The air purifier may further include an illuminance sensor mounted on one side of the body to sense external illuminance of the air purifier. The control unit may be set to compare the illuminance value sensed by the illuminance sensor with a predetermined threshold value to select an operation mode of the air purifier as one of the air purifying mode and the pest control mode.

The inner circumferential surface of the body protrudes toward the inner space of the body, an extension portion extending along the circumferential direction is formed, and the extension portion is an entry path through which pests are introduced into the inner space of the body, the outside of the body A cavity connecting the space and the inner space of the body may be formed, and a cage-shaped electric grid may be fixed to the inner end of the extension.

The outer end of the cavity may be opened or closed by a door driven by a door opening/closing portion controlled by the control unit.

A solar panel for generating driving power for the air purification device may be mounted on the outer surface of the door.

The air purifier may further include a stirring unit configured to stir the culture solution in the lower housing.

The lower housing and the peripheral surface of the housing may be formed of an opaque material that does not transmit light.

In the pest extermination mode, at least one of a visual notification means and an audible notification means for providing notification information regarding the number of pests electrocuted to the electric shock unit may be further included.

Other aspects, features and advantages other than those described above will become apparent from the following drawings, claims, and detailed description of the invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when microalgae grow, there is an effect of efficiently and safely improving indoor air quality by generating oxygen through photosynthesis by light and carbon dioxide and consuming excess carbon dioxide.

In addition, the microalgae can attract various pests such as mosquitoes by using carbon dioxide generated during cellular respiration, and there is an effect of easily and reliably eradicating the attracted pests.

In addition, according to the purpose of use, the microalgae can be controlled to photosynthesize or respiration, so it has the effect of providing a pleasant environment for various subjects such as examinees and newborns.

1 is a schematic block diagram of an air purification apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

2 is an external view of an air purification apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a view showing an operation process of the air purification apparatus in the air purification mode according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a view showing an operation process of the air purification apparatus in the pest control mode according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a cross-sectional view of an air purification apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Since the present invention can have various changes and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to a specific embodiment, it should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The terms used herein are used only to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present specification, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification exists, but one or more other features It is to be understood that this does not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

In addition, in the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same components regardless of the reference numerals are given the same or related reference numerals, and the overlapping description thereof will be omitted. In describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

1 is a schematic block diagram of an air purification apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an external view of the air purification apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a view showing the operation process of the air purification apparatus in the air purification mode according to the first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is the operation of the air purification apparatus in the pest control mode according to the first embodiment of the present invention A diagram showing the process.

1 and 2 , the air purification apparatus 100 includes a light source unit 111 , a top fan 113 , a side fan 115 , a door opening/closing unit 117 , a sensing unit 119 , and an electric shock unit 121 . , a stirring unit 123 , a power supply unit 125 , and a control unit 127 may be included.

The body of the air purification apparatus 100 may be formed of a plurality of divided parts, such as the lower housing 210 and the upper housing 220 , and each of the divided parts may be implemented to be coupled or separated from each other. The lower housing 210 and the upper housing 220 in which the light source unit 111 is mounted or accommodated are provided with an internal space, so that an internal space to form an airflow in the body internal space of the air purifier 100 is formed. can

The culture medium 212 in which microalgae grow is accommodated in the inner space of the lower housing 210 formed so that the upper surface is opened. The lower housing 210 may be formed of an opaque material that does not transmit light from the outside in order for the microalgae to perform photosynthesis or cellular respiration depending on whether light is emitted from the light source unit 111 .

In the inner space of the lower housing 210, a stirrer 123 for stirring and mixing the accommodated culture solution 212 may be mounted. By the rotational operation of the stirring unit 123, the death of the microalgae in the culture medium accommodated can be prevented.

A side fan 115 for forming an airflow for introducing or discharging air into the body of the air purification apparatus 100 may be mounted on a side surface of the lower housing 210 . The side fans 115 may be respectively mounted on one or more sides of the lower housing 210 .

An upper housing 220 having an open lower surface is seated on an upper portion of the lower housing 210 . When the upper housing 220 is seated on the upper portion of the lower housing 210 and coupled to each other, the conductive terminals respectively formed in the upper housing 220 and the lower housing 210 may be maintained in contact with each other, so that the power supply unit 125 ), the conductive wires respectively formed in the upper housing 220 and the lower housing 210 may be electrically connected to each other so that the power supplied from the light source unit 111, the upper fan 113, the side fan 115, etc. is provided. .

An upper fan 113 for forming an airflow for introducing or discharging air into the body of the air purification apparatus 100 may be mounted on the upper surface area of the upper housing 220 . Although not shown in FIG. 2 , it is natural that one or more side fans 115 may be further mounted on the side surface of the upper housing 220 .

The light source unit 111 is mounted on the upper housing 220 to emit light toward the inner space of the body of the air purification device 100 .

The upper housing 220 may be formed of an opaque material that does not transmit light from the outside in order for the microalgae to perform photosynthesis or cellular respiration depending on whether light is emitted from the light source unit 111 . At this time, the upper surface of the upper housing 220 may be formed of a transparent material so that the microalgae can perform photosynthesis by receiving natural light.

In addition, one or more openings 222 may be formed in the upper housing 220 as passages through which pests such as mosquitoes enter, and the openings 222 are opened and closed by the door 224 driven by the door opening and closing unit 117 . can be 2 illustrates a case in which the opening 222 and the door 224 are provided on both sides facing each other, but the opening 222 and the door 224 may be provided on any one or a plurality of side surfaces, It goes without saying that the same side may be provided with a plurality of spaced apart from each other.

As will be described later, when pests such as mosquitoes that have entered the inner space of the upper housing 220 through the opening 222 are moved toward the electric shock unit 121 by the downdraft formed by the upper fan 113, the extension The opening 222 may be formed above the extension 226 so as to be pushed toward the electric shock unit 121 even using the inclined surface formed on the upper surface of the unit 226 .

In FIG. 2 , as an example of the door 224 for opening and closing the opening 222 , a rotary door that rotates about a rotation axis is illustrated. In addition, the door may be implemented as a sliding door driven in a linear direction to open and close the opening 222 or a curtain-type door that opens and closes the opening 222 by being wound or unwound in a roll shape. The door opening and closing part 117 may be provided to operate according to the shape of the door 224 provided in the upper housing 220 .

As illustrated in FIG. 2 , when the door 224 is formed as a revolving door, a solar panel 140 may be attached to the outer surface of the revolving door, and the power generated using the solar panel 140 is A battery provided in the power supply unit 125 may be charged.

Inside the body of the air purification device 100 , the electric shock unit 121 is disposed below the upper fan 113 . The electric shock unit 121 includes an electric network connected to the power supply unit 125 in positive (+) polarity and negative (-) polarity. Here, the electric network may be formed in a grid-type structure, a linear structure, or the like. The electric shock unit 121 is driven so that an electric current flows through the electric grid so that the pests in contact with the electric grid are electrocuted and repelled.

An extension portion 226 protruding toward the inner space of the body of the air purification apparatus 100 and extending in the circumferential direction is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the upper housing 220 .

The upper surface of the extension part 226 may be formed as an inclined surface having a downward inclination that gradually decreases from the inner surface of the upper housing 220 to the inner space of the body of the air purification apparatus 100 . The inclined surface of the extension part 226 not only changes the direction of the downdraft formed by the upper fan 113 , but also pests introduced through the opening 222 formed above the extension part 226 by the downdraft. It can also limit the direction of movement of pests when moving downwards.

The circumferential surface of the electric grid of the electric shock part 121 is fixed using the inner circumferential surface of the extension part 226 , and thus is positioned under the upper fan 113 .

When pests such as mosquitoes are introduced into the internal space of the body of the air purifier 100 and the controller 127 controls the upper fan 113 to form a downward airflow, the pests are caused by the downward airflow and the inclined surface of the extension 226 . moves to contact the electric grid of the electric shock unit 121, and is electrocuted by the current flowing in the electric grid.

Below the electric shock unit 121 , a grid-shaped collecting net 228 is disposed to be spaced apart, and the collecting net 228 is fixed using the inner circumferential surface of the extended part 226 . The trapping net 228 is electrocuted by the electric shock unit 121 and the electric shock unit 121 is formed relatively densely so as to block the further progress of the pests that have passed through the electric shock unit 121 and moved downward by the downward airflow. can

In order for a user to easily remove pests attached to the electric shock unit 121 or captured by the trapping network 228 , the upper housing 220 may be divided into a plurality of divided parts and formed to be coupled to each other.

As described above, the extension part 226 has an inclined upper surface so that the downward movement of pests according to the downward airflow is smooth, and also purifies the air to fix the circumferential surface of the electric shock part 121 and the trapping net 228 . By protruding toward the inner space of the body of the device 100, it is formed to reduce the horizontal size of the inner space of the body of the air purification apparatus 100.

At this time, even when the light source unit 111 is disposed above the extension unit 226 , in order to allow the light emitted from the light source unit 111 to reach the culture solution 212 accommodated in the lower housing 210 , the extension unit 226 . ) may be formed of a transparent material through which light is transmitted (see FIG. 2 ).

Of course, in order for the light emitted regardless of the extension 226 to reach the culture solution 212 , the light source 111 is mounted using the lower surface of the extension 226 or mounted on the lower housing 210 . It is of course possible that

As another case, when the circumferential surfaces of the electric shock part 121 and the collecting net 228 are directly fixed using the inner circumferential surface of the upper housing 220 , the extension 226 may be omitted.

In addition, even if the inner space of the upper housing 220 is horizontally closed by the electric shock unit 121 and the collecting net 228, respectively, the electric shock unit 121 and the collecting net 228 have a grid structure or a linear structure. It is formed and does not limit the movement of gas in the internal space of the air purification apparatus 100 .

The upper housing 220 may be equipped with a sensing unit 119 that generates a sensing signal for the control unit 127 to recognize whether pests such as mosquitoes have been introduced into the inner space. The sensing unit 119 may include, for example, one or more of an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a motion sensor, an image sensor, an acoustic sensor, and the like.

In the air purification device 100 , the light source unit 111 , the upper fan 113 , the side fan 115 , the door opening and closing unit 117 , the sensing unit 119 , the electric shock unit 121 and the stirring unit 123 are driven. A power supply unit 125 for supplying driving power for this purpose is provided.

The power supply unit 125 may be configured to receive external power and supply it to the light source unit 111 or the like, or to supply power charged by a battery to the light source unit 111 and the like.

The controller 127 controls each component of the air purification apparatus 100 to be operated to correspond to an operation mode (ie, an air purification mode, an insect repelling mode) according to a user's selection or a preset setting condition.

Here, the air purification mode may be an operation mode in which the microalgae in the culture medium 212 perform photosynthesis to generate oxygen and discharge the generated oxygen to the outside of the air purification apparatus 100 . In addition, the pest control mode causes the microalgae in the culture medium 212 to cellular respiration to generate carbon dioxide, and discharges the generated carbon dioxide to the outside of the air purification device 100 to remove pests from the internal space of the air purification device 100 . It may be an operation mode in which the electric shock unit 121 induces electric shock and thus repels the electric shock.

An input unit (not shown) for a user to input an operation command may be provided on one side of the air purification apparatus 100 . The user may use the input unit to perform on/off operation of the air purification apparatus 100 , selection of an operation mode of the air purification apparatus 100 , and the like.

The selection of the operation mode may be automatically adjusted by not only a user operation using an input unit, but also an operation time setting previously registered by the user. For example, the user may register the operation time setting to operate in the air purification mode from 7 am to 10 pm and to operate in the pest control mode from 10 pm to 7 am.

In addition, the selection of the operation mode may be set to be adaptively adjusted according to the ambient illuminance of the air purification apparatus 100 . To this end, an illuminance sensor may be mounted on one side of the air purification apparatus 100, and the controller 127 operates in the air purification mode when the illuminance value sensed by the illuminance sensor is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value, and is less than the threshold value. It may be preset to control to operate in a pest control mode.

Hereinafter, a process in which the air purification apparatus 100 operates in the air purification mode and the pest control mode under the control of the controller 127 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 , respectively.

First, with reference to FIG. 3 , a process in which the air purification apparatus 100 operates in the air purification mode will be described.

As illustrated in (a) of FIG. 3 , for operation in the air purification mode, the control unit 127 controls the light source unit 111 so that the microalgae in the culture medium 212 can perform photosynthesis using light and carbon dioxide. turns on, and drives the top fan 113 and the side fan 115 to circulate air with the outside.

For example, the control unit 127 controls the side fan 115 mounted on the lower housing 210 to be driven so that external air flows into the inner space of the lower housing 210 , and the internal air of the air purification apparatus 100 . The upper fan 113 may be controlled to be driven so as to move through the inner space of the upper housing 220 and discharge upward of the upper housing 220 . Of course, the combination of the driving method of the upper fan 113 and the side fan 115 for introducing external air into the air purifier 100 and also for discharging the internal air of the air purifying device 100 to the outside. It goes without saying that it is not limited.

As described above, when the light source part 111 is disposed above the extension part 226 protruding inward of the inner space of the upper housing 220 to fix the electric shock part 121 and the collecting net 228, In order for the light emitted from the light source 111 to reach the culture solution 212 accommodated in the lower housing 210 without being blocked by the extension 226, the extension 226 is made of a transparent material through which light is transmitted. can be

Thereafter, by the photosynthetic action of microalgae using light and carbon dioxide, oxygen is generated in the inner space of the lower housing 210 (see FIG. 3 (b)), and the generated oxygen is the upper fan 113 and the side surface. It is discharged to the outside of the air purification device 100 by the airflow inside the air purification device 100 formed by the driving of the fan 115 (see FIG. 3(c) ).

Next, a process in which the air purification apparatus 100 operates in the pest control mode will be described with reference to FIG. 4 .

As illustrated in (a) of FIG. 4 , for operation in the pest control mode, the control unit 127 controls the light source unit 111 to be turned off, and the pest enters the inner space of the upper housing 220 . In order to do this, the door opening/closing unit 117 is controlled to open the opening 222 , and the upper fan 113 is driven and controlled to generate an airflow for discharging the air of the air purification apparatus 100 to the outside. At this time, in order to prevent pests from entering the lower housing 210 and contaminating the culture solution 212 , and also to prevent light from entering through the exposure space of the side fan 115 , it is mounted on the lower housing 210 . The side fan 115 may be closed.

The upper housing 220 and the lower housing 210 are formed of an opaque material that does not transmit light from the outside, and the light source 111 is turned off, so that the light reaches the culture solution 212 accommodated in the lower housing 210 . The microalgae produce carbon dioxide through cellular respiration.

Accordingly, in the internal space of the air purification device 100, carbon dioxide is generated according to the cellular respiration of microalgae, and the generated carbon dioxide is an airflow formed to discharge the internal air inside the air purification device 100 to the outside (that is, The exhaust air flow) moves to the inner space of the upper housing 220 and is discharged to the outside (see FIGS. 4 (a) and (b)).

Thereafter, when insects such as mosquitoes are attracted by carbon dioxide emitted around the air purification device 100 and enter the interior space through the opening 222 of the upper housing 220 , the control unit 127 controls the detection unit 119 . ), it is possible to recognize the influx of pests by referring to the sensing information provided by (see (c) of FIG. 4). Although not shown below in (c) of FIG. 4 for the sake of simplification of the drawings, it is natural that the microalgae are still in a state of generating carbon dioxide.

Although the case in which the detection unit 119 is provided on the upper surface of the extension part 226 is illustrated in (c) of FIG. 4 , it is limited if it is a position that allows the ingress of pests into the inner space of the upper housing 220 to be detected. It goes without saying that it can be installed in various locations without it.

In addition, in order to prevent pests introduced into the inner space of the upper housing 220 from being discharged to the outside through the upper fan 113 by the exhaust airflow, the upper fan 113 injects carbon dioxide into the periphery of the air purification device 100 . However, it can be controlled to create an exhaust airflow of wind speed that does not discharge the introduced pests to the outside. Of course, it is natural that the lower portion of the upper fan 113 may be closed with the trapping network 228 in order to prevent the introduced pests from being discharged to the outside.

When the control unit 127 recognizes the entry of pests by referring to the sensing information provided by the sensing unit 119, it controls the operation of the door opening and closing unit 117 to close the opening 222 (refer to (d) of FIG. 4 ). ).

Then, the control unit 127 causes the upper fan 113 to rotate in the reverse direction to form a downdraft in the inner space of the air purifier 100 , and the introduced pests are moved downward, and the upper fan 113 is located under the upper fan 113 . It comes into contact with the disposed electric shock unit 121 to cause electric shock (refer to FIG. 4(e)). The wind speed of the downdraft may be set to be relatively large compared to the wind speed of the exhaust airflow for discharging carbon dioxide to the outside in order to cause pests to move downward by the downdraft.

Of course, when the entry of pests is detected, if the pests can be moved toward the electric shock unit 121 by a downdraft of sufficient wind speed, the closing operation of the opening 222 by the door opening and closing unit 117 may be omitted.

Even if the pests that have been electrocuted by the electric shock unit 121 and have been repelled pass through the electric grid of the electric shock unit 121 due to the downdraft, the pests are trapped in the lower housing by the trapping net 228 fixed to the lower side of the electric shock unit 121 . Movement into the inner space of the 210 can be prevented.

When the presence of pests is not detected by the sensing signal of the sensing unit 119 or a sound (eg, jigjik, tadak, etc.) that the pests are electrocuted by the electric shock unit 121 is sensed, the control unit 127 returns to the opening 222 is opened and the operation of the door opening/closing unit 117 and the upper fan 113 is controlled so that the exhaust air flow is formed again (refer to (f) of FIG. 4 ).

So far, when the air purification apparatus 100 is operated in the pest control mode with reference to FIG. 4, the inflow of pests is recognized using the sensing signal of the detector 119, and the direction of the airflow is changed accordingly A method of causing electric shock by contacting pests on all 121 has been described.

However, even when the sensing unit 119 is omitted, the control unit 127 controls the top fan 113 to alternately generate the exhaust airflow and the downdraft at predetermined intervals, so that the air purifier 100 can control the exhaust airflow. During the generation of , pests introduced into the internal space of the air purification apparatus 100 may be moved toward the electric shock unit 121 by the downdraft and be operated to receive an electric shock.

In addition, the air purification apparatus 100 may further include a notification unit (not shown) for guiding the user of the completion of eradication of the introduced pests or a request for cleaning of the eradicated pests. The notification unit may include, for example, at least one of an audible notification means such as a speaker and a visual notification means such as a liquid crystal display.

For example, when a sound of a predetermined frequency or wavelength is detected through the detection unit 119, which is an acoustic sensor or the like, the control unit 127 sends at least one of an audio notification means and a visual notification means to notify information that pests have been exterminated. can be controlled through

Also, the controller 127 may count the number of times the corresponding sound is sensed. Thereafter, when the number of times the sound is sensed satisfies a predetermined reference value, the controller 127 transmits notification information for instructing the user to clean or replace the electric shock unit 121 or the collection network 228 by an audible notification means and a visual It can be controlled to be provided through one or more of the notification means. Of course, the controller 127 may control the number of times the corresponding sound is sensed, that is, the number of exterminated pests, to be displayed through a visual notification means.

As a different case, the controller 127 interprets the image captured by the electric shock unit 121 or the trapping net 228 by the sensing unit 119, which is an image sensor, using a predetermined image analysis technique, and the electric shock unit 121 or the The number of pests present in the trapping network 228 may be counted. Through this, when the number of recognized pests satisfies a predetermined reference value, the control unit 127 transmits notification information for guiding the user to the cleaning or replacement of the electric shock unit 121 or the trapping network 228 through an audible notification means and a visual It can be controlled to be provided through one or more of the notification means.

As previously described with reference to FIG. 1 , the air purification apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment also includes a light source unit 111 , a top fan 113 , a side fan 115 , a door opening/closing unit 117 , and a sensing unit 119 . ), an electric shock unit 121 , a stirring unit 123 , a power supply unit 125 , and a control unit 127 .

In the first embodiment described above, a case has been described in which the opening 222 opened and closed by the door 224 driven by the door opening and closing unit 117 is located above the extension portion 226 ( FIGS. 2 to 4 ). Reference).

In contrast, in the air purification apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 5( a ), the inner space of the extension part 226 has an upper housing ( A cavity 510 may be formed that penetrates from the outer surface of the 220 to the inner space of the air purifier 100 in which the inner end of the extension 226 is located.

In addition, the electric grid of the electric shock unit 121 is fixed by the inner end of the extension part 226 and may be located under the upper fan 113, in this case, the electric grid is shown in Figs. 5 (a) and (b). It may be formed in a cage shape as exemplified in .

Pests, such as mosquitoes, that have entered the interior of the air purifier 100 through the cavity 510 formed in the extension 226 through the open opening 222 sit on an electric grid made of a cage shape, and are connected to the electric grid. electrocuted by the flowing current.

Here, the control unit 127 may be preset to control the current to flow in the electric grid at a time when the inflow of pests is detected using the sensing information by the sensing unit 119, continuously or at a predetermined period.

In addition to the cage shape, the inner end of the extension 226 has a trapping net 228 or electric shock 121 to prevent the introduced pests from going out again. is natural

As such, the air purification apparatus 100 according to the present embodiments is controlled to operate in the air purification mode by photosynthetic action of microalgae, or to operate in the pest control mode in which the microalgae perform photosynthesis to attract and exterminate pests by cellular respiration, depending on the purpose of use. This has the advantage of providing a comfortable environment for various users such as examinees and newborns.

Although the above has been described with reference to the embodiments of the present invention, those of ordinary skill in the art can variously modify and change the present invention within the scope without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below. You will understand that it can be done.

Claims

An air purifier comprising:

The upper surface is open, the lower housing in which the culture medium in which the microalgae grow is accommodated;

an upper housing having an open lower surface and being seated on an upper portion of the lower housing to form a body of the air purifier;

a light source unit provided in at least one of the lower housing and the upper housing to provide light to the culture medium;

a top fan mounted on the upper surface of the upper housing to generate an intake airflow for introducing outside air into the inner space of the body or an exhaust airflow for discharging the inside air of the body to the outside;

a side fan mounted to a side of at least one of the upper housing and the lower housing to create an intake airflow or an exhaust airflow; and

And a control unit for controlling the operation of the light source unit, the top fan and the side fan so that the air purification device operates in an air purification mode or a pest control mode,

In the air purification mode in which the microalgae generate oxygen by photosynthesis, the control unit controls the light source unit to be turned on, and controls the operation of the upper fan and the side fan so that the generated oxygen is discharged to the outside,

In the pest extermination mode in which the microalgae generate carbon dioxide by cellular respiration, the control unit controls the light source unit to be turned off, and controls the operation of the upper fan to generate an exhaust air stream for discharging the generated carbon dioxide to the outside. Air purification device, characterized in that.
According to claim 1,

Comprising an electric shock part fixed to be positioned below the upper fan in the inner space of the body,

In the pest control mode, in order to be attracted by carbon dioxide and introduced into the internal space of the body and to move the pest located between the upper fan and the electric shock unit to the electric shock unit to receive an electric shock, the control unit controls the upper fan to generate a downdraft. Air purification device, characterized in that the control to generate.
3. The method of claim 2,

An extension portion protruding toward the inner space of the body and extending along the circumferential direction is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the body,

The electric shock part is fixed using the inner circumferential surface of the extension part,

The upper surface of the extension part is formed to have a downward inclination that decreases from the inner circumferential surface of the body toward the electric shock part.
4. The method of claim 2 or 3,

Further comprising a collecting net fixed to be spaced apart under the electric shock part,

The air purifying device, characterized in that the collecting network is formed to have a relatively fine grid configuration compared to the electric network of the electric shock part.
3. The method of claim 2,

An opening is formed in the body through which pests enter the internal space of the body,

wherein the opening is opened or closed by a door driven by a door opening and closing unit controlled by the control unit.
3. The method of claim 2,

Further comprising a sensing unit for generating sensing information about the internal space of the body,

The control unit controls the operation of the upper fan so that the direction of the air flow formed by the upper fan is switched from the exhaust air flow to the down air flow when the entry of the pest is detected by the sensing information.
According to claim 1,

In order to sense the external illuminance of the air purification device, further comprising an illuminance sensor mounted on one side of the body,

The control unit compares the illuminance value sensed by the illuminance sensor with a predetermined threshold value and selects an operation mode of the air purifier as one of the air purifying mode and the insect repelling mode.
According to claim 1,

An extension portion protruding toward the inner space of the body and extending along the circumferential direction is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the body,

A cavity is formed in the extension portion as an entry path through which pests are introduced into the inner space of the body, and a cavity connecting the outer space of the body and the inner space of the body is formed,

An air purifier, characterized in that the cage-shaped electric grid is fixed to the inner end of the extension.
9. The method of claim 8,

and the outer end of the cavity is opened or closed by a door driven by a door opening and closing part controlled by the control unit.
10. The method according to claim 5 or 9,

The air purification device, characterized in that the solar panel for generating the driving power of the air purification device is mounted on the outer surface of the door.
According to claim 1,

The air purification device, characterized in that the lower housing is further provided with an agitator for agitating the culture solution.
According to claim 1,

The lower housing and the circumferential surface of the housing are formed of an opaque material that does not transmit light.
3. The method of claim 2,

In the pest control mode, the air purification apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of a visual notification means and an audible notification means for providing notification information regarding the quantity of pests that have been electrocuted to the electric shock unit.