AIR TREATMENT APPARATUS
An air treatment apparatus includes a main body. The main body includes: a first intake port for sucking air; a main flow path in which a first filter unit including a plurality of filters is disposed so that air sucked into the first intake port is filtered; a second intake port disposed below the first intake port to suck air; a bypass flow path in which a second filter unit including a smaller number of filters than the first filter unit is disposed so that air sucked into the second intake port is filtered; and a damper for selectively allowing the main flow path and the bypass flow path to communicate with each other.
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The present disclosure relates to an air treatment apparatus.
BACKGROUNDIn general, an air treatment apparatus is a device for sucking polluted indoor air, and filtering out dust, odor particles, and the like contained in the air through a filter to purify the air into clean air. The air treatment apparatus can purify indoor air by sucking in and purifying the surrounding polluted air, and then discharging the purified clean air to the outside of the air treatment apparatus.
Meanwhile, the air treatment apparatus may include filters that filter out dust, odor particles, etc. contained in the air introduced into the air treatment apparatus. The filters may include a deodorization filter, a HEPA filter, a heavy metal adsorption filter, a pre-filters, etc.
Recently, the proportion of single-person households living with pets has been increasing, and as they live with their pets in relatively small homes, a demand for air treatment apparatus that can quickly and effectively purify large dust such as pet hair is increasing. Existing air treatment apparatus include a pre-filter and a pre-treatment filter to filter out relatively large dust, and a HEPA filter to filter out small-sized dust such as fine dust, but the differential pressure between both ends of the filter to filter out small-sized dust, such as the HEPA filter, is high, so the suction power of the air treatment apparatus is not enough to quickly suck large dust such as pet hair into the air treatment apparatus. In addition, an air treatment apparatus whose intake port is located at the top of the air treatment apparatus has a problem in that it is difficult to quickly suck in relatively heavy large dust that have fallen on the floor.
In this regard, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2012-0094731 entitled “Air cleaner” of the present applicant (Patent Document 1) discloses an air cleaner including a pre-filter and a pre-treatment filter. The pre-filter disclosed in Patent Document 1 can filter out large dust, hair, and pet hair contained in the air sucked into a device housing when a blower fan operates. The pre-treatment filter disclosed in Patent Document 1 can filter out medium-sized dust or pet hair that is not filtered in the pre-filter.
However, since the air sucked into the air cleaner of Patent Document 1 passes through the pre-filter and the pre-treatment filter and then passes through a HEPA filter, it is difficult to provide sufficient blowing force to quickly filter out large dust due to the differential pressure at both ends of the HEPA filter. In other words, Patent Document 1 only focuses on the fact that the air cleaner removes dust, odor particles, and moisture contained in the air, but does not recognize that the air cleaner quickly sucks in and filters large dust. Therefore, the air cleaner of Patent Document 1 has a problem in that it cannot quickly suck in and filter large dust.
Prior Art DocumentPatent Document 1: Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2012-0094731 (published on Aug. 27, 2012)
SUMMARYIn view of the above, the present disclosure provides an air treatment apparatus capable of quickly and efficiently removing large particle dust.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided an air treatment apparatus including: a main body including: a first intake port for sucking air; a main flow path in which a first filter unit including a plurality of filters is disposed so that air sucked into the first intake port is filtered; a second intake port disposed below the first intake port to suck air; a bypass flow path in which a second filter unit including a smaller number of filters than the first filter unit is disposed so that air sucked into the second intake port is filtered; and a damper for selectively allowing the main flow path and the bypass flow path to communicate with each other.
Further, the main body may further include a through-hole that allows the main flow path and the bypass flow path to communicate with each other, and the damper may open and close the through-hole to selectively allow the main flow path and the bypass flow path to communicate with each other.
Further, the through-hole may connect a rear end of the second filter unit of the bypass flow path and a rear end of the first filter unit of the main flow path.
Further, the first filter unit may include a first pre-filter for filtering air sucked into the first intake port, and the second filter unit may include a second pre-filter for filtering air sucked into the second intake port.
Further, the second pre-filter may be configured to have a smaller differential pressure than the first pre-filter.
Further, the first pre-filter and the second pre-filter may be formed integrally.
Further, the first filter unit may further include a main filter for filtering the air filtered by the first pre-filter.
Further, the second intake port may be disposed adjacent to a bottom surface of the main body and have a shape extending parallel to the bottom surface.
Further, the air treatment apparatus may further include: a sensor unit configured to detect a first dust concentration of a first sized dust and a second dust concentration of a second sized dust larger than the first sized dust; and a controller for controlling the damper so that the main flow path and the bypass flow path communicate with each other when the second dust concentration is higher than the first dust concentration.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, by selectively opening and closing the bypass flow path where the second filter unit is located, large dust can be filtered quickly.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the second pre-filter has a smaller differential pressure than the first pre-filter, so that large dust can be removed more quickly and effectively.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the second intake port communicating with the bypass flow path is disposed adjacent to the bottom surface, which is advantageous for sucking in relatively heavy and large dust.
Hereinafter, specific embodiments for implementing a spirit of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In describing the present disclosure, detailed descriptions of known configurations or functions may be omitted to clarify the present disclosure.
When an element is referred to as being ‘connected’ to, or ‘supported’ by another element, it should be understood that the element may be directly connected to, or supported by another element, but that other elements may exist in the middle.
The terms used in the present disclosure are only used for describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
In the present specification, expressions such as upper side, lower side, side surface and the like are described based on the drawings, but it is to be noted that when the orientation of the corresponding subject is changed, it may be expressed differently. For the same reasons, some components are exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and the size of each component does not fully reflect the actual size.
Terms including ordinal numbers, such as first and second, may be used for describing various elements, but the corresponding elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used for the purpose of distinguishing one element from another element.
In the present specification, it is to be understood that the terms such as “including” are intended to indicate the existence of the certain features, areas, integers, steps, actions, elements, combinations, and/or groups thereof disclosed in the specification, and are not intended to preclude the possibility that one or more other certain features, areas, integers, steps, actions, elements, combinations, and/or groups thereof may exist or may be added.
Hereinafter, the specific configuration of an air treatment apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.
Referring to
The filter unit 100 can filter external air into clean air. In addition, the filter unit 100 may be disposed between intake ports 311 and 321 and the blower 200. The filter unit 100 may include known filters, such as a HEPA filter, a deodorizing filter and the like, to filter out dust and odor particles in the air. The filter unit 100 may include a first filter unit 110 and a second filter unit 120.
The first filter unit 110 may purify air sucked through a first intake port 311, which will be described later. At least a portion of the first filter unit 110 may be disposed forward of the through-hole 500. For example, a rear end of the first filter unit 110 may be disposed on the through-hole 500 or may be disposed upstream of the through-hole 500 in the air flow in a main flow path 310, and may be disposed in close proximity to the front side of the main flow path 310. In addition, the first filter unit 110 may be placed above the second filter unit 120 and may be placed in parallel with the second filter unit 120. The first filter unit 110 may include a first pre-filter 111, a first sub-filter 112, and a main filter 113.
The first pre-filter 111 can filter air introduced from the outside of the air treatment apparatus 1 into clean air. The first pre-filter 111 is disposed upstream of the main filter 113 in the air flow and can filter out relatively large dust, etc. By filtering out large dust through the first pre-filter 111, the lifespan of the main filter 113 can be increased. The first pre-filter 111 may receive air introduced through the first intake port 311.
The first sub-filter 112 can further filter the air filtered by the first pre-filter 111. The first sub-filter 112 can increase filtration efficiency by filtering out dust or the like that has passed through the first pre-filter 111 without being filtered by the first pre-filter 111. The first sub-filter 112 may be disposed downstream of the first pre-filter 111 in the air flow. The first sub-filter 112 may be disposed behind the first pre-filter 111. For example, the first sub-filter 112 may be a deodorizing filter.
The main filter 113 can filter external air into clean air. The main filter 113 can filter the air filtered by the first pre-filter 111 and the first sub-filter 112. The main filter 113 can increase filtration efficiency by further filtering the filtered air. The main filter 113 may be disposed downstream of the first sub-filter 112 in the air flow. The main filter 113 may be placed behind the first sub-filter 112. The main filter 113 may be a HEPA filter, but is not necessarily limited thereto.
The second filter unit 120 can filter air introduced through a second intake port 321, which will be described later. The second filter unit 120 may include a smaller number of filters than the first filter unit 110. The second filter unit 120 may be disposed below the first filter unit 110. The second filter unit 120 may include a second pre-filter 121 for filtering out dust sucked into the second intake port 321.
The second pre-filter 121 can filter out large-sized dust introduced from outside the air treatment apparatus 1. The dust flowing into the second pre-filter 121 may be larger and heavier than the dust flowing into the first pre-filter 111. The second pre-filter 121 may be configured to have a smaller differential pressure than the first pre-filter 111. The size of mesh holes of the second pre-filter 121 may be larger than the size of mesh holes of the first pre-filter 111. In other words, the number of mesh holes per unit area of the second pre-filter 121 may be smaller than the number of mesh holes per unit area of the first pre-filter 111. Since the second pre-filter 121 has a smaller differential pressure than the first pre-filter 111, the flow rate of air passing through the second pre-filter 121 may be higher than the flow rate of air passing through the first pre-filter 111. In other words, the suction force of the second pre-filter 121 may be greater than that of the first pre-filter 111. The second pre-filter 121 may be formed as a separate member or integrally with the first pre-filter 111. The second pre-filter 121 may be arranged in parallel with the first pre-filter 111 and may be oriented in the same direction. For example, the second pre-filter 121 may be placed side by side with the first pre-filter 111 on an imaginary plane. The second pre-filter 121 may be formed as a separate member or may be formed integrally with the first pre-filter 111.
The second sub-filter 122 can increase filtration efficiency by further filtering the air filtered by the second pre-filter 121. The second sub-filter 122 may be arranged in parallel with the first sub-filter 112 and may be oriented in the same direction. For example, the second sub-filter 122 may be placed side by side with the first pre-filter 111 on an imaginary plane. The second sub-filter 122 may be formed as a separate member or may be formed integrally with the first sub-filter 112.
The blower 200 may provide blowing force to flow external air into the main body 300 and discharge the air filtered by the filter unit 100 to the outside. In addition, the blower 200 may be supported on the main body 300. The blower 200 may be arranged to rotate about a rotation axis extending in a front-rear direction. The blower 200 may provide different blowing force depending on modes, which will be described later. For example, the blower 200 may provide higher blowing force in a floor cleaning mode, which will be described later, than in a normal operation mode, which will be described later. In other words, the blower 200 may be driven at a higher rpm in the floor cleaning mode than in the normal operation mode.
The main body 300 may accommodate the filter unit 100 and the blower 200 therein. The main body 300 may be configured to support the filter unit 100 and the blower 200. In addition, the main body 300 may be formed with intake ports 311 and 321 for introducing external air into the interior and a discharge port for discharging filtered air. For example, the intake ports 311 and 321 may be formed on a front surface of the main body 300, and the discharge port may be formed on an upper surface of the main body 300. With such a main body 300, external air may be introduced into the internal space of the main body 300 through the intake ports 311 and 321, filtered by the filter unit 100, and then discharged through the discharge port. A main flow path 310 and a bypass flow path 320 may be formed in the main body 300.
The flow paths 310 and 320 are formed inside the main body 300 to guide air to the discharge port. The flow path 310 may be disposed inside the main body 300. In addition, the filter unit 100 and the blower 200 may be disposed in the flow paths 310 and 320. The flow paths 310 and 320 may include the main flow path 310 and the bypass flow path 320.
The main flow path 310 may provide a space in which air introduced through intake holes formed in the first intake port 311 flows through the first filter unit 110 and the blower 200 to the discharge port. The first filter unit 110 may be disposed in the main flow path 310 so that air introduced through the first intake port 311 is filtered. The main flow path 310 may be in communication with the bypass flow path 320. A flow cross-sectional area of the main flow path 310 may be larger than a flow cross-sectional area of the bypass flow path 320. In addition, the first intake port 311 may be formed in the main flow path 310.
The first intake port 311 may suck in air and dust floating in the air using blowing force. The first intake port 311 may be formed on a side surface of the main body 300 to be opened as needed. The first intake port 311 is disposed on the front side of the main flow path 310 and may suck in air and dust to be filtered while flowing along the main flow path 310.
The second filter unit 120 may be disposed in the bypass flow path 320. The bypass flow path 320 may allow air introduced therein to pass through the second filter unit 120. The bypass flow path 320 may be connected to a through-hole 500 that communicates with the main flow path 310. In other words, the bypass flow path 320 may provide a path for air to flow through the second intake port 321 and the through-hole 500 to the main flow path 310. In the bypass flow path 320, the air sucked into the second intake port 321 flows into the main flow path 310 when the damper 400 opens the through-hole 500, and the air sucked into the second intake port 321 may not flow into the main flow path 310 when the damper 400 closes the through-hole 500. The flow rate of air passing through the bypass flow path 320 may be greater than the flow rate of air passing through the main flow path 320. In other words, the force to draw air into the bypass flow path 320 may be greater than the force to draw air into the main flow path 310.
The second intake port 321 may be disposed below the first intake port 311 to suck air. The second intake port 321 may be disposed adjacent to a bottom surface of the main body 300 and may have a shape extending parallel to the bottom surface. The second intake port 321 can suck in dust attached to or adjacent to the floor of an external space. The second intake port 321 may be formed on a lower surface of the main body 300 to be selectively opened and closed. The second intake port 321 can suck in dust that flows along the bypass flow path 320 to be filtered. The size of the second intake port 321 may be larger than the size of the first intake port 311.
The damper 400 can open and close the through-hole 500 to allow the bypass flow path 320 to selectively communicate with the main flow path 310. The damper 400 may be controlled by the controller 700. When the through-hole 500 is opened, large dust in the air sucked through the second intake port 321 is filtered out by the second filter unit 120, and the air from which large dust has been removed may pass between the first filter unit 110 and the blower 200 to be discharged through the discharge port. The dust sucked in through the second intake port 321 when the through-hole 500 is opened may be heavy dust that is attached to or adjacent to the floor.
The through-hole 500 may allow a rear end of the second filter unit 120 disposed in the bypass flow path 320 and a rear end of the first filter unit 110 disposed in the main flow path 310 to communicate with each other. In other words, the air filtered in the second filter unit 120 may flow to the blower 200 without passing through the first filter unit 110. That is, air flowing into the main flow path 310 through the through-hole 500 may flow to the blower 200 without being filtered by the first filter unit 110. The air sucked into the second intake port 321 may flow to the discharge port through the through-hole 500.
The sensor unit 600 can detect the size and concentration of dust in the air sucked into the interior. The sensor unit 600 may be placed on the front surface of the main body 300 where the intake ports 311 and 321 are located. The dust may be classified as first dust when the size of the dust detected by the sensor unit 600 is a first size less than a preset standard, and as second dust when the size of the dust detected by the sensor unit 600 is a second size larger than the first size.
The controller 700 may control the damper 400 based on a plurality of operation modes. The plurality of operation modes may include a floor cleaning mode and a normal operation mode. In other words, the controller 700 may control the damper 400 so that the damper 400 opens the through-hole 500 in the floor cleaning mode and closes the through-hole 500 in the normal operation mode.
The floor cleaning mode may be a mode in which the damper 400 opens the through-hole 500 by the controller 700. The blowing force of the blower 200 in the floor cleaning mode may be greater than the blowing force of the blower 200 in the normal operation mode. In the floor cleaning mode, when the damper 400 opens the through-hole 500, the second dust or the like located on the floor may be sucked into the second intake port 321 and flow along the bypass flow path 320. Since the second dust is larger and heavier than the first dust, it may be sucked in through the second intake port 321 located at the lower side of the air treatment apparatus 1 rather than the first intake port 311 located at the upper side of the air treatment apparatus 1. In the floor cleaning mode, the second dust or the like in the air introduced through the second intake port 321 may be filtered out by the second filter unit 120, and the filtered air may be discharged through the discharge port. For example, when the controller 700 determines that the concentration of the second dust is greater than the concentration of the first dust, the floor cleaning mode may be selected.
The normal operation mode may be a mode in which the damper 400 closes the through-hole 500. When the damper 400 closes the through-hole 500, dust or odor particles may be sucked in through the first intake port 311 without flowing into the bypass flow path 320. In the normal operation mode, dust contained in the air sucked through the first intake port 311 may be filtered out by the first filter unit 110. The blowing force of the air treatment apparatus 1 in the normal operation mode may be lower than the blowing force of the air treatment apparatus 1 in the floor cleaning mode. In the normal operation mode, large and heavy second dust located on the floor may not be filtered. The normal operation mode may be a mode other than the floor cleaning mode.
The controller 700 may be implemented by a computing device including a microprocessor, and since the implementation method thereof is obvious to those skilled in the art, further detailed description thereof will be omitted.
Hereinafter, the operation and effects of the air treatment apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration will be described.
The sensor unit 600 located outside the air treatment apparatus 1 may detect the size and concentration of dust. The controller 700 may classify dust into the first dust and the second dust based on size information of the detected dust. When the concentration of the second dust is higher than the concentration of the first dust, the controller 700 may open the through-hole 500 by controlling the damper 400 to be in the floor cleaning mode. Unless the concentration of the second dust is greater than the concentration of the first dust, the controller 700 may close the through-hole 500 by controlling the damper 400 to be in the normal operation mode.
The second dust is sucked into the second intake port 321 and flows along the bypass flow path 320. The second dust sucked into the second intake port 321 may be filtered out in the second filter unit 120. The air filtered through the second filter unit 120 may pass through the through-hole 500 along the bypass flow path 320 and flow between the first filter unit 110 and the blower 200. The filtered air can be discharged through the discharge port.
Whether the air treatment apparatus 1 is operated in the floor cleaning mode or the normal operation mode may be selected not only by the controller 700 but also by a user. For example, even when the controller 700 does not determine that the concentration of the second dust is greater than the concentration of the first dust, the user can manually operate the air treatment apparatus 1 to operate in the floor cleaning mode. The air treatment apparatus 1 can quickly filter large-sized second dust by providing various modes to the user. In addition, since the second intake port 321 is disposed adjacent to the floor, and the suction flow rate at the second intake port 321 is greater than the suction flow rate at the first intake port 311, dust on the floor in an external space can be sucked in more efficiently.
The examples of the present disclosure have been described above as specific embodiments, but these are only examples, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and should be construed as having the widest scope according to the technical spirit disclosed in the present specification. A person skilled in the art may combine/substitute the disclosed embodiments to implement a pattern of a shape that is not disclosed, but it also does not depart from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art can easily change or modify the disclosed embodiments based on the present specification, and it is clear that such changes or modifications also belong to the scope of the present disclosure.
Claims
1. An air treatment apparatus comprising:
- a main body including:
- a first intake port for sucking air;
- a main flow path in which a first filter unit including a plurality of filters is disposed so that air sucked into the first intake port is filtered;
- a second intake port disposed below the first intake port to suck air;
- a bypass flow path in which a second filter unit including a smaller number of filters than the first filter unit is disposed so that air sucked into the second intake port is filtered; and
- a damper for selectively allowing the main flow path and the bypass flow path to communicate with each other.
2. The air treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the main body further includes a through-hole that allows the main flow path and the bypass flow path to communicate with each other, and
- wherein the damper opens and closes the through-hole to selectively allow the main flow path and the bypass flow path to communicate with each other.
3. The air treatment apparatus of claim 2, wherein the through-hole connects a rear end of the second filter unit of the bypass flow path and a rear end of the first filter unit of the main flow path.
4. The air treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first filter unit includes a first pre-filter for filtering air sucked into the first intake port, and the second filter unit includes a second pre-filter for filtering air sucked into the second intake port.
5. The air treatment apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second pre-filter is configured to have a smaller differential pressure than the first pre-filter.
6. The air treatment apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first pre-filter and the second pre-filter are formed integrally.
7. The air treatment apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first filter unit further includes a main filter for filtering the air filtered by the first pre-filter.
8. The air treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second intake port is disposed adjacent to a bottom surface of the main body and has a shape extending parallel to the bottom surface.
9. The air treatment apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
- a sensor unit configured to detect a first dust concentration of a first sized dust and a second dust concentration of a second sized dust larger than the first sized dust; and
- a controller for controlling the damper so that the main flow path and the bypass flow path communicate with each other when the second dust concentration is higher than the first dust concentration.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 12, 2024
Publication Date: May 1, 2025
Applicant: COWAY Co., Ltd. (Gongju-si)
Inventors: Hyun Jin HONG (Seoul), Il Soo JEON (Seoul)
Application Number: 18/882,939
