Patent Grant
10760256
The present invention relates to an air treatment device, and more particularly, to an air treatment device using a water tank of a toilet.
Generally, a ventilator is installed at a bathroom to ventilate an inside of the bathroom. However, even through the ventilator is operated, only internal air of the bathroom may be ventilated, but internal air in a toilet hole of a toilet may not be ventilated. Even when a user flushes the toilet after going to the bathroom, odor and germs remain and proliferate in a space inside the toilet hole. At this time, the odor and the germs inside the toilet hole spread throughout the bathroom, and contaminate air inside the bathroom. Also, the odor and the germs inside the toilet hole may spread not only throughout the bathroom, but also throughout the house, and may contaminate air throughout the house. This may cause an internal environment of the house to become unsanitary, and the old and weak or children may be infected by pathogenic bacteria.
Meanwhile, in the case of apartment houses, passages of the ventilators are connected with each other among the apartment houses, and thus when the ventilator is not operated, contaminated air may be introduced from an adjacent house into an inside through the ventilator.
Korean U.M. Registration No. 20-0262167 (Mar. 18, 2002)
The present invention is directed to providing an air treatment device which is capable of treating contaminated air in a contamination space such as a toilet hole.
Also, the present invention is directed to providing an air treatment device which is capable of removing foreign substances contained in air and then discharging the air into a room.
One aspect of the present invention provides an air treatment device including a first air passage part of which one side is connected with at least one contamination space; a first air suction part configured to introduce contaminated air in the contamination space into the first air passage part; and a first air treatment part including a partition formed in a toilet water tank, at least one through-hole formed in the partition, connected with the other side of the first air passage part, and being in communication with a space inside the partition, and an air discharging part configured to discharge the contaminated air into an inside of the partition.
A plurality of through-holes may be formed along the air discharging part from an upper end of the air discharging part to a lower end thereof.
A water level of cleaning water in the toilet water tank may be controlled according to a contamination level in the contamination space.
The device may further include a second air passage part of which one side is connected with the space inside the partition, and the other side is connected with the first external space, and a second air suction part configured to introduce the contaminated air inside the partition into the second air passage part.
The second air suction part may control suction intensity according to an amount of the contaminated air discharged inside the partition or a water level of cleaning water in the toilet water tank.
The partition may include an upper plate formed in the toilet water tank, and a side plate formed downward from an end of the upper plate and also formed so that an end thereof is spaced a predetermined distance from a lower surface of the toilet water tank.
A lower end of the partition may be formed lower than a minimum water level of the cleaning water in the toilet water tank.
The contamination space may be at least one of a toilet hole in a toilet, a bathroom, a kitchen, a living room, a veranda, a smoking room, a resting room, a garbage storage place, an office, a laboratory, a reading room, and a place having a lower oxygen concentration than a predetermined reference value.
The device may further include a second air treatment part formed in the toilet water tank to be spaced from the first air treatment part; a third air passage part of which one side is connected with the second external space, and the other side is connected with an air discharging part of the second air treatment part; a third air suction part configured to introduce air of the second external space into the third air passage; a fourth air passage part of which one side is connected with a partition of the second air treatment part, and the other side is connected with an indoor space; and a fourth air suction part configured to enable the air inside the partition of the second air treatment part to introduce into the fourth air passage part.
The third air suction part may filter the air of the second external space introduced through the third air passage part, and then may introduce the air into the second air treatment part.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, since the contaminated air in the contamination space is treated using the toilet water tank, the cleaning water in the toilet water tank in which the contaminated air is dissolved is naturally discharged to the toilet tank, and then replaced with new cleaning water, and thus the contaminated air in the contamination space can be easily treated. Also, since the contaminated air in the contamination space is discharged to the external space or the toilet tank in the state in which the air treatment device is shut off from the outside, the contaminated air can be prevented from being introduced from the outside into the room. Furthermore, it is possible to remove the foreign substances, such as dust and yellow dust, contained in the external air and then to discharge fresh air from which the foreign substances are removed.
Hereinafter, an air treatment device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to
In the following description, detailed descriptions of well-known functions or constructions will be omitted since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail. Also, the terms used herein are defined according to the functions of the present invention. Thus, the terms may vary depending on user's or operator's intentions or practices. Therefore, the terms used herein must be understood based on the descriptions made herein.
The technical spirit of the present invention is determined by the claims, and the following embodiments are provided to merely explain the technical spirit of the present invention to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains.
Referring to
One side of the first air passage part 102 is connected with a contamination space, and the other side thereof is connected with the air treatment part 106. For example, the first air passage part 102 may be a duct, a pipe, a hose, or the like, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The first air passage part 102 may be configured with various other tools through which air flows.
Here, the contamination space is an area in which the air is contaminated by odor and various germs or the like. For example, the contamination space may be a toilet 150 in a bathroom. At this time, the one side of the first air passage part 102 may be connected with a toilet hole 151. A toilet cover 153 may be provided at an upper portion of the toilet hole 151. Here, when the toilet cover 153 is opened, contaminated air in the toilet hole 151 spreads throughout the bathroom and contaminates air throughout the bathroom. At this time, the contaminated air gradually spreads to an outside of the bathroom, and contaminates air throughout a house. When the toilet cover 153 is closed, the odor and various germs gradually proliferate in the toilet hole 151, and serve as a contamination source which contaminates air throughout the house.
The first air suction part 104 serves to suck the contaminated air in the toilet hole 151 and to introduce the contaminated air into the first air passage part 102. For example, the first air suction part 104 may include a suction fan which sucks air. At this time, at least one first air suction part 104 may be installed in the first air passage part 102, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The first air suction part 104 may include a pump which further strongly sucks the contaminated air in the toilet hole 151. Suction intensity of the first air suction part 104 may be controlled according to a contamination level in the toilet hole 151 (i.e., the contamination space).
The air treatment part 106 is formed in a toilet water tank 155 of the toilet 150. Cleaning water is stored in the toilet water tank 155. A water tank cover 157 is provided at an upper end of the toilet water tank 155 to open and close the toilet water tank 155. The toilet water tank 155 is in communication with the toilet hole 151 through a connection passage 159. The cleaning water in the toilet water tank 155 is discharged to the toilet hole 151 depending on a user's operation.
The air treatment part 106 includes a partition 121 and an air discharging part 124. The partition 121 is installed and fixed to an inner wall of the toilet water tank 155. The partition 121 includes an upper plate 121-1 and a side plate 121-2. The upper plate 121-1 may be fixed to the inner wall of the toilet water tank 155 at the upper end of the toilet water tank 155. The side plate 121-2 may be formed to extend downward from an end of the upper plate 121-1.
Here, an end of the side plate 121-2 is formed to be spaced a predetermined distance from a lower surface of the toilet water tank 155. A lower end of the partition 121 is formed to be opened. That is, the partition 121 is formed to be in communication with an internal space of the toilet water tank 155. In this case, the cleaning water of the toilet water tank 155 is also introduced into an inside of the partition.
At this time, the end of the side plate 121-2 is formed lower than a minimum water level of the cleaning water in the toilet water tank 155. That is, the end of the side plate 121-2 is formed to be submerged into the cleaning water, when the cleaning water in the toilet water tank 155 is located at the minimum water level. Here, the minimum water level of the cleaning water in the toilet water tank 155 is a water level when the cleaning water in the toilet water tank 155 is discharged to the toilet hole 151. In this case, air inside the partition 121 is always isolated from air in the toilet water tank 155.
The air treatment part 106 has an independent space in the toilet water tank 155 defined by the partition 121. Here, the partition 121 is illustrated to have a quadrangular pillar shape. However, a shape of the partition 121 is not limited thereto, and may have various other shapes. The partition 121 may be integrally formed with the toilet water tank 155, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The partition 121 may be manufactured separately from the toilet water tank 155, and then may be coupled in the toilet water tank 155.
The air discharging part 124 is formed inside the partition 121. The air discharging part 124 may be formed in a depthwise direction of the toilet water tank 155. The air discharging part 124 may be fixed to an inside of the toilet water tank 155 through a fixing part 127. One side of the air discharging part 124 is connected with the other side of the first air passage part 102. At this time, the one side of the air discharging part 124 is connected with the other side of the first air passage part 102 through a connection part 129.
An inside of the air discharging part 124 is formed to be hollow. In this case, the cleaning water is also introduced into the inside of the air discharging part 124. At least one through-hole 131 may be formed at the air discharging part 124. A plurality of through-holes 131 may be formed along the air discharging part 124 from an upper end of the air discharging part 124 to a lower end thereof to be spaced at regular intervals. The intervals among the through-holes 131 may be formed constantly, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Also, sizes of the through-holes 131 may be formed to be the same as or different from each other. At least one through-hole 131 may be formed higher than a maximum water level of the cleaning water in the toilet water tank 155. The air discharging part 124 serves to discharge the contaminated air introduced from the first air passage part 102 to the inside of the toilet water tank 155. Specifically, the contaminated air introduced into the air discharging part 124 through the first air passage part 102 may be dissolved in the cleaning water in the toilet water tank 155 or may be discharged to an outside through the second air passage part 108. Description thereof will be given later with reference to
Referring to
The second air suction part 110 serves to suck the contaminated air in the air treatment part 106, and to introduce the contaminated air into the second air passage part 108. For example, the second air suction part 110 may include a suction fan which sucks the air. At this time, at least second air suction part 110 may be installed in the second air passage part 108, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The second air suction part 110 may include a pump which further strongly sucks the contaminated air in the air treatment part 106. When the pumps are used as the first and second air suction parts 104 and 110, the first and second air suction parts 104 and 110 may be integrally formed.
Referring to
Here, the cleaning water in the toilet water tank 155 is gradually contaminated, as the contaminated air is dissolved therein. However, as a user repeatedly uses the toilet 150, the cleaning water in the toilet water tank 155 is repeatedly discharged to the toilet hole 151, and naturally replaced with new cleaning water. Therefore, the cleaning water in the toilet water tank 155 is not needed to be replaced artificially. Also, as the user repeatedly uses the toilet 150, the cleaning water in which the contaminated air in the toilet hole 151 is dissolved is repeatedly discharged to the toilet tank (not shown), and thus the air in the bathroom may be maintained hygienically.
Meanwhile, when the through-hole 131 of the air discharging part 124 is formed higher than the maximum water level of the cleaning water in the toilet water tank 155, the contaminated air introduced into the air discharging part 124 may be discharged into a space inside the partition 121 through the through-hole 131. In this case, the contaminated air inside the partition 121 is discharged to an external space through the second air passage part 108.
Referring to
Meanwhile, even when the contaminated air of the external space is introduced through the second air passage part 108, while the second air suction part 110 is not operated, the contaminated air of the external space is isolatedly maintained in the space inside the partition 121, and thus prevented from being introduced into the bathroom. At this time, the contaminated air of the external space, which exists inside the partition 121, is discharged again to the external space, when the second air suction part 110 is operated. According to the embodiment of the present invention, the contaminated air in the contamination space may be discharged, while the contaminated air is prevented from being introduced from the external space into an indoor side.
Also, the air treatment device 100 may include a water level control part (not shown) which controls the water level of the cleaning water in the toilet water tank 155. When the plurality of through-holes 131 are formed along the air discharging part 124 from the upper end of the air discharging part 124 to the lower end thereof to be spaced at regular intervals, an amount of the contaminated air which is discharged through the air discharging part 124 may be controlled by controlling the water level of the cleaning water in the toilet water tank 155. For example, when the contamination level in the contamination space is high, all of the through-holes 131 are exposed to the air inside the partition 121 by controlling the water level of the cleaning water in the toilet water tank 155 to be the minimum water level, and thus a large amount of air is discharged to the space inside the partition 121 through the through-hole 131. At this time, the contaminated air inside the partition 121 is discharged to the external space through the second air passage part 108. When a large amount of the contaminated air is discharged to the space inside the partition 121, the suction intensity of the second air suction part 110 may be strengthened, and thus the contaminated air inside the partition 121 may be rapidly introduced into the second air passage part 108. As described above, the contaminated may be discharged to the outside by controlling the water level of the cleaning water in the toilet water tank 155 according to the contamination level in the contamination space. And the contaminated may be rapidly discharged to the outside by controlling the suction intensity of the second air suction part 110 (or the water level of the cleaning water in the toilet water tank 155) according to the amount of the contaminated air discharged to the inside of the partition 121.
Referring to
Referring to
One side of a third air passage part 162 is connected with the second air treatment part 106-2 (more specifically, an air discharging part of the second air treatment part 106-2), and the other side thereof is connected with a second external space. At this time, the second external space may be a separate space from the first external space, but is not limited thereto. The second external space may be a space outside a building. The third air suction part 164 serves to introduce the air of the second external space into the third air passage part 162. At this time, foreign substances such as yellow sand, a resin powder, and dust may be included in the air in the second external space. When the air of the second external space is introduced, the air of the second external space may be directly introduced, or may be filtered (or purified) and then introduced. That is, the third air suction part 164 may primarily filter the foreign substances (e.g., yellow sand, dust, a resin powder, and pollen) included in the second external space and then may introduce the air into the second air treatment part 106-2. The third air suction part 164 may controls the suction intensity according to a contamination level of the second external space.
One side of a fourth air passage part 168 is connected with the second air treatment part 106-2 (more specifically, a partition of the second air treatment part 106-2), and the other side thereof is connected with an indoor space. Here, the indoor space may be a main room, a study room, a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, a resting room or the like. A fourth air suction part 170 serves to introduce the air in the second air treatment part 106-2 into the fourth air passage part 168.
Here, when the air in the second external space is introduced into the second air treatment part 106-2 through the third air passage part 162 and the third air suction part 164, the foreign substances (e.g., yellow sand, a resin powder, dust, or the like) contained in the air in the second external space are settled and dissolved in the cleaning water of the toilet water tank 155 in the second air treatment part 106-2. At this time, the cleaning water in which the foreign substances are dissolved is discharged to the toilet tank (not shown) through the toilet hole 151. Then, the air of the second external space, from which the foreign substances are removed, remains in the second air treatment part 106-2. At this time, the fourth air suction part 170 introduces the air of the second external space, from which the foreign substances in the second air treatment part 106-2 are removed, into the fourth air passage part 168, and then discharges the air into the indoor space. In this case, the fresh and clean air is discharged into the indoor space.
The second air treatment part 106-2 serves to purify the air of the second external space including the foreign substances and then to discharge the air into the indoor space. That is, even in the case of the air outside the building (e.g. a countryside which is believed to have clean air), the air often includes the foreign substances such as yellow sand, a resin powder, and dust. When the air containing the foreign substances is directly introduced into the indoor space, it may have an adverse effect on a resident's health. Therefore, since the air of the second external space containing the foreign substances is purified through the second air treatment part 106-2 and then discharged into the indoor space, the resident may have fresh and clean air.
As described above, the contaminated air in the contamination space is discharged into the toilet tank (not shown) or the first external space and then treated by the first air treatment part 106-1, and the foreign substances contained in the air of the second external space are removed by the second air treatment part 106-2, and thus the fresh and clean air may be provided in the indoor space.
Here, it has been described that all of the first and second air treatment parts 106-1 and 106-2 are provided in the toilet water tank 155, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Only one of the first and second air treatment parts 106-1 and 106-2 may be provided in the toilet water tank 155.
Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2013-0013895 | Feb 2013 | KR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/KR2014/001037 | 2/6/2014 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2014/123377 | 8/14/2014 | WO | A |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| 20150376885 A1 | Dec 2015 | US |
