AIR PURIFIER

• US 20130042756A1
• Filed: 07/06/2011
• Published: 02/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Kusuura, Takahisa, Oda, Kohei
• Granted Patent: US 9,539,586 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 95/64
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 19/02 Foam dispersion or prevention during boiling B01B1/02; during fermentation C12
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 47/021 by bubbling the gas through a liquid bath
• CPC Class Codes: B03C 3/16 wet type
• CPC Class Codes: B03C 3/47 flat, e.g. plates, discs, gratings

Abstract

An air purifier is disclosed having a bubble generator configured to generate fine air bubbles with a diameter of about 50 μm or less and a negative electrical charge. The bubble generator is coupled to an air purification tank, which contains a liquid for purifying the air within the air bubbles, by dissolving impurities. The tank also has a positive electrode disposed within the liquid. The positive electrode is configured to attract the negatively charged air bubbles, thereby promoting defoaming and increasing the air throughput rate.

Claims

1. An air purifier, comprising:

an air intake vent;

a bubble generator coupled to the air intake vent and further comprising a generator outlet port, wherein the bubble generator is configured to generate air bubbles having a diameter of about 50 μ

m or less and a negative electrical charge; and

a liquid tank comprising;

a liquid for purifying the air within the air bubbles by dissolving impurities;

a tank inlet port coupled to the generator outlet port of the bubble generator; and

a positive electrode disposed within the liquid, wherein the positive electrode is configured to attract the negatively charged air bubbles.

2. The air purifier of claim 1, wherein the bubble generator is configured to generate air bubbles having a diameter of about 1 μ

m or less.

3. The air purifier of claim 1, wherein the bubble generator comprises:

an injector coupled to the air intake vent and configured to inject air into the liquid to generate air bubbles suspended within the liquid; and

one or more pivotal plates disposed within a flow path of the air bubbles suspended within the liquid, such that a vortex is generated.

4. The air purifier of claim 1, wherein the bubble generator comprises:

a compressor configured to compress the air from the air intake vent;

a pump configured to introduce the liquid from the liquid tank into the bubble generator; and

a pressure tank coupled to the compressor and the pump, wherein the pressure tank comprises a nozzle configured to disperse the compressed air in the form of air bubbles into the liquid.

6. The air purifier of claim 1, wherein the bubble generator further comprises a nozzle configured to disrupt the vortex to generate microbubbles.

7. The air purifier of claim 1, wherein the bubble generator further comprises a supersonic wave generator configured to generate supersonic waves to collapse the air bubbles into air bubbles with smaller diameters.

15. The air purifier of claim 1, wherein the liquid tank has a circular cross section, and the tank inlet port is configured to introduce the air bubbles in a tangential direction to the circular cross section.

18. The air purifier of claim 1, wherein the positive electrode comprises one or more holes.

25. The air purifier of claim 1, wherein the positive electrode comprises one of gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper (Cu), platinum (Pt), aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni), titanium (Ti), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), tungsten (W), iron (Fe), tin (Sn), lead (Pb), cobalt (Co), molybdenum (Mo), iridium (Ir), indium (In), ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh), cadmium (Cd), palladium (Pd), graphite, carbon, diamond, indium tin oxide (ITO), zinc oxide (ZnO) and a combination thereof.

26. The air purifier of claim 1, wherein the liquid tank is further coupled to a negative terminal.

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19. The air purifier of claim 19, wherein the diameter of the one or more holes is smaller than 1×

10<sup>−

2</sup> m.

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37. A method of purifying air, the method comprising:

introducing air to be purified into a bubble generator;

generating negatively charged air bubbles having a diameter of about 50 μ

m or less from the air;

releasing the air bubbles into a liquid in a liquid tank, wherein impurities in the air within the air bubbles are absorbed into the liquid; and

attracting the air bubbles to a positive electrode.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein after attracting the air bubbles, the method further comprises allowing the attracted air bubbles to coalesce into larger air bubbles.

40. The method of claim 37, wherein the step of generating negatively charged air bubbles further comprises generating a vortex of air bubbles suspended in liquid and subsequently disrupting the vortex to create microbubbles.

44. The method of claim 37, the method further comprising:

generating supersonic waves to collapse the air bubbles into air bubbles with smaller diameters.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the supersonic waves cause cavitations.

46. The method of claim 37, further comprising:

circulating the liquid in the liquid tank around the positive electrode.

53. The method of claim 37, wherein the liquid tank has a circular cross section, and the step of releasing the air bubbles further comprises releasing the air bubbles into the liquid tank in a direction tangential to the circular cross section.

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56. An air purifier tank configured to hold a liquid, the tank comprising:

a tank inlet port configured to couple with a bubble generator capable of generating negatively charged air bubbles; and

a positive electrode disposed within the tank, wherein the positive electrode is configured to attract the negatively charged air bubbles.

57. The air purifier tank of claim 56, the air purifier tank further comprising one or more propellers configured to circulate the liquid.

58. The air purifier tank claim 56, the air purifier tank further comprising a water jet system configured to introduce external liquid into the liquid tank to circulate the liquid.

59. The air purifier tank of claim 56, the air purifier tank further comprising a gas inlet port configured to introduce external gas into the liquid tank to circulate the liquid.

63. The air purifier tank of claim 56, the air purifier tank further comprising a circular cross section, and wherein the tank inlet port is configured to introduce the air bubbles in a tangential direction to the circular cross section.

66. The air purifier tank of claim 56, wherein the positive electrode comprises one or more holes configured to allow air bubbles to pass therethrough.

67. The air purifier tank of claim 66, wherein the diameter of the one or more holes is smaller than 1×

10<sup>−

2</sup> m.

78. The air purifier tank of claim 56, the air purifier tank further comprising a negative electrode.

83. The air purifier tank of claim 56, the air purifier tank further comprising a device for adjusting a potential of the positive electrode thereby controlling a speed of attracting the air bubbles.

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