Air purifier

• US 9,539,586 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2011
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Oda, Kohei, Kusuura, Takahisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Duane
• Assistant Examiner(s): Turner, Sonji
• Application Number:
  US13/641,095
• Publication Number:
  US 20130042756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,015 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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; and

a liquid tank comprising;

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

a tank inlet port coupled to the generator outlet port of the bubble generator and further configured to disperse the air bubbles in the liquid; and

an electrode having a first type of electrical charge disposed within the liquid,

wherein the bubble generator is configured to generate the air bubbles having a second type of electrical charge in the liquid disposed within the liquid tank, the second type of electrical charge being different from the first type of electrical charge, and

wherein the electrode is configured to attract the air bubbles having the second type of electrical charge suspended within the liquid.

2. The air purifier of claim 1, wherein the bubble generator is further configured to generate air bubbles having a diameter of about 50 μ

m or less into the liquid in the liquid tank.

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.

5. The air purifier of claim 3, wherein the bubble generator further comprises a nozzle configured to disrupt the vortex to generate microbubbles.

6. 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.

7. 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.

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

9. The air purifier of claim 8, wherein the diameter of the one or more holes is smaller than 1×

10<sup>−

2</sup> m.

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

25. The air purifier of claim 1, wherein the liquid tank is filled with the liquid.

11. 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.

12. An air purifier tank comprising:

a liquid disposed within the air purifier tank;

a tank inlet port in fluid communication between a bubble generator and the liquid, the tank inlet port configured to allow the bubble generator to generate negatively charged air bubbles in the liquid disposed within the air purifier tank and disperse the negatively charged air bubbles into the liquid disposed within the air purifier tank; and

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

13. The air purifier tank of claim 12, the air purifier tank further comprising one or more propellers configured to circulate the liquid.

14. The air purifier tank of claim 12, the air purifier tank further comprising a water jet system configured to introduce external liquid into the liquid tank to circulate the liquid.

15. The air purifier tank of claim 12, the air purifier tank further comprising a gas inlet port configured to introduce external gas into the liquid tank to circulate the liquid.

16. The air purifier tank of claim 12, the air purifier tank further comprising a circular cross section, and wherein the tank inlet port is configured to disperse the air bubbles in a tangential direction to the circular cross section.

17. The air purifier tank of claim 12, wherein the positive electrode comprises one or more holes configured to allow air bubbles to pass therethrough.

18. The air purifier tank of claim 17, wherein the diameter of the one or more holes is smaller than 1×

10<sup>−

2</sup> m.

19. The air purifier tank of claim 12, the air purifier tank further comprising a negative electrode.

20. The air purifier tank of claim 12, 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.

26. The air purifier tank of claim 12, wherein the air purifier tank is filled with the liquid, wherein the liquid is configured to dissolve impurities within the air bubbles.

21. An air purifier comprising:

a tank configured holding a liquid;

a bubble generator configured to generate negatively charged air bubbles within the liquid;

tank inlet port coupled between the tank and the bubble generator and in fluid communication with the bubble generator, the tank inlet port configured to disperse the negatively charged air bubbles from the bubble generator into the liquid; and

a positive electrode positioned in the tank to attract the negatively charged air bubbles through the liquid.

22. The air purifier of claim 21, wherein the thank is filled with the liquid, wherein the liquid is configured to dissolve impurities within the air bubbles.

23. The air purifier of claim 21, wherein the bubble generator comprises:

an injector coupled to the air intake vent and configured to inject air into the liquid to generate the 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.

24. The air purifier of claim 21, wherein the positive electrode comprises one or more holes configured to allow the air bubbles to pass therethrough.