Gas separation – Combined or convertible – In motor vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-08
2001-03-06
Simmons, David A. (Department: 1724)
Gas separation
Combined or convertible
In motor vehicle
C055S524000, C055S527000, C055S528000, C055SDIG001, C055SDIG003, C264S284000, C264S293000, C264SDIG004
Reexamination Certificate
active
06197079
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an air filter suitable for use in air cleaners, room air-conditioners, and particularly in car air-conditioners in which air is driven at a high speed.
For high efficiency dust collection and deodorization with a reduced pressure loss, it has been proposed to use a pleated paper-like dust-collecting and/or deodorizing filter. By virture of pleating, the filter can have an increased surface area of contact with air. The paper-like filter is formed from an electricified nonwoven fabric or an electricified sheet of fibers formed like a nonwoven fabric. The electricified sheet of fibers is known to collect submicron dust particles as well as larger particles due to a Coulomb's force imparted to the sheet of fibers through the electricification, and even an electricified sheet of fibers having a small mass per unit area is superior in the performance of dust collection to a nonwoven fabric not electricified.
For the conventional air filter used in car air-conditioners in which air is driven at a high speed, however, mechanical dust collection (by inertia and collision) is essential, rather than the Coulomb's force. Namely, the electrification will not lead to any efficient dust collection when an air filter having a Coulomb's force is used in such a car air-conditioner. In an air cleaner in which air is driven at a high speed, a high efficiency of dust collection can be attained by an air filter which has an ample and effective contact with dust particles. However, since a fibrous or paper-like air filter made using a nonwoven fabric or sheet of fibers as a matrix incurs a large pressure loss, an increase in surface area of the air filter by pleating will only lead to some reduction of the pressure loss. Imparting the function of deodorization to the air filter will additionally increase the pressure loss. Such air filters provide no effective and efficient dust collection and deodorization in applications for which the pressure loss should be small. Also since mechanical dust collection is more essential for collection of coarse dust particles of 5 &mgr;m or more in size, the electricification of the matrix for the air filter did not allow any effective dust collection in applications in which air is to be driven at a high speed and coarse dust particles are to be collected.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior-art air filters by providing an improved air filter capable of collecting dusts and deodorizing highly effectively and efficiently in applications in which air is driven at a high speed, such as car air-conditioners.
The above object is accomplished by providing an air filter made of a pleated polyurethane foam having formed on one or both sides thereof a three-dimensional network skeletal structure of micro cells. The air filter according to the present invention is capable of collecting dusts highly effectively and efficiently with a reduced pressure loss even when used in a car air-conditioner in which air is driven at a high speed.
These objects and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3171820 (1965-03-01), Volz
patent: 4099943 (1978-07-01), Fischman et al.
patent: 4178161 (1979-12-01), Rudner et al.
patent: 4961974 (1990-10-01), Jones
patent: 4981501 (1991-01-01), Von Blucher et al.
patent: 5820644 (1998-10-01), Mori et al.
Aoki Masami
Mori Hisashi
Bridgeston Corporation
Jordan and Hamburg LLP
Pham Minh-Chau T.
Simmons David A.
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