Abstract:
According to one aspect of the inventions there is provided a filter for removing pollutants from the atmosphere wherein the filter is connected to a vehicle. The filter comprising: a filter material for removing pollutants from the atmosphere to create filtered air; and a housing for: holding the filter material; channeling air from the atmosphere through the filter material; channeling filtered air back into the atmosphere; and providing attachment means for attaching the filter to the vehicle. A method for removing the pollutants from the atmosphere comprising: connecting a filter to a vehicle. The filter comprising: a filter material for removing pollutants from the atmosphere to create filtered air; and a housing connected to the vehicle for: holding the filter material; channeling air from the atmosphere through the filter material; channeling filtered air back into the atmosphere; and providing attachment means for attaching the filter to the vehicle. The method also comprising operating the vehicle such that air from the atmosphere flows through the filter.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field  
         [0002]     The invention relates to filtering the atmosphere. More specifically, the invention relates to filtering the atmosphere using a filter attached to a vehicle.  
         [0003]     2. Related Art  
         [0004]     Pollutants are introduced into our atmosphere daily. Some pollutants are introduced into the atmosphere from a man-made operation such as the chemicals and particles from a factory or an automobile. Others pollutants come from natural causes such as the discharges of smoke and ash from wild fires or the discharge of dust into the air from wind storms.  
         [0005]     Humanity recognizes that clean clear air is very important for a healthy life. Enormous bodies of legislation and organizations to enforce the legislation have been created to manage our environment to include the air in our atmosphere. Manufacturers are burdened with restrictions on allowable pollutants that they may introduce into the air. Automobile manufacturers are burdened with restrictions on allowable pollutants that their vehicles can introduce into the atmosphere. Compliance with the burdens is costly. And the cost of compliance is typically passed on to the consumer.  
         [0006]     Entire industries have developed around the production of equipment that cleans the outside air before allowing it into buildings. Traditional heating and cooling product manufacturers typically include air filtration in their products. Smaller consumer product manufacturers have developed a variety of air cleaning products that a consumer can purchase inexpensively to filter the air within their homes and offices.  
         [0007]     Current approaches control the flow of pollutants into the air after the air is polluted by combustion or by a manufacturing process. Other current approaches control the flow of pollutants into our buildings, homes and offices. Also present approaches filter the air that is already contained in our buildings, homes or offices and reintroduces the filtered air back into our buildings, homes and offices. Also current approaches typically consume energy specifically to perform the filtering process.  
         [0008]     The invention was made with the above discussed problems in mind and aims to address the related problems.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0009]     According to one aspect of the inventions there is provided a filter for removing pollutants from the atmosphere wherein the filter is connected to a vehicle. The filter comprising: a filter material for removing pollutants from the atmosphere to create filtered air; and a housing for: holding the filter material; channeling air from the atmosphere through the filter material; channeling filtered air back into the atmosphere; and providing attachment means for attaching the filter to the vehicle.  
         [0010]     According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method for removing the pollutants from the atmosphere comprising: connecting a filter to a vehicle. The filter comprising: a filter material for removing pollutants from the atmosphere to create filtered air; and a housing connected to the vehicle for: holding the filter material; channeling air from the atmosphere through the filter material; channeling filtered air back into the atmosphere; and providing attachment means for attaching the filter to the vehicle. The method also comprising operating the vehicle such that air from the atmosphere flows through the filter.  
         [0011]     The above and further features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims and together with advantages thereof will become clearer from consideration of the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of the invention given with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]     In the drawings:  
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a drawing of a filter attached to a vehicle;  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is a drawing of a filter attached in an alternate mounting location on a vehicle;  
         [0015]      FIG. 3  is a drawing of a filter incorporated into a vehicle during the vehicles manufacture;  
         [0016]      FIG. 4A  is a cross section diagram of a filter;  
         [0017]      FIG. 4B  is an alternate cross section diagram of a filter showing a filter element location;  
         [0018]      FIG. 4C  is a cross section diagram of a filter showing multiple filter element locations;  
         [0019]      FIG. 4D  is a cross section diagram of a filter showing multiple filter element locations, multiple filter materials, multiple filter element designs and multiple filter dimensions;  
         [0020]      FIG. 4E  is a cross section diagram of a filter with a flow enhancer;  
         [0021]      FIG. 4F  is a cross section diagram of a filter with enhanced outer dimensions. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0022]     Turning now to  FIG. 1  of the accompanying drawings there is shown a filter  100  that is attached to a vehicle  99 . Air enters the filter  100  through entrance A when the vehicle  99  is in motion. After filtering, the filtered air exits the filter through exit B. Filter  100  is attached to the vehicle  99  longitudinally so that when the vehicle is in motion air flows through the filter  100  appropriately.  
         [0023]     The term driver is used to refer any one of the driver, consumer, vehicle operator, filter owner or user.  
         [0024]     The characteristics of air flow over a vehicle are very complex. Factors to consider when choosing a position for the filter comprise: air pressure changes as the air flows over the vehicle; availability of space for the filter and the desire for an esthetic appearance on the vehicle.  
         [0025]     In  FIG. 2  of the accompanying drawings there is shown an alternate mounting position for filter  100 . Filter  100  is mounted horizontally in relation to the vehicle  99  line of motion. Angular tubing  105  is used to change the direction of the entrance A 2  and exit B 2  of filter  100 .  
         [0026]     In  FIG. 3  of the accompanying drawings there is shown another alternative where the filter  100  has been incorporated into the vehicle  99  during vehicle  99  manufacture. In this drawing a portion of the front of the vehicle  99  is shown removed to more clearly indicate the location of the filter  100  and the angular tubing  105   
         [0027]     It will be apparent to those of appropriate skill that other locations, angles in relation to the axis of motion of the vehicle and appropriate routing of the entering and exiting air can be used.  
         [0028]     In  FIGS. 4A , B, C, D, E of the accompanying drawings there is shown a cut-away view of filter  100 . In  FIG. 4A  filter housing  410 A is shown as half a cylinder. The filter housing during operation would be a complete cylinder incorporating filter housing  410 A and  410 B. Filter housing  410 B is shown with an access door  420 . There is also shown filter material  400 .  
         [0029]     Filter housing  410 A and  410 B combined are referred to as filter housing  410 .  
         [0030]     The dimensions of filter housing  410  are varied as needed. In  FIG. 4A  the filter housing is shown as a cylinder. Other shapes with other cross sections can be used. It will be apparent to those of appropriate skill that the dimensions of the filter housing  410  and overall filter  100  are variable. The length of the filter as well as the cross sectional dimension and basic cross sectional shapes are variable.  
         [0031]     Turning now to  FIG. 4B , filter material  400  is located distance &lt;a&gt; from the entrance to the filter housing  410 . When the vehicle  99  is in motion, with the filter  100  attached, air flows through the filter. The pressure of the air flowing through the filter  100  varies along the length of the filter housing  410 . The distance &lt;a&gt; is selected so as to place the filter material  400  at a point in the filter housing  410  where air pressure is appropriate for the filter material.  
         [0032]     The air pressure also varies inside of filter  100  in relation to the overall length of filter housing  410 . Air pressure will also vary in relation to the diameter or cross section area of the filter housing  410 . Tubing used to change the direction of the air as it flows through the filter housing  410  will have an effect on the air pressure also.  
         [0033]     The side of the filter material  400  where air enters is referred to as the face. The side of filter material  400  where the filtered air exits is referred to as the rear. By locating filter material  400  at a point where the face of filter material  400  experiences a higher pressure than the rear of filter material  400  air will be drawn through the filter material  400 .  
         [0034]     Filter material  400  is provided in a variety of filter material types. The driver typically selects the filter material type. Filter material types vary in relation to the type of pollutant that the filter material type is designed to remove from the air that is passed through or over it.  
         [0035]     Filter material types comprise inert material that captures pollutants as the air flow through it, active material that alters the chemical composition of the air as the air passes through it and electrostatic material that enhances the removal of pollutants by applying a charge to the pollutants and then removing the charged pollutants before allowing the air to reenter the atmosphere.  
         [0036]     In  FIG. 4C  of the accompanying drawings there is shown the filter  100  with two sections of filter material  400 . It will be apparent to those of appropriate skill that multiple filter material  400  elements can be used and that a variety of filter material types can be used. Filter material  400 A is located a distance &lt;b&gt; from the entrance to filter housing  410 . The filter material  400 A is a filter material type that filters large particles out of the air. Filter material  400 A is referred to as a “course” filter material type. Filter material  400 B is located a distance &lt;c&gt; from the entrance to filter housing  410 . The filter material  400 B is to filter material type that filters small particles out of the air. Filter material  400 B is referred to as a “fine” filter material type.  
         [0037]     The filter  100  dimensions are varied so that air flow is optimized in relation to the type of filtering desired. For a chosen filter material type there are corresponding dimensions of the filter  100  that are desirable.  
         [0038]     For example, the filter  100  depicted in  FIG. 3  could have a first filter material type close to the entrance of the filter that filters out coarse pollutants. Further into the filter a second filter material type is used to filter out smaller pollutants. Even further into the filter there is a third filter material type that actively changes the chemical composition of the air. Still further into the filter  100  is a fourth filter material type which uses electro static charges to remove pollutants. For each of the filter material types there are desirable air flow characteristics. The filter housing  410  dimensions are varied along the length of the filter  100  so that desirable air flow characteristics for each filter material type are achieved. Since the filter  100  in  FIG. 3  is also of the type that is incorporated into a vehicle during the vehicle&#39;s manufacture, some of the filter  100  dimensions are varied in relation to vehicle design restrictions.  
         [0039]     In  FIG. 4D  there is shown multiple alternative installations of filter material  400  into filter housing  410 . Filter housing  410  varies in diameter in relation to the length of the housing so that filter material of varying diameters and types can be used in the housing. There is shown filter material  400 C,  400 D,  400 E,  400 F and  400 G. Also in  FIG. 4D  there is shown a filter element  430  with an insert to reduce the diameter of the cross section for a particular filter material type, filter material  400 E without reducing the diameter of the filter housing  410 . Alternately there is shown a filter element  440  that allows the driver to select between different material types,  400 F and  400 G. An air flow divider  450  which is movable so as to divert the flow of air through either filter material  400 F or  400 G without removing the filter material  400 F or  400 G.  
         [0040]     The filter housing  410  is constructed such that the filter elements are removable, cleanable and replaceable by the driver. The filter housing  410  is constructed in such a way that filter elements may be placed at different positions within the filter housing  410 . The filter elements typically have a preferred location within the housing in relation to the type of filtering the element is to perform. This allows the type of filtering to be tailored to the geographic location of the vehicle. It is anticipated that local governments can provide information as to the type of filtering desired for the particular location. By designing the housing such that the filter material  400  can be positioned at various locations within filter housing  410 , a filter owner can change the filter material type that is being used without sacrificing optimal positioning of the filter material type. The driver simply removes the old filter material type, selects the appropriate location in the housing for a new filter material type and installs the new filter material type.  
         [0041]     In  FIG. 4E  of the accompanying drawings there is shown filter  100  with two filter material types of filter material  400 A and filter material  400 B. Also included is a device to force air through the housing when the vehicle is not in motion. There is shown an internal fan  460  powered by a energy source  465 . When the vehicle stops internal fan  460  is activated and is powered by energy source  465 .  
         [0042]     It will be apparent to those of appropriate skill that various sources of power can be used. In  FIG. 4E  the energy source  465  is represented as a solar panel. Alternate power sources comprise rechargeable battery, vehicle power sources and vehicle battery power.  
         [0043]     Using solar energy to force air through the filter when the vehicle  99  is not in motion (or is moving slowly) is an economical approach to continue filtering even though the vehicle  99  is not in motion.  
         [0044]     It will be apparent to those of appropriate skill that internal fan  460  can be located in various positions along the length of filter  100  and that more than one fan can be used.  
         [0045]     Using the filter  100  while the vehicle is operated such that the vehicle is in motion typically filters the largest volume of air per unit time. However filtering is also accomplished by operating the vehicle in other ways. Other operations of the vehicle  99  comprise: parking the vehicle outside so that natural air currents generated in the atmosphere causes air to flow through the filter  100 ; supplying vehicle power to the filter  100  so that a flow enhancer such as an internal fan  460  is operating; parking the vehicle  99  so that the filter  100  receives a steady flow of air such as by prevailing winds or breezes and parking the vehicle  99  so that the filter  100  receives a steady flow of air such as is generated by an industrial fan.  
         [0046]     In  FIG. 4F  there is shown a filter with enhanced outer dimensions. The outside dimension of filter housing  410  varies along its length such that air flow speed is changed. In  FIG. 4F  the air flow speed is increased creating a corresponding reduction in air pressure on the outside of filter housing  410 . Bleed holes  470  are arranged around the circumference of the filter  100 . The bleed holes connect the region of lower pressure on the outside of filter housing  410  with the inside of the filter housing  410 . The bleed holes are positioned such that a pressure differential is created between the face of filter material  400  and the rear of filter material  400 . Pressure is greater at the face of filter material  400  than at the rear of filter material  400 . The pressure differential enhances the flow of the air through the filter material  410 .  
         [0047]     Having thus described the invention by reference to a preferred embodiment it is to be well understood that the embodiment in question is exemplary only and that modifications and variations such as will occur to those possessed of appropriate knowledge and skills may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims and equivalents thereof.