WO2017105058A1

WO2017105058A1 - Smell generation apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2017105058A1
Application number: PCT/KR2016/014587
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hyeong Min Kim; Sang Rok ROH
Original assignee: Cj 4Dplex Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2015-12-14
Filing date: 2016-12-13
Publication date: 2017-06-22
Also published as: KR20170070569A; KR101767407B1

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a smell generation apparatus. The smell generation apparatus includes a chamber adapted to have a sucking hole formed on one side and to have an outlet formed on the other side, ventilation means disposed within the chamber and adapted to discharge the outside air inhaled through the sucking hole in one direction, and a smell generation unit disposed within the chamber and placed in a direction in which the outside air discharged by the ventilation means flows.

Description

SMELL GENERATION APPARATUS

The present invention relates to a smell generation apparatus and, more particularly, to a smell generation apparatus capable of providing an environment in which audiences can be immersed in a movie by diffusing a smell into the internal space of a theater in synchronization with an image that is being screened.

In the twenty-first century, culture has been settled as an important value in a country's economy and international competitiveness. A movie is one of types of representative culture content, which can be accepted by modern people most easily and frequently. Technologies that have been developed and advanced for several tens of years have been grafted into a move, and a capital has also been concentrated on a movie, and thus quality of a movie has been significantly improved.

In line with such quality improvement of a movie, the needs of customers who accept a movie also become high quality and composite along with the promotion of a movie. Recently, customers' interest is not limited to inventiveness, diversity, etc. in a simple material of movie, but a reality viewpoint, that is, how can a movie be realistically reproduced, has been in the spotlight. Accordingly, a recent movie industry field is not limited to the simple delivery of an image displayed on a screen, but makes lots of efforts to develop various representation means for delivering a director, player and/or producer's intention to audiences with a sense of reality.

More specifically, the movie industry field continues to carry out research & development on a method and apparatus for having customers intensively recognize an intention of combining the five senses of the human being, such as the sense of hearing, the sense of touch and the sense of smell, with an image in addition to a simple image and delivering them to customers.

An embodiment of the present invention relates to an apparatus for stimulating the sense of smell of the human being in synchronization with an image. An example of such a conventional apparatus is described below.

In a conventional technology, a separate smell generation apparatus is configured inside or outside a theater. The smell generation apparatus deliver a small through a pipe. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a smell generation apparatus according to a conventional technology.

FIG. 1 shows compression equipment 10 formed of a compressor, a cooler, and an air tank, control equipment 20, and pipe equipment 30 adapted to connect the pieces of equipment and extended up to the seats of audiences. A smell generation system for delivering a smell to customers in synchronization with an image using such pieces of equipment is used in a conventional technology.

In such a smell generation system, a large-sized air pressure facility and the space where the facility is to be installed are required because a smell is delivered using compressed air. Furthermore, a very long and complicated piping work is necessary from the smell generation apparatus to seats within a theater because a smell must be uniformly delivered to all of the seats within the theater.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, in general, the smell generation apparatus is configured to diffuse a smell according to the sitting height of audiences. In this case, there is a problem in that a large amount of smell particles leaks while moving because the length of a path (i.e., the pipe) along which the smell particles move after they are first diffused, and thus the smell particles adhere to the inside of the pipe and are then wasted.

Furthermore, there are problems in that the large-sized air pressure facility requires a large installation space and a high cost when it is first installed and a lot of a cost, time and human efforts are required to maintain and manage the equipment.

An object of the present invention is to provide a smell generation apparatus, which enables an audience within a theater to be immersed in a movie, but can be embedded in a chair and can reduce space, a manufacturing cost, and management expenses compared to a conventional technology.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a smell generation apparatus capable of improving a smell diffusion effect by efficiently controlling the outside air in a limited space.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a smell generation apparatus includes a chamber adapted to have a sucking hole formed on one side and to have an outlet formed on the other side, ventilation means disposed within the chamber and adapted to discharge the outside air inhaled through the sucking hole in one direction, and a smell generation unit disposed within the chamber and placed in a direction in which the outside air discharged by the ventilation means flows.

The smell generation apparatus may be mounted on a space under the cushion seat of a chair or mounted on the armrest of the chair.

The chamber may be partitioned into a first area in which the ventilation means is placed and a second area in which the smell generation unit is placed by a isolation wall. The outside air inhaled into the sucking hole may flow from the first area to the second area and may be discharged through the outlet.

A discharge hole for discharging the outside air may be provided on one side of the isolation wall.

The discharge hole may be placed on the lower side of the isolation wall and adapted to guide the outside air so that the outside air flows in an upward direction from the lower side of the second area.

The ventilation means may be closely attached to the isolation wall and adapted to inhale and discharge the outside air.

The ventilation means may include a fan or a pump.

A hollow may be formed in the smell generation unit.

A plurality of through holes may be formed in the outer circumferential surface of the smell generation unit in order to allow the outside air to freely pass through the through holes.

The smell generation unit may be made of a material in which fine pores have been formed.

The smell generation unit may have a cylindrical shape or a polyhedron shape.

The smell generation apparatus may further include a control unit adapted to control the ventilation means so that a smell is diffused in synchronization with an image on a screen within a theater.

The smell generation apparatus may further include a plurality of the smell generation units adapted to have different smells and to diffuse different smells according to situations.

In accordance with the present invention, the smell generation apparatus is embedded in a chair so that an audience within a theater can be immersed in a movie. Accordingly, space can be reduced, and a manufacturing cost and management expenses can also be reduced.

Furthermore, there is an advantage in that a smell diffusion effect can be improved by controlling the direction in which the outside air flows because the space within a chamber is efficiently used although the smell generation apparatus is disposed in a limited space, that is, a chair within a theater.

Furthermore, a different smell can be diffused according to a situation according to the development of a movie using the plurality of smell generation units.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a smell generation apparatus according to a conventional technology.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a smell generation apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing the internal space of the smell generation apparatus shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing an armrest type smell generation system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing an armrest type smell generation apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing a plurality of armrest type smell generation apparatuses in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing an armrest type smell generation apparatus in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing an armrest type smell generation apparatus in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a smell generation unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a smell generation unit according to an embodiment, which is different from that of FIG. 9.

10: compression equipment 20: control equipment

30: pipe equipment 100: chair

110, 210: smell generation apparatus

111, 211: chamber 112, 212: sucking hole

113, 213: first area 118, 218: hollow

114, 214: ventilation means 115, 215: discharge hole

116, 216: second area 119, 219: outlet

117, 217: smell generation unit

120: pipe 220: armrest unit

230: beverage holder

Hereinafter, a generation apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are provided only for illustrative purposes so that those skilled

in the art can fully understand the spirit of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereby.

Moreover, it is to be understood that all matters herein set forth in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative and may be in different forms from those actually implemented.

Meanwhile, components described below are merely examples to implement the present invention. Therefore, other components may be used in other embodiments without departing from the idea and scope of the invention.

Moreover, each component may be implemented only in hardware, or only in software, or in various combinations of hardware and software performing the same functions. Furthermore, two or more elements may be implemented by a piece of hardware or software.

In this application, terms, such as "comprise", "include", or "have" are intended to designate any parts which are described in the specification, and it should be understood that they do not preclude the possibility of the existence or possible addition of one or more additional parts.

When it is said that one element is described as being "connected" or "coupled" to the other element, one element may be directly connected or coupled to the other element, but it should be understood that another element may be present between the two elements.

When it is said that one element is described as being "connected" or "coupled" to the other element, one element may be directly or indirectly connected or coupled to the other element by means of all kinds of physical connection such as adhering, attaching, fastening, bonding, coupling, and the like.　

Furthermore, the expressions, such as "the first" and "the second", are used to only distinguish a plurality of elements and do not limit a sequence or other characteristics between the elements.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a smell generation apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing the internal space of the smell generation apparatus shown in FIG. 2.

First, a smell generation apparatus that belongs to a chair-embedded type smell generation apparatus and that is disposed in the space (a seat driving unit) formed under the cushion seat of a chair is described below.

Referring to FIG. 2, the smell generation apparatus 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be disposed in the space under a cushion seat having the wide margin space of a chair 100. One end (or the tube 120) of a pipe 120 is connected to one side of the smell generation apparatus 110. The other end of the pipe 120 is connected to a portion near the seat of the chair 100 on which a customer sits, for example, the armrest portion of the chair, thereby being capable of diffusing a smell to the customer. In this case, a spray nozzle may be formed in the other end of the pipe 120 thus being capable of uniformly diffusing a smell within a theater.

In some embodiments, if the smell generation apparatus 110 has a middle size and capacity, it may be disposed in a plurality of seats. The pipes 120 may be connected to the plurality of seats, respectively. In an alternative embodiment, the smell generation apparatus 110 having a small size and capacity may be disposed in each seat and connected to the pipe 120.

Referring to FIG. 3, the smell generation apparatus 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a chamber 111 adapted to have a sucking hole 112 formed on one side and to have an outlet 119 formed on the other side, ventilation means 114 disposed within the chamber 111 and adapted to discharge the outside air inhaled through the sucking hole 112 in one direction, and a smell generation unit 117 disposed within the chamber 111 and placed in the direction in which the outside air discharged by the ventilation means 114 flows.

In this case, the outside air refers to air present within a theater. When air passes through the smell generation apparatus 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention, odorless air is soaked with a smell and discharged, thus stimulating the sense of smell of an audience. Accordingly, there can be provided an environment in which an audience can be further immersed in a movie because a smell corresponding to a situation is diffused in synchronization with an image of a screen within a theater, as will be described later.

The chamber 111 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the sucking hole 112 and the outlet 119 so that the outside air can flow from one side and can be discharged to the other side. The shape and size of the chamber 111 are not limited, and the chamber 111 may have any shape and size if it can be placed under the cushion seat of the chair 100. The chamber 111 may be made of synthetic resin or metal. In some embodiments, the chamber 111 may be made of wood.

In this case, the chamber 111 is partitioned into a first area 113 in which the ventilation means 114 is placed and a second area 116 in which the smell generation unit 117 is placed by a isolation wall. The outside air inhaled into the sucking hole 112 may flow from the first area 113 to the second area 116 and may be then discharged through the outlet 119. The outside air has directivity so that it moves in one direction because the chamber 111 is partitioned into the first area and the second area. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the smell generation unit 117 having a hollow formed therein may be disposed approximately in parallel to a virtual line that connects the sucking hole 112 and the outlet 119. Accordingly, while the outside air inhaled through the sucking hole 112 flows approximately in a straight line, it is soaked with a smell through the smell generation unit 117 and then discharged through the outlet 119 on the side opposite the sucking hole 112.

As described above, the sucking hole 112 is placed on one side of the chamber 111 and configured to suck the outside air. The outlet 119 is also placed on one side of the chamber 111 and configured to discharge the outside air. One or more sucking holes 112 may be formed on the side of the chamber, and one or more outlets 119 may be formed on the side of the chamber. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the outlet 119 of the smell generation apparatus 110 placed under the cushion seat is configured so that the outside air passing through the outlet 119 is diffused after passing through the pipe 120 having a long length. Accordingly, the outlet 119 may be formed to have a narrow inside diameter in order to provide high pressure. In contrast, the sucking hole 112 may be formed to have an inside diameter relatively greater than the outlet 119 so that a large amount of the outside air can be inhaled into the sucking hole 112.

The ventilation means 114 according to an embodiment of the present invention functions to discharge the outside air, inhaled through the sucking hole 112, in one direction. The outside air within a theater is substantially sucked into the chamber 111 through the ventilation means 114. The sucked outside air is soaked with a specific smell while passing through the smell generation unit 117 and discharged as the outside air.

In this case, the ventilation means 114 may be driven by a driving switch inside or outside the chamber 111. As will be described later, the ventilation means 114 may be driven to diffuse a smell according to a situation of a movie that is played back by a control unit (not shown) for controlling the smell generation apparatus.

Any means may be used as the ventilation means 114 if it can discharge the outside air in one direction. For example, a fan or a pump may correspond to the ventilation means 114. If the ventilation means 114 is a fan, it may correspond to a sirrocco fan for circulating air using a rotatable multi-blade wing, that is, a centrifugal type ventilator.

The smell generation unit 117 according to an embodiment of the present invention is placed in the direction in which the outside air discharged by the ventilation means 114 flows, and may be made of a pneumatic element material having a smell. In an alternative embodiment, the smell generation unit 117 having a hollow formed therein may be formed by solidifying a smell present in a liquid state. The smell generation unit 117 may correspond to all of types if they are made of a material capable of absorbing a smell, and is not limited to a specific material. For example, the smell generation unit 117 may be made of non-woven fabric, sponge or a filter material in addition to the aforementioned pneumatic element material.

Furthermore, a material that forms the smell generation unit 117 may be a material including fine pores soaked with a smell. In some embodiments, through holes h1 and h2 may be formed in the smell generation unit 117 so that the outside air passes through the through holes, as shown in FIG. 9. Furthermore, a hollow may be formed in the smell generation unit 117 in its length direction. Accordingly, the outside air can flow into the hollow of the smell generation unit 117 while substantially surrounding the smell generation unit 117 so that the smell generation unit 117 is well soaked with a smell. The smell generation unit 117 is described in more detail later.

An armrest type smell generation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing an armrest type smell generation system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing an armrest type smell generation apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing a plurality of the armrest type smell generation apparatuses in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows an armrest 200 disposed on a chair 100 of a theater. In general, the armrest 200 may have one end whose angle can be adjusted by a hinge so that it is folded upward. A beverage holder 230 is formed on the other end of the armrest 200. In this case, an smell generation apparatus 210 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be installed on the armrest 200. The smell generation apparatus 210 may be configured to be seated in armrest support means 220.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing the smell generation apparatus 210 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The conceptual diagram shows the state in which when the open/shut cover of the smell generation apparatus 210 is taken away, the smell generation apparatus 210 seated in the armrest support means 220 is viewed from the top.

The smell generation apparatus 210 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a chamber 211 adapted to have a sucking hole 212 formed on one side and to have an outlet 219 formed on the other side, ventilation means 214 disposed within the chamber 211 and adapted to discharge the outside air inhaled through the sucking hole 212 in one direction, and a smell generation unit 217 disposed within the chamber 211 and placed in the direction in which the outside air discharged by the ventilation means 214 flows.

The chamber 211 of the present embodiment may be seated in the armrest support means 220 of an approximately bar shape and fixed thereto or may be integrated with the support means 220. The chamber 211 is not limited to the shapes shown in the drawings and may be implemented to have various shapes by those skilled in the art according to embodiments of the present invention.

The sucking hole 212 according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided on one side of the chamber 211 and is a passage through which the outside air is inhaled. The outlet 219 is provided on the other side of the chamber 211 and is a passage through which the outside air is discharged. Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, in an embodiment of the present invention, the sucking hole 212 and the outlet 219 have been illustrated as being formed on the left and right sides of the chamber 211, but are not limited thereto. For example, the sucking hole 212 and the outlet 219 may be formed on the top of the open/shut cover (not shown) of the chamber 211 or on the bottom of the chamber 211. In this case, a plurality of the sucking holes 212 and the outlets 219 may be formed in a surface of the chamber 211.

The ventilation means 214 according to the present embodiment may correspond to a fan or a pump. For example, if the ventilation means 214 is a fan, a sirrocco fan, that is, a centrifugal type ventilator, may correspond to the ventilation means 214.

The chamber 211 is partitioned into a first area 213 in which the ventilation means 214 is placed and a second area 216 in which the smell generation unit 217 is placed by an isolation wall 215'. The outside air inhaled into the sucking hole 212 may flow from the first area 213 to the second area 216 and may be then discharged through the outlet 219. Accordingly, the outside air has directivity so that it moves in one direction because the chamber 211 is divided into the first area 213 and the second area 216. In this case, the smell generation unit 217 may also be formed of a filter having a hollow 218 formed therein.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing a smell generation apparatus 210 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, and shows the state in which a plurality of the smell generation apparatuses 210 has been formed. The plurality of smell generation apparatuses 210 may operate dependently or independently and diffuse a smell toward audiences. Furthermore, the same or different smell effects may be provided through the plurality of smell generation apparatuses 210.

A case where the plurality of

smell generation apparatuses

110 and 210 is provided is described in detail below. The

smell generation apparatuses

110 and 210 may have different types of smells and diffuse specific smells in synchronization with a scene of a movie. In some embodiments, the plurality of

smell generation apparatuses

110 and 210 may have a single smell and control a concentration of the smell. In this case, for example, the concentration may be gradually increased or decreased in such a way as to drive only one of the

smell generation apparatuses

110 and 210 in a first step and to drive both the

smell generation apparatuses

110 and 210 in a second step.

In the present embodiment, a discharge hole 215 through which the outside air from the ventilation means 214 is discharged may be provided on one side of the isolation wall 215'.

An armrest type smell generation apparatus according to another embodiment is described below.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing an armrest type smell generation apparatus in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing an armrest type smell generation apparatus in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 7 and 8 show lateral cross-sectional views of the armrest type smell generation apparatus which has been cut off approximately vertically.

As shown in FIG. 7, the discharge hole 215 according to an embodiment of the present invention is placed on the lower side of the isolation wall 215' and may induce the outside air so that it flows in an upward direction from the lower side of the second area 216.

When the outside air is discharged through the ventilation means 214, a flow of the outside air in the first area 213 is inhaled into the discharge hole 215 on the lower side of the isolation wall. A discharge flow path for the outside air that is soaked with a smell and discharged may be further formed in the top of the chamber 211 according to the present embodiment. The outside air inhaled from the discharge hole 215 on the lower side to the second area 216 may pass through a first outlet 219a, may move along the discharge flow path, and may be then discharged to the outside of the chamber 211 through a second outlet 219b. For reference, in an embodiment of the present invention, the chamber 211 may include an armrest open/shut cover. Accordingly, the discharge flow path and the first and the second outlets 219a and 219b may be provided in the open/shut cover formed so that the inside of the chamber 211, such as the first area 213 and the second area 216 can be open.

In this case, the hollow 218 is formed in the smell generation unit 217. When the smell generation unit 217 is viewed from the lateral cross section direction of the chamber 211, it is erect and disposed within the second area 216, thus being capable of guiding a flow of the outside air from the lower side of the outside air to the upper side.

Furthermore, in the embodiment of FIG. 8, the discharge hole 215 is disposed on the lower side of the isolation wall 215' so that the outside air flows in an upward direction from the lower side of the second area 216. Unlike in the embodiment in which the ventilation means 214 is closely attached to the sucking hole as shown in FIG. 7, in the embodiment of FIG. 8, the ventilation means 214 is closely attached to the isolation wall so that it inhales and discharges the outside air. In the case of the embodiment of FIG. 7, some atmospheric pressure may be lost because the outside air discharged by the ventilation means 214 is blocked by the isolation wall. In the case of the embodiment of FIG. 8, the ventilation means 214 is further closely placed on the side of the second area 216. Accordingly, a smell can be more efficiently delivered to an audience because the outside air is inhaled into the second area 216 in the state in which a lost of atmospheric pressure is relatively small.

As shown in FIG. 8, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the second outlet 219b may be placed on the top of the chamber 211 not on the side. As described above, the direction in which the outlet has been formed can be set in various ways by taking into consideration an optimum location and a diffusion direction through which a smell can be delivered to an audience. Furthermore, although not shown, the outlet may further include a spray nozzle so that outside air particles soaked with a smell can be uniformly sprayed within a theater.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a smell generation unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The

smell generation unit

117 or 217 is described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 9.

As described above, the

smell generation unit

117 or 217 has the hollow formed at its center and may have a very thin thickness. The material of the

smell generation unit

117 or 217 is not limited to a specific material. The

smell generation unit

117 or 217 may be made of a filter element for pneumatic purposes, non-woven fabric, sponge or a material capable of being soaked with a smell, such as a filter. Furthermore, the

smell generation unit

117 or 217 may further include fine pores (not shown) formed in a net so that it can contain more smell particles due to its structural characteristics of a material itself.

Furthermore, a plurality of the through holes h1 and h2 may be formed in the outer circumferential surface of the

smell generation unit

117 or 217 so that the outside air can freely flow through the through holes h1 and h2. The through holes h1 and h2 may be formed in the surface of the

smell generation unit

117 or 217. Any type of hole may be used as the through holes h1 and h2 if it allows the

smell generation unit

117 or 217 to be better soaked with a smell while the outside air freely flows through the hole. Accordingly, it is to be noted that the shape of the hole is not limited to a triangle and a rectangle shown in the drawings, and the size of the hole is not limited. The through holes h1 and h2 are formed to penetrate the

smell generation unit

117 or 217 from the outer circumference of the smell generation unit to the hollow thereof. Accordingly, the outside air freely passes through the through holes h1 and h2 and the hollow and carries smell particles, soaked in the

smell generation unit

117 or 217, to the direction of the outlet.

The

smell generation unit

117 or 217 has been illustrated as being a cylindrical shape in FIG. 7, but may be formed in a polyhedron shape, such as a tetrahedron or a hexahedron.

Furthermore, a plurality of the smell generation units 117 may be installed. In this case, the same smell effect or different smell effects may be provided through the smell generation units 117. A plurality of

smell generation units

117, 217 may be disposed within a single

smell generation apparatus

110 or 210. The plurality of smell generation units may be driven in the same manner as that when the plurality of

smell generation apparatuses

110 and 210 is provided. More specifically, the

smell generation apparatus

110 or 210 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of the smell generation units having different smells and may diffuse smells according to situations through the control unit. The plurality of smell generation units may be made of materials having smells suitable for contents that are deployed in a movie, such as aroma, a jasmine smell, a coffer flavor, a fruit flavor, smells of various foods, the scent of grass, and a burnt smell, and may be disposed within the

smell generation apparatus

110 or 210. Accordingly, the outside air may be inhaled into a smell generation unit that belongs to the plurality of smell generation units and that has a specific smell in response to an operation signal, and thus the corresponding smell generation unit can diffuse the specific smell. In an alternative embodiment, the

smell generation apparatus

110 or 210 may include a plurality of the smell generation units having a single smell and operate to have a different concentration of smell in synchronization with an image.

As described above, various embodiments may be applied to the

smell generation unit

117 or 217 according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a smell generation unit according to an embodiment, which is different from that of FIG. 9.

In accordance with another embodiment of FIG. 10, a smell cartridge of a liquid state L may be applied to the smell generation unit. Unlike in the aforementioned embodiments in which the smell cartridge of the solid form has been illustrated, the smell cartridge soaked (or contained) with a smell having the liquid state may be used to provide a smell generation effect.

As described above, any device may be applied to the

smell generation unit

117 or 217 according to an embodiment of the present invention if it can provide a single smell or various smells to an audience and can be received in the

smell generation apparatus

110 or 210 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Accordingly, it is to be noted that the present invention is not limited to the specific shapes of the aforementioned embodiments.

The

smell generation apparatus

110 or 210 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a control unit (not shown) adapted to control the ventilation means 114 or 214 so that a smell is diffused in synchronization with an image on a screen within a theater. The control unit in which a specific time and specific duration have been set may drive the ventilation means 114 or 214 in response to an image displayed on a screen and provide a smell suitable for a situation to audiences so that the audiences can be immersed in a movie.

As described above, in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention, space can be reduced and a manufacturing cost and management expenses can be reduced compared to a conventional technology because the smell generation apparatus is embedded in a chair so that audiences within a theater can be immersed in a movie.

Furthermore, a smell diffusion effect can be improved by controlling the direction in which the outside air flows because space within a theater is efficiently used although the smell generation apparatus is disposed within a limited space, that is, a chair within a theater.

Furthermore, various smells according to situations in line with the deployment of a movie can be diffused because the smell generation apparatus includes the plurality of smell generation units.

Some embodiments of a smell generation chair in which the smell generation apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention has been embedded are described below.

In an embodiment of the present, the smell generation chair may include a chamber adapted to have a sucking hole formed on one side and an outlet formed on the other side, ventilation means disposed within the chamber and adapted to discharge the outside air inhaled through the sucking hole in one direction, and a smell generation unit disposed within the chamber and placed in the direction in which the outside air discharged by the ventilation means flows. The chamber may be placed under the cushion seat of a chair and configured to diffuse a smell to the outside using a pipe connected to the outlet. In this case, the chamber may be connected to a control unit for controlling the ventilation means so that it is synchronized with an image on a screen within a theater and a small is diffused.

In this case, the other end of the pipe may be connected to the armrest unit of the chair so that the smell can be diffused to an audience who has sit on the chair.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the smell generation chair may include a chamber adapted to have a sucking hole formed on one side and an outlet formed on the other side, ventilation means disposed within the chamber and adapted to discharge the outside air inhaled through the sucking hole in one direction, and a smell generation unit disposed within the chamber and placed in the direction in which the outside air discharged by the ventilation means flows. The chamber may be embedded in an armrest unit and diffuses a smell to the outside through the outlet. In this case, the chamber may be connected to a control unit for controlling the ventilation means so that it is synchronized with an image on a screen within a theater and a smell is diffused.

In the aforementioned embodiment, the control unit may have been embedded in the smell generation chair or may be separately disposed outside the smell generation chair.

In accordance with such embodiments, there is an advantage in that the leakage and inefficient waste of smell particles can be prevented because the path is reduced compared to a conventional smell generation system having a long smell generation path until a small is delivered to audiences after it is first diffused. Furthermore, there is an advantage in that a sense of immersion can be enhanced because a smell that stimulates the sense of smell of audiences can be rapidly diffused in response to an image being screened.

The detailed terms proposed in this specification are not intended to limit the present invention. Accordingly, although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may reconstruct, change and modify the embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the detailed description, and the present invention should be construed as covering all modifications or variations derived from the meaning and scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

A smell generation apparatus, comprising:

a chamber adapted to have a sucking hole formed on a first side and to have an outlet formed on a second side;

ventilation means disposed within the chamber and adapted to discharge outside air inhaled through the sucking hole in one direction; and

a smell generation unit disposed within the chamber and placed in a direction in which the outside air discharged by the ventilation means flows.
The smell generation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the smell generation apparatus is mounted on a space under a cushion seat of a chair or mounted on an armrest of the chair.
The smell generation apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the chamber is partitioned into a first area in which the ventilation means is placed and a second area in which the smell generation unit is placed by a isolation wall, and

the outside air inhaled into the sucking hole flows from the first area to the second area and is discharged through the outlet.
The smell generation apparatus of claim 3, wherein a discharge hole for discharging the outside air is provided on one side of the isolation wall.
The smell generation apparatus of claim 4, wherein the discharge hole is placed on a lower side of the isolation wall and adapted to guide the outside air so that the outside air flows in an upward direction from a lower side of the second area.
The smell generation apparatus of claim 3, wherein the ventilation means is closely attached to the isolation wall and adapted to inhale and discharge the outside air.
The smell generation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ventilation means comprises a fan or a pump.
The smell generation apparatus of claim 1, wherein a hollow is formed in the smell generation unit.
The smell generation apparatus of claim 1, wherein a plurality of through holes is formed in an outer surface of the smell generation unit in order to allow the outside air to freely pass through the through holes.
The smell generation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the smell generation unit is made of a material in which fine pores have been formed.
The smell generation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the smell generation unit has a cylindrical shape or a polyhedron shape.
The smell generation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the smell generation unit comprises a smell cartridge of a liquid state.
The smell generation apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a control unit adapted to control the ventilation means so that a smell is diffused in synchronization with an image on a screen within a theater.
The smell generation apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a plurality of the smell generation units adapted to have different smells and to diffuse different smells according to situations.
The smell generation apparatus of claim 13, wherein:

a plurality of the smell generation units is provided, and

the control unit controls a concentration of a smell by the number of smell generation units simultaneously driven by the control unit.
A smell generation chair, comprising:

a smell generation apparatus comprising a chamber adapted to have a sucking hole formed on a first side and to have an outlet formed on a second side, ventilation means disposed within the chamber and adapted to discharge outside air inhaled through a sucking hole in one direction, and a smell generation unit disposed within the chamber and placed in a direction in which the outside air discharged by the ventilation means flows;

a control unit adapted to control the ventilation means so that the ventilation means is synchronized with an image on a screen within a theater; and

a pipe adapted to have a first end connected to the outlet of the smell generation apparatus,

wherein the chamber is placed under a cushion seat of a chair and adapted to diffuse a smell externally through a second end of the pipe.
The smell generation chair of claim 16, wherein the second end of the pipe is connected to an armrest unit of the chair and diffuses a small toward an audience who has sit on the chair.
A smell generation chair, comprising:

a chamber adapted to have a sucking hole formed on a first side and to have an outlet formed on a second side;

ventilation means disposed within the chamber and adapted to discharge outside air inhaled through the sucking hole in one direction; and

a smell generation unit disposed within the chamber and placed in a direction in which the outside air discharged by the ventilation means flows,

wherein the chamber is embedded in an armrest unit and adapted to diffuse a smell externally through the outlet, and

the chamber is connected to a control unit for controlling the ventilation means so that the ventilation means is synchronized with an image on a screen within a theater and a smell is diffused.