KR101634532B1 - Method for air washer - Google Patents

Abstract

A control method of an air washer according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a tank in which water is stored; A disk unit partially immersed in the tank and supported by the tank and rotated; A disk drive for rotating the disk unit; And a germicidal lamp disposed in the tank, the germicidal lamp generating ultraviolet rays to sterilize water stored in the tank, the method comprising: sensing a water level stored in the tank; Determining whether the water level of the tank is a drivable water level (S20); (S30) when ultraviolet rays are generated by applying power to the sterilizing lamp in the case of a drivable water level; Determining whether the driving time of the sterilizing lamp is exceeded (S40); And disconnecting the power supplied to the sterilizing lamp when the driving time is exceeded (S50).
The control method of the air washer according to the present invention is effective in sterilizing the water stored in the tank by operating the sterilizing lamp at a predetermined time interval, thereby inhibiting the propagation of noxious bacteria.

Description

Method of controlling air washer [0001]

The present invention relates to a control method of an air washer.

In general, an air washer is a type of air cleaner that removes foreign matter from air by bringing air into contact with water.

In general, an air purifier is a filter type which sucks air and purifies and discharges the air through a filter, an electric dust collecting type that collects and purifies foreign matters in the air through an electric discharge, And the air is filtered through the filter.

Since the water filter system uses water, it is not only environmentally friendly but also consumes no additional cost, and thus the use thereof is increasing recently.

Korean Patent No. 10-1004555

The present invention provides a control method of an air washer provided with a sterilizing lamp capable of sterilizing water stored in a tank.

A control method of an air washer according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a tank in which water is stored; A disk unit partially immersed in the tank and supported by the tank and rotated; A disk drive for rotating the disk unit; And a germicidal lamp disposed in the tank, the germicidal lamp generating ultraviolet rays to sterilize water stored in the tank, the method comprising: sensing a water level stored in the tank; Determining whether the water level of the tank is a drivable water level (S20); (S30) when ultraviolet rays are generated by applying power to the sterilizing lamp in the case of a drivable water level; Determining whether the driving time of the sterilizing lamp is exceeded (S40); And disconnecting the power supplied to the sterilizing lamp when the driving time is exceeded (S50).

The sterilizing lamp may be controlled to generate ultraviolet rays at predetermined time intervals.

It is possible to control ultraviolet rays to be generated through the sterilizing lamp during operation of the disk unit.

If it is determined in step S20 that the water level is not driftable, the process may proceed to step S50.

If it is within the drive time in step S40, the process may return to step S10.

The control method of the air washer according to the present invention is effective in sterilizing the water stored in the tank by operating the sterilizing lamp at a predetermined time interval, thereby inhibiting the propagation of noxious bacteria.

In addition, the control method of the air washer according to the present invention has an effect that the operation of the sterilizing lamp is controlled according to the level stored in the tank to perform the optimum sterilization.

1 is a perspective view of an air washer according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a front view of Fig. 1
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of Figure 2;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the installation state of the disk unit shown in FIG.
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the tank shown in Fig.
Fig. 6 is a front view of the sterilizing lamp shown in Fig. 4
7 is a cross-sectional view of the lamp electrode shown in Fig. 6
8 is a flowchart showing the control method of the air washer according to the first embodiment of the present invention
9 is a graph showing an operation signal of the sterilizing lamp according to the first embodiment of the present invention,

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear. Even if the terms are the same, it is to be noted that when the portions to be displayed differ, the reference signs do not coincide.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

The terms first, second, etc. in this specification may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component. And / or < / RTI > includes any combination of a plurality of related listed items or any of a plurality of related listed items.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the relevant art and are to be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in the present application Do not.

Also, when a part is referred to as "including " an element, it does not exclude other elements unless specifically stated otherwise.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an air washer according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a sectional view cut along AA of FIG. 2, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the tank shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a front view of the sterilizing lamp shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 7 is a side view of the lamp electrode shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the control method of the air washer according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a graph showing an operation signal of the sterilizing lamp according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The air washer according to the present embodiment includes a case 10 having a suction port 11 and a discharge port 12, a tank 20 disposed inside the case 10, A ventilating fan unit 30 for circulating air through the inlet 11 and the outlet 12 and a disk unit 40 partially rotatably disposed in the tank 20, And a sterilizing lamp 50 disposed in the tank 20 for sterilizing the water stored in the tank 20. The disk drive 40 includes a disk driving unit (not shown)

In this embodiment, the case 10 is composed of an outer case 13, an inner case 14 and a bottom case 15.

The outer case 13 is formed with the suction port 11 formed on the front surface thereof, the discharge port 12 formed on the upper surface thereof, and the handle groove 17 formed on the side thereof.

In this embodiment, a suction grill 16 is formed to form the suction port 11. [

The inner case 14 is assembled inside the outer case 13, and the blowing fan unit 30, the disk driving unit, and the control box 60 are installed.

Particularly, the control box 60 is disposed between the outer case 13 and the inner case 14 to block the contact with the air flowing by the blowing fan unit 30, thereby minimizing the influence of moisture .

The bottom case 15 may be a support for supporting the tank 20 and may be integrally formed with the tank 20.

The blowing fan unit 30 includes a blowing housing 31 assembled on the outer case 13 to form the blowing out port 12, a blowing motor 32 coupled to the blowing housing 31, And a blowing fan 34 coupled to the blowing motor 32 and rotated.

The air blowing housing 31 further includes a blowing guide 33 for forming an upper side of the case 10 and guides the air upward from the lower side of the case 10 to the upper side.

Here, the air guide 33 guides the air to be discharged upward, and is formed to be inclined toward the radially outer side.

The blowing motor 32 is installed such that the motor shaft faces downward, and the blowing fan 34 is positioned below the blowing motor 32 and is coupled to the motor shaft.

The blowing fan 34 is a centrifugal fan, and sucks air through the center to discharge air to the outside in the radial direction. The discharged air is guided through the inner case 14 and the air blowing housing 31 and is moved to the discharge port 12. [

The disk unit 40 includes a disk assembly in which a plurality of disks 41 are assembled in parallel at a predetermined interval, a disk shaft 42 coupled to the disk assembly and forming a rotation axis, A disc gear 43 for receiving a rotational force from the disc driving unit, and a handle 44 coupled to the disc gear 43.

In the disk assembly, a plurality of the disks 41 are arranged in parallel, and the water contacts the surface of the disk 41 while water flows between the disks 41.

The disc driving unit is engaged with the disc gear 43 to transmit a rotational force, and the disc assembly is rotated by a rotational force transmitted to the disc gear 43.

When the disk assembly is rotated around the disk shaft 42, the submerged portion of the disk 20 is rotated upward to be exposed to the air. At this time, water is naturally evaporated from the surface of the disk 41 exposed to the air, and humidification is performed in the air.

The disk drive unit is installed in the inner case 14. [

The handle 44 is coupled to the disk shaft 42 and rotates relative to the disk shaft 42. When the operation force is not applied, the handle 44 is supported on the upper side of the tank 20 by its own weight.

The user can lift the disc unit 40 from the tank 20 through the handle 44. [

The tank 20 stores water therein and is mounted on the bottom case 15 to form a lower surface of the case 10 when the outer case 13 is coupled.

The tank 20 includes an outer tank 22 seated in the bottom case 15, an inner tank 24 coupled to the inside of the outer tank 22 and storing water therein, And a water level sensing electrode (26) provided in the inner tank (24) for sensing the water level.

The disk unit 40 is rotated while being supported by the inner tank 24 and the disk shaft 42 of the disk unit 40 is supported by the inner tank 24.

The sterilizing lamp 50 is disposed between the inner tank 24 and the outer tank 22 and the lamp electrode 58 electrically connected to the control box 60 is partially exposed to the upper side of the tank 20, do.

A transparent tank window 25 is formed in the inner tank 24 so that a light source generated from the sterilizing lamp 50 can be projected into the tank 20.

Here, the tank window 25 is sealed to prevent water from permeating between the outer tank 22 and the inner tank 24.

The germicidal lamp 50 includes a lamp case 52, a lamp substrate 54 disposed inside the lamp case 52, and a display unit 54, which is provided on the lamp substrate 54, And a lamp electrode 58 electrically connected to the lamp substrate 54 and partially disposed on the upper side of the tank 20.

The tank window 25 is disposed on the inner lower side of the tank 20 and is located on the inner edge side that can be spaced apart from the disk unit 40 as much as possible in this embodiment.

The wavelength generated by the lamp 56 is an ultraviolet short wavelength (UVC) of 276 nanometers.

The wavelength generated in the lamp 56 may be variously formed, and ultraviolet rays are used in the present embodiment.

The wavelength generated by the ram 56 is short, but it is arranged so as to be far away from the inside of the tank 20 because it may cause discoloration or deformation of the disc unit 40.

It is desirable that the possible lamp 56 be positioned as low as possible so that it can be operated even when the water stored in the tank 20 is small.

The lamp case 52 may be formed so as to be hermetically sealed inside the lamp case 52. In this embodiment, the lamp case 52 is formed so as to open at one side thereof and is formed with the outer surface of the inner tank 24, Seal it. Therefore, the outer surface of the inner tank 24 is formed with a shape that is compatible with the lamp case 52, and a seal is formed to prevent moisture infiltration.

Here, the lamp 56 is disposed inside the tank window 25.

At the edge of the lamp case 52, a positioning groove 53 is formed to facilitate assembly when assembled with the tank 20.

The positioning groove 53 interferes with the boss 23 formed in the tank 20 so that the position where the lamp case 22 is installed can be intuitively confirmed.

The lamp case 22 is interfered with the boss 23 and the movement is limited after the outer tank 22 and the inner tank 24 are assembled.

The lamp electrode 58 is configured to electrically connect the control box 60 and the lamp substrate 54. A connection electrode (not shown) in contact with the lamp electrode 58 is formed in the case 10, And the connection electrode is electrically connected to the control box 60.

In this embodiment, the connecting electrode is formed in the inner case 14, and the electrode structure for electrical connection is a general technique to those skilled in the art, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The sterilization lamp 50 must be installed in the tank 20 to sterilize the water stored in the tank 20 so that the sterilization lamp 50 can be installed in a structure physically detachable from the case 10 in which the control box 60 is installed. .

In addition, when the tank (20) and the case (10) are coupled, reliability must always be maintained in an electrically connected state.

Thus, in this embodiment, the lamp electrode 58 is configured to maintain a state in which the lamp electrode 58 is always in close contact with the case 10 side while being relatively moved in the longitudinal direction.

The lamp electrode (58) is installed in the lamp case (52). When the lamp electrode (58) is externally applied, the lamp electrode (58) changes its length and maintains a contact state by elastic force.

The lamp electrode 58 may include a first electrode 57 disposed on the lamp case 52 and a second electrode 57 disposed on the first electrode 57 and relatively moving along the first electrode 57. [ 59 and an electrode elastic member 51 disposed between the first and second electrodes 57 and 59 for providing an elastic force to the second electrode 59.

The upper end of the first electrode 57 and the lower end of the second electrode 59 are bent toward each other to prevent the first and second electrodes 57 and 59 from being separated from each other.

The electrode elastic member 51 is supported by the first electrode 57 to provide an elastic force to the second electrode 59 in this embodiment. When the external force is applied, the lamp electrode 58 is moved relative to each other and maintained in contact with external force. The electrode elastic member 59 may be formed in various shapes.

For example, the electrode elastic member may be mounted on the case 10 to provide an elastic force to the second electrode 59.

The lamp electrode 58 may be formed in the form of a leaf spring instead of the first and second electrodes, and may be manufactured to maintain the contact state with the connection electrode by elasticity of the material.

When the case 10 is assembled with the tank 20, the case 10 moves downward by pushing the second electrode 59, and the connecting electrode (not shown) (Not shown).

When the case 10 is separated from the tank 20, the second electrode 59 is moved upward by the electrode elastic member 51.

Accordingly, the second electrode 59 can be maintained in an electrically connected state with the control box 60 while being moved in the vertical direction, and the distance or assembly distance generated when the tank 20 and the case 10 are assembled can be maintained. It is possible to freely design tolerances.

Since the power applied to the germicidal lamp 50 is cut off at the moment when the user dismounts the case 10 and the tank 20 while the germicidal lamp 50 is harmful to the light generated by the germicidal lamp 50, The possibility of damage can be excluded.

Hereinafter, a method of controlling the sterilizing lamp according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

The control method of the air washer according to the present embodiment includes a step S10 of sensing the level of the water stored in the tank 20 and a step S20 of determining whether the water level of the tank 20 is the drivable water level A step S30 of operating the lamp 56 by applying power to the sterilizing lamp 50 when the water level is the drivable level, and a step S30 of checking the driving time of the lamp 56 to determine whether the driving time is exceeded Step S40, and, if the driving time is exceeded, turning off the power applied to the sterilizing lamp 50 (S50).

If it is determined in step S20 that the water level is not driftable, the process proceeds to step S50.

If it is within the drive time in step S40, the process returns to step S10.

The controller installed in the control box 60 senses the level of the water stored in the tank 20 before activating the sterilizing lamp 50.

The controller may sense the level of the water stored in the tank 20 through the level sensing electrode 26 provided in the tank 20.

Thus, when the water level determined through the water level sensing electrode 26 is a drivable water level capable of driving the sterilizing lamp 50, power is applied to the sterilizing lamp 50.

The drivable water level can be set variously, and in this embodiment, the lamp 56 is set to a high water level. If the water level is lower than that of the lamp 56, the generated light source may be diffused into the air rather than the water to discolor the disc unit 40, and the process of operating the sterilizing lamp 50 after sensing the water level as described above The durability of the air washer can be improved.

Next, when the water level of the tank 20 is at the drivable water level, the controller applies power to the sterilization lamp 50 and generates ultraviolet rays through the lamp 56.

The sterilizing unit 50 may be operated while the disc unit 40 is being driven by the user's selection, and may be operated even when the disc unit 40 is stopped.

When the disk unit 40 is in operation, the control unit applies an electric power to the sterilization lamp 50 for 1.5 hours to sterilize the sterilization lamp 50 and stops the operation of the sterilization lamp 50 for 6 hours Respectively.

Here, when the sterilizing lamp 50 is operated during operation of the disk unit 40, the disk unit 40 circulates the stored water, thereby effectively sterilizing the disk unit 40.

In addition, during the operation of the disk unit 40, it is possible to suppress the propagation of noxious bacteria in the foreign substance collected inside the tank 20 at an early stage.

In addition, when the disk unit 40 is rotated, natural vaporization occurs on the surface of the disk 41, and it is possible to suppress the spread of harmful bacteria through the sterilization.

When the case 10 is disconnected from the tank 20 when the sterilizing lamp 50 is operated, the power supplied to the sterilizing lamp 50 is cut off and the light source of the lamp 56 is immediately turned off Whereby the ultraviolet rays can be prevented from being exposed to the user.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, It is to be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive.

10: Case 11:
12: Outlet port 13: Outer case
14: Inner case 15: Bottom case
20: tank 22: outer tank
24: inner tank 25: tank window
30: blowing fan unit 31: blowing housing
32: a blower motor 33: a blower guide
34: blower fan 40: disk unit
41: Disk 42: Disk shaft
43: disk gear 44: handle
50: sterilizing lamp 51: electrode elastic member
52: lamp case 53: positioning groove
54: lamp substrate 56: lamp
57: first electrode 59: second electrode
60: Control box

Claims (6)

A tank having an upper side opened and a tank window in contact with the stored water and through which ultraviolet rays are transmitted; A disk unit partially immersed in the tank and supported by the tank and rotated; A disk drive for rotating the disk unit; And a sterilizing lamp disposed in the tank but not in contact with the stored water and generating ultraviolet rays toward the tank window to sterilize water stored in the tank,
Sensing a water level stored in the tank (S10);
Determining whether the water level of the tank is a drivable water level (S20);
(S30) when ultraviolet rays are generated by applying power to the sterilizing lamp in the case of a drivable water level;
Determining whether the driving time of the sterilizing lamp is exceeded (S40);
(S50), when the driving time is exceeded, cutting off the power applied to the sterilizing lamp (S50).
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sterilizing lamp is controlled to generate ultraviolet rays at a predetermined time interval.
The method according to claim 1,
And controlling ultraviolet rays to be generated through the sterilizing lamp during operation of the disk unit.
The method according to claim 1,
If it is determined in step S20 that the water level is not the drivable water level, the process proceeds to step S50.
The method according to claim 1,
And if it is within the driving time in step S40, the control returns to step S10.
The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a case which is mounted above the tank,
Wherein the sterilizing lamp includes a lamp electrode electrically connected to a control box disposed in the case when the case is mounted,
And disconnecting the power source applied to the sterilizing lamp from the lamp electrode when the case is separated.

Images