KR102170970B1 - Range hood with Contamination Notification Function - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a range hood having a contamination notification function, and more particularly, by measuring the level of filter contamination of the range hood through a wind speed sensor and a weight sensor to determine whether or not contamination, and when exceeding the reference level of contamination, information is provided to the user. The present invention relates to a range hood having a contamination notification function that allows the range hood to be managed cleanly by providing a filter to be cleaned or replaced.

Description

Range hood with Contamination Notification Function

The present invention relates to a range hood having a contamination notification function, and more particularly, by measuring the level of filter contamination of the range hood through a wind speed sensor and a weight sensor to determine whether or not contamination, and when exceeding the reference level of contamination, information is provided to the user. The present invention relates to a range hood having a contamination notification function that allows the range hood to be managed cleanly by providing a filter to be cleaned or replaced.

In general, a range hood is installed on the top of a gas or electric range to discharge various odors and combustion gases generated when cooking food to the outside. These range hoods have a filter placed in the suction part to filter steam and oil to keep the exhaust line equipment clean, and recently, the filter configuration can be varied to include an air purification function that purifies the indoor air. have.

The range hood absorbs steam generated during cooking, oil, and indoor airborne dust together, so that each substance is settled on a filter that first passes during suction. As time elapses, the amount of foreign substances settled in the filter increases, and bacteria proliferate actively, acting as the main culprit making the kitchen unsanitary.

In Korea Patent Registration No. 10-0209331 (registered on April 20, 1999; hereinafter referred to as'priority document 1'), a method of indicating the filter replacement time of the range hood was proposed. The prior document 1 is equipped with an air volume detection sensor operated by the suctioned heat near the hood fan, and when the air volume detection sensor does not operate, an alarm unit is notified to indicate that it is time to replace the filter.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-138704 (published on Aug. 4, 2016; hereinafter referred to as'priority document 2'), a range hood was proposed. The prior document 2 is to inform the timing of cleaning or replacing the filter by calculating the degree of pollution by continuously measuring and accumulating the temperature of the inhaled air and storing the pollution progress as data.

Both of the prior documents 1 and 2 measure the temperature of the inhaled air and predict the degree of contamination therefrom, and provide information on the timing of cleaning and replacing the filter.

However, since the above method only predicts filter contamination, it is not possible to provide information on the cleaning timing by determining the actual filter contamination level, a need for a device that provides information by a new method has emerged.

Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0209331 (registered on April 20, 1999): How to display the filter replacement time of the range hood Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-138704 (published on 2016.08.04.): Range hood

The range hood of the present invention for solving the problems of the prior art as described above,

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device having a contamination notification function capable of providing information on the timing of cleaning by more accurately determining the contamination level by applying a sensor measurement method other than a temperature measurement method.

The range hood of the present invention for solving the above problems,

What is claimed is: 1. A range hood having a pollution notification function for notifying a filter management timing, comprising: a hood case having an accommodation space therein and a suction hole formed on a bottom surface; A filter that is seated in the suction hole of the bottom of the hood case and sucks air from the bottom; A hood fan installed inside the hood case to inhale and discharge air through a filter; An exhaust pipe for transferring the air sucked by the hood fan to be discharged to the outside; A wind speed measurement sensor coupled to a portion of the hood fan that sucks air that has passed through the filter to measure wind speed; A weight measuring sensor placed between an edge portion of the bottom of the filter and an inner surface of the hood case in which the filter is placed to measure the weight of the filter; And a control means for receiving measured values from the wind speed measurement sensor and the weight measurement sensor to determine the filter management timing and notifying the outside.

In addition, in the suction hole of the hood case, a seat extending from a wall surface facing each other in a horizontal or vertical direction forming a suction hole in the direction of the center of the suction hole is formed, and a seat on which the filter edge is seated is formed, and each of the pair of facing seats By mounting a weighing sensor on both sides of the filter can be seated on the top of the weighing sensor.

In addition, a fixing receiving groove for inserting the weighing sensor is formed in the mounting table, and the depth of the fixing receiving groove may be formed to be 1/2 to 4/5 times the height of the weighing sensor.

In addition, the control means, when the hood fan is not operating, measuring the filter weight through a weight measuring sensor and receiving the filter weight measurement value; Determining whether there is an abnormality by comparing the received filter weight measurement value with a preset weight change allowable value; If the filter weight measurement value is higher than the weight change allowable value, measuring the air velocity flowing through the filter when the hood fan is operated through the wind velocity measurement sensor and receiving the measured wind velocity measurement value; Calculating a measured air volume value from the wind speed measurement value, and calculating a change amount in comparison with the initial air volume value set by measuring during installation; If it is 5 to 10% lower from the initial air volume value, determining that it is a pollution state; And notifying the filter management information through any one of a notification means such as a voice output unit, a light emitting unit, and a display window when it is determined that the contamination state is determined.

The control means may further include a wireless communication unit, and a step of providing filter management information to a registered user terminal may be further performed.

The range hood of the present invention by the above solution means,

Based on the change in filter weight, such as by placing the filter in a weight detection sensor to measure the change in the filter weight when the exhaust fan is not operating, and by measuring the change in the air volume through the filter with the wind speed measurement sensor installed on the exhaust pipe side when the exhaust fan is operating. Since the pollution degree is determined by referring to the change in air volume, it is possible to provide a useful device that accurately judges the pollution degree of the filter and manages it.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a range hood according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
2A and 2B are bottom views of a range hood case with a settle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
3A and 3B are sectional views showing an enlarged portion A of FIG. 1 and another embodiment.
4A and 4B are flow charts showing a control method of a control means according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may be modified in various ways and may have various forms. Specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings, and the present invention will be described in detail in the text. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to a specific form of disclosure, it is to be understood as including all changes, equivalents, or substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention. In describing each drawing, similar reference numerals have been used for similar elements. In the accompanying drawings, the dimensions of the structures are shown to be enlarged or reduced than in actuality for clarity of the present invention.

The terms used in the present application are used only to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In the present application, terms such as "comprise", "include" or "have" are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, actions, elements, or a combination thereof described in the specification. It is to be understood that the presence or addition of other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, or combinations thereof, does not preclude in advance.

Unless otherwise defined, 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 the present invention belongs. Terms that are commonly used and defined in the dictionary should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning of the related technology, and should not be interpreted as an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in this application. .

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a range hood according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown, the range hood 10 is installed on the top of a gas or electric range to collect various odors, combustion gases, and heat generated during cooking and discharge them to the outside.

Looking at the configuration of the range hood 10, first, a hood case 20 is provided. The hood case 20 is in the form of a box having an accommodation space therein, and a suction hole 21 for sucking indoor air is formed at the bottom surface. The hood case generally includes a power cut-off function and a light function.

A filter 30 is mounted in the hood case suction hole 21. The filter 30 introduces indoor air into the hood case, but blocks flying insects and solids from entering. In some cases, an air purification filter may be further provided for indoor air circulation, and a metal net or resin net having a small through-hole is generally used. Therefore, the through hole is easily blocked by water vapor or oil vapor fine carbide, and the suction power may be lowered. A rubber packing may be placed between the suction hole 21 and the filter 30 to allow close contact between the suction hole and the filter.

In addition, a hood fan 40 is further mounted on the hood case 20. The hood fan 40 sucks indoor air into the hood case through the filter 30. The air introduced into the hood case 20 is discharged to the outside through an exhaust pipe 50 having one end coupled to the discharge side of the hood fan 40.

In addition, the hood fan 40 is equipped with a wind speed sensor 60 to measure the sucked wind speed. At this time, the wind speed measurement sensor 60 measures the wind speed of air passing through the filter by installing it in a direction close to the filter 30. This is to measure this because as the degree of contamination increases, the through-hole of the filter becomes narrower, which causes a lot of resistance to pass through the filter and the total wind speed will drop.

In addition, a weight measuring sensor 70 is further installed between the edge of the bottom of the filter 30 and the inner surface of the hood case where the filter is placed, for example, the edge of the suction hole. The weight measurement sensor 70 is formed in a plurality to support the filter so that the weight of the filter can be measured at all times.

A control means 80 is installed in the receiving space or one side of the hood case 20. The control means 80 is electrically connected to the wind speed measurement sensor 60 and the weight measurement sensor 70, receives the measured values measured by each sensor, determines the filter management timing, and informs the outside of the information. Let them respond. The filter management timing judgment is based on the filter weight and wind speed after the initial installation, and the filter weight and wind speed according to the pollution level in the experiment are already data, and this is stored as an initial value in the control means. Notifications can be made when they have the corresponding pollution level.

The notification to the outside may be made by transmission of information by a voice output unit, a light emitting unit, or a wired/wireless communication unit, and the notification may be periodically generated until the filter is removed for cleaning or replacement.

As a method of attaching the filter 30 to the hood case 20, as shown in Figs. 2A and 2B, the suction hole 21 of the hood case 20 has a seat extending from the inner wall in the center direction ( 22) is formed and placed on the edge of the filter. The mounting table 22 may be formed on all four inner wall surfaces forming the suction hole 21 of the hood case, or may be formed only on the inner wall surfaces opposite to each other in the horizontal or vertical direction.

The weight measuring sensor 70 is fixedly installed on both sides of the mounting table so that the filter 30 is placed in the weight measuring sensor 70 as shown in FIG. 3A.

In addition, the mounting table 22 is further formed with a fixed receiving groove 221 in which the weight measuring sensor 70 is inserted and fixed. The fixing receiving groove 221 is for minimizing the gap between the seating table 22 and the edge of the filter 30 not in contact with the weighing sensor while maintaining a constant installation position of the weighing sensor. The depth of the fixing receiving groove 221 is preferably formed to be 1/2 to 4/5 times the height of the weighing sensor 70, and if it is possible to precisely align the horizontally and install it, the fixed receiving groove is a weight measurement sensor to be inserted. It is also possible to configure to protrude around 10%.

As shown in Fig. 4a, the control means of the present invention,

When the hood fan is not operated, the filter weight is measured through a weight measurement sensor and the filter weight measurement value is transmitted. When the hood fan is operated, the filter weight cannot be accurately measured due to the suction force, so the weighing sensor should be measured while the hood fan is not operated. Therefore, the control means can accurately measure by checking whether power is supplied to the hood fan and then measuring the weighing sensor.

Next, a step of determining whether there is an abnormality is performed by comparing the received filter weight measurement value with a preset weight change allowable value. In this step, the difference value is calculated by comparing the initial weight value measured at the time of initial installation with the newly measured weight value, and comparing this with the allowable weight change value (initially set pollution degree allowance value) to determine whether it exceeds the range. This is the step to confirm. The weight change allowable value is a preset value of what percentage of the notification will be received when the weight at the time of maximum contamination is 100.

In addition, when the filter weight measurement value is higher than the weight change allowable value, the step of measuring the air velocity flowing through the filter through the air velocity measurement sensor when the hood fan is operated and receiving the measured velocity measurement value is performed. This step is a verification step to confirm the judgment by weight.

Subsequently, the measured air volume value is calculated from the wind speed measurement value, and a step of calculating the amount of change in comparison with the initial air volume value set by measuring during installation is performed. This step also determines the degree of contamination by calculating the difference based on the initial air volume value measured at the time of initial installation. That is, the measured air volume value is calculated from the wind speed measurement value and the filter area. In general, if it is 5 to 10% lower from the initial air volume value, it is determined as a pollution state, but it is possible to judge the degree of pollution in a wide range.

If it is determined that it is contaminated, a step of notifying the filter management information is performed through one of the notification means of the voice output unit, the light emitting unit, and the display window as notification means. In this step, the primary contamination is checked through the measured weight value, the wind speed is measured and verified, and the final contamination is determined, and this is notified by means of a notification.

Various methods may be applied to the notification means, and representatively, information on filter cleaning or replacement may be provided through a display window formed on an outer surface of the hood case or displayed through a voice output unit and a light emitting unit.

Since the notification is made according to the filter status, there is no need to perform a process such as initialization after washing.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4B, the control means may further include a wireless communication unit, and a step of providing filter management information to a registered user terminal may be further performed. In addition to the wireless communication unit, information is provided through a wired communication network.

In addition, when the pollution is determined based on the weight measurement value and does not enter the pollution range when calculating the air volume according to the wind speed measurement value, only a portion of the filter is determined to be clogged, and the filter can be requested.

In this way, by judging the contamination level of the filter based on the weight, it is possible to notify about the more accurate inspection time, so that the filter can be managed hygienically.

10: range hood
20: hood case
21: suction hole 22: seating table
221: Fixed receiving groove
30: filter
40: hood fan
50: exhaust pipe
60: wind speed sensor
70: weight measurement sensor
80: control means

Claims (5)

In the range hood with a contamination notification function that notifies the filter management timing,
A hood case 20 having an accommodation space therein and having a suction hole 21 formed on a bottom surface thereof; A filter (30) in the form of a metal mesh or resin mesh which is seated in the suction hole of the bottom of the hood case and sucks air from the lower portion; A hood fan (40) installed inside the hood case to suck and discharge air through a filter; An exhaust pipe 50 transferring the air sucked by the hood fan to be discharged to the outside; A wind speed measuring sensor 60 which is coupled to the air intake side of the hood fan to which the exhaust pipe is coupled to measure wind speed; A weight measuring sensor 70 which is placed between the edge of the filter bottom and the inner surface of the hood case in which the filter is placed to measure the weight of the filter; And a control means 80 that receives the measured values from the wind speed measurement sensor and the weight measurement sensor, determines the filter management timing, and informs the outside.
The control means 80,
When the hood fan is not operated, the filter weight is measured through a weight measuring sensor to receive a filter weight measurement value;
Determining whether there is an abnormality by comparing the received filter weight measurement value with a preset weight change allowable value;
If the filter weight measurement value is higher than the weight change allowable value, measuring the air velocity flowing through the filter when the hood fan is operated through the wind velocity measurement sensor and receiving the measured wind velocity measurement value;
Calculating a measured air volume value from the wind speed measurement value, and calculating a change amount in comparison with the initial air volume value set by measuring during installation;
If it is 5 to 10% lower than the initial air volume value, determining that it is a pollution state; And
And a step of notifying filter management information through any one of a voice output unit, a light emitting unit, and a display window as a notification unit when it is determined to be contaminated. The method of claim 1,
In the suction hole 21 of the hood case 20, a seat 22 is formed on which the filter edge is seated by extending from the wall surfaces opposite each other in the horizontal or vertical direction forming the suction hole in the direction of the suction hole center,
A weight measurement sensor 70 is mounted on each of the opposite sides of the pair of seating tables 22,
Range hood, characterized in that the filter (30) is mounted on the weighing sensor (70). The method of claim 2,
A fixing receiving groove 221 for inserting the weight measuring sensor 70 is formed in the mounting table 22, but the depth of the fixing receiving groove 221 is 1/2 to 4/of the height of the weighing sensor 70 Range hood, characterized in that it is formed five times. delete The method of claim 1,
The control means further comprises a wireless communication unit, the range hood further comprising the step of providing filter management information to the registered user terminal.

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