KR102209002B1 - Ultrasonic cleaning station responding cleansing environmental change - Google Patents

Abstract

An ultrasonic cleaning device using dual frequencies is disclosed. The ultrasonic cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a frequency generator that generates an oscillation frequency in the form of a sinusoid that oscillates a transducer, and a first transformer that receives the oscillation frequency and generates an ultrasonic wave having a first frequency. A second transducer that receives the oscillation frequency and generates an ultrasonic wave having a second frequency, an output value measuring unit that measures an output value of ultrasonic waves generated from the first transducer and the second transducer, and the first And a control unit for determining an oscillation frequency output from the frequency generator within a preset range based on a reference band so that an output value of ultrasonic waves generated from the transducer and the second transducer has a maximum value.

Description

Ultrasonic cleaning device responding to changes in cleaning environment {ULTRASONIC CLEANING STATION RESPONDING CLEANSING ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE}

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic cleaning device, and to an ultrasonic cleaning device using a dual frequency capable of cleaning an object to be cleaned using two different frequencies while maintaining cleaning performance.

Ultrasound waves are a type of sound and take the form of high-frequency vibration energy. Specifically, ultrasound refers to a sound wave having a frequency exceeding the range of 16Hz ~ 20kHz audible frequency that can be heard by humans.

When such ultrasonic waves are generated in water, a phenomenon in which fine bubbles are generated and then dissipated by the vibration of the sound wave occurs, which is called cavitation.

When microbubbles repeat generation and disappearance due to cavitation, very high pressure and high temperature are accompanied. You will be able to.

An ultrasonic cleaner is an apparatus that cleans contaminants using this principle.

For efficient cleaning that meets the user's cleaning needs, various characteristics that affect cavitation must be considered, and one of them is the frequency of ultrasonic waves applied to the cleaning liquid.

As the frequency of the ultrasonic wave applied to the cleaning solution increases, the straightness of the ultrasonic wave increases and the penetration power increases. However, since the size of the generated bubbles becomes fine, the intensity of cavitation decreases. Therefore, in the case of a product to be cleaned that has a fine shape and requires precise cleaning, it is advantageous to use high frequency to increase cleaning efficiency.

On the other hand, as the frequency of the ultrasonic waves applied to the cleaning solution is decreased, the size of the generated bubbles increases, so that the cavitation strength increases, but the penetrating force is weakened, resulting in a problem that there is a rectangular area to which the ultrasonic waves do not reach.

A multi-frequency ultrasonic cleaner using a plurality of frequencies has been used to complement the above-described disadvantages of high frequency and low frequency and maximize cleaning efficiency. The multi-frequency ultrasonic cleaner is a type of ultrasonic cleaner capable of solving a problem that occurs when only one frequency is used by using a vibrator generating different frequencies.

However, when the multi-frequency method is adopted, the output of a single frequency is inevitably lowered, resulting in a problem that the cleaning efficiency may be lower than when using a single frequency.

For example, if 10 oscillators can be placed in a cleaning tank having a limited size, if a single frequency of 28 kHz is used, all 10 oscillators generating a frequency of 28 kKz can be arranged.

On the other hand, if the ultrasonic cleaner is implemented in a multi-frequency method that uses 28 kHz and 40 kHz, 5 vibrators that generate 28 kHz and 5 vibrators that generate 40 kHz are attached. Is reduced.

Therefore, there is a problem that the output for each frequency is lowered compared to the case of adopting a single frequency method.

Accordingly, there is a need for a dual frequency ultrasonic cleaner capable of solving the problem of output degradation while using multiple frequencies.

The present invention has been conceived to solve the above-described problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic cleaning apparatus using a dual frequency capable of solving the problem of reducing power.

The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems that are not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

The ultrasonic cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object comprises a frequency generator that generates a sinusoidal oscillation frequency for oscillating a transducer, and receives the oscillation frequency and has a first frequency. A first transducer generating ultrasonic waves, a second transducer generating ultrasonic waves having a second frequency by receiving the oscillation frequency, and measuring output values of ultrasonic waves generated from the first transducer and the second transducer To determine the oscillation frequency output from the frequency generator within a preset range based on a reference band so that the output value measuring unit and the output value of the ultrasonic waves generated from the first and second transducers have a maximum value. It includes a control unit.

The control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention may determine, respectively, an oscillation frequency at which an output value of the first transducer is maximum and an oscillation frequency at which an output value of the second transducer is maximum.

The control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention controls the frequency generator to vary the oscillation frequency within a preset range based on a reference band frequency, so that ultrasonic waves generated from the first and second transducers are controlled. Each oscillation frequency with the maximum output value of can be determined as the driving frequency.

The control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention controls the frequency generator so that the initial reference band frequency of driving the ultrasonic cleaner is applied as the oscillation frequency, and increases or decreases the oscillation frequency at a preset interval within a preset range. I can.

The control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention allows the lowest frequency to be applied as the oscillation frequency within a preset range based on the initial reference band frequency of driving the ultrasonic cleaner, and until the highest frequency is reached within the preset range. The frequency generator may be controlled to increase the oscillation frequency at preset intervals.

The control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the environment change in the cleaning tank is detected, the control unit re-searches each oscillation frequency at which the ultrasonic output values of the first and second transducers are maximum. can do.

According to the ultrasonic cleaning apparatus using the above-described dual frequency, it is possible to apply the same oscillation frequency as the resonance frequency of the piezoelectric element that changes according to the internal environment of the cleaning tank, thereby maximizing the output value of ultrasonic waves output from the transducer. Can achieve.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an ultrasonic cleaner using a dual frequency according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling an ultrasonic cleaning apparatus using a dual frequency according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling an ultrasonic cleaning apparatus using a dual frequency according to another embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart for explaining a process of determining when to perform oscillation frequency search according to an embodiment of the present invention

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Advantages and features of the present invention, and a method of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments to be posted below, but may be implemented in various different forms. It is provided to completely inform the scope of the invention to those who have, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. The same reference numerals refer to the same components throughout the specification.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the present specification may be used as meanings that can be commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. In addition, terms defined in a commonly used dictionary are not interpreted ideally or excessively unless explicitly defined specifically.

In addition, in the present specification, the singular form may also be included in the plural form unless specifically stated in the phrase. As used in the specification, "comprises" and/or "comprising" refers to the presence of one or more other components, steps, actions and/or elements, and/or elements, steps, actions and/or elements mentioned. Or does not exclude additions.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an ultrasonic cleaner 100 using a dual frequency according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The ultrasonic cleaner 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a frequency generator 110, a first transducer 130, a second transducer 150, an output value measurement unit 170, and a control unit 190.

In FIG. 1, only components related to an embodiment of the present invention are shown, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains may further include other general-purpose components in addition to the components shown in FIG. 1. Able to know.

The frequency generator 110 generates a frequency for oscillation in the form of a sine wave that oscillates the transducer. The frequency generator 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention may generate a frequency for oscillation of a transducer by adjusting a frequency within a preset range. Here, the oscillation frequency may be a sinusoidal voltage or current. To this end, the frequency generator 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a VCO oscillation circuit capable of varying an oscillation frequency.

The ultrasonic output value generated from the transducer has a maximum value when the oscillation ultrasonic wave applied to the transducer coincides with the inherent resonance frequency of the piezoelectric element included in the transducer.

Accordingly, the frequency generator 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention is controlled to output an oscillation frequency that matches the resonance frequency of the piezoelectric element included in the transducer.

A specific method of generating an oscillation frequency that matches the resonance frequency of the piezoelectric element included in the transducer by the frequency generator 110 will be described in detail below.

The first transducer 130 and the second transducer 150 convert electrical energy input from the frequency generator 110 to generate ultrasonic waves having different frequencies. In this case, frequencies for oscillation input to the first and second transducers 130 and 150 may be different from each other.

The first transducer 130 and the second transducer 150 include piezoelectric elements for generating ultrasonic waves having a predetermined frequency by converting the sine wave having electrical vibration into mechanical vibration, each piezoelectric element Because the characteristics of are different, the oscillation frequency for oscillating each transducer to the maximum output is different.

On the other hand, the inherent resonance frequency of the piezoelectric element is not always constant and changes according to the environment inside the cleaning tank. For example, the inherent resonance frequency of a piezoelectric element varies according to conditions such as a temperature change of a cleaning tank, a change in a water level, a change in an amount of a cleaning liquid, an amount of an object to be cleaned, or a type of cleaning agent.

Therefore, in order for the first transducer 130 and the second transducer 150 including the piezoelectric element to output ultrasonic waves having the maximum output, a sine wave having the same frequency as the resonance frequency of each piezoelectric element is applied. Should be.

The output value measuring unit 170 measures output values of ultrasonic waves output from the first and second transducers 130 and 150.

The output value measuring unit 170 measures an ultrasonic output value that is differently output according to the frequency of the electrical signal applied from the frequency generator 110. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the output value measuring unit 170 may calculate an output value of ultrasonic waves by measuring an output voltage or an output current of the transducers 130 and 150.

When the output values of the transducers 130 and 150 are measured according to the above-described method, the result values are transmitted to the control unit 190.

The control unit 190 sets the oscillation frequency output from the frequency generator 110 based on the reference band so that the ultrasonic output values generated from the first and second transducers 130 and 150 have a maximum value. Determine within the set range.

For example, if the reference band of ultrasonic waves generated by the first transducer 130 is 28 kHz, the oscillation frequency applied from the frequency generator 110 to the first transducer 130 is within the range of 28 kHz±3 kHz. Decide.

Similarly, if the reference band of ultrasonic waves generated by the second transducer 150 is 40 kHz, the frequency for oscillation applied from the frequency generator 110 to the second transducer 150 is determined within the range of 40 kHz±3 kHz. .

That is, the control unit 190 according to an embodiment of the present invention sets the oscillation frequency at which the output value of the first transducer 130 is maximum and the oscillation frequency at which the output value of the second transducer 150 is maximum, respectively. Decide.

The controller 190 receives the ultrasonic output value output from the first transducer 130 when a random oscillation frequency is applied and determines the oscillation frequency when the ultrasonic output value is maximized as the optimum frequency.

The process of determining the frequency for oscillation applied to the second transducer 130 is also performed in the same manner as described above.

The process of determining the optimal oscillation frequency at which the output value of the ultrasonic waves generated by each transducer is the maximum is included in the transducer at the beginning of the operation of the ultrasonic cleaner, when the driving mode of the ultrasonic cleaner is changed, and when the quantity of cleaning liquid is changed. It can be implemented when the environment affecting the resonant frequency of the piezoelectric element is changed.

According to the above-described ultrasonic cleaning apparatus 100, since it is possible to apply the same oscillation frequency as the resonance frequency of the piezoelectric element that changes according to the environment inside the cleaning tank, the effect of maximizing the output value of ultrasonic waves output from the transducer can be achieved. Can be achieved.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling an ultrasonic cleaning apparatus using a dual frequency according to an embodiment of the present invention.

At the initial stage of driving the ultrasonic cleaning apparatus 100, the control unit 190 controls the frequency generator 110 so that different reference band frequencies are applied to the transducers 130 and 150 (S210). The reference band frequency may be preset according to characteristics of piezoelectric elements included in each transducer. Specifically, the reference band frequency may be set as a unique resonance frequency of the piezoelectric element.

In this embodiment, since the reference band frequency of the first transducer 130 is 20 kHz, and the reference band frequency of the second transducer 150 is 48 kHz, the reference band frequency may be applied to each transducer as a frequency for oscillation. .

When the frequency generator 110 applies the oscillation frequency to each transducer as a reference band frequency, the output value measurement unit 170 measures an output value of ultrasonic waves output from each transducer (S220). As described above, the output value of the ultrasonic wave may be measured in the form of sensing the output voltage or output current of the transducer.

Thereafter, the control unit 190 controls the frequency generator 110 to vary the frequency within a preset range based on the reference band frequency (S230). The control unit 190 according to an embodiment of the present invention may increase or decrease a frequency at a preset interval based on a reference band frequency and receive an output value of an ultrasonic wave output from the transducer. When the frequency generator 110 applies the variable oscillation frequency, the output value measuring unit 170 measures the ultrasonic output value generated by the transducer again (S240).

The above-described process is repeatedly performed for frequencies of preset intervals within a preset range based on the reference band frequency. When the frequency change is completed within the preset range (S250), the oscillation frequency at which the output value of the transducer is the maximum is determined as the transducer driving frequency (S260).

Meanwhile, in the above-described embodiment, a frequency other than the reference band frequency may be applied as the oscillation frequency applied at the initial stage of execution of the ultrasonic cleaner 100.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling an ultrasonic cleaning apparatus using a dual frequency according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The control unit 190 according to an embodiment of the present invention allows the ultrasonic generator 110 to apply the lowest frequency within a preset range based on the reference band to each of the transducers 130 and 150 as the oscillation frequency. It can be controlled (S310).

For example, if the frequency is varied within the range of ±1 kHz based on the reference band frequency of 28 kHz, it may be controlled to apply the lowest frequency 27 kHz as the initial oscillation frequency within a preset range.

After the lowest frequency is applied as the oscillation frequency within the preset range, the output value of each transducer is measured (S320). Thereafter, the frequency is increased by a predetermined interval and the oscillation frequency is applied to each transducer (S330).

For example, if the preset interval is 100 Hz, it may be applied to the first transducer 130 while increasing the frequency for oscillation by 100 Hz from 27 kHz, which is the lowest frequency within a preset range. .

Likewise, the second transducer 150 may be applied to the second transducer 150 while increasing the oscillation frequency by 100 Hz from 37 kHz, which is the lowest frequency, within a preset range.

The output value measuring unit 170 measures the output of each transducer whenever the frequency is changed (S340), and stops the frequency change when the frequency oscillation is completed within a preset range (S350). At this time, the frequency change continues until reaching the highest frequency within a preset range based on the reference band frequency.

When the frequency change is completed, the oscillation frequency at which the output value of each transducer is the maximum is determined as each driving frequency (S360).

Meanwhile, in the above-described embodiment, the initial oscillation frequency is determined as the lowest frequency within a preset range based on the reference band. However, the highest frequency may be controlled to be applied as the initial oscillation frequency within a preset range. have. In this case, the frequency change can be controlled by lowering the initial oscillation frequency at a preset interval.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining a timing when searching for an oscillation frequency is performed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The process of searching for the optimum oscillation frequency of the transducer described in FIGS. 2 to 3 may be performed at the beginning of driving the ultrasonic cleaner 100, but may be performed when a change in the environment inside the cleaning tank is detected.

As described above, when the frequency for oscillation output from the frequency generator 110 coincides with the inherent resonance frequency of the piezoelectric element included in the transducer, the ultrasonic output value is maximized, and the inherent resonance frequency of the piezoelectric element is This is because it changes according to the environment.

That is, the process of matching the resonance frequency of the piezoelectric element that changes according to the internal environment of the cleaning tank with the oscillation frequency output from the frequency generator 110 must be performed whenever the internal environment of the cleaning tank changes.

To this end, the control unit 190 according to an embodiment of the present invention measures the initial environment of the cleaning tank (S410). Here, the environment of the cleaning tank may be a temperature of the cleaning tank, a level of the cleaning liquid, a change in the amount of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank, the amount of the object to be cleaned, or the type of the cleaning agent.

To this end, the ultrasonic cleaner 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a sensor capable of measuring a temperature inside a cleaning tank, a level of a cleaning liquid, a change in a cleaning liquid input/output amount, and the like. Other cleaning agents or types of objects to be cleaned may be input by a user through a user interface provided in the ultrasonic cleaner 100.

Thereafter, the transducer is driven at the first oscillation frequency at which the output value of the transducer is the maximum (S420. The method of determining the first oscillation frequency at which the output value of the transducer is maximum is the method described in FIG. 2 or 3 ). It is done as it is.

While driving the transducer at the first oscillation frequency, it is determined whether a change in the environment in the cleaning tank is detected (S430). For example, it is determined whether the amount of change in the temperature or water level inside the washing tank has exceeded a preset reference value. Alternatively, when the user changes the driving mode of the ultrasonic cleaner 100 through the user interface, it may be determined that there is a change in the environment.

When a change in the environment in the cleaning tank is detected, the second oscillation frequency at which the output value of the transducer is maximum is searched (S440). Likewise, the method of searching for the second oscillation frequency is performed as described in FIG. 2 or 3.

When the second oscillation frequency at which the output value of the transducer is the maximum is searched, the transducer is driven at the corresponding frequency (S450).

According to the above-described control method of the ultrasonic cleaner 100, it is possible to drive the transducer at a frequency for oscillation that is optimized for changes in the environment inside the cleaning tank, thereby achieving the effect of maximizing the cleaning effect by maintaining the ultrasonic output value to the maximum. can do.

Meanwhile, the above-described method can be written as a program that can be executed on a computer, and can be implemented in a general-purpose digital computer that operates the program using a computer-readable recording medium. In addition, the structure of the data used in the above-described method can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium through various means. The computer-readable recording medium includes a storage medium such as a magnetic storage medium (for example, a ROM, a floppy disk, a hard disk, etc.) and an optical reading medium (for example, a CD-ROM, a DVD, etc.).

Those of ordinary skill in the technical field related to the present embodiment will appreciate that it may be implemented in a modified form without departing from the essential characteristics of the above-described description. Therefore, the disclosed methods should be considered from an explanatory point of view rather than a limiting point of view. The scope of the present invention is shown in the claims rather than the foregoing description, and all differences within the scope equivalent thereto should be construed as being included in the present invention.

Claims (7)

A frequency generator for generating a first oscillation frequency and a second oscillation frequency for oscillating the transducer;
A first transducer having a first piezoelectric element having a first resonant frequency, receiving the first oscillation frequency, and generating an ultrasonic wave having a first frequency;
A second transducer having a second piezoelectric element having a second resonant frequency, receiving the second oscillation frequency, and generating an ultrasonic wave having a second frequency;
An output value measuring unit that measures a first output value of ultrasonic waves generated from the first transducer and measures a second output value of ultrasonic waves generated from the second transducer; And
The first oscillation frequency and the second oscillation frequency are determined so that each of the first output value and the second output value has a maximum value, and the determined first oscillation frequency and the second oscillation frequency are output. Including a control unit for performing an optimal frequency determination process for controlling the frequency generator,
The first resonant frequency is 25 kHz or more and 31 kHz or less,
The second resonance frequency is 37 kHz or more and 43 kHz or less,
The size of the bubbles generated by the ultrasonic waves generated by the first transducer is larger than the size of the bubbles generated by the ultrasonic waves generated by the second transducer,
The ultrasonic wave generated by the second transducer has a greater linearity than the ultrasonic wave generated by the first transducer,
When a change in a driving mode indicating a change in a cleaning agent is input through a user interface, the control unit performs the process of determining the optimum frequency again in order to respond to changes in the first and second resonance frequencies,
Ultrasonic cleaning device. delete delete The method of claim 1,
The control unit,
When the initial reference band frequency of driving the ultrasonic cleaner is applied as the first oscillation frequency and the second oscillation frequency, and when the optimum frequency determination process is performed again, the first oscillation at a preset interval within a preset range An ultrasonic cleaning device for controlling the frequency generator to increase or decrease the frequency for use and the second frequency for oscillation. delete delete The method of claim 1,
The control unit,
When a signal indicating a change in the amount of cleaning liquid is received from a sensor measuring a change in the amount of cleaning liquid in/out, ultrasonic cleaning is performed again to determine the optimum frequency in order to respond to changes in the first and second resonant frequencies. Device.

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