KR102580304B1 - Camera system and water purifier apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a body that forms an exterior and includes a holder on which a cup is placed, a discharge device disposed on one side of the body and discharging water contained within the body, and a height of the cup disposed on the holder or accommodated inside the cup. It includes a sensor that measures the height of the water, and the sensor includes a light emitting unit that emits light toward at least a portion of the mounting unit and a sensing unit that senses the light, and the optical axis of the light emitted from the light emitting unit is that of the mounting unit. The angle (A) formed with the surface on which the cup is placed relates to a water purifier that satisfies the following conditional expression.
conditional expression

B means 0.5 times the angle of view of the light emitted from the light emitting unit.

Description

Camera system and water purifier apparatus including the same

The present invention relates to a camera system and a water purifier including the same.

In general, a water purifier is a device that uses physical, chemical or biological methods to make tap water, well water, valley water or river water suitable for drinking water quality standards by going through these processes or combining these processes. Water quality standards for drinking water are set in most countries, including Korea, based on the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO). According to this, the water quality standards are as follows: Even if you continue to drink about 2 liters of water a day for 70 years, water will not be absorbed into the human body. Since it is set by multiplying the concentration that does not cause harm by the safety factor, water that meets the water quality standards for drinking water can be said to be safe.

Recently, as the Internet of Things (IoT) has spread and home appliances, including water purifiers, have become smarter, water purifiers used at home are also becoming smart devices.

The Internet of Things refers to a technology that connects various objects to the Internet by embedding sensors and communication functions.

Here, objects can be various embedded systems such as home appliances, mobile equipment, and wearable computers.

There is a need for a water purifier to automatically recognize the height of the cup placed in the water purifier and automatically supply water corresponding to the height.

In order to automatically supply water to the cup placed in the water purifier, it is necessary to measure the height of the cup and the height of the water inside the cup.

However, if the angle of view of the sensor for measuring the height of the cup is too large, there is a problem that the height of the cup cannot be accurately measured due to noise generated by light hitting the side wall of the cup and returning.

Additionally, when the height of the water inside the cup is low, there is a problem of not being able to distinguish between the light that hits the bottom of the cup and returns and the light that hits the surface of the water and returns.

The present invention aims to solve the problem of providing a camera system that can automatically recognize the height of a cup placed in a water purifier and automatically supply appropriate water, and a water purifier including the same.

In addition, since there is a risk of water overflowing if the size of the cup is not known, the problem to be solved is to provide a camera system including a sensor that measures the size of various cups and a water purifier including the same.

In addition, when the angle of view of the sensor for measuring the height of the cup is too large, a camera system that prevents the problem of not being able to accurately measure the height of the cup due to noise generated by light returning after hitting the side wall of the cup, and a camera system including the same The problem to be solved is to provide a water purifier.

In addition, when the height of the water inside the cup is low, the problem is to provide a camera system that prevents the problem of not distinguishing between the light that hits the bottom of the cup and the light that hits the surface of the water and returns, and a water purifier that includes the same. do.

In order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention includes a body that forms an exterior and includes a holder on which a cup is placed, a discharge device disposed on one side of the body to discharge water contained within the body, and a body disposed on the holder. It includes a sensor that measures the height of the cup or the height of the water contained within the cup, and the sensor includes a light emitting unit that emits light toward at least a portion of the holder and a sensing unit that senses the light, and the light emitting unit emits light. The angle (A) formed by the optical axis of the light and the surface on which the cup of the holder is placed is to provide a water purifier that satisfies the following conditional expression.

conditional expression

B means 0.5 times the angle of view of the light emitted from the light emitting unit.

In addition, providing a water purifier equipped with at least two sensors is a means of solving the problem.

In addition, providing a water purifier in which the optical axis of the light emitting unit of at least one sensor among the two or more sensors is tilted in the direction of the body is provided as a means of solving the problem.

In addition, the holder provides a water purifier including a coating member having a predetermined reflectance on one surface where the holder and the cup come into contact with each other.

In addition, the mounting unit aims to solve the problem by providing a water purifier in which the upper surface of the mounting unit is made of a reflective member having a predetermined reflectivity.

In addition, providing a water purifier in which the reflectance of the reflection member and the coating member is 15% to 35% is provided as a means of solving the problem.

In addition, a means of solving the problem is to provide a water purifier in which the maximum viewing angle of light emitted from the sensor is determined by the formula below.

The θ refers to the viewing angle of the light emitted from the sensor, D refers to the diameter of the lower surface of the cup, and L refers to the height from the lower surface of the cup to the sensor.

In addition, it includes a body that forms an appearance and includes a holder on which a cup is placed, and at least one sensor that measures the height of the cup placed on the holder, wherein the sensor emits light toward at least a portion of the holder. A means of solving the problem is to provide a water purifier including a light emitting part, and the holding part including a coating member having a predetermined reflectance.

In addition, the solution to the problem is to provide a water purifier wherein the coating member is disposed between the lower surface of the cup and the upper surface of the holder.

In addition, providing a water purifier with a reflectance of the coating member of 15% to 35% is provided as a means of solving the problem.

In addition, a means of solving the problem is to provide a water purifier in which the maximum viewing angle of light emitted from the sensor is determined by the formula below.

The θ refers to the viewing angle of the light emitted from the sensor, D refers to the diameter of the lower surface of the cup, and L refers to the height from the lower surface of the cup to the sensor.

In addition, the angle (A) formed by the optical axis of the light emitted from the light emitting unit and the surface on which the cup of the holder is placed is to provide a water purifier that satisfies the following conditional expression.

conditional expression

B means 0.5 times the angle of view of the light emitted from the light emitting unit.

In addition, a body forming the exterior, a discharge device disposed on one side of the body to discharge water contained within the body, and a discharge device disposed on one side of the body to emit light on one side of a cup placed on the body to make the cup It includes a sensor that measures the height or the height of water contained within the cup, and a camera module disposed on one side of the body to capture an image of the cup and measure the height of the cup itself, wherein the sensor emits light. A means of solving the problem is to provide a water purifier that further includes a unit, wherein the light emitting unit is provided so that the optical axis of the light emitted from the light emitting unit forms a predetermined angle with the lower surface of the cup.

In addition, the predetermined angle provides a water purifier that satisfies the following conditional expression as a means of solving the problem.

A means the predetermined angle, and B means 0.5 times the angle of view of the light emitted from the light emitting unit.

In addition, the body includes a holder where the body and the cup are in surface contact,

The holder provides a water purifier including a reflective member as a means of solving the problem.

The present invention can provide a camera system that can automatically recognize the height of a cup placed in a water purifier and automatically supply appropriate water, and a water purifier including the same.

Additionally, since there is a risk of water overflowing if the size of the cup is not known, a camera system including a sensor that measures the sizes of various cups and a water purifier including the same can be provided.

In addition, when the angle of view of the sensor for measuring the height of the cup is too large, a camera system that prevents the problem of not being able to accurately measure the height of the cup due to noise generated by light returning after hitting the side wall of the cup, and a camera system including the same A water purifier can be provided.

In addition, when the height of the water inside the cup is low, a camera system that prevents the problem of not being able to distinguish between light hitting the bottom of the cup and light returning after hitting the surface of the water, and a water purifier including the same can be provided.

Figure 1 shows a water purifier equipped with a camera module of an embodiment.
Figure 2 shows a block diagram of a water purifier according to an embodiment.
Figure 3 shows the optical path of light emitted from the light emitting unit of the sensor in the embodiment.
Figure 4 shows a light emitting area that changes depending on the angle of the light emitting part of the sensor in the embodiment.
Figure 5 shows a path along which light emitted from the light emitting unit is reflected depending on the amount of water stored inside the cup of the embodiment.
Figure 6 shows a graph measuring the actual distance and the measured distance according to the reflectance of the lower part where the cup of the water purifier of the embodiment is mounted.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments to specifically explain the present invention, and will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings to aid understanding of the invention. However, the embodiments according to the present invention may be modified into various other forms, and the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described in detail below. Embodiments of the present invention are provided to more completely explain the present invention to those with average knowledge in the art.

In the description of the embodiment according to the present invention, in the case where each element is described as being formed "on or under", the (on or under) includes both that two elements are in direct contact with each other or that one or more other elements are formed (indirectly) between the two elements. Additionally, when expressed as “up” or “on or under,” it can include not only the upward direction but also the downward direction based on one element.

Additionally, relational terms such as “first,” “second,” “upper,” and “lower” used below do not necessarily require or imply any physical or logical relationship or order between such entities or elements. In other words, it may be used only to distinguish one entity or element from another entity or element.

In the drawings, the thickness or size of each layer is exaggerated, omitted, or schematically shown for convenience and clarity of explanation. Additionally, the size of each component does not entirely reflect the actual size.

1 shows a water purifier according to an embodiment.

Referring to Figure 1, the water purifier of the present invention includes a water supply source 30 provided to provide water into the water purifier, a filter unit 40 provided to purify contaminants and foreign substances in the water provided from the water supply source 30, and water. This storage unit 50 may include a discharge device 60 provided to extract the water stored inside the reservoir 50 to the outside.

The discharge device 60 may include a discharge valve 61 provided to control the amount of water extracted to the outside, and a discharge portion 63 provided to form a flow path through which water is discharged.

The discharge valve 61 may be provided so that water flows from the discharge portion 63 when the user pressurizes the discharge valve 61 using a container for holding water. A pressing part (not shown) that provides a pressurizing space and a pivot part (not shown) provided to open and close the discharge valve 61 by pivoting the pressing part (not shown) using the force applied to the pressing part (not shown). Poetry) may be included.

The water supply source 30 may be a tank that stores unpurified water, or it may be a water pipe itself connected from the water source into the building. In this embodiment, the filter unit 40 includes a first filter 41 that removes large impurities such as rust, dirt, and sand, and a second filter 43 that removes heavy metals, phenol, and bacteria in the water through reverse osmosis. , and may ultimately include a third filter 45 that purifies water.

However, the number of filters and functions of the filter unit 40 may vary depending on the user's needs, and the function of purifying the water of the water supply source 30 is sufficient and is not limited to what is described in this embodiment.

When the user opens the discharge portion 63, water may be discharged to the outside of the water purifier. There may be only one discharge part 63, but it is common to have a total of two discharge parts 63, with one discharge part 61 for cold water and one discharge part 61 for hot water. In addition, there are three or more discharge parts 63. It's okay to go.

The water purifier of the present invention includes a water supply duct 70 that provides a flow path for water to move from the water supply source 30 to the filter unit 40, and a filter duct part 81 that provides a flow path for water to move within the filter unit 40. , 83, 85), and may include a discharge duct 90 that provides a flow path for water to move from the reservoir 50 to the discharge portion 60.

The filter duct portion 80 includes a first filter duct 81 that provides a flow path for water to move from the first filter 41 to the second filter 43, and a third filter 45 from the second filter 43. It may include a second filter duct 83 that provides a flow path through which water moves, and a third filter duct 85 that provides a flow path through which water moves from the third filter 45 to the reservoir 50. .

Recently, as the Internet of Things (IoT) has spread and home appliances, including water purifiers, have become smarter, water purifiers used at home are also becoming smart devices.

The Internet of Things refers to a technology that connects various objects to the Internet by embedding sensors and communication functions.

Here, objects can be various embedded systems such as home appliances, mobile devices, and wearable computers.

Therefore, as described above, the water purifier of the embodiment may be equipped so that the user can arbitrarily pressurize the discharge valve 61 to flow water to the discharge unit 60, but the water purifier is automatically placed in the water purifier. It may be equipped to recognize the height of the cup (C) and automatically supply appropriate water.

At this time, if the size of the cup is not known, there is a risk of water overflowing, so there is a need for a sensor to measure the sizes of various cups.

Typically, a stereo camera that uses binocular disparity can be used as a method to measure the height of the cup using a camera module.

However, in order to implement a stereo camera, the number of optical systems required increases, leading to an increase in production costs.

In addition, a complex algorithm must be used to extract depth information, and calibration must be performed to extract depth information, resulting in an increase in measurement time.

Accordingly, the camera module of the embodiment and the water purifier including the same may include the sensor 90 and/or the camera module 100 to measure the size of the cup C itself and the height of the water inside the cup C.

The sensor 90 may include a light emitting unit 92 that is disposed on the sensor 90 and emits light, and a light receiving unit (not shown) that collects light emitted from the light emitting unit 92, hits an object, and is reflected.

The light emitting unit 92 may output IR (infrared) light. For example, IR light may be light having a wavelength band of 800 nm or more.

The light emitting unit 92 may include a light conversion unit (not shown).

The light source may include at least one laser diode (LD) or light emitting diode (LED) that projects infrared rays.

The laser diode may include a vertical cavity surface emitting laser.

Vertical cavity surface light-emitting laser is a type of laser diode that converts electrical signals into optical signals. It is a light source that can replace the existing side-emitting semiconductor laser. Compared to the existing semiconductor laser diode, it is possible to achieve high-density direct emission and miniaturization of the device. It is possible, the power consumption is relatively low, the manufacturing process is simple, and it has excellent heat resistance.

A light conversion unit (not shown) may modulate the light output from the light emitting unit 92.

The light conversion unit (not shown) may pulse-modulate or phase-modulate the light output from the light emitting unit 92, for example.

Accordingly, the light emitting unit 92 can output light while flashing the light source at predetermined intervals.

The light conversion unit (not shown) may include holographic optical elements (HOE).

Holographic optical elements refer to a type of diffractive optical elements (DOE) manufactured using holographic technology, and are intended to reproduce or transform the waveform recorded in the hologram to create the desired shape of the transmitted or reflected light. This is a manufactured optical device.

Therefore, a holographic optical element is an optical element that operates according to the law of diffraction rather than the law of reflection or refraction.

Meanwhile, the light receiving unit (not shown) receives the light output from the light emitting unit 92 and then reflected by the object.

The light receiver (not shown) can convert the received light into an electrical signal.

The light receiver (not shown) may be an image sensor including a photo diode (PD) or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS).

Additionally, the water purifier of the embodiment may include a recognition unit 91 disposed on one side of the water purifier to determine whether the cup is located in the body 10.

For example, the recognition unit 91 in the embodiment may be disposed on the rear portion 12 of the body 10.

The recognition unit 91 may be a muscle tone sensor.

The illumination sensor integrates the functions of an illumination sensor and a proximity sensor.

More specifically, a proximity sensor is a sensor that detects the approach of an object without physical contact. Depending on the detection principle, it can be divided into magnetic proximity sensor, ultrasonic proximity sensor, electrostatic proximity sensor, inductive proximity sensor, and optical proximity sensor. It is divided into, etc. An optical proximity sensor consists of a light-emitting element that generates light and a light-receiving element that detects light. The light-emitting element is mainly an infrared light-emitting diode (IR LED), and the light-receiving element is a photo transistor or photo diode. It is used.

Meanwhile, the illuminance sensor is used to detect the brightness felt by the human eye and consists of a light-receiving element that senses the visible light region. Therefore, since optical proximity sensors and illuminance sensors have similar aspects, there is a trend to use proximity sensors that integrate the illuminance sensor and proximity sensor in small electronic products, such as smart phones, that require both illuminance sensors and proximity sensors. .

A proximity sensor is usually implemented with a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit as one assembly. The light emitting unit emits infrared rays, and the light receiving unit detects the infrared rays of the emitting unit reflected from an object. The infrared receiving unit detects proximity and detects surrounding visible light. It consists of a visible light receiving unit for detecting the illuminance.

However, this is a description of one embodiment, and it is sufficient for the recognition unit 91 of the embodiment to determine whether the cup C is located at a predetermined position in the water purifier, and can be modified in various ways according to the user's needs. It is not limited to the muscle tone sensor, and this does not limit the scope of the present invention.

Figure 2 shows a block diagram of a water purifier according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 2, the water purifier of the embodiment includes a sensor 90 that measures information such as the height of the water supplied inside the cup C or the height of the cup C itself, and the cup C is located at a predetermined position in the water purifier. A recognition unit 91 that determines whether the It may include a control unit 110 that controls the amount of water supplied to the cup C, and a discharge device 60 that supplies water to the cup C according to commands from the control unit 110.

The sensor 90 includes a depth information extraction device and can measure the height of water contained within the cup C.

The depth information extraction device may be a time of flight (TOF) camera that may include a light output unit that irradiates light toward an object and an optical input unit that collects light that hits and reflects off the object.

For example, after outputting a predetermined amount of light toward the upper surface of the cup C provided to be placed in the water purifier of the embodiment, the light reflected upon hitting the upper surface of the water contained within the cup C is collected, and the time for outputting the light The depth information inside the cup C can be obtained by calculating the time from when the water contained inside the cup C hits the upper surface and reflects the light collected.

The camera module 100 may include an imaging unit 102 that obtains image information by capturing a cup C mounted on a water purifier, and an image sensor 101 that processes the image information obtained from the imaging unit 102. .

Unlike existing stereo cameras, the image information of the cup C obtained using a single imaging unit 102 can be converted into an electrical signal and transmitted to the control unit 110, and the control unit 110 can control the image information of the cup C. Using image information, the diameter, height, and slope of the cup (C) can be calculated.

The water purifier of the embodiment can measure the size of the cup (C) by processing image information obtained using the camera module 100, and can measure the height of water present inside the cup (C) using the sensor 90. You can.

However, this is an explanation of one embodiment, and the user may equip the water purifier with both a camera module 100 and a sensor 90 as needed to measure both the size of the cup C and the height of the water present inside the cup C. Water can be supplied automatically, and the water purifier is equipped with only a camera module 100 to determine the size of the cup (C), and then the user specifies the amount of water to be supplied to the cup (C) and fills the cup (C) with water. It may also be supplied, and this does not limit the scope of the present invention.

As described above, the control unit 110 of the embodiment measures the time for the light emitted from the light emitting unit 92 of the sensor 90 to hit the lower surface of the cup C, be reflected, and return to the light receiving unit (not shown). The height of the cup (C) itself or the amount of water inside the cup (C) can be measured. Since the cross-sectional size of the cup (C) is finite, the field of view (FOV) of the light emitted from the light emitting unit (92) can be measured. ) becomes a problem.

Hereinafter, a configuration for solving problems caused by the viewing angle of light emitted from the light emitting unit 92 of the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

Figure 3 shows the optical path of light emitted from the light emitting part of the sensor in the example, and Figure 4 shows the light emitting area that changes depending on the angle of the light emitting part of the sensor in the example.

Referring to FIG. 3, the light emitting unit 92 of the sensor 90 in the embodiment may emit light toward the lower surface of the cup C to have at least one viewing angle.

For example, the path of light that emits light to have a first viewing angle (θ1) can be called the first optical path, and the path of light that emits light to have a second viewing angle (θ2) that is larger than the first viewing angle (θ1) can be called the second optical path. there is.

In the case of the first optical path, it hits the lower surface of the cup (C) and is reflected and can be collected into the light receiving part (not shown) of the sensor 90, while in the case of the second optical path, it hits the lower surface of the cup (C) and is reflected. The light passes through the side surface of the cup C and is collected into the light receiving part (not shown) of the sensor 90.

Therefore, the light emitting unit 92 of the embodiment hits only the lower surface of the cup C like the first optical path and does not reflect, but when it passes through the side part of the cup C like the second optical path, noise is generated. A problem may occur in which the actual distance and the measured distance measured by the sensor 90 are different from each other.

The light emitting part 92 of the embodiment is a light emitting part 92 that does not pass through the side of the cup C using the bottom diameter (D) of the cup and the height (L) from the bottom surface of the cup to the light emitting part 92. The viewing angle can be determined using the formula below.

In addition, the smaller the viewing angle of the light emitting unit 92 of the embodiment is, the more precisely it can measure the size of the cup C and the height of the water inside the cup C.

However, it is physically impossible to reduce the viewing angle of the light emitting unit 92 indefinitely.

Therefore, in order to solve this problem, another embodiment of the sensor 90 and the light emitting unit 92 of the embodiment is proposed with reference to FIG. 4 below.

Figure 4(a) shows that the first optical axis O1, which is the central axis of light (hereinafter referred to as optical axis) emitted from the light emitting unit 92 of the sensor 90, is the surface on which the cup is placed on the holder or the lower part of the cup C. It shows a water purifier installed vertically at a predetermined angle (90 degrees) with the surface.

In addition, Figure 4(b) shows that the second optical axis O2, which is the optical axis emitted from the light emitting unit 92 of the sensor 90, is at a predetermined angle θ3 with the surface on which the cup is placed on the holder or the lower surface of the cup C. ) shows a water purifier provided to achieve this.

Unlike Figure 4 (a), Figure 4 (b) shows that the optical axis of the light emitted from the light emitting unit 92 of the sensor 90 is at a predetermined angle (θ3) with the surface on which the cup is placed on the mount or the lower surface of the cup (C). ), unlike the first emission area A1, which is the emission area of the light emitted from the light emitting unit 92 shown in Figure 4(a), in the case where it is provided as the second optical axis O2, in Figure 4(b) A portion of the second emission area A2, which is the emission area of the light emitted from the illustrated light emitting unit 92, is located inside the rear part 12.

That is, since the light emitting part 92 of the sensor 90 is tilted to form a predetermined angle θ3 with the lower surface of the cup C, a part of the second emission area A2 is located inside the rear part 12. This has the effect of reducing the viewing angle of the light emitted from the light emitting unit 92.

For example, the predetermined angle θ3 formed by the light emitting unit 92 with the lower surface of the cup C may satisfy the following conditional equation 1.

Conditional expression 1

B is 0.5 times the angle of view of the light emitted from the light emitting unit.

Using the above-described configuration, information such as the height of the cup C or the amount of water inside the cup C can be measured using the sensor 90. When the amount of water inside the cup C is below a predetermined height, There was a problem where the amount of water inside the cup (C) was measured differently from the actual amount.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the configuration of an embodiment that solves the problem that the amount of water inside the cup (C) is measured differently from the actual when the amount of water inside the cup (C) is below a predetermined height will be described. .

Figure 5(a) shows the path along which the light emitted from the light emitting unit is reflected when the amount of water stored inside the cup according to the example is more than a predetermined amount, and Figure 5(b) shows the amount of water stored inside the cup according to the example. If it is less than this predetermined amount, the path along which the light emitted from the light emitting unit is reflected is shown.

When more than a predetermined amount of water is stored inside the cup as shown in Figure 5(a), the first incident light (I1) is incident, the first lower surface reflection light (O11) that hits the lower surface of the cup and is reflected, and the first lower surface reflection light (O11) received inside the cup. It may include the first upper surface reflection light (O12) that hits the upper surface of the water and is reflected.

In this case, the sensor 90 of the embodiment measures information about the height of the cup C and the amount of water inside the cup C by comparing the first lower surface reflected light O11 and the first upper surface reflected light O12. can do.

However, when less than a predetermined amount of water is stored inside the cup as shown in FIG. 5(b), the second incident light (I2) is incident, hits the lower surface of the cup, and is reflected by the second lower surface reflection light (O21) and the cup. It may include a second upper surface reflection light (O22) that hits the upper surface of the water contained therein and is reflected.

In this case, because the amount of water is small, the difference in the optical path between the second lower surface reflected light (O21) and the second upper surface reflected light (O22) is small, so that the sensor 90 can detect the second lower surface reflected light (O21) and the second upper surface reflected light (O22). Problems may arise where (O22) cannot be distinguished.

If the sensor 90 cannot distinguish between the second lower surface reflected light (O21) and the second upper surface reflected light (O22), the second upper surface reflected light (O22) is recognized as a noise signal, making it possible to measure the amount of water more accurately. Problems that may arise may arise.

Accordingly, in order to solve this problem, the water purifier of the embodiment may have the mounting portion 11 of the body 10 on which the cup C is placed made of a material having a reflectance within a predetermined range.

In addition, if the material of the entire mounting portion 11 of the body 10 is made to have a reflectivity, the process may increase and problems of increased cost may occur, so the entire mounting portion 11 must have a reflectance within a predetermined range. A coating portion (not shown) having a reflectance within a predetermined range may be disposed on the surface of the mounting portion 11, rather than being manufactured from a material having a certain range.

When the coating portion (not shown) or the entire mounting portion 11 is made of a material having reflectivity, the reflectance of the mounting portion 11 may be 15% to 35%.

However, the reflectance is for illustrative purposes only and can be modified in various ways according to the user's needs. In the case where the amount of water contained within the cup C is small, it is sufficient as long as it is provided to measure the exact amount of water. , this does not limit the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows that the error between the actual distance and the measured distance is reduced because the material of the mounting portion 11 of the body 10 or the material of the coating portion (not shown) is made of a material with a predetermined reflectivity. You can see this by referring to the graph.

Figure 6 shows a graph measuring the actual distance and the measured distance according to the reflectance of the lower part where the cup of the water purifier of the embodiment is mounted.

The x-axis of the graph represents the actual distance between the sensor and the lower surface of the cup (C) or the upper surface of the water inside the cup (C), and the y-axis represents the lower surface of the cup (C) or the upper surface of the cup (C) measured by the sensor. It represents the measured distance to the upper surface of the water inside.

The actual distance and the measured distance are shown while changing the reflectance of the mounting part 11 from 5% to 75%.

As can be seen from the graph, when the reflectance of the mounting portion 11 or the coating portion (not shown) is 15% to 35%, the slope can be obtained using the regression equation in the graph, and the slope of the regression equation is 1. is close to

Therefore, when the reflectance of the mounting part 11 or the coating part (not shown) is 15% to 35%, the water surface can be measured by most effectively excluding noise that occurs when the amount of water inside the cup (C) is small. It can be seen that there is a technical effect.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and changes to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below. You will understand that you can do it.

Water supply source 30, filter unit 40, reservoir unit 50
Discharge section 60, water supply duct 70, filter duct section 80
Discharge duct 90 Control panel 20 Cabinet 10
First filter 41 Second filter 43 Third filter 45
Discharge valve 61 Discharge unit 63 Control unit 110
Sensor 90 Camera module 100 Image sensor 101
Recognition unit 91 Holding unit 11

Claims (15)

A body that forms an exterior and includes a holder on which a cup is placed;
a discharge device disposed on one side of the body to discharge water contained within the body; and
It includes a sensor that measures the height of the cup placed on the holder or the height of water contained within the cup;
The sensor includes a light emitting unit that emits light toward at least a portion of the mounting unit and a sensing unit that senses the light,
The angle (A) formed by the optical axis of the light emitted from the light emitting unit and the surface on which the cup of the holder is placed satisfies the following conditional expression,
A water purifier in which the optical axis of the light emitting part of the sensor is tilted in the direction of the body.
conditional expression

B means 0.5 times the angle of view of the light emitted from the light emitting unit. According to clause 1,
A water purifier equipped with at least two sensors. delete According to clause 1,
The mounting part,
A water purifier including a coating member having a predetermined reflectance on one surface where the holder and the cup are in contact. delete According to paragraph 4,
A water purifier wherein the coating member has a reflectance of 15% to 35%. According to paragraph 1,
A water purifier in which the maximum viewing angle of light emitted from the sensor is determined by the formula below.

The θ refers to the viewing angle of the light emitted from the sensor, D refers to the diameter of the lower surface of the cup, and L refers to the height from the lower surface of the cup to the sensor. A body that forms an exterior and includes a holder on which a cup is placed; and
It includes at least one sensor that measures the height of the cup placed on the holder;
The sensor includes a light emitting portion that emits light toward at least a portion of the mounting portion,
The mounting portion includes a coating member having a predetermined reflectivity,
The water purifier wherein the optical axis of the light emitting part of the sensor is tilted in the direction of the body. According to clause 8,
The water purifier is characterized in that the coating member is disposed between the lower surface of the cup and the upper surface of the holder. According to clause 8 or 9,
A water purifier wherein the coating member has a reflectance of 15% to 35%. According to clause 8,
A water purifier in which the maximum viewing angle of light emitted from the sensor is determined by the formula below.

The θ refers to the viewing angle of the light emitted from the sensor, D refers to the diameter of the lower surface of the cup, and L refers to the height from the lower surface of the cup to the sensor. According to clause 8,
A water purifier wherein the angle (A) formed by the optical axis of the light emitted from the light emitting unit and the surface on which the cup of the holder is placed satisfies the following conditional expression.
conditional expression

B means 0.5 times the angle of view of the light emitted from the light emitting unit. Body forming the exterior;
a discharge device disposed on one side of the body to discharge water contained within the body;
A sensor disposed on one side of the body and emitting light on one side of the cup disposed on the body to measure the height of the cup or the height of water contained within the cup; and
It includes a camera module disposed on one side of the body to capture an image of the cup and measure the height of the cup itself,
The sensor further includes a light emitting unit that emits light,
The light emitting unit is provided so that the optical axis of the light emitted from the light emitting unit forms a predetermined angle with the lower surface of the cup,
The water purifier wherein the optical axis of the light emitting part of the sensor is tilted in the direction of the body. According to clause 13,
The predetermined angle is a water purifier that satisfies the following conditional expression.

A means the predetermined angle, and B means 0.5 times the angle of view of the light emitted from the light emitting unit. According to clause 13,
The body includes a holder where the body and the cup are in surface contact,
A water purifier wherein the holder includes a reflective member.

Images