KR20080003670A - Stench particle detector and deodorizer with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for deodorizing a refrigerator is provided to selectively remove by detecting existence, species, and concentration of the stench particle using chemical and electric characteristics of a nano tube. A deodorizing device(100) for a refrigerator includes a carbon nano tube(20), a resistance measurement unit(30), and a MICOM(Micro Computer)(40). The carbon nano tube has a specific electricity resistance. The resistance measurement unit measures an electric resistance of the changeable carbon nano tube by absorbing the stench particle. The MICOM detects species and concentration of the stench particle floating inside the refrigerator based on the specific electricity resistance and the changed difference value of the stench particle measured by the resistance measurement unit.

Description

Scent particle detector and deodorizer with the same

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an odor particle detection device according to the present invention.

Figure 2 schematically shows the structure of the odor particle detection device according to the present invention.

3 is NH ₃ in the carbon nanotube of the odor particle detection device according to the invention And a diagram showing current and voltage characteristics when NO ₂ is adsorbed.

Figure 4 is a block diagram showing a deodorizing device using the odor particle detection device according to the present invention.

Figure 5 is a block diagram showing a restorable deodorizing device according to the present invention.

※ Description of reference numerals in the drawings

22: base

20, 24: Carbon Nanotubes

26: electrode

30: resistance measurement unit

40: micom

50: deodorant injection unit

70: heater

100: odor particle detection device

200: deodorizer

The present invention relates to a refrigerator smell detection device and a selective deodorization method using carbon nanotubes, and more particularly, to a sensor for installing a sensor in a refrigerator and a method for detecting and selectively removing a major chemical causing a bad smell.

In general, a carbon nanotube (CNT) is a carbon allotrope composed of carbon present in a large amount on the earth, and is a material in which one carbon atom is combined with another carbon atom in a hexagonal honeycomb structure to form a tube. The diameter of such a tube is several nm to several tens of nm and has a structure of several tens of micrometers to several hundred micrometers in length.

Carbon nanotubes are classified into single wall nanotubes and multiwall nanotubes according to the number of bonds forming a wall, and single-walled nanotubes are bundled together. rope) Nanotubes.

In addition, the carbon nanotubes have a surface area of about 10 ⁴ m ² / g, and the specific surface area is further increased because they form a hollow part. Therefore, the use of carbon nanotubes as the filter is advantageous in that the adsorption efficiency of the filter is increased, thereby making the filter compact and extending the filter life. As such, the carbon nanotubes may exhibit various properties, and various applications have been attempted in terms of microscopic and macroscopic aspects.

That is, studies are being actively conducted to apply such carbon nanotubes to gas detection sensors, electromagnetic shielding means, electrochemical storage devices, polymer composites, memory devices, or electronic amplifiers.

Among these, the gas detection sensor using the high adsorption efficiency of the carbon nanotubes has an advantage of having a sensitivity that is 1000 times higher than that of the general gas detection sensor, but since the recovery rate for removing the adsorbed gas particles is longer than 24 hours, There is a fundamental problem in the commercialization of gas detection sensors using carbon nanotubes.

On the other hand, the smell detection device and deodorization method applied to the conventional refrigerator can only determine the presence or absence of the smell itself, there was a problem that can not determine what kind of smell. Accordingly, the deodorization method applied to most refrigerators does not process odors according to chemical reactions, and simply takes a method of physically adsorbing substances that cause odors by floating in the refrigerator to the adsorbent. However, this method has a lot of deodorization ability, and there is an inconvenience to periodically replace the adsorbent for deodorization. Therefore, there is a disadvantage in that the maintenance cost for adsorbent exchange is high, and there is a risk that bacteria may grow on the adsorbent when the adsorbent is at the end of its life.

Therefore, researches have been made on how to detect odor-causing substances rather than physical deodorization methods and to effectively deodorize them by using chemically acting deodorants.

The present invention has been made to improve the problems of the conventional odor detection and deodorization method in the refrigerator, the odor particle detection device using an odor particle detection sensor that can directly detect the odor particles causing odor. The purpose is to provide.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a chemical deodorization method that can selectively remove the odor particles in accordance with the chemical composition of the odor particles using the odor particle detection device.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a carbon nanotube having an intrinsic electrical resistance and the odor particles floating in the refrigerator are adsorbed, and the carbon nanotubes are changed by adsorption of the odor particles. On the inside of the refrigerator based on a difference value between the resistance measuring unit for measuring the electrical resistance of the tube and the intrinsic electrical resistance of the carbon nanotubes and the odor particles measured by the resistance measuring unit is changed and changed. Provided is an odor particle detection device comprising a microcomputer for detecting the type and concentration of the suspended odor particles.

  Preferably, a deodorant which detects whether an odor is present inside the refrigerator and injects a deodorant in accordance with the deodorant signal from the odor particle detection device and the odor particle detection device that generates a deodorant signal according to the detection result. It provides a deodorizing device including an injection unit.

Also preferably, the odor particle detection device includes at least one or more deodorants for removing different kinds of odor particles, characterized in that to selectively spray the deodorant according to the type of the detected odor particles. Provide a deodorization device.

Also preferably, the odor particle detection device provides a deodorizer, characterized in that for controlling the injection amount of the deodorant corresponding to the concentration of the odor particles distributed in the refrigerator.

Also preferably, the odor particle detection device may include a carbon nanotube having an inherent electrical resistance and changing the electrical resistance by adsorbing odor particles suspended in the refrigerator, and the carbon nanotubes being changed by adsorbing the odor particles. A resistance measurement unit for measuring an electrical resistance and the intrinsic electrical resistance of the carbon nanotubes and the odor particles measured by the resistance measurement unit are suspended in the refrigerator based on a difference value of the changed electrical resistance. It provides a deodorizing device comprising a micom for detecting the type and concentration of the odor particles.

Also preferably, the odor particle detection device further includes a predetermined heater, so that the carbon nanotubes have an inherent electrical resistance by removing the odor particles adsorbed to the carbon nanotubes by heat emitted from the heater. It provides a deodorizing device characterized in that the restoration.

Also preferably, the heater provides a deodorizing device, characterized in that the defrost heater installed in the refrigerator.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the odor particle detection apparatus according to the present invention. Referring to this drawing, the odor particle detection device includes a carbon nanotube 20, a resistance measurement unit 30, and a microcomputer 40.

The carbon nanotube 20 includes a base 22 serving as a substrate, at least two electrodes 26 provided on the base 22, and formed between the electrodes 26 and having a predetermined electrical resistance. Carbon nanotubes 24. According to the carbon nanotubes 20 including the carbon nanotubes 24, when odor particles causing odors are adsorbed to the carbon nanotubes 24, the inherent electric resistance of the carbon nanotubes 24 is increased. And change the voltage across the electrode 26, and the voltage can be measured to detect the kind of adsorbed odor particles and the amount of adsorbed odor particles (the concentration at which the odor particles are distributed in the air). .

A predetermined voltage is applied to the electrode 26 of the carbon nanotubes 20. The present invention will be described later as a voltage source for applying a predetermined voltage to the electrode 26, but may be a current source for applying a predetermined value of current through the electrode 26.

The resistance measurement unit 30 measures the voltage drop (or current) across the carbon nanotubes 24 (between the electrodes 26) by the voltage applied to the carbon nanotubes 20, thereby measuring the carbon nanotubes. The electrical resistance of 24 is measured. Meanwhile, the method of measuring the electrical resistance of the carbon nanotubes 24 is not limited thereto, and as shown in FIG. 1, a resistor having a fixed value in series with the carbon nanotubes 20 is provided. The voltage drop caused by the carbon nanotubes 20 may be measured by measuring the voltage across the resistor.

Based on the electrical resistance of the carbon nanotubes 24 measured as described above, the microcomputer 40 determines the type (chemical composition) of the odor particles currently adsorbed to the carbon nanotubes 24 and the concentration distribution in the refrigerator of the odor particles. Detect. This detection can be easily accomplished by experimenting with the relationship between the electrical resistance and the current and voltage flowing through the carbon nanotubes 24.

2 is a view schematically showing the odor particle detection device according to the present invention configured as described above, in particular a view showing the carbon nanotubes (20). Referring to this figure, it can be seen that the electrode 26 and the carbon nanotubes 24 are sequentially formed on the base 22. In addition, a voltmeter is provided on one side of the carbon nanotubes 20 to measure the voltage drop through the carbon nanotubes 24.

In the present invention, the base 22 is first prepared, at least two electrodes 26 are formed on the base 22, and then on the base 22 and the electrode 26, dimethylformamide is formed. , By applying carbon nanotubes 24 mixed with a solvent such as chloroform, dichloroethane and methylpyrrolidinone, the surface on which the carbon nanotubes 24 are applied to have a predetermined surface area To prepare a carbon nanotube 20 comprising.

3 is a diagram showing current and voltage characteristics (electrical resistance) when NH 3 and NO 2 are adsorbed to the carbon nanotubes 24 of the odor particle detection device according to the present invention. In the present invention, the change in the electrical resistance (or current, voltage) for each odor particle (chemical substance) causing odor in the carbon nanotubes 24 is stored through a preliminary experiment, and the tolerance for each experimental result is stored. Consider the type of odor (type of smell particle or chemical composition).

That is, representative odorous substances such as NH ₃ , CH ₃ SH, H ₂ S, (CH ₃ ) ₂ S, (CH ₃ ) N, CH ₃ CH0, C ₈ H ₈ , (CH ₃ ) ₂ S ₂ The degree of change in electrical resistance when reacting with the carbon nanotubes 24 is measured through experiments. And the results measured by the experiment is stored in the microcomputer 40. The microcomputer 40 determines the type of adsorbed odor particles based on the difference between the intrinsic electrical resistance of the carbon nanotubes 24 and the measured electrical resistance of the carbon nanotubes 24, and simultaneously Determine distribution concentration.

Further, after determining the type and concentration of the odor particles, the microcomputer 40 outputs a deodorization signal for controlling the deodorization device to be described later to remove the odor particles, and the deodorization device corresponds to at least one of the deodorization signals. Deodorant will be sprayed.

Next, the structure of the deodorizing apparatus containing the odor particle detection apparatus which consists of such a structure is demonstrated using FIG. Looking at Figure 4, the deodorizing device can be confirmed that the deodorant injection unit 50 is added to the odor particle detection device. Therefore, description of overlapping components will be omitted.

First, the microcomputer 40 of the odor particle detection apparatus which operates in a deodorization apparatus outputs the deodorization signal corresponding to the kind and concentration of the detected odor particle as mentioned above. The deodorization signal may include information for selecting a deodorant for removing the detected odor particles, and may further include information for controlling the injection amount of the deodorant in response to the concentration of the detected odor particles.

The deodorant signal thus output is received by the deodorant spray unit 50.

The deodorant injection unit 50 includes at least one deodorant, and can selectively spray the deodorant according to the deodorant signal output from the microcomputer 40, and also predetermined components for controlling the injection amount. It is preferable to include.

Therefore, by such a configuration, the odor particle detection device detects the type and distribution concentration of odor particles that cause odor generated in the refrigerator, and deodorants capable of effectively removing the detected odor particles are distributed in the distribution concentration of odor particles. By spraying at a proportional injection amount, it is possible to perform an efficient deodorizing operation compared to the deodorizing device provided in the conventional refrigerator.

Next, a method for restoring the odor particle detection device according to the present invention will be described. Restoration of the odor particle detection device is an operation of initializing the carbon nanotubes 24 to have a unique electric resistance by removing the adsorbed odor particles from the carbon nanotubes 24 in which the odor particles are adsorbed to change the electrical resistance. Say.

For this restoration, the present invention uses heat using a predetermined heater. A heat source, such as a defrost heater, is connected directly to the sensor through a material such as copper or platinum, which has good thermal conductivity, so that heat from the heater is applied directly to the sensor.

That is, by supplying heat to the carbon nanotubes 24 by contacting one end of the heater to the base 22 of the odor particle detection device, more specifically, the carbon nanotubes 20, the odor particles are heated by the carbon nanotubes ( 24) to be volatilized to air.

The heater used at this time is a defrost heater, louver heater installed in the refrigerator. Hose heaters and the like. In addition, it is preferable to allow heat to be supplied to the carbon nanotubes 24 between the heater and the base 22 through a material such as copper or platinum having excellent thermal conductivity.

In this way, when the defrost heater, louver heater, hose heater and the like already installed in the refrigerator are used for the restoration of the odor particle detection device, no separate power consumption is required.

However, when the defrost heater is operated to drain the defrost water from the evaporator, when a change occurs in the electrical conductivity by connecting a device such as a relay that can control the short circuit of the heat conduction line connected to the heater to prevent malfunction Disconnect from the heater and control it so that it can only be connected if it is not (before and after smell detection). Such control is controllable through the microcomputer 40.

As described in detail above, the odor particle detection device using the carbon nanotubes according to the present invention is characterized in that the chemical properties of odor particles are well bonded to the special molecular structure of the carbon nanotubes, The presence or absence of odor particles, the type of odor particles, and the distribution concentration can be detected using the electrical property that the resistance changes.

In addition, when odor is generated, it is possible to selectively spray a deodorant useful to remove the odor particles according to the type of odor particles causing the odor, and adjust the injection amount of the deodorant according to the concentration of odor particles distributed in the refrigerator It is also possible to effectively remove the odor in the refrigerator.

In addition, the restoration to initialize the odor particle detection device can be performed quickly by the heater, and has the advantage that the power consumption is not increased when using a heater that is already installed.

Claims (7)

Carbon nanotubes having a unique electrical resistance and the electrical resistance is changed by adsorbing odor particles suspended in the refrigerator; A resistance measuring unit measuring an electrical resistance of the carbon nanotubes changed by adsorption of the odor particles; And Detecting the type and concentration of the odor particles suspended in the refrigerator based on the difference between the intrinsic electrical resistance of the carbon nanotubes and the odor particles measured by the resistance measuring unit is changed by the adsorption. Odor particle detection device comprising a micom. An odor particle detection device for detecting whether there is an odor inside the refrigerator and generating a deodorization signal according to the detection result; And a deodorant injector for injecting a deodorant in accordance with the deodorant signal from the odor particle detection device. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the odor particle detection device comprises at least one deodorant for removing different kinds of odor particles, and selectively sprays the deodorant according to the type of the detected odor particles. Deodorizer. The deodorizing device according to claim 2, wherein the odor particle detection device controls the injection amount of the deodorant in response to the concentration of the odor particle distributed in the refrigerator. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the odor particle detection device comprises: a carbon nanotube having an inherent electrical resistance and the electrical resistance of which is changed by adsorbing odor particles suspended in a refrigerator; A resistance measuring unit measuring an electrical resistance of the carbon nanotubes changed by adsorption of the odor particles; And Detecting the type and concentration of the odor particles suspended in the refrigerator based on the difference between the intrinsic electrical resistance of the carbon nanotubes and the odor particles measured by the resistance measuring unit is changed by the adsorption. Deodorizing apparatus comprising a micom. According to claim 5, The odor particle detection device further comprises a predetermined heater, By removing the odor particles adsorbed to the carbon nanotubes by the heat emitted from the heater, the carbon nanotubes to inherent electrical resistance The deodorizing apparatus characterized by restoring to have. 7. The deodorizing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the heater is a defrost heater installed in the refrigerator.

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