KR20090028299A - Cleaner with a sterilizing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A cleaner with a sterilizer is provided to perform the antibiosis, deodorization and self-purification using the reaction of ultraviolet ray and an optical catalyst. A cleaner with a sterilizer comprises: a dust collector container(20) collecting the cleaned material, having an inlet port and outlet port; and an ultraviolet ray unit(30) mounted on the dust collector container and irradiating the ultraviolet ray to the inside of the dust collector container. The ultraviolet ray unit comprises an ultraviolet light emitting diode or a ultra-violet ray lamp. A filter(22) is mounted on the outlet of the dust collector container.

Description

Cleaner with a sterilizing apparatus

The present invention relates to a cleaner for hygiene of the cleaning operation, in particular to sterilize harmful substances such as bacteria, mites, molds, E. coli of the dust-collecting dust collecting unit, to prevent odor, and to sterilize contaminants A cleaner is provided with a sterilization device.

In general, a vacuum cleaner is a device for promoting a comfortable living environment by sucking dust or using a detergent such as steam or a detergent. A canister cleaner, an upright cleaner, a steam cleaner, and a wireless device may be operated. There are several types such as robot cleaners. Such a cleaner is provided with a dust collecting unit such as a dust collecting container and a dust bag so that the cleaned cleaning material can be collected.

However, since the cleaning material collected in the dust collecting unit has to be emptied directly by a person, the cleaning material in the dust collecting unit may be left for a long time, and water may be introduced into the dust collecting unit together with the cleaning material or the damp cleaning material may be collected. Therefore, the inside of the dust collecting unit may be wet.

Therefore, the vacuum cleaner according to the prior art has a problem that bacteria, mites, molds, E. coli, etc. can be proliferated due to harmful and pollutants in the dust collecting unit, and odors may be generated from the dust collecting unit.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems of the prior art, sterilization apparatus that can suppress the growth of bacteria, mites, molds, E. coli, etc. in the dust collecting unit in which the cleaning material is collected, and can prevent odor The purpose is to provide a cleaner equipped with.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention includes a dust collecting passage in which the inlet and outlet are formed to collect the cleaning material; An ultraviolet unit mounted to the dust collecting chamber and irradiating ultraviolet rays into the dust collecting chamber; Provided in the dust collector is provided a cleaner including a photocatalyst unit for oxidatively decomposing harmful substances in the dust collector.

The ultraviolet unit may include an ultraviolet light emitting diode.

The ultraviolet unit may include an ultraviolet lamp.

The interior of the dust collecting container may further include a shielding member for partitioning the ultraviolet unit is mounted and the remaining portion, and passes the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the ultraviolet unit.

A filter mounted to the discharge port of the dust collecting container; The photocatalyst unit may be provided by coating titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) on the filter to be sensitive to the ultraviolet light source of the ultraviolet unit.

In addition, the charging unit is charged with power; A power supply unit supplying the charged power; A control unit may be configured to control the ultraviolet light unit and the photocatalytic unit to receive power even when the power is charged.

In addition, the cleaning unit may include a control unit for operating the ultraviolet unit and the photocatalyst unit in addition to the cleaning time to collect the cleaning material in the dust collecting container.

The vacuum cleaner according to the present invention as described above, by using ultraviolet and photocatalytic reaction, decomposes and sterilizes harmful substances such as bacteria, mites, molds, Escherichia coli, contaminants, antibacterial and deodorizing and self-cleaning action (self) -cleaning).

In addition, the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention has the advantage that the dust collecting unit can be sterilized directly because the dust collecting unit is not a dust collecting bag, so that the sterilization performance is good.

In addition, the cleaner according to the present invention has the advantages of excellent durability, low manufacturing cost, simple structure, and low power consumption by irradiating ultraviolet rays with an ultraviolet light emitting diode.

In addition, the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention can be directly sterilized by the dust collecting unit which is the main breeding habitat of the pollutants and harmful substances, and the dust, including the path through which the air is discharged, without being discharged back toward the dust suction The sterilization effect is very high because contamination and harmful substances can be contained at a place other than the unit so that they can be blocked from propagation.

In addition, the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention has an advantage that the photocatalytic unit is particularly applied to the discharge port of the dust collecting container, thereby preventing the discharge of pollution and harmful substances.

In addition, the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention has a maintenance and management costs due to the replacement of the dust collection bag, when the impregnated photocatalyst impregnated with a photocatalyst due to the increase in the manufacturing cost of the dust collection bag itself, the maintenance and management costs are more increased On the other hand, in the case of dust collector, even if the photocatalyst is coated, there is an advantage that the maintenance and management costs can be saved.

In addition, the cleaner according to the present invention, since the sterilization unit is built in the dust collecting unit, the dust collecting unit itself can be shielded so that the light source for sterilization including ultraviolet light is not exposed to the outside can be shielded light source for sterilization only In addition, there is an advantage that a separate shielding structure for preventing external exposure of the light source for sterilization is unnecessary.

In addition, the cleaner according to the present invention, since the sterilization unit is built in the dust collecting unit, the sterilization unit can be removed together when the dust collection unit is removed, and since the dust collecting unit is separated, the sterilization unit can be attached and detached Not only the abnormality diagnosis and maintenance of the sterilization unit is possible, the diagnosis and maintenance of the abnormality of the sterilization unit is easy, and there is almost no structural change for detachment and detachment of the sterilization unit.

In addition, the cleaner according to the present invention has an advantage that the ultraviolet unit built in the dust collecting unit is protected by the shielding member, thereby preventing the ultraviolet unit from being damaged by the dust in the dust collecting unit or lowering the luminous power of ultraviolet rays.

In addition, the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention has an advantage that the photocatalyst coating material is coated on a filter having a large number of harmful and contaminants in the dust collecting unit, thereby maximizing sterilization and antibacterial effects.

In addition, the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention has the advantage that the component can be used because the photocatalyst coating material is sensitive by the ultraviolet light source of the ultraviolet unit, so that the ultraviolet light source can be used as ultraviolet sterilization and photocatalyst light source.

In addition, the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention has an advantage that the sterilization power for the sterilization function is independently supplied, so that the sterilization function can be performed even when the power is charged.

In addition, by operating the sterilization unit in addition to the cleaning time, there is an advantage that the sterilizing power can be exerted without being disturbed by the flow of air.

1 is a perspective view of an essential part of a cleaner according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of part 'A' of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a simplified configuration diagram of part 'A' of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is according to the present invention. The main control block diagram of the cleaner.

The cleaner shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 is a cleaning robot among various types of cleaners, which has an external appearance and a main body 2 with wheels 1, and a suction force mounted on the main body 2 so that the cleaning material can be sucked up. A blower (not shown) for generating a dust, a dust collecting unit (6) for collecting the suction sucked by the suction force of the blower (not shown), and a sterilizing unit (8) for sterilizing and sterilizing the dust collecting unit (6). And a control unit 10 for controlling the cleaner.

The dust collecting unit 6 may be provided as a dust collecting type among several types. That is, the dust collecting unit 6 includes a dust collecting container 20 having an inlet 20A through which cleaning matter flows along with air and a discharge opening 20B through which air is discharged, and a discharge opening 6B of the dust collecting container 20. It is disposed on the filter 22 to filter the air discharged from the dust collector (20). In particular, the dust collecting unit 6 is composed of the dust collecting container 20, and has the following advantages as compared with the case of the dust collecting bag.

If the dust collecting unit 6 is provided with a dust collecting bag, since it is difficult to mount the sterilizing unit 8 directly on the dust collecting bag, a sterilizing unit 8 is mounted around the dust collecting bag to collect air discharged from the dust collecting bag. It must be sterilized. By the way, the sterilization by ultraviolet rays of the sterilization unit 8 will function properly when the ultraviolet rays are irradiated directly to the sterilization target for a predetermined time. Therefore, when the dust collecting unit 6 is provided with a dust collecting bag, the ultraviolet light may be blocked by the dust collecting bag, so that it is difficult to properly sterilize by the ultraviolet light, and bacteria present in the dust collecting bag that are not sterilized at the sterilization function stop time Breed and discharge.

In addition, if the dust collecting unit 6 is provided as a dust collecting bag, the dust collecting bag is consumable and costs maintenance and management due to the replacement of the dust collecting bag. Due to the impregnation of the catalyst, the manufacturing cost of the dust collecting bag itself is increased, and the maintenance and management cost due to the replacement of the dust collecting bag is increased.

However, since the dust collecting unit 6 is constituted by the dust collecting container 20 in which the sterilizing unit 8 is incorporated as in the present invention, there is no problem as described above.

The dust collecting container 20 is detachable to be discharged and processed to clean the dust collected in the dust collecting container 20, it may be detachable to the main body (2).

The sterilizing unit 8 includes an ultraviolet unit 30 for irradiating the dust collecting unit 8 with ultraviolet rays so that the dust collecting unit 6 can be sterilized by ultraviolet rays.

The ultraviolet unit 30 may include an ultraviolet light source 32 that irradiates ultraviolet rays into the dust collecting unit 6, and an ultraviolet light source substrate 34 that controls the ultraviolet light source 32.

The ultraviolet light source 32 may be configured as a lamp structure, or may be configured as a light emitting diode (LED) structure. In the present embodiment, an example in which the ultraviolet light source 32 is composed of an ultraviolet light emitting diode is disclosed. In particular, the present embodiment discloses an example in which a plurality of ultraviolet light emitting diodes are provided. At least some of the plurality of ultraviolet light emitting diodes are positioned such that the ultraviolet rays of the ultraviolet light source 32 can be sufficiently irradiated onto the filter 22 so that they can serve as photocatalytic light sources as described below. When the ultraviolet light source 32 is composed of a light emitting diode structure, when compared with the lamp type, the life of the light emitting diode is almost semi-permanent, more advantageous in terms of cost, less power consumption than the same capacity, and relatively small. It can be easily positioned and arranged, and the ballast, which is an essential element of the ultraviolet lamp, is unnecessary, so that the structure is simpler and the volume is smaller than the same capacity. On the other hand, the ultraviolet lamp as the ultraviolet light source 32 is similar to the above-described ultraviolet light emitting diode, and since there are many commonly known techniques, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The ultraviolet light source 32 may be located outside the dust collecting container 20 or may be located inside the dust collecting container 20. In this embodiment, the ultraviolet light source 32 discloses an example in which the dust collector 20 is located inside. When the ultraviolet light source 32 is located inside the dust collecting container 20, compared to the example located outside the dust collecting container 20, ultraviolet rays irradiated from the ultraviolet light source 32 are collected in the dust collecting container 20. By being directly transmitted to 10, light source loss of the ultraviolet light source 32 can be prevented, blind spots where the ultraviolet light of the ultraviolet light source 32 cannot reach can be prevented, and the ultraviolet light of the ultraviolet light source 32 can be prevented. The guide or projection device for irradiating the dust collecting container 20 has an unnecessary advantage.

The ultraviolet light source substrate 34 may also be installed inside the dust collecting container 20 together with the ultraviolet light source 32. The ultraviolet light source substrate 34 may be electrically and communicatively connected to the controller 50 to be described later through a detachable connector so that the ultraviolet light source substrate 34 can be removed together with the dust collecting container 20.

On the other hand, the portion of the dust collecting unit 6, in particular the dust collecting container 6 is mounted inside the dust collecting unit 6, so that the ultraviolet unit 30 is protected from the dust in the dust collecting container 6 and It may further include a shield member 36 partitioning into the remaining part.

The shielding member 36 may be composed of one panel as in the present embodiment. Of course, the shielding member 36 may be configured in any shape, size, or structure depending on the structure in which the ultraviolet ray unit 30 is installed as long as it can protect the ultraviolet ray unit 30.

The shielding member 36 should be configured to allow the ultraviolet light emitted from the ultraviolet unit 30 to pass through the shielding member 36. That is, at least a portion of the shield member 36 is made of a transparent material. Such a shielding member 36 is preferably made of a transparent material, as in the present embodiment, in that it is easy to manufacture and the manufacturing cost is low accordingly.

In addition, the sterilization unit 8 includes a photocatalyst unit which allows the harmful substances in the dust collecting unit 6 to be sterilized by the photocatalytic function.

The photocatalyst unit is a photocatalyst coating material 40 coated on the dust collecting unit 6, in particular the dust collector 20, and activated by being sensitive to light, and a photocatalyst for providing a light source to the photocatalyst coating material 40. It may be made of a light source.

The photocatalyst coating material 40 is preferably titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ), which is effective for oxidative decomposition of harmful substances in particular in response to light in a semiconductor.

The photocatalyst function by the titanium oxide mentioned above is further demonstrated as follows. When the photocatalyst of titanium oxide absorbs light energy corresponding to the band-gab energy of titanium oxide, that is, ultraviolet rays of 380 nm or less, it simultaneously causes oxidation, reduction reactions, and hydrophilic reactions. Organovolatile compounds (VOCs) decomposition, antibacterial, sterilization, deodorization, self-cleaning and the like.

That is, the photocatalyst of titanium oxide reacts with oxidative decomposition of NOx and SOx by oxidizing organic volatile compounds (VOCs), bacteria and viruses by photooxidation.

In addition, the photocatalyst of titanium oxide has a strong oxidizing power that completely decomposes and detoxifies organic pollutants, which are difficult to decompose by a chlorine or ozone purification method, by photoacidification, thereby decomposing organic pollutants into harmless substances, It works to remove. In addition, the photocatalyst of titanium oxide, by virtue of the above-described strong oxidizing power, kills bacteria and bacteria, and acts to decompose bacteria debris and toxins.

In addition, the photocatalyst of titanium oxide has a decomposition effect of harmful organic compounds (VOCs), odorous gases such as hydrogen sulfide or ammonia, and other odorous gases such as tobacco odor which require deodorization.

In addition, hydrophilization is a phenomenon in which water is well-suited to the surface of a material and spreads widely on the surface. Since titanium oxide forms a contact angle between an object and water at 5 degrees or less, when light is irradiated onto the surface of a material coated with titanium oxide, water It is a superhydrophilic phenomenon that completely spreads over the surface. Therefore, when water comes into contact with the surface of the titanium oxide-coated dust collector 20 due to this property, the dirt is easily washed, thereby making it difficult to accumulate contaminants such as dust and dust, thereby reducing the cleaning cost. It acts as a self-cleaning system to prevent distortion of vision, fog and vision.

The photocatalyst coating material 40 may be coated anywhere on the inner / outer wall of the dust collecting container 20, may be coated on the inlet 20A, the discharge hole 20B of the dust collecting container 20, and the dust collecting container. 20 may be coated on a separate structure, or may be coated on the filter 22. In this embodiment, an example in which the photocatalyst coating material 40 is coated on the filter 22 is disclosed. Hazardous and contaminants adhere well to the filter 22, which filters, among the dust collection units 6, and the photocatalyst coating material 40 is coated on the filter 22, thereby effecting sterilization by the photocatalyst. Has an excellent advantage.

The photocatalyst light source may be applied with various types of light energy such as sunlight, visible light, ultraviolet light, and the like. In this embodiment, an example using ultraviolet light is disclosed. That is, the photocatalyst light source may use the ultraviolet light source 32 of the ultraviolet unit 30 without being separately provided for the photocatalyst of the photocatalyst coating material 40. Therefore, since the ultraviolet light source 32 also serves as the photocatalyst light source function, the ultraviolet light source 32 may have advantages such as simplification of structure, cost reduction, and volume minimization.

The control unit 10 includes a control unit 50 for controlling the cleaner according to the present invention, a power supply unit 52 for supplying power required for the cleaner according to the present invention, and an operation unit 54 for operating the cleaner according to the present invention. And a display unit 56 for displaying the operation and control state of the cleaner according to the present invention.

As described later, the power supply unit 52 includes an operating power source for the cleaning function of the cleaner and the sterilization unit 8 so that the sterilization function can be performed even if the sterilization function is requested while the power is being charged as described below. The sterilization function power source for the sterilization function operation is separated.

The power supply unit 52 may be associated with the charging unit 53 so as to be charged with power from a commercial power source when the robot cleaner is wirelessly operated, such as a cleaner according to the present invention.

The operation unit 54 may be configured in a switch manner on the appearance of the main body (2). That is, the operation unit 54 may be a power switch for controlling the power of the cleaner, a cleaning switch for controlling the cleaning function of the cleaner, a sterilization switch for controlling the sterilization function by the sterilization unit 8, and the like. Can be configured. The manipulation unit 54 may be operated in connection with an external device 55 such as a remote controller.

The display unit 56 may be configured on the exterior of the main body 2 so as to be noticeable. The display unit 56 displays a power charging state, a cleaning progress state, an error, a dust collection amount in the dust collecting unit 6, a sterilization function state, and the like.

In addition, the control unit 10 is a sensor for sensing the power charging state and the position of the charger 70 that can be charged by the cleaner according to the present invention when the charging unit 53 is configured as a cleaner according to the present invention. Part 58 may be further included.

In addition, the control unit 10 is connected to the external device 55, the receiving unit 60 for receiving a signal from the external device 55, the current operating state of the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention and performing The apparatus may further include a transmitter 62 for transmitting data to the external device 55.

Looking at the sterilization function operation of the cleaner according to the present invention configured as described above are as follows.

The sterilization function by the sterilization unit 8 may be controlled to be automatically performed after the cleaning function of the cleaner is completed.

Alternatively, the sterilization function by the sterilization unit 8 may be controlled to be performed after the cleaning function of the cleaner is completed only when the sterilization function by the sterilization unit 8 is requested.

Alternatively, the sterilization function by the sterilization unit 8 may be controlled to be performed while the cleaner is being charged while performing the cleaning function or after the cleaning function is completed. At this time, since the power supply unit 52 separates the operation power and the sterilization function power, the sterilization function by the sterilization unit 8 is operated by receiving the sterilization function power when the cleaner is charged. In this way, if the sterilization function by the sterilization unit 8 is controlled to be operated outside the cleaning function time, the ultraviolet light can be stably irradiated without being disturbed by the flow of air, and the reaction of the photocatalyst can sufficiently occur.

Of course, the sterilization function by the sterilization unit 8 may be controlled to be performed by a request for performing a sterilization function by an operation of the operation unit 54 or the external device 55 regardless of whether the cleaning function of the cleaner is performed. Do. In this case, when the cleaner 50 is performing a function other than a sterilization function including a cleaning function, the controller 50 is requested to perform a sterilization function by an operation of the operation unit 54 or the external device 55. The sterilization function according to (8) can be controlled to be preferentially processed.

When the sterilization function by the sterilization unit 8 is performed as described above, power is connected to the ultraviolet light source 32 to irradiate the ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet light source 32. Then, bacteria, mites, molds, etc. of the dust collecting unit 6, that is, the dust collecting container 20 and the filter 22, may be sterilized by ultraviolet rays irradiated from the ultraviolet light source 32, and odors may be prevented.

In addition, the photocatalyst coating material 40 coated on the filter 22 is activated by the ultraviolet rays of the ultraviolet light source 32 to activate H ₂ O, CO ₂ and O ₂ , which are harmful to humans and harmful to the human body. By oxidative decomposition and the like, the dust collecting unit 6 can be sterilized and antibacterial.

As described above, the cleaner according to the present invention has been described in detail, but of course, this is merely an example, and the cleaner according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications may be made within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. Can be.

1 is a perspective view of an essential part of a cleaner according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of portion 'A' of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a simplified configuration diagram of part 'A' of FIG. 1.

4 is a main control block diagram of a cleaner according to the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols on main parts of the drawings>

2; Main body 8; Sterilization Unit

10; Control unit 20; Dust collector

22; Filter 30; UV unit

32; Ultraviolet light source 34; UV light source substrate

40; Photocatalyst coating material 50; Control

52; A power supply 53; Charging part

54; Control panel 55; External device

56; Display section 58; Sensor part

60; Receiver 62; Transmitter

70; charger

Claims (7)

A dust collecting passage through which an inlet and an outlet are formed to collect the cleaning material; An ultraviolet unit mounted to the dust collecting chamber and irradiating ultraviolet rays into the dust collecting chamber; And a photocatalyst unit provided in the dust collector to oxidatively decompose harmful substances in the dust collector. The method according to claim 1, The ultraviolet unit cleaner comprises a ultraviolet light emitting diode. The method according to claim 1, The ultraviolet unit cleaner comprises an ultraviolet lamp. The method according to claim 1, And a shielding member for dividing the inside of the dust collecting container into a portion in which the ultraviolet unit is mounted and the remaining portion, and passing ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet unit. The method according to claim 1, A filter mounted to the discharge port of the dust collecting container; The photocatalyst unit is provided with a titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) coating on the filter to be sensitive to the ultraviolet light source of the ultraviolet unit. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A charging unit for charging power; A power supply unit supplying the charged power; And a controller configured to control the ultraviolet unit and the photocatalytic unit to receive power even when the power is charged. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, And a control unit configured to operate the ultraviolet light unit and the photocatalyst unit in addition to the cleaning time during which the cleaning material is collected in the dust collecting container.

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