KR20140087230A - Washing machine having ultra violet light emitting diode - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed in the present invention is a washing machine using an ultraviolet light emitting diode, capable of performing sterilization and deodorization of the inside of a washing machine without disassembling. The disclosed washing machine using an ultraviolet light emitting diode includes: a drum; a plurality of lifters protruded towards the inside of the drum; and a plurality of ultraviolet light emitting diodes (UV LEDs) installed on the end portions of the lifters to sterilize and deodorize laundries transferred to the inside of the drum.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a washing device using an ultraviolet light emitting diode (UVA)

The present invention relates to a washing apparatus using an ultraviolet light emitting diode, and more particularly, to a washing apparatus using an ultraviolet light emitting diode capable of sterilizing and deodorizing laundry carried into a drum.

Generally, a washing apparatus is a device for removing dirt contained in laundry by using the action of water and a detergent.

The washing apparatus can be divided into a stirring system, a vortex system and a drum system.

In the agitation method, the washing rods rising in the center of the washing tub are washed by turning left and right. In the vortex type washing method, the circular rotating blades formed in the lower part of the washing tub are rotated left and right to wash using the friction between water and laundry, In this method, water, detergent and laundry are put into the inside of the drum, and the drum is rotated to be washed.

The drum type washing machine includes a cabinet having an outer tub, a tub having wash water accommodated therein, a drum having laundry inside the tub, a motor for rotating the drum, and a shaft Respectively.

In a general drum type washing machine, tap water is used, and the calcium of the tap water and the surfactant of the detergent react with each other to generate an insoluble metal soap. The insoluble metal soap tends to adhere to the inner or outer wall of the drum or the inner wall of the tub, and the size of the insoluble metal soap gradually increases as the fiber scraps or dirt separated from the laundry adhere to the insoluble metal soap. In addition, the insoluble metal soap absorbs moisture, thereby propagating fungi, microorganisms, and generating surface sediments that cause decay. In a general drum type washing machine, malodors may occur due to the fungi, microorganisms, and sediments, and the fungi, microorganisms, and sediments may float in the water during washing and adhere to the laundry to cause contamination of the laundry.

The contaminated laundry causes bacterial and odor to be generated, so that the reliability of washing is lowered, and there is a problem that health of a user with weak immunity is threatened.

The object of the present invention is to provide a washing apparatus using an ultraviolet light emitting diode capable of sterilizing and deodorizing laundry loaded in a drum.

The washing apparatus using the ultraviolet light emitting diode of the present invention includes a drum, a plurality of lifters protruding into the drum, and an ultraviolet light emitting unit having a plurality of UV LED arrays provided at the ends of the plurality of lifters.

The ultraviolet light emitting unit includes a plurality of UV LED driving units connected to a plurality of UV LED arrays for driving them individually, a control unit for controlling the plurality of UV LED driving units, an object sensing unit for sensing the presence or absence of the laundry in the drum, A position sensor for sensing the position of the laundry, and a weight sensor for sensing the weight of the laundry.

Each of the plurality of UV LED arrays includes a plurality of UV LEDs and at least one white LED.

The UV LED has an interval of 0.5 cm or less with the adjacent ultraviolet LED.

The UV LED has a maximum peak wavelength band at 200 to 350 nm.

The UV LED has a maximum peak wavelength band at 265 to 340 nm.

Wherein each of the plurality of UV LED arrays comprises a substrate, a plurality of UV LEDs mounted on the substrate, first and second wirings located on both sides of an end of the lift, And a protective cover provided between the first and second guide barrier ribs and the first and second guide barrier ribs.

And the first and second guide ribs have first and second receiving grooves on the inner side surfaces thereof, through which the protective cover is inserted.

The protective cover includes a diffusing agent or a diffusion pattern.

A plurality of UV LED arrays are disposed at the ends of the plurality of lifters to sterilize and deodorize the laundry loaded into the drum. The plurality of UV LED arrays and the plurality of UV LED arrays And a plurality of UV LED drivers which are individually connected to the UV LED arrays in a one-to-one connection.

And a controller for controlling the plurality of UV LED drivers.

And an object sensing unit for sensing the presence or absence of the laundry in the drum.

And a position sensor unit for sensing the position of the laundry.

And a weight sensor unit for sensing the weight of the laundry.

Wherein each of the plurality of UV LED arrays comprises a substrate, a plurality of UV LEDs mounted on the substrate, first and second wirings located on both sides of an end of the lift, First and second guide ribs surrounding the outer surface of the first and second wirings, and a protective cover provided between the first and second guide ribs.

And the first and second guide ribs have first and second receiving grooves on the inner side surfaces thereof, through which the protective cover is inserted.

The protective cover includes a diffusing agent or a diffusion pattern.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, the washing machine of the present invention determines the presence or absence of laundry in the drum, detects information such as the position and weight of the laundry, The UV LED array is individually controlled to effectively perform sterilization and deodorization of the laundry and to minimize the damage of the laundry.

1 is a sectional view showing a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the lifter and UV LED array of Figure 1;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the inside of the drum and the drum of FIG. 1;
Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic structure of an ultraviolet light-emitting unit of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the UV LED driver and the UV LED array of FIG. 4. FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are provided by way of example so that those skilled in the art can fully understand the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, but may be embodied in other forms. In the drawings, the width, length, thickness, and the like of the components may be exaggerated for convenience. Like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the specification.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the lifter and the ultraviolet light emitting unit of FIG. 1, to be.

1 and 2, a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a cabinet 110 defined as an outer appearance, a tub 120 located inside the cabinet 110 to receive washing water, And a drum 130 rotatable within the tub 120.

A loading port 112a for loading and unloading the laundry is provided on the front surface of the cabinet 110. The loading part 112a is provided with a door 115 and the loading opening 112a is opened and closed by the door 115. [

The cabinet 110 may further include an input unit (not shown) which can be operated by the user. That is, the input unit may be installed around the door 115. The user can select various courses of the washing machine by operating the input unit. Further, the input unit may further include a display unit.

The tub 120 is provided inside the cabinet 110 and at least one spring 121 may be provided on the tub 120. The spring 121 may be disposed between an upper portion of the tub 120 and an inner surface of the cabinet 110. A damper 122 may be installed on the lower portion of the tub 120. The spring 121 and the damper 122 support the tub 120 and reduce the vibration transmitted to the tub 120 when the drum 130 rotates at a high speed.

The drum 130 may be rotated with respect to a penetrating shaft passing through the center of the inlet 112a from the inside of the tub 120. [ The drum 130 can perform washing, rinsing, dewatering or the like by a rotating function.

A water supply hose 140 for supplying water to the inside of the tub 120 from an external water supply source is installed inside the cabinet 110 and a water supply hose 140 for controlling the supply amount of water supplied through the water supply hose 140 And a detergent supply device 142 for supplying detergent into the tub 120 so that water supplied through the water supply hose 140 is introduced into the tub 120 together with the detergent.

In addition, the cabinet 110 further includes a drain hose 150 and a drain pump 151 for discharging wash water to the outside through washing, rinsing, and dewatering.

A driving unit 160 for rotating the drum 130 is provided at a rear end of the cabinet 110. The driving unit 160 may be a motor, for example. The driving unit 160 rotates the drum 120 through a rotating shaft 165 coupled to the drum 120.

The washing machine may use water heated by the user's choice at the time of washing and rinsing or by a preset course option. The heated water may be provided by a heater 125 located inside the cabinet 110.

A plurality of through holes 132 are formed in the inner surface of the drum 130. The through holes 132 provide a space through which the wash water can flow into and out of the drum 130 in washing, rinsing, and dewatering.

The drum 130 has a plurality of lifters 131 spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance and protruding inward. The plurality of lifters 131 have a function of raising laundry to a predetermined position.

The washing apparatus of the present invention includes a UV LED array 200 mounted on the lifters 131. The UV LED array 200 may be installed in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of lifters 131.

The UV LED array 200 is provided at a protruded end of the lifter 131 and may be installed in a longitudinal direction of the lifter 131. That is, the UV LED array 200 may be a bar type.

The UV LED array 200 includes a substrate 201 including a conductive line pattern and a plurality of UV LEDs 202 disposed on the substrate 201 at regular intervals.

The UV LED array 200 includes first and second wirings 203 and 205 located on a side of a bottom end of the lifter 131 and the first and second wirings 203 and 205 are disposed on the substrate 201 . The upper ends of the first and second wirings 203 and 205 may be electrically connected to each other by contacting both ends of the lower surface of the substrate 201. The first and second wirings 203 and 205 are supplied with driving signals for driving the plurality of UV LEDs 202.

The outer surfaces of the first and second wirings 203 and 205 are provided with first and second guide ribs 211a and 211b.

The first and second guide ribs 211a and 211b protect the plurality of UV LEDs 202, the substrate 201, the first and second wirings 203 and 205, Function.

A protective cover 220 is provided between the first and second guide ribs 211a and 211b. The protective cover 220 is made of a transparent material and is positioned on the light emitting surface of the UV LED 202. The protective cover 220 protects the UV LED 202, the substrate 201, the first and second wirings 203 and 205, and has a function for insulation from the washing water.

The protective cover 220 may include a diffusing agent, and may further include a diffusion pattern to have a diffusion function.

The protective cover 220 is bar-shaped so as to correspond to the substrate 201. Both ends of the protective cover 220 are provided with first and second receiving grooves 213a and 213b formed on the inner surfaces of the first and second guide ribs 211a and 211b, , 213b. That is, both ends of the protective cover 220 may be inserted into the first and second receiving grooves 213a and 213b to be coupled to the first and second guide ribs 211a and 211b.

The protective cover 220 may further include a separate rubber or silicone sealing member (not shown) for blocking inflow of the washing water when the first and second guide ribs 211a and 211b are coupled with each other have.

The UV LED array 200 as described above has a function of sterilizing and deodorizing laundry, and performs a washing, rinsing, dehydrating and drying process or a sole disinfection and deodorizing function, so that the washing of fungi, microorganisms and sediments by insoluble metal soap And has an advantage of preventing contamination.

Referring to FIG. 3, the washing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes first to third UV LED arrays 200a, 200b, 200c, 200c arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the lifters provided in the drum 130, respectively.

The first to third UV LED arrays 200a to 200c are individually driven.

The washing apparatus of the present invention effectively controls the sterilization and deodorization of the laundry 250 by individually controlling the first to third UV LED arrays 200a to 200c according to the presence, the position and the weight of the laundry 250, At the same time, damage to the laundry 250 can be minimized.

For example, in the washing apparatus of the present invention, the distance between the third UV LED array 200c and the laundry 250 is longer than the distance between the first and second UV LED arrays 200a and 200b and the laundry 250 short. Thus, the third UV LED array 200c is controlled to have a lower ultraviolet light intensity than the first and second UV LED arrays 200a and 200b. That is, the washing apparatus of the present invention detects the distance between the first to third UV LED arrays 200a to 200c and the laundry 250 to minimize the damage of the laundry 250 by adjusting the intensity of ultraviolet light according to the distance.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a schematic structure of an ultraviolet light emitting unit of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a view showing a UV LED driver and a UV LED array of FIG.

4 and 5, the ultraviolet light emitting unit of the present invention includes a UV LED block 200, a UV LED driver 350 for driving the UV LED block 200, a UV LED driver 350, And a control unit 300 for controlling the control unit 300.

The ultraviolet light emitting unit includes an object detecting unit 310 for detecting laundry, a position sensor 320 for detecting the position of the laundry, and a weight sensor 330 for detecting the weight of the laundry. .

The UV LED block 200 includes first to third UV LED arrays 200a to 200c, and the first to third UV LED arrays 200a to 200c include first to third lifters Respectively.

Each of the first to third UV LED arrays 200a to 200c includes a plurality of UV LEDs and at least one W LED. The UV LED is an ultraviolet light emitting diode that emits ultraviolet light, and the W LED is a white light emitting diode that emits white light.

The UV LED has an ultraviolet wavelength band of 400 nm or less. For example, the UV LED emits ultraviolet light having a peak wavelength at 200 to 350 nm. The UV LED more preferably emits ultraviolet light having a maximum peak wavelength at 265 to 340 nm.

The UV LED may have an interval of 0.5 cm or less with the adjacent UV LED.

The UV LED driving unit 350 includes first to third UV LED driving units 351 to 355 and the first to third UV LED driving units 351 to 355 are connected to the first to third UV LED driving units 351 to 355, And individually driven in response to the third control signals CS1 to CS3.

The object detecting unit 310 has a function of detecting the presence or absence of laundry in the drum. The object detecting unit 310 may be installed inside the drum, and may be installed inside the ultraviolet light emitting unit.

The control unit 300 determines the presence or absence of laundry in response to the first sensing signal provided from the object sensing unit 310 and controls ON / OFF of the W LED.

That is, when the laundry is loaded into the drum, the laundry is sensed by the object sensing unit 310, and the controller 300 controls the UV LED 300 to drive the W LED according to a sensing signal of the object sensing unit 310 And controls the driving unit 350.

The position sensor 320 detects the position of the laundry loaded into the drum. The position sensor unit 320 may be included in the first to third UV LED arrays 200a to 200c and may be provided in a region adjacent to the first to third UV LED arrays 200a to 200c. That is, the position sensor 320 senses the position of the laundry on the basis of each of the first to third UV LED arrays 200a to 200c.

The weight sensor 330 senses the weight of the laundry.

A method of driving the ultraviolet light emitting unit according to the present invention will now be described. The ultraviolet light emitting unit is supplied with a first sensing signal for detecting the presence or absence of laundry in the drum through the object sensing unit 310, 300 controls the UV LED driver 350 to turn the W LED of the UV LED array 200 on or off. Specifically, when the laundry is loaded into the drum, the controller 300 turns on the W LED.

Then, the ultraviolet light emitting unit supplies the second and third sensing signals to the control unit 300, which detect the information of the laundry carried into the drum through the position sensor unit 320 and the weight sensor unit 330, The controller 300 controls the UV LED driver 350 to turn on or off the UV LEDs of the UV LED arrays 200a to 200c. Here, the controller 300 individually controls the first to third UV LED drivers 351 to 355 of the UV LED driver 350 according to the laundry information. Therefore, the first to third UV LED arrays 200a to 200c may be individually driven by the first to third UV LED driving units 351 to 355.

The above-described washing machine of the present invention detects the presence or absence of laundry in the drum, detects information such as the position and weight of the laundry, and detects the presence or absence of laundry in the first to third UV LED arrays 200a, 200c are individually controlled so as to effectively perform sterilization and deodorization of the laundry and to minimize the damage of the laundry.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments or constructions. Various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. have.

200: UV LED array 300:
310: object detection unit 320: position sensor unit
330: Weight sensor unit 350: UV LED driving unit

Claims (17)

drum;
A plurality of lifters protruding into the drum; And
And an ultraviolet light emitting unit having a plurality of UV LED arrays provided at the ends of the plurality of lifters, respectively. The ultraviolet light emitting device according to claim 1,
A plurality of UV LED driving units individually connected to the plurality of UV LED arrays one by one to drive them individually;
A controller for controlling the plurality of UV LED drivers;
An object sensing unit for sensing the presence or absence of the laundry in the drum;
A position sensor for sensing a position of the laundry; And
And a weight sensor unit for sensing the weight of the laundry. The washing machine of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of UV LED arrays includes a plurality of UV LEDs and at least one white LED. 4. The washing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the UV LED is an ultraviolet LED having an interval of 0.5 cm or less. 4. The washing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the UV LED has an ultraviolet light emitting diode having a maximum peak wavelength band at 200 to 350 nm. 4. The washing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the UV LED has an ultraviolet light emitting diode having a maximum peak wavelength range of 265 to 340 nm. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of UV LED arrays comprises:
Board;
A plurality of UV LEDs mounted on the substrate;
First and second wires positioned on both sides of an end of the lift;
First and second guide ribs surrounding both side edges of the substrate and outer sides of the first and second wires; And
And a protective cover provided between the first and second guide ribs. 8. The washing machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first and second guide ribs have first and second receiving grooves on the inner side surfaces thereof, through which the protective cover is inserted. 8. The washing machine of claim 7, wherein the protective cover comprises a diffuser or a diffusion pattern. A plurality of lifters protruding into the drum;
A plurality of UV LED arrays installed at the ends of the lifters to sterilize and deodorize the laundry carried into the drum; And
And a plurality of UV LED drivers connected to the plurality of UV LED arrays in a one-to-one manner and driven individually. 12. The washing machine of claim 10, further comprising a controller for controlling the plurality of UV LED drivers. 11. The washing machine of claim 10, further comprising an object sensing unit for sensing the presence or absence of the laundry in the drum. 11. The washing machine of claim 10, further comprising a position sensor unit for sensing a position of the laundry. 12. The washing machine of claim 10, further comprising a weight sensor for sensing the weight of the laundry. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of UV LED arrays comprises:
Board;
A plurality of UV LEDs mounted on the substrate;
First and second wires positioned on both sides of an end of the lift;
First and second guide ribs surrounding both side edges of the substrate and outer sides of the first and second wires; And
And a protective cover provided between the first and second guide ribs. 16. The washing machine as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first and second guide ribs have first and second receiving grooves in which the protective cover is inserted. 16. The washing machine as claimed in claim 15, wherein the protective cover comprises a diffuser or a diffusion pattern.

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