KR20170137486A - Automatic cleaning system for ceiling type of air-conditioner and cleaning method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are an automatic cleaning apparatus for a ceiling insertion type air conditioner, capable of solving problems caused by dust or various bacteria by automatically cleaning the inside of an air conditioner, and a cleaning method using the same. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the automatic cleaning apparatus for a ceiling insertion type air conditioner comprises: a cleaner main body; a cleaning head; a nozzle; a control unit; an imaging unit; and a lighting unit. The cleaner main body includes an air compressor, a high-pressure cleaning pump, and a cleaning agent tank. The cleaning head is detachably connected to the cleaner main body, has a magnet member in a lower portion thereof to be attached and detached to and from the inside of the ceiling insertion type air conditioner, and is formed to be partially rotated. The nozzle is coupled to one side of the cleaning head and is rotated to selectively receive high-pressure air, cleaning water, and a cleaning agent from the air compressor, the high-pressure cleaning pump, and the cleaning agent tank to be sprayed. The control unit allows high-pressure air, cleaning water, and cleaning agent to be selectively sprayed from the nozzle. The imaging unit is coupled to the other side of the cleaning head to photograph the inside of the ceiling insertion type air conditioner. The lighting unit is coupled to the other side of the cleaning head to illuminate the inside of the ceiling insertion type air conditioner.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an automatic cleaning system for a ceiling embedded type air conditioner,

The present invention relates to a ceiling-mounted air conditioner automatic washing apparatus and a washing method using the same. And more particularly, to a system for removing contaminants existing in an indoor evaporator cooling fin of an air conditioner embedded in a ceiling and drying and cleaning the cooling fin, and a cleaning method using the same.

Recently, system air conditioners are mostly installed in buildings such as large buildings, public institutions, public use facilities, and cassette type air conditioners, which are embedded in the ceiling, are widely preferred because of space limitations.

On the other hand, in the case of air conditioner, pollution occurs when used after installation. In other words, pollutants including fine dust in the air enter the inside and pass through the heat exchanger (cooling fins), moisture is generated by the temperature difference, and at the same time, the fungus is transformed into a low-temperature mold and a bad smell is generated.

These low-temperature fungi can cause asthma or atopic inflammation in infants and children with weak immunity and may aggravate and cause acute pneumonia. Therefore, in order to minimize the growth of these bacteria, the air conditioner must be cleaned and cleaned.

However, in general, in the case of cleaning the air conditioner, the main body including the heat exchanger (cooling fin) is not cleaned but is limited to the filter cleaning, and the professional service company also relies on manual operation of the cassette type air conditioner .

However, it is difficult to clean by hand, labor is consumed, cleaning time is long, the time for the customer to stop work is long, the detergent and cleaning liquid are wasted, and the cleanliness is relatively low.

In addition, the method of cleaning with a high-pressure scrubber requires high pressure, inconveniences such as a concern about secondary contamination due to a large amount of water, and the necessity of bringing in a large-sized cleaning device and a cleaning device. In addition, since the ceiling must be seen, work conditions are very disadvantageous and industrial materials are also worried about it.

Korea public utility model 20-2012-0007141 (October 17, 2012)

An object of the present invention is to provide a ceiling-mounted air conditioner automatic washing apparatus and a washing method using the same, which can solve the problems caused by dust and various bacteria by automatically cleaning the inside of the air conditioner.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ceiling-mounted air conditioner automatic washing apparatus including a washer main body, a cleaning head, a nozzle, a control unit, an imaging unit, and an illumination unit. The washer main body has an air compressor, a high pressure cleaning pump, and a cleaning agent tank inside. The cleaning head is detachably connected to the dishwasher main body and is provided with a magnet member at a lower portion thereof so as to be detachably attachable to the inside of the ceiling-mounted air conditioner and partly rotatable. The nozzle is coupled to one side of the cleaning head and is rotated to selectively supply high pressure air, wash water, and cleaning agent from the air compressor, high pressure cleaning pump, and cleaning agent tank. The control unit allows high pressure air, wash water and cleaning agent to be selectively injected from the nozzles. The imaging unit is coupled to the other side of the cleaning head to photograph the interior of the ceiling-mounted air conditioner. The lighting unit is coupled to the other side of the cleaning head to illuminate the interior of the ceiling-mounted air conditioner.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the control unit may include a solenoid valve connected to each of an air compressor, a high pressure cleaning pump, and a cleaning agent tank.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the imaging unit may include a wireless communication function capable of transmitting the photographed image to the outside.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the apparatus may further include an ultraviolet ray irradiating unit coupled to the other side of the cleaning head to irradiate ultraviolet rays inside the ceiling-embedded type air conditioner.

An automatic cleaning method according to one aspect of the present invention is an automatic cleaning method using an automatic flushing apparatus for a ceiling embedded type air conditioner, comprising: inputting customer information from a worker; installing a cleaning system inside the air conditioner; A step of photographing, a step of photographing, a step of photographing, and a step of transmitting an image before and after the operation to a server.

According to the present invention, contaminants existing in the indoor evaporator cooling fins of the air conditioner automatically buried in the ceiling are removed and the cooling fins are dried to clean the air conditioner, thereby providing a uniform cleaning quality.

In addition, according to the present invention, there is an advantage that the cleaning head can be easily detached from the inside of the air conditioner, and the operator can confirm from outside whether the cleaning operation has been properly performed.

In addition, it may be possible for the customer or manager to check the inside of the air conditioner before and after the cleaning operation.

1 is a perspective view of a ceiling-mounted air conditioner automatic cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a schematic structural view of the ceiling-mounted air conditioner automatic washing apparatus shown in FIG.
3 is a schematic view of a cleaning head according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a perspective view of a cleaning head according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the cleaning head of Fig. 4 taken in another direction. Fig.
FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a ceiling-mounted air conditioner automatic cleaner of FIG. 1 installed in a ceiling-mounted air conditioner.
FIG. 7 shows a system that allows a customer or an administrator to identify the inside of the air conditioner before and after the cleaning operation by using the ceiling-mounted air conditioner automatic cleaner.
FIG. 8 illustrates a method of cleaning an air conditioner using a ceiling-mounted air conditioner automatic washing apparatus.

The foregoing and further aspects will become apparent through the following examples. In the present specification, corresponding elements in each figure are referred to by the same numerals. In addition, the shape and size of the components can be exaggerated. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to various embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ceiling-mounted air conditioner automatic washing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic structural view of the ceiling-mounted air conditioner automatic washing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, 4 is a perspective view of the cleaning head according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the cleaning head of Fig. 4 viewed from another direction, Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the ceiling- The automatic cleaning device is installed in a ceiling-mounted air conditioner.

The ceiling-mounted air conditioner automatic cleaner described here is a system for removing contaminants present on the cooling fins of an indoor evaporator of an air conditioner embedded in a ceiling and drying and cleaning the cooling fins.

1 to 6, a ceiling-mounted air conditioner automatic washing apparatus 10 includes a washer main body 110, a cleaning head 120, a nozzle 130, a control unit 140, an imaging unit 150, And an illumination unit 160.

The washer main body 110 has an air compressor 111, a high pressure cleaning pump 112, and a cleaning agent tank 113 therein. The washer main body 110 may have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The washer main body 110 can be manufactured by pressing a metal plate. The air compressor 111, the high-pressure cleaning pump 112, and the cleaning agent tank 113 can be fastened and fixed to the inner bottom surface of the cleaner main body 110 using bolts or the like. The air compressor 111 may be a low-noise oil-less type compressor (Oilless Type Compressor). The air compressor 111 may be made of aluminum to prevent the generation of rust.

The high pressure cleaning pump 112 is connected to the wash water tank 114 to transfer the wash water of the wash water tank 114 to the nozzle. In this embodiment, the high-pressure washing pump 112 is connected to the washing water tank 114, but the high-pressure washing pump 112 may be connected to the faucet rather than the water tank 114. The high-pressure washing pump 112 is connected to the washing water tank 114, and the washing water tank 114 may be disposed outside the washer, not in the washer main body 110.

The cleaning head 120 is detachably connected to the cleaner main body 110 and is provided with a magnet member 121 at a lower portion thereof so as to be detachably attachable to the inside of the ceiling-mounted air conditioner and partially rotatable. The plurality of magnet members 121 may be spaced at the same angle so as to be balanced. The magnet member 121 may be a neodymium magnet. When the magnet member 121 is a neodymium magnet, it can exhibit a large magnetic force with a small size, so that the size of the magnet member 121 can be reduced. The cleaning head 120 can be attached to the indoor evaporator 21 of the ceiling embedded type air conditioner 20 by means of a magnetic force (see FIG. 6). Also, the cleaning head 120 may be attached to the dishwasher main body 110 by using this magnetic force.

Specifically, the cleaning head 120 may include a body portion 122 and a rotating plate 123 rotatably coupled to the body portion 122. A motor 125 may be provided inside the body portion 122 so that the rotation plate 123 is rotated with respect to the body portion 122. The motor 125 may be a step motor capable of precise control. On both sides of the rotation plate 123, a nozzle 130 described below and a protrusion 124 to which the imaging unit 150 and the illumination unit 160 can be coupled can be provided. The protrusion 124 may be provided with a coupling groove 124a formed along the longitudinal direction.

The nozzle 130 is coupled to one side of the cleaning head 120 and selectively receives high pressure air, wash water, and cleaning agent from the air compressor 111, the high pressure cleaning pump 112 and the cleaning agent tank 113 Spray. The nozzle 130 may be provided on the protruding portion 124 of the rotating plate 123 and rotated together with the rotating plate 123. Specifically, the nozzle 130 may be engaged with the engaging groove 124a of the projection 124. [ And a position adjusting lever 131 coupled to the coupling groove 124a to adjust the vertical position of the nozzle 130. [

The control unit 140 allows the high pressure air, wash water and cleaning agent to be selectively injected from the nozzle 130. The control unit 140 includes a solenoid valve 141 connected to each of the air compressor 111, the high-pressure cleaning pump 112 and the cleaning agent tank 113 and controls the operation of the solenoid valve 141, 130 and the high pressure air, wash water, and cleaning agent. The high pressure air, wash water, and cleaning agent that have passed through the solenoid valve 141 opened by the control unit 140 can be supplied to the nozzle 130 coupled to the cleaning head 120 via the coupler 142. In addition, the control unit 140 may further include a check valve (not shown) and a pressure regulator (not shown). In addition, the control unit 140 may further include a function of adjusting the injection amount of the cleaning agent, the washing water, and the high-pressure air according to the degree of contamination.

The image pickup unit 150 is coupled to the other side of the cleaning head 120 to photograph the interior of the ceiling-mounted air conditioner. The image pickup unit 150 may have a wireless communication function capable of transmitting the photographed image to the outside. Specifically, the imaging unit 150 may be a Bluetooth camera. Since the image sensing unit 150 has a wireless communication function and is coupled to the other side of the cleaning head 120 to photograph and transmit the inside of the ceiling embedded type air conditioner, the internal condition of the air conditioner before and after the cleaning operation can be confirmed from the outside.

The lighting unit 160 is coupled to the other side of the cleaning head 120 to illuminate the interior of the ceiling-mounted air conditioner. Since the illumination unit 160 illuminates the interior of the ceiling-mounted air conditioner, the imaging unit 150 can more accurately photograph the interior of the ceiling-mounted air conditioner.

In the ceiling-mounted air conditioner automatic washing apparatus having the above-described configuration, the nozzle 130 coupled to the rotary plate 123 and the rotary plate 123 rotates while the control unit 140 controls the washing water, And the high-pressure water is selectively sprayed to remove contaminants present in the indoor evaporator cooling fins of the air conditioner, which are buried in the ceiling, and the cooling fins are dried to clean the air conditioner.

In the meantime, the ceiling-mounted air conditioner automatic washing apparatus according to the present invention is provided with an air compressor 111, a high-pressure washing pump 112, a washing chemical tank 113, etc. in the washing machine main body 110, The cleaning head 120 can be easily detached from the inside of the air conditioner because only the structure of the cleaning head 130, the imaging unit 150, the illumination unit 160 and the motor 125 is provided. The illumination unit 160 illuminates the inside of the air conditioner so that the inside condition of the air conditioner can be more accurately confirmed.

Also, since the image pickup unit 150 has a wireless communication function and transmits the appearance of the cooling fins before and after the cleaning operation to the outside, it can be confirmed from the outside whether the operator has performed the cleaning operation properly. In addition, the operator transmits the appearance of the cooling fins before and after the cleaning operation from the imaging unit 150 via the Bluetooth to the smart phone 200, and the operator transmits it to the server 210 through LTE (Long Term Evolution) or WIFI The customer or manager may be able to check the inside of the air conditioner before and after the cleaning operation (see FIG. 7).

In addition, since the cleaning operation is performed automatically, it has an advantage that uniform cleaning quality can be provided unlike manual operation.

Although not shown, the ceiling-mounted air conditioner automatic washing apparatus 10 may further include an ultraviolet ray irradiating unit (not shown) coupled to the other side of the washing head 120 to irradiate ultraviolet rays into the ceiling-mounted air conditioner. Thus, the inside of the air conditioner can be kept more comfortable by sterilizing the inside of the air conditioner by irradiating ultraviolet rays.

FIG. 8 illustrates a method of cleaning an air conditioner using a ceiling-mounted air conditioner automatic washing apparatus.

A method of cleaning the air conditioner using the air conditioner cleaning system will be described with reference to FIG.

First, customer information is inputted from an operator (S10). The operator may input customer information by using a smartphone installed with the application, or may input customer information using an input unit such as a keyboard or a touch screen provided in the air conditioner cleaning system.

Next, the cleaning system is installed inside the air conditioner and the inside of the air conditioner is photographed using the imaging unit 150 (S20). Specifically, the cleaning head 120 may be mounted on the ceiling-mounted type air conditioner by using a magnetic force to attach the cleaning head 120 to the bottom surface of the cleaning head 120, and then the inside of the air conditioner can be photographed using the imaging unit 150. The photographed image can be transmitted to the smartphone of the operator via the Bluetooth or transmitted to the air conditioner cleaning system.

Next, the cleaning operation is performed (S30). The cleaning agent and the high pressure water are selectively injected from the nozzle 130 while the nozzle 130 coupled to the rotary plate 123 and the rotary plate 123 rotates in accordance with the control operation of the control unit 140, The contaminants can be removed and the cooling fins dried. In addition, depending on the degree of contamination, the amount of the cleaning agent, the washing water, and the high-pressure air may be adjusted to be cleaned.

Next, a photograph after cleaning is taken and transmitted (S40). After the image sensing unit 150 photographs the inside of the air conditioner, the image is transmitted to the operator through the Bluetooth. The image photographed by the image sensing unit 150 may be transmitted to a smartphone of an operator or may be transmitted to an air conditioner cleaning system having a display unit such as an LCD.

Next, the confirmation signal is input from the operator, and the images before and after the operation are transmitted to the server (S50). The operator checks whether the inside of the air conditioner is properly cleaned by viewing the image transmitted by the image pickup unit 150 and then transmits an acknowledgment signal using an air conditioner cleaning system equipped with an input unit such as a smart phone, After input, images before and after the job are sent to the server. Thus, the manager or the customer can confirm the inside view of the air conditioner before and after the cleaning operation.

According to the above-described method, the reliability of the cleaning work can be improved because the operator and the manager as well as the operator can check whether the air conditioner cleaning work has been performed properly. In addition, the air conditioner can be cleanly managed by cleaning the cooling pin of the air conditioner periodically by managing the cleaning history.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. There will be. Accordingly, the true scope of protection of the present invention should be determined only by the appended claims.

10: Ceiling flush type air conditioner automatic washing device
110: Washer main body 111: Air compressor
112: High pressure cleaning pump 113: Cleaning agent tank
114: wash water tank 120: wash head
125: motor 130: nozzle
131: position control lever 140: control unit
141: solenoid valve 142: coupler
150: image pickup unit 160: illuminating unit

Claims (5)

A washer main body having an air compressor, a high pressure cleaning pump, and a cleaning agent tank;
A washing head detachably connected to the dishwasher main body and having a magnet member at a lower portion thereof, detachably mountable inside the ceiling-mounted air conditioner and partially rotatable;
A nozzle for selectively supplying high-pressure air, washing water, and cleaning chemicals from the air compressor, the high-pressure cleaning pump, and the cleaning agent tank while being rotated on one side of the cleaning head;
A control unit for selectively injecting high-pressure air, wash water, and cleaning agent from the nozzle;
An imaging unit coupled to the other side of the cleaning head to photograph the interior of the ceiling-mounted type air conditioner; And
A lighting unit coupled to the other side of the cleaning head to illuminate the interior of the ceiling-mounted air conditioner;
And an automatic cleaner for ceiling-mounted air conditioners.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control unit comprises a solenoid valve connected to the air compressor, the high pressure cleaning pump, and the cleaning agent tank, respectively.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the image sensing unit is provided with a wireless communication function capable of transmitting a photographed image to the outside.
The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising an ultraviolet ray irradiating unit coupled to the other side of the washing head for irradiating ultraviolet rays inside the ceiling-mounted type air conditioner.
6. An automatic cleaning method using the ceiling-mounted air conditioner automatic washing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Receiving customer information from an operator;
Installing a cleaning system inside the air conditioner and photographing the inside of the air conditioner using the image pickup unit;
Performing a cleaning operation;
Photographing and transmitting a photograph after cleaning; And
And inputting an acknowledgment signal from an operator and transmitting an image before and after the operation to a server.

Images