KR20180099397A - Light sensing device and Apparatus for sensing particle - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a photosensing element which senses light reflected or scattered from an object after emitting from a light source comprises: a light transmitting member; and a light sensing part disposed on the light transmitting member and having a light transmitting region. The light sensing part may include a first electrode layer; a semiconductor layer; and a second electrode layer. The semiconductor layer includes a first semiconductor layer disposed around the light transmitting region; and a second semiconductor layer disposed outside the first semiconductor layer.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a light sensing device and a particle sensing device,

Embodiments relate to a photo sensing device and a particle sensing device.

Generally, in a conventional dust sensing apparatus for sensing particles such as dust, light is irradiated toward the dust in the direction of the optical axis, and light scattered in the dust is sensed from the side of the optical axis to obtain information on dust. One example of such a conventional lateral dust sensing device is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 7,038,189 (Registered May 2, 2006).

When the light scattered in the dust is sensed from the side in the optical axis direction, it is difficult to sense particles having a small size, for example, a size of 1 mu m or less because the intensity of the sensed scattered light is weak, ) Also suffers from a narrow problem.

Further, in the case of the conventional lateral type dust sensing apparatus, a path through which air including dust is formed by heat flow has a limit such that the area where the particles flow is larger than the light collecting area. As a result, the number of unmeasured particles increases and the accuracy of sensing the particles is lowered, as well as the overall size of the dust sensing device is increased due to the arrangement of heat sources for heat flow. For example, in the case of the conventional lateral type dust sensing apparatus, the dust measurement error is about 30%, which is very high.

Further, in the case of the conventional lateral type dust sensing apparatus, the intensity of scattered light is not high because the light scattered from the dust is sensed from the side. Therefore, there is a problem that more power is required to increase the intensity of the scattered light.

In addition, in the case of the conventional lateral type dust sensing apparatus, it is impossible to count the number of dusts due to the structural limitations of the flow path of the particles.

U.S. Patent No. 7,038,189 (registered May 2, 2006)

The embodiment provides a particle sensing apparatus capable of accurately sensing information on small particles with a simple structure.

The light sensing element for sensing light emitted from the light source according to the embodiment and reflected or scattered from the object includes: a light transmitting member; And a light sensing portion disposed on the light transmitting member and having a light transmitting region, the light sensing portion including: a first electrode layer; A semiconductor layer disposed on the first electrode layer; And a second electrode layer disposed on the semiconductor layer, wherein the semiconductor layer includes: a first semiconductor layer disposed around the light-transmitting region; And a second semiconductor layer disposed outside the first semiconductor layer.

For example, the light transmitting region may be located on the optical axis of the light source.

For example, the light transmitting portion may have a circular planar shape, and each of the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer may have an annular planar shape.

For example, the planar shapes of the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer may be concentric.

For example, the center of the concentric circle may pass through the optical axis.

For example, the semiconductor layer may further include a third semiconductor layer disposed outside the second semiconductor layer and sensing the scattered light.

For example, the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer may have a polygonal planar shape.

A particle sensing apparatus according to an embodiment includes: a light emitting portion that emits light; A flow path disposed below the light emitting part and crossing the optical axis of the light emitting part, the air including the particles flowing and providing a space in which light is scattered by the particles; A light receiving portion disposed below the flow path portion and receiving the scattered light; And a light absorbing portion disposed on the optical axis below the light receiving portion and absorbing light passing through the light receiving portion. Here, the light-receiving unit may include a light-transmitting member; And a light sensing portion disposed on the light transmitting member and having a light transmitting region, the light sensing portion including: a first electrode layer; A semiconductor layer disposed on the first electrode layer; And a second electrode layer disposed on the semiconductor layer, wherein the semiconductor layer includes: a first semiconductor layer disposed around the light-transmitting region; And a second semiconductor layer disposed outside the first semiconductor layer.

For example, the particle sensing apparatus may further include an information analyzing unit for determining a size of the particle using a ratio of a magnitude of an output signal of the first semiconductor layer to an output signal of the second semiconductor layer.

For example, the light transmitting region may have a circular planar shape, and the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer may have an annular planar shape concentric with each other.

The particle sensing apparatus according to the embodiment has a capability of sensing the improved particles by increasing the intensity of the scattered light to be sensed and has a very small size of 1 mu m or less, for example, 0.1 mu m to 0.8 mu m, preferably 0.3 mu m to 0.5 mu m It is possible to sense the particles and to predict the shape of the particles, to facilitate the design of the light absorbing portion, to improve the problem of reduction in detection of scattered light due to the main beam, to count the number of particles, Since a large amount of power is not required to increase the strength and the entire size is compactly reduced, it can be suitably used in a field requiring a small particle sensing device, for example, for a vehicle.

In addition, since scattered light is received at different positions with respect to the same particle and the size thereof is compared, it is possible to maintain high reliability because it is robust against not only the deterioration of the light emitting device, the contamination of the optical system but also the manufacturing tolerance of the component.

1 is a schematic block diagram for explaining the concept of a particle sensing apparatus according to an embodiment.
Figure 2a shows an exemplary profile of scattered light scattered by particles.
2B is a view for explaining an angle change of scattered light according to the size of the particles.
2C shows an example of the scattered light distribution for each particle size.
Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the particle sensing device shown in Figure 1;
4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the 'A1' portion in order to explain the flow path portion shown in FIG.
Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the particle sensing device shown in Figure 1;
6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the 'A2' portion in order to explain the flow path portion shown in FIG.
Figure 7 shows a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the particle sensing device shown in Figure 1;
8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion 'A3' to illustrate the flow path portion shown in FIG.
9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion 'B' shown in FIG.
FIG. 10A is a plan view of the optical sensing unit shown in FIG. 9, and FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view taken along line J-J 'of the optical sensing unit shown in FIG. 10A.
11 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of detecting scattered light through the light sensing unit shown in FIG. 10A.
12A shows an example of a form in which particle size classification through leveling is performed in the information analysis unit.
12B is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the particle size and the amount of received light.
FIG. 13A is a plan view of another embodiment of the light sensing unit shown in FIG. 9, and FIGS. 13B and 13C are sectional views taken along line KK 'of the light sensing unit shown in FIG. .
13D shows a planar shape of the electrode arrangement according to an embodiment of the light sensing unit shown in FIG.
FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of detecting scattered light through the light sensing unit shown in FIG. 13A.
FIG. 15 shows an example of a correlation between a signal size and a particle size output through the light sensing unit shown in FIG. 13A.
Fig. 16 shows plan views of another embodiment of the light sensing unit shown in Fig.
17 shows a planar shape of another embodiment of the light sensing unit shown in Fig.
18A and 18B are diagrams for explaining the prediction of the shape of particles using a plurality of sensing segments.
Fig. 19 shows a cross-sectional view according to another embodiment of the particle sensing apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Fig.
Figure 20 shows a side view of the particle sensing device shown in Figure 19;
FIG. 21 shows an upper perspective view of the particle sensing apparatus shown in FIG. 19. FIG.
22 is a left perspective view of the particle sensing apparatus shown in Fig.
FIG. 23 is a plan view cut along the line I-I 'shown in FIG.
FIG. 24 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion 'C' shown in FIG.
25 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion 'D' shown in FIG.
26 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the information analysis unit shown in FIG.
27 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the relationship between the light sensing unit and the scattered light shown in FIG.
28 is a graph showing the intensity of scattered light incident at different positions according to particle size.
29 is a graph showing scattering light ratios according to the graph of FIG.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention. However, the embodiments according to the present invention can be modified into various other forms, and the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described below. Embodiments of the invention are provided to more fully describe the present invention to those skilled in the art.

In the description of the present embodiment, in the case of being described as being formed "on or under" of each element, the upper (upper) or lower (lower) on or under includes both the two elements being directly in contact with each other or one or more other elements being indirectly formed between the two elements.

Also, when expressed as "on" or "on or under", it may include not only an upward direction but also a downward direction with respect to one element.

It is also to be understood that the terms "first" and "second," "upper / upper / upper," and "lower / lower / lower" But may be used to distinguish one entity or element from another entity or element, without necessarily requiring or implying an order.

Hereinafter, a particle sensing apparatus 100 (100A to 100D) according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For convenience of explanation, the particle sensing apparatus 100 (100A to 100D) is described using a Cartesian coordinate system (x-axis, y-axis, z-axis), but it can be explained by other coordinate systems.

1 is a schematic block diagram for explaining the concept of the particle sensing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment and includes a light emitting unit 110, a channel unit 120, a light receiving unit 130, a light absorbing unit 140 A signal converting unit 150, an information analyzing unit 160, a housing 170, and a fan 180.

Referring to FIG. 1, the light emitting unit 110 may emit light, and may include a light source unit 112, a lens unit 114, and a light emitting case 116.

The light source unit 112 serves to emit the first light L1 and may include at least one light source. The light source included in the light source unit 112 may be at least one of a light emitting diode (LED) or a laser diode (LD). The light source unit 112 may include at least one of a light source, But not limited to. For example, the light source that implements the light source 112 may be a blue LED having high linearity, a high-brightness LED, a chip LED, a high-lux LED, or a power LED, but the light source according to the embodiment is not limited to a specific LED .

If the light source unit 112 is implemented by an LED, light of a visible light wavelength band (for example, 405 nm to 660 nm) or an infrared (IR) wavelength band (for example, 850 nm to 940 nm) . ≪ / RTI > In addition, when the light source unit 112 is implemented as an LD, it can emit light in a red (blue) wavelength band (for example, 450 nm to 660 nm). However, the embodiment is not limited to a specific wavelength band of the first light L1 emitted from the light source section 112. [

Also, the intensity of the third light L3 emitted from the light emitting portion 110 may be higher than 3000 mcd, but the embodiment is not limited to the specific intensity of the third light L3 emitted.

The light source of the light emitting unit 110 may be packaged in a SMD (Surface Mount Device) type or a lead type. Here, the SMD type means a packaging type in which a light source of the light emitting portion 112A is mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) through soldering, as shown in FIG. In addition, the lead type means a packaging type in which a lead that can be connected to a PCB electrode protrudes from a light source. However, the embodiment is not limited to a specific packaging form of the light source.

In addition, when the light emitting unit 110 is implemented as an LD, the LD may be a TO Can type packaged with metal and may consume 5 mW or more of power, but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

The lens unit 114 may be disposed on the optical axis LX between the light source unit 112 and the first opening OP1. That is, the lens unit 114 may be disposed on a path through which the first light L1 passes from the light source unit 112 toward the first opening OP1. The lens unit 114 functions to condense the first light L1 emitted from the light source unit 112 into the first opening OP1 (L2). The lens unit 114 may also convert the first light L1 emitted from the light source unit 112 into parallel light L2. For this purpose, the lens portion 114 may include only one lens or may include a plurality of lenses arranged on the optical axis LX. The material of the lens portion 114 may be the same as that applied to a general camera module or an LED module.

The light emitting case 116 receives the light source unit 112 and the lens unit 114 and forms a first opening OP1. In the case of FIG. 1, the light emitting case 116 is illustrated as being separate from the top portion 172 of the housing 170, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. That is, the light emitting case 116 may be integrally formed with the top portion 172 of the housing 170, as illustrated in FIGS. 19, 20, 21, or 22 described later. In this case, the light emitting case 116 can be omitted.

Further, the light emitting case 116 may include a first opening OP1. The first opening OP1 is formed by the second light L2 emitted from the light source unit 112 and passing through the lens unit 114 into the scattering part SS of the flow path part 120 (L3), and may be disposed on the optical axis LX of the light emitting portion 110. [ The scattering unit SS will be described later in detail when the flow path unit 120 is described.

The first opening OP1 may have an area corresponding to a view angle of the first light L1 emitted from the light source unit 112. [ Generally, the emission angle of the LED, which may be the light source 112, is about 15 degrees when the luminous intensity falls to 50%. Thus, the light of the desired intensity can be emitted through the first opening OP1 even if the area of the first opening OP1 is not large because the power of the beam is large at the center. However, if the light emission angle is large, if the area of the first opening OP1 is determined so that the third light L3 having a desired intensity is emitted from the light emitting portion 110, light loss occurs and the intensity of the light is weakened have. Therefore, the light emission angle can be determined in consideration of this. For example, when the first opening OP1 has a circular planar shape, if the diameter of the first opening OP1 is larger than 10 mm, the size of the particle sensing device 100 becomes large and light noise may be caused have. Therefore, the maximum value of the diameter of the first opening OP1 may be 10 mm, but the embodiment is not limited to this.

The flow path portion 120 may be disposed below the light emitting portion 110 and perpendicular to the optical axis LX of the light emitting portion 110 to provide a path through which air including particles flows. The air including the particles can flow in the IN1 direction towards the inlet IH of the flow path portion 120 and can be discharged in the OUT1 direction through the outlet OH of the flow path portion 120. [ For example, particles may be particles that float in the air, may be dust or smoke, and embodiments are not limited to particular forms of particles.

Particles included in the air flowing in the direction IN1 through the inlet IH of the flow path portion 120 are scattered by the third light L3 emitted from the light emitting portion 110, And scattered fourth light L4 (hereinafter, referred to as scattered light) may be provided to the light receiving unit 130. [

1, the flow path unit 120 is illustrated as being spaced apart from the light emitting unit 110 and the light receiving unit 130, respectively. However, this is to explain the concept of the particle sensing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment. That is, the flow path unit 120 may be disposed in contact with the light emitting unit 110 and the light receiving unit 130, respectively, as in the particle sensing apparatuses 100A to 100D described below according to the manner in which the flow path unit 120 is implemented.

The fan 180 serves to induce the flow of air in the flow path portion 120. That is, the fan 180 maintains a constant flow rate of the air within the flow path portion 120. To this end, the fan 180 may be disposed adjacent to the flow path portion 120 in the direction (e.g., the y-axis direction) in which the air flows. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the fan 180 may be disposed at the outlet (OH) side of the flow path portion 120, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. That is, the embodiment is not limited to the specific arrangement position of the fan 180, as long as it can induce the flow of air in the flow passage portion 120. [

For example, it is possible to implement the flow path portion 120 or determine the rotation speed of the fan 180 so that air containing particles in the flow path portion 120 maintains a flow rate of 5 ml / sec. However, It is not limited.

The light receiving unit 130 or the light sensing element may be disposed on the optical axis LX under the flow channel unit 120 to receive the fourth light L4 passing through the flow channel unit 120. For example, have. Here, the fourth light L4 having passed through the flow path portion 120 may include at least one of scattered light and scattered light.

Hereinafter, the characteristics of the scattered light scattered by the particles P will be described with reference to Figs. 2A to 2C.

Figure 2a shows an exemplary profile of scattered light scattered by particles (P). FIG. 2B is a view for explaining the angle change of the scattered light according to the particle size, and FIG. 2C is an example of the scattered light distribution for each particle size.

Referring to FIG. 2A, the scattered light refers to the light L3 scattered by the particles P included in the air passing through the flow path portion 120 and the third light L3 emitted from the light emitting portion 110, It can mean. As shown in FIG. 2A, the scattered light L4 may have a cone-shaped diffuse profile with the particle P as a vertex. The non-scattered light means light that the third light L3 emitted from the light emitting portion 110 travels to the light receiving portion 130 without being scattered by the particles P passing through the flow path portion 120. [

However, such scattered light can have different profiles depending on the size of the particles. As shown in FIG. 2B, the light emitted from the light source is reflected, refracted, or diffracted as it approaches the particle. Even if the same light is incident on the particle, the ratio or occurrence point of reflection, refraction, 2C, the scattering distribution of the scattered light has a profile similar to that of FIG. 2A. However, when the particle size is 0.3 μm, . More specifically, in each graph of FIG. 2C, an angle between 0 and 360 degrees is displayed at the edge of the circle, and 0 degrees corresponds to the direction of the optical axis. Also, it means that the graph goes from the center to the edge of the circle and the distribution is large. For example, when the particle size is 3 μm, most of the scattered light is distributed within the range of 30 degrees (ie, 330 to 30 degrees) from the optical axis (0 degrees). When the particle size is 0.3 μm, Of course, it can be seen that even beyond the 60 degree range (i.e., 300 degrees to 60 degrees).

Referring back to FIG. 1, the light receiving unit 130 receives the scattered light, and can provide an electrical signal of the received light to the signal converting unit 150.

The light absorbing part 140 absorbs the fifth light L5 that has passed through the light receiving part 130 and may be disposed on the optical axis LX under the light receiving part 130. [ The light absorbing part 140 may correspond to a kind of dark room that absorbs unnecessary light which is not received by the light receiving part 130 but travels straight (hereinafter, 'main light').

The housing 170 serves to receive the light emitting portion 110, the flow path portion 120, the light receiving portion 130, and the light absorbing portion 140. For example, the housing 170 may include a top portion 172, a middle portion 174, and a bottom portion 176. The middle part 174 is a part capable of accommodating the flow path part 120 and the fan 180. The bottom part 176 is a part capable of receiving the light emitting part 110, Absorbing part 140 is a part that can accommodate the absorbing part 140.

In the case of FIG. 1, the intermediate portion 174 of the housing 170 and the flow path portion 120 are illustrated as being different, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. According to another embodiment, the flow path portions 120A, 120B and 120C can be formed by the intermediate portion 174 of the housing 170 as in the particle sensing devices 100A to 100D described later.

The signal converting unit 150 may convert a current type signal inputted from the light receiving unit 130 into a voltage type signal and output the converted result to the information analysis unit 160 as an electrical signal. In some cases, the signal converting unit 150 may be omitted, and the light receiving unit 130 may serve as the signal converting unit 150. At this time, the electrical signal output from the light receiving unit 130 may be provided to the information analysis unit 160.

The information analyzing unit 160 analyzes the number, density, size or shape of the particles P using the electrical signal provided from the signal converting unit 150 (or the light receiving unit 130 when the signal converting unit 150 is omitted) Lt; / RTI > can be analyzed.

Hereinafter, embodiments 100A to 100D of the particle sensing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of one embodiment 100A of the particle sensing device 100 shown in FIG. For the sake of clarity, FIG. 3 shows the progress of the light as shading (L).

3 includes a light emitting portion 110A, a flow path portion 120A, a light receiving portion 130A, a light absorbing portion 140, housings 172 and 176, and a fan 180 , The signal converting unit 150 and the information analyzing unit 160 shown in FIG. 1 are omitted.

The light emitting portion 110A, the flow path portion 120A, the light receiving portion 130A, the light absorbing portion 140, the housings 172 and 176, and the fan 180 shown in FIG. 3 correspond to the light emitting portion 110 The light receiving unit 130, the light absorbing unit 140, the housings 172 and 176, and the fan 180, the description of the overlapping portions will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 3, the light source unit 112A includes only one light source. The lens portion 114A includes only one lens. The lens 114A is disposed on the optical axis LX between the light source 112A and the first opening OP1 and functions to condense the light emitted from the light source 112A into the first opening OP1.

4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the 'A1' portion in order to explain the flow path portion 120A shown in FIG. 3. For convenience of explanation, the illustration of the fan 180 shown in FIG. 3 is omitted in FIG.

3 and 4, the flow path portion 120A includes a flow path inlet portion FI, a first flow path intermediate portion FII1, a scattering portion SS, a second flow path middle portion FII2, FO).

The flow path inlet portion FI may include an inlet port IH and a first path as a portion into which air that may contain particles P may flow. Here, the inlet IH corresponds to the inlet of the flow path portion 120 into which air flows from the outside in the IN1 direction, and the first path corresponds to a path formed between the inlet IH and the first flow path middle portion FII1 .

The flow path outlet portion FO may include an outlet port OH and a second path as a portion through which air that may contain particles P may flow. The outlet port OH corresponds to the outlet of the flow path portion 120 through which the air flows out to the OUT1 direction and the second path corresponds to the path formed between the second flow path middle portion FII2 and the outlet port OH .

The scattering part SS is located on the optical axis LX between the light emitting part 110A and the light receiving part 130A and between the flow path inlet part FI and the flow path outlet part FO. The scattering portion SS provides a space in which the light emitted from the light emitting portion 110A is scattered by the particles P. [ To this end, the scattering portion SS is a portion in which the first opening OP1 and the second opening OP2 are formed in the flow paths 120 and 120A in the direction (for example, the z-axis direction) in which the light emitting portion 110A and the light receiving portion 130A face each other Can be defined as overlapping regions.

The first flow path middle portion FII1 is located between the flow path inlet FI and the scattering portion SS and the second flow path middle portion FII2 is located between the scattering portion SS and the flow path outlet portion FO .

The air containing the particles P flows through the flow path inlet FI and then proceeds to the scattering portion SS through the first flow path middle portion FII1 and then flows through the second flow path middle portion FII2 And then discharged through the flow path outlet (FO). As described above, the fan 180 can be disposed to help the air containing the particles P smoothly travel to the flow path portion 120A. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the fan 180 may be disposed in the flow passage outlet FO or may be disposed adjacent to the outlet port OH of the flow passage outlet FO, as shown in FIG. 3 . Or according to another embodiment, the fan 180 may be disposed within the flow path inlet FI or adjacent the inlet IH.

The third light L3 emitted from the first opening OP while the air containing the particles P pass through the flow path portion 120A collides with the particles P at the scattering portion SS, It is scattered in the form of bar. At this time, in order to cause all the particles P passing through the scattering portion SS to strike by the third light L3 emitted from the light emitting portion 110A, the third light L emitted from the first opening OP1 An area suitable for forming the light curtain at the scattering portion SS in a direction (for example, the x-axis and the z-axis) perpendicular to the direction (for example, the y- An opening OP1 can be provided.

The sectional area (for example, the area in the x-axis and the z-axis direction) of the flow path portion 120A may be smaller than the area of the first opening OP1 (for example, the area in the x- and y-axis directions) . 4, when the length of the first opening OP1 in the x-axis direction is equal to the length of the flow path portion 120A in the x-axis direction, the width D1 of the first opening OP1 May be greater than the height D2 of the flow path portion 120A. 4, when the first opening OP1 has a circular planar shape and the flow path portion 120A has a circular cross-sectional shape, the diameter D1 of the first opening portion OP1 is smaller than the diameter D1 of the flow path portion 120A. ≪ / RTI >

As described above, when the cross-sectional area of the flow path portion 120A is smaller than the area of the first opening portion OP1, the amount of air containing the particles P passing through the flow path portion 120A increases, A larger amount of particles can be sensed.

In addition, the cross-sectional area of the flow path portion 120A may be smaller than the beam size of the light emitted from the first opening OP1. As a result, the amount of air containing the particles P passing through the flow path portion 120A increases, that is, the amount of particles passing through the flow path portion 120A increases, .

As described above, since the information on the particles P can be more secured as the amount of the particles P passing through the flow path portion 120A increases, the information on the particles P can be more accurately analyzed .

The passage portion 120 shown in FIG. 1 may have various configurations other than the configurations shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 so that many particles P can pass through.

5 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment 100B of the particle sensing apparatus 100 shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of the 'A2' portion in order to explain the flow path portion 120B shown in Fig. As a cross-sectional view, the illustration of the fan 180 shown in Fig. 5 is omitted in Fig. 6 for convenience of explanation.

The cross-sectional shapes of the flow path portion 120A shown in Fig. 3 and the flow path portion 120B shown in Fig. 5 are different from each other. Except for this, since the particle sensing apparatus 100B shown in FIG. 5 is the same as the particle sensing apparatus 100A shown in FIG. 3, the duplicate description will be omitted. For example, the definition of the scattering unit SS described above with reference to FIG. 4 can also be applied to the flow path portion 120B shown in FIG.

In the case of FIGS. 3 and 4, in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the air flows (for example, the y axis direction) (for example, the x axis direction and the z axis direction) Sectional areas of the flow path middle portion FII1, the scattering portion SS, the second flow path middle portion FII2, and the flow path outlet portion FO are constant.

On the other hand, the cross-sectional area of the first flow path middle portion FII1 in the direction perpendicular to the flow direction (for example, the y-axis direction) (for example, the x-axis and the z- And the cross-sectional area of the second flow path middle portion FII2 may include a portion that increases as the distance from the scattering portion SS increases.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the first flow medium (for example, the first flow medium) may flow in a direction (for example, the x axis and the z axis direction) Sectional area of the second flow path middle portion FII1 is decreased and becomes constant as it approaches the scattering portion SS and the cross sectional area of the second flow path middle portion FII2 may increase after the scattering portion SS is constantly away from the scattering portion SS. Alternatively, unlike the case shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the first flow path middle portion (in the x-axis and the z-axis direction) perpendicular to the direction in which air flows (for example, The cross sectional area of the second flow path middle portion FII1 may continue to decrease as it approaches the scattering portion SS and the sectional area of the second flow path middle portion FII2 may increase continuously as the distance from the scattering portion SS increases.

3 and 4, in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the air flows (for example, the y-axis direction) (for example, the x-axis and the z-axis direction) And the channel outlet portion FO may be larger than the cross-sectional area of the scattering portion SS.

In the flow paths 120A and 120B shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 6, an opening area in which the first flow path middle portion FII1 (or the second flow path middle portion FII2) and the scattering portion SS communicate The area of the first opening OP1 (for example, the area in the x-axis and the y-axis direction) is defined as the direction in which the air flows (for example, the y-axis direction) Sectional area of the second opening OP2 in the vertical direction (for example, the x-axis and the z-axis direction).

4 and 6, when the length of the first opening OP1 in the x-axis direction is equal to the length of the second opening OP2 in the x-axis direction, the first opening OP1, The width D1 of the second opening OP2 may be larger than the height D4 of the second opening OP2. 4 and 6, when the first opening OP1 has a circular planar shape and the second opening OP2 has a circular cross-sectional shape, the diameter D1 of the first opening OP1, May be larger than the diameter D2 of the second opening OP2.

When the flow path portion 120B has a cross-sectional shape as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, more particles P flow from the flow path 120B due to the change in sectional area of the first and second flow path middle portions FII1 and FII2, Can pass through the portion 120B, and accuracy of sensing the particles P can be increased.

7 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment 100C of the particle sensing apparatus 100 shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of the 'A3' portion in order to explain the flow path portion 120C shown in Fig. As a sectional view, for the convenience of explanation, the illustration of the fan 180 shown in Fig. 7 is omitted in Fig.

The cross-sectional shapes of the flow path portion 120A shown in Fig. 3 and the flow path portion 120C shown in Fig. 7 are different from each other. Except for this, since the particle sensing apparatus 100C shown in FIG. 7 is the same as the particle sensing apparatus 100A shown in FIG. 3, a duplicate description will be omitted.

In the case of FIGS. 3 and 4, in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the air flows (for example, the y axis direction) (for example, the x axis direction and the z axis direction) Sectional areas of the flow path middle portion FII1, the scattering portion SS, the second flow path middle portion FII2, and the flow path outlet portion FO are constant.

On the other hand, in the case of FIGS. 7 and 8, in the direction perpendicular to the direction (for example, the y-axis direction) in which the air flows (for example, in the x- ) Decreases as it approaches the scattering section (SS), and then increases. The cross-sectional area of the second flow path middle portion FII2 in the direction perpendicular to the direction (e.g., the y-axis direction) And then increases.

It is also possible to use an opening having the smallest cross-sectional area in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the air flows in the first intermediate passage portion FII1 (or the second intermediate passage portion FII2) of the passage portion 120C shown in Fig. 8 The area of the first opening OP1 (for example, the area in the x-axis and the y-axis direction) is defined as the direction in which the air flows (for example, the y-axis direction) Sectional area of the second opening OP2 in a direction (for example, the x-axis and the z-axis direction) perpendicular to the first opening OP2.

8, when the length of the first opening OP1 in the x-axis direction is equal to the length of the second opening OP2 in the x-axis direction, the width of the first opening OP1 D1 may be greater than the height D4 of the second opening OP2. 8, when the first opening OP1 has a circular planar shape and the second opening OP2 has a circular cross-sectional shape, the diameter D1 of the first opening OP1 is larger than the diameter D1 of the second opening OP1, Can be larger than the diameter D4 of the opening OP2.

For example, the height D4 of the second opening OP2 shown in Figs. 4, 6 and 8 may be 10.0 mm or less, 6.0 mm or less, 4.0 mm or less or 2.0 mm or less, It does not. As described above, according to the embodiment, since the height D4 of the second opening OP2 is small, the size of the entire particle sensing apparatuses 100A to 100C can be reduced.

In order to allow more particles to pass through the flow path portions 120 (120A, 120B, and 120C), there is no change in the volume of the flow rate of the air passing through the flow path portion 120. [ 7 and 8, when a double nozzle (DN) structure is formed by the second opening OP2, the volume change of the flow rate of the air passing through the flow path portion 120C is The flow rate of the air can be adjusted so as to be easy to measure, and the accuracy of sensing the particles P can be increased. For example, since the bottleneck phenomenon is created by the double nozzle structure, more particles P can pass through the flow path portion 120C, and the accuracy of sensing the particles P can be increased.

The structures of the flow paths 120A, 120B, and 120C shown in Figs. 3 to 8 are merely one example. That is, the embodiment is not limited to the specific example of the flow path portion 120, as long as more air can flow through the flow path portions 120A, 120B, and 120C.

Meanwhile, the light receiving unit 130 may have various structures in order to accurately detect light scattered by the particles P. The light receiving unit 130A shown in FIGS. 3, 5, and 7 corresponds to the light receiving unit 130 shown in FIG.

9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion 'B' shown in FIG.

3 and 9, the light receiving unit 130A may include a light transmitting member 132 and a light sensing unit 134. [ The light receiving portion 130A may further include a light guide portion 136A, but in some cases, the light guide portion 136A may be omitted.

The light-transmissive member 132 may be formed of a material capable of transmitting light, and may be embodied as glass, for example. The light transmitting member 132 may include a first surface 132-1 and a second surface 132-2. The first surface 132-1 corresponds to the top surface (i.e., the top surface) of the light transmitting member 132 facing the scattering section SS and the second surface 132-2 corresponds to the first surface 132-1. (That is, the bottom surface) of the light transmitting member 132 as the opposite surface of the light transmitting member 132. [

The light sensing part 134 and the light guide part 136A may be disposed around the optical axis of the light transmitting member 132. [ The light sensing part 134 and the light guide part 136A may be disposed on the opposite surfaces of the light transmitting member 132 or on the same surface. 9, the light sensing part 134 is disposed on the second surface 132-2 of the light transmissive member 132, and the light guiding part 136A is disposed on the second surface 132-2 of the light transmissive member 132. [ And may be disposed on the first surface 132-1. 9, the light sensing portion 134 is disposed on the first surface 132-1 of the light transmitting member 132 and the light guiding portion 136A is disposed on the second surface 132-1 of the light transmitting member 132, May be disposed on the surface 132-2. Alternatively, both the light sensing portion 134 and the light guide portion 136A may be disposed on the first surface 132-1 or the second surface 132-2 of the light transmitting member 132. [ For example, the light sensing part 134 may be disposed between the inner partitions 136-1 and 136-2 and the outer partitions 136-3 and 136-4.

As described above, the light sensing unit 134 and the lightguide unit 136A may have various arrangements, but the following description can be applied to any case.

The light sensing part 134 is disposed around the optical axis LX under (or above) the light transmitting member 132 and is scattered by the particles P at the scattering part SS and then received by the light receiving part OP3 It is possible to sense the incident light. The light receiving incidence portion will be described later.

FIG. 10A is a plan view of the optical sensing unit shown in FIG. 9, and FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view taken along line J-J 'of the optical sensing unit shown in FIG. 10A.

Referring to FIG. 10A and FIG. 10A, the light sensing unit 134A may include a photodiode 134-2. Further, the light-transmitting region 134-1 can be defined by the inner edge of the photodiode 134-2.

Referring to FIG. 10B, the photodiode 134-2 may include a first electrode 1010, a semiconductor layer 1020, and a second electrode 1030. FIG. The first electrode 1010, the semiconductor layer 1020, and the second electrode 1030 may be at least partially overlapped in the thickness direction (i.e., the Z axis).

The semiconductor layer 1020 may include a P layer 1022, an active layer 1024, and an N layer 1026 when the PN, PIN, or Avalanche diode may be disposed in the form of a thin film. can do. The P layer 1022 and the N layer 1026 may have a thickness of 15 to 20 nm in the Z axis direction and the active layer 1024 may have a thickness of 200 to 600 nm in the Z axis direction. The first electrode 1010 may have a light transmitting property and may include a material such as GAZO, GZO and ITO. The second electrode 1030 may include a metal material such as Al, Ti, TiN, Ag, . Therefore, the first electrode 1010 may be referred to as a " transparent electrode ", and the second electrode 1030 may be referred to as a " metal electrode ". The thickness of the first electrode 1010 and the second electrode 1030 in the Z-axis direction may be 100 μm to 1 mm. Of course, the thicknesses of the respective layers described above are exemplary and the embodiments are not limited thereto, and the photodiode 134-2 having the above-described structure can be manufactured by a method such as vapor deposition or printing.

On the other hand, the photodiode 134-2 can perform the role of the light-transmitting member 132 as a substrate, and the photodiode 134-2 is disposed on the second surface 132-2 of the light-transmitting member 132 The upper surface of the first electrode layer 1010 is brought into contact with the second surface 132-2 of the light transmitting member 132. [ When the photodiode 134-2 is disposed on the first surface 132-1 of the light transmissive member 132, the bottom surface of the second electrode layer 1030 contacts the first surface 132- 1).

The light transmitting region 134-1 is located on the optical axis LX and is connected to the semiconductor layer 134-2 of the photodiode 134-2 so as to pass the main light passing through the scattering portion SS to the light absorbing portion 140. [ 1020 and the second electrode 1030 are not disposed. According to the embodiment, when the first electrode 1010 extends in the J direction (i.e., the optical axis direction) of FIG. 10B, the light transmitting region 134-1 may include at least a part of the first electrode 1010 have. For example, when the first electrode extends to the optical axis and has a circular planar shape, the first electrode 1010 may be included in the entire light transmitting region 134-1.

Further, the light transmitting region 134-1 may cover the light entrance OPL of the light absorbing portion 140. As described above, when the light transmitting region 134-1 covers the light entrance OPL, the penetration of foreign matter into the light absorbing portion 140 can be prevented, and the particles P passing through the scattering portion SS It is possible to prevent the particle P from flowing into the light absorbing portion 140, and flow of the particles P in the flow path portion 120 can be smooth and measurement error may be reduced.

In addition, when the photodiode 134-2 is disposed on the second surface 132-2 of the light transmitting member 132, damage to the photodiode 132-2 due to foreign matter can be prevented.

The photodiode 134-2 is disposed around the light transmission region 134-1 and serves to sense the light scattered by the particles P. [ Here, when the photodiode 134-2 is arranged around the photodiode 134-2, it means that the photodiode 134-2 is disposed on the outer side (outside) of the light transmission region 134-1 as a whole, But does not mean a shape enclosed by a closed curve or a closed straight line, but a portion opened toward the outside of the photodiode (for example, each segment 134-21, 134-22, 134-23, 134-24, The region between the two regions.

The photodiode 134-2 corresponds to an active region for absorbing light in the structure of a general photodiode. For example, the photodiode 134-2 can detect light in the 380 nm to 1100 nm wavelength band, but the embodiment is not limited to a specific wavelength band that can be detected by the photodiode 134-2. The photodiode 134-2 may have a sensitivity of 0.4 A / W at a wavelength band of 660 nm or a sensitivity of 0.3 A / W at 450 nm so that scattered light can be well sensed, Is not limited to this.

10A, the width W1 of the light sensing portion 134A may be between 5 mm and 20 mm, for example between 7 mm and 15 mm, preferably between 8 mm and 10 mm, It does not.

The width W2 of the light transmitting region 134-1 may be 3 mm to 18 mm, for example, 5 mm to 13 mm, and preferably 7 mm to 9 mm, but the embodiments are not limited thereto.

In addition, the width W3 of the photodiode 134-2 on the plane may be 0.1 mm to 5 mm, for example, 1 mm to 3 mm, preferably 1.5 mm to 2.5 mm, Do not.

The planar shape of the photodiode 134-2 shown in Fig. 10A is an annular shape, that is, a circular ring shape, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, if the light sensing portion 134 can include the light transmitting region 134-1, the photodiode 134-2 can have various planar shapes.

For example, although not shown, the planar shape of the photodiode 134-2 may be a polygonal ring shape or an elliptical ring shape. 11 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of detecting scattered light through the light sensing unit shown in FIG. 10A.

11A, at least a part SL of the scattered light scattered by the particles P is incident on the photodiode 134-2, as shown in FIG. 11, Lt; / RTI >

The photodiode 134-2 outputs a signal corresponding to the magnitude of the received scattered light SL, and the information analyzer 160 can perform particle size classification using the magnitude of the signal. This will be described with reference to FIG. 12A.

12A shows an example of a form in which particle size classification through leveling is performed in the information analysis unit.

Referring to FIG. 12A, the information analyzer 160 may classify the sizes of particles through leveling according to a correspondence relationship between a predetermined signal size and a particle size. This leveling assumes that the intensity of the signal and the size of the particle are proportional.

However, in the forward scattering method, the intensity of the signal and the size of the particle are not always proportional to each other due to the interference with the back scattering occurring in the backward direction of the particle (that is, the direction in which the particle looks at the light source) . This will be described with reference to FIG. 12B.

12B is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the particle size and the amount of received light.

Referring to FIG. 12B, as the particle size increases from 0.5 μm to 3 μm, the amount of light received by the photodiode 134-2 tends to increase largely. However, as in the vicinity of 1 mu m and around 1.5 mu m, a dip section due to interference with back scattering occurs. As a result, when two or more particle sizes correspond to a light receiving amount of the same size, there is an error in the particle size judged by the information analyzing unit 160.

However, as described above with reference to FIGS. 2A to 2C, the scattered light profile, that is, the angle and intensity of the scattered light changes depending on the size of the particles P. Therefore, in an embodiment of the present invention, scattering light scattered by the same particles is measured at different positions while paying attention to the relationship between the change of the scattered light profile and the particle size, and the measurement results are compared with each other to determine the particle size Lt; / RTI >

First, the structure of the light receiving portion for measuring the scattered light at different positions will be described.

13A shows a planar shape of another embodiment of the light sensing unit shown in FIG.

13A, the light sensing unit 134B according to the present embodiment is different from the light sensing unit 134A shown in FIG. 11 in that a photodiode 134-2 defining the light transmitting region 134-1 And a photodiode 134-3 disposed around the photodiode 134-3. In the following description, the photodiode 134-2 defining the light transmitting region 134-1 is referred to as a "first photodiode" for convenience, and the photodiode 134-2 disposed around the first photodiode 134-2 134-3 will be referred to as " second photodiode ". At this time, since each of the photodiodes 134-2 and 134-3 may share one first electrode and each of them may have a separate first electrode, the planar shape shown in Fig. And the planar shape of the semiconductor layers of the first and second semiconductor layers 134-2 and 134-3.

The first photodiode 134-2 and the second photodiode 134-3 may have an annular planar shape and the outer edge of the first photodiode 134-2 and the second photodiode 134-3 May be spaced apart by a predetermined distance G1. In this case, the respective planar shapes may be concentric with each other. At this time, the optical axis can pass through the center of the concentric circle.

The outer diameter W1 and the width W3 of the first photodiode 134-2 may be the same as or different from the values described with reference to Fig. For example, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that the size of each part of the photodiode may have a value as shown in Table 1 below, but the embodiment is not limited to this and may have a different size.

Length (mm) Minimum value Maximum value W1 2 8 W2 One 6 W3 0.5 3.5 W5 4 10 G1 0.2 One

13B and 13C are cross-sectional views of the light sensing unit shown in FIG. 13A taken along line K-K ', respectively.

First, referring to FIG. 13B, the first photodiode 134-2 and the second photodiode 134-3 have a separate semiconductor layer and a second electrode, respectively, but share one first electrode 1010 . For example, the first photodiode 134-2 may have a first semiconductor layer 1020-1 and a second-1 electrode 1030-1 under the first electrode 1010, The diode 134-3 may have a second semiconductor layer 1020-2 and a second -2 electrode 1030-2 under the same first electrode 1010. [

13B, the first photodiode 134-2 and the second photodiode 134-3 may have separate first electrodes, as shown in FIG. 13C. For example, the first photodiode 134-2 may have a first semiconductor layer 1020-1 and a second-1 electrode 1030-1 under the first electrode 1010-1 And the second photodiode 134-3 may have a second semiconductor layer 1020-2 and a second -2 electrode 1030-2 under the first 1-2 electrode 1010-2. In the case where the light sensing part includes a plurality of photodiodes, the light sensing part may include a part where bonding is performed so that each electrode is electrically connected to the signal converting part 150 or the information analyzing part 160, (bonding pad). This will be described with reference to FIG. 13D.

FIG. 13D is a plan view of the electrode arrangement according to an embodiment of the light sensing unit shown in FIG. In FIG. 13D, it is assumed that the light sensing unit has the cross-sectional shape shown in FIG. 13B, that is, the first electrode is shared.

Referring to FIG. 13D, the first electrode 1010 and the second -2 electrode 1030-2 include a first bonding pad 1011 extending to one edge region on the plane of the light-transmitting member 132, (2-2) bonding pads 1030-22 extending through the first and second bonding pads 1030-21, respectively. However, the second-first electrode 1030-1 is bent due to the second-second electrode 1030-2, and is disposed on the edge of the light-transmitting member 132 so as to be spaced apart from the second- The bonding pad for the second-first electrode 1030-1 is hardly extended to the edge region of the light-transmitting member 132 unless the wire-bonding is performed. Therefore, in order to form bonding pads for the second-1 electrode 1030-1 and the second-1 electrode 1030-1 together in the thin-film lamination method, the second-1 (1030-1) It should not be electrically connected to the photodiode 134-3. For example, as shown in FIG. 13D, the first electrode 1030-1 may extend around the first extension 1030-11 extending to the second-1 bonding pad 1030-12, The first semiconductor layer 1010, the second semiconductor layer 1020-2, and the second -2 electrode 1030-2 may not be disposed. Alternatively, the first extended portion 1030-11 may include a first electrode 1010, a second semiconductor layer 1020-2 or a second-electrode 1030-2 of the second photodiode 134-3, And may be disposed on an insulating layer (not shown) that cuts off an electrical connection.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of detecting scattered light through the light sensing unit shown in FIG. 13A.

When a plurality of photodiodes whose planar shapes are concentric with each other are used as shown in FIG. 13A, the first partial scattered light SLB of light scattered by the particles P as shown in FIG. 14 is incident on the first photodiodes 134- 2, and the second partial scattered light SLA of the scattered light is received by the second photodiode 134-3. Here, the angle formed by the traveling direction of the first partial scattered light SLB and the optical axis of the light source is smaller than the angle formed by the traveling direction of the second partial scattered light SLA with the optical axis of the light source. Therefore, when the profile of the scattered light is dispersed at a wide angle from the optical axis according to the size of the particles P, the intensity of the second partial scattered light SLA is relatively large and the profile of the scattered light is dispersed at a narrow angle from the optical axis The intensity of the second partial scattered light (SLA) can be relatively weakened. The magnitude of the output signals of the first photodiode 134-2 and the second photodiode 134-3 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 15 shows an example of a correlation between a signal size and a particle size output through the light sensing unit shown in FIG. 13A.

In Fig. 15 (a), when the particle size is 0.3 탆, (b) assumes that the particle size is 3 탆. It is also assumed that the scattered light profile according to each case corresponds to Fig. 2C. In addition, "A" in the graph represents the output signal of the second photodiode 134-3 and "B" represents the output signal of the first photodiode 134-2.

15 (a) and 15 (b) are compared with each other, it is common that the value of "B" is larger than the value of "A". However, the ratio of the relative sizes of the values of "A" and "B" appears to be larger than the value of "A" when the particle size is 3 μm than when the particle size is 0.3 μm.

Therefore, the information analyzing unit 160 basically determines the size of the particle using the relatively large value of the signal " B ", and corresponds to the same amount of received light (i.e., signal size) as described above with reference to FIG. 12B Quot; B " value and the " A " value, it is possible to determine the corresponding particle size among a plurality of particle sizes. Even if the scattered light received by each photodiode 134-2 / 3 decreases as the optical system becomes contaminated or the light source deteriorates and the amount of light decreases, if the present particle size determination method is applied, an " A " value And " B " values are maintained, the measurement error due to the change in the amount of received light can be corrected.

The magnitude and the relative size ratio of the " A " value and the " B " value for each particle size will be described later in more detail with reference to FIGS. 27 to 29.

According to an embodiment, the light sensing unit may include more photodiodes than the number of the photodiodes shown in FIG. 13, and the planar shape may have a shape different from the concentric shape. This will be described with reference to FIG.

Fig. 16 shows plan views of another embodiment of the light sensing unit shown in Fig.

Referring to FIG. 16A, the light sensing unit includes a first photodiode 134-2 disposed around the light transmission region 134-1, a second photodiode 134-2 disposed around the first photodiode 134-2, And a third photodiode 134-4 disposed around the photodiode 134-3 and the second photodiode 134-3. Here, the planar shapes of the respective photodiodes may be concentric with each other. When the third photodiodes are further disposed, more accurate particle size correction is possible through the ratio of the sizes of three different signal values to scattered light scattered by one particle.

16B, two photodiodes 134-2 'and 134-3' are disposed in the light sensing unit, and each of the planar shapes may be a polygonal loop having a common center . In addition, as shown in FIG. 16C, a photodiode 134-4 'may be additionally disposed in the light sensing unit shown in FIG. 16B so that the photo sensing unit may have three photodiodes in total. Of course, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that the number of the photodiodes and the planar shape are illustrative, and the embodiments are not limited thereto.

17 shows a planar shape of another embodiment of the light sensing unit shown in Fig.

The first photodiode 134-2 and the second photodiode 134-3 may include a plurality of sensing segments spaced apart from each other on the same plane. For example, like the light sensing portion 134C illustrated in FIG. 17, the first photodiode 134-2 includes a plurality of sensing segments 134-21, 134-22, 134-23, 134 -24), and the second photodiode 134-3 may include a plurality of sensing segments 134-31, 134-32, 134-33, 134-34 spaced from one another . At this time, the gap G2 between the segments of the first photodiode 134-2 may be equal to or different from the gap G3 between the segments of the second photodiode 134-3. In addition, the plurality of sensing segments 134-21, 134-22, 134-23, 134-24, 134-31, 134-32, 134-33, 134-34 illustrated in Fig. Spaced apart from each other. The greater the spaced distance G2 of the plurality of sensing segments 134-21, 134-22, 134-23, 134-24 of the first photodiode 134-2, the greater the signal level The degree of design freedom can be increased. For example, the spacing G may be from 0.01 mm to 1 mm, for example from 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm, preferably from 0.15 mm to 0.25 mm, although the embodiments are not limited in this respect.

In addition, the plurality of sensing segments 134-21, 134-22, 134-23, 134-24, 134-31, 134-32, 134-33, 134-34 may have the same planarity with each other, It may have a planar surface.

In addition, the light sensing portions 134A to 134C illustrated in Figs. 10A, 13, 16, and 17 may be arranged symmetrically on a plane, but the embodiments are not limited thereto. According to another embodiment, the light sensing portions 134A through 134C may be arranged asymmetrically in a plane.

Further, the plurality of sensing segments 134-21, 134-22, 134-23, 134-24, 134-31, 134-32, 134-33, 134-34 may be arranged symmetrically or asymmetrically in a plane .

The magnitudes and functions of each photodiode and each segment shown in FIGS. 13, 16 and 17 can be applied as described in FIG. 10A.

For example, as in the case of the first photodiode 134-2 and the second photodiode 134-3, a plurality of sensing segments 134-21, 134-22, 134-23, 134-24, 134-31, 134-32, 134-33, 134-34) may detect light in the 380 nm to 1100 nm wavelength band, but embodiments may include multiple sensing segments 134-21, 134-22, 134-23, 134 -24, 134-31, 134-32, 134-33, 134-34). Also, each of the plurality of sensing segments 134-21, 134-22, 134-23, 134-24, 134-31, 134-32, 134-33, 134-34 may be 660 The sensitivity can be 0.4 A / W in the wavelength band of 400 nm, or the sensitivity can be 0.3 A / W at 450 nm, but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

Although not shown, it is needless to say that the photodiodes included in each light sensing unit shown in FIG. 16 may be divided into a plurality of segments similarly to FIG.

As illustrated in Figure 17, the first photodiode 134-2 and the second photodiode 134-3 are coupled to a plurality of sense segments 134-21, 134-22, 134-23, 134-24, 134 134-22, 134-23, 134-24, 134-23, 134-24, 134-23, 134-33, 134-34, 134-31, 134-32, 134-33, 134-34), the shape of the particle can be predicted using the relative size of the sensed result.

Figures 18A and 18B show a method for detecting particle P using a plurality of sensing segments 134-21, 134-22, 134-23, 134-24, 134-31, 134-32, 134-33, 134-34, And the shape of the light beam is predicted.

18A, a plurality of sensing segments (for example, 134-21, 134-22, and 134-24) for the same distance from the optical axis (or the light transmission region) when the shape of the particles P is symmetrical, 134-23, 134-24 or 134-31, 134-32, 134-33, 134-34) have the same intensity of scattered light. As such, the intensity of light sensed in multiple sense segments (e.g., 134-21, 134-22, 134-23, 134-24 or 134-31, 134-32, 134-33, 134-34) If they are the same, the information analysis unit 160 can determine that the particles P have a symmetrical shape.

18B, a plurality of sensing segments 134-21, 134-22, and 134-24 for the same distance from the optical axis (or light transmitting region), when the shape of the particles P is asymmetric, for example, 134-23, 134-24 or 134-31, 134-32, 134-33, 134-34) have different intensities of scattered light. As such, when the intensity of the light sensed by the plurality of sensing segments 134-21, 134-22, 134-23, 134-24 or 134-31, 134-32, 134-33, 134-34 is different, The information analysis unit 160 may determine that the particles P have an asymmetric shape.

It goes without saying that, in order to predict various shapes of the particles, the number of the divided shapes of the plurality of sensing segments may vary.

The packaging form of the photodiodes 134-2 to 134-3 'and 134-21 to 134-34' of the above-described light receiving portion 130A like the light source 112A of the light emitting portion 110A may be an SMD type or a lead type Can be implemented. However, the embodiment is not limited to the specific packaging form of the photodiodes 134-2 to 134-3 ', 134-21 to 134-34'.

On the other hand, the light receiving incidence portion is disposed between the scattering portion SS and the light receiving portion 130A, and can adjust the amount of light incident on the light receiving portion 130A. 3, 5, and 7, the light receiving incidence portion may include a third opening OP3 disposed on the optical axis LX.

The third opening OP3 is an area suitable for entering 20% to 80% of the total amount of light scattered by the particles P in the scattering part SS to the light receiving part 130A Axial area).

For example, in the light scattered by the particles P from the scattering unit SS, the distance from the center of the scattering unit SS to the fifth opening OP5, which will be described later, with respect to the optical axis LX is 12 degrees , That is, 20% of the total light scattered in the particles P can be incident on the light receiving portion 130A when the predetermined angle? Shown in FIGS. 3, 5 and 7 is 24 °, 50% of the total light scattered in the particles P can be incident on the light receiving portion 130A when the angle? is 60 degrees (i.e., left and right 30 degrees with respect to the optical axis LX). In consideration of this, in the third opening OP3, the left angle of the light scattered by the particles P with respect to the optical axis LX, that is, the predetermined angle? Is 24 ° to 60 ° The light receiving portion 130A can have an area suitable for the light in the range of 30 degrees to the left and right with respect to the optical axis LX. As described above, it can be seen that the amount of light incident on the light receiving portion 130A can be adjusted by adjusting the area of the third opening OP3.

4, 6 and 8, the area of the third opening OP3 (for example, the area in the x-axis and the y-axis direction) is larger than the area of the first opening OP1 (for example, the area in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction). For example, when the third opening OP3 has a circular planar shape and the diameter D3 of the third opening OP3 is larger than 10 mm, the photodiodes 134-2, 134-21 to 134-24, Scattered light may be introduced into the photodiode, resulting in light noise. Further, when the diameter D3 of the third opening OP3 is smaller than 2 mm, the amount of scattered light received by the photodiodes 134-2 and 134-21 to 134-24 is reduced and the photodiodes 134-2 and 134-21 To 134-24 may be small in size. Therefore, the diameter D3 of the third opening OP3 may be 2 mm to 10 mm, but the embodiment is not limited to this.

Further, as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 8, inlets IH and IH are formed in a direction perpendicular to the direction (for example, the y-axis direction) in which the air flows (for example, Sectional area of each of the outlets OH may be larger than the area of the first opening OP1 and larger than the sectional area of the second opening OP2.

Alternatively, the first path of the flow path inlet portion FI and the flow path outlet portion FO (first flow path) of the flow path inlet portion FO in the direction perpendicular to the direction (e.g., the y-axis direction) May be larger than the area of the first opening OP1 and larger than the sectional area of the second opening OP2.

For example, when the x-axis length of each of the inlet IH and the outlet OH is equal to the x-axis length of each of the first opening OP1 and the second opening OP2, the inlet IH and the outlet OH The height D2 in the z-axis direction is larger than the width D1 in the y-axis direction of the first opening OP1 and larger than the height D4 in the z-axis direction of the second opening OP2 .

For example, when the flow path inlet portion FI, the flow path outlet portion FO, and the second opening portion OP2 each have a circular cross-sectional shape and the first opening portion OP1 has a circular planar shape, The diameter D2 of each of the inlet port IH and the outlet port OH may be larger than the diameter D1 of the first opening OP1 and larger than the diameter D4 of the second opening OP2.

Or, for example, when the x-axis length of each of the inlet IH and the outlet OH is equal to the x-axis length of each of the first opening OP1 and the second opening OP2, The highest height in the z-axis direction of each of the paths may be greater than the width D1 in the y-axis direction of the first opening OP1 and greater than the height D4 in the z-axis direction of the second opening OP2.

For example, when each of the flow path inlet portion FI, the flow path outlet portion FO and the second opening portion OP2 has a circular cross-sectional shape and the first opening portion OP1 has a circular planar shape, The largest diameter in each of the first path and the second path may be larger than the diameter D1 of the first opening OP1 and larger than the diameter D4 of the second opening OP2.

Referring again to FIG. 9, the light guide part 136A serves to guide the light scattered by the scattering part SS to the light sensing part 134. As shown in FIG. For this purpose, for example, the light guide portion 136A may include inner side walls 136-1 and 136-2 and outer side walls 136-3 and 136-4. If the inner partitions 136-1 and 136-2 have a circular planar shape, the inner partitions 136-1 and 136-2 are integral, and the outer partitions 136-3 and 136-4 are circular, The outer side walls 136-3 and 136-4 may be integral with each other.

The inner side walls 136-1 and 136-2 have a fourth opening OP4 overlapping the light entrance OPL of the light absorbing portion 140 in a direction parallel to the optical axis LX Can be defined. The scattered light having passed through the third opening OP3 proceeds to the fifth opening OP5 and the main light passing through the third opening OP3 passes through the third opening OP3, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > OP1. ≪ / RTI > That is, the inner partitions 136-1 and 136-2 serve to separate the main light and the scattered light.

The outer side walls 136-3 and 136-4 are connected to the fifth opening OP5 overlapping the photodiode 134-2 in the direction parallel to the optical axis LX -1, 136-2).

The width W4 of the fifth opening OP5 may be 2 mm to 6 mm, but the embodiment is not limited to this.

When the inner partitions 136-1 and 136-2 and the outer partitions 136-3 and 136-4 are disposed as described above, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3, the third part OP3 The main scattered light can proceed to the photodiode 134-2 of the light sensing part 134 and the main light incident on the third opening OP3 can travel toward the light absorbing part 140. [

Meanwhile, the light receiving portion 130A may further include the sensing support portion 138, but in some cases, the sensing support portion 138 may be omitted.

The sensing support portion 138 serves to support the light sensing portion 134 and may be implemented separately from the bottom portion 176 of the housing 170 as shown in FIG. And the bottom portion 176 of the first embodiment.

3, the light absorbing part 140 may include an absorption case 142 and a protrusion 144. The light absorbing part 140 may be formed of a transparent material. The absorption case 142 defines a light entrance OPL through which the light passing through the light receiving unit 130A is incident and serves to receive the main light passing through the light receiving unit 130A. To this end, the inner wall of the absorption case 142 can be coated with a material having a light absorbing property. In the case of FIG. 3, the absorption case 142 and the bottom portion 176 of the housing 170 are illustrated as being distinct, but the embodiment is not limited in this respect. That is, as in the particle sensing device 100D described later, the bottom portion 176 of the housing 170 and the absorption case 142 may be integrated. That is, the bottom portion 176 of the housing 170 can also serve as the absorption case 142.

In addition, the protruding portion 144 may have a shape protruding from the bottom surface of the absorption case 142 toward the light inlet OPL. Further, the width of the protrusion 144 may become narrower from the bottom surface of the absorption case 142 toward the light inlet OPL. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, projections 144 may have a circular cross-sectional shape, but embodiments are not limited in this respect. When the protrusion 144 is disposed, the main light incident on the light entrance OPL is prevented from being reflected by the inner wall of the absorption case 142 and escaping to the light entrance OPL, The absorption of the main light incident on the light entrance OPL can be improved by reflecting the main light incident through the light entrance OPL to the inner wall of the absorption case part 142. [

Fig. 19 shows a sectional view of the particle sensing device 100 shown in Fig. 1 by another embodiment 100D, Fig. 20 shows a side view of the particle sensing device 100D shown in Fig. 19, 19 shows an upper perspective view of the particle sensing device 100D shown in Fig. 19, Fig. 22 shows a left perspective view of the particle sensing device 100D shown in Fig. 19, Fig.

Only the portions other than those shown in Figs. 19 to 23 and Figs. 3 to 18B will be described. Therefore, it is a matter of course that the description of FIGS. 3 to 18B can be applied to the parts not described with reference to FIGS. 19 to 22 other than the other parts described below.

In the particle sensing apparatuses 100A, 100B and 100C shown in FIGS. 3, 5 and 7, the packaging type of the light source unit 112A is SMD type, while the particle sensing apparatus 100D shown in FIGS. The light source portion 112A may be a dome-shaped (or Through hole type) LED, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, the diameter φ of the dome type light emitting portion 110B may be 3 mm to 5 mm, and the view angle may be 20 ° or less, but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

In addition, although the operating temperatures of the photodiodes 134-2 to 134-3 'may be -10 ° C to 50 ° C, the embodiments are not limited to the specific operating temperatures of the photodiodes 134-2 to 134-3' Do not.

The lens portion 114A of the particle sensing devices 100A, 100B, and 100C shown in Figs. 3, 5, and 7 includes only one lens, whereas the particle sensing device 100D shown in Figs. The lens portion 114B of the second lens 114B includes the first and second lenses 114B-1 and 114B-2. The first lens 114B-1 serves to convert the light emitted from the light source portion 112B into parallel light and the second lens 114B-2 serves to convert the parallel light emitted from the first lens 114B- And can condense light to the first opening OP1.

In the case of the particle sensing apparatuses 100A, 100B and 100C shown in Figs. 3, 5 and 7, the tower portion 172 of the housing 170 and the light emitting case 116 are different, In the case of the particle sensing device 100D shown, the top portion 172 of the housing 170 and the light emitting case 116 are integral. That is, it can be seen that the top portion of the housing 170 serves as the light emitting case 116.

The flow path portion 120C of the particle sensing device 100D shown in Figs. 19 to 22 may have the structure of the double nozzle DN like the flow path portion 120C shown in Figs. 7 and 8. Therefore, the description of the flow path portion 120C shown in Figs. 19 to 22 is replaced with the description of the flow path portion 120C shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

FIG. 24 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion 'C' shown in FIG.

24, the light receiving incidence portion 190 may include a light guiding portion 192, a cover light projecting portion 194, and a light intercepting portion 196. [

The light guide portion 192 may be disposed between the scattering portion SS and the light receiving portion 130B to define a third opening OP3. Here, the characteristic of the third opening OP3 may be the same as the characteristic of the third opening OP3 described above with reference to Fig. That is, the third opening OP3 is formed in such a manner that 20% to 80% of the total amount of light scattered by the particles P in the scattering section SS is an area suitable for entering the light receiving section 130B Direction and a width in the y-axis direction). In the light scattered by the particles P, the predetermined angle? From the center of the scattering portion SS to the fifth opening OP5 with respect to the optical axis LX is 24 ° to 60 ° The third opening OP3 may have an area such that the light in the range of 60 DEG is suitable for being incident on the light receiving portion 130B. As described above, it is understood that the amount of light incident on the light-receiving portion 130B can be adjusted by adjusting the area of the third opening OP3.

The area of the third opening OP3 may be different from the area of the first opening OP1. For example, when the third opening OP3 has a circular planar shape, the diameter D3 of the third opening OP3 may be 2 mm to 10 mm, but the embodiment is not limited to this.

For example, the area of the first opening OP1 may be larger than the area of the third opening OP3. In this case, the focal point of the light emitted from the light emitting portion 110B is formed to be farther from the center of the scattering portion SS, so that a measurement error due to the main beam can be reduced.

The light blocking portion 196 may be disposed between the scattering portion SS and the light guide portion 192 to define a sixth opening OP6. The width W7 of the sixth opening OP6 is adjusted so that the main light is prevented from entering the photodiode 134-2 or the amount of main light incident on the light receiving portion 130B and traveling to the light absorbing portion 140 Can be adjusted. By disposing the light intercepting portion 196 as described above, the main light can be prevented from proceeding to the photodiode 134-2 of the light sensing portion 134 through the fifth opening OP5. Here, the light sensing unit 134 may be implemented in a module form.

Further, the cover transparent portion 194 may be disposed between the third opening OP3 and the sixth opening OP6. The cover transparent portion 194 serves to prevent foreign matter from entering the light receiving portion 130B. The arrangement of the cover transparent portion 194 prevents the particles P passing through the scattering portion SS from penetrating into the light receiving portion 130B so that the flow of the particles P in the flow path portion 120C can be smooth And the measurement error can be reduced. In this case, even if the photodiodes 134-2 and 134-21 to 134-24 are formed on either the first surface 132-1 or the second surface 132-2 of the light transmitting member 132, The damage of the photodiodes 134-2 and 134-21 to 134-24 can also be prevented.

25 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion 'D' shown in FIG.

The light sensing part 134 and the light guide part 136B shown in Fig. 25 may be disposed around the optical axis of the light transmitting member 132. [ The light sensing part 132 and the light guide part 136B may be disposed on mutually opposing surfaces of the light transmitting member 132. [ 25, the light sensing portion 134 is disposed on the second surface 132-2 of the light transmitting member 132, and the light guide portion 136B is disposed on the second surface 132-2 of the light transmitting member 132 And may be disposed on the first surface 132-1. 25, the light sensing portion 134 is disposed on the first surface 132-1 of the light transmissive member 132 and the light guiding portion 136B is disposed on the second surface 132-1 of the light transmissive member 132, May be disposed on the surface 132-2. Here, the first surface 132-1 and the second surface 132-2 are as defined in the above description of FIG. The light sensing portion 134 is disposed on the second surface 132-2 of the light transmissive member 132 and the light guiding portion 136B is disposed on the first surface 132-1 of the light transmissive member 132 The following explanation can be applied to the case of the reverse.

The cross section shown in Fig. 25 is the same as the cross section shown in Fig. 9, except that the structures of the inner side walls 136-1 and 136-2 are different. Therefore, the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as those shown in Fig. 9, and a brief explanation will be given below.

The scattered light having passed through the third opening OP3 proceeds to the fifth opening OP5 and the main light passing through the sixth opening OP6 passes through the fourth opening Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > (OP4). ≪ / RTI > For example, the height H2 may be 3.3 mm, but the embodiment is not limited to this.

Each of the inner side walls 136-1 and 136-2 extends from the inner side 136-11 and 136-21 defining the fourth opening OP4 and the inner side 136-11 and 136-21, -3, 136-4, and a lateral portion 136-12, 136-22 defining a fifth opening OP5. The diameter of the fourth opening OP4 having a circular planar shape should be larger than the focusing size of the main beam. If the diameter of the fourth opening OP4 is smaller than 2 mm, the whole of the main beam can not pass through the fourth opening OP4 and is incident on the photodiodes 134-2 and 134-21 to 134-24, Scattered light may not be sensed in the diodes 134-2 and 134-21 to 134-24. Further, when the diameter of the fourth opening OP4 is larger than 6 mm, implementation of the slit may be difficult. Therefore, the diameter of the fourth opening OP4 may be 2 mm to 6 mm, but the embodiment is not limited to this.

The width W4 of the fifth opening OP5 may be 1 mm to 6 mm, but the embodiment is not limited to this.

The width W4 of the fifth opening OP5 may be larger than the width W6 of the outer side portions 136-12 and 126-22. For example, the width W4 of the fifth opening OP5 may be 1.1 mm and the width W6 of the outer portions 136-12 and 136-22 may be 0.8 mm, but the embodiments are not limited thereto.

The outer side portions 136-12 and 136-22 and the inner side portions 136-11 and 136-21 of the inner side walls 136-1 and 136-2 may be integrally formed.

It is preferable that at least one of the outer side portions 136-12 and 136-22 or the inner side portions 136-11 and 136-21 from the first surface 132-1 to the third opening portion OP3 of the transparent substrate 132 The cross-sectional width can be reduced. That is, the distinction between the inner portions 136-11 and 136-21 and the outer portions 136-12 and 136-22 is such that the scattered light is incident on the photodiode 134 at an angle, Lt; / RTI >

The area of the fourth opening OP4 shown in Fig. 25 (for example, the area in the x-axis and the y-axis direction) is the same as the area of the sixth opening OP6 shown in Fig. 24 And the area in the y-axis direction), but the embodiment is not limited to this. As described above, when the area of the sixth opening OP6 is made larger than the area of the fourth opening OP4, the progress of the main beam to the photodiode 134-2 can be further blocked.

The scattering portion SS can be in contact with a plurality of openings. That is, the scattering portion SS communicates with the light emitting portion 110A through the first opening OP1, and the first flow path middle portion FII1 (or the second flow path middle portion FII2) and the second opening portion OP2 and communicates with the light receiving portions 130A, 130B through the third opening OP3 or the sixth opening OP6.

FIG. 26 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the information analysis unit 160 shown in FIG. 1, and may include an amplification unit 162 and a control unit 164.

The amplifying unit 162 amplifies the electrical signal input from the light receiving units 130A and 130B (or the signal converting unit 150) via the input terminal IN2 and outputs the amplified result to the control unit 164. The control unit 164 compares the analog signal amplified by the amplifying unit 162 with a pulse width modulation (PWM) reference signal and outputs the number, density, size or shape of the particles P , And output the analyzed result through the output terminal OUT2.

The particle sensing apparatuses 100, 100A to 100D according to the above-described embodiments have the following effects.

First, by providing the fan 180, the flow of air can be induced so that the air introduced into the flow path inlet portion FI flows to the flow path outlet portion FO through the scattering portion SS. Therefore, many particles P contained in the air can flow into the flow path portion 120 and can be sensed, so that the sensing ability of the particles P can be improved.

Also, in the conventional case, the light was irradiated toward the dust in the direction of the optical axis, and the light scattered in the dust was sensed from the side of the optical axis to analyze the dust information. Unlike the conventional lateral type dust sensing apparatus, the particle sensing apparatus according to the embodiment irradiates light in the direction of the optical axis with the scattering unit SS located in the path through which the air including the particles P flows, ) In the direction parallel to the direction of the optical axis rather than the side scattered in the direction of the optical axis. Thus, the particle sensing apparatus according to the embodiment is a front particle sensing apparatus.

Hereinafter, the magnitude of scattered light and the relative size of scattered light incident on a plurality of photodiodes different in size according to particle sizes will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 27 to 29. FIG.

First, referring to FIG. 27, an environment in which the magnitude of scattered light incident on a plurality of different photodiodes according to the particle size according to the embodiment is measured will be described.

27 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the relationship between the light sensing unit and the scattered light shown in FIG.

FIG. 27 is a reconstruction of a portion corresponding to portions 'A' and 'B' in FIG. 3. Unless explained otherwise, a portion not described here can be referred to in the description related to FIG. 3, It is assumed that the planar shape of the sensing portion is the same as in Fig.

Referring to FIG. 27, it is assumed that the particles P exist in the center of the scattering portion SS of the flow path portion 120. Here, the fact that the particles P are positioned at the center of the scattering portion SS can mean that the particles P are located on the optical axis LX with respect to the Z axis. When the cross section of the flow path portion 120 along the XZ plane is viewed from the Y axis direction and the flow path portion 120 has a circular cross section, the particles P are located at the center of the circular cross section It can mean.

When light is scattered by the particles P at this position, the first partial scattered light SLB of the scattered light is received by the first photodiode 134-2, and the second partially scattered light SLA of the scattered light is received by the second photodiode 134-2. And is received by the photodiode 134-3.

In the arrangement relationship among the above-described components, the assumptions applied to Figs. 28 to 29 are as follows.

It is assumed that the angle? _A formed by the propagation direction of the first partial scattered light SLB with the optical axis of the light source is 60 degrees to 65 degrees. It is also assumed that the angle? _B formed by the traveling direction of the second partial scattered light SLA with the optical axis of the light source is 20 to 25 degrees in the following description. In addition, it is assumed that the particles (P) are polystyrene components and scatter light having a wavelength of 470 nm in an environment of 25 at 1 atm.

FIG. 28 is a graph showing the intensity of scattered light incident at different positions according to particle size, and FIG. 29 is a graph showing the scattered light ratio according to the graph shown in FIG.

28, the magnitude (B) of the first partial scattering light (SLB) and the magnitude (A) of the second partial scattering light (SLA) are shown for each particle size in the above-described environment. The second partial scattering light (SLA) tends to increase as the particle size increases, but the first partial scattering light (SLB) generally tends to increase and tends to decrease in the interval between 0.5 μm and 1 μm , And a deep section is present). The difference is that the first partial scattered light SLB incident on the first photodiode 134-2 is close to the forward scattering pattern and the second partial scattered light SLA incident on the second photodiode 134-3 is reflected toward the side Because the scattering patterns are close to each other, the characteristics of each scattering pattern appear as they are. That is, although the forward scattering pattern has an advantage that the absolute value of the scattered light intensity by particles of 1 탆 or less is large, there is a deep section in which the scattered light intensity reverses even if the particle size is large. On the other hand, the side scattering pattern has a linearity in the size of the scattered light depending on the particle size, but the absolute value of the scattered light intensity is small in particles having a size of 1 탆 or less, and it is difficult to increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

Therefore, if only the first photodiode 134-2 is present and the particle size is measured only by the signal size in the interval between 0.5 mu m and 1 mu m, a measurement error may occur. However, as shown in FIG. 29, the scattering light ratio ((B-A) / A) of the particle size shows clearly the difference from the smallest to the large to the large to small. Therefore, it is possible to judge the particle size more accurately than when combining the "A" value, the "B" value and the "scattered light ratio". For example, when the magnitude of the scattered light SLA detected by the second photodiode 134-3 is about 1.4e-14W and the magnitude of the scattered light SLB detected by the first photodiode 134-2 is about 1e- 13W, the scattering light ratio becomes 7.4, so that the information analyzing unit 160 can determine that the particle size is 0.5 탆.

The particle sensing apparatus according to the above-described embodiment has the following advantages.

First, the degree of freedom in the shape of the photodiode constituting the light sensing part is high and it is formed in a variety of ways such as patterning, evaporation, and printing, so that it is easy to manufacture a light receiving element.

In addition, it is possible to correct the particle size even with deterioration of the optical system due to the scattering characteristic according to the light receiving angle of the photodiode, and this effect is improved as the number of the photodiodes increases. This saves time and money since the calibration process that occurs when the particle sensing device is mounted to another device can be omitted.

Further, in the case of the embodiment, the photodiode (for example, 134-2) may be divided into a plurality of sensing segments 134-21, 134-22, 134-23 and 134-24, 134-21, 134-22, 134-23, 134-24), the shape of the particles can be predicted.

If the light absorbing part 140 is disposed on the light receiving part 130A or 130B, the main light that has not been absorbed by the light absorbing part 140 is absorbed by the light receiving part 130A or 130B, A highly sophisticated design of the light absorbing portion 140 is required to prevent this. In addition, it is very difficult to reflect tolerances due to various factors such as assembly tolerance and lens position tolerance.

On the other hand, in the embodiment, the light sensing portion 134 including the light transmitting region 134-1 having the light transmitting property is used, and the light absorbing portion 140 is disposed under the light receiving portion 130 (130A, 130B) The light absorbing portion 140 can be designed more easily than when arranged on the light receiving portion 130 (130A, 130B), and the problem of the detection of scattered light due to the main beam can be improved.

Since the fan 180 is provided or the structure of the flow path portion 120 is changed so that the area of the first opening OP1 is larger than the cross sectional area of the flow path portion 120 or the double nozzle structure is provided, When the air containing the particles P is compared with the lateral type flowed by the heat flow, in the case of the embodiment, since the particles P to be measured are increased and the light curtains are formed in the scattering portion SS, Since all particles can be sensed, the accuracy of sensing is improved, for example, the number of particles (P) can be counted.

In addition, in the embodiment, as described above, since the intensity of the scattered light sensed than the lateral type is high, there is an advantage that a large power consumption is not required to increase the intensity of the scattered light.

By arranging the light guide portions 136A and 136B at the upper portion of the photodiode 134-2, the scattered light can be more easily sensed by the photodiode 134-2 and the intensity of sensed light can be improved have.

In addition, a single photodiode can be disposed over a large area to increase the amount of received light. Also, unlike a general photodiode device, the structure can be easily connected to a control circuit, and the internal structure of the sensing device to which the photo-sensing device is applied can be simplified, thereby reducing the overall volume.

The particle sensing apparatus according to the above embodiments can be applied to home and industrial air cleaners, air purifiers, air cleaners, air coolers, air conditioners, air quality management systems for buildings, It can be applied to an air conditioning system or an indoor air quality measurement apparatus for a vehicle. However, it is needless to say that the particle sensing apparatuses 100, 100A to 100D according to the embodiments are not limited to these examples and can be applied to various fields.

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, but, on the contrary, It will be understood that various modifications and applications are possible. For example, each component specifically shown in the embodiments can be modified and implemented. It is to be understood that all changes and modifications that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

100, 100A to 100D: particle sensing devices 110, 110A, 110B:
120, 120A, 120B, 120C: a flow path portion 130, 130A, 130B:
140: light absorbing part 150: signal converting part
160: information analysis unit 170: housing
180: fan

Claims (10)

1. A photo-sensing device for sensing light emitted from a light source and reflected or scattered from an object,
A light transmitting member; And
And a light sensing part disposed on the light transmitting member and having a light transmitting area,
The photo-
A first electrode layer;
A semiconductor layer on the first electrode layer; And
And a second electrode layer on the semiconductor layer,
Wherein:
A first semiconductor layer disposed around the light transmission region; And
And a second semiconductor layer disposed outside the first semiconductor layer. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the light transmitting region is located on an optical axis of the light source. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the light transmitting portion has a circular planar shape,
Wherein the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer each have an annular planar shape. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the planar shapes of the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer are concentric with each other. 5. The method of claim 4,
And the center of the concentric circle passes through the optical axis. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,
And a third semiconductor layer disposed outside the second semiconductor layer and sensing the scattered light. The photo-sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer have a polygonal planar shape. A light emitting portion for emitting light;
A flow path disposed below the light emitting part and crossing an optical axis of the light emitting part, the air including the particles flowing and providing a space in which light is scattered by the particles;
A light receiving portion disposed below the flow path portion and receiving the scattered light; And
And a light absorbing portion disposed on the optical axis below the light receiving portion and absorbing light passing through the light receiving portion,
The light-
A light transmitting member; And
And a light sensing part disposed on the light transmitting member and having a light transmitting area,
The photo-
A first electrode layer;
A semiconductor layer on the one-electrode layer; And
And a second electrode layer on the semiconductor layer,
Wherein:
A first semiconductor layer disposed around the light transmission region; And
And a second semiconductor layer disposed outside the first semiconductor layer. 9. The method of claim 8,
And an information analyzer for determining the size of the particle using a ratio of a magnitude of an output signal of the first semiconductor layer to an output signal of the second semiconductor layer. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the light transmitting region has a circular planar shape,
Wherein the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer have an annular planar shape concentric with each other.

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