KR20190142280A - Air blower and method of controlling mode thereor - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air blower capable of using an outer power supply and a rechargeable battery as a power supply source. The air blower includes: a housing having an air flow path connecting an intake port and an exhaust port; an air blowing unit installed on the air flow path and forming the flow of air from the intake port to the exhaust port; a heating unit installed on the air flow path and heating the air passing through the air flow path; and a control unit determining whether the air blower uses a rechargeable battery as the power supply source when the air blower is operated and limiting at least an operable mode of a first mode requiring the operation of the heating unit and a second mode requiring the operation of the air blowing unit instead of the first operating mode, thereby controlling the air blower in a selected mode of limited operable modes. Therefore, the air blower limits the operable modes in accordance with a type of power supply sources and guarantees safe and stable operation.

Description

Blower and mode control method of blower {AIR BLOWER AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING MODE THEREOR}

The present invention relates to a blower and a mode control method of the blower, and more particularly to a blower that can use an external power source and a rechargeable battery as a power source and a mode control method thereof.

In general, a fan refers to an apparatus that sends wind in a selected direction by rotating a predetermined blade through the operation of an electric motor. According to the wind of the fan, the air flow is generated, and it performs a function to take away the heat of the person or the room and make it cool.

Such a fan does not substantially perform a function of ventilation or air purification because it operates by circulating indoor air, and this is also the case in an air conditioner such as an air conditioner.

Since the fan circulating the air in the room generates only a simple air flow, there is a limit to circulate the indoor pollutants as well. It will cause a drop.

Recently, with the increase of air pollutants, the problem of the air environment has emerged as a social problem. Particularly, yellow dust and fine dust introduced in the spring in China in spring are known to cause respiratory diseases such as bronchitis and asthma and cause cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Accordingly, the utilization rate of air purifiers is increasing as seasonal home appliances in spring.

In addition, in order to improve the living environment is used a warm air fan that can provide warm air in winter.

That is, in most homes, air cleaners for air purification are mainly used in spring and winter, fans are used in summer, and hot fans are used in winter. Since it is used, the arrangement of a plurality of equipment is cumbersome, the storage period is longer than the use period, the utilization rate of the equipment is low, and each of the equipment is expensive, there is an uneconomical problem.

Therefore, in recent years, the development of blowers that can provide the functions of a fan, a warm fan, and an air purifier into one device have been made.

On the other hand, these blowers must be supplied with power to send wind in a selected direction by rotating a predetermined blade through the operation of the motor, and furthermore, power must be supplied to heat the heater operated to generate warm air.

At this time, an external power source can be basically used as a power supply source, and in the case of a small home appliance where mobility is important, an internal rechargeable battery can be additionally used.

However, when used as a hot air heater, there may be a problem that the power supply from the rechargeable battery is inadequate for safety reasons or the rechargeable battery capacity is not sufficient compared to the power consumption of the heater.

KR 10-0960593 B1 KR 10-1885999 B1

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is a blower device that can use an external power source and a rechargeable battery as a power source, by limiting the operation mode according to the type of power source, a blower device that can ensure safe and stable operation and its It is to provide a mode control method.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a blower apparatus that can use an external power source and a rechargeable battery as a power source, wherein a mode excluded from an operable mode is not displayed as an operable mode and thus excluded from selection, thereby improving user convenience. The present invention provides a blower and a mode control method thereof.

Problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

The object is, according to the first aspect of the present invention,

A blower that can use an external power source and a rechargeable battery as a power source,

A housing provided with an air movement passage connecting the intake port and the exhaust port;

A blowing unit disposed on the air movement passage to form an air flow in the inlet port toward the exhaust port;

A heating unit disposed on the air movement passage to heat air passing through the air movement passage; And

It is determined whether or not the rechargeable battery is being used as a power source when the blower is operating, so that the first mode requiring the operation of the heat generating unit and the first mode requiring the operation of the blowing unit are not the first mode. By limiting the operable mode to at least one of the second modes, it is achieved by a blower device, including a control unit for controlling to operate in a selected one of the restricted operable modes.

Here, the heat generating unit may be made of a PTC heater.

The blower device may further include a filter unit disposed on the air movement passage to filter particles in the air passing through the air movement passage, wherein the first mode requires operation of the blower and the heat generator. In the warm air mode, the second mode may be a blowing mode requiring operation of the blowing unit or an air cleaning mode requiring operation of the blowing unit and the filter unit.

Here, the filter unit is detachably assembled to the housing and provided in plural, the plurality of filter units have different filter characteristics, and at least one filter unit of the plurality of filter units in the air passage of the housing according to the use environment. It is preferable to arrange selectively.

Further, when it is determined that the rechargeable battery is used as a power source, the controller may exclude the first mode from the operable mode.

The blower further includes a mode display unit for displaying a mode operable to be selected by a user, and when it is determined that the rechargeable battery is used as a power source, the control unit is operable to operate the first mode. Since it is not displayed as a mode, it can be controlled to be excluded from selection.

The object is, according to the second aspect of the present invention,

In the mode control method of the blower which can use an external power source and a rechargeable battery as a power source,

A housing provided with an air movement path connecting the intake port and the exhaust port, a blower disposed on the air movement path to form air flow in the direction of the exhaust port from the intake port, and disposed on the air movement path to pass through the air movement path; Providing a blowing device including a heating unit for heating air to be used;

Determining whether a rechargeable battery is being used as a power source when the blower device is operating;

Limiting the operable mode to at least one of a first mode requiring operation of the heating unit and a second mode other than the first mode requiring operation of the blower; And

It is achieved by a blower device, comprising the step of operating in a selected one of the limited operable modes.

In this case, the limiting of the operable mode may include excluding the first mode from the operable mode when it is determined that the rechargeable battery is used as a power source.

Furthermore, when it is determined that the rechargeable battery is used as a power source, the first mode may not be displayed as an operable mode and thus excluded from the selection.

According to the blower of the present invention and the mode control method thereof as described above, in the blower that can use an external power source and a rechargeable battery as a power source, safe and stable operation by limiting the operation mode according to the type of power source There is an advantage that can be guaranteed.

Further, according to the blower of the present invention and the mode control method thereof, in the blower that can use an external power source and a rechargeable battery as a power source, the mode excluded from the operable mode is not displayed as the operable mode and is excluded from the selection. There is an advantage that the user's convenience can be improved.

1 is a perspective view of a blower that may use an external power source and a rechargeable battery as a power source according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is another perspective view of a blower apparatus that may use an external power source and a rechargeable battery as a power source according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is another perspective view of a blower that may use an external power source and a rechargeable battery as a power source according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a partial side view illustrating a display unit of a blower apparatus that may use an external power source and a rechargeable battery as a power source according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a block diagram of a blower apparatus that may use an external power source and a rechargeable battery as a power source according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a flowchart illustrating a mode control method of a blower apparatus that may use an external power source and a rechargeable battery as a power source according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the contents described in the accompanying drawings will be described in detail an exemplary embodiment according to the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited or limited by the exemplary embodiments. Like reference numerals in the drawings denote members that perform substantially the same function.

Terms including ordinal numbers such as first and second may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as the second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as the first component. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

The terms used in the present invention have been selected as widely used general terms as possible in consideration of the functions in the present invention, but this may vary according to the intention or precedent of the person skilled in the art, the emergence of new technologies and the like. In addition, in certain cases, there is also a term arbitrarily selected by the applicant, in which case the meaning will be described in detail in the description of the invention. Therefore, the terms used in the present invention should be defined based on the meanings of the terms and the contents throughout the present invention, rather than the names of the simple terms.

When any part of the specification is to "include" any component, this means that it may further include other components, except to exclude other components unless otherwise stated.

1 is a perspective view of a blower that can use an external power source and a rechargeable battery as a power source according to a first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is an external power source and a rechargeable battery as a power source according to an embodiment of the present invention Another perspective view of a blower device that can be used, Figure 3 is another perspective view of the blower device that can use an external power source and a rechargeable battery as a power source according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the air blowing device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 10, a support 20, and a cradle 30 provided with an air moving passage connecting the intake port and the exhaust port. .

Referring to FIG. 2, in the housing 10, an air blower 13 disposed on an air moving passage and forming an air flow in the direction of an exhaust port at an inlet port and air disposed on the air moving passage and passing through the air moving passage. It may include a heat generating unit 12 for heating. Furthermore, the blower 1 may further include a filter portion 14 disposed on the air movement passage to filter particles in the air passing through the air movement passage.

The housing 10 may be composed of an upper housing 10a and a lower housing 10b, which are coupled to the exhaust side front grille 11, and as shown in FIG. 2, according to the user's convenience. Can be used to replace components (eg blower components) inside the housing 10 or to assemble or disassemble the extension module to provide other additional functionality to the blower.

The support 20 supports the lower part of the blower 1 and may be configured to tilt the blower 1 in the vertical direction or to reciprocate the left and right directions.

On the other hand, although not shown in the drawing, a control circuit for controlling the blower 13 and the heat generating unit 12 may be provided in the housing 10, in particular, the support 20, and such a control circuit may include a housing ( In particular, it is preferable to be arranged within or adjacent to the space in which the drive motor of the blower 13 is arranged.

The cradle 30 is for applying external power to the blower 1, the upper surface is provided with a power supply, the power supply is connected to the external power. When the blower 1 is seated on the cradle 30, a power connection (not shown) provided on the bottom of the blower 1 is connected to the power supply to supply external power to the blower 1.

In addition, the support 20 may be provided with a rechargeable battery for supplying power to the blower (1). Accordingly, in a state in which the blower 1 is seated on the cradle 30, the blower 1 may be driven or the rechargeable battery may be charged using an external power supplied through the cradle 30. In a state in which (1) is separated from the cradle 30, the blower may be driven by using the power charged in the rechargeable battery. On the other hand, the power supply may be formed in a form protruding in the upper direction from the center of the upper surface of the cradle 30, the power connection may be formed in a form recessed in the center of the bottom surface of the blower (1) so that the power supply can be inserted.

The blower 13 is disposed on the air movement path to form air flow from the intake to the exhaust, and is supported by the first frame (not shown) supported in the housing 10 and the first frame. And a blower fan that is rotated by the drive motor. The first frame may be integrally formed with the housing 10, but may be detachably assembled to the housing 10 for maintenance of the blower 13.

The heat generating unit 12 is disposed on the air moving path to heat the air passing through the air moving path by receiving heat from an external power source, and has a low risk of fire and a long life, which can be used semi-permanently. Coefficient) It is preferable that the heater is configured, and heat dissipation fins may be disposed on the outer surface of the heat generating unit 12 to improve heat dissipation efficiency of the heat generating unit 12. On the other hand, it is preferable that a plurality of heat generating units 12 are provided and configured to adjust heating temperature of air by selectively applying power to the plurality of heat generating units 12 according to a control signal input from the outside.

The filter unit 14 is disposed on the air passage to filter out particles or impurities in the air, and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, for example, a first filter module including a washable mesh filter ( 14c), the second filter module 14b composed of a hepa filter and an activated carbon filter, and may be selectively assembled to a seating groove provided on the inner surface of the tray 14a according to the use environment.

In addition, the filter unit 14 pulls out the tray 14a movably assembled on the intake side of the housing 10 in the extraction direction, and withdraws the tray 14a together with the air movement passage of the housing 10. Will move outside. Since the filter part 14 exposed to the outside of the housing 10 can be easily taken out from the mounting groove of the tray 14a, the filter part 14 can be easily replaced, added or removed.

Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, the tray 14a is described as sliding, but the tray 14a is rotated about the pivot shaft provided at one side of the housing 10, and the filter unit 14 is carried into the housing 10. It is also possible to be configured to export / export.

4 is a partial side view illustrating a display unit of a blower apparatus that may use an external power source and a rechargeable battery as a power source according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As can be seen in Figure 4, the outer surface of the housing 10 may be provided with a display unit 40 for displaying a selection with a selection / input button to receive a selection from the user, the display unit 40 The fan speed display unit 41 is provided so that the user can select the desired fan speed, the mode display unit 42 is provided so that the user can select the desired operating mode, the time display unit is provided so that the user can select the desired operating time 43, and a rotation selector provided to allow the user to select whether to rotate left and right.

At this time, the fan speed display unit 41 visually displays the change from one to three steps by pressing the select / input button together with the select / input button provided to receive the desired fan speed. In this case, the visual display may be represented using individual small LEDs arranged side by side with numbers indicating 1 to 3 steps. Alternatively, the fan speed display unit 41 may be used in combination with a power button. Accordingly, pressing the select / enter button cycles power cycles and visually displays the change from one to three levels. In case of power off, no small LEDs may be lit.

At this time, even if the fan speed is the same step, the rpm may be set differently for each mode to be described below. For example, in the blowing mode, one to three steps may be set at a relatively wide range of rpm, while in the air cleaning mode, one to three steps may be set in a range of two and three steps of the blowing mode, and a warm air mode In step 1 to 3 can be set around the two stages of the blowing mode.

Similarly, the time display 43 visually changes to 1, 2, 4, and 8H cyclically by pressing the select / enter button with a select / enter button provided to allow the user to select a desired operating time. Mark it as In this case, the visual display may be represented using individual small LEDs arranged side by side with numbers indicating 1, 2, 4, and 8 hours.

Similarly, the mode display section 42, along with a select / input button provided to allow the user to select a desired operable mode, is cyclically changed to blowing mode, air cleaning mode, and warm air mode by pressing the select / input button. To visually display In this case, the visual display may be displayed using individual small LEDs arranged side by side with symbols indicating each mode.

Here, referring to the mode, as shown in FIG. 2, a blower 13 is disposed on the air movement path connecting the intake and exhaust of the housing 10, and the driving motor of the blower 13 is As the blower fan is rotated while power is supplied from the power supply source, the outside air of the housing 10 flows into the intake portion and is discharged toward the exhaust portion through the air movement passage (blowing mode).

The filter unit 14 is disposed between the intake unit and the blower unit 13 in the air passage to filter the particles or impurities in the air introduced into the intake unit so that clean air is discharged (air cleaning mode), By operating the heat generating unit 12 disposed between the base and the blower unit 13 to heat the air passing through the blower unit 13 so that the warm hot air is discharged (hot air mode), the air movement in the housing 10 Different modes may be implemented by selectively arranging or operating a blower, a heat generator, and a filter in a passage.

Meanwhile, when the blower 13, the heat generator 12, and the filter 14 are all installed and operated, the air cleaner 13 may be used in a warm air-air cleaning mode in which clean air from which contaminants are removed is discharged in a warmly heated state.

5 is a block diagram of a blower apparatus that may use an external power source and a rechargeable battery as a power source according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As described above, the blower according to the present invention may use the external power source 30 and the rechargeable battery 21 as a power source, and in particular, the driving motor of the heat generating unit 12 and the blower unit 13 The power source is operated by receiving power from the external power source 30 or the rechargeable battery 21.

As mentioned above, the control unit 22 may be included in a control circuit unit provided for controlling the blower unit 13 and the heat generating unit 12 inside the housing 10, in particular, the support 20. The controller 22 determines whether a rechargeable battery is used as a power source when the blower is in operation, and operates the first mode and the blower 13 that require the operation of the heat generator 12. By restricting the operable mode to at least one of the second mode other than the first mode as needed, control can be made to operate in the selected mode of the restricted operable mode.

In more detail, when it is determined that the rechargeable battery is used as the power source, the controller 22 excludes the first mode requiring the operation of the heating unit from the operable mode for safer and more stable operation. Can be. In this case, the first mode is a warm air mode requiring the operation of the blower and the heat generating unit, and the second mode does not require the operation of the heat generating unit, but only the blower mode or the blower and the filter unit requiring the operation of the blower. It may be an air cleaning mode that requires operation.

At this time, when it is determined that the rechargeable battery is used as the power supply source, the controller 22 may control the first mode not to be displayed as an operable mode and to be excluded from selection. For example, pressing the select / input button of the mode display unit 42 visually displays the change to the blowing mode and the air cleaning mode. In this case, the visual display may be displayed by using individual small LEDs arranged side by side with symbols indicating each mode.

Alternatively, by pressing the select / input button of the mode display unit 42, the user can visually display the change to the blowing mode, the air cleaning mode, and the mode non-selection. In this case, the visual indication may be represented using individual small LEDs arranged side by side with symbols indicating each mode, and in the mode non-selection, no small LEDs may be turned on. In this way, the mode that the user cannot select is not displayed as the operable mode and is automatically excluded from the selection, thereby eliminating the effort and time related to the selection, for the convenience of the user.

In addition, the control unit 22 can control to sterilize the inside of the blower apparatus by using the UV-A LED provided in the housing 10, and further, for example, the display unit 40 on the side of the housing 10. On the other side other than the side is provided, by measuring the fine dust concentration using the particle sensor provided, it can be controlled to display the color according to the measured fine dust concentration on the air condition indicator of 10c shown in FIG. . The operation of the control unit may be generally performed regardless of whether an external power source or a rechargeable battery is used as a power source, but, if necessary, may be implemented to determine whether to operate in conjunction with the present invention. .

6 is a flowchart illustrating a mode control method of a blower apparatus that may use an external power source and a rechargeable battery as a power source according to another embodiment of the present invention. Here, the description of the specific actions and effects at each step, which are the same as those already mentioned when describing the above blower, will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 6, a mode control method of a blower that may use an external power source and a rechargeable battery as a power source may include a housing provided with an air moving path connecting an intake port and an exhaust port, and disposed on an air moving path. Starting with the step (S10) of providing a blower comprising a blower for forming an air flow in the exhaust port direction, and a heat generating unit disposed on the air movement passage for heating the air passing through the air movement passage. When the power supply of the blower device is turned on using an external power source or a rechargeable battery as a power source (S20), it is determined whether or not a rechargeable battery is used as a power source (S30).

According to the result of the determination, thereafter, the step of limiting the operable mode to the second mode other than the first mode requiring the operation of the heating unit and the blower, which requires the operation of the heating unit In more detail, in the previous step, when it is determined that the rechargeable battery is used as the power source, some of all modes are excluded from the operable mode (S40), that is, the first mode is operated. The process proceeds to exclude from possible modes. On the other hand, when it is determined in the previous step that the external power source, not the rechargeable battery, is used as the power source, all modes are recognized as an operational mode (S50), that is, a mode operable in both the first mode and the second mode. The first mode is not excluded from the operable mode.

Finally, the step of controlling the mode of the blower device is terminated by operating in the selected mode among the limited operable modes (S60).

Thus, in the blower apparatus which can use an external power source and a rechargeable battery as the power source, by limiting the operable mode according to the type of the power source, it is possible to ensure safe and stable operation. In addition, the mode excluded from the operable mode is not displayed as the operable mode and thus excluded from the selection, thereby improving user convenience.

In general, the terminology used herein is, in particular, in the claims (eg, in the body of a claim) generally intended to be an "open" term (eg, "comprising" means "including but not limited to"). And "having at least more" and "comprising" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to". It is expressly stated in the claims, and in the absence of such a description it is understood that this intention is not present.

Only certain features of the invention have been shown and described herein, and various modifications and changes may occur to those skilled in the art. It is therefore understood that the claims are intended to cover modifications and variations that fall within the spirit of the invention.

10: housing 12: heat generating portion
13: blower 14: filter
20: support 21: rechargeable battery
30: cradle 40: display unit

Claims (9)

A blower that can use an external power source and a rechargeable battery as a power source,
A housing provided with an air movement passage connecting the intake port and the exhaust port;
A blowing unit disposed on the air movement passage to form an air flow in the inlet port toward the exhaust port;
A heating unit disposed on the air movement passage to heat air passing through the air movement passage; And
It is determined whether or not the rechargeable battery is being used as a power source when the blower is operating, so that the first mode requiring the operation of the heat generating unit and the first mode requiring the operation of the blowing unit are not the first mode. And a control unit controlling to operate in a selected one of the restricted operable modes by limiting the operable mode to at least one of the second modes. The method of claim 1,
The blowing device, wherein the heat generating portion is made of a PTC heater. The method of claim 2,
A filter unit disposed on the air movement passage to filter particles in the air passing through the air movement passage;
The first mode is a warm air mode requiring operation of the blower and the heat generating unit, and the second mode is a blow mode requiring operation of the blower or the air cleaning requiring the operation of the blower and the filter unit. Mode of blower. The method of claim 3, wherein
The filter unit is detachably assembled to the housing, and a plurality of filter units are provided, and the plurality of filter units have different filter characteristics, and at least one filter unit of the plurality of filter units is selectively in the air movement path of the housing according to the use environment. Deployed, blower. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
And when it is determined that the rechargeable battery is used as a power source, the control unit excludes the first mode from the operable mode. The method of claim 5,
Further comprising a mode display unit for displaying an operable mode for the user to select,
And when it is determined that the rechargeable battery is used as a power source, the control unit controls the first mode to be excluded from selection because it is not displayed as an operable mode. In the mode control method of the blower which can use an external power source and a rechargeable battery as a power source,
A housing provided with an air movement path connecting the intake port and the exhaust port, a blower disposed on the air movement path to form an air flow in the direction of the exhaust port from the intake port, and disposed on the air movement path to pass through the air movement path; Providing a blowing device including a heating unit for heating air to be used;
Determining whether a rechargeable battery is being used as a power source when the blower device is operating;
Limiting the operable mode to at least one of a first mode requiring operation of the heating unit and a second mode other than the first mode requiring operation of the blower; And
Operating in a selected mode of the limited operable mode. The method of claim 7, wherein
Restricting the operable mode includes excluding the first mode from the operable mode when it is determined that the rechargeable battery is being used as a power source. The method of claim 8,
And if it is determined that the rechargeable battery is being used as a power source, the first mode is not displayed as an operable mode and is excluded from selection.

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