Air purifier and control method thereof

• US 20080028940A1
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Han, Jae Oh, Lee, Jai Kwon
• Application Number:
  US11/643,796
• Publication Number:
  US 20080028940A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 96/417
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 45/16 generated by the winding course of the gas stream , the centrifugal forces being generated solely or partly by mechanical means, e.g. fixed swirl vanes
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 11/00 Accessories, e.g. safety or control devices, not otherwise provided for , e.g. regulators, valves in inlet or overflow ductingwith electrostatic precipitating arrangements B03C3/14
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 2009/005 with external rotors, e.g. impeller, ventilator, fan, blower, pump
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 5/28 for parallel flow
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 9/00 Combinations with other devices, e.g. fans, expansion chambers, diffusors, water lockswith filters B01D50/00

Abstract

An air purifier and a control method thereof. The air purifier includes a main body having an air inlet and an air outlet, a fan mounted in the main body, rotational speed of which is changed according to a user-desired air flow rate, cyclones disposed in parallel with each other under the fan, at least one open/close unit to open and close at least one of the cyclones. The open/close unit may include a valve member to open and close an outflow pipe of the cyclone, and a stepping motor to rotate the valve member. An anemometer is mounted to at least one of the cyclones. Accordingly, since the air purifier can measure a speed of air flow in the cyclone and correspondingly change the operating number of the dust-collecting cyclones in an open state, the air purifier can achieve a predetermined dust-collecting performance even when the speed of the air flow in the cyclone is reduced.

Claims

1. An air purifier comprising:

a main body;

a fan mounted in the main body;

cyclones to create a vortex air flow when the fan rotates and to separate dust from air; and

at least one open/close unit to open and close at least one of the cyclones.

2. The air purifier according to claim 1, wherein the cyclones are disposed in parallel with each other under the fan.

3. The air purifier according to claim 1, wherein the open/close unit comprises a valve member mounted to at least one of the cyclones, and a motor to drive the valve member.

4. The air purifier according to claim 3, wherein:

each of the cyclones comprises an outflow pipe, through which the air passes after dust is removed from the air in the cyclone; and

the valve member is provided at the outflow pipe.

5. The air purifier according to claim 1, wherein the cyclones comprise an open type cyclone.

6. The air purifier according to claim 5, wherein:

the fan is a centrifugal fan; and

the open type cyclone is disposed at a position corresponding to a center portion of a suction side of the fan.

7. The air purifier according to claim 1, further comprising:

an anemometer mounted to at least one of the cyclones to measure a speed of air flow in the cyclone.

8. The air purifier according to claim 7, wherein:

the cyclones comprise an open type cyclone; and

the anemometer is mounted to the open type cyclone.

9. An air purifier comprising:

a fan having a variable number of revolutions according to a user-desired air flow rate;

cyclones to communicate with the fan; and

a control unit to control an open/close state of the cyclones according to the number of revolutions of the fan, the control unit to perform a first mode in which air flow generated by the fan passes through all of the cyclones, and a second mode in which the air flow generated by the fan passes through a portion of the cyclones.

10. The air purifier according to claim 9, further comprising:

an anemometer mounted to at least one of the cyclones to measure a speed of air flow in the cyclone,

wherein if the speed of the air flow measured by the anemometer is less than a reference value, the control unit performs a third mode to close at least one of the cyclones which are in an open state.

11. A method of controlling an air purifier including a fan having a number of revolutions per unit time and having cyclones to communicate with the fan, the method comprising:

receiving a user-desired air flow rate;

opening and closing the cyclones according to the user-desired air flow rate; and

driving the fan by a predetermined number of revolutions per unit time according to the user-desired air flow rate.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

measuring a speed of air flow in one of the cyclones;

comparing the measured speed of the air flow with a reference value; and

if the measured speed of the air flow is less than the reference value, closing at least one of the cyclones which are in an open state.

13. An air purifier comprising:

a plurality of cyclones to create an air flow to remove a foreign material from the air flow; and

an open/close unit to selectively prevent the air flow of at least one of the plurality of cyclones according to a characteristic of the air flow.

14. The air purifier of claim 13, further comprising:

a fan to forcibly control the air flow of the plurality of cyclones, wherein a rotational speed of the fan is variable according to the characteristic of the air flow.

15. The air purifier of claim 13, further comprising:

a measuring unit mounted in one of the cyclones to measure the characteristic of the air flow.

16. The air purifier of claim 15, wherein the measuring unit comprises a hot-wire anemometer.

17. The air purifier of claim 13, wherein the characteristic of the air flow comprises a speed of the air flow.

18. The air purifier of claim 13, wherein the open/close unit comprises a plurality of valve members to correspond to the cyclones, and a driving unit to drive the valve members to selectively prevent the air flow.

19. The air purifier of claim 18, wherein the valve members are disposed at outlets of the cyclones.

20. The air purifier of claim 13, wherein each of the cyclones comprises an inlet, an exhausting hole, an outlet, and the open/close unit is disposed on the outlet.

21. The air purifier of claim 13, further comprising:

a control unit to control the open/close unit in a plurality of modes in which a first number of cyclones and a second number of cyclones is determined to prevent the air flow thereof.