DETECTOR FOR CLOGGED FILTERS

• US 20130289919A1
• Filed: 04/27/2012
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Filtersmarts, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Filtersmarts, Inc.
• Inventors: Wilson, David J. Jr., Morris, Douglas
• Granted Patent: US 8,744,780 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/104
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/0086 Filter condition indicators
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/59 Transmissivity G01N21/25 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/06 Illumination; Optics

Abstract

A clogged filter detector has a transmitter and a sensor which are held in place by a transmitter bracket and a sensor bracket, respectively. The transmitter emits a beam of electromagnetic radiation, and the sensor is positioned in the path of this beam at a point such that the beam travels through a filter between the transmitter and the sensor. The transmitter and sensor are misaligned with the air flow at the point where the beam contacts the filter. The transmitter alternates between a transmitting mode and a dormant mode, and the transmitter emits a plurality of electromagnetic pulses during each transmitting mode.

Claims

1. A clogged filter detector comprising:

a transmitter that emits a beam of electromagnetic radiation;

a sensor that produces an electrical current when contacted by electromagnetic radiation, and where a sensor reading is based on the electrical current produced;

a transmitter bracket connected to the transmitter, where the transmitter bracket secures the transmitter such that the beam of electromagnetic radiation contacts a filter at a measurement point, and where the transmitter bracket secures the transmitter in a position that is mis-aligned with an air flow through the filter at the measurement point;

a sensor bracket connected to the sensor, where the sensor bracket secures the sensor in a position that is mis-aligned with the air flow through the filter at the measurement point, and where the sensor bracket secures the sensor in the path of the transmitted beam of electromagnetic radiation in a position such that the transmitted beam of electromagnetic radiation passes through the filter between the transmitter and the sensor; and

a controller that controls the transmitter such that the transmitter is in a transmitting mode or a dormant mode, and where the transmitter emits a plurality of pulses of electromagnetic radiation separated by a plurality of periods of inactivity in the transmitting mode.

2. The filter detector of claim 1 where the total periods of inactivity during the transmitting mode are at least five times greater than the total time the transmitter emits a beam of electromagnetic radiation during the transmitting mode.

3. The filter detector of claim 1 where the controller changes the length of the dormant mode based on at least one previous sensor reading.

4. The filter detector of claim 1 further comprising a processor that measures the sensor reading during the transmitting mode, and where the processor and the controller are connected such that the sensor is activated when the transmitter is transmitting electromagnetic radiation.

5. The filter detector of claim 1 further comprising a processor that measures the sensor reading during the transmitting mode, and where the processor averages the sensor readings measured from pulses of electromagnetic radiation during a single transmitting mode.

6. The filter detector of claim 1 where the beam of electromagnetic radiation is primarily infrared light.

7. The filter detector of claim 1 further comprising:

a processor that measures the sensor reading during the transmitting mode;

a calibration switch connected to the processor, where the processor calibrates the filter detector at a set calibration delay time interval after the calibration switch is activated by measuring a calibration sensor reading, and where a clogging level is determined by comparing the sensor reading during the transmitting mode to the calibration sensor reading; and

where the filter detector transmits a notice when the measured clogging level reaches a set clogged level for two or more consecutive clogging level measurements.

8. The filter detector of claim 1 where the transmitter is powered by a battery.

9. A clogged filter detector comprising:

a transmitter that emits a beam of electromagnetic radiation;

a sensor that produces an electrical current when contacted by electromagnetic radiation, and where a sensor reading is based on the electrical current produced;

a transmitter bracket connected to the transmitter, where the transmitter bracket secures the transmitter such that the beam contacts a filter at a measurement point, and where the bracket secures the transmitter in a position that is mis-aligned with an air flow through the filter at the measurement point;

a sensor bracket connected to the sensor, where the sensor bracket secures the sensor in a position that is mis-aligned with the air flow through the filter at the measurement point, and where the sensor bracket secures the sensor in the path of the beam in a position such that the beam passes through the filter between the transmitter and the sensor; and

a controller that controls the transmitter such that the transmitter is in a transmitting mode or a dormant mode, and where the controller varies the length of the dormant mode based on the sensor reading during at least one previous transmitting mode.

10. The filter detector of claim 9 further comprising:

a processor that measures the sensor reading during the transmitting mode; and

a calibration switch connected to the processor, where the processor calibrates the filter detector at a set calibration delay time interval after the calibration switch is activated by measuring a calibration sensor reading, and where a clogging level is determined by comparing the sensor reading to the calibration sensor reading.

11. The filter detector of claim 10 further comprising a notice, where the filter detector transmits a notice when the clogging level reaches a set clogged level for two or more consecutive clogging level measurements.

12. The filter detector of claim 11 where the notice is at least one of a text message, an e-mail, or a telephone call.

13. The filter detector of claim 9 where a peak wavelength at which the transmitter emits electromagnetic radiation is within 50 nanometers of a peak sensitivity of the sensor.

14. A clogged filter detector comprising:

a transmitter that emits a beam of electromagnetic radiation;

a sensor that produces an electrical current when contacted by electromagnetic radiation, and where a sensor reading is based on the electrical current produced;

a transmitter bracket connected to the transmitter, where the transmitter bracket secures the transmitter such that the beam contacts a filter at a measurement point, and where the bracket secures the transmitter in a position that is mis-aligned with an air flow through the filter at the measurement point;

a sensor bracket connected to the sensor, where the sensor bracket secures the sensor in a position that is mis-aligned with the air flow through the filter at the measurement point, and where the sensor bracket secures the sensor in the path of the beam in a position such that the beam passes through the filter between the transmitter and the sensor;

a processor that measures the sensor reading; and

a calibration switch connected to at least one other component of the filter detector, where the processor measures a calibration sensor reading at a set calibration delay time interval after the calibration switch is activated, and where a clogging level is determined by comparing the sensor reading to the calibration sensor reading.

15. The filter detector of claim 14 further comprising:

a computer, where the processor transmits the clogging level to the computer; and

where the computer transmits a notice when the clogging level reaches a set clogged level.

16. The filter detector of claim 14 where the sensor bracket and the transmitter bracket are the same bracket, and the sensor and the transmitter are located within one housing.

17. The filter detector of claim 14 further comprising a reflector positioned opposite the filter from the transmitter, where the reflector is positioned such that the beam is reflected to the sensor.

18. A clogged filter detector comprising:

a transmitter that emits a beam of electromagnetic radiation;

a sensor that produces an electrical current when contacted by electromagnetic radiation, and where a sensor reading is based on the electrical current produced;

a transmitter bracket connected to the transmitter, where the transmitter bracket secures the transmitter such that the beam contacts a filter at a measurement point, and where the bracket secures the transmitter in a position that is mis-aligned with an air flow through the filter at the measurement point;

a sensor bracket connected to the sensor, where the sensor bracket secures the sensor in a position that is mis-aligned with the air flow through the filter at the measurement point, and where the sensor bracket secures the sensor in the path of the beam in a position such that the beam passes through the filter between the transmitter and the sensor;

a controller that controls the transmitter such that the transmitter is in a transmitting mode or a dormant mode;

a processor that measures the sensor reading during the transmitting mode; and

a computer, where the processor transmits sensor readings to the computer, where a clogging level is calculated by comparing the sensor reading to a calibration sensor reading, where the calibration sensor reading is measured when the filter is new or freshly cleaned, and where the computer transmits a notice to a user when the clogging level reaches a set clogged level.

19. The filter detector of claim 18 further comprising a plurality of processors positioned on a plurality of filters, where each processor transmits sensor readings to the computer, and where the notice to the user from the computer includes an identification of the filter which has a clogging level that has reached the set clogged level.

20. The filter detector of claim 18 where the notice to the user is at least one of a text message, an e-mail message, a telephone call, a radio transmittance, and a page.

21. The filter detector of claim 18 where a notice is transmitted if the clogging level reaches the set clogged level for two or more consecutive clogging level calculations.