Contamination sensor, air purifier having the same and control method thereof

• US 9,937,453 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2015
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Baek, Jae-ho, Ka, Kee-hwan, Kim, Chun-seong, Kim, Jung-kwon, Han, Jeong-su
• Primary Examiner(s): Lawrence, Jr., Frank
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, MINH CHAU THI
• Application Number:
  US14/932,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20160121251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 55DIG 34, 553851, 3562391, 356432, 356 72, 356438, 250573, 250574, 250575, 340607, 15339
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2273/26 Making use of optical waves, e.g. for measurements
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/0086 Filter condition indicators
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/39 Monitoring filter performance
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 8/108 using dry filter elements

Abstract

An air purifier includes a main body having an inlet configured to receive air and a discharger configured to discharge the air. The air purifier also includes a filter disposed within the main body and configure to purify contaminates from the air. The air purifier also includes a contamination sensor disposed adjacent to the filter and integrally includes a light emitter configured to emit a light toward the filter and a light receiver configured to receive the light emitted from the light emitter.

Claims

1. An air purifier, comprising:

a main body including an inlet configured to receive air and a discharger configured to discharge the air;

a filter disposed within the main body and configured to purify contaminants from the air; and

a contamination sensor disposed adjacent to the filter, wherein the contamination sensor integrally comprises a light emitter configured to emit a light toward the filter and a light receiver configured to receive the light emitted from the light emitter;

a controller configured to receive a received amount of light at the light receiver and determine a contamination level as a function of a use time of the filter and the amount of light received at the light receiver; and

a contamination checker connected to the controller to allow a user to check the contamination level.

2. The air purifier of claim 1, wherein the light emitted from the light emitter is reflected against or passed through the filter and then received at the light receiver.

3. The air purifier of claim 1, wherein the light emitter is disposed so as to emit the light to a first surface of the filter where the contaminants are purified from the air received through the inlet, or to a second surface opposite from the first surface.

4. The air purifier of claim 3, wherein the light receiver is disposed so as to face the first surface or the second surface of the filter.

5. The air purifier of claim 3, wherein the light receiver is disposed so as to face the first surface or the second surface of the filter which is the same surface that the light emitter faces.

6. The air purifier of claim 5, wherein the light emitter and the light receiver are disposed parallel to each other, or at a predetermined angle in a direction where the light emitter and the light receiver face each other.

7. The air purifier of claim 1, wherein the light emitter and the light receiver are disposed so as to face each other, so that the light emitted from the light emitter is passed through the filter and received at the light receiver.

8. The air purifier of claim 1, wherein the contamination sensor comprises a plurality of contamination sensors.

9. The air purifier of claim 1, wherein the contamination sensor is attached to or inserted into the main body.

10. A method implemented using an air purifier, the method comprising:

mounting a filter to the air purifier;

adjusting a light emitter and a light receiver of a contamination sensor according to the filter;

counting a use time of the filter; and

measuring a contamination level of the filter, wherein measuring the contamination level of the filter comprises dividing the contamination level of the filter into at least two or more stages as a function of the use time of the filter and an amount of light received at the light receiver.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein measuring the contamination level of the filter comprises:

measuring, at a first contamination stage, the contamination level of the filter as a function of the use time of the filter; and

measuring, at a second contamination stage, the contamination level of the filter as a function of the received amount of light at the light receiver.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second contamination stages are changed only when the received amount of light at the light receiver is higher or lower than a boundary amount of light of each contamination stage by a predetermined amount of light.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein measuring the contamination level comprises measuring the contamination level of the filter periodically according to a preset time cycle.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising after the contamination level is measured, determining whether or not the filter has been replaced by measuring a variance of the received amount of light at the light receiver, wherein counting use time of the filter is performed when the filter has not been replaced or the contamination sensor is re-set when the filter has been replaced.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining further comprises determining whether the filter is a new filter or a used one which has been in use for a predetermined time period based on the received amount of light at the light receiver, wherein, when the replaced filter is the new filter, the sensor is adjusted, or when the replaced filter is the used filter which has been in use for the predetermined time period, determining the time of using the replaced filter by using the received amount of light at the light receiver, reflecting a result, and counting the use time of the filter are performed.

16. The method of claim 14, repeating between the step of counting the use time of the filter and the filter replacement determining for a preset time period.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein adjusting the sensor comprises:

increasing a duty of the light emitter when the received amount of light at the light receiver is lower than a minimum amount of light; and

decreasing the duty of the light emitter when the received amount of light at the light receiver is higher than a minimum amount of light.

18. The method of claim 10, between the filter mounting and the adjusting the sensor, further comprises filter checking based on the received amount of light at the light receiver whether or not the filter is mounted or whether or not the filter is mounted with a packaging material removed.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein checking the filter comprises determining that the filter is not yet mounted and notifying a result to a user when the received amount of light at the light receiver is lower than a preset amount of light.