CLEANING APPARATUS AND DETECTING METHOD THEREOF
The disclosure provides a cleaning apparatus and detecting method thereof. The cleaning apparatus includes a fan, a motor, a detecting device and a control unit. The motor drives the fan to create an air flow through the cleaning apparatus. The detecting device is electrically connected to the motor, and is utilized detected an impedance of the motor. The control unit is electrically connected to the motor and the detecting device respectively, for comparing the impedance of the motor with a predetermined value and outputting a signal indicative of a comparison result.
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This Application claims priority of Taiwan Patent Application No. 098116839, filed on May 21, 2009, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the InventionThe disclosure relates to cleaning apparatus and detecting method, and in particular relates to an auto-cleaning device and detecting method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Particles detection technology is currently being used in traditional vacuum cleaners, air cleaners, self-propelled vacuum cleaners, and clean rooms. The detection of amount of particles and environmental control is to make cleaning more efficient. With a simple and effective way to measure the amount of dust and the size, the cleaning performed by the traditional vacuum cleaners, air cleaners, or self-propelled vacuum cleaners can be more efficient, and thus it can promote environment protection by energy-saving and carbon emission reduction.
Known particle detection technology can be broadly divided into the following three categories:
(1) Optical detection: The main principle is to use a pair of optical transmitter and receiver devices, where each receiver detects intensity of light emitted by the corresponding optical transmitter. In principle, the detected intensity increases when the density of dust grains declines, thereby identifying the amount of dust present. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,082, optical sensors are used to detect dust. Further, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,944 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,571,422, circuits of signal processing, such as amplification, filtering, and other methods, are introduced to improve the sensor's sensitivity.
(2) Pressure-Difference detection: The principle determines whether the filter needs to be replaced or the amount of waste dust collection box is full by comparing the pressure difference between the dust collection box and the suction inlet.
(3) Piezoelectric pressure sensing: The PZT (Lead Zirconate Titanate) pressure sensing element is placed at the inner wall of the vacuum suction inlet. The amount of dust inhaled is determined by the pressures applied to the PZT pressure sensing element by the impact of dust.
In an embodiment, the cleaning apparatus includes a fan, a motor, a detecting device, and a control unit. The motor is for driving the fan to create an air flow through the cleaning apparatus; the detecting device is electrically connected to the motor to detect an impedance of the motor; and the control unit is electrically connected to the detecting device, for comparing the impedance of the motor with a predetermined value and outputting a signal indicative of a comparison result.
In another embodiment, the cleaning apparatus further includes a dust collecting unit positioned in a path of the air flow to trap dust from the air, and the signal indicates a state of the dust collecting unit or filter.
In another embodiment, the cleaning apparatus further includes a blowing device for directing exhaust air of the fan to a sensing surface of the at least one optical sensor.
In another embodiment, a method for debris detection in a cleaning apparatus includes measuring an impedance of a motor of a fan of the cleaning apparatus; determining a level of debris accumulation in the cleaning apparatus based on the impedance of the motor; and issuing a signal indicative of the level of debris accumulation exceeding a predetermined value.
In another embodiment, a method for debris detection in a cleaning apparatus includes arranging multiple optical sensors at different locations in the inlet for detecting the sensing surface at said different locations. The cleaning operation of the cleaning apparatus is controlled based on the determined dust covered surface areas received from said optical sensors.
While the disclosure has been described by way of example and in terms of the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments.
The present invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The descriptions below are made to illustrate exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. It is noted that the drawings of the disclosure are not to scale. The drawings are intended to depict only typical aspects of the disclosure, and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the disclosure. In the drawings, like numbering represents like elements between the drawings.
Referring to
The housing 10 substantially encloses the fan 20, the motor 30, the detecting is device 40, and the control unit 50 therein. Further, the housing 10 has an inlet 11, which has a shape of a long strip and includes a left area 11a and a right area 11b.
Referring to
The detecting device 40 is disposed beside the control unit 50 and the motor 30 inside the housing 10, and is electrically connected to the motor 30 and the control unit 50, respectively, in order to detect the an impendence of the motor 30. In some embodiments, if the motor 30 is a brushless motor, the detecting device 40 is integrated into the circuit of the brushless motor.
The control unit 50 is disposed below the motor 30 inside the housing 10, and is electrically connected to the motor 30, the detecting device 40, and the driving system 110, respectively, in order to control the operation of the fan 20 and the moving speed of the cleaning apparatus 1. The control unit 50 is configured to compare the detected impedance of the motor with a predetermined value and output a signal indicative of the comparison result.
The detecting device 40 of the cleaning apparatus 1 according to at least one embodiment is configured to detect an impedance of the motor 30 for measuring debris accumulation inside a dust collecting unit. The dust collecting unit could include a filter 72 and a box 71. The impedance of the motor 30 increases when the debris accumulation inside the dust collecting unit or the blockage of the air outlet and inlet increases. When the voltage of the motor 30 is fixed, it leads to the decrease of the current and increase of the resistance. The resistance of the motor 30 can be measured after the current value of the motor 30 detected by the detecting device 40. In some embodiments, the detecting device is a current detecting device that detects a current value of the fan. When the detecting device detects a current value that is below a predetermined current value, the control unit 50 may stop driving the motor 30.
As shown in
Referring to
It should be realized that internal configuration of control unit 50 is not limited to the way
Referring to
As
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Referring
The driving system 110 for moving the auto-cleaning device is disposed on the housing 10, connected to the fan 20 and the motor 30 in the way as depicted in
Referring to
In one embodiment, Step 4 (S14) is to issue a signal when the level of debris accumulation reaches 80% of the space inside the box 71. The predetermined percentage value of the space inside the box 71 can be adjusted according to various applications.
In one or more embodiments, to decide when to clean the dust collecting unit 70 by using the impedance value of the motor 30 can improve the efficiency of the cleaning apparatus 1.
There are three warning members 80 are disposed on the housing 10, and electrical connected with the control unit 50. When the control unit 50 determines that motor 30 for the fan 20 need to be stopped, the control unit 50 activates one or more warning members 80. In some embodiments, the warning members 80 are light-emitting diodes. When the control unit 50 activates one or more warning members 80, the light-emitting diodes (i.e. the warning members 80 being activated) emit light. Although only three warning members 80 are depicted in the exemplary embodiment, in some other embodiments, there can be more or less than three warning members 80 disposed on the housing 10. Further, the warning members 80 disclosed in the exemplary embodiment are light-emitting diodes. However, in some other embodiments, the warning members 80 can be light-emitting diodes, buzzers, other indictors, and/or combination thereof.
Before the step S23, in some embodiments, a blowing device 90 can be activated and used to blow exhaust air of the fan 20 at the sensing surface of the optical sensor 60 before said determining the dust covered surface area to decrease the amount of dust or garbage covered on the sensing surface of the optical sensor 60. It may prevent the sensitivity of the optical sensor 60 from degrading. In addition, in at least one embodiment, the predetermined value is 90%, but the predetermined value may change in various applications. It is not limited hereto.
The detecting method in a cleaning apparatus which said before may determine when to clean the dust collecting unit 70 of the cleaning apparatus 1 by detecting status of the sensing surface of the optical sensor 60. It may increase the efficiency of the cleaning apparatus 1 when the cleaning apparatus 1 is working.
Before the step S32, a blowing device 90 may be activated to blow exhaust air of the fan 20 at the sensing surface of the optical sensors 60′. It may prevent the sensitivity of the optical sensors 60′ from degrading. Furthermore, in some embodiments, when the cleaning apparatus 1 turns to said direction, a turning radius of the cleaning apparatus 1 is equal to a length of the inlet 11.
By the detecting method in a cleaning apparatus set forth above, the cleaning apparatus may decide which side is dirtier based on determined dust covered surface area of the optical sensors 62′ and 61′ at the left area 11a and the right area 11b respectively. It may increase the cleaning efficiency of the cleaning apparatus 1.
The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.
Claims
1. A cleaning apparatus, comprising:
- a fan;
- a motor for driving the fan to create an air flow through the cleaning apparatus;
- a detecting device electrically connected to the motor to detect an impedance of the motor; and
- a control unit electrically connected to the detecting device, for comparing the impedance of the motor with a predetermined value and outputting a signal indicative of a comparison result.
2. The cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
- a dust collecting unit positioned in a path of the air flow to trap dust from the air, wherein the signal indicates a state of the dust collecting unit or the filter.
3. The cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:
- an indicator electrically connected to the control unit to be activated by the control unit when the signal indicates that a volume occupied by dust inside the dust collecting unit has reached a predetermined level.
4. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
- a housing receiving the fan and having an inlet for the air flow; and
- at least one optical sensor disposed in the inlet of the housing to detect the amount of dust passing through the inlet;
- wherein the at least one optical sensor and the control unit are configured to determine a dust covered surface area of the at least one optical sensor.
5. The cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 4, further comprising:
- a blowing device for directing exhaust air from the fan to a sensing surface of the at least one optical sensor to blow dust off the sensing surface.
6. The cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the blowing device comprises an air outlet located under the optical sensor.
7. The cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:
- a valve electrically connected to the control unit for controlling the exhaust air flowing through the blowing device.
8. The cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said at least one optical sensor comprises multiple optical sensors positioned at different locations in the inlet for detecting dust levels at said different locations, the control unit being electrically connected to said optical sensors for controlling a cleaning operation of the cleaning apparatus based on the detected dust levels received from said optical sensors.
9. The cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises a band pass filter leaching off the electrical noise from the motor.
10. The cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the band pass filter is a multi-stage circuit having a gain of 2±3%, a center frequency at 110±3% Hz, a 3±3% dB bandwidth of 90±3% kHz, and an electronic bandwidth from 20 kHz to 200 kHz.
11. The cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises a pulse extension device for adjusting a sampling frequency of the signal from the detecting device.
12. The cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
- a warning member to be activated by the control unit when the signal indicates that the impedance of the motor is higher than the predetermined value.
13. A method for debris detection in a cleaning apparatus, said method comprising:
- measuring an impedance of a motor of a fan of the cleaning apparatus;
- determining a level of debris accumulation in the cleaning apparatus based on the impedance of the motor; and
- issuing a signal indicative of the level of debris accumulation exceeding a predetermined value.
14. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:
- stopping the motor in response to said signal.
15. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:
- determining a dust covered surface area of an optical sensor, and
- controlling a cleaning operation of the cleaning apparatus based on the determined dust covered surface area.
16. The method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising:
- blowing exhaust air of the fan at the sensing surface of the optical sensor before said determining the dust covered surface area.
17. The method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising:
- arranging multiple optical sensors at different locations in the inlet for detecting the sensing surface at said different locations;
- wherein the cleaning operation of the cleaning apparatus is controlled based on the determined dust covered surface areas received from said optical sensors.
18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein said controlling comprises:
- turning the cleaning apparatus to a direction of the optical sensor with the determined dust covered surface areas larger than those determined by the other optical sensors.
19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein said controlling further comprises:
- adjusting at least one of suction power and a moving speed of the cleaning apparatus in said direction.
20. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein a turning radius of the cleaning apparatus is equal to a length of the inlet.
21. A cleaning apparatus, comprising:
- a housing having an inlet;
- a fan within the housing for creating an air flow into the housing through the inlet;
- at least one optical sensor disposed in the inlet of the housing to determined a dust covered surface area of a sensing surface of the at least one optical sensor; and
- a blowing device for directing exhaust air of the fan to the sensing surface of the at least one optical sensor to blow debris off said sensing surface.
Type: Application
Filed: May 18, 2010
Publication Date: Nov 25, 2010
Applicant: INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE (Hsinchu)
Inventors: Yu-Liang CHUNG (Taipei City), Tung-Chuan WU (Hsinchu City), Chun-Chieh WANG (Banqiao City), Long-Der CHEN (Hsinchu City)
Application Number: 12/782,111
International Classification: A47L 5/00 (20060101); G01R 27/28 (20060101); G01N 21/00 (20060101);