ENERGY-SAVING CONTROL METHOD OF RESONANT PIEZOELECTRIC AIR PUMP
An energy-saving control method of a resonant piezoelectric air pump includes steps of: (a) providing the resonant piezoelectric air pump and a control module, wherein the resonant piezoelectric air pump and the control module are electrically connected to each other; (b) at the beginning of a unit of time, operating the control module to transmit an enable signal to the resonant piezoelectric air pump so that the resonant piezoelectric air pump is driven to transfer an amount of air in a process for air transfer; (c) during the unit of time, adjusting a duty ratio of the enable signal by using the control module for enabling or disabling the resonant piezoelectric air pump; and (d) after spending the unit of time, repeating the step (b) and the step (c) in another unit of time or more units of time thereafter until the process for air transfer is completed.
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The present disclosure relates to an energy-saving control method of a resonant piezoelectric air pump, and more particularly to an energy-saving control method for driving a resonant piezoelectric air pump by adjusting a duty ratio.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONWith the development of science and technology, air transfer is widely applied in all kinds of electronic devices and medical equipments, and various effects can be achieved by the air transfer. In addition, with the miniaturization and thinning tendency of electronic device and medical equipment, the resonant piezoelectric air pump or the miniature motor is used more widely because of its small size.
In the prior art, the resonant piezoelectric air pump or the miniature motor is driven to transfer the air in an operation without interruption, so as to maximize the amount of the transferred air per unit of time. However, the operation without interruption consumes a lot of power, and the consumed power under the operation without interruption can't result in the most efficient air transfer. Accordingly, there is a need for a solution that enhances the efficiency of air transfer of the resonant piezoelectric air pump or the miniature motor and saves energy at the same time.
Moreover, during the uninterrupted operation of the resonant piezoelectric air pump or the miniature motor, the temperature of the elements therein may be too high. Accordingly, the elements inside the resonant piezoelectric air pump or the miniature motor are broken due to the over-high temperature, the efficiency of air transfer decreases, and the temperature of the outputted air is too high. Accordingly, it is also important to prevent the temperature from getting too high during the air transfer of the resonant piezoelectric air pump or the miniature motor.
Therefore, there is a need for providing an energy-saving control method of a resonant piezoelectric air pump for solving the problems that exists in the prior art relating to inefficient air transfer, large power consumption and over-high temperature caused by the operation without interruption.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAn object of the present disclosure provides an energy-saving control method of a resonant piezoelectric air pump. By adjusting the duty ratio for driving the resonant piezoelectric air pump, the problems that exists in the prior art relating to inefficient air transfer, large power consumption and over-high temperature caused by the operation without interruption are solved.
In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, an energy-saving control method of a resonant piezoelectric air pump is provided. The energy-saving control method includes steps of: (a) providing the resonant piezoelectric air pump and a control module, wherein the resonant piezoelectric air pump and the control module are electrically connected to each other; (b) at the beginning of a unit of time, operating the control module to transmit an enable signal to the resonant piezoelectric air pump so that the resonant piezoelectric air pump is driven to transfer an amount of air in a process for air transfer; (c) during the unit of time, adjusting duty ratio of the enable signal by using the control module for enabling or disabling the resonant piezoelectric air pump; and (d) after spending the unit of time, repeating the step (b) and the step (c) in another unit of time or more units of time thereafter until the process for air transfer is completed.
In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, an energy-saving control method of a resonant piezoelectric air pump is provided. The energy-saving control method includes steps of: (a) providing at least one resonant piezoelectric air pump and at least one control module, wherein the resonant piezoelectric air pump and the control module are electrically connected to each other; (b) at the beginning of at least one unit of time, operating the control module to transmit at least one enable signal to the resonant piezoelectric air pump so that the resonant piezoelectric air pump is driven to transfer an amount of air in a process for air transfer; (c) during the unit of time, adjusting a duty ratio of the enable signal by using the control module for enabling or disabling the resonant piezoelectric air pump; and (d) after spending the unit of time, repeating the step (b) and the step (c) in another unit of time or more units of time thereafter until the process for air transfer is completed.
The present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for purpose of illustration and description only. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed.
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The resonant piezoelectric air pump 12 is a resonance-type piezoelectric air pump for air transfer. The resonant piezoelectric air pump 12 can be applied in all kinds of electronic devices and medical equipments, such as notebook computer, smart phone, smart watch, tablet computer and so on, but not limited thereto.
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Then, at the beginning of a unit of time, the control module 11 transmits an enable signal to the resonant piezoelectric air pump 12, and the resonant piezoelectric air pump 12 is driven to transfer an amount of air in a process for air transfer (Step S2). In this embodiment, the unit of time is a time interval between two neighboring starting moments of the resonant piezoelectric air pump 12 when being enabled. In other words, from the moment when the resonant piezoelectric air pump 12 is enabled to the moment when the resonant piezoelectric air pump 12 is enabled again subsequently, the time interval therebetween refers to a single unit of time. Preferably but not exclusively, the unit of time has a specific value, which may be varied according to the practical requirements.
During the unit of time, the control module 11 adjusts the duty ratio of the enable signal to control an operation relating to enabling and disabling the resonant piezoelectric air pump 12 until the unit of time ends (Step S3). Namely, the control module 11 adjusts the duty ratio of the enable signal, so as to enable or disable the resonant piezoelectric air pump 12 within the unit of time according to the enable signal. Finally, after the unit of time finishes, the next unit of time begins, and Step S2 and Step S3 are repeated in each unit of time subsequently until the process for air transfer is completed (Step S4).
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In this embodiment, the resonance plate 122 is made of a flexible material, but not limited thereto. The resonance plate 122 includes a central aperture 1220 disposed corresponding to the central cavity 1211 on the bottom surface of the air inlet plate 121 for allowing the air to be transferred downwardly. In other embodiments, the resonance plate 122 may be made of copper.
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The suspension plate 1230 has a bulge 1230c that makes the suspension plate 1230 a stepped structure. The bulge 1230c is formed on a top surface 1230a of the suspension plate 1230. The bulge 1230c is for example but not limited to a circular convex structure. As shown in
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In this embodiment, when the resonant piezoelectric air pump 12 is enabled, the piezoelectric actuator 123 vibrates along a vertical direction in a reciprocating manner by using the bracket 1232 as a fulcrum. As shown in
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In addition, the unit of time described above is for example but not limited to 1 second. Moreover, the frequency of the enable signal is between 20 KHz and 28 KHz. The frequency of the enable signal is exemplified by 28 KHz and further described below. When the duty ratio is 100%, the enable signal drives the piezoelectric actuator 123 to operate 28000 times per second. When the duty ratio is 10%, the enable signal drives the piezoelectric actuator 123 to operate 2800 times per second. When the duty ratio is 0.1%, the enable signal drives the piezoelectric actuator 123 to operate 28 times per second. In other embodiments, the unit of time may be 0.5 seconds but not limited thereto.
From the above descriptions, the present disclosure provides an energy-saving control method of a resonant piezoelectric air pump. By the control module, the duty ratio of the enable signal for driving the resonant piezoelectric air pump is adjusted, thus the power consumption is reduced. Moreover, the over-high temperature, damage to elements or even reduction in service life of elements, all of which are caused by the continuous operation of the resonant piezoelectric air pump, can be avoided. Therefore, the effects of saving energy and efficient air transfer are achieved.
While the disclosure has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.
Claims
1. An energy-saving control method of a resonant piezoelectric air pump, comprising steps of:
- (a) providing the resonant piezoelectric air pump and a control module, wherein the resonant piezoelectric air pump and the control module are electrically connected to each other;
- (b) at the beginning of a unit of time, operating the control module to transmit an enable signal to the resonant piezoelectric air pump so that the resonant piezoelectric air pump is driven to transfer an amount of air in a process for air transfer;
- (c) during the unit of time, adjusting a duty ratio of the enable signal by using the control module for enabling or disabling the resonant piezoelectric air pump; and
- (d) after spending the unit of time, repeating the step (b) and the step (c) in another unit of time or more units of time thereafter until the process for air transfer is completed.
2. The energy-saving control method of the resonant piezoelectric air pump according to claim 1, wherein the duty ratio of the enable signal is between 0.1% and 99%.
3. The energy-saving control method of the resonant piezoelectric air pump according to claim 2, wherein the duty ratio of the enable signal is 10%.
4. The energy-saving control method of the resonant piezoelectric air pump according to claim 2, wherein the duty ratio of the enable signal is 50%.
5. The energy-saving control method of the resonant piezoelectric air pump according to claim 2, wherein the unit of time is 1 second.
6. The energy-saving control method of the resonant piezoelectric air pump according to claim 2, wherein the unit of time is 0.5 seconds.
7. The energy-saving control method of the resonant piezoelectric air pump according to claim 2, wherein the duty ratio of the enable signal is 0.1%.
8. The energy-saving control method of the resonant piezoelectric air pump according to claim 7, wherein a frequency of the enable signal is between 20 KHz and 28 KHz.
9. The energy-saving control method of the resonant piezoelectric air pump according to claim 7, wherein the frequency of the enable signal is 28 KHz.
10. The energy-saving control method of the resonant piezoelectric air pump according to claim 1, wherein the resonant piezoelectric air pump comprises:
- an air inlet plate having at least one inlet, at least one convergence channel and a central cavity, wherein the at least one convergence channel spatially corresponds to the at least one inlet and guides air from the inlet to converge to the central cavity;
- a resonance plate having a central aperture, wherein the central aperture is spatially corresponding to the central cavity;
- a piezoelectric actuator having a suspension plate, an outer frame, a plurality of brackets and a piezoelectric ceramic plate, wherein the plurality of brackets are connected between the suspension plate and the outer frame, and the piezoelectric ceramic plate is attached on a surface of the suspension plate;
- at least one insulation plate; and
- a conducting plate,
- wherein the air inlet plate, the resonance plate, the piezoelectric actuator, the at least one insulation plate and the conducting plate are stacked sequentially to be assembled together as the resonant piezoelectric air pump, and a first chamber is defined by a gap between the resonance plate and the piezoelectric actuator.
11. The energy-saving control method of the resonant piezoelectric air pump according to claim 10, wherein the step (b) of the energy-saving control method further comprises a step of:
- (b1) vibrating the piezoelectric actuator in a downward direction by enabling the resonant piezoelectric air pump, wherein the air is inhaled from the at least one inlet of the air inlet plate, converged to the central cavity along the at least one convergence channel and flows in the downward direction into the first chamber through the central aperture of the resonance plate.
12. The energy-saving control method of the resonant piezoelectric air pump according to claim 11, wherein the step (b) of the energy-saving control method further comprises a step of:
- (b2) vibrating the resonance plate in the downward direction in resonance with the piezoelectric actuator, wherein the resonance plate moves away from an original position and attaches to the suspension plate of the piezoelectric actuator, and the volume of the first chamber is compressed, thereby pushing the air to move toward the peripheral regions of the first chamber and flow downwardly through a vacant space between the brackets of the piezoelectric actuator.
13. The energy-saving control method of the resonant piezoelectric air pump according to claim 12, wherein the step (b) of the energy-saving control method further comprises a step of:
- (b3) vibrating the piezoelectric actuator in an upward direction when the resonance plate returns to the original position, wherein the volume of the first chamber is compressed which makes the air flow toward the peripheral regions of the first chamber and the air outside the resonant piezoelectric air pump is continuously inhaled from the at least one inlet of the air inlet plate and then converged to the central cavity.
14. The energy-saving control method of the resonant piezoelectric air pump according to claim 13, wherein the step (b) of the energy-saving control method further comprises a step of:
- (b4) vibrating the resonance plate in the upward direction in resonance with the piezoelectric actuator, wherein the air in the central cavity is introduced into the first chamber through the central aperture of the resonance plate, and the air moves in the downward direction and passes through the vacant space between the brackets of the piezoelectric actuator.
15. The energy-saving control method of the resonant piezoelectric air pump according to claim 14, wherein the step (b) of the energy-saving control method further comprises a step of:
- (b5) repeating the step (b1), the step (b2), the step (b3) and the step (b4) for transferring the air continuously.
16. An energy-saving control method of a resonant piezoelectric air pump, comprising steps of:
- (a) providing at least one resonant piezoelectric air pump and at least one control module, wherein the resonant piezoelectric air pump and the control module are electrically connected to each other;
- (b) at the beginning of a unit of time, operating the control module to transmit at least one enable signal to the resonant piezoelectric air pump so that the resonant piezoelectric air pump is driven to transfer an amount of air in a process for air transfer;
- (c) during the unit of time, adjusting a duty ratio of the enable signal by using the control module for enabling or disabling the resonant piezoelectric air pump; and
- (d) after spending the unit of time, repeating the step (b) and the step (c) in another unit of time or more units of time thereafter until the process for air transfer is completed.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 30, 2018
Publication Date: Feb 21, 2019
Applicant: Microjet Technology Co., Ltd. (Hsinchu)
Inventors: Hao-Jan MOU (Hsinchu), Shih-Chang CHEN (Hsinchu), Jia-Yu LIAO (Hsinchu), Chi-Feng HUANG (Hsinchu), Wei-Ming LEE (Hsinchu)
Application Number: 16/048,766