Self-cleaning range hood

Abstract

The utility model relates to a self-cleaning range hood, which comprises a centrifugal fan, the cleaning device comprises a cleaning module; the oil stain detection unit comprises an ultraviolet light emitting unit, a fluorescence intensity acquisition unit, a fluorescence signal processing unit and a control unit used for controlling the ultraviolet light emitting unit and the fluorescence intensity acquisition unit to alternately work, and the ultraviolet light emitting unit is used for emitting ultraviolet light to the impeller; the fluorescence intensity acquisition unit is used for acquiring and outputting a fluorescence intensity signal generated in a corresponding area on the impeller, and the fluorescence signal processing unit is used for processing the fluorescence intensity signal output by the fluorescence intensity acquisition unit and determining the quantity of oil stains in different area positions of the impeller; and a controller of the range hood controls a cleaning module of the cleaning device to carry out differentiated cleaning on different areas on the impeller according to the oil dirt amount, determined by the fluorescence signal processing unit, of the different areas of the impeller. The method has the advantages that the oil contamination condition on the surface of the impeller can be accurately judged, and targeted cleaning is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of range hoods, in particular to a self-cleaning range hood. Background Art

[0002] A range hood is a kitchen appliance that purifies the kitchen environment. The centrifugal fan impeller is the most susceptible part of a range hood to contamination. While a growing number of range hoods offer cleaning functions or maintenance reminders, most currently use the accumulated impeller operating time as a maintenance reminder. For example, this range hood is covered by Chinese utility model patent application number CN201721448982.6 (grant publication number CN207438678U).

[0003] However, the range hood cleaning method described in the patent application still has certain shortcomings. First, different users have different cooking habits, and the accumulation of oil on the impeller blades varies greatly. In Sichuan and Chongqing, serious oil accumulation may occur before the maintenance reminder arrives, while in areas with a lighter diet, no obvious pollution is observed after several cycles. Second, the position of the impeller during operation and after operation causes different areas to be exposed to and accumulate different amounts of oil. Some areas are thicker, while others are thinner. Time-based reminders cannot take into account the actual accumulation of oil in different areas. Some areas may even have the coating peeled off after cleaning, while others are not cleaned thoroughly.

[0004] Therefore, existing range hoods also need further improvement. Utility Model Content

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the utility model is to provide a self-cleaning range hood capable of accurately judging the oil pollution condition of the impeller surface, thereby achieving targeted cleaning, in response to the current status of the existing technology.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above technical problems is: a self-cleaning range hood, comprising:

[0007] A centrifugal fan comprises a volute and an impeller disposed in the volute;

[0008] a cleaning device comprising a cleaning module for spraying a cleaning medium onto the impeller;

[0009] an oil contamination detection unit, comprising an ultraviolet light emitting unit, a fluorescence intensity collection unit, a fluorescence signal processing unit, and a control unit for controlling the alternating operation of the ultraviolet light emitting unit and the fluorescence intensity collection unit, wherein the ultraviolet light emitting unit is configured to emit ultraviolet light toward the impeller, the fluorescence intensity collection unit is configured to collect and output fluorescence intensity signals generated in corresponding areas on the impeller, and the fluorescence signal processing unit is configured to process the fluorescence intensity signals output by the fluorescence intensity collection unit to determine the amount of oil contamination at different locations of the impeller;

[0010] The controller of the range hood controls the cleaning module of the cleaning device to perform differential cleaning on different areas of the impeller according to the amount of oil pollution in different areas of the impeller determined by the fluorescent signal processing unit.

[0011] The "differential cleaning" of different areas on the impeller by the cleaning module may mean that the cleaning medium is sprayed on different areas on the impeller at different cleaning times or the spraying intensity of the cleaning medium (that is, the impact force on the oil stains) is different or the temperature of the cleaning medium is different.

[0012] In order to allow ultraviolet light of a specific wavelength to irradiate the impeller surface and improve the accuracy of oil pollution detection, the oil pollution detection unit also includes a filter for filtering the ultraviolet light emitted by the ultraviolet light emitting unit.

[0013] As an improvement, to simplify the structure of the oil contamination detection unit, the unit also includes a fixed housing. The UV light emitting unit includes a UV emitting tube, and the fluorescence intensity collection unit includes a fluorescence receiving tube. Both the UV emitting tube and the fluorescence receiving tube are housed within the fixed housing. These components, including the UV emitting tube and the fluorescence receiving tube, are integrated into a modular unit, facilitating installation on the volute and subsequent disassembly for inspection and maintenance.

[0014] In order to further improve the accuracy of oil pollution detection, a light channel is defined in the fixed shell for the ultraviolet light emitted by the ultraviolet light emitting unit to emit and for the fluorescence generated by the impeller surface to enter, and a lens is also provided in the light channel.

[0015] In order to more conveniently emit ultraviolet light to the impeller and receive fluorescent signals, the axis of the impeller extends horizontally, the volute includes an annular wall and cover plates connected to the axial ends of the annular wall, and the oil pollution detection unit is arranged on the annular wall of the volute corresponding to the area above the impeller.

[0016] In order to prevent the cleaning medium from contacting the oil pollution detection unit during the cleaning process, which may affect the accuracy of oil pollution detection or the service life of the oil pollution detection unit, the cleaning module includes a cleaning pipe located below the impeller and extending in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the impeller. The cleaning pipe is provided with spray holes arranged in sequence along its length direction, and each of the spray holes faces the impeller.

[0017] In order to fully clean a certain area on the circumference of the impeller, the cleaning pipe can be driven by the driving mechanism to rotate around its own axis to change the spray angle of the spray hole.

[0018] As an improvement, the cleaning device further includes a liquid storage tank arranged outside the volute, a liquid infusion pipe connected to the outlet of the liquid storage tank, and a water pump for conveying cleaning medium to the liquid infusion pipe, wherein the liquid infusion pipe is connected to the cleaning pipe.

[0019] As an improvement, the range hood includes a housing, the liquid storage tank is disposed on a top plate of the housing, and an electrical box with a built-in circuit board is also disposed on the top plate. The liquid delivery tube passes through the electrical box and is disposed adjacent to the circuit board. This structural design can preheat the cleaning medium and simultaneously cool the electrical box.

[0020] Considering that the increase in the temperature of the cleaning medium or the use of steam as a tilting medium can more effectively dissolve and remove oil stains, preferably, a steam generator connected to the infusion pipe or a component for heating the cleaning medium in the infusion pipe is also included.

[0021] As an improvement, the controller of the range hood controls the cleaning time of the cleaning module of the cleaning device for the corresponding area on the impeller or the spray intensity of the cleaning medium or the temperature of the cleaning medium according to the amount of oil pollution in different areas of the impeller determined by the fluorescent signal processing unit.

[0022] Compared with existing technologies, the present invention offers the following advantages: When oil is exposed to ultraviolet light, certain components within it, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, absorb the UV energy, causing electrons in the oil molecules to transition from a ground state to an excited state. In this excited state, these electrons are unstable and may release energy through radiation before returning to the ground state. During this process, they emit a fluorescent signal of a specific wavelength that can be captured by specialized detection equipment. The oil stain detection module of the present application is to irradiate the ultraviolet light emitted by the ultraviolet light emitting unit onto the oil stain on the surface of the impeller blade. Because the oil stain has a fluorescence effect, and the intensity of the fluorescence emitted by the fluorescence effect is positively correlated with the thickness of the oil film or the degree of dirtiness of the blade, by alternating the ultraviolet light emitting unit and the fluorescence intensity acquisition unit, on the one hand, the fluorescence intensity acquisition unit can be prevented from being affected by the light emitted by the ultraviolet light emitting unit, and on the other hand, the oil film thickness of different areas on the blade surface can be measured according to the direction of rotation, thereby achieving a complete measurement of the degree of dirtiness of different parts of the entire impeller circle. The linkage cleaning device can be combined to perform differentiated cleaning on different areas of the impeller, especially to strengthen or clean the areas with thick accumulation for a long time, thereby improving the cleaning effect and avoiding the traditional cleaning method of only uniformly spraying or cleaning the impeller, which cannot achieve intelligent judgment and cleaning of different degrees of dirtiness in different areas. Because the measurement method of the oil stain detection unit of the present application is non-contact, it can avoid various defects brought about by mechanical contact measurement, such as low detection accuracy, short service life or the need for frequent maintenance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a self-cleaning range hood according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a rear view of the centrifugal fan and cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a centrifugal fan and a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the centrifugal fan and the cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention from another angle;

[0027] Figure 5 A sectional perspective view of a centrifugal fan according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of an oil pollution detection unit according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0029] Figure 7 This is a timing diagram of the alternating operation of the ultraviolet emitting tube and the fluorescent receiving tube according to an embodiment of the present utility model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0031] In the specification and claims of the present invention, directional terms such as "front," "back," "up," "down," "left," "right," "side," "top," and "bottom" are used to describe various exemplary structural parts and components of the present invention. However, these terms are used herein for convenience of description only and are based on the exemplary orientations shown in the accompanying drawings. Since the embodiments disclosed in the present invention can be arranged in different orientations, these directional terms are intended for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting. For example, "up" and "down" are not necessarily limited to directions opposite to or consistent with the direction of gravity.

[0032] Figure 1-Figure 7 A preferred embodiment of the self-cleaning range hood of the present invention is shown. The self-cleaning range hood includes a housing 1 and a centrifugal fan 13 disposed within the housing 1. The housing 1 generally includes a fan frame 11 and a fume hood 12 disposed at the bottom of the fan frame 11. The inner cavity of the fan frame 11 is connected to the inner cavity of the fume hood 12. An air inlet is provided at the bottom of the fume hood 12, through which external smoke can enter the fume hood 12. The centrifugal fan 13 is disposed within the fan frame 11. When the centrifugal fan 13 is in operation, it generates negative pressure, allowing external oil smoke to be drawn into the fume hood 12 through the air inlet.

[0033] The self-cleaning range hood of this embodiment further includes a cleaning device and an oil stain detection unit.

[0034] See also Figure 6 The oil contamination detection unit includes a fixed housing 23, an ultraviolet light emitting unit 21, a fluorescence intensity collection unit 22, a fluorescence signal processing unit, and a control unit for controlling the alternating operation of the ultraviolet light emitting unit 21 and the fluorescence intensity collection unit 22. The ultraviolet light emitting unit 21 includes an ultraviolet emitting tube for emitting ultraviolet light toward the impeller 132. The fluorescence intensity collection unit 22 includes a fluorescence receiving tube for collecting and outputting fluorescence intensity signals generated in corresponding areas on the impeller 132. Specifically, a light channel 230 is defined within the fixed housing for the ultraviolet light emitted by the ultraviolet light emitting unit 21 to escape and for the fluorescence generated on the surface of the impeller 132 to enter. A filter 24 and a lens 25 are positioned in sequence within this light channel 230 along the direction of ultraviolet light emission. The filter 24 filters the ultraviolet light, limiting the ultraviolet light of a specific wavelength to the surface of the impeller 132, thereby improving the accuracy of oil contamination detection. The filter 24 also reflects the fluorescence light toward the fluorescence receiving tube. Lens 25 focuses the light from the UV light source into a more concentrated beam, achieving a higher irradiance intensity within the detection area. This sufficient irradiance excites fluorescent substances in the sample, causing them to emit a stronger fluorescence signal, thereby improving detection sensitivity and accuracy. By focusing, lens 25 reduces light scattering and loss during propagation, ensuring that more UV light reaches the sample and stimulates fluorescence. Figure 7 The timing diagram shows the alternating operation of the UV emitting tube and the fluorescent receiving tube controlled by the control unit. This alternating operation prevents the fluorescent receiving tube from being affected by the UV emitting tube's light, improving the accuracy of oil film thickness detection on the impeller blade surface.

[0035] The fluorescence signal processing unit is used to process the fluorescence intensity signal output by the fluorescence intensity acquisition unit 22 to determine the amount of oil contamination in different regions of impeller 132. During the rotation of impeller 132, the fluorescence receiving tube collects and outputs the fluorescence intensity signal generated by the corresponding region on impeller 132. After processing the fluorescence intensity signal, the fluorescence signal processing unit can measure the oil film thickness at different regions on the blade surface according to the rotation direction, and can also fully measure the degree of contamination in different parts of impeller 132 throughout the entire rotation. Specifically, the degree of contamination at different angular positions can be marked by combining the rotation speed or angle.

[0036] The range hood controller controls the cleaning module of the cleaning device based on the amount of oil and dirt in different areas of the impeller 132, as determined by the fluorescence signal processing unit. This allows for differentiated cleaning of different areas of the impeller 132. This particularly enhances or prolongs cleaning of areas with heavy accumulation, improving cleaning effectiveness and avoiding the problem of conventional cleaning methods that merely spray or clean the impeller 132 evenly, failing to intelligently determine and clean the different levels of dirt in different areas.

[0037] The "differential cleaning" of different areas on the impeller 132 by the cleaning module may refer to different cleaning times for spraying the cleaning medium on different areas on the impeller 132, or different spray intensities of the cleaning medium (that is, the impact force on the oil stains), or different temperatures of the cleaning medium (such as different cleaning liquid temperatures or the use of steam as the cleaning medium).

[0038] The axis of the impeller 132 of the centrifugal fan 13 of this embodiment extends horizontally. The volute 131 includes an annular wall 1311 and cover plates 1312 connected to the axial ends of the annular wall 1311. The air outlet of the volute 131 faces upward. The oil detection unit is provided on the annular wall 1311 of the volute 131, corresponding to the area above the impeller 132, that is, the volute tongue position adjacent to the volute 131. In order to more conveniently transmit ultraviolet light to the impeller 132 and receive fluorescent signals,

[0039] See also Figure 2-Figure 5The cleaning device includes a liquid storage tank 33 located outside the volute 131, a liquid infusion tube 32 connected to the outlet of the liquid storage tank 33, a water pump 34 for supplying a cleaning medium to the liquid infusion tube 32, and a cleaning tube 31. Specifically, the liquid storage tank 33 can be located on the top plate 121 of the housing 1 and connected to an external water source via a pipeline. The cleaning medium can be water, and detergent can be placed in the liquid storage tank 33. The cleaning tube 31 is located within the volute 131, specifically below the impeller 132 (i.e., away from the oil stain detection unit) and extends in a direction parallel to the axis of the impeller 132. The cleaning tube 31 is provided with spray holes arranged sequentially along its length, each spray hole facing the impeller 132. The liquid infusion tube 32 connected to the liquid storage tank 33 is connected to the cleaning tube 31. To enable comprehensive cleaning of a certain area on the circumference of the impeller 132, the cleaning tube 31 of this embodiment can be driven by a drive mechanism to rotate about its own axis to change the spray angle of the spray holes. The driving mechanism can adopt a motion mechanism in which a driving motor 35 cooperates with a gear assembly 351. Specifically, one end of the cleaning pipe 31 can pass through the cover plate 1312 of the volute 131 and be rotatably connected to the infusion pipe 32 (a seal is provided at the place where the two are rotatably connected to prevent leakage of the tilting medium), and the other end also corresponds to passing through the cover plate 1312 on the other side of the volute 131 and being connected to the above-mentioned gear. When the driving motor 35 rotates forward and reversely, the cleaning pipe 31 can swing back and forth to clean a certain angle range area in the circumference of the impeller 132. The above-mentioned cleaning pipe 31 constitutes the cleaning module of the cleaning device of this embodiment. Taking into account that the temperature of the cleaning medium increases or steam is used as the tilting medium to dissolve and remove oil stains more effectively, in an optional embodiment, the cleaning device can also be provided with a steam generator connected to the infusion pipe 32 or a heating element for the cleaning medium in the infusion pipe 32.

[0040] Considering that the increase in the temperature of the cleaning medium or the use of steam as a tilting medium can more effectively dissolve and remove oil stains, preferably, a steam generator connected to the liquid infusion pipe 32 or a component for heating the cleaning medium in the liquid infusion pipe 32 is also included.

[0041] Since the oil detection unit and the cleaning module of the cleaning device of this embodiment are respectively located at the top and bottom of the impeller 132, it is possible to avoid loss of detection capability and reduced reliability due to the tilted medium splashing onto the oil screen detection unit after reflection from the blades during the cleaning process.

[0042] An electrical box 122 housing a circuit board 1220 is also provided on the top plate 121 of the smoke hood 12. The cleaning device's infusion tube 32 passes through the electrical box 122 and is positioned adjacent to the circuit board 1220. Heat generated by the circuit board 1220 during operation preheats the cleaning medium and simultaneously cools the electrical box 122.

[0043] When oil is exposed to ultraviolet light, certain components, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, absorb the UV energy, causing electrons in the oil molecules to transition from a ground state to an excited state. In this excited state, these electrons are unstable and may release energy through radiation, returning to their ground state. During this process, they emit a fluorescent signal of a specific wavelength that can be captured by specialized detection equipment. The oil stain detection module of the present application irradiates the ultraviolet light emitted by the ultraviolet light emitting unit 21 onto the oil stain on the blade surface of the impeller 132. Because the oil stain has a fluorescence effect, and the intensity of the fluorescence emitted by the fluorescence effect is positively correlated with the thickness of the oil film or the degree of dirtiness of the blade, the ultraviolet light emitting unit 21 and the fluorescence intensity collection unit 22 work alternately. On the one hand, the fluorescence intensity collection unit 22 can be prevented from being affected by the light emitted by the ultraviolet light emitting unit 21. On the other hand, the oil film thickness of different areas on the blade surface can be measured according to the rotation direction, and the complete measurement of the degree of dirtiness of different parts of the impeller 132 throughout the entire circle can be achieved. Different areas of the impeller 132 can be differentiated and cleaned in combination with the linkage cleaning device, especially for areas with thick accumulation to be cleaned in an enhanced or prolonged manner, thereby improving the cleaning effect and avoiding the traditional cleaning method of only evenly spraying or cleaning the impeller 132, which cannot achieve intelligent judgment and cleaning of different degrees of dirtiness in different areas. Because the measurement method of the oil pollution detection unit of the present application is non-contact, it can avoid various defects caused by mechanical contact measurement, such as low detection accuracy, short service life or frequent maintenance.

Claims

1. A self-cleaning range hood, comprising: A centrifugal fan (13) includes a volute (131) and an impeller (132) disposed in the volute (131); A cleaning device comprising a cleaning module for spraying a cleaning medium onto an impeller (132); It is characterized by also including: An oil pollution detection unit comprises an ultraviolet light emitting unit (21), a fluorescence intensity collection unit (22), a fluorescence signal processing unit, and a control unit for controlling the ultraviolet light emitting unit (21) and the fluorescence intensity collection unit (22) to work alternately, wherein the ultraviolet light emitting unit (21) is used to emit ultraviolet light toward the impeller (132), the fluorescence intensity collection unit (22) is used to collect and output fluorescence intensity signals generated in corresponding areas on the impeller (132), and the fluorescence signal processing unit is used to process the fluorescence intensity signals output by the fluorescence intensity collection unit (22) to determine the amount of oil pollution at different areas of the impeller (132); The controller of the range hood controls the cleaning module of the cleaning device to perform differential cleaning on different areas of the impeller (132) based on the amount of oil stains in different areas of the impeller (132) determined by the fluorescent signal processing unit.

2. The self-cleaning range hood according to claim 1, characterized in that: The oil pollution detection unit further comprises a filter (24) for filtering the ultraviolet light emitted by the ultraviolet light emitting unit (21).

3. The self-cleaning range hood according to claim 1, characterized in that: The oil pollution detection unit further comprises a fixed shell (23), the ultraviolet light emitting unit (21) comprises an ultraviolet light emitting tube, and the fluorescence intensity collection unit (22) comprises a fluorescence receiving tube, and both the ultraviolet light emitting tube and the fluorescence receiving tube are arranged in the fixed shell (23).

4. The self-cleaning range hood according to claim 3, characterized in that: A light channel (230) is defined in the fixed shell (23) for the ultraviolet light emitted by the ultraviolet light emitting unit (21) to emit and for the fluorescence generated on the surface of the impeller (132) to enter. A lens (25) is also provided in the light channel (230).

5. The self-cleaning range hood according to claim 4, characterized in that: The axis of the impeller (132) extends horizontally, the volute (131) includes an annular wall (1311) and cover plates (1312) connected to both axial ends of the annular wall (1311), and the oil pollution detection unit is provided on the annular wall (1311) of the volute (131) at a position corresponding to an area above the impeller (132).

6. The self-cleaning range hood according to claim 5, characterized in that: The cleaning module comprises a cleaning pipe (31) located below the impeller (132) and extending in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the impeller (132); the cleaning pipe (31) is provided with spray holes sequentially arranged along its length direction, and each of the spray holes faces the impeller (132).

7. The self-cleaning range hood according to claim 6, characterized in that: The cleaning pipe (31) can be driven by a driving mechanism to rotate around its own axis to change the spray angle of the spray hole.

8. The self-cleaning range hood according to claim 6, characterized in that: The cleaning device further comprises a liquid storage tank (33) arranged outside the volute (131), a liquid infusion pipe (32) connected to the outlet of the liquid storage tank (33), and a water pump (34) for conveying a cleaning medium to the liquid infusion pipe (32), wherein the liquid infusion pipe (32) is connected to the cleaning pipe (31).

9. The self-cleaning range hood according to claim 8, characterized in that: The range hood comprises a housing (1), the liquid storage tank (33) is arranged on a top plate (121) of the housing (1), an electrical box (122) with a built-in circuit board (1220) is also arranged on the top plate (121), and the liquid infusion pipe (32) passes through the electrical box (122) and is arranged adjacent to the circuit board (1220).

10. The self-cleaning range hood according to claim 8, characterized in that: It also includes a steam generator connected to the liquid infusion pipe (32) or a component for heating the cleaning medium in the liquid infusion pipe (32).

11. The self-cleaning range hood according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: The controller of the range hood controls the cleaning time of the cleaning module of the cleaning device for the corresponding area on the impeller (132), the spray intensity of the cleaning medium, or the temperature of the cleaning medium according to the amount of oil stains in different areas of the impeller (132) determined by the fluorescent signal processing unit.

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