Air conditioning unit filter contamination monitoring system

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air conditioning filter contamination monitoring system for accurately notifying the filter replacement time by measuring the contamination level of an air conditioning filter and notifying a user terminal when the measured contamination level is greater than or equal to a reference contamination level. The system comprises: a monitoring device installed in an air conditioning system for measuring the contamination level of an air conditioning filter and generating and transmitting a notification signal when the measured contamination level is greater than or equal to a reference contamination level; and a user terminal for receiving the notification signal from the monitoring device and notifying a user.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioning filter contamination monitoring system, and more specifically, to an air conditioning filter contamination monitoring system for accurately notifying the filter replacement time by measuring the contamination level of an air conditioning filter and notifying a user terminal when the measured contamination level is greater than or equal to a standard contamination level. Background Technology

[0003] An air conditioning system refers to a device that performs temperature changes, humidity control, air purification, and airflow adjustment to maintain indoor air in an appropriate state.

[0004] These air conditioners generally use a refrigeration cycle of evaporation, compression, condensation, and expansion to change the temperature and regulate humidity of the indoor air, and purify the indoor air using filters that remove dust.

[0005] Contamination occurs inside the air conditioner from the moment it is installed and put into operation. Specifically, indoor air containing fine dust and various bacteria enters the air conditioner and is cooled to a low temperature as it passes through the heat exchanger. The moisture contained in the indoor air condenses on the heat exchanger, and the condensed water mixes with the fine dust and various bacteria, causing bacteria that thrive in humid environments to multiply and produce foul odors.

[0006] Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1253132 (registered on April 4, 2013) describes an air filter replacement timing notification system. According to the disclosed technology, in a vehicle air conditioning system comprising an air blower unit equipped with an internal / external air switching door installed inside to selectively open and close internal / external air inlets formed on the inlet side according to internal / external air modes, and a blower installed to blow air sucked in through the internal / external air inlets toward the air conditioning case side, and an air filter installed at least one of the upstream and downstream sides of the blower, the system for notifying the air filter replacement timing comprises: an input means for receiving the ratio of vehicle operation in urban areas and suburban areas; an air pollution level calculation means for calculating the pollution level of air flowing into the air filter side according to the vehicle operation ratio input by the input means; an air intake time calculation means for calculating the time during which air flows into the air filter side; and an air intake airflow volume calculation means for calculating the airflow volume of air flowing into the air filter side. It is characterized by comprising a control unit that indicates the replacement time of an air filter, a display means for indicating the replacement time of an air filter, and calculates and accumulates the amount of dust supplied to or accumulated by the air filter side using values ​​provided by the air pollution level calculation means, the air intake time calculation means, and the air intake airflow volume calculation means as factors, and then indicates the replacement time of the air filter through the display means when the total accumulated amount of dust in the air filter exceeds a standard value.

[0007] Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1110347 (registered on January 19, 2012) describes a device for detecting the replacement time of an air filter in an air conditioner. According to the disclosed technology, the device for detecting the replacement time of an air filter in an air conditioner, which is installed as a detachable type so as to be attached to the air duct of the air conditioner, comprises: a filter front part formed protruding from one end so as to be located within the air duct when coupled to the air duct, and having a plurality of bypass passages formed to bypass a portion of the air within the air duct in front of the air filter; a filter rear part formed protruding from the other end so as to be located within the air duct when coupled to the air duct, forming an air filter installation space in which the air filter is inserted and fixed together with the filter front part, and having a plurality of bypass passages formed to discharge the air bypassed to the rear of the air filter; and a temperature sensor array installed between the bypass passages of the filter front part and the bypass passages of the filter rear part to detect the temperature distribution of the air. It is characterized by comprising a control unit that analyzes the air temperature distribution detected by a temperature sensor array to detect the replacement time of the air filter and outputs an air filter replacement warning signal.

[0008] As mentioned above, conventional air conditioning systems cannot notify users in remote locations of the filter replacement time, and users have difficulty checking the filter's contamination level in real time. Prior art literature

[0010] Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1253132 Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1110347 The problem to be solved

[0011] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to resolve the aforementioned problems by providing an air conditioning filter contamination monitoring system that measures the contamination level of an air conditioning filter and notifies a user terminal when the measured contamination level is greater than or equal to a standard contamination level, thereby accurately indicating the filter replacement time. means of solving the problem

[0013] To solve these problems, according to one feature of the present invention, an air conditioning filter contamination monitoring system is provided, comprising: a monitoring device installed in an air conditioning system for measuring the contamination level of an air conditioning system filter and generating and transmitting a notification signal when the measured contamination level is greater than or equal to a reference contamination level; and a user terminal for receiving the notification signal from the monitoring device and notifying a user.

[0014] In one embodiment, the monitoring device comprises: a contamination level measuring unit installed in an air conditioning unit for measuring the contamination level of a filter of the air conditioning unit; a memory unit for pre-setting and storing a reference contamination level to indicate a contamination state; a control unit for receiving a contamination level from the contamination level measuring unit, comparing the received contamination level with the reference contamination level stored in the memory unit, and generating and transmitting an alert signal when the contamination level is greater than or equal to the reference contamination level; and a transmission unit for transmitting the alert signal received from the control unit or the contamination level measured by the contamination level measuring unit to the user terminal.

[0015] In one embodiment, the memory unit is characterized by setting and storing a limit pollution level to prevent the air conditioning device from operating.

[0016] In one embodiment, the control unit is characterized by generating and transmitting a stop signal to stop the operation of the air conditioning device when the pollution level measured by the pollution level measuring unit is greater than or equal to the limit pollution level stored in the memory unit.

[0017] In one embodiment, the contamination level measuring unit is characterized by having a biosensor for detecting contamination by bacteria or fungi.

[0018] In one embodiment, the monitoring device is characterized by further including: a camera unit for photographing a filter of an air conditioning system and generating the captured image as image information; and a lighting unit for providing lighting to the filter of the air conditioning system.

[0019] In one embodiment, the transmitting unit is characterized by transmitting image information generated by the camera unit to the user terminal.

[0020] In one embodiment, the monitoring device is characterized by further including a noise measuring unit for measuring noise, which is installed in an air conditioning system.

[0021] In one embodiment, the memory unit is characterized by setting and storing a reference noise for determining the fault state of the air conditioning system.

[0022] In one embodiment, the control unit is characterized by generating and transmitting a notification signal when the noise measured by the noise measuring unit is greater than or equal to the reference noise stored in the memory unit. Effects of the invention

[0024] According to the present invention, a user can check the contamination level of an air conditioning filter in real time from a remote location, and by automatically notifying the user through a user terminal when the contamination level of the air conditioning filter exceeds a standard contamination level, the user has the effect of knowing the exact time for filter replacement.

[0025] In addition, it has the effect of controlling the air conditioning system so that it does not operate when the contamination level of the air conditioning filter exceeds the threshold contamination level. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0027] FIGS. 1 and 2 are drawings illustrating an air conditioning filter contamination monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating the monitoring device in Figure 1 as a first example. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the monitoring device in FIG. 1 as a second example. Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating the monitoring device in Figure 1 as a third example. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0028] Below, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments of the present invention are described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the invention. However, since the description of the present invention is merely an example for structural or functional explanation, the scope of the rights of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited by the embodiments described in the text. That is, since the embodiments are subject to various modifications and may take various forms, the scope of the rights of the present invention should be understood to include equivalents capable of realizing the technical concept. Furthermore, the objectives or effects presented in the present invention do not imply that a specific embodiment must include all of them or only such effects; therefore, the scope of the rights of the present invention should not be understood as being limited by them.

[0029] Meanwhile, the meaning of the terms described in this invention should be understood as follows.

[0030] Terms such as "first," "second," etc., are intended to distinguish one component from another, and the scope of rights shall not be limited by these terms. For example, the first component may be named the second component, and similarly, the second component may be named the first component.

[0031] When it is stated that one component is "connected" to another component, it should be understood that it may be directly connected to that other component, or that there may be other components in between. Conversely, when it is stated that one component is "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between. Meanwhile, other expressions describing the relationships between components, such as "between" and "exactly between," or "adjacent to" and "directly adjacent to," should be interpreted in the same way.

[0032] A singular expression should be understood to include a plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, and terms such as "include" or "have" are intended to specify the existence of the set-up features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof, and should be understood not to preclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0033] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having meanings consistent with the context of the relevant technology and should not be interpreted as having an ideal or overly formal meaning unless explicitly defined in this invention.

[0035] Now, an air conditioning filter contamination monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0036] FIGS. 1 and 2 are drawings illustrating an air conditioning filter contamination monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the monitoring device of FIG. 1 as a first example.

[0037] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the air conditioning filter contamination monitoring system includes a monitoring device (100) and a user terminal (200).

[0038] A monitoring device (100) is installed in an air conditioning system to measure the contamination level of an air conditioning system filter, and when the measured contamination level is greater than or equal to a standard contamination level, it generates an alert signal and transmits it to a user terminal (200).

[0039] Here, the air conditioning system is intended to control indoor temperature, humidity, cleanliness, and airflow, and may be a heating and cooling system, an air purifier, a ventilation fan, etc., and the filter is installed replaceably inside the air conditioning system to filter out foreign substances such as pollutants and dust contained in the air entering the air conditioning system. In addition, the air conditioning system may be equipped with one or more air outlets for discharging air.

[0040] In one embodiment, the monitoring device (100) may comprise a pollution level measuring unit (110), a memory unit (120), a control unit (130), and a transmission unit (140).

[0041] The contamination level measuring unit (110) is installed in the air conditioning system and measures the contamination level of the filter of the air conditioning system.

[0042] In one embodiment, the contamination level measuring unit (110) may be installed in the filter of the air conditioning system and may be equipped with a biosensor for detecting contamination by bacteria or mold. Such a biosensor may detect the concentration of bacteria such as Staphylococcus or the concentration of mold such as Penicillium. However, it is not limited thereto, and it is understood that various sensors for measuring the contamination level of the filter of the air conditioning system may be equipped.

[0043] In one embodiment, the pollution level measuring unit (110) may be installed on the air discharge side of the air conditioning device.

[0044] In one embodiment, the pollution level measuring unit (110) can transmit the measured pollution level to a user terminal (200) through a transmitting unit (140).

[0045] The memory unit (120) stores a pre-set standard contamination level to inform the user that the filter of the air conditioning system is in a contaminated state.

[0046] In one embodiment, the memory unit (120) can set and store a limit pollution level to prevent the air conditioning device from operating.

[0047] The control unit (130) receives a pollution level from the pollution level measuring unit (110), compares the received pollution level with a reference pollution level stored in the memory unit (120), and if the pollution level is greater than or equal to the reference pollution level, generates an alert signal and transmits it to the transmission unit (140).

[0048] In one embodiment, the control unit (130) can generate a stop signal to stop the operation of the air conditioning unit and transmit it to the air conditioning unit when the pollution level measured by the pollution level measuring unit (110) is greater than or equal to the limit pollution level stored in the memory unit (120).

[0049] The transmitting unit (140) transmits the notification signal received from the control unit (130) or the pollution level measured by the pollution level measuring unit (110) to the user terminal (200).

[0050] The user terminal (200) receives a notification signal from the monitoring device (100) and notifies the user.

[0051] In one embodiment, the user terminal (200) may include a portable terminal equipped with a communication device such as a smartphone, PDA, or laptop. For example, it may use near-field communication such as NFC (Near Field Communication), Bluetooth, Zigbee, RF, or UWB (Ultrawideband), or long-range wireless communication such as 3G, 4G, LTE, LTE-A, WiBro (Wireless Broadband Internet), or Wi-Fi, but is not limited thereto.

[0052] In one embodiment, the user terminal (200) may be equipped with an air conditioning filter contamination monitoring application for monitoring the contamination level of the air conditioning filter.

[0053] In one embodiment, the user terminal (200) may use means such as an alarm, buzzer, vibration, text, SNS (Social Networking Service), LED light emission, video, etc., as a method of notifying the user, and it is obvious that the notification frequency and the type of notification means can be freely adjusted by differentiating according to the severity of the contamination.

[0054] In one embodiment, the user terminal (200) can display the monitoring result of the pollution level measured by the pollution level measuring unit (110) in various ways, such as numerical values ​​or colors.

[0055] An air conditioning filter contamination monitoring system having the configuration described above allows a user to check the contamination level of an air conditioning filter in real time from a remote location, and automatically notifies the user through a user terminal if the contamination level of the air conditioning filter exceeds a standard contamination level, thereby enabling the user to know the exact time for filter replacement.

[0056] In addition, the spread of contamination can be minimized by controlling the air conditioning system so that it does not operate when the contamination level of the air conditioning filter exceeds a threshold contamination level.

[0058] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the monitoring device in FIG. 1 as a second example.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 4, the monitoring device (100) includes a pollution level measuring unit (110), a memory unit (120), a control unit (130), a transmission unit (140), a camera unit (150), and a lighting unit (160). Here, since the pollution level measuring unit (110), the memory unit (120), the control unit (130), and the transmission unit (140) are similar to the components of FIG. 3, their descriptions are omitted, and only the other parts are described below.

[0060] The camera unit (150) captures the filter of the air conditioning system and generates the captured image as image information.

[0061] In one embodiment, the camera unit (150) may be installed on the intake side of the air intake where air is sucked in among the filters of the air conditioning system.

[0062] The lighting unit (160) provides lighting to the filter of the air conditioning system.

[0063] In one embodiment, the lighting unit (160) may be installed integrally with the camera unit (150) and illuminates the filter of the air conditioning device, enabling shooting through the camera unit (150) even in dark conditions.

[0064] At this time, the control unit (130) can convert the image information generated by the camera unit (150) into an image format that can be output from the image player of the user terminal (200), and the transmission unit (140) can transmit the image information converted by the control unit (130) to the user terminal (200).

[0065] An air conditioning filter contamination monitoring system having the configuration described above enables users to easily visually recognize the condition of the air conditioning filter from a distance, thereby allowing for more efficient filter management.

[0067] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating the monitoring device in Figure 1 as a third example.

[0068] Referring to FIG. 5, the monitoring device (100) further includes a noise measuring unit (170).

[0069] The noise measuring unit (170) is installed in the air conditioning system and measures the noise generated by the air conditioning system.

[0070] In one embodiment, the noise measuring unit (170) may be equipped with a microphone and may receive noise generated from the motor or fan of the air conditioning unit in real time, convert it into an electrical signal, and transmit it to the control unit (130).

[0071] At this time, the memory unit (120) can set and store a reference noise level to determine the fault condition of the air conditioning system, and the control unit (130) can generate an alert signal and transmit it to the user terminal (200) through the transmission unit (140) when the noise measured by the noise measuring unit (170) is greater than or equal to the reference noise level stored in the memory unit (120).

[0072] An air conditioning filter contamination monitoring system having the configuration described above determines that the air conditioning unit is malfunctioning and notifies the user when the noise generated by the motor or fan of the air conditioning unit exceeds a standard noise level, thereby enabling prompt restoration.

[0074] For the above, embodiments of the present invention are not limited to being implemented only through the device and / or operating method described above, but may also be implemented through a program for realizing a function corresponding to the configuration of the embodiments of the present invention, a recording medium on which the program is recorded, etc., and such implementation can be easily achieved by a person skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs based on the description of the embodiments explained above.

[0075] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements by those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present invention as defined in the following claims also fall within the scope of the present invention. Explanation of the symbols

[0077] 100 : Monitoring device 110: Pollution level measuring unit 120 : Memory section 130 : Control unit 140 : Transmitter 150 : Camera section 160 : Lighting section 170 : Noise measuring section 200 : User terminal

Claims

Claim 1 A monitoring device installed in an air conditioning system for measuring the contamination level of an air conditioning system filter and generating and transmitting a notification signal when the measured contamination level is greater than or equal to a standard contamination level; and a user terminal for receiving the notification signal from the monitoring device and notifying a user. Claim 2 A monitoring system for an air conditioning filter contamination level according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring device comprises: a contamination level measuring unit installed in an air conditioning unit for measuring the contamination level of a filter of the air conditioning unit; a memory unit for pre-setting and storing a reference contamination level to indicate a contamination state; a control unit for receiving a contamination level from the contamination level measuring unit, comparing the received contamination level with the reference contamination level stored in the memory unit, and generating and transmitting an alert signal when the contamination level is greater than or equal to the reference contamination level; and a transmission unit for transmitting the alert signal received from the control unit or the contamination level measured by the contamination level measuring unit to the user terminal. Claim 3 In paragraph 2, the air conditioning filter contamination monitoring system is characterized in that the memory unit sets and stores a limit contamination level to prevent the air conditioning device from operating. Claim 4 In paragraph 3, the air conditioning filter contamination monitoring system is characterized in that the control unit generates and transmits a stop signal to stop the operation of the air conditioning unit when the contamination level measured by the contamination level measuring unit is greater than or equal to the limit contamination level stored in the memory unit. Claim 5 In paragraph 2, the air conditioning filter contamination monitoring system is characterized in that the contamination measurement unit comprises a biosensor for detecting contamination caused by bacteria or mold.

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