UV Sterilizer

Abstract

The present invention aims to provide a UV sterilizer that is easy to carry and allows for free change of installation location. A UV sterilizer according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a housing having an internal space; a UV lamp installed in the internal space and emitting ultraviolet light; a battery installed in the internal space and providing operating power to the UV lamp; an illuminance sensor installed in the housing and detecting the brightness of the external environment of the housing; and a main PCB installed in the internal space and having a control processor installed therein that controls the operation of the UV lamp based on the detection signal of the illuminance sensor.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an ultraviolet sterilizer, and more specifically, to an ultraviolet sterilizer that is easy to carry and can be stored in a travel bag or wardrobe to sterilize clothing. Background Technology

[0002] When residing in an external environment, such as when traveling away from one's residence for an extended period, like overseas travel, there is a risk of infection and it is difficult to access medical services.

[0003] In particular, exposure to bacteria and viruses in various places increases the risk of contracting infectious diseases; however, since washing clothes while away from home is not easy in such cases, a portable device capable of sterilizing worn clothing is necessary.

[0004] Published Patent Application No. 10-2024-0068290 discloses a suitcase equipped with an internal UV sterilizer. However, the sterilization location of such a UV sterilizer installed inside the suitcase is limited to the interior of the suitcase. Furthermore, if the battery serving as the power source for the sterilizer is integrated into the suitcase, it cannot be carried as checked baggage on an airplane, and if the battery is removed, there is the inconvenience of having to use a separate external power source.

[0005] In addition, Published Utility Model Publication No. 20-2023-0001365 and Published Patent Publication No. 10-2022-0150040 disclose a pen-type ultraviolet sterilizer that is easy to carry. However, since this pen-type ultraviolet sterilizer requires the user to manually operate the operation to start and stop sterilization and to directly irradiate the object to be sterilized with ultraviolet light while the user is holding it with their hand, it may be cumbersome to use and there may be a risk of the user's skin being exposed to ultraviolet light during manual operation. Prior art literature

[0006] Prior Art 1: Published Patent Application No. 10-2024-0068290 Prior Art 2: Published Utility Model Application No. 20-2023-0001365 Prior Art 3: Published Patent Application No. 10-2022-0150040 The problem to be solved

[0007] The present invention is designed to solve at least some of the problems of the prior art described above, and as one aspect, aims to provide a UV sterilizer that is easy to carry and allows for free change of installation location.

[0008] In addition, as another aspect of the present invention, the purpose is to provide a UV sterilizer in which sterilization initiation and cessation operations are performed automatically and which can fundamentally prevent the exposure of sterilizing UV rays to the user's skin. means of solving the problem

[0009] A UV sterilizer according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a housing having an internal space; a UV lamp installed in the internal space and emitting ultraviolet light; a battery installed in the internal space and providing operating power to the UV lamp; an illuminance sensor installed in the housing and detecting the brightness of the external environment of the housing; and a main PCB installed in the internal space and having a control processor installed therein that controls the operation of the UV lamp based on the detection signal of the illuminance sensor.

[0010] In one embodiment, the control processor may be configured to turn on the UV lamp when the detection signal of the illuminance sensor is dark, and may be configured not to turn off or turn on the UV lamp when the detection signal of the illuminance sensor is bright.

[0011] In addition, in one embodiment, the control processor may be configured to turn off the UV lamp regardless of the detection signal of the illuminance sensor when a preset sterilization time has elapsed since the time the UV lamp was turned on.

[0012] Additionally, in one embodiment, the internal space is further equipped with a speaker that emits sound to the outside of the housing, and the control processor may be configured to emit voice guidance through the speaker before the UV lamp is turned on to initiate the ultraviolet sterilization operation and after the UV lamp is turned off to terminate the ultraviolet sterilization operation.

[0013] In addition, in one embodiment, the control processor may emit a warning sound through the speaker when the detection signal of the light sensor becomes bright before the UV lamp is turned on and the sterilization time has elapsed.

[0014] In addition, in one embodiment, the UV lamp is composed of a plurality of UV-C LED elements mounted on a lamp PCB, and the lamp PCB may be composed of a plurality of units to arrange the UV lamps facing different directions inside the housing.

[0015] In addition, in one embodiment, power may be transmitted to each of the plurality of lamp PCBs independently of one another.

[0016] In addition, the ultraviolet sterilizer according to one embodiment of the present invention may further include a fan member installed in the internal space and introducing external air of the housing into the interior of the housing.

[0017] Meanwhile, in one embodiment, the illuminance sensors are configured as a plurality of sensors arranged facing different directions of the housing, and the control processor may be configured to turn on the UV lamp when the detection signals of all the plurality of illuminance sensors are dark, and to turn off the UV lamp when the detection signal of at least one of the plurality of illuminance sensors is bright. Effects of the invention

[0018] According to one embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration, it can be easily installed in a required location, and the user can be safely used as they are not exposed to sterilizing ultraviolet rays. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0019] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an ultraviolet sterilizer according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the ultraviolet sterilizer shown in FIG. 1 with the lamp cover removed. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an installation structure using the strap of the ultraviolet sterilizer shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4(a) is a right side view of the UV sterilizer shown in FIG. 1 with the lamp cover removed, and FIG. 4(b), (c), and (d) are a front view, a left side view, and a rear view of the UV sterilizer. Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the ultraviolet sterilizer shown in Fig. 1. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the internal configuration of the ultraviolet sterilizer shown in Figure 1. Figure 7 is a drawing illustrating the installation structure of the fan member of the ultraviolet sterilizer shown in Figure 1. FIG. 8(a) is a right side view of an ultraviolet sterilizer with the lamp cover removed according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8(b), (c), and (d) are a front view, a left side view, and a rear view of an ultraviolet sterilizer according to another embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0020] The terms used herein are merely for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. Additionally, singular expressions in this specification include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

[0023] First, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7, an ultraviolet sterilizer (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0024] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 7, an ultraviolet sterilizer (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a housing, a strap bracket (120), a UV lamp (130), a lamp PCB (135), a lamp cover (140), a PCB bracket (138), a main PCB (150), a battery (160), a power button (154), an indicator (156), a fan member (170), a speaker (180), and an illuminance sensor (190).

[0026] The above housing forms the exterior of an ultraviolet sterilizer (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention and may be provided with a space in which a UV lamp (130), a lamp PCB (135), a PCB bracket (138), a main PCB (150), a battery (160), a power button (154), an indicator (156), a fan member (170), a speaker (180), and an illuminance sensor (190) are built.

[0027] In one embodiment, the housing may include a front housing (110F) and a rear housing (110B) that are assembled together to form the space.

[0028] In addition, in one embodiment, the housing may be configured in a bar shape to minimize space when installed and to facilitate storage when carried. In order to ensure relatively excellent durability against external impact, for example, the housing may be implemented to have an overall cylindrical structure together with the lamp cover (140) when mounted with the lamp cover (140) described later, but it is obvious that it is not limited thereto and can also be configured in the shape of a polygonal square tube.

[0029] In one embodiment, the front housing (110F) may be divided into an upper section that accommodates a battery (160), a main PCB (150), a fan member (170), and a speaker (180), and a lower section that accommodates a UV lamp (130) and a lamp PCB (135).

[0030] Here, a lamp hole (116) may be formed in the lower section of the front housing (110F) to allow ultraviolet light generated from the UV lamp (130) to leak out of the front housing (110F).

[0031] In one embodiment, when the UV lamp (130) is composed of a plurality of UV-C LED lamps, the lamp holes (116) may be formed in a plurality corresponding to the UV-C LED lamps one-to-one.

[0032] In addition, in one embodiment, the front housing (110F) may be provided with a through ventilation hole (112) through which external air can flow into the interior of the housing.

[0033] And, the rear housing (110B) may have a structure that is symmetrical to the front housing (110F) overall.

[0034] This rear housing (110B), like the front housing (110F), can be divided into an upper section that accommodates a battery (160), a main PCB (150), a fan member (170), and a speaker (180), and a lower section that accommodates a UV lamp (130) and a lamp PCB (135).

[0035] In addition, the aforementioned lamp hole (116) may also be formed in the lower section of the rear housing (110B).

[0036] In one embodiment, a speaker hole (114) may be formed in the rear housing (110B) to allow sound from the speaker (180), which will be described later, to leak out.

[0038] The strap bracket (120) is coupled to the housing and forms a structure in which the strap (125) can be fastened from the outside of the housing as shown in FIG. 3.

[0039] These strap brackets (120) mediate the connection between the strap (125) and the housing, and the strap (125) can be hung on a mechanism such as a hook inside a carrier or inside a wardrobe.

[0040] In one embodiment, the strap bracket (120) may be configured to allow the length of the strap (125) extending from the strap bracket (120) to be adjustable.

[0041] The user can install it inside a carrier or wardrobe by adjusting the length of the strap (125) attached to the strap bracket (120).

[0043] The above UV lamp (130) is a component that generates ultraviolet light for ultraviolet sterilization and can be installed inside the housing.

[0044] In one embodiment, the UV lamp (130) may be composed of a UV-C LED element that has low power consumption and is compact.

[0045] In addition, in one embodiment, the UV lamp (130) may be composed of an LED element that emits ultraviolet light of a wavelength of 222 nm in the UV-C wavelength band. Since ultraviolet light of a wavelength of 222 nm does not reach the stratum corneum of human skin, it has the advantage of being safe even if it is exposed to the user's skin in the event of an accident.

[0046] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, this UV lamp (130) may be composed of a plurality of LED elements, and the plurality of LED elements may be mounted on the lamp PCB (135) so as to be arranged with spacing.

[0047] Here, the lamp PCB (135) can receive power from the battery (160) described later and apply power to a plurality of mounted UV lamps (130).

[0048] An ultraviolet sterilizer (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention can irradiate ultraviolet light over a wide area through a plurality of UV lamps (130) arranged on a single lamp PCB (135).

[0049] In addition, in one embodiment, such lamp PCBs (135) may be composed of multiple units.

[0050] Here, a plurality of lamp PCBs (135) may be arranged with different orientations relative to each other so that each lamp PCB (135) has a UV lamp (130) positioned in a different direction in the housing, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

[0051] In one embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, four lamp PCBs (135) may be installed facing all four sides of the housing. Through this, ultraviolet light can be emitted through all four sides of the housing.

[0052] Accordingly, the ultraviolet sterilizer (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention has the advantage of being able to perform sterilization operations through ultraviolet light emitted in all directions regardless of the direction in which it is installed, thus having a very high degree of freedom of installation and securing a large sterilization area capable of sterilizing the entire surroundings of the housing.

[0053] However, the ultraviolet sterilizer (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention is not limited to an embodiment in which the UV lamp (130) is placed on all four sides of the housing as described above, and the UV lamp (130) may be placed in two directions, three directions, or five or more directions, and the UV lamp (130) may be additionally placed at the bottom of the housing.

[0054] Meanwhile, a plurality of lamp PCBs (135) with a plurality of UV lamps (130) mounted thereon can be fixed in position inside the housing via a PCB bracket (138) as shown in FIG. 5.

[0055] The PCB bracket (138) can be designed and changed into various shapes to correspond to various arrangements of the lamp PCB (135).

[0057] The lamp cover (140) is a component configured to cover the lower section of the front housing (110F) and the lower section of the rear housing (110B) together when the lower sections of the housing, namely the front housing (110F) and the rear housing (110B), are assembled together.

[0058] This lamp cover (140) can cover and protect the UV lamp (130) exposed to the outside of the housing through the lamp hole (116), while simultaneously functioning as a UV light-transmitting window through which ultraviolet light passes.

[0059] In one embodiment, the lamp cover (140) may be made of a polycarbonate (PC) material that has excellent rigidity and can implement a transparent color capable of transmitting ultraviolet rays of UV-C wavelength with high transmittance.

[0061] The main PCB (150) can be installed in the upper section of the housing as shown in FIG. 6 and can be electrically connected to the battery (160), power button (154), indicator (156), fan member (170), speaker (180), and light sensor (190) to be described later.

[0062] Additionally, the main PCB (150) is electrically connected to the lamp PCB (135) to transmit power supplied to the UV lamp (130) and can transmit a control signal from a control processor (not shown) for controlling the UV lamp (130) on / off to the lamp PCB (135).

[0063] The control processor installed on the main PCB (150) can control the UV lamp (130), indicator (156), fan member (170), and speaker (180) based on the input signal of the power button (154) to be described later and the detection signal of the light sensor (190).

[0064] This main PCB (150) can be attached to the rear housing (110B) as shown in FIG. 6.

[0065] Additionally, in one embodiment, the main PCB (150) may be provided with a plurality of power supply sockets (158) corresponding one-to-one to a plurality of lamp PCBs (135). These plurality of power supply sockets (158) may be controlled independently.

[0066] Accordingly, in an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of UV lamps (130) can be operated independently by each lamp PCB (135) according to the setting of the ultraviolet sterilizer (100).

[0067] A configuration in which UV lamps (130) arranged in multiple directions can operate independently has the advantage of reducing unnecessary power consumption by selectively setting the wall-side UV lamps (130) not to operate when the UV sterilizer (100) is placed attached to one wall of a carrier or wardrobe.

[0069] The above battery (160) is installed inside the housing and can provide power for use in the UV lamp (130), fan member (170), indicator (156), speaker (180), and light sensor (190).

[0070] This battery (160) can be charged through a charging terminal (152) exposed on the outside of the housing.

[0072] The power button (154) is provided so as to be exposed on the surface of the housing, and is configured to allow a user to turn on / off the ultraviolet sterilizer (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0074] The above indicator (156) is positioned to be exposed on the outside of the housing so as to display the remaining amount of the battery (160).

[0075] In addition, in one embodiment, the indicator (156) can indicate on the outside of the housing that the power of the ultraviolet sterilizer (100) is turned on.

[0076] In one embodiment of the present invention, the ultraviolet sterilizer (100) can be configured so that the power is turned on through an indicator (156) because it is not possible to visually determine whether the UV lamp (130) is turned on.

[0078] The above fan member (170) is installed inside the housing and can perform the function of circulating outside air into the housing to prevent electrical components installed inside the housing from overheating.

[0079] In addition, this fan member (170), in addition to the air circulation function, draws air inside the carrier or wardrobe toward the housing, thereby moving fine bacteria or viruses floating in the air around the UV lamp (130) and exposing them to ultraviolet rays, so that the sterilization performance inside the enclosed space can be improved.

[0081] The above speaker (180) can be installed in the speaker hole (114) of the rear housing (110B) to emit sound.

[0082] In one embodiment, the control processor may emit voice guidance through a speaker (180) before and after the start and end of the ultraviolet sterilization operation.

[0083] For example, voice guidance can be transmitted in various languages, such as Korean, English, and Chinese, depending on the settings.

[0084] In addition, this control processor can generate a warning sound according to a detection signal from the light sensor (190), which will be described later, through the speaker (180).

[0086] The above light sensor (190) can be configured to detect the brightness of the external environment of the housing.

[0087] This light sensor (190) can detect the brightness outside the housing by placing the sensing surface in a hole formed on one side of the housing.

[0088] In one embodiment, the illuminance sensor (190) can transmit the detected value to the control processor as a detection signal.

[0089] The light sensor (190) can operate to perform ultraviolet sterilization only in a dark environment for safe use of the ultraviolet sterilizer (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0090] Specifically, even if the UV sterilizer (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention is turned on in a bright environment, the UV lamp (130) can be kept from turning on because the detection signal of the light sensor (190) is bright. In this state, when the external environment of the housing becomes dark, such as by closing the carrier or closing the door of the closet, and the detection signal of the light sensor (190) changes to dark, the UV lamp (130) can be turned on automatically.

[0091] And, while the sterilization operation is being performed with the UV lamp (130) turned on, if the external environment of the housing becomes bright, such as when the carrier is opened or the door of the closet is opened, and the detection signal of the light sensor (190) becomes bright, the UV lamp (130) can be automatically turned off so that the user is not exposed to ultraviolet rays.

[0092] Meanwhile, in one embodiment, the control processor may be configured to limit the sterilization time from the time the UV lamp (130) is turned on to a preset time, and to automatically turn off the UV lamp (130) regardless of the detection signal of the illuminance sensor (190) when the sterilization time has elapsed.

[0093] In this way, the addition of a timer function to the sterilization operation of the UV lamp (130) improves the sterilization and virus removal effects through ultraviolet rays, while simultaneously minimizing problems such as damage or discoloration that may occur when clothing or items are exposed to ultraviolet rays for a long time.

[0094] For example, the sterilization time of the UV lamp (130) may be set to 10 minutes, which is sufficient to sterilize and remove viruses from the clothing while minimizing damage to the clothing, but is not limited to this.

[0095] Meanwhile, the control processor can operate to immediately emit a warning sound through the speaker (180) as soon as a bright signal is detected from the light sensor (190) while the UV lamp (130) is performing a sterilization operation during the sterilization time.

[0096] This allows the sterilization process to continue by notifying the user that it has not ended, even if the user mistakenly believes the process has finished and opens a suitcase or wardrobe. Through this, the external spread of bacteria and viruses can be prevented at the source.

[0097] However, if the detection signal of the light sensor (190) remains bright even after the control processor has emitted a warning sound and does not become dark again, the UV lamp (130) can be turned off to prevent the user from being exposed to ultraviolet rays as described above.

[0098] In addition, the ultraviolet sterilizer (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention may be configured so that even when the power is turned on and the detection signal of the light sensor (190) is dark, the UV lamp (130) is not turned on immediately and the ultraviolet sterilization operation is not started, but the UV lamp (130) is turned on and the sterilization operation is started after a preset time, and the start time can be set.

[0099] This is a design that takes into account the time required to close the zipper of a carrier or the case where the user immediately takes out a forgotten item, and is intended to prevent unnecessary operation in which the UV lamp (130) repeatedly turns on and off in a short time by immediately responding to the detection signal of the light sensor (190).

[0101] Next, with reference to FIG. 8, an ultraviolet sterilizer (100-1) according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0102] As shown in FIG. 8, the ultraviolet sterilizer (100-1) according to another embodiment of the present invention differs from the ultraviolet sterilizer (100) according to the embodiment of the present invention described above with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 7 only in that a plurality of light sensors (190) are provided in various directions of the housing, and the remaining components are substantially the same as the ultraviolet sterilizer (100) according to the embodiment described above.

[0103] In another embodiment of the present invention, four illuminance sensors (190) may be provided, one each on the front, back, left, and right sides of the housing.

[0104] In this configuration, a control processor (not shown) can perform the operation of turning on a UV lamp (130) under conditions where the detection signals of a plurality of illuminance sensors (190) arranged in multiple directions are all dark.

[0105] This can compensate for the fact that if the light sensor (190) is provided only on one side of the housing, the detection signal of the light sensor (190) may remain in a dark state even when the carrier is opened or the wardrobe is opened, when an opaque clothing, object, or carrier wall is placed to cover the light sensor (190).

[0106] In one embodiment, the control processor determines that the condition for turning on the UV lamp (130) is satisfied when the detection signals of all the light sensors (190) are dark, and when the detection signal of at least one of the light sensors (190) is bright, it determines that the condition for turning off the UV lamp (130) and the condition for not turning it on are satisfied.

[0108] The ultraviolet sterilizer (100, 100-1) according to the embodiments of the present invention as described above can be installed inside a travel suitcase or inside a wardrobe to perform ultraviolet sterilization on various items including clothing, thereby preventing infectious diseases by removing infectious agents such as bacteria, SARS, Covid, and other viruses.

[0110] Although the present invention has been illustrated and described with respect to specific embodiments, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and changes to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. Explanation of the symbols

[0111] 100, 100-1: UV sterilizer 110F: Front housing 110B: Rear housing 112: Ventilation hole 114: Speaker hole 116: Lamp hole 120: Strap bracket 125: Strap 130: UV lamp 135: Lamp PCB 138: PCB Bracket 140: Lamp Cover 150: Main PCB 152: Charging port 154: Power button 156: Indicator 158: Power supply socket 160: Battery 170: No fan 180: Speaker 190: Light sensor

Claims

Claim 1 A UV sterilizer comprising: a housing having an internal space; a UV lamp installed in the internal space and emitting ultraviolet light to the outside of the housing; a battery installed in the internal space and providing operating power to the UV lamp; a plurality of illuminance sensors installed in the housing and arranged facing different directions to detect the brightness of the external environment of the housing from different directions; and a main PCB installed in the internal space and having a control processor installed to control the operation of the UV lamp based on the detection signals of the plurality of illuminance sensors, wherein the plurality of illuminance sensors are provided to face two or more different directions among the front, back, left side, and right side of the housing, and the control processor allows the operation of the UV lamp only when the detection signals of all the plurality of illuminance sensors are dark, and if the detection signal of at least one of the plurality of illuminance sensors is bright, it does not allow the UV lamp to be turned on or turns off the UV lamp that is in operation, and even when the power is turned on and the condition is satisfied that the detection signals of all the plurality of illuminance sensors are dark, the UV lamp is not turned on immediately but is turned on after a preset start time has elapsed. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 A UV sterilizer according to claim 1, characterized in that the control processor is configured to turn off the UV lamp even when the detection signals of a plurality of illuminance sensors are all dark, when a preset sterilization time has elapsed from the time the UV lamp is turned on. Claim 4 delete Claim 5 delete Claim 6 delete Claim 7 delete Claim 8 delete Claim 9 delete

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