Particle sensing device and air conditioner including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10209198-B2
Application number	US-201615185512-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 17, 2016
Priority date	Jun 19, 2015
Publication date	Feb 19, 2019
Grant date	Feb 19, 2019

Abstract

A particle sensing device and an air conditioner including a sensor has a sensing path through which air passes, a flow path housing which accommodates the sensor and guides air, and a flow path switching device to all air suctioned from the outside is guided to the sensing path, or some of the air suctioned from the outside and moving flows back in an obliquely upward direction and flows into the sensing path.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A particle sensing device comprising:
a sensor including a sensing path through which air passes; and
a flow path housing which accommodates the sensor and guides air suctioned into the flow path housing from an outside, wherein
in a first operational state of the particle sensing device, all of the air suctioned from the outside is guided to the sensing path, and
in a second operational state of the particle sensing device, only a portion of the air suctioned from the outside flows into the sensing path, after changing flow direction inside the flow path housing to flow in an obliquely upward direction to reach the sensing path.

2. The particle sensing device of claim 1 , wherein the sensor includes:
a light generator, provided at one side of the sensing path, to generate light; and
a light receiver, provided at another side of the sensing path so as to face the light generator, to receive the light.

3. The particle sensing device of claim 1 , wherein
the flow path housing includes:
a suction port through which external air is suctioned into the flow path housing;
a discharge port through which air is discharged to the outside;
a first suction path which guides air into the sensing path in a first direction when connected to the sensing path; and
a second suction path which guides air into the sensing path in a second direction when connected to the sensing path,

the particle sensing device further comprises a flow path switching device that selectively guides air to the sensing path from any one of the first suction path and the second suction path, by selectively connecting the sensing path to the any one of the first suction path and the second suction path, and
the flow path switching device connects the sensing path to the first and second suction paths to implement the first operational state and the second operational state, respectively.

4. The particle sensing device of claim 3 , wherein
the flow path housing includes a bypass path which extends downward, and guides air to bypass the first suction path to be discharged through the discharge port, and
the second suction path is connected to the bypass path and extends obliquely upward with respect to the bypass path.

5. The particle sensing device of claim 3 , wherein
the flow path switching device includes a driving motor to rotate the sensor, and
the sensing path is connected to any one of the first suction path and the second suction path according to a rotational position of the sensor.

6. The particle sensing device of claim 5 , wherein
the first direction and the second direction form an angle of about 90°, and
rotation of the sensor by about 90° causes a suction path connected to the sensing path to change from one of the first suction path and the suction path to another of the first and second suction paths.

7. The particle sensing device of claim 5 , wherein the flow path housing further includes:
a first discharge path connected to the sensing path when the sensing path is connected to the first suction path; and
a second discharge path connected to the sensing path when the sensing path is connected to the second suction path.

8. The particle sensing device of claim 7 , further comprising:
a rotating housing rotatably installed in the flow path housing, provided with the sensor therein, and including:
a suction guide which guides air suctioned into the sensing path;
a discharge guide which guides air discharged from the sensing path;
a first cap which closes any one of the first suction path and the second discharge path; and
a second cap which closes any one of the second suction path and the first discharge path.

9. The particle sensing device of claim 1 , wherein
the flow path housing includes:
a suction port through which external air is suctioned into the flow path housing;
a discharge port through which air is discharged to the outside;
a first suction path which guides air toward the sensor in a first direction;
a second suction path which guides air toward the sensor in a second direction;
a discharge path which guides air passing through the sensing path to the discharge port; and
a bypass path which guides air to the discharge port by bypassing the first suction path,

the particle sensing device further comprises a flow path switching device including a damper which selectively closes one of the first suction path and the bypass path, and
the damper closes the bypass path and the first suction path to implement the first operational state and the second operational state, respectively.

10. The particle sensing device of claim 9 , wherein the damper includes:
a first cap which closes the first suction path; and
a second cap which closes the bypass path.

11. The particle sensing device of claim 9 , wherein
the damper is rotatably installed in the flow path housing, and
the flow path switching device includes a driving motor to rotate the damper.

12. The particle sensing device of claim 1 , wherein
the flow path housing includes:
a suction port through which external air is suctioned into the flow path housing;
a discharge port through which air is discharged to the outside;
a main flow path which connects the suction port and the discharge port; and
a sub-flow path which guides air passing through the sensing path to the discharge port, and

the particle sensing device further comprises a flow path switching device including a damper which is rotatably installed in the flow path housing and guides air passing through the main flow path to pass through at least the sensing path between the discharge port and the sensing path.

13. The particle sensing device of claim 12 , wherein
the main flow path extends in a direction perpendicular to the sensing path,
the damper includes:
a guide path which obliquely extends with respect to the main flow path, and guides at least some air passing through the main flow path to the sensing path; and
a cap which selectively blocks air from flowing to the discharge port from the main flow path according to a rotation angle of the damper, and

the cap selectively blocks and permits air from flowing to the discharge port from the main flow path to implement the first operational state and the second operational state, respectively.

14. An air conditioner comprising the particle sensing device of claim 1 .

15. A particle sensing device comprising:
a sensor including a sensing path through which air passes;
a flow path housing which accommodates the sensor and guides air; and
a blower unit which causes external air to pass through the sensing path and be discharged to the outside,
wherein the flow path housing includes:
a suction port through which air is suctioned;
a suction path which vertically extends and guides air suctioned from the outside;
a guide path which extends obliquely upward from the suction path and guides air to the sensing path;
a particle discharge port provided at a lower side of the suction path and configured to discharge particles; and
an air discharge port through which air having passed through the sensing path is discharged.

16. The particle sensing device of claim 15 , wherein the blower unit is configured to suction air at a first speed and at a second speed faster than the first speed.

17. A particle sensing device comprising:
a sensor including a sensing path through which air passes;
a first suction path which guides air including fine particles into the sensing path in a first direction; and
a second suction

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Oh Seung Won
• Kim Kwon Jin
• Kim Jin-Gyun
• Seo Hyeong Joon
• Son Sun-Hee
• Song Woo Seog
• Choi Kang Ho
• Kim Nak Hyun
• Kim Young-Jae
• Kim Ji Hong
• Kim Hyun Ah
• Jeong Se Kwan

Classifications

• G01N2021/8557

  Special shaping of flow, e.g. using a by-pass line, jet flow, curtain flow · CPC title

• G01N21/85 Primary

  Investigating moving fluids or granular solids · CPC title

• G01N15/0205 Primary

  by optical means · CPC title

• G01N2015/0046

  in gas, e.g. smoke · CPC title

• G01N15/06

  Investigating concentration of particle suspensions (by weighing G01N5/00; investigating sedimentation of particle suspensions G01N15/04; investigating individual particles G01N15/10) · CPC title