KR20190001129A - Humidifier and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a humidifier and a control method thereof. The humidifier according to the present invention includes a case, a water tank provided inside the case, and a pollution measuring device for measuring the contamination of water contained in the water tank. The pollution measuring device measures A plurality of pollution measuring units are provided.

Description

HUMIDIFIER AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001]

The present invention relates to a humidifier and a control method thereof.

A humidifier is one of household appliances that emits moisture by discharging moisture into the air to increase humidity in the air.

Such a humidifier includes an ultrasonic humidifier which generates minute droplets such as mist by using ultrasonic vibration by a vibrator, an electric humidifier which generates water by heating water by a heater or electricity, an electric humidifier which generates steam, A hybrid type humidifier having an advantage of an ultrasonic humidifier in which an economical burden is reduced due to a low power consumption, and a vaporization type humidifier which evaporates water by allowing air to pass through a wet filter.

In recent years, a product such as an air washer, which increases the humidity in the air by adding water to the air passing through the rotation of a large number of disks and has moisture, Is being produced.

The humidifier for humidifying air in various ways as described above is provided with a water tank for containing predetermined water. A part of the water contained in the water tank is heated or sprayed into the air, and new water is introduced by a predetermined supply device.

At this time, because the predetermined water is held in the water tank, contamination such as microorganisms may be generated. Such contaminated water may generate bad odor or may be supplied to the air to give the user discomfort.

However, the conventional humidifier is not provided with a device for measuring the contamination, and thus the user can not know whether or not the contamination is present. Accordingly, the user is provided with the instruction to clean the water tank within a predetermined time period regardless of the contamination.

Accordingly, odor or the like is generated during use of the humidifier, which gives the user discomfort and fails to secure reliability.

In order to solve such a problem, the present embodiment is intended to propose a humidifier having a contamination measuring device for measuring contamination in a water tank and a control method thereof.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a humidifier and a control method thereof, which can more accurately measure the degree of contamination by providing a plurality of contamination measuring units for measuring contamination in different ways.

The humidifier according to the present invention includes a case, a water tank provided inside the case, and a pollution measuring device for measuring the contamination of water contained in the water tank. The pollution measuring device measures A plurality of pollution measuring units are provided.

The controller may further include a memory unit for storing the reliability of each of the plurality of pollution measuring units and a controller for determining whether the pollution measuring unit is polluted according to the reliability of each of the pollution measuring units stored in the memory unit.

The control unit may calculate the total pollution degree by adding the pollution degrees calculated by multiplying the measured values measured by the plurality of pollution measurement units with the respective degrees of reliability.

And a display unit for displaying the total pollution degree calculated by the control unit in a stepwise manner.

The controller may calculate the total pollution degree except when the measurement value measured by one of the pollution measurement units is measured outside a predetermined range.

The contamination measuring unit includes a first contamination measuring unit for measuring electrical conductivity of water contained in the water tank, a second pollution measuring unit for measuring turbidity of water contained in the water tank, and a third pollution measuring unit for measuring PH of water contained in the water tank At least two of the parts may be included.

The first reliability by the first pollution measurement unit, the second reliability by the second pollution measurement unit, and the third reliability by the third pollution measurement unit may be further included.

The control method of the humidifier according to the present invention may further include a step of controlling the humidifier to measure the degree of contamination of water contained in the water tank by the pollution measuring device, And the degree of contamination is calculated by multiplying the measured value measured and leveled by the plurality of contamination measuring units and the reliability of each contamination measuring unit to calculate the total pollution degree by adding each pollution degree according to each pollution measuring unit.

Wherein the plurality of contamination measuring units include a first contamination measuring unit having a first reliability, a second contamination measuring unit having a second reliability, and a third contamination measuring unit having a third reliability, 2 < / RTI > reliability and the third reliability may be stored in the memory unit at a predetermined value by an experiment.

Calculating a first contamination degree by multiplying a first measured value measured and leveled by the first contamination measurement section by the first reliability, calculating a second contamination degree measured and leveled by the second contamination measurement section, The third degree of contamination can be calculated by multiplying the third degree of reliability by multiplying the third measured value measured and leveled by the third degree of pollution measuring unit by the third degree of reliability.

The total pollution degree can be calculated by adding the first pollution degree, the second pollution degree, and the third pollution degree.

The total pollution degree calculated by adding each pollution degree can be divided into a plurality of levels and displayed.

According to the proposed embodiment, the humidifier and the control method of the present invention can measure the degree of contamination of the water tank by the pollution measuring device and provide it to the user.

Accordingly, the user can grasp the cleaning timing or the replacement timing of the water tank, thereby providing a trustworthiness.

Particularly, the pollution measuring apparatus is provided with a plurality of pollution measuring units for measuring pollution in different ways, so that the pollution degree can be measured more accurately.

In addition, since the reliability of each contamination measuring unit is stored, it is possible to measure the degree of contamination according to the reliability.

Further, according to the measured degree of contamination, there is an advantage that reliability can be given to the user.

In addition, the pollution measuring device and the decontamination device are disposed in water, and can measure water pollution, so that there is no need to add additional deformation to the installed device.

1 is a view showing a humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view illustrating operation of a humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view showing a control structure of a humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a graph showing measured values of contamination by the apparatus for measuring contamination of a humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a view showing a control flow of a humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. It should be noted that, in adding reference numerals to the constituent elements of the drawings, the same constituent elements are denoted by the same reference symbols as possible even if they are shown in different drawings. In the following description of the embodiments of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the difference that the embodiments of the present invention are not conclusive.

In describing the components of the embodiment of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are intended to distinguish the constituent elements from other constituent elements, and the terms do not limit the nature, order or order of the constituent elements. When a component is described as being "connected", "coupled", or "connected" to another component, the component may be directly connected or connected to the other component, Quot; may be "connected," "coupled," or "connected. &Quot;

In addition, a configuration of a humidifier in which a disk assembly is mounted according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a view showing a humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a view showing a separated humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the humidifier 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention forms an outer shape by a case 10 having a pot shape having a curved outer surface as a whole. Such contours are illustrative and not intended to be limiting.

The case 10 has a predetermined internal space. On the upper surface of the case 10, a water supply assembly 70 having a water supply port 701 for supplying water is positioned, and a base 20 forming a lower outer pipe is positioned on a lower surface. In addition, a discharge port 16 through which the humidified air is discharged is provided outside the water supply assembly 70.

The case 10 includes a front case 11 forming a front surface and a rear case 12 forming a rear surface. The front and rear sides and both sides of the humidifier 1 are formed by the combination of the front case 11 and the rear case 12.

The case 10 includes an upper case 13 forming an upper half outer appearance and a lower case 14 forming a lower half appearance. The upper and lower halves of the humidifier (1) are formed by the coupling of the upper case (13) and the lower case (14).

First, a front, a rear, and both sides of the case 10 are formed by coupling the front case 11 and the rear case 12.

The case 10 is formed to have a predetermined internal space by the engagement of the front case 11 and the rear case 12. The top surface of the case 10 is formed by the water supply assembly 70, An outer appearance is formed by the base (20).

The upper case 13 and the lower case 14 are coupled to each other to form an upper half portion and a lower half portion of the case 10, And the upper case 13 and the lower case 14 are detachably coupled to each other by a coupling of the case 14.

This is to facilitate separation of a disk assembly or a water tank to be described later by separating the case 10 in the vertical direction.

In addition, the rear case 12 is provided with a suction port 12a for providing a passage through which external air flows. The suction port 12a is formed in a grill shape to filter foreign substances contained in the intake air.

The suction port 12a may further include a suction filter (not shown) for filtering foreign substances in the air that is sucked into the inner space of the case 10 through the suction port 12a.

The base 20 forms the bottom surface of the humidifier 1 and is detachably mounted to the case 10. The base 20 is detachably coupled to the case 10 so that the lower surface of the case 10 can be opened through separation of the base 20.

Referring to FIG. 2, the base 20 is formed in a disk shape having an opened top surface, and the bottom surface of the base 20 is formed to be flat. Accordingly, when the humidifier (1) is installed, the base (20) can contact the ground to stably support the case (10).

A base plate 21 is positioned on the opened upper surface of the base 20 and a water tank 30 is positioned on the upper side of the base plate 21. At this time, the water tank 30 is supported by the base plate 21.

A center portion of the base plate 21 is formed to be depressed downwardly, and a seating portion 21a for seating the water tub 30 is formed. The water tank 30 is seated on the seat portion 21a, and the vibration of the water tank 30 can be reduced.

At this time, the upper surface of the seating part 21a may be formed to correspond to the lower surface of the water tub 30. [ Accordingly, the water tank 30 can be stably supported while the lower surface of the water tank 30 is seated on the seating part 21a.

A drain hole (not shown) may be formed in the base plate 21 to allow water to be leaked from the water tank 20 to the base 20. This is to allow the user to empty the water overflowing by draining the water to the base 20 when the humidifier 1 moves or the water overflows due to the detachment of the water tank 30.

The water tank 30 has a predetermined inner space and is formed in the shape of a cylinder whose upper surface is opened. Water for humidifying the air sucked through the suction port 12a is received in the inner space of the water tub 30. [

The water tank 30 is located at the lower end of the inner space of the case 10 and is supported by the base 20 or the base plate 21. The water tank 30 corresponds to the center of gravity of the humidifier 1 and plays a role of allowing the humidifier 1 to stand in a stable state when water is received in the water tank 30 It is also said.

A water level sensor (not shown) for sensing the water level of the water contained in the water tank 30 may be mounted inside the water tank 30. The water level detected by the water level sensor (not shown) .

At least a part of the disk assembly 40 is accommodated in the inner space of the water tub 30. The disk assembly 40 performs a function of supplying moisture to the air sucked through the suction port 12a while rotating.

The water storage tank 30 is formed with a disc receiving portion 31 (see FIG. 3) for receiving the disc assembly 40 downwardly. Specifically, the disk accommodating portion 31 is formed to be depressed downwardly corresponding to the lower end of the disk assembly 40 so as to accommodate the lower end of the disk assembly 40. The disk receiving portion 31 is formed so as to be able to cooperate with the bottom surface of the inner space of the base plate 21 or the base 20.

In addition, the disk receiving portion 31 has a shape corresponding to the seating portion 21a formed on the base plate 21 as well. Accordingly, the seating part 21a and the disk accommodation part 31 can be formed with each other when the water tub 30 is mounted.

The disk assembly 40 includes a rotating shaft 41 having a predetermined length as a whole and a plurality of disks 42 coupled to the rotating shaft 41 in the longitudinal direction. The disk 42 is formed in the form of a disk having a predetermined oil, and the surface of the disk 42 is formed with irregularities or patterns that can form water.

The plurality of discs 42 are axially coupled to the rotary shaft 41 so that the rotary shaft 41 passes through the center. In addition, each of the disks 42 is arranged to be spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval so as to provide a passage through which the air passes.

The plurality of discs 42 are rotated by the rotation shaft 41 to supply water to the air flowing in the inner space of the water tub 30. By the supply of the water, the flow air is discharged to the outside through the discharge port 16 in a humidified state, thereby increasing the humidity of the space in which the humidifier 1 is installed.

A drive disc 43 for transmitting power for rotating the rotary shaft 41 is disposed in the disc assembly 40. The driving disc 43 is formed in a disc shape having a predetermined thickness and is axially coupled to the rotating shaft 41 so that the center portion passes through the rotating shaft 41.

The driving disc 43 may be disposed on the outer side of the disc 42 located at the outermost side of the plurality of discs 42. That is, the drive discs 43 are disposed at both ends of the rotary shaft 41, and a plurality of the discs 42 are positioned between the drive discs 43.

The plurality of discs 42 that are axially coupled to the rotating shaft 41 can rotate while the rotating shaft 41 that is axially coupled by the rotation of the driving disc 43 rotates. By rotating the plurality of discs 42, moisture can be supplied to the air flowing between the discs 42.

The teeth of the teeth of the drive disc 43 are formed on the circumferential surface of the drive disc 43. The teeth of the teeth are engaged with teeth formed on the circumferential surface of the drive gear 44 positioned above the drive disc 43.

The drive gear 44 is rotated by the rotational power provided by the disk motor 45 by axial coupling with the disk motor 45 located on one side. Then, the drive disc 43, which is engaged with the teeth by the rotation of the drive gear 44, is rotated. As a result, the rotating shaft 41 rotates and the plurality of disks 42 are rotated.

At least a part of the disk 42 is located at a height corresponding to the suction port 12a so that external air sucked through the suction port 12a flows through the plurality of disks 42 .

At this time, a plurality of the discs 42 are submerged in the water, and the water stored in the water tub 30 is repeatedly inserted and removed according to the rotation of the rotation shaft 41, Water present on the surface can be spontaneously vaporized by the air introduced through the suction port 12a.

In this way, the water vaporization action is more effectively performed by the rotation of the plurality of disks 42, and the water vapor can be continuously performed.

The drive gear 44 and the disk motor 45 are located in the inner space of the upper case 13 and the drive disk 43 is located in the lower case 14, The driving disc 43 and the driving gear 44 can transmit power to the driving disc 43 while engaging the teeth formed on the outer surface by engaging the driving disc 43 and the lower case 14 together.

An air guide 15 is mounted on an upper portion of the disk assembly 40, specifically, a side adjacent to the suction port 12a. The air guide 15 allows the air sucked through the suction port 12a to pass through the disk assembly 40 so that the suction air can be more efficiently humidified.

An inner case 50 is disposed above the disc assembly 40. The inner case 50 is configured to guide the flow of air while accommodating the fan motor assembly 60. The inner case 50 functions to guide the water supplied from the upper side of the case 10 toward the inner space of the water tub 30.

That is, the inner case 50 may be divided into a portion for guiding movement of water to be supplied and a portion for guiding the flow of air passing through the disc assembly 40.

At this time, the portion for guiding the movement of the water to be supplied to the inner case 50 has a larger diameter than the portion for guiding the flow of the humidified air.

A fan motor assembly (60) is disposed inside the inner case (50). The fan motor assembly 60 includes a fan motor 61 generating a rotational power by an applied power source and a blowing fan 62 axially coupled to a rotating shaft of the fan motor 61.

The air blowing fan 62 performs a function of sucking the outside air of the case 10 into the internal space of the case 10 through the rotational movement. That is, the inner space of the case 10 has a suction force due to the rotational movement of the blowing fan 62. By this suction force, the outside air of the case 10 is sucked into the internal space of the case 10 through the suction port 12a.

The air blowing fan 62 is formed to suck air in the axial direction while blowing air in the circumferential direction while rotating. The air blown in the circumferential direction flows upward along the inner surface of the inner case 50 by the structure of the blowing fan 62.

Although the type of the blowing fan 62, the shape of the blade, and the like are not disclosed in detail, a fan formed to suck air in the axial direction by the rotational motion and to discharge in the circumferential direction may be variously applied. There is no restriction.

The water supply assembly 70 is positioned above the fan motor assembly 60. The water supply assembly 70 includes a water supply guide 71 located on the upper side of the fan motor assembly 60, a guide cover 72 mounted on the upper surface of the water supply guide 71, And a water supply case 73 in which the water supply port 701 is formed at a central portion thereof.

A display unit 80 is provided between the water supply case 73 and the guide cover 72 to display the operating state of the humidifier 1 and to operate the humidifier 1 Can be formed.

An upper surface of the case 10 is formed by an upper surface of the water supply assembly 70. The water supply case 73 is formed of at least a part of a transparent material so that the user can operate the display unit 80 or the user can recognize various information displayed on the display unit 80.

The display unit 80 may include a display for displaying the operating state of the humidifier 1 by an operation of a plurality of electrical components and an operation unit for inputting a direct operation by a user. In addition, the display unit 80 may be provided with a plurality of control parts including a PCB for controlling the operation of the humidifier 1.

The display unit 80 is configured to allow the user to check the operating state or operating condition of the humidifier 1 through the display when the display is turned on by the application of power.

In addition, the operation unit may be formed in a touch screen manner so as to receive a user's operation by a sensor for detecting a change in capacitance or sensing contact, and a separate operation unit may be printed, .

The humidifier 1 according to the present invention is provided with a contamination measuring device 100 for measuring the degree of contamination of water contained in the water bath 30. [ As shown in FIG. 2, the pollution measuring apparatus 100 may be provided on one side of the water tub 30. As shown in FIG. The position of the pollution measuring apparatus 100 may be arranged at various positions as an example.

The operation of the humidifier 1 will be described in detail based on the above-described configuration.

3 is a view illustrating operation of a humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 shows a cross section of the humidifier to illustrate the flow of air and the operation of the humidifier.

As shown in FIG. 3, the fan motor 61 generates rotational power by an applied power source, and a flow of air is generated as the blowing fan 62 rotates.

The thick arrows shown in FIG. 3 illustrate the flow of air. More specifically, air is sucked into the inner space of the case 10 through the suction port 12a. The air sucked into the inner space of the case 10 passes through the plurality of discs 42 and flows upward toward the blowing fan 62. The air flowing into the center of the blowing fan 62 is discharged to the outer space of the case 10 through the discharge port 16 formed on the upper surface of the case 10.

On the other hand, the plurality of disks 42 are rotated by a power source applied to the disk motor 45.

At this time, since the lower portion of the plurality of disks 42 is in a state of being submerged in the water contained in the water tank 30, water stored in the water tank 30 is repeatedly taken in and out according to the rotation. Accordingly, predetermined moisture exists on the surface of the disk 42 and can be spontaneously vaporized by the air introduced through the suction port 12a.

That is, the air sucked into the inner space of the case 10 can be humidified through the plurality of discs 42. The humidified air is discharged to the outside and the predetermined space can be humidified.

At this time, the water tank 30 is maintained in a state where water of a certain water level is accommodated. More specifically, at least a part of the water contained in the water tank 30 is supplied to the air by the plurality of disks 42 to be evaporated, and water is supplied to the water tank 30 through the water supply port 701.

In addition, a water level sensor (not shown) is provided in the water tank 30 to measure the water level of water contained in the water tank 30. Water may be supplied through the water supply port 701 so that the measured water level is maintained at a predetermined level.

Further, the contamination measuring apparatus 100 measures the contamination of the water contained in the water tub 30. Hereinafter, the contamination determination by the pollution measurement apparatus 100 will be described in detail.

4 is a view showing a control structure of a humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, the humidifier 1 according to the present invention is provided with a controller 200 for controlling the above-described structures. The control unit 200 may be provided in the form of a control box containing a PCB or the like, and may be disposed inside the case 10.

The control unit 200 may issue a command to apply power to the fan motor 61 and the disk motor 45 or may receive and measure information measured by the level sensor (not shown).

The humidifier 1 may be provided with a decontamination device 220 for removing contaminants from the water tank 30. The controller 200 may drive the decontamination device 220. [ For example, the decontamination apparatus 200 may be provided to irradiate ultraviolet rays with water contained in the water tank 30. [

The controller 200 may determine the degree of contamination based on the measured value of the pollution measuring device 100 and may visualize the degree of contamination on the display unit 80.

As shown in FIG. 4, the pollution measuring apparatus 100 is provided with a plurality of pollution measuring units 110, 120, and 130. Although Fig. 4 shows three contamination measuring units, it is not limited thereto.

At this time, the plurality of pollution measuring units 110, 120, and 130 are provided to measure pollution in different ways. Hereinafter, a method of measuring the contamination of the water contained in the water tank 30 by each contamination measuring unit will be described.

The first contamination measuring unit 110 is provided to measure electrical conductivity. In the presence of bacteria or the like in the water, the ions are increased in activity for obtaining energy. As the ion in water increases, the electrical conductivity tends to increase. Accordingly, it is possible to measure whether the water contained in the water tank 30 is polluted or not.

For example, the first contamination measuring unit 110 may include a temperature sensor and a circuit for measuring electrical conductivity.

The second contamination measuring unit 120 is provided to measure the turbidity of water. When bacteria or their carcasses are present in the water, the transparency of the water is lowered and the turbidity of the water is increased.

In particular, biofilms are formed by the action of various microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, algae, viruses, and the secretion of polysaccharide sticky substances. Inside the biofilm, various microorganisms such as iron, sulfur, nitrogen bacteria, algae, actinomycetes and the like can be grown, thereby generating a malodor.

For example, the second contamination measuring unit 120 may include an optical sensor such as a proximity sensor or an RGB sensor.

The third contamination measuring unit 130 is provided to measure PH of water. PH is changed when foreign substances such as bacteria are present in the water. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether the water contained in the water tank 30 is contaminated by measuring the change in pH of the water.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing measured values of contamination by the apparatus for measuring contamination of a humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, the values measured by the respective pollution measuring units are shown in a single graph.

In FIG. 5, predetermined water is contained in the water tank 30 or a container capable of containing water, and the contamination is measured at predetermined time intervals. The predetermined time interval was experimented to have four measurement values of 1 day, 2 days, 3 days and 4 days in one day (day).

The 'line A' in FIG. 5 means the number of bacteria. For example, the number of bacteria can be measured with an observation device by acquiring a part of predetermined water. The number of bacteria measured tends to increase explosively at 4 days.

'B line' in FIG. 5 means electrical conductivity. Specifically, it refers to the total sum of the cations and anions in the water (TDS, Total Dissolved Solid), which is a value obtained by measuring the electrical conductivity. This corresponds to the value measured by the first pollution measuring unit 110, and it tends to greatly increase at 4 days as in the case of bacteria.

'C line' in FIG. 5 means PH. This corresponds to the value measured by the third pollution measuring unit 130 and tends to increase gradually.

The 'D line' in FIG. 5 means turbidity. This corresponds to the value measured by the second pollution measuring unit 120, and it tends to decrease on the 3rd day, but to increase as a whole.

As described above, the measured values of the first to third contamination measuring units 110, 120, and 130 tend to be similar to the number of bacteria. That is, the number of bacteria can be deduced through the first to third contamination measuring units 110, 120, and 130 to determine the degree of contamination.

However, in detail, each pollution measuring part shows slightly different tendency. For example, in the graph shown in FIG. 5, the 'B line' measured by the first contamination measuring unit 110 shows a tendency to approximately match the number of bacteria, but the ' D line 'tend to be somewhat discordant with the number of bacteria.

That is, in some cases, it may not be possible to accurately measure the degree of contamination in each contamination measuring unit. In order to compensate for this, the humidifier 1 according to the present invention determines the degree of contamination according to the reliability of each contamination measuring unit.

The reliability is a value previously stored by an experiment, and the humidifier 1 further includes a memory unit 210 for storing the reliability of each contamination measuring unit. Referring to FIG. 4, the controller 200 may determine the degree of contamination according to the reliability stored in the memory 210.

For example, the reliability of the first pollution measurement unit 110 is 70%, the reliability of the second pollution measurement unit 120 is 20%, the third pollution measurement unit 130 is installed in the memory unit 210, Can be stored at 10%.

The sum of the reliability of each of the pollution measurement units is stored to be 100%, and the reliability can be stored differently depending on the number and configuration of the pollution measurement units. In addition, reliability can be judged differently depending on experimental values according to various situations even in the same contamination measuring part.

In addition, the reliability of living microorganisms and the reliability of all microorganisms, including dead bodies, can be judged differently. In addition, the controller 200 determines the degree of contamination for each case, and operates the decontamination device 220 when there are many living microorganisms, and displays a cleaning alarm on the display unit 80 when there are many microorganisms .

Hereinafter, an example of a control method of the humidifier according to such a control structure will be described in detail.

6 is a view showing a control flow of a humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 6, the contamination degree of the water contained in the water tank 30 is measured by the pollution measuring apparatus 100 (S230). At this time, the pollution degree is measured immediately before the operation of the humidifier 1 to prevent contaminated water from being supplied to the air. In addition, the measurement of the degree of contamination may be performed at predetermined intervals during the operation of the humidifier 1.

Accordingly, the contamination is measured in each of the pollution measuring units 110, 120, and 130 (S240). At this time, a plurality of pollution measuring units are provided and may be provided in various numbers and combinations. Hereinafter, the case where the first to third contamination measuring units 110, 120, and 130 described above are provided will be described.

The first contamination measuring unit 110 measures the electrical conductivity to obtain a first measured value. The second contamination measuring unit 120 measures turbidity to obtain a second measured value, and the third pollution measuring unit 130 measures PH to obtain a third measured value.

At this time, each measured value corresponds to a value that is leveled by the same standard. For example, the measured value may be a value that is changed from the initial measured value, and may range from 0 to 10.

The measured values are multiplied by the reliability stored in the memory unit 210, and the pollution degrees are calculated (S250). In more detail, the first contamination degree is calculated by multiplying the first measured value by the first reliability according to the first pollution measurement unit 110. The second degree of contamination is calculated by multiplying the second measured value by the second degree of reliability, and the third degree of contamination is calculated by multiplying the third measured value by the third degree of reliability.

Each of the pollution degrees thus calculated is added to calculate the total pollution degree (S260). That is, the total pollution degree corresponds to the sum of the first pollution degree, the second pollution degree, and the third pollution degree.

The calculated total pollution level is displayed on the display unit 80 (S270). The display unit 80 may divide the pollution degree into a plurality of steps and numerically display the degree of pollution. For example, the total pollution degree is calculated as a value of 0 or more and 10 or less, and the display unit 80 can display a clean stage when the total pollution degree is 2 or less.

Also, the display unit 80 can inform the user that cleaning is required when the total pollution degree is 8 or more. In this manner, as the degree of contamination is specifically visualized, it is possible to relieve the user of the contamination and actively remove the contamination.

In particular, contamination can be more accurately measured by a plurality of pollution measuring units 110, 120, and 130 that measure pollution in different ways. Also, when any one of the measured values is measured outside a predetermined range, the control unit 200 can determine the measurement value. Accordingly, even if any one of the contamination measuring units is malfunctioned, the contamination degree can be measured relatively accurately.

1: Humidifier 10: Case
30: Water tank 80:
100: Pollution measurement device 110: First pollution measurement part
120: second pollution measuring unit 130: third pollution measuring unit
200: control unit 210: memory unit
220: decontamination device

Claims (12)

case;
A water tank installed inside the case; And
And a contamination measuring device for measuring the contamination of the water contained in the water tank,
In the contamination measuring device,
Wherein a plurality of contamination measuring units for measuring contamination in different ways are provided. The method according to claim 1,
A memory unit for storing reliability of each of the plurality of pollution measuring units; And
And a control unit for determining whether the pollution measuring unit is polluted according to the reliability of each of the pollution measuring units stored in the memory unit. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the controller calculates the total pollution degree by adding the pollution degrees calculated by multiplying the measured values measured by the plurality of pollution measuring units by the respective reliability values. The method of claim 3,
And a display unit for displaying the total pollution degree calculated by the control unit in a stepwise manner. The method of claim 3,
Wherein,
Wherein the total pollution degree is calculated when the measurement value measured by any one of the pollution measurement units is measured outside a predetermined range. The method according to claim 1,
In the contamination measuring unit,
A first contamination measuring unit for measuring electrical conductivity of water contained in the water tank;
A second contamination measuring unit for measuring the turbidity of water contained in the water tank; And
A third contamination measuring unit for measuring PH of water contained in the water tank; Wherein the at least two of the at least two of the at least two of the at least two of the plurality of the at least two of the at least two of the at least two of the at least two. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the memory further stores a first reliability by the first pollution measurement unit, a second reliability by the second pollution measurement unit, and a third reliability by the third pollution measurement unit. A control method of a humidifier for measuring the degree of pollution of water contained in a water tank by a pollution measuring device,
Wherein the plurality of contamination measuring units provided in the pollution measuring apparatus measure pollution in different ways,
Calculating a degree of contamination by multiplying the measured value measured and leveled by the plurality of contamination measuring units and the reliability of each contamination measuring unit,
A control method of a humidifier for calculating a total pollution degree by adding pollution degrees according to pollution measurement units. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the plurality of contamination measuring units include:
A first contamination measuring unit having a first reliability;
A second contamination measuring unit having a second reliability; And
And a third contamination measuring unit having a third reliability,
Wherein the first reliability, the second reliability and the third reliability are stored in a memory unit at a predetermined value by an experiment. 10. The method of claim 9,
Calculating a first contamination degree by multiplying a first measured value measured and leveled by the first contamination measurement section by the first reliability,
Calculating a second contamination degree by multiplying the second measured value measured and leveled by the second contamination measurement section by the second reliability,
Wherein the third degree of contamination is calculated by multiplying the third measured value measured and leveled by the third pollution measuring unit by the third degree of reliability. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the total pollution degree is calculated by adding the first pollution degree, the second pollution degree and the third pollution degree. 9. The method of claim 8,
And the total pollution degree calculated by adding each pollution degree is divided into a plurality of steps and displayed.

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