The present disclosure relates to an air purification device and an intelligent management system, and more particularly to an air purification device and an intelligent management system providing improved mobility and convenience for a user.
A conventional air purification device is usually disposed at a fixed location, and although most conventional air purification devices are configured with wheels to be moved around conveniently, a user is usually required to manually move a conventional air purification device to an appropriate corner to have the conventional air purification device perform an air purification procedure.
Therefore, it has become an important issue for the industry to provide an air purification device that is mobile and that provides improved user experiences.
In response to the above-referenced technical inadequacies, the present disclosure provides an air purification device and an intelligent management system.
In one aspect, the present disclosure provides an air purification device that is arranged in a predetermined area. The air purification device includes a control module, a storage module storing a map data corresponding to the predetermined area, a first sensor module including at least one particulate matter sensor, and a moving module electrically connected to the control module. The first sensor module is electrically connected to the control module. The control module obtains a first route according to the map data and drives the moving module to perform an air quality detection procedure at each of a plurality of locations of the predetermined area according to the first route and the at least one particulate matter sensor of the first sensor module, the control module obtains a plurality of air quality parameters of the locations, and the control module generates a second route according to a first sequence of the air quality parameters of the locations. The control module drives the moving module according to the second route, so as to perform a plurality of air purification procedures respectively at the locations in the predetermined area. The control module uses the particulate matter sensor to perform the air quality detection procedures at the locations of the predetermined area, respectively, so as to respectively obtain the air quality parameters of the locations.
In another aspect, the present disclosure also provides an intelligent management system disposed at a predetermined area. The intelligent management system includes a server and an air purification device communicatively connected to the server. The air purification device includes a casing, a control module, a storage module storing a map data corresponding to the predetermined area, a first sensor module including at least one particulate matter sensor, and a moving module electrically connected to the control module. The first sensor module is electrically connected to the control module. The control module obtains a first route according to the map data and drives the moving module to perform an air quality detection procedure at each of a plurality of locations of the predetermined area according to the first route and the at least one particulate matter sensor of the first sensor module, the control module obtains a plurality of air quality parameters of the locations, and the control module generates a second route according to a first sequence of the air quality parameters of the locations. The control module drives the moving module according to the second route, so as to perform a plurality of air purification procedures respectively at the locations in the predetermined area. The control module uses the particulate matter sensor to perform the air quality detection procedures at the locations of the predetermined area, respectively, so as to respectively obtain the air quality parameters of the locations.
One of the beneficial effects of the air purification device and the intelligent management system of the present disclosure is that each of the air purification device and the intelligent management system includes the moving module, which enables movement thereof in the predetermined area. In addition, the air purification device of the present disclosure can perform the air quality detection procedures in the locations in the predetermined area, respectively, so as to determine the sequence of the air purification procedures performed at the locations, respectively, which not only effectively improves the user experience, but also effectively enhances the efficiency of the air purification procedures.
These and other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of the embodiment taken in conjunction with the following drawings and their captions, although variations and modifications therein may be affected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure.
The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
The present disclosure is more particularly described in the following examples that are intended as illustrative only since numerous modifications and variations therein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Like numbers in the drawings indicate like components throughout the views. As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, the meaning of “a”, “an”, and “the” includes plural reference, and the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on”. Titles or subtitles can be used herein for the convenience of a reader, which shall have no influence on the scope of the present disclosure.
The terms used herein generally have their ordinary meanings in the art. In the case of conflict, the present document, including any definitions given herein, will prevail. The same thing can be expressed in more than one way. Alternative language and synonyms can be used for any term(s) discussed herein, and no special significance is to be placed upon whether a term is elaborated or discussed herein. A recital of one or more synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The use of examples anywhere in this specification including examples of any terms is illustrative only, and in no way limits the scope and meaning of the present disclosure or of any exemplified term. Likewise, the present disclosure is not limited to various embodiments given herein. Numbering terms such as “first”, “second” or “third” can be used to describe various components, signals or the like, which are for distinguishing one component/signal from another one only, and are not intended to, nor should be construed to impose any substantive limitations on the components, signals or the like.
References are made to
Referring to
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The control module 11 is electrically connected to the deodorization module 12, the communication module 13, the power module 14, the moving module 15, the storage module 16, the first sensor module 17, the map analysis module 18, and the second sensor module 19.The power module 14 provide driving power to the control module 11, the deodorization module 12, the communication module 13, the moving module 15, the storage module 16, the first sensor module 17, the map analysis module 18, and the second sensor module 19. The storage module 16 stores a map data corresponding to the predetermined area. The control module 11 can be a central processing unit (CPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a microprocessor (MCU). The storage module 16 can be a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an electrically rewritable read-only memory, an erasable programmable read-only memory, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory.
The control module 11, the communication module 13, the power module 14, the storage module 16, and the map analysis module 18 are disposed inside the casing 10. The first sensor module 17 is disposed inside or on an outer side of the casing 10. The moving module 15 is disposed on a bottom side of the casing 10.
Referring to
The moving unit 152 includes a plurality of steering gears, a plurality of wheels, or a plurality of crawler belts, and the motor 151 is connected to the moving unit 152, such that the air purification device 1 can move in all directions.
In this embodiment, the first sensor module 17 includes a particulate matter sensor 171 (PM2.5 sensor) and an olfactory gas sensor 172. Both the particulate matter sensor 171 (PM2.5 sensor) and the olfactory gas sensor 172 of the first sensor module 17 are electrically connected to the control module 11. The first sensor module 17 can further include a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor. The air purification device 1 can periodically transmit a plurality of environmental parameters (i.e., brightness, temperature, and humidity) to the server 2, to continuously monitor the environment of the predetermined area. In addition, the server 2 can be connected to other intelligent electrical appliances, such as lighting devices, audio equipment, humidifiers, and air-conditioners, within the predetermined area. Furthermore, the server 2 can adjust another plurality of environmental parameters of the predetermined area according to the environmental parameters of the air purification device 1.
The second sensor module 19 includes at least one of an infrared sensor 191 or a laser ranging sensor 192.
The second sensor module can further include at least one of a gyroscope sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, an optical sensor, an infrared sensor, a laser ranging sensor, an olfactory gas sensor, a weight sensor, and an image capture sensor. In other embodiments, the gyroscope sensor and the geomagnetic sensor are used to confirm whether or not the casing 10 of the air purification device 1 is tilted when moving around.
The laser ranging sensor 192 or the infrared sensor 191 of the second sensor module 19 is disposed on the outer side of the casing 10. In this embodiment, the second sensor module 19 can include two laser ranging sensors 192 and two infrared sensors 191, which are respectively disposed on a top side and a bottom side of the casing 10. Although the map data (two-dimensional map) and the route are provided for guidance, since the air purification device 1 has a certain height, sensors are respectively disposed on the top side and the bottom side of the casing 10 to avoid obstacles with different heights that are portrayed in the map data.
Since the infrared sensor 191 or the laser ranging sensor 192 of the second sensor module 19 are used to measure the predetermined area in this embodiment, a size of the predetermined area is first recorded. Afterwards, the obstacles or the furnishings in the predetermined area can be measured. After the size of the predetermined area is recorded, coordinates of the predetermined area can be analyzed and established. The resolution of the coordinates can be determined by a minimum moving distance of the moving module 15. In this way, a map of the predetermined area can be used to determine the movement of the air purification device 1. In this embodiment, the map analysis module 18 can be implemented by software, firmware, or hardware. In terms of firmware or hardware, the map analysis module 18 can be implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In terms of software, the map analysis module 18 can be processed through using a software program that is paired with the server 2 or the control module 11.
References are made to
The control module 11 obtains a first route PATH1 according to the map data, and drives the moving module 15 to perform an air quality detection procedure of a plurality of locations L1 to L9 in the predetermined area through the first route PATH1 and the particulate matter sensor 171 of the first sensor module 17, so as to obtain a plurality of air quality parameters of the locations L1 to L9. The control module 11 uses the particulate matter sensor 171 to perform the air quality detection procedures at the locations L1 to L9 in the predetermined area to obtain the air quality parameters at the locations L1 to L9, respectively. The sequence of the first route PATH1 can be set by the user or determined by the air purification device 1 based on an analysis of the map data of the predetermined area. In addition, a plurality of sub-regions H1 to H8 of the predetermined area can be respectively arranged with one or more locations for air quality detection procedures to be performed. In this embodiment, the air purification device 1 sequentially moves from the location L1 to the locations L2 to L9 to perform the air quality detection procedures. In this embodiment, in addition to a detection of an amount of particulate matters, each of the air quality detection procedures also includes a detection of the environmental parameters, such as humidity and temperature. That is, in this embodiment, the air purification device 1 can further include a humidity regulator (not shown in the figures) to adjust the humidity of areas with a lower humidity or a higher humidity.
The air quality parameters of the locations L1 to L9 are mainly based on the amount of particulate matters detected by the particulate matter sensor 171. In this embodiment, the greater the amount of particulate matters, the lower the air quality parameters. The lower the amount of particulate matters, the higher the air quality parameters. The respective air quality parameters of the locations L1 to L9 are arranged in a sequence from low to high. That is, in this embodiment, the air quality parameters are arranged from low to high in a first sequence of the air quality parameters. For example, the first sequence of the respective air quality parameters of the locations L1 to L9 from low to high is: the location L8, the location L7, the location L6, the location L5, the location L4, the location L9, the location L3, the location L1, and the location L2.
Subsequently, referring to
That is to say, the control module 11 drives the moving module 15 according to the second route PATH2 to perform the air purification procedure at each of the locations L1 to L9 in the predetermined area. As mentioned above, the air purification device 1 starts at the location L8, then moves sequentially to the location L7, the location L6, the location L5, the location L4, the location L9, the location L3, the location L1, and finally to the location L2, thereby performing the air purification procedures at different locations.
In this embodiment, the first route PATH1 and the second route PATH2 can both be provided by the map analysis module 18. However, for more complex routes, e.g., routes with more than 10 locations that require the air purification procedures to be performed, the control module 11 will transmit the map data and the locations to the server 2. The server 2 can plan and calculate the route on the map data and data of the locations, and then transmit the calculated route back to the control module 11 of the air purification device 1. Therefore, the control module 11 can drive the air purification device 1 to move according to the calculated route provided by the server 2 and complete the air purification procedure.
In addition, when the first route PATH1 or the second route PATH2 is controlled by the control module 11 to drive the moving module 15, the air purification device 1 is moved to the locations in the predetermined area to perform the air quality detection procedures or the air purification procedures, so that the infrared sensor 191 or the laser ranging sensor 192 of the second sensor module 19 can continuously provide the control module 11 with a moving signal. The moving signal includes distances to the obstacles and changes of the distances. Furthermore, the air purification device 1 can also determine a current moving speed of the moving module 15, and an estimated time of arrival of each of the locations.
Furthermore, when the air purification device 1 performs the air quality detection procedure at each of the locations L1 to L9, the air purification device 1 simultaneously uses the olfactory gas sensor 172 to detect odors, such as a smell of smoke. The olfactory gas sensor 172 can also be set to detect special odors, such as smoke, outdoor exhaust, formaldehyde, alkanes and odors of other chemical gases.
When the olfactory gas sensor 172 detects an odor (a predetermined gas), the olfactory gas sensor 172 sends an odor signal to the control module 11, and the control module 11 turns on the deodorization module 12 according to the odor signal. That is, whether or not the deodorizing module 12 is turned on or not is determined according to whether or not the olfactory gas sensor 172 detects the predetermined gas. In this embodiment, the olfactory gas sensor 172 is provided on the outer side of the casing 10. The deodorization module 12 includes a fan 121 and a deodorization unit 122. The deodorization unit 122 can include deodorization agents, fragrances, essential oils, etc. When the olfactory gas sensor 172 detects a location with the odor, the deodorization module 12 of the air purification device 1 blows the deodorization agent in the deodorization unit 122 to the location with the odor by the fan 121. After a period of time, the control module 11 of the air purification device 1 can perform an odor detection again by the olfactory gas sensor 172. The air purification device 1 can repeatedly perform the odor detection and the deodorization until the odor is eliminated.
In addition, when the olfactory gas sensor 172 detects an odor, the air purification device 1 can transmit an odor information and a location information to the server 2 through the communication module 13. The server 2 can control an air-conditioner at the location with the odor according to the odor information and the location information, so as to have indoor air at the location with the odor rapidly replaced.
Reference is made to
The air purification device 1 in this embodiment can detect heat of the human body via the infrared sensor 191. When people gather as a crowd U at a location, the air purification device 1 can move to the location of the crowd U to perform the air purification procedure according to a detection of the infrared sensor 191.
In this embodiment, the power module 14 is disposed in the casing 10 and is electrically connected to the control module 11. The power module 14 includes a battery unit 141 and a charging unit 142. The battery unit 141 provides a driving power to the control module 11, the deodorization module 12, the communication module 13, the moving module 15, the storage module 16, the first sensor module 17, the map analysis module 18, and the second sensor module 19. The charging unit 142 is electrically connected to the battery unit 141.
When the battery unit 141 has a power lower than a predetermined power value, the control module 11 provides a low power driving signal and a charging route to the moving module 15 according to the map data, such that the air purification device 1 can seek out a charging base according to the charging route and is charged.
The battery unit 141 is a lithium ion battery, a lithium manganese battery, a nickel hydrogen battery, or a lithium ion polymer battery. The charging unit 142 is a wired charging unit or a wireless charging unit. The charging base is a wired power base or a wireless power base. When the charging unit 142 is a wired charging unit, the charging unit 142 may be an alternating current to direct current (AC-DC) voltage converter or a DC-DC voltage converter. When the charging unit 141 is a wireless charging unit, the charging unit 141 includes a wireless charging coil. In addition, the charging unit 141 may include a wired charging unit and a wireless charging unit simultaneously, and adjust and switch the corresponding charging unit according to a detected type of the charging base.
In this embodiment, the air purification device 1 can be communicatively connected with a mobile device 9 or the server 2 through the communication module 13. That is to say, the user can directly send the coordinates of the target location to the air purification device 1 through the mobile device 9 and request the air purification device 1 to move to the target location. On the other hand, the user can also send the coordinates of the target location to the server 2 through the mobile device 9, and the server 2 sends the moving signal to the air purification device 1 to move the air purification device 1 to the target location. Moreover, the server 2 can also provide the map data to the air purification device 1. Furthermore, the server 2 can provide more complex map analysis functions. When the predetermined area is relatively complex and large, a function of route analysis can be performed by the server 2.
In this embodiment, the mobile device 9 can be a smart phone, a tablet computer, a desk computer, a notebook computer, or a wearable electronic device.
In this embodiment, the communication module 13 includes a wired communication unit (not shown in the figures) and a wireless communication unit (not shown in the figures). The wired communication unit (not shown in the figures) can work in cooperation with the power module 14, and be communicatively connected with the power module 14 through wires. The wired communication unit (not shown in the figures) can also be arranged independently to be communicatively connected with the server 2, and receive the control signal of the server 2 or data in a database.
The wireless communication unit (not shown in the figures) can be a WI-FI® communication unit, a BLUETOOTH communication unit, a ZIGBEE® communication unit, a LoRa communication unit, a Sigfox communication unit, or an NB-IoT communication unit.
Reference is made to
In the sub-regions H1 to H8 of the predetermined area, the particulate matter sensors PM1 to PM6 can also be arranged to be connected to the server 2 through wireless communication. The particulate matter sensors PM1 to PM6 in the sub-regions H1 to H8 can periodically transmit the respective air quality parameters of the sub-regions H1 to H8 to the server 2. The server 2 can select one or more of the sub-regions H1 to H8, plan a route for the one or more selected sub-regions, and provide the route for the one or more selected sub-regions to the air purification device 1 according to the respective air quality parameters of the one or more selected sub-regions. The air purification device 1 then moves to each of the one or more selected sub-regions to perform the air purification procedure according to the one or more selected sub-regions provided by the server 2. In addition, the server 2 can also directly provide the respective air quality parameters of the sub-regions H1 to H8 to the air purification device 1, such that the control module 11 and the map analysis module 18 of the air purification device 1 are able to plan a route autonomously.
One of the beneficial effects of the air purification device and the intelligent management system of the present disclosure is that each of the air purification device and the intelligent management system includes the moving module, which enables movement thereof in the predetermined area. In addition, the air purification device of the present disclosure can perform the air quality detection procedures in the locations in the predetermined area, respectively, so as to determine the sequence of the air purification procedures performed at the locations, respectively, which not only effectively improves the user experience, but also effectively enhances the efficiency of the air purification procedures.
The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure has been presented only for the purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.
The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the disclosure and their practical application so as to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the disclosure and various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from its spirit and scope. 17
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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202021088927.2 | Jun 2020 | CN | national |
This application claims priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/939,716 filed on Nov. 25, 2019, and China Patent Application No. 202021088927.2, filed on Jun. 12, 2020 in People's Republic of China. The entire content of each of the above identified applications is incorporated herein by reference. Some references, which may include patents, patent applications and various publications, may be cited and discussed in the description of this disclosure. The citation and/or discussion of such references is provided merely to clarify the description of the present disclosure and is not an admission that any such reference is “prior art” to the disclosure described herein. All references cited and discussed in this specification are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties and to the same extent as if each reference was individually incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62939716 | Nov 2019 | US |