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US 12,708,498 B2Granted
Cleaning unit for a surface cleaning device
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips N.V.
InventorsJingliang Mao, Sungsoo Lee
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A surface cleaning means is proposed based on the combined use of ultrasound and radiofrequency electromagnetic emissions, propagated onto a surface to be cleaned, to provide synergistic cleaning action. One aspect provides a cleaning unit which comprises a body which includes an ultrasound transducer arrangement and an RF emitter arrangement, and wherein the two are arranged such that, when driven by respective drive signals, ultrasonic and RF emissions (for providing a cleaning action) are generated which overlap in a common spatial region, to thereby provide combined cleaning action in the common spatial region. One example application is for use for oral cleaning.
Claims14
A cleaning unit for a surface cleaning device, the cleaning unit comprising:
- a body;
- an arrangement of protrusions or cleaning elements on a face of the body, for making operative contact with a surface-to-be-cleaned during use, for enabling a mechanical cleaning action;
- an ultrasound transducer arrangement carried by the body, the transducer arrangement comprising one or more ultrasonic transducers adapted to generate ultrasonic emissions responsive to one or more drive signals;
- an electromagnetic emitter arrangement carried by the body, the electromagnetic emitter arrangement adapted to generate radio frequency electromagnetic emissions responsive to supply of a radiofrequency drive signal;
- wherein the ultrasound transducer arrangement and the emitter arrangement are arranged for generation of ultrasonic emissions and EM emissions which overlap spatially, to permit simultaneous ultrasound and RF stimulation of a surface-to-be-cleaned,
- wherein the body comprises an acoustic wave directing element arranged to receive the ultrasonic emissions from the ultrasound transducer arrangement and to redirect the emissions along a pre-defined one or more propagation paths out from and/or away from the body, and
- wherein the acoustic wave-directing element is adapted to focus the received acoustic emissions into one or more ultrasound beams, the one or more beams directed along said one or more propagation paths.
4 more elements
A cleaning unit for a surface cleaning device, the cleaning unit comprising:
- a body;
- an arrangement of protrusions or cleaning elements on a face of the body, for making operative contact with a surface-to-be-cleaned during use, for enabling a mechanical cleaning action;
- an ultrasound transducer arrangement carried by the body, the transducer arrangement comprising one or more ultrasonic transducers adapted to generate ultrasonic emissions responsive to one or more drive signals;
- an electromagnetic emitter arrangement carried by the body, the electromagnetic emitter arrangement adapted to generate radio frequency electromagnetic emissions responsive to supply of a radiofrequency drive signal;
- wherein the ultrasound transducer arrangement and the emitter arrangement are arranged for generation of ultrasonic emissions and EM emissions which overlap spatially, to permit simultaneous ultrasound and RF stimulation of a surface-to-be-cleaned, and
- wherein the body comprises an ultrasound shield component arranged to inhibit propagation of ultrasound waves out from the body in one or more directions.
3 more elements
A cleaning unit for a surface cleaning device, the cleaning unit comprising:
- a body;
- an arrangement of protrusions or cleaning elements on a face of the body, for making operative contact with a surface-to-be-cleaned during use, for enabling a mechanical cleaning action;
- an ultrasound transducer arrangement carried by the body, the transducer arrangement comprising one or more ultrasonic transducers adapted to generate ultrasonic emissions responsive to one or more drive signals;
- an electromagnetic emitter arrangement carried by the body, the electromagnetic emitter arrangement adapted to generate radio frequency electromagnetic emissions responsive to supply of a radiofrequency drive signal;
- wherein the ultrasound transducer arrangement and the emitter arrangement are arranged for generation of ultrasonic emissions and EM emissions which overlap spatially, to permit simultaneous ultrasound and RF stimulation of a surface-to-be-cleaned, and
- wherein at least a portion of the body is tubular, and wherein the body comprises an outer surface which is tubular, said outer surface forming an RF and ultrasound emission output face, and wherein the ultrasound transducer arrangement is arranged such that the ultrasound emissions are propagated away from the output face in a plurality of directions.
3 more elements
A surface cleaning device comprising:
- a body;
- an arrangement of protrusions or cleaning elements on a face of the body, for making operative contact with a surface-to-be-cleaned during use, for enabling a mechanical cleaning action;
- an ultrasound transducer arrangement carried by the body, the transducer arrangement comprising one or more ultrasonic transducers adapted to generate ultrasonic emissions responsive to one or more drive signals;
- an electromagnetic emitter arrangement carried by the body, the electromagnetic emitter arrangement adapted to generate radio frequency electromagnetic emissions responsive to supply of a radiofrequency drive signal;
- an ultrasound driver circuit configured to generate one or more drive signals for the ultrasound transducer arrangement;
- and
- a radiofrequency driver circuit configured to generate an alternating radiofrequency drive signal for the electromagnetic emitter arrangement,
- wherein the ultrasound transducer arrangement and the emitter arrangement are arranged for generation of ultrasonic emissions and EM emissions which overlap spatially, to permit simultaneous ultrasound and RF stimulation of a surface-to-be-cleaned.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.