Patent Publication Number: US-2011057123-A1

Title: Sterilizing laundry ball

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a laundry ball, and more particularly to a sterilizing laundry ball. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1A , which is a schematic diagram illustrating the appearance of a typical laundry ball. Using a laundry ball  10  while washing clothes not only avoids the clothes from being twisted, but also exhibits cleaning effect by providing additional friction with the clothes. 
       FIG. 1B  is a schematic diagram illustrating another conventional laundry ball. The laundry ball  12  is designed with a special structure and is capable of changing directions of water stream so as to provide a variety of impacts on clothes. 
     Besides the shape or the structure design, recently, modifications are focused on the materials of laundry balls, and the intention to reduce the use of washing powders or detergents containing fluorescent agent or other chemicals, which may become residuals left on the clothes. 
     The laundry ball illustrated in  FIG. 1C  is one of the examples. The laundry ball  14  contains particles made of nanotech materials. When water stream flows through the laundry ball  14 , water clusters will be broken by the particles. Therefore, water molecules may readily penetrate fibers of the clothes so as to have contaminants removed from the clothes along with the water stream. 
     In addition to modifications on structures or materials of laundry balls for improving cleaning ability, it is desirable to provide laundry balls with a sterilization function in order to expand the utilities of laundry balls. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a laundry ball which comprises: a main body; an LED module coupled to the main body for emitting a light in order to provide a sterilization effect; and a power supply module coupled to the LED module for providing a power to the LED module. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1A  is a schematic diagram illustrating the appearance of a conventional laundry ball; 
         FIG. 1B  is a schematic diagram illustrating another conventional laundry ball; 
         FIG. 1C  is a schematic diagram illustrating a further conventional laundry ball; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram illustrating a sterilizing UV lamp; 
         FIG. 3A  is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a laundry ball according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3B  is a schematic diagram illustrating a first embodiment of circuitry applicable to the laundry ball of  FIG. 3A ; 
         FIG. 3C  is a schematic diagram illustrating a second embodiment of circuitry applicable to the laundry ball of  FIG. 3A ; 
         FIG. 3D  is a schematic diagram illustrating a third embodiment of circuitry applicable to the laundry ball of  FIG. 3A ; 
         FIG. 3E  is a schematic diagram illustrating a fourth embodiment of circuitry applicable to the laundry ball of  FIG. 3A   
         FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a laundry ball according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a laundry ball according to another embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 6A˜FIG .  6 C are schematic diagrams illustrating a structure of a laundry ball according to a further embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     As commonly known, UV light performs well in sterilization. A typical form of means for emitting UV light is a UV lamp, as shown in  FIG. 2 . The UV lamp  20  is widely used in a variety of apparatus, e.g. dish dryer, sterilizing box, filter assembly for air or water, etc., for sterilization. However, it is impractical to incorporate a UV lamp into a laundry ball for incompatible sizes, and more particularly as mercury poisonous to human beings and environment is commonly used in the UV lamp  20 . Vibration of the laundry ball during the clothes-washing process likely causes leakage of mercury. 
       FIG. 3A  is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a laundry ball according to an embodiment of the present invention. The laundry ball exhibits a sterilization function by emitting UV light. In considerations of size compatibility and safety, a UV LED capable of emitting UV light with wavelength, for example, ranged between 100 nm and 400 nm, is adapted in the present embodiment. It is to be noted, however, that any other UV-emitting device having a compatible size with the laundry ball and preferably mercury-free can be used in the present invention for sterilization. The laundry ball in this embodiment includes an LED module  33  for emitting a UV light exhibiting a sterilization function; and a power supply module  34  for providing a DC current or an AC current required by the LED module  33  for light emission. 
     In  FIG. 3B to 3E , different LED modules  33  adapted to different types of driving currents are illustrated. For supplying the driving currents, different power supply modules  34  are exemplified in  FIG. 3B˜FIG .  3 E, wherein the power supply modules  34  illustrated in  FIG. 3B ,  FIG. 3C  and  FIG. 3D  output DC current, and the power supply module  34  illustrated in  FIG. 3E  outputs AC current. The AC current is transformed to the DC driving current generated by the power supply module  34  flows into the anode of a UV LED  310  included in the LED module  33  to the cathode of the UV LED  310 . There are a variety of approaches to implement the power supply modules  34 , which will be described with reference to  FIGS. 3B˜3E . By supplying power to the LED module  33 , UV light can be emitted by the LED included in the LED module  33  to provide the sterilization function of the laundry ball. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 3B . An embodiment of the circuitry of a laundry ball according to the present invention includes a rechargeable battery module  318  and a charging module  320 . The charging module  320  charges the battery module  318  through an external power supply or an internal power supply, and then the battery module  318  provides a power to the UV LED  310  when necessary.  FIG. 3C  illustrates another embodiment of the circuitry of a laundry ball according to the present invention. The power supply module  34  includes an inductor module  315  and a rectifier module  316 . The induction module  315  includes a magnetic member  312  and a coil member  314 , wherein the coil member  314  senses a change in magnetic field, which is caused due to the movement of the magnetic member  312  relative to the coil member  314 , so as to induce an AC current. As a result, the induction module  315  is able to dynamically detect the movement of the laundry ball, and generate an AC current in response. The rectifier module  316  then transforms the AC current into a DC current, and the charging module  320  utilizes the DC current to provide the power to the UV LED  310 . 
       FIG. 3D  illustrates a third embodiment of the circuitry of a laundry ball according to the present invention. The power supply module  34  in this embodiment includes a battery module  318 , a charging module  320 , an induction module  315 , and a rectifier module  316 , wherein the induction module  315  dynamically generates an AC current in response to the movement of the laundry ball, the rectifier module  316  transforms the AC current into a DC current, the charging module  320  serves as an internal power supply to charge the battery module  318  with the DC current, and the battery module  318  drives the UV LED  310  included in the LED module  33 . 
     Therefore, when a washing machine starts a clothes-washing program, the laundry ball put inside the machine will rotate back and forth in the washing machine. Meanwhile, the rotation of the laundry ball causes vibration of the induction module  315  and thus movement of a magnetic member  312  included in the induction module  315 . Accordingly, electromagnetic conversion is induced by a coil module  312  included in the induction module  315 . The electromagnetic conversion results in an AC current, and the rectifier module  316  transforms the AC current into a DC current. The DC current is used to charge the battery module  318  which serves as an internal power supply for the UV LED  310 . 
     The induction module  315 , on the other hand, will stop performing the electromagnetic conversion so as to stop outputting AC current to the rectifier module  316  as soon as the laundry machine stops operating. Consequently, the rectifier module  316  stops outputting DC current to the charging module  320 , and thus the charging module  320  stops charging the battery module  318 . Then, after the power provided by the battery module  318  is completely consumed, the UV LED  310  terminates the emission of the UV light. In short, when the laundry machine stops its operation, the UV LED  310  automatically stops emitting the UV light. In this manner, the adverse effect resulting from the radiation accompanying the UV light, e.g. harm to human skin, can be exempted from. 
       FIG. 3E  is a schematic diagram illustrating a fourth embodiment of the circuitry of a laundry ball according to the present invention. In this embodiment, an LED module  33  which is adapted to AC current is included. There are two series of LEDs  3101  and  3102 , each electrically connected between a node “a” and a node “b”, in the LED module  33 . When AC current flows from the node “a” to the node “b”, the LED series  3101  which is forward biased emits UV light. On the other hand, when AC current flows from the node “b” to the node “a”, it is the LED series  3102  forward biased and thus the LED series  3102  emits UV light instead of the LED series  3101 . Moreover, the laundry ball includes a power supply module  34 . The power supply module  34  includes an induction module  315  that is composed of a magnetic module  312  and a coil module  314 . 
     When the laundry ball rotates back and forth in the washing machine, the magnetic module  312  and the coil module  314  cooperate to conduct electromagnetic conversion. The coil module  314  detects the changes of the magnetic field caused by the movement of the magnetic module  312  and generates and outputs an AC current through the node “a” and the node “b”. The AC current is then used to drive the LED series  3101  and the LED series  3102  in the LED module  33  to emit a light with 100 nm to 400 nm wavelength which is effective on sterilization. 
     Afterwards, three embodiments of structures and examples of applications of laundry balls according to the present invention are illustrated with reference to  FIGS. 4˜6 . The circuitry as shown in  FIG. 3D , which includes a LED module  33  and a power supply module  34  composed of an induction module, a rectifier module, a charging module and a battery module to provide a DC current to a UV LED, is used in each of the laundry balls for illustration only. It is understood that other circuitry can also be used with the structures of the laundry balls described hereinafter. In the embodiment as shown in  FIG. 4 , the laundry ball has a common spherical structure. The circuit portion including the LED module  33  and the power supply module  34  is disposed inside the spherical structure for providing sterilization function when the washing machine is operating. 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 5 , the laundry ball has a cage structure. The cage structure includes a cage skeleton  50 , and six circuit portions for providing UV sterilization function, each including the LED module  33  and the power supply module  34  and attached onto the cage skeleton  50  with inward UV light emission. When clothes are to be processed, they are placed inside the cage skeleton  50  of the laundry ball and the laundry ball is put into the washing machine. While the laundry ball is rotating back and forth in the operating laundry machine, UV light is emitted to sterilize the clothes. The rotation of the laundry ball causes each power supply module  34  to generate a DC current so as to provide power to the corresponding UV LED  34 . 
       FIG. 6A  to  FIG. 6C  are schematic diagrams illustrating another embodiment of a structure of a laundry ball according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the laundry ball has a soccer structure. The surface of the laundry ball  60  is composed of twelve pentangle plastic flakes  601 , and twenty hexagon plastic flakes  603 . A LED module  33  and a power supply module  34  are attached on one of the pentangle plastic flakes, and more than one set of LED module  33  and a power supply module  34  can be used to improve sterilization effect. 
     For loading clothes to be processed into the laundry ball, some of the pentangle plastic flakes  601  and/or some of the hexagon plastic flakes  603  are made detachable. The user puts clothes into the laundry ball  60  from the openings resulting from the detached flakes, and then reassembles the laundry ball  60  to restore the soccer structure. Then the laundry ball with clothes loaded therein may be put inside the washing machine to have the clothes processed. Meanwhile, the circuit portion of the laundry ball dynamically emits UV light to sterilize the clothes when the laundry ball rotates back and forth during the operation of the washing machine. 
     In brief, by providing a laundry ball with a UV-emitting mechanism, a sterilization function can be exhibited; by providing the laundry ball with a charging mechanism, the UV light emission of the laundry ball can be lasted for a relatively long term; and by providing the laundry ball with an operation-detecting mechanism, unnecessary UV light emission of the laundry ball can be avoided. In practical applications, for example, the number and allocation of the circuit portion vary with the structure of the laundry ball, which may be, for example, a solid structure or a cage structure with a spherical, polygonal, cylindrical or any other suitable appearance. 
     While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.