JP2001096114A - Air cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air cleaner having a compact shape and performing both of dust collection and deodorization. SOLUTION: A dust collection filter 3 holding a photocatalyst and an LED unit 4 are arranged in a substrate 1 and the dust collection filter is irradiated with light having a short wavelength exciting the photocatalyst from the LED unit 4. Dust collection is performed by the dust collection filter 3 and deodorization is performed by irradiating the photocatalyst with light from LEDs. Since the dust collection filter 3 holding the photocatalyst can be made thin and the LEDs are small-sized and a high voltage inverter circuit is dispensed with, an air cleaner can be formed into an extremely compact shape.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air purifier for purifying air by removing contaminants in the air, and more particularly to an air purifier having a photocatalytic deodorizing function. Since the air purifier of the present invention can be formed in a very compact shape, it is effective to provide the air purifier in an automobile room or the like where a room space as large as possible is required.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An air purifier for purifying air in a vehicle is provided in a vehicle. This air purifier has a base 1 fixed to the ceiling of the vehicle body as shown in FIG.
12 and a main body 200 detachably held on the base 100. The main body 200 includes a fan 201 as shown in FIG.
And a dust collecting filter 202 and a deodorizing material 203.

[0003] The dust collecting filter 202 is formed of a paper material into a saw-tooth shape in cross section, and captures particulate matter in the passing air by increasing the surface area. As the deodorizing material 203, a material in which an adsorbent such as activated carbon or zeolite is carried on a honeycomb-shaped base material is used, and deodorizes by adsorbing odorous substances in the air passing through the base material.

The main body 200 is provided with an air inlet 204 and an air outlet 205, and the air sucked from the air inlet 204 by the rotation of the fan 201 first passes through a dust collecting filter 202 to remove pollen and dust. Removed. Then, after passing through the deodorizing material 203, the odorous substances such as extremely fine tobacco smoke passing through the dust collecting filter 202 are adsorbed on the adsorbent, so that the bad smell is removed, and the clean air is blown out from the outlet 205.

In the air purifier, it is necessary to periodically replace the deodorizing material 203. In order to save the trouble, a photocatalyst is attached to the surface of the deodorizing material 203, and a black light, a cold cathode tube, 2. Description of the Related Art An air purifier having a light source such as an ultraviolet lamp for irradiating a photocatalyst with light of a short wavelength is known.
In such an air purifier, a photocatalyst can decompose and remove odorous substances mainly containing organic substances in the air. Further, since the odor substance adsorbed on the deodorizing material is decomposed by the catalytic action of the photocatalyst and the adsorbing effect of the deodorizing material is restored, it is not necessary to replace the deodorizing material.

[0006]

However, in the above-described conventional air purifier, since the main body 203 projects into the vehicle interior, the interior of the vehicle becomes narrower. Therefore, it is required to reduce the thickness of the main body 203 as much as possible. If possible, it is desirable to embed the main body in the ceiling of the passenger compartment so that only the air intake and the air outlet are exposed.

On the other hand, the above-mentioned honeycomb-shaped deodorizing material 203
In order to improve the deodorizing function in the air purifier having the above, it is necessary to increase the area of the deodorizing material 203 that comes into contact with the air, that is, to increase the number of honeycomb passages. Further, in order to reduce the ventilation resistance, it is desirable that the direction in which the honeycomb passage extends is made to match the direction of the wind from the fan 201. To reduce the thickness of the air purifier, use the fan 201
It is desirable that the direction of the wind from the direction be along the ceiling of the vehicle body. However, when the direction of the wind from the fan 201 is set to the direction along the vehicle body ceiling and the direction in which the honeycomb passage extends is matched with the direction of the wind from the fan 201, increasing the number of the honeycomb passages increases the thickness of the main body 200, which is preferable. Absent. When the deodorizing material 203 is arranged so that the direction of the honeycomb passage is orthogonal to the ceiling of the vehicle body as shown in FIG. 13, the overall thickness can be reduced even if the number of honeycomb passages is increased. However, since the direction in which the honeycomb passage extends is orthogonal to the direction of the wind from the fan 201, there is a problem that the airflow resistance increases and the air volume decreases.

That is, in the conventional air purifier, since the shape of the deodorizing material is restricted, the degree of freedom of its arrangement is low, and there is a limit in reducing the overall thickness. Furthermore, air purifiers that use a photocatalyst and do not require the replacement of deodorizing materials require a high-voltage inverter circuit and the like because a black light or cold cathode tube is used as the light source. The space to be used becomes large and the size becomes large. Further, the cold cathode tube is not preferable because it uses mercury.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an air purifier which can perform both dust collection and deodorization in a compact shape.

[0010]

One feature of the air purifier of the present invention that solves the above-mentioned problems is that a base having an air inlet and an air outlet and forming an air flow path between the two, and a base disposed in the base. A fan that forms an air flow from the intake port to the air outlet in the air flow path, and a dust collection filter that is disposed in the air flow path. An LED that emits short-wavelength light and excites a photocatalyst is disposed to face the dust collection filter.

Another feature of the air purifier of the present invention that solves the above-mentioned problems is that the air cleaner has a suction port and an air outlet and forms an air flow path therebetween, and an air flow path disposed in the base. A fan that forms an air flow from the intake port to the air outlet, and a dust collection filter disposed in the air flow path. The air flow path has a photocatalyst and an LED that emits short-wavelength light to excite the photocatalyst. And an electrode for supplying power to the LED.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In one air purifier of the present invention,
By the rotation of the fan, air is introduced from the intake port into the dust collection filter, and dust and the like are filtered by the dust collection filter. The photocatalyst held by the dust filter is irradiated with short-wavelength light from the LED and excited, so that when passing through the dust filter, odor substances such as tobacco smoke in the air are decomposed by the photocatalyst. It becomes clean air and blows out from the outlet.

The photocatalyst can be easily made into a powdery form, and the volume of the dust collecting filter itself hardly increases even if it is held by the dust collecting filter. Further, since the light source that excites the photocatalyst is an LED, the size can be extremely reduced as compared with a conventional black light or cold cathode tube, and a high-voltage inverter circuit is not required. Therefore, the air purifier of the present invention can have a very compact shape.

The dust collecting filter can be formed using a non-woven fabric made of PP or PET or a glass fiber filter. The larger the surface area is, the more preferable it is. Therefore, it is desirable to use a corrugated shape in which mountain folds and valley folds are alternately repeated. It is also preferable to perform a charging treatment.

TiO ₂ , WO ₃ , CdS, Sr
Known materials such as TiO ₃ and MoS ₂ can be used,
In consideration of the safety and the degree of activity, it is particularly desirable to use TiO ₂ . As the crystal structure of TiO ₂ , any of rutile type and anatase type can be used, but the anatase type having high catalytic activity is preferable. The shape of the photocatalyst is not particularly limited, and may be various shapes and sizes such as a powder or a particle.

In order for the dust filter to hold the photocatalyst,
The method can be easily carried out by, for example, a method in which a powdery photocatalyst is slurried and then impregnated by dipping or spraying and then dried. Moreover, you may mix and mix photocatalyst powder with the fiber which comprises a dust collection filter. In addition, a material in which a photocatalyst is held on paper or a fiber base material can be used by being laminated on a dust collecting filter.

Meanwhile, when the air volume is large and the wind speed is large, it is assumed that the odorous substance that cannot be decomposed by the photocatalyst is discharged from the outlet. Therefore, it is desirable that the dust collecting filter also holds the adsorbent. With this configuration, the odor substance in the air is adsorbed by the adsorbent, and is decomposed by the photocatalyst in that state or when it is desorbed, so that the odor substance is reliably decomposed even when the air volume is large. be able to. In addition, since the odor substance adsorbed on the adsorbent is decomposed by the photocatalyst, the adsorbing performance of the adsorbent is restored, so that labor such as replacement can be omitted.
Examples of the adsorbent include activated carbon, zeolite, silica gel and the like. The adsorbent powder can be mixed with a photocatalyst and held on a dust filter. Alternatively, the surface of the adsorbent particles may be coated with a photocatalyst powder to form a catalyst layer, which may be held by a dust filter.

As an LED that emits light of a short wavelength, a crystal of a gallium nitride (GaN) -based optical semiconductor having a pn junction is most suitable. In addition, since the LED is a very small light emitting element and has a low operating voltage, it can emit light even from a dry battery or the like. Therefore, since the LED does not require much space for installation, it can be formed in an extremely compact structure.

An LED does not emit ultraviolet rays harmful to the human body, that is, far-ultraviolet rays (UV-B, UV-C) having a wavelength of 320 nm or less, and emits only light in a spectral range of 360 to 400 nm. Is preferable in terms of luminous efficiency and power consumption.

However, in practice, the light emitted by the LED is
Unlike semiconductor lasers, typically at least 50nm
Has the following spectral range. Therefore the wavelength 360 ~ 400
It is difficult to obtain an LED that emits only nm light,
Generally, visible light is also emitted. However, by emitting visible light, it is possible to easily confirm that the LED is operating, and when the visible light is a bright color, it is possible to obtain an effect as illumination or display. .
However, even if the light has a wavelength of 400 nm or less (ultraviolet light), the light up to about 380 nm has a faint background (dark purple). Are not completely black light, but are generally visible.

When the LED is opposed to the corrugated dust filter holding the photocatalyst, a method of arranging the LED so as to irradiate the light substantially vertically to the mountain fold and valley fold, and a method of substantially arranging the LED in the mountain fold and valley fold. LE to irradiate light in parallel
There is a method of arranging D. In the former case, it is desirable to widen the irradiation range, and it is desirable to use LEDs having a wide directivity. For example, COB type or can type LED
90 to 14
It is preferable to use one at 0 degrees. In the latter case, since the irradiation distance is required to be long, an LED having a narrow directivity is desirable, and an LED having a directivity angle of 15 to 45 degrees such as a can type or a V lamp is desirably used.

In another air purifier of the present invention, air is introduced into the dust collection filter from the intake port by the rotation of the fan, and dust and the like are filtered by the dust collection filter. In the air channel, a deodorizing unit equipped with a photocatalyst, an LED that excites the photocatalyst, and an electrode that supplies power to the LED is arranged. By supplying power to the electrode, the LED is turned on, and smoke such as tobacco smoke in the air is emitted. Is decomposed by the photocatalyst,
Clean air blows out of the outlet.

As described above, the LED does not require much space for installation. The photocatalyst can be formed into a thin layer by making it powdery or particulate.
Therefore, the deodorizing unit has a very compact shape, and can be arranged in the intake passage while preventing an increase in the ventilation resistance. Therefore, the air purifier of the present invention can have a very compact shape.

In order to excite the photocatalyst, a plurality of LEDs are required from the relation of light quantity, but handling as a unit as a deodorizing unit becomes easy. When a large number of LEDs are required, the electrodes of a plurality of deodorizing units can be arranged in parallel or in series while being in contact with each other, so that the degree of freedom is high and the arrangement is easy.

The deodorizing unit can be composed of a circuit board provided with LEDs and a photocatalyst layer provided opposite the LEDs. The photocatalyst layer is preferably formed by enclosing photocatalyst particles in a net or a wire net or by coating photocatalyst powder on both sides of a resin fin or a metal fin, so that air can flow freely. Furthermore, if a photocatalyst layer is formed by adding a photocatalyst powder to a corrugated fiber assembly capable of air flow, dust and the like can be filtered when air passes through the photocatalyst layer, and the deodorizing unit can collect dust. It can be configured to also serve as a filter. It is also preferable to mix the adsorbent particles with the photocatalyst particles,
Particles in which a coating layer of a photocatalyst powder is formed on adsorbent particles can also be used. Although the shape of the deodorizing unit is not particularly limited, it is preferable that the deodorizing unit is formed in a square shape, a triangular shape, or a hexagonal shape so that a plurality of deodorizing units can be arranged without gaps.

In the deodorizing unit, the LEDs may be arranged on only one side of the photocatalyst layer, or may be arranged on both sides or side surfaces of the photocatalyst layer. In some cases, the photocatalyst layer may have a two-layer structure, and LEDs may be disposed therebetween, or a plurality of LEDs may be dispersed and disposed in the photocatalyst layer.

Although the positional relationship between the dust collecting filter and the deodorizing unit is not particularly limited, it is desirable to arrange the dust collecting filter on the upstream side and the deodorizing unit on the downstream side.

[0028]

The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to examples.

(Embodiment 1) FIGS. 1 and 2 show an air purifier of the present embodiment. The air purifier includes a base 1 fixed to a ceiling of a vehicle body and having an intake port 10 on a lower surface and an outlet 11 on a side surface;
A fan 2 disposed in the base 1, a dust filter 3 disposed downstream of the fan 2, and a pair of LED units 4 disposed in the base 1 so as to face the dust filter 3;
It is composed of

The fan 2 is a centrifugal fan, and has a suction port 10
The air in the vehicle cabin is sucked through the filter to form an airflow that passes through the dust collection filter 3 and is discharged from the outlet 11.

The dust collecting filter 3 has a corrugated shape as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 3, and a filter layer 30 on which PP short fibers are accumulated, and an anatase type TiO ₂ powder having a particle diameter of 0.1 μm carried on glass fibers. The photocatalyst layer 31 formed by stacking the catalyst supporting fibers thus formed is laminated. The photocatalyst layer 31 is arranged on the upstream side, and the filter layer 30 is arranged on the downstream side.

The pair of LED units 4 constitute the air flow path of the base 1 and are arranged on the wall of the dust filter 3 facing the photocatalyst layer 31. This LED unit 4
As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 4, a printed circuit board 40 and gallium nitride (G
aN) A plurality of LEDs 41 which are made of a crystal of an optical semiconductor and emit short-wavelength light. The LEDs 41 are exposed to the air flow path from the through holes 12 provided in the wall surface of the base 1.
The light from the LED 41 is applied to the mountain valley and valley fold portions of the opposing photocatalyst layer 31 from both the left and right sides at an angle of about 45 degrees. As the LED 41, an LED having a narrow directivity is used to suppress light attenuation.
The printed board 40 is supplied with electric power for lighting the LED 41 from a battery.

In the air purifier of the present embodiment configured as described above, the air in the vehicle cabin sucked from the intake port 10 by driving the fan 2 passes through the photocatalyst layer 31 and the filter layer 30 of the dust filter 3. After passing in this order, the air is blown out from the air outlet 11. Then, dust and tobacco tar contained in the air are captured by the dust filter 3, and odor substances such as tobacco smoke are decomposed by TiO _{2 of the} photocatalyst layer 31 excited by the light of the LED 41. Therefore, clean air is blown from the outlet 11.

Further, dust and tobacco tar trapped in the dust collecting filter 3 are also decomposed by the TiO _{2 of the} photocatalyst layer 31, so that the dust collecting filter 3 is prevented from being clogged, and the air cleaning action is maintained for a long time. Is done.

In the air purifier of the present embodiment, the dust filter 3 and the LED unit 4 are thin and exhibit sufficient performance, so that they are thin and extremely compact. Therefore, there is no problem that the space in the vehicle compartment is narrowed.

In the above embodiment, the LED unit 4 is arranged so that the light is illuminated from the left and right sides of the photocatalyst layer 31 at the angle of about 45 degrees, respectively. The LED unit 4 may be disposed so as to be irradiated in parallel, that is, as shown in FIG. In this case, the LED unit 4
It is preferable to use an LED 41 having a wide directivity by forming a lens by potting or the like.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 6 shows an air cleaner according to a second embodiment of the present invention. This air purifier has a base 1 fixed to a ceiling of a vehicle body and having an intake port 10 on a lower surface and an outlet 11 on a side surface.
A fan 2 disposed in the base 1, a dust filter 5 disposed downstream of the fan 2, and a deodorizing unit disposed in the base 1 downstream of the dust filter 5 near the air outlet 11. 6 is comprised. The triangular prism-shaped portion where the deodorizing unit 6 is disposed is pivotally supported by the base 1 so as to be swingable.
By swinging downward, the dust collection filter 5 can be replaced.

The fan 2 is a rotary type fan, which draws air in the passenger compartment from an intake port 10 to form an airflow that passes through a dust collecting filter 5 and is discharged from an outlet 11. The dust collecting filter 5 is formed by integrating a plurality of filters formed of a paper material into a sawtooth cross section in a cylindrical container.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the deodorizing unit 6 comprises a holder 61 formed in a box shape from a four-layer wire mesh 60,
It is composed of a photocatalyst layer 62 housed in two upper and lower layers at an interval in a holder 61, and a pair of LED units 63 held between the two photocatalyst layers 62 inside the left and right side surfaces of the holder 61, and a bracket The peripheral portion of the holder 61 is held by 64 to form an integrated deodorizing unit 6.

The photocatalyst layer 62 is made up of a plurality of photocatalyst particles 65 made of granulated activated carbon and TiO _2, and is held in two pairs of wire meshes 60 so that air can flow between the photocatalyst particles 65. ing. The LED unit 63 is the same as the LED unit 63 of the first embodiment.
Like the ED unit 4, it is composed of a printed circuit board holding a plurality of LEDs, and the plurality of LEDs are provided so that the LEDs of the pair of LED units 63 face each other inward.

A pair of electrodes 66 and 67 made of a leaf spring protrude from both left and right sides of the bracket 64. One electrode 66 supplies power from the battery to the LED unit 63 by contacting an electrode (not shown) provided on the base 1, and the other electrode 67 serves as another electrode when a plurality of deodorizing units 6 are arranged. Has a role of contacting the electrode 66 of the deodorizing unit 6 and supplying power to the other deodorizing units 6. That is, the deodorizing unit 6 of the present embodiment can be used alone or a plurality of deodorizing units can be easily arranged and used.

In the air purifier of this embodiment configured as described above, the air in the passenger compartment sucked from the intake port 10 by the drive of the fan 2 passes through the dust collection filter 5 and then to the deodorizing unit 6 And is blown out from the outlet 11. Dust and tobacco tar contained in the air are trapped by the dust filter 5, and the odorous substances such as tobacco smoke are reduced to L.
The photocatalyst particles 65 excited by the light from the ED unit 63 adsorb and decompose. Therefore, clean air is blown from the outlet 11.

In the air purifier of the present embodiment, since the dust collecting filter 5 and the deodorizing unit 6 are thin and exhibit sufficient performance, they are thin and extremely compact. Therefore, there is no problem that the space in the vehicle compartment is narrowed.

As the deodorizing unit 6, as shown in FIG. 9, an LED unit 63 may be disposed below a wire netting holder 61 so that the LED 68 protrudes into the space where the photocatalyst particles 65 exist. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of thin fins 69 coated with photocatalyst powder are arranged in a wire mesh holder 61, and an LED is provided so that the fins 69 are irradiated with light.
The unit 63 can be arranged. In any case, since the shape of the deodorizing unit 6 can be reduced while effectively using the photocatalyst, a thin and very compact air purifier can be obtained.

[0045]

According to the air purifier of the present invention,
It can be thin and very compact.
Therefore, when used for automobiles, a spacious cabin space filled with comfortable air can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a cross section of an air purifier according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the air purifier according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of a main part of a dust collection filter used in the air purifier of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows an LED used in an air purifier according to one embodiment of the present invention.
It is a principal part expanded sectional view of a unit.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing another embodiment of the air purifier of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of an air purifier according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a deodorizing unit used in an air purifier according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a deodorizing unit used in an air purifier according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the deodorizing unit used in the air purifier of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing another mode of the deodorizing unit used in the air purifier according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a conventional air purifier.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a conventional air purifier.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the conventional air purifier.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Base 2: Fan 3: Dust filter 4: LED unit 10: Inlet 11: Outlet

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 4D058 JA13 JB05 JB14 JB25 KC02 MA44 SA20 TA02 TA06 TA07 TA11

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A base having an air inlet and an air outlet and forming an air flow path therebetween, and an air flow arranged in the base and forming an air flow from the air inlet to the air outlet in the air flow path. A fan and a dust filter arranged in the air flow path, a photocatalyst is integrally held in the dust filter, and an LED that emits short-wavelength light and excites the photocatalyst is provided on the base. An air cleaner characterized by being arranged opposite to the dust collecting filter. 2. A base having an air inlet and an air outlet and forming an air flow path therebetween, and an air flow arranged in the base and forming an air flow from the air inlet to the air outlet in the air flow path. A fan and a dust filter disposed in the air flow path, the air flow path including a photocatalyst, an LED that emits light of a short wavelength to excite the photocatalyst, and an electrode that supplies power to the LED. An air purifier comprising a deodorizing unit.