CN111365775A

CN111365775A - Dehumidifying and humidifying device, dehumidifying air cleaner, humidifying air cleaner, and method of operating the same

Info

Publication number: CN111365775A
Application number: CN202010181409.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 崔贤锔; 宋圭完; 金起秀
Original assignee: Coway Co Ltd
Current assignee: Coway Co Ltd
Priority date: 2014-12-10
Filing date: 2015-12-10
Publication date: 2020-07-03
Also published as: RU2689855C2; WO2016093634A1; RU2017123178A; RU2017123178A3; CN107003020A; JP2018500531A

Abstract

A dehumidifying and humidifying apparatus, a dehumidifying air cleaner, a humidifying air cleaner, and methods of operating the same are disclosed. The dehumidifying and humidifying device may include: a housing; a blower fan installed inside the casing, the blower fan generating an air flow such that external air is sucked into the casing and then discharged back to the outside; a heat exchanger installed inside the case, the heat exchanger exchanging heat with air to dehumidify the air; the humidifying filter is arranged in the shell and humidifies air; a first flow path formed inside the casing such that air can pass through the heat exchanger and the blower fan; a second flow path formed inside the case such that air can pass through the heat exchanger, the humidification filter, and the blower fan; and a variable flow path portion installed inside the housing, the variable flow path portion opening and closing at least a portion of the first flow path.

Description

Dehumidifying and humidifying device, dehumidifying air cleaner, humidifying air cleaner, and method of operating the same

The present application is a divisional application of the invention patent application entitled "dehumidification and humidification apparatus, dehumidified air cleaner, humidified air cleaner and method of operating the same" filed international application No. 2015, 12, month 10, chinese application No. 201580067213.9.

[ technical field ] A method for producing a semiconductor device

The present disclosure relates to a dehumidifying and humidifying device, a dehumidifying air cleaner, a humidifying air cleaner and an operating method thereof.

[ background of the invention ]

Generally, a dehumidifying and humidifying device has a dehumidifying function, a humidifying function, and an air cleaning function.

The dehumidifying and humidifying device may be implemented to use various dehumidifying and humidifying methods. A heat exchanger using a method of good dehumidification efficiency is widely used as a dehumidification method, and a natural evaporation method using a humidification filter is widely used as a humidification method.

The dehumidifying and humidifying device using the heat exchanger using method and the natural evaporation method has a heat exchanger and a humidifying filter on a single flow path, which is generally formed in a housing.

However, since the area of the heat exchanger is generally larger than that of the humidification filter, an empty position, i.e., a dead zone where no air treatment is performed, may be formed above the humidification filter.

The dehumidifying and humidifying device according to the related art has such a disadvantage: here, since there is air discharged to the outside while not passing through the humidification filter due to the dead space when the air is humidified, the amount of humidification is smaller than the amount of wind.

Therefore, a technique for increasing the degree of humidification as high as possible as the air drawn into the casing is allowed to pass through the humidification filter while humidifying the air is necessary.

Meanwhile, the dehumidifying air cleaner may include a heat exchanger performing a dehumidifying operation and an air cleaning filter performing an air cleaning function, and the air drawn into the product may be cleaned while passing through the air cleaning filter and may be dehumidified while passing through the heat exchanger.

In addition, in order to allow the dehumidifying air cleaner to perform the air cleaning operation and the dehumidifying operation using a single blower fan as needed, an air cleaning filter and a heat exchanger are generally disposed on a single flow path.

When the air cleaning filter is formed to have a small area and to be thick, negative pressure increases in flowing air. When the heat exchanger is produced to have a wide area and to be thin, the heat exchange time with the air is reduced, thereby degrading the dehumidifying performance. Therefore, the air intake area of the air cleaning filter is generally formed to be relatively larger than the air intake area of the heat exchanger.

In the dehumidifying air cleaner according to the related art, the air intake amount is reduced because the flow path is significantly narrowed toward the heat exchanger due to the difference between the intake area of the air cleaning filter and the intake area of the heat exchanger as described before. Therefore, the dehumidifying air cleaner has a disadvantage of a reduced air purifying performance.

To solve this, there is a disadvantage in that the dehumidifying performance is lowered because the amount of air bypassing the heat exchanger is increased when the dehumidifying operation is performed in order to space it from the edge of the heat exchanger in the case where the flow path toward the heat exchanger is increased.

In addition, in order to solve the above-described disadvantages, when the heat exchanger is produced to have an increased size, there is a disadvantage in that the product cost is significantly increased.

Meanwhile, the humidified air cleaner has a humidifying function for supplying moisture to air in addition to an air cleaning function for purifying air by removing contaminants contained in the air.

The humidified air cleaner can be implemented to use various humidification methods. In detail, a natural evaporation method of supplying moisture to air by using a humidifying filter of which a lower portion is immersed in a water tank is widely used.

Such a humidified air cleaner employing a natural evaporation method may include an air cleaning filter and a humidifying filter in an internal flow path. In general, since the area of the air cleaning filter is larger than that of the humidifying filter, an empty position, i.e., a dead zone where air processing is not performed, may be formed in the upper portion of the humidifying filter.

In this case, when humidifying air, there is a disadvantage in that the amount of humidification is less than the amount of wind because there is air discharged into the room without passing through the humidification filter due to the dead space.

[ summary of the invention ]

[ problem ] to provide a method for producing a semiconductor device

An aspect of the present disclosure may provide a dehumidifying and humidifying device capable of concentrating a flow path into a housing in a direction of a humidifying filter when humidifying air.

An aspect of the present disclosure may provide a dehumidifying air cleaner having improved air-purifying performance and dehumidifying performance without increasing the size of a heat exchanger.

An aspect of the present disclosure may provide a humidified air cleaner capable of maintaining an appropriate humidity while increasing humidification efficiency.

[ technical solution ] A

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a dehumidifying and humidifying device includes: a housing; a blower fan installed inside the case, the blower fan generating an air flow such that external air is sucked into the case and then discharged back to the outside; a heat exchanger installed inside the case, the heat exchanger exchanging heat with air to dehumidify the air; a humidifying filter mounted inside the housing, the humidifying filter humidifying the air; a first flow path formed inside the case such that the air passes through the heat exchanger and the blower fan; a second flow path formed inside the case such that the air passes through the heat exchanger, the humidification filter, and the blower fan; and a variable flow path portion installed inside the housing, the variable flow path portion opening and closing at least a portion of the first flow path.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a dehumidifying air cleaner includes: a housing; an air cleaning filter mounted inside the housing; a heat exchanger disposed behind the air cleaning filter inside the housing; a variable flow path forming a path in which air passing through the air cleaning filter flows while bypassing the heat exchanger; and a flow path opening and closing device for opening and closing the variable flow path.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a humidified air cleaner includes: a cleaning unit for purifying air flowing inside; a humidifying unit for supplying moisture to the air passing through the cleaning unit; a blower unit for discharging air to the outside after allowing external air to flow inside by forming an air flow; a variable flow path portion for opening and closing a portion of an air flow path; a sensor unit for measuring humidity of outside air; and a control unit for controlling opening and closing of the variable flow path portion based on an input signal or a humidity value transmitted from the sensor unit.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a method of operating a humidified air cleaner includes: closing a part of an air flow path of the humidified air cleaner when a humidifying operation of the humidified air cleaner is started; periodically measuring humidity while performing the humidifying operation; and opening the air flow path that has been closed when the measured humidity value is within a preset appropriate humidity range.

In addition, the solutions to the above-described problems do not list all of the features of the present disclosure. Various features of the present disclosure, as well as advantages and effects thereof, will be more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description of specific embodiments.

[ PROBLEMS ] the present invention

According to an exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure, when humidifying air, the air may be concentrated into a humidification filter, thereby increasing the amount of humidification.

According to exemplary embodiments in the present disclosure, when dehumidifying air, dehumidification efficiency may be improved, and when cleaning air, purification efficiency may be improved.

According to exemplary embodiments in the present disclosure, the heat exchanger may be manufactured while minimizing it, thereby reducing product costs.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to increase the humidification efficiency of the humidified air cleaner while maintaining appropriate humidity.

[ description of the drawings ]

Fig. 1 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a dehumidifying and humidifying device that performs a humidifying operation according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating the dehumidifying and humidifying device illustrated in fig. 1, which performs a dehumidifying operation.

Fig. 3 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a flow path changing operation of a variable flow path portion included in the dehumidifying and humidifying device illustrated in fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a variable flow path portion included in the dehumidifying and humidifying device illustrated in fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a dehumidifying and humidifying device performing a humidifying operation according to another embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating the dehumidifying and humidifying device illustrated in fig. 5, which performs a dehumidifying operation.

Fig. 7 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a variable flow path of the dehumidifying air cleaner according to an exemplary embodiment is opened.

Fig. 8 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a state where the variable flow path of the dehumidifying air cleaner illustrated in fig. 7 is closed.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a flow path opening and closing apparatus included in the dehumidifying air cleaner shown in fig. 7.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a humidified air cleaner according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a case where a portion of a flow path of a humidified air cleaner according to an exemplary embodiment is closed.

Fig. 12 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a case where a flow path of a humidified air cleaner according to an exemplary embodiment is opened.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a variable flow path portion provided in the humidified air cleaner illustrated in fig. 10.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart of a method of operating a humidified air cleaner in accordance with another embodiment.

[ detailed description ] embodiments

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that those skilled in the art of the present disclosure will be readily able to carry out the present disclosure. In the following description of the present disclosure, a detailed description of known functions or configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present disclosure rather unclear. In addition, the same reference numerals are used for parts having similar functions and operations throughout the drawings.

In addition, throughout the present specification, one configuration is referred to as being 'connected' to another configuration, including not only the case where the configurations are 'directly connected', but also the case where they are 'indirectly connected' to each other. Moreover, it will be possible that some elements are 'included' to mean that other elements are not excluded and that further elements specifically stated in other ways are included.

First, referring to fig. 1 to 4, a dehumidifying and humidifying device according to an exemplary embodiment will be described.

As illustrated in fig. 1 to 4, the dehumidifying and humidifying device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment may include a case 110, a blower fan 120, a condenser 130, a heat exchanger 140, a water tank 150, a humidifying filter 160, an air cleaning filter 170, a first flow path P1, a second flow path P2, and a variable flow path portion 180.

The case 110 forms an external structure of the dehumidifying and humidifying device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment, and may include an air intake portion 112 allowing external air to be drawn into the case 110 and an air discharge portion 114 allowing air inside the case 110 to be discharged to the outside.

The blower fan 120 is disposed inside the casing 110, and may generate an air flow so as to allow external air to be drawn into the casing 110 through the intake part 112 and then discharged to the outside through the exhaust part 114 again.

In the embodiment, the blower fan 120 may be formed of a centrifugal blower fan provided in a rear end of the humidification filter 160, which will be described later based on the air flow direction, but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

The condenser 130 is disposed inside the case 110, and may be disposed in a refrigerant condensed in a heat exchanger 140 to be described later. The condenser 130 may form a refrigeration cycle that uses the heat exchanger 140 to dehumidify air.

In the embodiment, the condenser 130 is disposed in the front end of the heat exchanger 140, but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

The heat exchanger 140 is disposed inside the case 110, and may serve to dehumidify air by exchanging heat with the air.

The heat exchanger 140 may be formed of an evaporator for removing moisture in the air (cooling the air by evaporating the refrigerant therein by receiving the refrigerant that has been condensed from the condenser 130), but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

In an embodiment, the heat exchanger 140 may be disposed in a rear end of the condenser 130, and may be disposed across a first flow path P1 and a second flow path P2, which will be described later.

Due to the above-described structure, the heat exchanger 140 may dehumidify the air passing through the first and second flow paths P1 and P2 when dehumidifying the air.

The water tank 150 is disposed inside the case 110, and may store water for humidification. The water tank 150 may supply water for humidification to a humidification filter 160, which will be described later.

The humidifying filter 160 is disposed inside the case 110, and may humidify air by supplying water to the air passing through the humidifying filter.

In an embodiment, the humidification filter 160 may be formed of a submerged natural evaporation filter in which a portion of a lower end is submerged in the water stored in the water tank 150, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. Alternatively, the humidifying filter may be formed of a rotary filter.

The humidification filter 160 is provided in the water tank 150, and may be disposed in a rear end of the heat exchanger 140 on a second flow path P2, which will be described later.

The air cleaning filter 170 is disposed inside the housing 110, and may purify air drawn into the housing 110. In the embodiment, the air cleaning filter 170 may be provided in the front end of the condenser 130, but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the air cleaning filter 170 is not particularly limited, and may be formed of a plurality of filters having various functions.

The first flow path P1 is a part of the inner space of the casing 110, and may be configured to allow air to pass through the heat exchanger 140 and the blower fan 120.

In other words, the first flow path P1 is a space portion where the air passes through the condenser 130 and the heat exchanger 140 and then directly flows into the blower fan 120.

The second flow path P2 is a part of the inner space of the casing 110, and may be configured to allow air to pass through the heat exchanger 140, the humidification filter 160, and the blower fan 120.

In other words, the second flow path P2 is a space portion where the air passes through the condenser 130 and the heat exchanger 140, passes through the humidification filter 160, and then flows into the blower fan 120.

As illustrated in fig. 1-3, in an embodiment, the first flow path P1 and the second flow path P2 may be configured to be arranged parallel to each other inside the housing 110.

In other words, the first flow path P1 and the second flow path P2 follow the concept of: in the space where the air flows due to the blower fan 120, a portion of the humidification filter 160 disposed on the flow path is separated from a portion where the humidification filter is not disposed. Further, the first and second flow paths P1 and P2 are not configured as a duct structure in which the first and second flow paths are separated from each other so that air does not flow therebetween.

The variable flow path portion 180 is disposed inside the housing 110, and may selectively open and close at least a portion of the first flow path P1.

To implement the operations described above, in an embodiment, the variable flow path portion 180 may include a guide film 182 and a drive motor 186 as illustrated in fig. 4.

The guide film 182 is a plate-shaped member provided in the first flow path P1 for guiding the air flowing into the first flow path P1.

In an embodiment, the guide film 182 may be provided for rotating between the heat exchanger 140 and the blower fan 120 in the first flow path P1.

The guide film 182 may be arranged to be inclined downward toward the humidifying filter 160 when the guide film rotates downward to close at least a portion of the first flow path P1 as illustrated in fig. 1, and may be arranged to be inclined upward toward the side opposite to the humidifying filter 160 (i.e., the upper end of the first flow path P1) when the guide film rotates upward to open the first flow path P1 as illustrated in fig. 2.

The guide film 182 may be combined with a support portion 118 in which a rotation shaft 184 is provided in the frame 116 inside the housing 110 so as to rotate.

Meanwhile, in an embodiment, the guide film 182 may be configured to allow a portion of one end to be bent in a direction opposite to a rotation direction of the guide film 182 as illustrated in fig. 3. In this case, when the guide film rotates, the guide film 182 may smoothly rotate while flexibly bending even in the case where the guide film interferes with the structure inside the main body or the case 110 of the heat exchanger 140 as illustrated in fig. 3.

As an example, the guide film 182 may be formed of a material having a rigidity enough to resist the wind pressure of the air sucked into the first flow path P1, and may have a shape in which a material having a sufficient elasticity to be flexibly bent is attached to a portion of one end, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. The entire guide film 182 may be formed of a single material, and may have a thin thickness so as to allow a portion of one end to be bent.

The driving motor 186 may be connected to the rotation shaft 184 of the guide film 182 so as to allow the guide film 182 to rotate.

In an embodiment, the driving motor 186 may be provided as a stepping motor for adjusting the rotation angle.

The driving motor 186 may be controlled by a control unit (not shown) for controlling the humidifying operation and the dehumidifying operation of the dehumidifying and humidifying device 100 according to the exemplary embodiment.

In an embodiment, the control unit may control the driving motor 186 to allow the guide film 182 to be arranged to be inclined downward when humidifying the air, and may control the driving motor 186 to allow the guide film 182 to be arranged to be inclined upward when dehumidifying the air.

The variable flow path portion 180 having the configuration as described above may close at least a portion of the first flow path P1 when the guide film 182 is arranged to be inclined downward as illustrated in fig. 1 while the humidifying filter 160 performs the humidifying operation.

In this case, the variable flow path portion 180 may guide the air flowing into the first flow path P1 and passing through the heat exchanger 140 toward the humidifier filter 160.

In this case, most of the air drawn into the casing 110 may pass through the humidifying filter 160.

Alternatively, while the heat exchanger 140 performs the dehumidifying operation, the variable flow path portion 180 may open the first flow path P1 when the guide film 182 is arranged to be inclined upward as illustrated in fig. 2.

In this case, the air flowing into the first flow path P1 may pass through an upper portion of the heat exchanger 140 and then may flow into the blower fan 120, and the air flowing into the second flow path P2 may pass through a lower portion of the heat exchanger 140 and then may flow into the blower fan 120.

Here, while the heat exchanger 140 performs the dehumidifying operation, the humidifying filter 160 may be removed from the second flow path P2, or water may be removed from the water tank 150.

Next, referring to fig. 5 and 6, a dehumidifying and humidifying device 100' according to another embodiment will be described.

As illustrated in fig. 5 and 6, unlike the dehumidifying and humidifying device 100 according to the exemplary embodiment previously described with reference to fig. 1 to 4, the dehumidifying and humidifying device 100' according to another embodiment may further include a sealing film 190.

The sealing film 190 may be connected between one end of the guide film 182 and the outer end of the first flow path P1, and may be folded or unfolded by an external force.

In another embodiment, the sealing film 190 may be formed of a material through which air cannot pass.

The sealing film 190 may close the first flow path P1 in one end of the guide film 182 when the guide film 182 is arranged to be inclined downward as illustrated in fig. 5 when humidifying the air.

In this case, the air flowing into the first flow path P1 does not flow into the dead space formed above the guide film 182, and can be immediately guided by the sealing film 190 in the direction of the second flow path P2.

Therefore, the dehumidifying and humidifying device 100' according to another embodiment has simplified air flow characteristics when humidifying air, compared to the dehumidifying and humidifying device 100 according to the exemplary embodiment described previously with reference to fig. 1 to 4, thereby having an advantage of relatively improving the air flow.

Meanwhile, in humidifying the air, in the case where the guide film 182 is arranged to be inclined upward, the sealing film 190 is folded as illustrated in fig. 6, and thus is excluded from the first flow path P1.

The dehumidifying and humidifying devices 100 and 100' according to the exemplary embodiments allow most of the air that has been drawn to pass through the humidifying filter 160 by switching the flow path when humidifying the air, even in a structure in which the heat exchanger 140 and the humidifying filter 160 having different areas are arranged on a single flow path, thereby having an advantage of increasing the amount of humidification.

Next, referring to fig. 7 to 9, a description will be made of a dehumidifying air cleaner according to an exemplary embodiment.

As illustrated in fig. 7 to 9, the dehumidifying air cleaner 200 according to an exemplary embodiment may include a housing 210, a blower fan 220, a humidifying unit 230, an air cleaning filter 240, a condenser 250, a heat exchanger 260, a variable flow path 270, and a flow path opening and closing apparatus 280.

The housing 210 may form an external structure of the dehumidifying air cleaner 200 according to an exemplary embodiment, and may include an intake part 212 for drawing external air into the housing 210 and an exhaust part 214 for discharging air inside the housing 210 to the outside.

In addition, in the embodiment, inside the case 210, a frame portion 216 for mounting the air cleaning filter 240 and the heat exchanger 260 inside the case 210 by supporting edges of the air cleaning filter 240 and the heat exchanger 260, which will be described later, may be provided.

The frame portion 216 may form a flow path for allowing air drawn into the housing 210 through the air intake portion 212 to pass through the air cleaning filter 240 and the heat exchanger 260.

The blower fan 220 may be disposed inside the case 210, and an air flow that allows air to be drawn into the intake portion 212 to pass through the air cleaning filter 240, the heat exchanger 260, and the humidifying unit 230, and then to be discharged into the exhaust portion 214 may occur.

In the embodiment, the blower fan 220 may be disposed in the rear of the heat exchanger 260 and the humidification unit 230 based on the air flow direction (the direction of the rear end from which air flows out based on the air flow direction), but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

The humidifying unit 230 is disposed inside the case 210, and may humidify air passing through the humidifying unit.

The humidifying method and configuration of the humidifying unit 230 are not particularly limited.

As an example, the dehumidifying and humidifying air cleaner according to the exemplary embodiment may apply a humidifying filter for a natural evaporation humidifying method and may include a water tank 232 for supplying water to the humidifying filter illustrated as the humidifying unit 230 in fig. 7 and 8, but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, in the embodiment, the humidification unit 230 may be disposed between the heat exchanger 260 and the blower fan 220, which will be described later, but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

The air cleaning filter 240 is disposed inside the case 210, and may purify air drawn into the case 210.

In an embodiment, the air cleaning filter 240 may be disposed in a direct rear of the air intake portion 212 inside the housing 210 as illustrated in fig. 7 and 8.

As described above, due to the structure in which the air cleaning filter 240 is disposed right behind the air intake part 212, the air passing through the inside of the case 210 is purified before flowing into the condenser 250, the heat exchanger 260, and the humidifying unit 230, which will be described later, thereby having an advantage of preventing parts disposed behind the air cleaning filter 240 from being contaminated.

In an embodiment, the air cleaning filter 240 is not particularly limited, and may be formed of a filter system in which a plurality of filters having various functions and forms are combined with each other.

The condenser 250 is disposed inside the case 210, and may condense refrigerant, and thus may supply the refrigerant, which has condensed, to a heat exchanger 260, which will be described later.

The condenser 250 is not particularly limited, and may be provided as various types of condensers 250 commonly used and well known in the art.

In addition, the condenser 250 may be disposed between the air cleaning filter 240 and the heat exchanger 260 as illustrated in fig. 7 and 8 (but the embodiment is not limited thereto) and may be disposed in various positions inside the case 210.

The heat exchanger 260 may be disposed behind the air cleaning filter 240 based on a flow direction of air inside the case 210.

The heat exchanger 260 may remove moisture by condensing the moisture in the air (by absorbing heat from the air that has undergone heat exchange) through evaporation of the refrigerant.

In an embodiment, as illustrated in fig. 7 and 8, the heat exchanger 260 may be configured to have an area smaller than the air cleaning filter 240.

In other words, when the heat exchanger 260 overlaps the air cleaning filter 240, the heat exchanger may be configured to have a size to cover a portion of the air cleaning filter 240.

The variable flow path 270 may configure a path in which air passing through the air cleaning filter 240 flows by bypassing the heat exchanger 260.

In an embodiment, the variable flow path 270 may correspond to a space between the frame portion 216 and an edge of the heat exchanger 260 as illustrated in fig. 7 and 8.

The variable flow path 270 may be opened and closed by a flow path opening and closing apparatus 280, which will be described later.

In an embodiment, in a portion of the edges of the condenser 250 and the heat exchanger 260, a support rib 265 for fixing the condenser 250 and the heat exchanger 260 inside the case 210 and for dividing the variable flow path 270 may be further provided therein.

The flow path opening and closing device 280 is provided for opening and closing the variable flow path 270.

The flow path opening and closing device 280 may be operated to open the variable flow path 270 when the dehumidifying air cleaner 200 according to an exemplary embodiment performs air purification, and to close the variable flow path 270 when dehumidifying air.

Here, when the flow path opening and closing apparatus 280 closes the variable flow path 270, the flow path opening and closing apparatus 280 may guide the air passing through the air cleaning filter 240 and flowing toward the variable flow path 270 in the direction of the heat exchanger 260.

To implement the above-described operation, the flow path opening and closing apparatus 280 may include, as an example, a guide plate 282, a driving unit 284, and an elastic material part 286.

The guide plate 282 is disposed in the frame part 216, and may be configured to rotate in the direction of the heat exchanger 260.

The guide plate 282 is configured to have a shape for closing the variable flow path 270, and may guide air flowing in the direction of the variable flow path 270 in the direction of the heat exchanger 260 when the variable flow path 270 is closed.

In addition, a driving unit 284 is provided in the frame part 216 and may rotate the guide plate 282.

The driving unit 284 may perform opening and closing operations of the variable flow path 270 of the guide plate 282 according to a control command of a user, and may be connected to a control unit (not shown) for performing opening and closing operations of the variable flow path 270 of the guide plate 282 so as to allow the variable flow path 270 to be automatically closed when a dehumidifying operation of the dehumidifying air cleaner according to an exemplary embodiment is performed and so as to allow the variable flow path 270 to be automatically opened when air is cleaned.

In an embodiment, the driving unit 284 is formed of a stepping motor that can adjust the rotation angle of the guide plate 282, and may be operated so as to adjust the opening area of the variable flow path 270.

In addition, the elastic material part 286 is provided in one end of the guide plate 282, and may be in close contact with the body of the heat exchanger 260 when the body is bent as illustrated in fig. 8 when the variable flow path 270 is closed.

The elastic material portion 286 is in close contact with the support rib 265 so as not to form a gap between the guide plate 282 and the support rib 265, thereby not allowing air to flow on the variable flow path 270 when the variable flow path 270 is closed.

In addition, the elastic material part 286 performs a buffering action in the connection structure between the guide plate 282 and the support rib 265, so as to prevent vibration occurring when the dehumidifying air cleaner 200 according to an exemplary embodiment is operated from being transmitted to the guide plate 282, and thus prevent noise occurring during operation caused by collision between components from occurring.

By way of example, the resilient material portion 286 may be formed from extruded PVC, but the present embodiment is not so limited.

The dehumidifying air cleaner 200 according to the exemplary embodiment as described before has an advantage of improving dehumidifying efficiency by preventing air flow bypassing the heat exchanger 260 when dehumidifying air and an advantage of improving air purifying efficiency by increasing an air intake area when cleaning air.

In addition, the dehumidifying air cleaner 200 according to the exemplary embodiment has an advantage of reducing product costs by optimizing the size of the heat exchanger 260.

Referring to fig. 10, a humidified air cleaner 300 according to an exemplary embodiment may include a cleaning unit 310, a humidifying unit 320, a blower unit 330, a variable flow path portion 340, a sensor unit 350, and a control unit 360.

The cleaning unit 310 is provided to filter contaminants, for example, contained in the air flowing in the humidified air cleaner 300, and may remove the contaminants in a method in which the contaminants in the air flowing in the humidified air cleaner 300 are absorbed, or the like.

The cleaning unit 310 may include one or more air cleaning filters. For example, the cleaning unit 310 may include various types of filters, such as a pre-filter, a functional filter, a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter, a deodorizing filter, and the like. Here, a prefilter is provided for removing relatively large dust particles, hair, pet hair, etc.; the functional filter is configured to remove bacteria, pollen, house mites, germs, microbes, etc.; HEPA filters are provided for removing various particles (e.g., fine dust, indoor mold, etc.); and a deodorizing filter is provided for removing various indoor smells, harmful gases, and the like.

The humidifying unit 320 is provided to supply water to the air flowing in the humidified air cleaner 300. For example, the humidifying unit 320 may supply water to the air in a natural evaporation method. In this case, the humidifying unit 320 may include a water tank 321 and a humidifying filter 322 as will be described later with reference to fig. 11 and 12.

In the air flow path inside the humidified air filter 300, the cleaning unit 310 described above may be located at the front end of the humidifying unit 320, but the locations of the cleaning unit 310 and the humidifying unit 320 are not limited thereto.

In addition, in the air flow path inside the humidified air cleaner 300, the area of the cleaning unit 310 may be larger than that of the humidifying unit 120. In this case, the air flowing into the humidified air cleaner 300 may pass only through the cleaning unit 310, and may pass through both the cleaning unit 310 and the humidifying unit 320. In other words, the air flow path inside the humidified air cleaner 300 may be divided into a first flow path (P1 illustrated in fig. 11) in which air passes only through the cleaning unit 310; and a second flow path (P2 shown in fig. 11) in which air passes through both the cleaning unit 310 and the humidifying unit 320.

The blower unit 330 is provided to form an air flow to allow external air to flow into the humidified air cleaner 300, and may include a blower fan and a motor to drive the blower fan. Here, the blower fan may be rotated by the motor and thus may form an air flow. The operation of the motor may be controlled by a control unit 360, which will be described later.

The variable flow path portion 340 is provided to selectively open and close a portion of an air flow path in the humidified air cleaner 300 according to control by the control unit 360. For example, the variable flow path portion 340 may allow the first flow path described above to be opened and closed. The specific configuration and operation of the variable flow path portion 340 will be described later with reference to fig. 11 to 13.

The sensor unit 350 is formed of various sensors in order to obtain information on air quality or environmental information within a space where the humidified air cleaner 300 is installed.

For example, the sensor unit 350 may include a humidity sensor for measuring humidity in air in a space in which the humidified air cleaner 300 is installed.

The sensor unit 350 may transmit a measurement signal to the control unit 360 in order to allow the control unit 360 to control the operation of the humidified air cleaner 300 as will be described later.

The control unit 360 is provided for controlling the operation of the humidified air cleaner 300, may be provided as a processor (e.g., a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a graphic processing device (GPU), a microprocessor, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), etc.) and may include a memory for storing various types of data.

For example, the control unit 360 may control the operation of the humidified air cleaner 300 based on an input from a user or a signal transmitted from the sensor unit 350, and may control the operation of the variable flow path portion 340 when the humidified air cleaner 300 performs a humidification operation.

In detail, the control unit 360 may close a portion of the flow path of the humidified air cleaner 300 by controlling the variable flow path portion 340 as will be described later with reference to fig. 11 when the humidification operation of the humidified air cleaner 300 is started. Accordingly, since a greater amount of air passes through the humidification unit 320, humidification efficiency may be improved.

In addition, while the humidified air cleaner 300 performs a humidification operation, the control unit 360 allows the sensor unit 350 to periodically measure the current humidity, and may allow the flow path of the humidified air cleaner 300 to be opened by controlling the variable flow path part 340 as will be described later with reference to fig. 12 when the current humidity that has been measured is within a preset appropriate humidity range (e.g., 40% to 60%). Therefore, since the amount of air passing through the humidifying unit 320 is reduced, the humidity is prevented from being continuously increased and an appropriate degree of humidity is maintained.

Further, the control unit 360 may stop the humidifying operation of the humidified air cleaner 300 when the current humidity that has been measured exceeds a preset humidity level (e.g., 70%).

Fig. 11 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a case in which a portion of a flow path of a humidified air cleaner in accordance with an exemplary embodiment is closed, and fig. 12 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a case in which a flow path of a humidified air cleaner in accordance with an exemplary embodiment is opened.

Referring to fig. 11 and 12, the case 301 forms an external structure of the humidified air cleaner 300, and the case 301 may have an air inlet 302 for allowing external air to flow inside the case 301 and an air outlet 303 for allowing air inside the case 301 to be discharged to the outside.

An air cleaning filter 311 forming a cleaning unit is installed inside the housing 301 to purify air drawn into the housing 301 through the air inlet 302. The air cleaning filter 311 may be disposed in a front end of a humidifying filter 322, which will be described later, based on a direction in which air flows in a flow path of the humidified air cleaner 300, but the position of the air cleaning filter 311 is not limited thereto.

In addition, the air cleaning filter 311 may be disposed across a first flow path P1 and a second flow path P2, which will be described later, and thus, the air cleaning filter 311 may purify air passing through the first flow path P1 and the second flow path P2.

A water tank 321 and a humidification filter 322 forming a humidification unit may be installed inside the case 301.

Here, the water tank 321 stores water for humidification and supplies water to a humidification filter 322, which will be described later.

The humidifying filter 322 may supply water to the air passing through the humidifying filter. For example, the humidifying filter 322 may be provided as an immersion type natural evaporation filter in which a portion of a lower end of the humidifying filter is immersed in the water stored in the water tank 321, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, the humidifying filter 322 may be provided as a rotary filter.

The humidifying filter 322 may be disposed in the rear end of the air cleaning filter 311 based on the direction in which air flows on the flow path of the humidified air cleaner 300, but the position of the humidifying filter 322 is not limited thereto.

Further, the humidifying filter 322 is disposed in a second flow path P2, which will be described later, and supplies water to the air passing through the second flow path P2.

A blowing fan 331 forming a blowing unit is disposed inside the case 301, and may generate an air flow so as to allow external air to be sucked into the case 301 through the air inlet 302 and then discharged to the outside through the air outlet 303 again.

The air blowing fan 331 may be provided in a rear end of the humidification filter 322, which will be described later, in a direction in which air flows in the flow path of the humidified air cleaner 300, but the position of the air blowing fan 331 is not limited thereto.

The first flow path P1 is a part of the inner space of the case 301, and is a flow path of air flowing into the blowing fan 331 after the air passes only the air cleaning filter 311.

In addition, the second flow path P2 is the remaining part of the inner space of the case 301 except for the first flow path P1, and is a flow path of the air flowing into the blower fan 331 after the air passes through the air cleaning filter 311 and the humidifying filter 322.

As illustrated in fig. 11 and 12, the first flow path P1 and the second flow path P2 may be formed adjacent to each other in parallel in the internal flow path of the housing 301. In other words, the first flow path P1 and the second flow path P2 follow the concept of: in the flow path of the air flowing due to the blower fan 331, a portion where the humidification filter 322 is disposed is separated from a portion where the humidification filter is not disposed. Further, the first flow path P1 and the second flow path P2 are not physically separated by a structure that does not allow air to flow therebetween.

The variable flow path portion 340 is disposed inside the housing 301, and may allow the first flow path P1 to be opened and closed.

The variable flow path portion 340 may include a guide film 341 and a driving motor 342 as illustrated in fig. 13.

Here, the guide film 341 is a plate-shaped member provided in the first flow path P1 for guiding the air flowing into the first flow path P1, and may be provided to rotate between the air cleaning filter 311 and the blower fan 331 in the first flow path P1. For example, the guide film 341 may be combined with a support portion to be rotated in which a rotation shaft thereof is provided in a frame inside the housing 301.

The guide film 341 may be arranged to be inclined downward toward the humidification filter 322 when the first flow path P1 is closed as the guide film rotates downward as illustrated in fig. 11, and may be arranged to be inclined upward toward the side opposite to the humidification filter 322 (i.e., the upper end of the first flow path P1) when the first flow path P1 is opened as the guide film rotates upward as illustrated in fig. 12.

The driving motor 342 is provided for allowing the guide film 341 to rotate like a rotation shaft connected to the guide film 341, and may be provided as, for example, a stepping motor capable of adjusting the rotation angle. The operation of the drive motor 342 may be controlled by a control unit.

Referring to fig. 14, when a humidifying operation of the humidified air cleaner is started (S310), a portion of the flow path of the humidified air cleaner, i.e., the variable flow path, is closed (S320), and thus a larger amount of air is allowed to pass through the humidification filter.

Thereafter, while the humidified air cleaner performs a humidification operation, the current humidity is periodically measured (S330). When the current humidity that has been measured is within the preset appropriate humidity range (e.g., 40% to 60%) (S340), the variable flow path is opened (S350) and the above-described S330 is restarted.

Meanwhile, when the current humidity that has been measured exceeds the preset humidity (e.g., 70%) (S360), the humidifying operation of the humidified air cleaner is stopped (S370).

The method of operating a humidified air cleaner described above with reference to fig. 14 may be performed by hardware (e.g., a processor mounted on the humidified air cleaner, etc.).

While the present disclosure has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, the present disclosure is not limited to the exemplary embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications of the present disclosure can be made within the spirit and scope of the disclosure, and therefore, it is to be understood that such changes and modifications are within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A dehumidification and humidification apparatus comprising:

a housing;

an air cleaning filter installed inside the housing and purifying air drawn into the housing;

a blower fan installed inside the case, the blower fan generating an air flow such that external air is sucked into the case and then discharged back to the outside;

a heat exchanger installed between the air cleaning filter and the blower fan inside the case, the heat exchanger exchanging heat with air so as to dehumidify the air;

a humidifying filter installed between the heat exchanger and the blower fan inside the case, the humidifying filter humidifying the air;

a first flow path formed inside the case such that the air passes through the heat exchanger and the blower fan;

a second flow path formed inside the case such that the air passes through the heat exchanger, the humidification filter, and the blower fan; and

a variable flow path portion installed inside the housing, the variable flow path portion opening and closing at least a portion of the first flow path.

2. The dehumidification and humidification device of claim 1, wherein the variable flow path portion is configured to close at least a portion of the first flow path while the humidification filter performs a humidification operation, and

configured to open the first flow path while the heat exchanger performs a dehumidifying operation.

3. The dehumidification and humidification apparatus of claim 1, wherein the variable flow path portion is configured to direct air flowing into the first flow path to the humidification filter when at least a portion of the first flow path is closed.

4. The dehumidification and humidification device of claim 3, wherein the first flow path and the second flow path are arranged in parallel adjacent to one another inside the enclosure,

the heat exchanger is configured to allow the body to be arranged across the first flow path and the second flow path, and

the humidification filter is configured to be disposed in the second flow path.

5. The dehumidification and humidification apparatus of claim 4, wherein the variable flow path portion comprises:

a guide film provided to rotate between the heat exchanger and the blower fan in the first flow path, arranged obliquely toward the humidification filter when at least a portion of the first flow path is closed, and arranged obliquely toward a side opposite to the humidification filter when the first flow path is open; and

a driving motor for rotating the guide film.

6. The dehumidifying and humidifying apparatus of claim 5, wherein the guide film is configured to allow a portion of one end to be bent in a direction opposite to a rotation direction of the guide film.

7. The dehumidification and humidification apparatus of claim 5, further comprising: a sealing film connected between one end of the guide film and an outer end of the first flow path and folded or unfolded by an external force.

8. A dehumidified air cleaner comprising:

a housing;

an air cleaning filter mounted inside the housing;

a blower fan installed behind the air cleaning filter inside the housing, the blower fan generating an air flow such that external air is sucked into the housing and then discharged back to the outside;

a heat exchanger installed between the blower fan and the air cleaning filter inside the case;

a variable flow path forming a path in which air passing through the air cleaning filter flows while bypassing the heat exchanger; and

a flow path opening and closing device for opening and closing the variable flow path.

9. The dehumidified air cleaner as claimed in claim 8, wherein the heat exchanger is configured to have an area smaller than the air cleaning filter, and

the variable flow path corresponds to a space between a frame portion mounted inside the housing so as to support an edge of the air cleaning filter and the heat exchanger and an edge of the heat exchanger.

10. A humidified air cleaner comprising:

a cleaning unit for purifying air flowing inside;

a blower unit for discharging air to the outside after allowing external air to flow inside by forming an air flow;

a humidifying unit configured to supply moisture to air passing through the cleaning unit, and installed between the cleaning unit and the blower unit;

a variable flow path portion for opening and closing a portion of an air flow path;

a sensor unit for measuring humidity of outside air; and

a control unit for controlling opening and closing of the variable flow path portion based on an input signal or a humidity value transmitted from the sensor unit.