CN113167488A

CN113167488A - Electrolytic water dispersing device and air blowing device

Info

Publication number: CN113167488A
Application number: CN201980077099.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 小原弘士
Original assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co Ltd
Current assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-12-17
Filing date: 2019-11-27
Publication date: 2021-07-23
Anticipated expiration: 2039-11-27
Also published as: JP7345086B2; JPWO2020129557A1; WO2020129557A1; CN113167488B

Abstract

The electrolytic water distribution device (100) provided by the invention comprises: an electrolyzed water generation unit (105) that generates electrolyzed water by means of a pair of electrodes (117); an air blowing unit (107) for bringing the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generating unit (105) into contact with air sucked into the case through the air inlet (102) and blowing air from the air outlet (106); a control unit (130) for controlling the amount of power to be supplied to the pair of electrodes (117) of the electrolyzed water production unit (105) and the amount of air supplied to the air supply unit (107); and a gas detection unit (120) that detects a gas containing the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit (105), wherein the gas detection unit (120) outputs an output value corresponding to the detection gas detected by the gas detection unit (120), and the control unit (130) determines the state of the detection gas based on the output value output from the gas detection unit (120).

Description

Electrolytic water dispersing device and air blowing device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an electrolyzed water spraying apparatus for generating and spraying electrolyzed water, and an air blowing apparatus provided with the electrolyzed water spraying apparatus.

Background

In order to remove bacteria, fungi, viruses, odor, and the like in the air, an electrolytic water dispenser is known which generates electrolytic water containing hypochlorous acid by electrolysis and dispenses the generated electrolytic water.

Conventionally, as a method for detecting the amount of hypochlorous acid generated in an electrolytic water dispenser, a method for detecting the concentration of a solution by an electrochemical method is known (patent document 1). Further, a technique of detecting the type or concentration of a gas by using the output tendencies of a plurality of gas sensors is also known (patent document 2).

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2006-26214

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2017-49057

Disclosure of Invention

However, in the detection method described in patent document 1, since an electrode for detecting the solution concentration or the like needs to be used, there is a concern that the cost increases. In addition, in the case of detection using an electrochemical method, periodic cleaning of the electrodes is required, and it is difficult to maintain the detection accuracy. In the detection method described in patent document 2, a plurality of gas sensors need to be used, and therefore, there is a concern that the cost increases. That is, according to the conventional method, when the state (for example, concentration) of the generated gas such as hypochlorous acid is determined, it is relatively complicated and expensive.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an electrolytic water dispenser capable of relatively easily and inexpensively determining the state of a gas such as hypochlorous acid generated.

In order to achieve the object, an electrolytic water dispenser according to the present invention has the following features. That is, the electrolyzed water spraying apparatus of the present invention includes an electrolyzed water generating section, a blowing section, a control section, and a gas detecting section. The electrolyzed water generating section generates electrolyzed water by a pair of electrodes. The air blowing unit brings the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generating unit into contact with air sucked into the case through the air inlet and blows air from the air outlet. The control unit controls the amount of power to energize the pair of electrodes of the electrolyzed water forming unit and the amount of air from the air blowing unit. The gas detection unit detects a gas containing the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit. The gas detection unit outputs an output value corresponding to the detection gas detected by the gas detection unit. The control unit determines the state of the detection gas based on the output value output from the gas detection unit.

According to the electrolyzed water spraying apparatus of the present invention, the state of the detection gas is determined based on the output value of the gas detection unit that detects the gas containing the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit. In this way, since the state of the detection gas such as the amount of hypochlorous acid generated can be determined by one gas detection unit, the electrolytic water dispenser can be realized relatively easily and inexpensively.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an electrolyzed water forming apparatus according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electrolyzed water forming apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the electrolyzed water forming apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the electrolyzed water forming apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the electrolyzed water forming apparatus.

Fig. 6A is a functional block diagram of the gas determination unit.

Fig. 6B is a flowchart showing a process of determining the state of the detection gas by the gas determination unit.

Fig. 7A is a diagram showing a relationship between an energization state of a pair of electrodes and an elapsed time.

Fig. 7B is a diagram showing an example of the output value of the gas detection unit in the energized state of the pair of electrodes shown in fig. 7A.

Fig. 7C is a diagram showing an example of the amount of change in the output value from before one cycle when the output value of the gas detection unit shown in fig. 7B is obtained at a fixed cycle.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the frequency of occurrence of the amount of change when electrolysis is performed under specific conditions.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a plurality of threshold value ranges and the added values corresponding to the plurality of threshold value ranges.

Fig. 10A is a diagram showing a relationship between an energization state of an electrode and an elapsed time.

Fig. 10B is a diagram showing a relationship between the odor generation state and the elapsed time.

Fig. 10C is a diagram showing an example of the output value of the gas detection unit in the energized state and the odor generation state shown in fig. 10A and 10B.

Fig. 10D is a diagram showing an example of the amount of change in the output value from before one cycle when the output value of the gas detection unit shown in fig. 10C is obtained at a fixed cycle.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing an electrolyzed water forming apparatus according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the electrolyzed water forming apparatus.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the electrolyzed water forming apparatus.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the electrolyzed water forming apparatus.

FIG. 15 is a functional block diagram of the electrolyzed water forming apparatus.

Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing a process of determining the state of the detection gas by the control unit.

Fig. 17A is a diagram showing a relationship between an energization state of a pair of electrodes and an elapsed time.

Fig. 17B is a diagram showing an example of the output value of the gas detection unit in the energized state of the pair of electrodes shown in fig. 17A.

Fig. 17C is a diagram showing an example of the amount of change in the output value from before one cycle when the output value of the gas detection unit shown in fig. 17B is obtained at a fixed cycle.

Fig. 18 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the frequency of occurrence of the amount of change when electrolysis is performed under specific conditions.

Fig. 19 is a diagram for classifying the amount of change per cycle based on the output value of the gas detection unit into a plurality of predetermined ranges.

Fig. 20A is a diagram showing a relationship between an energization state of an electrode and an elapsed time.

Fig. 20B is a diagram showing a relationship between the odor generation state and the elapsed time.

Fig. 20C is a diagram showing an example of the output value of the gas detection unit in the energized state and the odor generation state shown in fig. 20A and 20B.

Fig. 20D is a diagram showing an example of the amount of change in the output value from before one cycle when the output value of the gas detection unit shown in fig. 20C is obtained at a fixed cycle.

Detailed Description

The electrolyzed water dispenser of the present invention includes an electrolyzed water generating section, an air blowing section, a control section, and a gas detecting section. The electrolyzed water generating section generates electrolyzed water by a pair of electrodes. The air blowing unit brings the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generating unit into contact with air sucked into the case through the air inlet and blows air from the air outlet. The control unit controls the amount of power to energize the pair of electrodes of the electrolyzed water forming unit and the amount of air from the air blowing unit. The gas detection unit detects a gas containing the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit. The gas detection unit outputs an output value corresponding to the detection gas detected by the gas detection unit. The control unit determines the state of the detection gas based on the output value output from the gas detection unit.

Thus, the present electrolyzed water spraying apparatus can determine the state of the detection gas of the active oxygen species contained in the electrolyzed water produced by the electrolyzed water producing unit, and therefore, can be used for determining the state of the detection gas in which different amounts of the active oxygen species produced are generated depending on the usage environment of the electrolyzed water spraying apparatus.

The control unit may include a gas determination unit that determines a state of the detection gas, and the gas determination unit may include a calculation unit that repeatedly obtains an output value output from the gas detection unit at a fixed cycle, calculates a variation in the output value in each cycle, and determines the state of the detection gas based on the variation.

Thus, the present electrolyzed water dispensing apparatus can determine the state of the detection gas, which is the amount of generation of different reactive oxygen species due to the environment in which the electrolyzed water dispensing apparatus is used, with relatively good accuracy, because the state of the gas detection unit, which exhibits different output tendencies due to the reactive oxygen species, etc., can be determined based on the amount of change in the gas detection unit.

The gas determination unit may include a comparison unit that compares the variation amount calculated by the calculation unit with 1 or more predetermined threshold ranges, and obtains the number of variation amounts included in the predetermined threshold ranges, and the calculation unit may determine the state of the detection gas based on the number of variation amounts included in the predetermined threshold ranges obtained by the comparison unit.

Thus, the electrolytic water dispenser can determine the state based on the tendency of the appearance frequency of the active oxygen species to be detected when generated, with respect to the amount of change in the gas detection unit that exhibits different output tendencies due to the active oxygen species and the like. Thus, the state of the detection gas in which different amounts of generated reactive oxygen species are generated due to the use environment of the electrolytic water dispenser can be determined with relatively good accuracy.

Further, the comparison unit may compare the variation amount calculated by the calculation unit with a plurality of predetermined threshold ranges different from each other, and acquire the number of variation amounts included in each of the plurality of predetermined threshold ranges, and the calculation unit may determine the state of the detected gas based on the added value stored in association with each of the plurality of predetermined threshold ranges.

Thus, the electrolytic water dispenser can determine the state based on the result of weighting the added value based on the tendency of the appearance frequency of the detection target active oxygen species, with respect to the amount of change of the gas detection unit showing different output tendencies due to the active oxygen species and the like. This makes it possible to accurately determine the amount of active oxygen species generated differently depending on the environment in which the electrolytic water dispenser is used.

In addition, a plurality of predetermined threshold ranges may be changeable.

Thus, the present electrolyzed water dispensing apparatus can accurately determine the amount of generated active oxygen species that are different depending on the environment in which the electrolyzed water dispensing apparatus is used, even when there is a variation in the characteristics of the gas detection unit or a change in the characteristics such as deterioration with age.

The output value may be a voltage value.

The electrolyzed water spraying apparatus of the present invention is also applicable to an air blower.

This makes it possible to achieve the effects of the present invention even in the air blowing device.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(embodiment 1)

First, an electrolyzed water spraying apparatus 100 according to embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 6B. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the electrolytic water dispenser 100, and is a view of the electrolytic water dispenser 100 as viewed from the front. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the electrolytic water dispenser 100, and the electrolytic water dispenser 100 is seen from the front side with the panel 103 of fig. 1 opened.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the electrolytic water dispenser 100 has a main body case 101 having a substantially box shape, and has substantially quadrangular air inlets 102 on both side surfaces of the main body case 101. An open-close type air outlet 106 is provided on the top surface of the main body casing 101. In fig. 1 and 2, the air outlet 106 is in a closed state.

An openable and closable panel 103 is provided on the 1 st body side surface 101A, which is a right side surface (one side surface of the body case 101), when viewed from the front surface side of the body case 101. The panel 103 is provided with an air inlet 102. When the panel 103 is opened, the vertically long rectangular opening 104 can be exposed as shown in fig. 2. The water storage part 114, the water supply part 115, the tablet input case 118a, and the like, which will be described later, can be taken out from the opening 104.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the electrolyzed water forming apparatus 100, with the center portion thereof being cut in the vertical direction as seen from the front, and is a view of the electrolyzed water forming apparatus 100 as seen from the right side. Fig. 3 shows an air passage structure formed by the electrolyzed water forming apparatus 100. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the electrolyzed water spraying apparatus 100 taken along the vertical direction from the front right side, and is a view seen from the right side of the electrolyzed water spraying apparatus 100. FIG. 4 shows the peripheral structure of the tank member and the like for the generation of electrolyzed water. Fig. 5 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the functions of the electrolyzed water forming apparatus 100.

As shown in fig. 2 to 5, the main body case 101 includes an electrolyzed water generator 105, a water supply unit 115, a distributor 119, and an air passage 108. The electrolyzed water generation unit 105 has a pair of electrodes 117 and a water storage unit 114.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the water storage portion 114 has a box shape with an open top surface, and has a structure capable of storing water. The water storage portion 114 is disposed at a lower portion of the main body casing 101, is attached to and detached from the main body casing 101 so as to be slidable in the horizontal direction, and is removable from the opening 104. The water storage portion 114 stores water supplied from the water supply portion 115.

The pair of electrodes 117 shown in fig. 4 has electrode members (not shown) provided so as to be immersed in the water storage portion 114. The electrode members are energized by a pair of electrodes 117, and water containing chlorine ions in the water storage part 114 is electrochemically electrolyzed to generate electrolyzed water containing active oxygen species. Here, the active oxygen species are oxygen molecules and related substances thereof having higher oxidation activity than ordinary oxygen. The active oxygen species include, for example: active oxygen in a broad sense such as superoxide anion, singlet oxygen, hydroxyl radical, or hydrogen peroxide, ozone, Hypochlorous acid (Hypochlorous acid ), and the like.

The pair of electrodes 117 generates electrolyzed water by repeating a plurality of times one cycle of an energization time for performing energization to the electrode member for electrolysis and a non-energization time which is a time after the energization is stopped, that is, a time when energization is not performed. By providing the electrode member with a non-energization time, the life of the electrode member can be extended. Further, if the energization time is extended with respect to the non-energization time, electrolytic water containing a larger amount of active oxygen species can be generated per one cycle. In addition, if the non-energization time is extended with respect to the energization time, the generation of reactive oxygen species per one cycle can be suppressed. Further, if the amount of power in the energization time is increased, electrolyzed water containing a larger amount of active oxygen species can be generated.

As shown in fig. 2, the electrolysis-promoting tablet input portion 118 includes a tablet input case 118a, a tablet input member (not shown) provided in the tablet input case 118a, and a tablet input cover 118b detachably provided on an upper portion of the tablet input case 118 a. The tablet input cassette 118a is configured to be removable from the opening 104. The user can load the electrolysis promoting tablet in the tablet input cassette 118a by removing the tablet input cover 118b from the taken-out tablet input cassette 118 a. The electrolysis-promoting tablet loaded in the tablet loading cassette 118a can be loaded into the water storage portion 114.

Specifically, the electrolysis-promoting tablet input portion 118 rotates the tablet input member when the electrolysis-promoting tablet is input into the water storage portion 114. When the tablet input member rotates, the electrolysis-promoting tablet falls into the water storage portion 114 from a falling opening (not shown) in the bottom surface of the tablet input case 118 a. The electrolysis promoting tablet input portion 118 counts the number of electrolysis promoting tablets falling from the tablet input cassette 118a into the water storage portion 114, and stops the rotation of the tablet input member when it is determined that one electrolysis promoting tablet falls from the tablet input cassette 118a into the water storage portion 114. The dissolution of the tablet into the water in the water storage part 114 is promoted by the electrolysis, and water containing chlorine ions is generated in the water storage part 114. An example of the electrolysis-promoting tablet is sodium chloride.

The electrolyzed water spraying apparatus 100 may not include the electrolysis promoting tablet input portion 118. In this case, the electrolyzed water dispensing apparatus 100 may display or sound a notification indicating the introduction of the electrolysis promoting tablet to the user so that the user directly introduces the electrolysis promoting tablet into the water storage unit 114.

As shown in fig. 5, the electrolyzed water dispensing apparatus 100 includes a gas detection unit 120 and a control unit 130.

The gas detection unit 120 detects a gas containing the electrolyzed water generated by the pair of electrodes 117, and outputs an output value corresponding to the detected gas. In the present embodiment, a case where the output value output from the gas detection unit 120 is a voltage value will be described as an example. Details of the gas detection unit 120 will be described later with reference to fig. 6A and 6B.

The control unit 130 is provided, for example, on the back side of an operation panel provided on the top surface of the main body case 101 (see fig. 1), and controls the electrolyzed water spraying apparatus 100. The control unit 130 controls the electrolysis of water by the pair of electrodes 117 and also controls the introduction of the electrolysis promoting tablet by the electrolysis promoting tablet introduction unit 118. In particular, the control unit 130 includes a gas determination unit 131, and is a means for determining the state of the detection gas by the gas determination unit 131 based on the output value of the detection gas output from the gas detection unit 120. Details of the gas determining section 131 will be described later with reference to fig. 6A and 6B. The function of the control unit 130 is realized by a processor (not shown) executing a program stored in a memory (not shown).

As shown in fig. 2, the water supply portion 115 is provided on the right side surface in the front view inside the main body case 101, is configured to be detachable from the water storage portion 114, and is removable from the opening 104. The water supply unit 115 is attached to a tank holding unit 114a provided on the bottom surface of the water storage unit 114. The water supply unit 115 includes a tank 115a for storing water and a lid 115b provided at an opening (not shown) of the tank 115 a. An opening/closing portion (not shown) is provided at the center of the lid 115b, and when the opening/closing portion is opened, water in the tank 115a is supplied to the water storage portion 114.

Specifically, when the opening of the tank 115a is directed downward and the tank 115a is attached to the tank holding portion 114a of the water storage portion 114, the opening/closing portion is opened by the tank holding portion 114 a. That is, when water is put into the tank 115a and attached to the tank holding portion 114a, the opening/closing portion is opened to supply water into the water storage portion 114, and the water is stored in the water storage portion 114. When the water level in the water storage portion 114 rises to the position of the lid 115b, the water supply is stopped because the opening of the tank 115a is sealed, and the water remains in the tank 115a, and the water in the tank 115a is supplied to the water storage portion 114 every time the water level in the water storage portion 114 falls. That is, the water level in the water storage portion 114 is kept constant.

The electrolyzed water spraying apparatus 100 may not have the tank 115a as the water supply unit 115. In this case, a pipe for supplying water may be introduced from a water supply pipe to the electrolyzed water spraying apparatus 100, and when the water level in the water reservoir 114 is lowered, the water supplied from the water supply pipe is raised to a predetermined position until the water level in the water reservoir 114 is raised.

As shown in fig. 3, the distribution unit 119 includes a blowing unit 107 and a filter unit 116. The blower 107 is provided in the center of the main body case 101, and includes a motor 109, a fan 110 rotated by the motor 109, and a spiral case 111 surrounding the motor and the fan. The motor portion 109 is fixed to the case portion 111.

The fan unit 110 is a sirocco fan and is fixed to a rotary shaft 109a extending in the horizontal direction from the motor unit 109, and the motor unit 109 is fixed to the housing unit 111 as described above. The rotary shaft 109a of the motor unit 109 extends from the front surface side to the rear surface side of the main body case 101. The case 111 has a discharge port 112 on the upper surface side of the main body case 101 of the case 111, and a suction port 113 on the rear surface side of the main body case 101 of the case 111.

The air volume of blower 107 is determined based on the air volume set by the user. The rotation amount of the motor unit 109 is controlled by the control unit 130 based on the determined air volume.

The filter unit 116 is a member that brings the electrolyzed water stored in the water storage unit 114 into contact with the indoor air that has flowed into the main body casing 101 (i.e., into the case) by the air blowing unit 107. The filter unit 116 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and a filter 116a having holes in the circumferential portion thereof through which air can flow is disposed. One end of the filter 116a is immersed in the water storage portion 114, and is rotatably incorporated in the water storage portion 114 with the central axis of the filter 116a as a rotation center in order to retain the water. The filter unit 116 is configured to be rotated by a driving unit (not shown) to continuously contact the electrolyzed water with the indoor air.

The air passage 108 communicates the air inlet 102 and the air outlet 106, and includes a filter 116, an air blower 107, and the air outlet 106 in this order from the air inlet 102. When fan unit 110 is rotated by motor unit 109, the air sucked from air inlet 102 and taken into air passage 108 is blown out of electrolytic water dispenser 100 through filter 116a, blower 107, and outlet 106 in this order. Thereby, the electrolyzed water generated in the water storage portion 114 is dispersed to the outside. The electrolyzed water spraying apparatus 100 need not necessarily be an apparatus for spraying the electrolyzed water itself, and may be an apparatus for spraying active oxygen species from the resulting electrolyzed water (including volatilized water).

A method of determining the state of the detection gas by the gas determination unit 131 will be described with reference to fig. 6A and 6B.

Fig. 6A is a functional block diagram schematically showing the function of the gas determination unit 131. The gas determination unit 131 includes a comparison unit 132 and a calculation unit 133. The gas determination unit 131 obtains an output value (voltage value) corresponding to the detection gas output from the gas detection unit 120 every predetermined time (for example, 1 second). The calculation unit 133 calculates a difference between the output value of the gas detection unit 120 obtained at a certain time and the output value of the gas detection unit 120 obtained at a predetermined time earlier than the certain time, thereby obtaining a variation in the output value. The calculation unit 133 repeats this calculation every predetermined time, thereby acquiring a plurality of variation amounts. That is, the calculation unit 133 calculates the amount of change in the output value in each cycle.

The comparison unit 132 compares the amount of change in the output value of the gas detection unit 120 acquired by the calculation unit 133 with the magnitudes of the plurality of threshold ranges, calculates which threshold range among the plurality of threshold ranges the acquired amount of change is included in, and records the number of amounts of change included in the threshold range. The comparison unit 132 repeats the calculation and recording every predetermined time period, thereby recording the number of changes included in each of the plurality of threshold ranges.

The calculation unit 133 performs an operation of adding the sum value set in correspondence with each of the plurality of threshold value ranges to the number of change amounts included in each of the plurality of threshold value ranges obtained by the comparison unit 132. The state of the detection gas is determined using the result of the addition. A specific method of determining the state of the detection gas will be described later with reference to fig. 7A to 9. The plurality of threshold value ranges and the added values set in association with the respective threshold value ranges are stored in a memory (not shown), and the number of change amounts included in each of the plurality of threshold value ranges is also recorded in the memory.

The gas detection unit 120 is formed of, for example, a semiconductor gas sensor. The gas sensor element is constituted by a heater integrated with a metal oxide material. When power is applied to the sensor, the metal oxide material is heated by the heater. In the gas sensor element, a gas is detected based on a change in resistance value generated by contact of the detectable gas with the metal oxide material. For example, in clean air, the surface of a metal oxide material is affected by oxygen in the atmosphere to restrict the movement of free electrons, and the conductivity is reduced, thereby exhibiting a high resistance value. When a gas detectable in this state comes into contact with the surface of the metal oxide material, oxygen on the surface of the metal oxide material is consumed, and the movement of free electrons restricted so far is released, so that the conductivity becomes high, and the resistance value becomes low. By converting the difference in resistance value into a voltage output or the like, detection of the gas to be detected can be realized.

Fig. 6B is a flowchart showing a process of determining the state of the detection gas.

The gas determination unit 131 first repeatedly obtains the output value (for example, a voltage value) output from the gas detection unit 120 every predetermined time (for example, 1 second) for a predetermined period (for example, 1 minute) (step S11). The output value is obtained using, for example, an analog-to-digital (a/D) converter or the like.

The calculation unit 133 calculates the difference between the output value at a certain time point obtained in step S11 and the output value obtained at a time earlier than the certain time point by a predetermined time, and calculates the amount of change in the output value of the gas detection unit 120. This calculation is repeated to calculate a plurality of change amounts (change amounts per predetermined time) (step S12).

Next, the comparing unit 132 compares the plurality of variations obtained in step S12 with a plurality of threshold ranges, and records the number of variations in the threshold range including the variations. Thereby, the number of variations included in each of the plurality of threshold ranges is acquired (step S13).

The arithmetic unit 133 adds the sum value corresponding to the threshold value range to the number of change amounts included in each of the plurality of threshold value ranges obtained in step S13 (step S14). Finally, the arithmetic unit 133 determines the state of the detection gas based on the calculated value after addition (step S15).

The output results obtained by the state determination include the type of the detection gas, the presence or absence of the detection gas, the concentration of the detection gas, and the like. For example, the value calculated by the calculation unit 133 obtained in step S14 is compared with an arbitrary threshold value, and the type of the detection gas and the presence or absence of the gas to be detected can be obtained. Further, by using a value related to the density as the added value added by the arithmetic unit 133 in step S14, the density value can be obtained as the output result.

In fig. 6B, a method is described in which the calculation unit 133 calculates the variation of the output value per predetermined time using the plurality of output values obtained per predetermined time in step S11 (step S12), and the comparison unit 132 compares the variation of the plurality of output values obtained in step S12 with the plurality of threshold ranges (step S13). However, the flowchart of the process of determining the state of the detection gas shown in fig. 6B is an example. For example, the processing of steps S11 to S13 may be modified as follows, and the processing of steps S14 and S15 may be performed after the modified processing of steps S11 to S13 is repeatedly performed for a predetermined period of time (or a predetermined number of times) every predetermined time. That is, the processing of acquiring the output value output from the gas detector 120 only once in step S11 is changed to the processing of calculating the amount of change by calculating the difference between the output value acquired in step S11 after the change and the output value acquired a predetermined time before the change in step S12. Further, step S13 is modified to a process of comparing the variation amount obtained in step S12 after the modification with a plurality of threshold ranges. By repeating the processing of steps S11 to S13 after the change for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 1 minute) or a predetermined number of times (e.g., 60 times) every predetermined time, the number of changes included in each of the plurality of threshold ranges can be obtained, as in the processing result of step S13 shown in fig. 6B.

The method of determining the state of the detection gas will be described specifically with reference to fig. 7A to 9.

Fig. 7A to 7C show an example of the output value (voltage value) of the gas detection unit 120 and the amount of change thereof when the pair of electrodes 117 of the electrolyzed water forming unit 105 is energized to perform electrolysis. The gas detector 120 is disposed in the vicinity of the electrolyzed water generator 105, and is configured to detect a gas containing hypochlorous acid generated from the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generator 105. A pair of electrodes 117 constituting the electrolyzed water forming section 105 is provided in the water storage section 114. Fig. 7A is a diagram showing the state of energization and the elapsed time of the pair of electrodes 117 of the electrolyzed water forming unit 105. Electrolysis is performed by passing a current through the pair of electrodes 117. Fig. 7B is a graph showing the output value of the gas detection unit 120 in the energized state of the pair of electrodes 117 shown in fig. 7A. Fig. 7C is a diagram showing an example of the amount of change in the output value from before one cycle when the output value of the gas detection unit shown in fig. 7B is obtained at a fixed cycle. When electrolysis is performed, the gas detector 120 changes its output in response to the detection gas containing hypochlorous acid generated by the electrolyzed water. Among the plurality of output values of the gas detection unit 120 obtained at every predetermined time, the amount of change is obtained as the difference between the output value obtained at a certain time and the output value obtained at a predetermined time earlier than the certain time. This variation is shown in fig. 7C.

Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating, as an example, the frequency of occurrence of the amount of change in the output value of the gas detection unit 120 obtained by the calculation unit 133 when electrolysis is performed under specific conditions while the electrodes shown in fig. 7A are energized. The results of obtaining long-term data under the same electrolysis conditions are shown, and how much the change amount of the output value of the gas detection unit 120 is generated with respect to the obtained data is shown. The output tendency of the appearance frequency is somewhat different when the positional relationship between the electrolyzed water forming unit 105 and the gas detection unit 120 and the electrolysis forming conditions are determined, but shows the same tendency to some extent.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a plurality of threshold value ranges and the added values corresponding to the plurality of threshold value ranges. As shown in fig. 8 and 9, the threshold ranges of the relative change amount are set as follows. The threshold range d2 represents a region where the variation amount is less than-0.05V. The threshold value range c2 represents a region where the variation is-0.05V or more and less than-0.02V. The threshold value range b2 represents a region where the variation is-0.02V or more and less than-0.01V. The threshold value range a2 represents a region where the variation is-0.01V or more and less than 0V. The threshold value range a1 represents a region where the variation amount is 0V or more and less than + 0.01V. The threshold value range b1 represents a region where the variation amount is +0.01V or more and less than + 0.02V. The threshold value range c1 represents a region where the variation amount is +0.02V or more and less than + 0.05V. The threshold range d1 represents a region where the variation amount is +0.05V or more.

In fig. 8, the threshold range b1, the threshold range b2, and the threshold range c2 are large in frequency of occurrence. The peak of the appearance frequency in the threshold range is experimentally confirmed to be large in the threshold range b1 because the output value of the gas detection unit 120 varies due to the detection gas containing hypochlorous acid generated from the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit 105. The frequency of occurrence of the specific threshold range increases depending on the installation positions of the electrolyzed water generating section 105 and the gas detecting section 120, the conditions for generating electrolysis, and the like. When the kind, concentration, or the like of the detection gas changes, the tendency of the output of the gas detection unit 120 to change changes. For example, when considering a semiconductor type gas sensor, the consumption of oxygen on the surface of a metal oxide varies depending on the type and concentration of a gas to be generated. In this manner, the type, concentration, or the like of the detection gas can be detected based on the difference in the appearance frequency of the amount of change in the gas detection unit 120 calculated by the calculation unit 133.

As described above, the amount of change in the output value due to the detection gas containing hypochlorous acid generated from the electrolyzed water produced by the electrolyzed water production unit 105 is shown as the peak of the appearance frequency in the threshold value range b 1. For example, the arithmetic unit 133 performs arithmetic operation using the addition value shown in fig. 9 based on the tendency. An addition value is set corresponding to each of the plurality of threshold value ranges. That is, when the amount of change of the gas detection unit 120 calculated by the calculation unit 133 is within the threshold value range b1, 10 is added as the added value. When the amount of change of the gas detection unit 120 calculated by the calculation unit 133 is outside the threshold value range b1, the addition value-1 is added because hypochlorous acid generated from the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit 105 is not contained. As described above, by adding the amount of change calculated by the calculation unit 133 to the sum corresponding to the threshold range, the concentration of hypochlorous acid generated in the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit 105 can be detected with high accuracy, and the detection gas can be identified.

As described above, when the setting position or the generation condition is determined, the tendency of the appearance frequency becomes equivalent. Thus, the accuracy of detecting the concentration of hypochlorous acid can be improved by increasing the added value with respect to the amount of change in the detection gas containing hypochlorous acid generated from the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit 105.

When the concentration of hypochlorous acid generated from the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit 105 is high, the number of changes to the threshold value range b1 increases, and the value after addition calculated by the calculation unit 133 further increases. On the other hand, when the type of the detection gas is changed, the appearance frequency tends to change, and the value after addition calculated by the calculation unit 133 becomes small. That is, the state of the detection gas can be determined based on the magnitude of the added value calculated by the calculation unit 133. The added value calculated by the calculation unit 133 is compared with a specific comparison threshold, and when the added value is equal to or greater than the specific comparison threshold, it can be determined that the gas to be detected is present. The concentration of the gas to be detected may be measured by another measuring instrument or the like, and the concentration may be converted into a concentration value by using an added value related to the concentration.

In the above description, the case where the number of the threshold range regions is 8 has been described, and the voltage ranges of the plurality of threshold ranges may be set narrower to perform the determination using more threshold ranges. Since the added value is set more finely than the tendency of the appearance frequency of the detection gas containing the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generating unit 105, the gas to be detected can be detected with higher accuracy.

Further, the gas detection section 120 may be shared for control according to the odor level of the use environment. The odor referred to herein is, for example, an odor assumed to be caused by smoke of a cigarette. In this case, the gas detection unit 120 needs to be disposed at a position where the odor component of the environment can be detected. For example, the air passage 108 can be provided. The use gas detection unit 120 detects the gas containing the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit 105, determines the odor level of the use environment, and controls the electrolyzed water dispensing apparatus 100 according to the odor level.

Fig. 10A to 10D show an example of the output of the gas detection unit 120 in the case where an odor is generated in the use environment in addition to the state shown in fig. 7A to 7C. Fig. 10A is a diagram showing the state of energization and the elapsed time of the pair of electrodes 117 of the electrolyzed water forming unit 105. Electrolysis is performed by energizing the pair of electrodes 117 of the electrolyzed water forming unit 105. Fig. 10B is a diagram showing the state of odor generation and elapsed time in the use environment. Fig. 10C is a graph showing the output value of the gas detection section 120 in the energized state of the pair of electrodes 117 shown in fig. 10A and the odor generation state shown in fig. 10B. Fig. 10D is a diagram showing an example of the output value of the gas detection unit in the energized state and the odor generation state shown in fig. 10C. The output value of the gas detection unit 120, which changes in accordance with the detection gas containing the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit 105, is output so as to overlap with the output value due to the generation of the odor. When odor is generated in a use environment, the odor diffuses in the space, and the concentration becomes uniform with the passage of time in the space. Therefore, after the odor is generated, the gas detection portion 120 shows a somewhat stable output value as shown in fig. 10C. Here, when the pair of electrodes 117 is in the energized state, the output of the gas detection unit 120 abruptly changes due to the detection gas containing the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit 105. When the pair of electrodes 117 is in the non-energized state, the output value of the gas detection unit 120 returns to the output level at the time of odor generation, and the output tendency to return to the output value equivalent to that in fig. 7B is shown by the disappearance of odor generation. Fig. 10D shows the amount of change in the difference between the output value obtained at a certain time and the output value obtained a predetermined time earlier than the certain time, among the plurality of output values of the gas detection unit 120 obtained at predetermined time intervals.

Comparing fig. 10D with fig. 7C, the amount of change in the gas detection unit 120 shows an equivalent output tendency regardless of the presence or absence of odor in the use environment. That is, the gas containing the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generating section 105 can be detected regardless of the generation of the odor. In other words, the odor of the use environment can be determined using the gas detection unit 120. In the odor determination in the use environment, a rapid output change of the gas detection unit 120 when the pair of electrodes 117 are in the energized state is associated with a decrease in the detection accuracy of the odor determination. Therefore, for example, processing such as determination is performed in addition to the output of the gas detection unit 120 when the pair of electrodes 117 is in the energized state. This reduces the influence of the detection gas containing the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit 105, and allows the odor level of the use environment to be determined. Based on the result of the odor level determination, the controller 130 controls the power input to the pair of electrodes 117 of the electrolyzed water forming unit 105, the air volume of the blower 107, and the like. The gas detection unit 120 detects the gas containing the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit 105 and determines the odor level of the use environment. This makes it possible to control the electrolyzed water forming apparatus 100 according to the odor level of the use environment while suppressing an increase in cost without providing an additional sensor.

The plurality of threshold ranges may be changed by a user operation or the like. For example, if the sensitivity of the gas detection unit 120 is deteriorated due to a lifetime or the like, the change amount of the output value of the gas detection unit 120 becomes small. The sensitivity of the gas detection unit 120 can be adjusted by adjusting the threshold range for sensitivity deterioration. It is possible to realize setting suitable for the actual use environment such as manufacturing variations, life deterioration, and influences due to differences in use environment of the gas detection unit 120. The sensitivity setting method may be a method in which a switch for sensitivity setting is provided on an operation panel provided on the top surface of the main body case 101, and the setting can be performed by a user operation. The set value may be a plurality of experimentally determined fixed values, or may be an arbitrary value.

In the above description, the calculation unit 133 determines the amount of change from the output value of the gas detection unit 120 acquired every predetermined time period, and determines the state of the detected gas based on the added value set for each of the plurality of threshold value ranges, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the state determination result may be acquired at every predetermined time, and the final state determination result of the detection gas may be calculated. By obtaining and averaging the state determination results of the detection gas at predetermined time intervals, variations in the determination results can be suppressed, and the determination accuracy can be improved.

Further, as a method of the averaging process, a moving average process can be used to output the state determination result of the detection gas corresponding to the passage of time. The moving average processing is processing for averaging, for example, 5 data pieces including the acquired data, using the past 5 data pieces, and thereby obtaining an output indicating a tendency of change of the data from the past. When detecting the gas containing the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit 105, the state of the electrolyzed water changes gradually to some extent with time, and therefore the change in the state of the electrolyzed water can be appropriately determined by the moving average processing. Since the state determination of data for each predetermined time is used in the simple averaging process, the influence of the surrounding environment is changed rapidly depending on the data used in the averaging process. By the moving averaging process, it is possible to determine the state of the detection gas containing the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generating unit 105 while suppressing the influence of the surrounding environment.

In the above description, the gas determination unit 131 determines the amount of change from the output value of the gas detection unit 120 acquired every predetermined time, and determines the state of the detected gas based on the added value set for each of the plurality of threshold value ranges, but the state of the detected gas may be determined based on the output value and the amount of change of the gas detection unit 120. As described above, the output value of the gas detection unit 120 changes according to the gas to be detected. That is, the output value or the amount of change of the gas detection unit 120 changes according to the type, concentration, or the like of the detection gas. That is, the output value or the amount of change can be compared with a specific threshold value to determine the possibility of the presence of the gas to be detected.

As described above, in the electrolyzed water dispensing apparatus 100, the amount of change in the output value of the gas to be detected by the gas detection unit 120 is compared with a plurality of threshold ranges determined in advance, whereby the state of the gas to be detected can be determined with high accuracy.

The present invention has been described above based on embodiment 1, but the present invention is not limited to embodiment 1 described above, and it is easily conceivable that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the numerical values exemplified in embodiment 1 above are one example, and it is needless to say that other numerical values can be used.

(embodiment 2)

However, the detection method described in patent document 1 requires the use of an electrode for detecting the solution concentration, and thus there is a concern that the cost will increase. In addition, in the case of detection using an electrochemical method, periodic cleaning of the electrodes is required, and it is difficult to maintain the detection accuracy. In the detection method described in patent document 2, a plurality of gas sensors need to be used, and therefore, there is a concern that the cost increases. That is, according to the conventional method, when the state (for example, concentration) of the generated gas such as hypochlorous acid is determined, it is relatively complicated and expensive.

An object of the present invention is to provide an electrolytic water dispenser capable of relatively easily and inexpensively determining the state of a detection gas such as the presence or absence of generation of a gas such as hypochlorous acid or the amount of generated gas such as hypochlorous acid.

In order to achieve the object, an electrolytic water dispenser according to the present invention has the following features. That is, the electrolyzed water spraying apparatus of the present invention includes an electrolyzed water generating section, a blowing section, a control section, and a gas detecting section. The electrolyzed water generating section generates electrolyzed water by a pair of electrodes. The air blowing unit brings the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generating unit into contact with air sucked into the case through the air inlet and blows air from the air outlet. The control unit controls the amount of power to energize the pair of electrodes of the electrolyzed water forming unit and the amount of air from the air blowing unit. The gas detection unit detects a gas containing the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit. The gas detection unit outputs an output value corresponding to the detection gas detected by the gas detection unit. The control unit repeatedly acquires the output value output from the gas detection unit at a fixed cycle for a predetermined period, calculates the amount of change in the output value in each cycle, compares the amount of change with a plurality of predetermined ranges for each of the amounts of change in each cycle, calculates an integrated value that is the number of occurrences of the amount of change in each of the predetermined ranges, and determines the state of the detected gas based on the information of the integrated value calculated for each of the predetermined ranges.

According to the electrolyzed water spraying apparatus of the present invention, the integrated value of the frequency of occurrence of the amount of change in the output value of the gas detection unit that detects the gas containing the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit is calculated for each predetermined range, and the state of the detected gas is determined based on the information of the calculated integrated value. This has the effect of enabling the detection of the gas state, i.e., the presence or absence of hypochlorous acid or the like generation, or the amount of generated hypochlorous acid or the like, to be relatively easily and inexpensively determined.

The electrolytic water distribution device of the present invention includes: an electrolyzed water producing unit for producing electrolyzed water by using the pair of electrodes; an air blowing part which makes the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generating part contact with the air sucked into the box body from the air inlet and blows air from the air outlet; a control part for controlling the power quantity of the pair of electrodes of the electrolyzed water generating part and the air quantity of the air supply part; and a gas detection unit that detects a gas containing electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit, the gas detection unit outputting an output value corresponding to the detection gas detected by the gas detection unit, the control unit repeatedly acquiring the output value output from the gas detection unit for a predetermined period at a fixed cycle, calculating a variation in the output value in each cycle, comparing the variation with a plurality of predetermined ranges for each of the variations in each cycle, calculating an integrated value that is the number of occurrences of the variation for each of the predetermined ranges, and determining the state of the detection gas based on information of the calculated integrated value for each of the predetermined ranges.

Thus, the electrolytic water dispenser can determine the state of the detection gas based on the information of the calculated integrated value for each of the plurality of predetermined ranges, using the output value of the detection gas containing both the gas containing the reactive oxygen species and the secondary gas that is a byproduct of the generation of the reactive oxygen species. That is, by using the information of the integrated value for each of the plurality of predetermined ranges, it is possible to suppress erroneous determination as to a gas containing reactive oxygen species of another gas whose output value of the gas detection unit tends to be similar to the gas containing reactive oxygen species. Even when the concentration of the gas containing the reactive oxygen species is low and the determination accuracy is low, whether or not the reactive oxygen species are generated can be determined more accurately by considering the outputs of both the reactive oxygen species and the sub-gas.

The control unit may be configured to determine generation of the specific gas in the detection gas based on a ratio of the integrated values of the amounts of change for each of the predetermined ranges.

Thus, the electrolytic water dispenser can more accurately determine the generation of the reactive oxygen species based on the calculated ratio of the integrated values for each of the plurality of predetermined ranges, using the output value of the detection gas containing both the gas containing the reactive oxygen species and the secondary gas that is a by-product of the generation of the reactive oxygen species. That is, by using the ratio of the integrated values in each of the plurality of predetermined ranges, it is possible to suppress erroneous determination of another gas, which tends to have an output value of the gas detection unit similar to that of the gas containing reactive oxygen species, as the gas containing reactive oxygen species. Even when the concentration of the gas containing the reactive oxygen species is low and the determination accuracy is low, the generation of the reactive oxygen species can be determined more accurately by considering the outputs of both the reactive oxygen species and the sub-gas.

The control unit may be configured to determine the concentration of the specific gas in the detected gas based on an integrated value of the amount of change for each of the predetermined ranges.

Thus, the concentration (amount of generated reactive oxygen species) of the reactive oxygen species can be determined more accurately based on the calculated integrated value for each of the plurality of predetermined ranges using the output value of the detection gas containing both the gas containing the reactive oxygen species and the secondary gas that is a by-product of the generation of the reactive oxygen species.

Further, the ratio of the integrated values may be changeable.

Thus, even when there are variations in characteristics such as variations in the conditions of generation of the electrolyzed water forming unit or variations in the characteristics of the gas detection unit, the amount of generated gas containing reactive oxygen species generated by the electrolyzed water forming unit can be calculated, and therefore, the amount of generated reactive oxygen species generated by the electrolyzed water forming unit can be accurately calculated.

Further, a plurality of predetermined ranges may be changeable.

Thus, even when there is a variation in the characteristics of the gas detection unit or a change in the characteristics such as deterioration with age, the amount of generated gas containing the active oxygen species generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit can be calculated, and therefore the amount of generated active oxygen species generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit can be accurately calculated.

The output value may be a voltage value.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiment 2 is an example embodying the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. In all the drawings, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same parts, and the description thereof is omitted. In the drawings, the details of each part not directly related to the present invention are omitted.

First, an electrolytic water dispenser 200 according to embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 11 to 16. Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the electrolytic water dispenser 200, and is a view of the electrolytic water dispenser 200 as viewed from the front side. Fig. 12 is a perspective view of electrolytic water dispenser 200, and is a view of electrolytic water dispenser 200 as viewed from the front side with panel 203 of fig. 11 open.

As shown in fig. 11 and 12, the electrolytic water dispenser 200 includes a main body case 201 having a substantially box shape, and has substantially rectangular air inlets 202 on both side surfaces of the main body case 201. An open-close type air outlet 206 is provided on the top surface of the main body case 201. In fig. 11 and 12, the air outlet 206 is in a closed state.

An openable and closable panel 203 is provided on the 1 st body side surface 201A, which is a right side surface (one side surface of the body case 201) when viewed from the front surface side of the body case 201. The intake port 102 is provided in the panel 203. When the panel 203 is opened, as shown in fig. 12, an opening 204 in a rectangular shape appears. The water storage part 214, the water supply part 215, the tablet loading cassette 218a, and the like, which will be described later, can be taken out from the opening 204.

Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the electrolyzed water forming apparatus 200, with the center portion thereof being cut in the vertical direction as seen from the front, and is a view of the electrolyzed water forming apparatus 200 as seen from the right side. Fig. 13 shows an air passage structure formed by the electrolyzed water forming apparatus 200. Fig. 14 is a sectional view of the electrolyzed water forming apparatus 200 taken along the vertical direction from the right side in front view, and is a view seen from the right side of the electrolyzed water forming apparatus 200. FIG. 14 shows the peripheral structure of the tank member and the like for the generation of electrolyzed water. Fig. 15 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the functions of the electrolyzed water forming apparatus 200.

As shown in fig. 12 to 15, the main body case 201 includes an electrolyzed water generating section 205, a water supply section 215, a dispersing section 219, and an air passage 208. The electrolyzed water generation unit 205 has a pair of electrodes 217 and a water storage unit 214.

As shown in fig. 12 and 13, the water storage portion 214 is formed in a box shape with an open top surface, and has a structure capable of storing water. The water storage portion 214 is disposed at a lower portion of the main body case 201, is attached to and detached from the main body case 201 so as to be slidable in the horizontal direction, and is removable from the opening 204. The water storage portion 214 stores water supplied from the water supply portion 215.

The pair of electrodes 217 shown in fig. 14 has an electrode member (not shown) provided so as to be immersed in the water storage portion 214. The electrode members are energized by a pair of electrodes 217 to electrochemically electrolyze water containing chlorine ions in the water reservoir 214, thereby generating electrolyzed water containing active oxygen species. Here, the active oxygen species are oxygen molecules and related substances thereof having higher oxidation activity than ordinary oxygen. The active oxygen species include, for example: active oxygen in a broad sense such as superoxide anion, singlet oxygen, hydroxyl radical, or hydrogen peroxide, ozone, Hypochlorous acid (Hypochlorous acid ), and the like.

The pair of electrodes 217 generates electrolyzed water by repeating a plurality of times one cycle of an energization time for performing energization to the electrode member for electrolysis and a non-energization time which is a time after the energization is stopped, that is, a time when energization is not performed. By providing the electrode member with a non-energization time, the life of the electrode member can be extended. Further, if the energization time is extended with respect to the non-energization time, electrolytic water containing a larger amount of active oxygen species can be generated per one cycle. In addition, if the non-energization time is extended with respect to the energization time, the generation of reactive oxygen species per one cycle can be suppressed. Further, if the amount of power in the energization time is increased, electrolyzed water containing a larger amount of active oxygen species can be generated.

As shown in fig. 12, the electrolysis-promoting tablet input portion 218 includes a tablet input cassette 218a, a tablet input member (not shown) provided in the tablet input cassette 218a, and a tablet input cover 218b detachably provided on an upper portion of the tablet input cassette 218 a. The tablet input cassette 218a is configured to be removable from the opening 204. The user can load the electrolysis-promoting tablet in the tablet input cassette 218a by removing the tablet input cover 218b from the tablet input cassette 218a taken out. The electrolysis-promoting tablet loaded in the tablet loading cassette 218a can be loaded into the water storage portion 214.

Specifically, the electrolysis-promoting tablet input portion 218 rotates the tablet input member when the electrolysis-promoting tablet is input into the water storage portion 214. When the tablet input member rotates, the electrolysis-promoting tablet falls into the water storage portion 214 from a falling opening (not shown) in the bottom surface of the tablet input case 218 a. The electrolysis promoting tablet input portion 218 counts the number of electrolysis promoting tablets falling from the tablet input cassette 218a into the water storage portion 214, and stops the rotation of the tablet input member when it is determined that one electrolysis promoting tablet falls from the tablet input cassette 218a into the water storage portion 214. The dissolution of the tablet into the water in the water reservoir 214 is promoted by the electrolysis, and water containing chlorine ions is generated in the water reservoir 214. An example of the electrolysis-promoting tablet is sodium chloride.

The electrolyzed water spraying apparatus 200 may not have the electrolysis promoting tablet input portion 218. In this case, electrolytic water dispenser 200 may display or sound a notification indicating the introduction of the electrolysis promoting tablet to the user so that the user directly introduces the electrolysis promoting tablet into water storage unit 214.

As shown in fig. 15, the electrolyzed water dispensing apparatus 200 includes a gas detection unit 220 and a control unit 230.

The gas detection unit 220 detects a gas containing electrolyzed water generated by the pair of electrodes 217, and outputs an output value corresponding to the detected gas. In the present embodiment, a case where the output value output from the gas detection unit 220 is a voltage value will be described as an example. Details of the gas detection unit 220 will be described later.

The control unit 230 is provided, for example, on the back side of an operation panel provided on the top surface of the main body case 201 (see fig. 11), and controls the electrolyzed water spraying apparatus 200. The control unit 230 controls the electrolysis of water by the pair of electrodes 217 and controls the introduction of the electrolysis promoting tablet by the electrolysis promoting tablet introduction unit 218. In particular, the control unit 230 is a unit that determines the state of the detection gas based on the output value of the detection gas output from the gas detection unit 220. The details of the state determination of the detection gas will be described later with reference to fig. 16. The function of the control unit 230 is realized by a processor (not shown) executing a program stored in a memory (not shown).

As shown in fig. 12, the water supply portion 215 is provided on the right side surface in the front view inside the main body case 201, is configured to be detachable from the water storage portion 214, and is removable from the opening 204. Water supply unit 215 is attached to tank holding unit 214a provided on the bottom surface of water storage unit 214. The water supply unit 215 includes a tank 215a for storing water and a cover 215b provided at an opening (not shown) of the tank 215 a. An opening/closing portion (not shown) is provided at the center of the lid 215b, and when the opening/closing portion is opened, water in the tank 215a is supplied to the water storage portion 214.

Specifically, when the opening of the tank 215a is directed downward and the tank 215a is attached to the tank holding portion 214a of the water storage portion 214, the opening/closing portion is opened by the tank holding portion 214 a. That is, when water is put into the tank 215a and attached to the tank holding portion 214a, the opening/closing portion is opened to supply water into the water storage portion 214, and the water is stored in the water storage portion 214. When the water level in the water storage part 214 rises to the position of the cover 215b, the water supply is stopped because the opening of the tank 215a is sealed, and the water remains in the tank 215a, and the water in the tank 215a is supplied to the water storage part 214 every time the water level in the water storage part 214 falls. That is, the water level in the water storage portion 214 is kept constant.

Further, the electrolyzed water forming apparatus 200 may not have the tank 215a as the water supply unit 215. In this case, a pipe for supplying water may be introduced from the water supply pipe to the electrolyzed water spraying apparatus 200, and when the water level in the water storage part 214 is lowered, the water supplied from the water supply pipe is raised to a predetermined position until the water level in the water storage part 214 is raised.

As shown in fig. 13, the dispersing unit 219 includes a blowing unit 207 and a filter unit 216. The air blowing unit 207 is provided at the center of the main body case 201, and includes a motor unit 209, a fan unit 210 rotated by the motor unit 209, and a spiral case 211 surrounding the motor unit and the fan unit. The motor unit 209 is fixed to the housing 211.

The fan unit 210 is a sirocco fan and is fixed to a rotation shaft 209a extending in the horizontal direction from the motor unit 209, and the motor unit 209 is fixed to the housing 211 as described above. A rotation shaft 209a of the motor unit 209 extends from the front surface side to the rear surface side of the main body case 201. The case 211 has a discharge port 212 on the upper surface side of the main body case 201 of the case 211, and a suction port 213 on the rear surface side of the main body case 201 of the case 211.

The air volume of the blower 207 is determined based on the air volume set by the user. The amount of rotation of the motor unit 209 is controlled by the control unit 230 based on the determined air volume.

The filter unit 216 is a member that brings the electrolyzed water stored in the water storage unit 214 into contact with the indoor air that has flowed into the main body case 201 (i.e., into the case) by the air blowing unit 207. The filter unit 216 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and a filter 216a having a hole in a circumferential portion thereof through which air can flow is disposed. One end of the filter 216a is immersed in the water reservoir 214, and is rotatably housed in the water reservoir 214 around the center axis of the filter 216a as a rotation center in order to retain the water. The filter unit 216 is configured to be rotated by a driving unit (not shown) to continuously contact the electrolyzed water with the indoor air.

The air passage 208 communicates the air inlet 202 and the air outlet 206, and includes a filter portion 216, an air blower 207, and the air outlet 206 in this order from the air inlet 202. When fan unit 210 is rotated by motor unit 209, the air sucked from air inlet 202 and taken into air passage 208 is blown out of electrolytic water dispenser 200 through filter 216a, blower 207, and blow-out port 206 in this order. Thereby, the electrolyzed water generated in the water storage portion 214 is dispersed to the outside. The electrolyzed water spraying apparatus 200 does not necessarily have to be an apparatus for spraying the electrolyzed water itself, and may be an apparatus for spraying active oxygen species from the electrolyzed water (including volatilized water) generated as a result.

The gas detection unit 220 is formed of, for example, a semiconductor gas sensor. The gas sensor element is constituted by a heater integrated with a metal oxide material. When power is applied to the sensor, the metal oxide material is heated by the heater. In the gas sensor element, a change in resistance value caused by contact between a detectable gas and a metal oxide material is detected. For example, in clean air, the surface of a metal oxide material is affected by oxygen in the atmosphere to restrict the movement of free electrons, and the conductivity is reduced, thereby exhibiting a high resistance value. When a gas detectable in this state comes into contact with the surface of the metal oxide material, oxygen on the surface of the metal oxide material is consumed, and the movement of free electrons restricted so far is released, so that the conductivity becomes high, and the resistance value becomes low. By converting the difference in resistance value into a voltage output or the like, detection of the gas to be detected can be realized.

A method of determining the state of the detected gas will be described with reference to fig. 16. Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing a process of determining the state of the detection gas.

First, the control unit 230 repeatedly obtains an output value (for example, a voltage value) output from the gas detection unit 220 at every predetermined period (for example, 1 second) for a predetermined period (for example, 1 minute) (step S21). The output value is obtained using, for example, an analog-to-digital (a/D) converter or the like.

The control unit 230 calculates the difference between the output value at a certain time point acquired in step S21 and the output value acquired in the cycle immediately before the certain time point. This calculation is repeated to calculate the amount of change in the output value in each cycle (step S22).

Next, the controller 230 compares the variation amounts in each cycle calculated in step S22 with a plurality of predetermined ranges (step S23).

Next, the control unit 230 calculates an integrated value that is the number of occurrences of the amount of change for each of a plurality of predetermined ranges based on the comparison result of step S23 (step S24). Finally, the state of the detected gas is determined based on the integrated values of the plurality of predetermined ranges calculated in step S24 (step S25).

The output results obtained by the state determination include the type of the detection gas, the presence or absence of the detection gas, the concentration of the detection gas, and the like. For example, the type of the detection gas or the presence or absence of the gas to be detected can be determined by determining whether or not the ratio of the integrated values in each of the plurality of predetermined ranges calculated by the control unit 230 is a specific ratio. Further, in addition to the ratio of the integrated value in each of the plurality of predetermined ranges, the value of the integrated value and the value related to the density may be compared, and the density value or the level of the density may be obtained as the output result.

In fig. 16, an example is described in which the control unit 230 compares the respective amounts of change in the output values in each cycle, which are calculated using a plurality of output values repeatedly acquired in a predetermined period for each fixed cycle, with a plurality of predetermined ranges to calculate the integrated value in each of the predetermined ranges (steps S21 to S24). However, the flowchart of the process of determining the state of the detection gas shown in fig. 16 is an example, and the processes of steps S21 to S24 may be changed as described below, and the process of steps S25 may be performed after the changed processes of steps S21 to S24 are repeatedly performed for a predetermined period (or a predetermined number of times) for each predetermined cycle. That is, step S21 is changed to a process of acquiring the output value output from the gas detection unit 220 only once, and step S22 is changed to a process of calculating the amount of change by calculating the difference between the output value acquired in step S21 after the change and the output value acquired in the cycle immediately before the change. Further, step S23 is changed to a process of comparing the amount of change obtained in step S22 after the change with a plurality of predetermined ranges. Further, step S24 is modified to a process of calculating an integrated value as the number of occurrences of a range including the amount of change obtained in step S22 after modification among a plurality of predetermined ranges, based on the result of comparison in step S23 after modification. The modified processing of steps S21 to S24 is repeatedly performed for a predetermined period (e.g., 1 minute) or a predetermined number of times (e.g., 60 times) for each predetermined cycle. Thus, similarly to the processing results of steps S22 to S24 shown in fig. 16, the amount of change in the output value in each cycle is calculated, and the amount of change in each cycle is compared with a plurality of predetermined ranges, whereby an integrated value, which is the number of occurrences of the amount of change in each of the plurality of predetermined ranges, can be calculated.

A method of determining the state of the detection gas will be described specifically with reference to fig. 17A to 19. Fig. 17A to 17C show an example of the output value (voltage value) and the amount of change of the gas detection unit 220 when the pair of electrodes 217 of the electrolyzed water forming unit 205 is energized and electrolysis is performed. The gas detector 220 is disposed in the vicinity of the electrolyzed water generator 205, and is configured to detect a gas containing hypochlorous acid generated from the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generator 205. A pair of electrodes 217 constituting the electrolyzed water forming section 205 is provided in the water storage section 214. FIG. 17A is a diagram showing the state of energization and the elapsed time of the pair of electrodes 217 of the electrolyzed water forming unit 205. Electrolysis is performed by passing a current through the pair of electrodes 217. Fig. 17B is a graph showing the output value of the gas detection unit 220 in the energized state of the pair of electrodes 217 shown in fig. 17A. When electrolysis is performed, the gas detector 220 changes its output in response to the detection gas containing hypochlorous acid generated by the electrolyzed water. Among the plurality of output values of the gas detection unit 220 acquired at every constant cycle, the amount of change is obtained as the difference between the output value acquired at a certain time point and the output value acquired at a cycle earlier than the certain time point. This variation is shown in fig. 17C.

The reason why the output tendency as shown in fig. 17B is exhibited is that the gas detector 220 is provided at a position where it is possible to detect the gas containing hypochlorous acid generated from the electrolyzed water produced by the electrolyzed water producing unit 205. If the gas detection unit 220 is not in this positional relationship, the gas detection unit 220 cannot detect the gas containing hypochlorous acid generated from the electrolyzed water produced by the electrolyzed water production unit 205, and therefore the output of the gas detection unit 220 exhibits a stable output to some extent. When the gas detection unit 220 is located at a position where the gas containing hypochlorous acid generated from the electrolyzed water produced by the electrolyzed water production unit 205 can be detected, the gas detection unit 220 tends to increase or decrease the output rapidly due to the influence of the detection gas containing a by-product, such as a by-product, secondary gas. That is, the output of the gas detection unit 220 changes in a predetermined manner at regular intervals, and thus, it is possible to recognize that the gas contains a specific substance.

Fig. 18 is a diagram showing, as an example, the frequency of occurrence of the amount of change in the output value of the gas detection unit 220 during a predetermined period when electrolysis is performed under specific conditions while the electrodes shown in fig. 17A are energized. The results of obtaining long-term data under the same electrolysis conditions are shown, and how many times the change amount of the output value of the gas detection unit 220 is generated with respect to the obtained data. The output tendency of the appearance frequency is somewhat different when the positional relationship between the electrolyzed water forming unit 205 and the gas detection unit 220 and the electrolysis condition are determined, but shows the same tendency to some extent.

Fig. 19 is a diagram in which the variation in each cycle is classified into a plurality of predetermined ranges. The plurality of amounts of change calculated in the predetermined period are compared with the plurality of predetermined ranges in fig. 19, and an integrated value as the number of occurrences of the amount of change in each of the plurality of predetermined ranges is calculated. As an example, as shown in fig. 18 and 19, a plurality of predetermined ranges are set for the amount of change as follows. The threshold range d2 represents a region where the variation amount is less than-0.05V. The threshold value range c2 represents a region where the variation is-0.05V or more and less than-0.02V. The threshold value range b2 represents a region where the variation is-0.02V or more and less than-0.01V. The threshold value range a2 represents a region where the variation is-0.01V or more and less than 0V. The threshold value range a1 represents a region where the variation amount is 0V or more and less than + 0.01V. The threshold value range b1 represents a region where the variation amount is +0.01V or more and less than + 0.02V. The threshold value range c1 represents a region where the variation amount is +0.02V or more and less than + 0.05V. The threshold range d1 represents a region where the variation amount is +0.05V or more.

In the example of fig. 18, the predetermined ranges include a threshold range b1, a threshold range b2, and a threshold range c2, which have a high frequency of occurrence. For example, the peak of the appearance frequency in the threshold range changes the output value of the gas detection unit 220 due to the detection gas containing hypochlorous acid generated from the electrolyzed water produced by the electrolyzed water production unit 205 and the by-product secondary gas. This makes it possible to experimentally confirm that the peak values of the threshold range b1, the threshold range b2, and the threshold range c2 tend to increase. The frequency of occurrence of the specific threshold value range becomes large due to the installation position of the electrolyzed water generating section 205 and the gas detecting section 220, the generation condition of electrolysis, the difference in the sensor characteristics of the gas detecting section 220, and the like. On the other hand, when the type, concentration, or the like of the detection gas changes, the tendency of the output value in a certain period of the gas detection unit 220 to change changes. For example, when considering a semiconductor type gas sensor, the consumption of oxygen on the surface of a metal oxide varies depending on the type and concentration of a gas to be generated. In this manner, the detection of the type, concentration, or the like of the detection gas can be realized based on the tendency of the appearance frequency of the amount of change calculated by the control unit 230.

The amount of change in the output value of the gas detection unit 220 due to the detection gas containing hypochlorous acid generated by the electrolyzed water produced by the electrolyzed water production unit 205 and the by-product sub-gas shows a tendency that the peak values of the appearance frequency shown in the threshold value range b1, the threshold value range b2, and the threshold value range c2 become large as described above. The control unit 230 compares the tendency of the peak of the appearance frequency with a plurality of predetermined ranges shown in fig. 19, thereby calculating an integrated value as the number of appearances in each of the plurality of predetermined ranges. When the amount of change of the gas detection unit 220 shows the tendency of the appearance frequency shown in fig. 18, the integrated value of each of the plurality of predetermined ranges shows a tendency of being proportional to the area of each threshold range of fig. 18. When the ratio of the integrated values in a plurality of predetermined ranges shows a proportional relationship in the area of each threshold range in fig. 18, it can be determined that hypochlorous acid is present as the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generating unit 205. This enables identification of the detection gas. As a specific example, the threshold range b1 is set as the amount of change in the output value by the detection gas containing hypochlorous acid, and the threshold range b2 and the threshold range c2 are set as the amount of change in the output value by the by-product sub-gas. The ratio of the integrated value in each of the plurality of predetermined ranges is in proportional relation to the area of each threshold range in fig. 18, and it can be determined that hypochlorous acid and a sub-gas are generated under the expected electrolytic water generation conditions. A by-product is also produced when hypochlorous acid is produced. By performing the judgment in consideration of the reaction of the by-product, the generation of hypochlorous acid can be accurately judged. That is, when the ratio of the integrated values of the threshold range a1, the threshold range a2, the threshold range b1, the threshold range b2, the threshold range c1, the threshold range c2, the threshold range d1, and the threshold range d2 shows a ratio proportional to the area of each threshold range in fig. 18, it is possible to determine whether hypochlorous acid is contained as electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generating unit 205. Fig. 18 shows a specific example of the integrated value for each of a plurality of predetermined ranges. In fig. 18, the integrated value of each of a plurality of predetermined ranges calculated in a predetermined period is: the threshold range d2 was 2 times, the threshold range c2 was 30 times, the threshold range b2 was 20 times, the threshold range a2 was 1 time, the threshold range a1 was 3 times, the threshold range b1 was 40 times, the threshold range c1 was 5 times, and the threshold range d1 was 1 time. As described above, when the ratio of the integrated value in each of the plurality of predetermined ranges shows the relationship of the above-described ratio, it can be determined whether or not hypochlorous acid is contained in the electrolyzed water as generated by the electrolyzed water generating unit 205. Whether or not there is a relationship between ratios can be determined by setting an arbitrary deviation range for a plurality of predetermined ranges. For example, when the integrated value of the threshold range d2 is 2 times ± 10%, the integrated value of the threshold range c2 is 30 times ± 10%, the integrated value of the threshold range b2 is 20 times ± 10%, the integrated value of the threshold range a2 is 1 time ± 10%, the integrated value of the threshold range a1 is 3 times ± 10%, the integrated value of the threshold range b1 is 40 times ± 10%, the integrated value of the threshold range c1 is 5 times ± 10%, and the integrated value of the threshold range d1 is 1 time ± 10%, it may be determined that the ratio of the integrated values in each of the plurality of predetermined ranges and the area of each threshold range in fig. 18 satisfy a relationship of a proportion. That is, hypochlorous acid can be determined to be contained in the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generating unit 205.

As described above, when the setting position or the generation condition is determined, the tendency of the appearance frequency becomes equivalent. Thus, the accuracy of detecting the concentration of hypochlorous acid can be improved by using the magnitude of the integrated value of the number of appearance of the amount of change calculated by comparing the plurality of amounts of change calculated over the predetermined period with the plurality of predetermined ranges, based on the detection gas containing hypochlorous acid generated from the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generating unit 205. As an example, when the tendency of appearance frequency shown in fig. 18 is displayed, hypochlorous acid is generated at a specific concentration, and the description will be given on the assumption that hypochlorous acid is generated. When the concentration of hypochlorous acid generated from the electrolyzed water produced by electrolyzed water production unit 205 is higher than the condition shown in fig. 18, hypochlorous acid and by-products are produced under the expected electrolyzed water production conditions, and therefore the tendency of the appearance frequency is proportional to the area of each threshold range shown in fig. 18. Therefore, the ratios of the integrated values of the number of occurrences of the change amount in each of the plurality of predetermined ranges are equivalent. However, the concentration of hypochlorous acid or by-products becomes high, and the overall appearance frequency becomes high, and an output value having a large integrated value of the number of appearance as the amount of change in each of a plurality of predetermined ranges is displayed. On the other hand, when the type of the detection gas is different or when the concentration of hypochlorous acid is low, the tendency of appearance frequency changes, and the relationship between the ratio of the integrated values in each threshold range and the output when the concentration of hypochlorous acid is high are shown to be different. Further, the integrated value in each threshold range is small, and detection of a specific gas becomes difficult. In this way, by using the magnitude of the integrated value in addition to the ratio of the integrated value that is the number of appearance of the amount of change in each of the plurality of predetermined ranges, the amount of hypochlorous acid generated can be accurately determined.

Further, the size of the integrated value in each threshold range is compared with a specific comparison threshold in addition to the ratio of the integrated values in each threshold range, and when the size is equal to or larger than the specific threshold, it can be determined that the gas to be detected is present. First, it is determined whether or not the ratio of the integrated values of the threshold range a1, the threshold range a2, the threshold range b1, the threshold range b2, the threshold range c1, the threshold range c2, the threshold range d1, and the threshold range d2 and the area of each threshold range in fig. 18 show a proportional relationship. When the integrated value of each threshold range is larger than a specific threshold set for each threshold range, it is determined that the gas to be detected is present.

The concentration of the gas to be detected may be measured by another measuring instrument or the like, and the concentration may be converted into a concentration value by comparing the concentration with a relevant comparison threshold value. In this case, the threshold value set in accordance with the condition of the hypochlorous acid concentration or the like is set by the comparison threshold value of each threshold value range.

In the above description, the case where 8 regions of the threshold ranges a1 to d2 are described as the predetermined ranges, the voltage ranges of the respective threshold ranges may be set narrower as a plurality of predetermined ranges, and the determination based on more predetermined ranges may be performed. Since the predetermined range is set finely with respect to the tendency of the appearance frequency of the detection gas containing hypochlorous acid generated from the electrolyzed water produced by the electrolyzed water producing section 205, the gas to be detected can be detected with high accuracy by taking into account hypochlorous acid and the by-product sub-gas.

In the above description, the determination is made as to the ratio of the integrated values in all 8 regions of the threshold value ranges a1 to d2, which are predetermined ranges, or the determination of the state of the detected gas may be made based on the ratio of the integrated values in only a specific region without using all the regions. Since the tendency of the appearance frequency of the detection gas containing hypochlorous acid generated by the electrolytic water generating unit 205 is determined to some extent by the conditions of electrolysis and the like, for example, even in the case of determination using only the ratios of the threshold range b1, the threshold range b2, and the threshold range c2, it is possible to perform determination with a certain degree of accuracy.

Further, the gas detection unit 220 may be shared for control of the odor level according to the use environment. The odor referred to herein is, for example, an odor assumed to be caused by smoke of a cigarette. In this case, the gas detection unit 220 needs to be disposed at a position where the odor component of the environment can be detected. For example, by being disposed in air passage 208 or the like. The gas detection unit 220 detects a gas containing hypochlorous acid generated from the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit 205, determines the odor level of the use environment, and controls the electrolyzed water dispensing apparatus 200 according to the odor level.

Fig. 20A to 20D show an example of the output of the gas detection unit 220 in the case where odor is generated in the use environment in addition to the state of fig. 17A to 17C. FIG. 20A is a diagram showing the state of energization and the elapsed time of the pair of electrodes 217 of the electrolyzed water forming unit 205. Electrolysis is performed by applying current to the pair of electrodes 217 of the electrolyzed water forming unit 205. Fig. 20B is a diagram showing the state of odor generation and elapsed time in the use environment. Fig. 20C is a graph showing the output value of the gas detection unit 220 in the energized state of the pair of electrodes 217 shown in fig. 20A and the odor generation state shown in fig. 20B. The output value of the gas detection unit 220, which changes in accordance with the detection gas containing hypochlorous acid generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit 205, is output so as to overlap with the output value due to odor generation. When odor is generated in a use environment, the odor diffuses in the space, and the concentration becomes uniform with the passage of time in the space. Therefore, after the odor is generated, the gas detection portion 220 shows a somewhat stable output value as shown in fig. 20C. Here, when the pair of electrodes 217 is in the energized state, the output of the gas detection unit 220 abruptly changes due to the detection gas containing hypochlorous acid generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit 205. When the pair of electrodes 217 is in the non-energized state, the output value of the gas detection unit 220 returns to the output level at the time of odor generation, and the output tendency to return to the output value equivalent to that in fig. 17B is shown by the disappearance of odor generation. Fig. 20D shows a variation amount which is a difference between an output value obtained at a certain time and an output value obtained at a predetermined time in a cycle prior to the certain time, among a plurality of output values of the gas detection unit 220 obtained at every certain cycle.

Comparing fig. 20D with fig. 17C, the amount of change in the gas detection unit 220 shows an equivalent output tendency regardless of the presence or absence of odor in the use environment. That is, the gas containing hypochlorous acid generated from the electrolytic water generated by the electrolytic water generation unit 205 can be detected regardless of the odor generation. In other words, the odor of the use environment can be determined using the gas detection unit 220. In the odor determination in the use environment, a rapid change in the output of the gas detection unit 220 when the pair of electrodes 217 is in the energized state is associated with a decrease in the detection accuracy of the odor determination. Therefore, for example, processing such as determination is performed in addition to the output of the gas detection unit 220 when the pair of electrodes 217 is in the energized state. This reduces the influence of the detection gas containing hypochlorous acid generated from the electrolyzed water produced by the electrolyzed water production unit 205, and allows the odor level of the use environment to be determined. Based on the result of the odor level determination, the controller 230 controls the input power to the pair of electrodes 217 of the electrolyzed water forming unit 205, the air volume of the blower 207, and the like. The gas detection unit 220 detects a gas containing hypochlorous acid generated from the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit 205 and determines the odor level of the environment in which the gas is used. This makes it possible to control the electrolyzed water forming apparatus 200 according to the odor level of the environment of use while suppressing an increase in cost without providing an additional sensor.

The threshold value range for determining the plurality of predetermined ranges may be changed by a user operation or the like. For example, if the sensitivity of the gas detection unit 220 deteriorates due to its lifetime or the like, the amount of change in the output value of the gas detection unit 220 becomes small. The sensitivity of the gas detection unit 220 can be adjusted by adjusting the threshold range for sensitivity deterioration. It is possible to realize setting suitable for the actual use environment such as the influence of variations in manufacturing, deterioration in life, and differences in use environment of the gas detection unit 220. The sensitivity setting method may be a method in which a switch for sensitivity setting is provided on an operation panel provided on the top surface of the main body case 201, and the setting can be performed by a user operation. The set value may be a plurality of experimentally determined fixed values, or may be an arbitrary value.

The ratio of the integrated values can also be changed. For example, as the electrolyzed water spraying apparatus 200, the amount of the by-product gas of the detection gas differs depending on the energization state of the pair of electrodes 217 of the electrolyzed water forming unit 205. Specifically, the case where electrolysis is performed by applying current to the pair of electrodes 217 of the electrolyzed water forming unit 205, and the case where no electrolysis is performed by applying a non-current state are described. The amount, presence, or the like of the by-product gas generated by the gas detection unit 220 at the time of energization and at the time of non-energization differs. Therefore, by making the ratio of the integrated values variable, even when the energization state or the like of the pair of electrodes 217 of the electrolyzed water forming unit 205 is different, it is possible to perform detection with high accuracy. Further, even when the sensor characteristics vary due to manufacturing variations, deterioration in life, or influences caused by differences in use environments of the gas detection unit 220, the ratio of the integrated values can be changed, so that detection can be performed with high accuracy. The method of setting the ratio of the integrated value may be arbitrarily set according to the type, characteristics, and the like of the sensor used in the gas detection unit 220. The control unit 230 can automatically switch the electrolytic water distribution device 200 according to the state of generation of the electrolytic water. The setting value of the ratio of the integrated values may be a fixed value determined experimentally or may be an arbitrary value.

In the above description, the output value output from the gas detection unit 220 is repeatedly acquired at a fixed cycle for a predetermined period, the amount of change in the output value in each cycle is calculated, and each of the plurality of amounts of change calculated in each cycle is compared with a plurality of predetermined ranges. The calculated plurality of amounts of change are classified into any one of a plurality of predetermined ranges, an integrated value that is the number of occurrences of each amount of change in each predetermined range is calculated, and the state determination of the detected gas is performed based on information of the integrated value calculated in each of the plurality of predetermined ranges, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the state determination result may be acquired at every predetermined time, and the final state determination result of the detection gas may be calculated. By obtaining and averaging the state determination results of the detection gas at predetermined time intervals, variations in the determination results can be suppressed, and the determination accuracy can be improved.

Further, as a method of the averaging process, a moving average process can be used to output the state determination result of the detection gas corresponding to the passage of time. The moving average processing is processing for averaging, for example, 5 data pieces including the acquired data, using the past 5 data pieces, and thereby obtaining an output indicating a tendency of change of the data from the past. When detecting the gas containing hypochlorous acid generated from the electrolyzed water produced by the electrolyzed water production unit 205, the state of the electrolyzed water changes gradually to some extent with time, and therefore the change in the state of the electrolyzed water can be appropriately determined by the moving average processing. Since the state determination of data for each predetermined time is used in the simple averaging process, the influence of the surrounding environment is changed rapidly depending on the data used in the averaging process. By the moving averaging process, the state determination of the detection gas containing hypochlorous acid generated from the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generating unit 205 can be realized while suppressing the influence of the ambient environment.

As described above, in the electrolyzed water forming apparatus 200, the output value is repeatedly acquired from the gas detection unit 220 at a constant cycle for a predetermined period, and the variation amount of the output value in each cycle is calculated. Then, the calculated plurality of variations in each cycle are compared with a plurality of predetermined ranges, and an integrated value as the number of occurrences of the variations in each of the plurality of predetermined ranges is calculated. By determining the ratio based on the integrated value in the plurality of predetermined ranges, the electrolytic water dispenser 200 can accurately determine the state of the gas to be detected.

The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it is easily conceivable that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the numerical values given as examples in the above embodiments are just examples, and it is needless to say that other numerical values can be used.

Industrial applicability of the invention

The electrolyzed water spraying apparatus of the present invention is useful as an electrolyzed water spraying apparatus for removing (including inactivating) bacteria, fungi, viruses, odors, and the like in the air.

Description of the reference numerals

100 electrolytic water dispenser

101 main body case

101A 1 st body side

102 air inlet

103 panel

104 opening

105 electrolyzed water producing section

106 air outlet

107 air supply part

108 air path

109 motor unit

109a rotating shaft

110 fan part

111 casing part

112 discharge port

113 suction inlet

114 water storage part

114a can holding part

115 water supply part

115a pot

115b cover

116 filter section

116a filter

117 a pair of electrodes

118 electrolytic acceleration tablet input part

118a tablet input box

118b tablet feeding cover

119 spreading part

120 gas detection part

130 control part

131 gas judging part

132 comparing part

133 arithmetic unit

200 electrolytic water dispenser

201 main body shell

201A side of the 1 st body

202 air inlet

203 panel

204 opening

205 electrolytic water generating part

206 air outlet

207 air supply part

208 air path

209 motor part

209a rotation axis

210 fan unit

211 casing part

212 discharge port

213 suction inlet

214 water storage part

214a can holding portion

215 water supply part

215a tank

215b cover

216 Filter section

216a filter

217 a pair of electrodes

218 electrolytic acceleration tablet input part

218a tablet feeding box

218b tablet dispensing cap

219 spreading part

220 gas detection part

230 a control section.

Claims

1. An electrolyzed water dispensing apparatus comprising:

an electrolyzed water producing unit for producing electrolyzed water by using the pair of electrodes;

an air blowing unit for bringing the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generating unit into contact with air sucked into the case through the air inlet and sending the electrolyzed water out of the air outlet;

a control unit for controlling the amount of power to be supplied to the pair of electrodes of the electrolyzed water forming unit and the amount of air supplied to the air supply unit; and

a gas detection unit for detecting a gas containing the electrolyzed water generated by the electrolyzed water generation unit,

the gas detection unit outputs an output value corresponding to the detection gas detected by the gas detection unit,

the control unit determines the state of the detection gas based on the output value output from the gas detection unit.

2. The electrolyzed water dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the control unit has a gas determination unit for determining the state of the detection gas,

the gas determination unit includes a calculation unit that repeatedly acquires the output value output from the gas detection unit at a fixed cycle, calculates a variation in the output value in each cycle, and determines the state of the detection gas based on the variation.

3. The electrolyzed water dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein:

the gas determination unit includes a comparison unit that compares the variation amount calculated by the calculation unit with 1 or more predetermined threshold ranges to obtain the number of variation amounts included in the predetermined threshold ranges,

the calculation unit determines the state of the detection gas based on the number of changes included in the predetermined threshold range acquired by the comparison unit.

4. The electrolyzed water dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein:

the comparison unit compares the variation with a plurality of different predetermined threshold ranges for each of the variations in each cycle calculated by the calculation unit, and acquires the number of variations included in each of the plurality of predetermined threshold ranges,

the calculation unit determines the state of the detection gas based on the added values stored in association with the respective predetermined threshold ranges.

5. The electrolyzed water dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein:

the predetermined threshold ranges may be changed.

6. The electrolyzed water dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the control unit repeatedly acquires the output value output from the gas detection unit at a fixed cycle for a predetermined period, calculates a variation amount of the output value in each cycle, compares the variation amount with a plurality of predetermined ranges for each variation amount in each cycle, calculates an integrated value that is the number of occurrences of the variation amount in each of the predetermined ranges, and determines the state of the detection gas based on information of the calculated integrated value in each of the predetermined ranges.

7. The electrolyzed water dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein:

the control unit determines generation of a specific gas in the detection gas based on a ratio of the integrated values of the amounts of change for each of the predetermined ranges.

8. The electrolyzed water dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 6 or 7, wherein:

the control unit determines the concentration of a specific gas in the detection gas based on the integrated value of the amount of change for each of the predetermined ranges.

9. The electrolyzed water dispensing apparatus as defined in claim 7 or 8, wherein:

the ratio of the accumulated values can be changed.

10. The electrolyzed water dispensing apparatus as defined in any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that:

the plurality of predetermined ranges may be changed.

11. The electrolyzed water dispensing apparatus as defined in any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that:

the output value is a voltage value.

12. An air supply device, characterized in that:

an electrolyzed water forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11.