EP1118818A1

EP1118818A1 - Humidifying device

Info

Publication number: EP1118818A1
Application number: EP00949886A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Toshihiro S.-seisakusho Daikin Ind. Ltd. KIZAWA; Takashi S.-seisakusho Daikin Ind. Ltd. TOKUI; Kozo S.-seisakusho Daikin Ind. Ltd. YOSHINAGA
Original assignee: Daikin Industries Ltd
Current assignee: Daikin Industries Ltd
Priority date: 1999-07-28
Filing date: 2000-07-26
Publication date: 2001-07-25
Anticipated expiration: 2020-07-26
Also published as: JP2001099453A; JP3430993B2; ATE339658T1; ES2270857T3; DE60030676D1; EP1118818B1; KR20010075382A; DE60030676T2; KR100420643B1; EP1118818A4; WO2001007841A1; CN1322288A; CN1188636C

Abstract

There is provided is a humidifier that has a small amount of leak of air between its humidification passage and its moisture absorption passage and has a high humidification efficiency. A moisture absorption side fan motor 14 and a humidification side fan motor 17 are provided on the downstream side of a humidifying rotor 12, by which a humidification passage 13 and a moisture absorption passage 15 have negative pressures in the vicinity of an end surface of the humidifying rotor 12. Therefore, a pressure difference between air in the humidification passage 15 and air in the moisture absorption passage 13 is small in the vicinity of the end surface of the humidifying rotor 12, by which the leak of air is a little and the humidification efficiency is improved. The moisture absorption side fan motor_14 and the humidification side fan motor 17 are arranged on the same lower side of the humidifying rotor 12, making the humidifier compact.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a humidifier for humidifying air to be supplied into, for example, a room, and in particular, to a humidifier for humidifying air to be supplied by collecting moisture from the air with no water supply unit provided.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventionally, there has been a humidifier of this kind as shown in Fig. 5 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 8-141345). This humidifier has a humidifying rotor 2 constructed of an adsorbent of silica gel, zeolite or the like, arranged in a casing 1. A moisture absorption passage 3 and a humidification passage 5 extend through this humidifying rotor 2. The humidifying rotor 2 performs a moisture absorbing operation in the moisture absorption passage 3 and performs a moisture desorbing operation in the humidification passage 5. A fan 6 is provided on the upstream side of the humidifying rotor 2 of the moisture absorption passage 3 so as to make an air flow as indicated by arrows A and B, by which the humidifying rotor 2 absorbs moisture from the air in the moisture absorption passage 3. On the other hand, a fan 7 and a heater 8 are provided on the upstream side of the humidifying rotor 2 of the humidification passage 5 so as to make an air flow as indicated by arrows C and D through the humidification passage 5. The air, which is located in the humidification passage 5, fed with pressure by the fan 7 and heated by the heater 8 is humidified by the humidifying rotor 2 (absorbing moisture from the humidifying rotor 2) and supplied to an indoor unit through piping (not shown).
In this humidifier, the humidifying rotor 2 absorbs moisture from the air in the moisture absorption passage 3 and the moisture is discharged from the humidifying rotor 2 into the air in the humidification passage 5. This arrangement has the advantage that no water supply unit is needed.
However, in the above-mentioned conventional humidifier, the fan 6 in the moisture absorption passage 3 and the fan 7 in the humidification passage 5 are located on the upstream side of the humidifying rotor 2, and accordingly, this arrangement has the following problems. In general, a large amount of air (3 m³/min, for example) is flowed through the moisture absorption passage 3 in order to collect moisture from air. The moisture absorption passage 3 has a relatively large cross-sectional area, and the fan 6 is applying a pressure sufficient for merely making the air pass through the humidifying rotor 2. Therefore, a pressure at a point M on the upstream side of the humidifying rotor 2 in the moisture absorption passage 3 is about 7 mm of water-gauge pressure. On the other hand, a relatively small amount of air (0.2 m³/min, for example) is supplied to the humidification passage 5. The cross-sectional area of the humidification passage 5 is relatively small, and a pressure at a point L on the downstream side of the humidification fan 2 in the humidification passage 5 becomes 50 to 80 mm of water-gauge pressure in order to overcome the resistance of long piping to the indoor unit on the humidification passage 5 side. Accordingly, there is the problem that a pressure difference between the point M and the point L becomes about 43 to 73 mm of water-gauge pressure and a large amount of humidified air in the humidification passage 5 leaks to the moisture absorption passage 3. The humidifying rotor 2 rotates around an axis 2a, and therefore, a gap exists between a wall 9 and the humidifying rotor 2 with the wall 9 located between the points L and M. A large amount of humidified air leaks through this gap by the above-mentioned great pressure difference. Due to this leak of the humidified air, a degraded humidification efficiency (quantity of humidification/input) results.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a humidifier that has a small amount of leak of air between its humidification passage and its moisture absorption passage and has high humidification efficiency.
In order to achieve the aforementioned object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a humidifier comprising: a humidifying rotor, a moisture absorption passage that extends through the humidifying rotor, a moisture absorption fan arranged in the moisture absorption passage, a humidification passage that extends through the humidifying rotor, a humidification fan arranged in the humidification passage and a heating means for heating air in the humidification passage, the humidifying rotor absorbs moisture from air in the moisture absorption passage and humidifies heated air in the humidification passage, wherein
the moisture absorption fan is arranged in the moisture absorption passage on the downstream side of the humidifying rotor and
the humidification fan is arranged in the humidification passage on the downstream side of the humidifying rotor.
In the humidifier having the above construction, the moisture absorption fan and the humidification fan are provided on the downstream side of the humidifying rotor. The humidification passage and the moisture absorption passage have negative pressures in the vicinity of the end surface of the humidifying rotor and do not have a positive high pressure as that of the humidified air to be fed with pressure on the exit side of the humidification fan. Therefore, a pressure difference between the air in the humidification passage and the air in the moisture absorption passage or between the air in the humidification passage and the outdoor air is small in the vicinity of the end surface of the humidifying rotor, by which the leak of air from the humidification passage or the entry of outdoor air into the humidification passage is a little. Therefore, the humidification efficiency is improved.
In one embodiment, the humidification passage is directly adjacent to the moisture absorption passage in the vicinity of the humidifying rotor.
In the above embodiment, the pressure difference between the air in the humidification passage and the air in the moisture absorption passage is small in the vicinity of the end surface of the humidifying rotor. Therefore, the leak of air from the humidification passage is a little even if the humidification passage is directly adjacent to the moisture absorption passage in the vicinity of the humidifying rotor.
In one embodiment, the humidification passage is adjacent to the moisture absorption passage by way of an outdoor air portion in the vicinity of the humidifying rotor.
In the above embodiment, the humidification passage is adjacent to the moisture absorption passage via the outdoor air portion in the vicinity of the humidifying rotor, and therefore, the pressure difference between the air in the humidification passage and the air in the outdoor air portion can be made smaller than the pressure difference between the humidification passage and the moisture absorption passage. Therefore, the leak between the outdoor air portion and the humidification passage can be reduced. Moreover, neither of the humidification side and the moisture absorption side is influenced by the pressure fluctuations on the counterpart side. Therefore, a constant flow can be maintained in each passage, and the performance is stabilized.
In one embodiment, a portion of the humidifying rotor from which moisture is desorbed by air that is located in the humidification passage and heated by the heating means is pre-heated by flowing air to be humidified through the portion, and the pre-heated air is heated by the heating means and put through the humidifying rotor.
In the above embodiment, the portion of the humidifying rotor from which moisture is desorbed by the air heated by the heating means is pre-heated by flowing air to be humidified through the portion, and thereafter the pre-heated air is heated by the heating means. Therefore, the load of the heating means is reduced, allowing the heating means to be compacted and energy saving to be achieved. Particularly, by virtue of the cooperative effect of the arrangement that the leak of air from the humidification passage or the leak of air to the humidification passage is a little and the above-mentioned pre-heating, the humidification efficiency is remarkably improved.
In one embodiment, the moisture absorption fan and the humidification fan are arranged on one identical side of the humidifying rotor.
In the above embodiment, the moisture absorption fan and the humidification fan are arranged on one identical side of the humidifying rotor. Therefore, the dimension of the entire humidifier in the axial direction of the humidifying rotor becomes smaller than in the case where they are arranged on both sides of the humidifying rotor. Therefore, a humidifier that has a little leak of air, high humidification efficiency and a compact body is provided.
In one embodiment, a heater that serves as the heating means is arranged in the humidification passage on the upper side of the humidifying rotor, and the humidification fan is arranged on the lower side of the humidifying rotor.
In the above embodiment, the heater is arranged on the upper side of the humidifying rotor, and therefore, the heater does not cause electric leak even if dew condensation occurs on the humidifying rotor or the like. The air heated by the heater is sucked toward the lower side of the humidifying rotor by the humidification fan.
In one embodiment, a motor for driving the humidification fan has a casing whose bottom portion is provided with a hole.
In the above embodiment, water drops generated through dew condensation in the casing of the motor of the humidification fan are discharged through the hole of the casing. Therefore, the motor does not suffer a breakdown. This arrangement also eliminates the generation of noises and the deterioration of components due to water.
In one embodiment, a protective cover is provided in the vicinity of the hole of the casing.
In the above embodiment, the protective cover is provided in the vicinity of the hole of the casing of the motor of the humidification fan. Therefore, if steam spouts out of the hole, then the steam is not sprayed on other components by being interrupted by the protective cover.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a humidifier comprising: a humidifying rotor, a moisture absorption passage that extends through the humidifying rotor, a moisture absorption fan arranged in the moisture absorption passage, a humidification passage that extends through the humidifying rotor, a humidification fan arranged in the humidification passage and a heating means for heating air in the humidification passage, the humidifying rotor absorbs moisture from air in the moisture absorption passage and humidifies heated air in the humidification passage, wherein
the humidification passage is adjacent to the moisture absorption passage by way of an outdoor air portion in the vicinity of the humidifying rotor.
In the humidifier having the above construction, the humidification passage is adjacent to the moisture absorption passage via the outdoor air portion in the vicinity of the humidifying rotor. Therefore, the pressure difference between the humidification passage and the outdoor air portion can be made smaller than the pressure difference between the humidification passage and the moisture absorption passage. Therefore, the entry of dry air into the humidification passage can be reduced. Therefore, the humidification efficiency can be improved.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a humidifier comprising: a humidifying rotor, a moisture absorption passage that extends through the humidifying rotor, a moisture absorption fan arranged in the moisture absorption passage, a humidification passage that extends through the humidifying rotor, a humidification fan arranged in the humidification passage and a heating means for heating air in the humidification passage, the humidifying rotor absorbs moisture from air in the moisture absorption passage and humidifies heated air in the humidification passage, wherein
the moisture absorption fan and the humidification fan are arranged on one identical side of the humidifying rotor.
In the humidifier having the above construction, the moisture absorption fan and the humidification fan are arranged on one identical side of the humidifying rotor. Therefore, the dimension of the entire humidifier in the axial direction of the humidifying rotor becomes smaller than in the case where they are arranged on both sides of the humidifying rotor.
In the humidifier of one embodiment of the present invention, the humidification fan faces a passage portion of the humidification passage via the humidifying rotor and does not face the outdoor air portion.
In the above embodiment, the humidification fan faces the passage portion of the humidification passage via the humidifying rotor and does not face the outdoor air portion at all. Therefore, although outdoor air flows from the outdoor air portion into the passage portion of the humidification passage, the outdoor air does not flow into the humidification fan directly through the humidifying rotor without passing through the passage portion. Therefore, the amount of outdoor air that directly enters the humidification fan from the outdoor air portion can be reduced, by which a greater amount of air heated by the heater is flowed through the humidifying rotor, allowing the humidification efficiency to be improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a plan view of a humidifying rotor in the above embodiment;
Fig. 3 is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the above humidifying rotor;
Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a humidifier according to another embodiment;
Fig. 5 is a schematic view of a conventional humidifier; and
Fig. 6 is a schematic view of a humidifier according to another embodiment.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The present invention will be described in detail below on the basis of the embodiments thereof shown in the drawings.
As shown in Fig. 1, this humidifier has a disc-shaped humidifying rotor 12 arranged in a casing 10. This humidifying rotor 12 is constructed by forming an adsorbent of silica gel, zeolite, alumina or the like into, for example, a honeycomb-like shape or a multiporous multiparticle shape and is rotated by a motor (not shown) around an axis 12a. The casing 10 is internally partitioned by a partition plate 11, forming a moisture absorption passage 13 and a humidification passage 15 that extend through the portions of the humidifying rotor 12.
A moisture absorption side fan motor 14 is provided on the downstream side of the humidifying rotor 12 and on the lower side of the humidifying rotor 12 in the moisture absorption passage 13, making an air flow by sucking air as indicated by arrow A. Although not shown, this moisture absorption side fan motor 14 is constituted by a moisture absorption fan (referred to as a moisture absorption fan in the meaning of a fan located on the moisture absorption passage side) and a motor for driving this moisture absorption fan which are integrated into a unit. The humidifying rotor 12 absorbs moisture (adsorbs water) from the air that is flowing in the direction of arrow A through the moisture absorption passage 13. In the moisture absorption passage 13, a pressure at a point S on the upstream side of the humidifying rotor 12 is about 0 mm of water-gauge pressure, and a negative pressure at a point M on the downstream side of the humidifying rotor 12 is about -7 mm of water-gauge pressure.
On the other hand, a humidification side fan motor 17 is provided on the downstream side of the humidifying rotor 12 and on the lower side of the humidifying rotor 12 in the humidification passage 15, making an air flow by sucking air as indicated by arrow B. Although not shown, this humidification side fan motor 17 is constituted by a humidification fan (referred to as a humidification fan in the meaning of a fan located on the humidification passage side) and a motor for driving this humidification fan which are integrated into a unit. A heater 16, which serves as an example of heating means, is provided in a portion above the humidifying rotor 12 in the humidification passage 15, so that air having a temperature of 100°C or more heated by this heater 16 is humidified by the humidifying rotor 12 (the humidifying rotor 12 desorbs moisture) while passing through the humidifying rotor 12. The air flowing through the humidification passage 15 passes twice through the humidifying rotor 12 in a passage portion 15u located on the upstream side and a passage portion 15d located on the downstream side of the heater 16. An upward air flow Bu that firstly passes the humidifying rotor 12 collects heat from the humidifying rotor 12, and a downward air flow Bd that has collected the above-mentioned heat and is further heated by the heater 16 to a temperature of 100°C or more absorbs moisture from the humidifying rotor 12. That is, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the humidifying rotor 12 rotates in a direction indicated by arrow R, successively moving a portion 12A that faces the moisture absorption passage 13, a portion 12Bd that faces the downward passage portion 15d of the humidification passage 15 and a portion 12Bu that faces the upward passage portion 15u of the humidification passage 15. As shown in Fig. 3, the moisture absorbed by the humidifying rotor 12 from the air A in the moisture absorption passage 13 is desorbed by the air Bd that has a temperature of 100°C or more heated by the heater 16 and is directed to the lower side of the humidification passage 15, so that this air Bd is humidified.
The thus humidified air Bd is sucked by the humidification side fan motor 17 shown in Fig. 1, further fed with pressure so as to have a positive pressure of 50 to 80 mm of water-gauge pressure at the entrance of the piping 19 overcoming the resistance of the long piping 19, and fed into a room through an indoor unit (not shown). This humidifier is installed on an outdoor unit (not shown), and therefore, the piping 19 connected to the indoor unit is considerably long. In the humidification passage 15, a negative pressure at a point L on the upstream side of the humidifying rotor 12 is about -3 mm of water-gauge pressure, and a negative pressure at a point N on the downstream side of the humidifying rotor 12 is about -6 mm of water-gauge pressure.
On the other hand, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the upward air Bu to be humidified passes through the portion 12Bu of the humidifying rotor 12, which has been heated by the heated air and from which the moisture has been desorbed, pre-heating the air Bu by the heated portion 12Bu. From another point of view, this pre-heating means the cooling of the portion 12Bu of the humidifying rotor 12 by the air Bu before the portion 12Bu faces the moisture absorption passage 13, and therefore, the humidifying rotor 12 can sufficiently absorb the moisture in the moisture absorption passage 13.
The flow of air Bu and the flow of air Bd are counterflows, and therefore, the thermal gradient of the flow of air Bu and the thermal gradient in the thickness direction of the humidifying rotor 12 become identical, allowing the flow of air Bu to efficiently collect heat from the humidifying rotor 12.
As shown in Fig. 1, the casing of the motor of the humidification side fan motor 17 is provided with a hole 21 in its bottom portion, discharging water drops condensed in this casing through the hole 21. With this arrangement, the motor does not suffer a breakdown. This arrangement also eliminates the generation of noises and the deterioration of components due to water. Furthermore, a protective cover 22 is provided in the vicinity of the hole 21 of the casing, so that, if steam spouts out of the hole 21, then the steam is prevented from being sprayed on other components by being interrupted by the protective cover 22.
It is to be noted that the reference numerals 31, 32 and 33 denote partitions in Fig. 1.
In the humidifier having the above construction, a portion located in the moisture absorption passage 13 of the humidifying rotor 12 adsorbs moisture from the air in the moisture absorption passage 13. In the portion of the humidifying rotor 12 which has adsorbed moisture, the moisture is desorbed by the air Bd heated to a temperature of not lower than 100°C by the heater 16 in the passage portion 15d directed to the lower side of the humidification passage 15 (the air Bd absorbs moisture). As described above, the air Bd that has absorbed moisture from the humidifying rotor 12, i.e., the humidified air Bd is blown by the humidification side fan motor 17 so as to have a positive pressure of 50 to 80 mm at the entrance of the piping 19 for overcoming the resistance of the long piping 19 extended to the indoor unit.
The portion of the humidifying rotor 12, which has been heated by the heated air Bd and from which the moisture is desorbed, pre-heats the air Bd to be humidified flowing through the passage portion 15u when located in the passage portion 15u directed to the upper side of the humidification passage 15. This pre-heated air Bu is heated by the heater 16 and becomes the downward air flow Bd to be supplied to the humidifying rotor 12 and humidified. As described above, the air Bu is pre-heated by utilizing the heat of the heated humidifying rotor 12, and therefore, the heater 16 is allowed to have a reduced load, to be compacted and to achieve energy saving.
Both the moisture absorption side fan motor 14 and the humidification side fan motor 17 suck air while being located on the downstream side of the humidifying rotor 12, and therefore, the air has a negative pressure or about zero pressure in the vicinity of the humidifying rotor 12. That is, in the moisture absorption passage 13, the pressure at the point S on the lower side of the humidifying rotor 12 is about 0 mm of water-gauge pressure, and the pressure at the point M on the upper side of the humidifying rotor 12 is -7 mm of water-gauge pressure. In the humidification passage 15, the pressure at the point L on the upper side of the humidifying rotor 12 is -3 mm of water-gauge pressure, and the pressure at the point N on the lower side of the humidifying rotor 12 is -6 mm of water-gauge pressure. Therefore, a pressure difference between the point L and the point M on the upper side of the humidifying rotor 12 becomes 4 mm = (-3 mm - (-7 mm)) of water-gauge pressure, which is a little. Therefore, the leak of air from the humidification passage 15 to the moisture absorption passage 13 through the point L and the point M is a little. Moreover, a pressure difference between the point S and the point N on the lower side of the humidifying rotor 12 becomes 6 mm = (0 mm -(-6 mm)) of water-gauge pressure, which is a little. Therefore, the leak of air from the moisture absorption passage 13 to the humidification passage 15 through the point S and the point N is a little.
As described above, the leak of air between the moisture absorption passage 13 and the humidification passage 15 is a little, and therefore, the humidification efficiency (quantity of humidification/input) is remarkably improved. Particularly, by virtue of the cooperative effect of this little leak and the pre-heating of air to be humidified by the humidifying rotor 12, the humidification efficiency is extremely greatly improved.
In the present embodiment, the moisture absorption side fan motor 14 and the humidification side fan motor 17 are arranged on the lower side, or the same side with respect to the humidifying rotor 12, and therefore, the dimension in the axial direction of the humidifying rotor 12 of the entire humidifier can be reduced. As shown in the prior art example in Fig. 5, if the fan 6 of the moisture absorption passage 3 is arranged on one side of the humidifying rotor 2 and the fan 7 of the humidification passage 5 is arranged on the other side of the humidifying rotor 2, then there are the fans 6 and 7 arranged on both sides of the humidifying rotor 2, leading to an increase in the dimensions of the entire apparatus.
Fig. 4 shows another embodiment. The embodiment shown in Fig. 4 differs from the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 in that an outdoor air portion 55 communicating with outdoor air is formed by walls 51 and 52 of a casing 50 and the moisture absorption passage 13 and the humidification passage 15 do not directly communicate with each other but by way of the outdoor air portion 55 above the humidifying rotor 12. Therefore, the same components as those of the embodiment of Fig. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals with no description provided for them, and only the different components will be described below.
In the moisture absorption passage 13 shown in Fig. 4, the pressure at the point M on the upper side of the humidifying rotor 12 is -7 mm of water-gauge pressure. In the humidification passage 15, the pressure at the point L on the upper side of the humidifying rotor 12 is -3 mm of water-gauge pressure. A pressure at a point Q of the outdoor air portion 55 is, of course, 0 mm of water-gauge pressure. Therefore, a pressure difference between the point Q and the point L on the upper side of the humidifying rotor 12 becomes 3 mm = (0 mm - (-3 mm)) of water-gauge pressure, which is smaller than 4 mm of water-gauge pressure of the embodiment of Fig. 1. As described above, the pressure difference between the point Q of the outdoor air portion 55 and the point L of the humidification passage 15 has the small value of 3 mm of water-gauge pressure, and therefore, the amount of air that enters the humidification passage 15 from the outdoor air portion 55 is a little. Furthermore, the pressure at the outdoor air portion 55 is higher than the pressure in the vicinity of the humidifying rotor 12 in the humidification passage 15, and therefore, the heated air does not leak from the humidification passage 15. Therefore, the humidification efficiency is greatly improved. Particularly, by virtue of the cooperative effect of the little leak and the pre-heating of the air to be humidified by the humidifying rotor 12, the humidification efficiency is extremely greatly improved. Moreover, neither_of the humidification side and the moisture absorption side is influenced by the pressure fluctuations on the counterpart side. Therefore, a constant flow can be maintained in each passage, and the performance is stabilized.
The embodiment shown in Fig. 6 differs from the embodiment shown in Fig. 4 in the arrangement of the humidification side fan motor 57 and is identical to the embodiment of Fig. 4 in the other points. Therefore, the same components as those of the embodiment of Fig. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals with no description provided for them, and only the different components will be described below.
In this embodiment of Fig. 6, the humidification side fan motor 57 faces a passage portion 15d on the upper side of the humidification passage 15 via the humidifying rotor 12 and does not face the outdoor air portion 55 at all. Therefore, although the outdoor air flowing through the point Q of the outdoor air portion 55 enters the passage portion 15d of the humidification passage 15 on the upper side of the humidifying rotor 12, the outdoor air does not directly flow into the humidification fan motor 57 directly through the humidifying rotor 12. Therefore, the amount of air entering from the outdoor air portion 55 can be reduced, and an increased amount of air heated by the heater 16 can be made to pass through the humidifying rotor 12, allowing the humidification efficiency to be improved.
Although the heater 16 is employed as the heating means in the aforementioned embodiment, it is acceptable to use the exhaust heat of the compressor of the outdoor unit or another heating means such as micro waves in place of this heater 16.
Although this humidifier is installed on the outdoor unit of the air conditioner and the humidified air is blown from the indoor unit in the aforementioned embodiment, it is, of course, possible to singly use this humidifier.
Although the fan motors 14 and 17 that are each obtained by integrating a fan and a motor are employed in the aforementioned embodiment, it is acceptable to employ a fan and a motor of separate bodies.
In the aforementioned embodiments, there has been the description of the example in which the humidification side fan motor 17 and the moisture absorption side motor fan motor 14 are provided in the humidification passage 15 and the moisture absorption passage 13, respectively, located on the downstream side of the humidification rotor 12. However, it is possible to prevent the humidification side and the moisture absorption side from being influenced by the pressure fluctuations on the counterpart side, maintain a constant flow in each passage and allow the performance to be stabilized with the provision of the outdoor air portion even when the humidification side fan motor and the moisture absorption side fan motor are provided on the upstream side of the humidifying rotor. The humidifier can also be compacted even when the humidification side fan motor and the moisture absorption side fan motor are provided on the upstream one side of the humidifying rotor.

Claims

A humidifier comprising: a humidifying rotor (12), a moisture absorption passage (13) that extends through the humidifying rotor (12), a moisture absorption fan arranged in the moisture absorption passage (13), a humidification passage (15) that extends through the humidifying rotor (12), a humidification fan arranged in the humidification passage (15) and a heating means (16) for heating air in the humidification passage (15), the humidifying rotor (12) absorbs moisture from air in the moisture absorption passage (13) and humidifies heated air in the humidification passage (15), wherein

the moisture absorption fan is arranged in the moisture absorption passage (13) on the downstream side of the humidifying rotor (12) and

the humidification fan is arranged in the humidification passage (15) on the downstream side of the humidifying rotor (12).
A humidifier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the humidification passage (15) is directly adjacent to the moisture absorption passage (13) in the vicinity of the humidifying rotor (12).
A humidifier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the humidification passage (15) is adjacent to the moisture absorption passage (13) by way of an outdoor air portion (55) in the vicinity of the humidifying rotor (12).
A humidifier as claimed in claim 1, wherein a portion of the humidifying rotor (12) from which moisture is desorbed by air that is located in the humidification passage (15) and heated by the heating means (16) is pre-heated by flowing air to be humidified through the portion, and the pre-heated air is heated by the heating means (16) and put through the humidifying rotor (12).
A humidifier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the moisture absorption fan and the humidification fan are arranged on one identical side of the humidifying rotor (12).
A humidifier as claimed in claim 1, wherein a heater (16) that serves as the heating means is arranged in the humidification passage (15) on the upper side of the humidifying rotor (12), and the humidification fan is arranged on the lower side of the humidifying rotor (12).
A humidifier as claimed in claim 1, wherein a motor for driving the humidification fan has a casing whose bottom portion is provided with a hole (21).
A humidifier as claimed in claim 7, wherein a protective cover (22) is provided in the vicinity of the hole (21) of the casing.
A humidifier comprising: a humidifying rotor (12), a moisture absorption passage (13) that extends through the humidifying rotor (12), a moisture absorption fan arranged in the moisture absorption passage (13), a humidification passage (15) that extends through the humidifying rotor (12), a humidification fan arranged in the humidification passage (15) and a heating means (16) for heating air in the humidification passage (15), the humidifying rotor (12) absorbs moisture from air in the moisture absorption passage (13) and humidifies heated air in the humidification passage (15), wherein
the humidification passage (15) is adjacent to the moisture absorption passage (13) by way of an outdoor air portion (55) in the vicinity of the humidifying rotor (12).
A humidifier comprising: a humidifying rotor (12), a moisture absorption passage (13) that extends through the humidifying rotor (12), a moisture absorption fan arranged in the moisture absorption passage (13), a humidification passage (15) that extends through the humidifying rotor (12), a humidification fan arranged in the humidification passage (15) and a heating means (16) for heating air in the humidification passage (15), the humidifying rotor (12) absorbs moisture from air in the moisture absorption passage (13) and humidifies heated air in the humidification passage (15), wherein
the moisture absorption fan and the humidification fan are arranged on one identical side of the humidifying rotor (12).
A humidifier as claimed in claim 9, wherein the humidification fan faces a passage portion (15d) of the humidification passage (15) via the humidifying rotor (12) and does not face the outdoor air portion (55).