ES2988694T3 - Air purifier - Google Patents

Abstract

An air purifier configured so that air tightness within a housing is easily achieved by reducing the number of openings is provided. An air purifier (10) is provided with an air purification filter (20), a humidification unit (30), a fan (blower fan) (12a) and a housing (11). The air purification filter removes dust contained in the air. The humidification unit humidifies the air by vaporizing supplied water. The blower fan supplies air to the air purification filter and the humidification unit. The housing houses the humidification unit, the air purification filter and the blower fan. The housing has an opening (15) through which the humidification unit is mounted and removed. The humidification unit is arranged downstream of the air purification filter so that it is adjacent to it in the direction of removal of the air purification filter. The opening allows the air purification filter to be removed after the humidification unit has been removed. (Automatic translation with Google Translate, no legal value)

Description

DESCRIPTION

Air purifier

Technical field

The present invention relates to an air purifier.

Background of the technique

Air purifiers are known which filter and purify intake air with an air purification filter. The air purification filter is arranged so that the surface of the air purification filter is orthogonal to the air flow direction, as indicated, for example, in Patent Literature 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-283545).

Recently, air purifiers that have humidification sets have also become known. The humidification set vaporizes water and humidifies the air inside a housing. Since the air purifier has both an air purification filter and a humidification set, it is possible to improve the air conditioning environment of the indoor space more favorably.

JP 2010 043845 A discloses an air purifier comprising: an air purification filter configured to pass air therethrough in the vertical direction and remove dust contained in the air; a humidification assembly including a humidification element configured to vaporize supplied water and humidify the air; an air blowing fan configured to blow air; and a housing housing the humidification assembly, the air purification filter and the air blowing fan, an opening being formed in the housing.

Document KR 20120076284 A discloses an air purifier according to the preamble of claim 1.

Summary of the invention

<Technical problem>

Generally, the air purification filter is configured to be insertable through an opening provided on a lateral side of the housing, so that the air purification filter is arranged orthogonal to the air flow direction, as indicated in Patent Literature 1. In order to ensure tightness in the housing, a cover (door) is provided at the opening. When the air purifier has a humidification assembly, an opening for removing the humidification assembly is required in addition to the opening for removing the air purification filter. A larger number of openings is not desirable from the viewpoint of tightness.

An object of the present invention is to provide an air purifier which makes it easy to ensure tightness in a housing by minimizing the number of openings.

<Solution to the problem>

The above object is achieved by the air purifier defined by the attached claim 1.

Additional advantageous effects can be obtained by the preferred embodiments defined by the attached dependent claims.

An air purifier as a first reference example is provided with an air purification filter, a humidification assembly, an air blowing fan and a housing. The air purification filter is configured to remove dust contained in the air. The humidification assembly is configured to vaporize supplied water and humidify the air. The air blowing fan is configured to blow air to the air purification filter and the humidification assembly. The housing houses the humidification assembly, the air purification filter and the air blowing fan. An opening for connecting/disconnecting the humidification assembly is formed in the housing. The humidification assembly is arranged in alignment with the air purification filter on a downstream side of the air purification filter with respect to a separation direction where the air purification filter is separated. The housing is configured such that the opening allows the air purification filter to be separated after the humidification assembly has been separated.

In the air purifier as the first reference example, the humidification assembly is arranged on the downstream side of the air purification filter in the separation direction where the air purification filter is separated. The opening for attaching/separating the humidification assembly is also used for attaching/separating the air purification filter after the humidification assembly has been separated.

Therefore, a single opening can be used for both attaching/detaching the air purification filter and attaching/detaching the air purification filter. As a result, the number of openings can be minimized.

An air purifier as a second reference example is the air purifier according to the first reference example, where the separation direction is the thickness direction of the air purification filter.

In the air purifier as the second reference example, the separation direction is the thickness direction of the air purification filter. In other words, when the humidification assembly is separated, a gap is formed to separate the air purification filter in the thickness direction of the air purification filter.

Therefore, the separation of the air purification filter can be facilitated.

An air purifier as a third reference example is the air purifier according to the first or second reference example, which is further provided with a sealing means. The sealing means is configured to seal a space between the air purification filter and the housing. The sealing means is arranged on an upstream side of the air purification filter with respect to the separation direction.

In the air purifier as the third reference example, the sealing means for sealing the gap between the air purification filter and the housing is arranged on the upstream side of the air purification filter with respect to the separation direction.

Therefore, the air purification filter can be kept stably in the housing.

An air purifier as a fourth reference example is the air purifier according to any one of the first to third reference examples, where the humidification includes a tank, a tray and a humidification filter. The tank is configured to accumulate the water. The tray is configured to receive the water from the tank. The humidification filter is configured to hold the water supplied from the tray and humidify the air by vaporizing the water.

In the air purifier as the fourth reference example, the humidification assembly includes the tank, tray and humidification filter. After the tank, tray and humidification filter have been separated from the housing, the air purification filter can be separated through the opening.

Therefore, enough space can be ensured to disassemble the air purification filter above the air purification filter.

An air purifier as a fifth reference example is the air purifier according to any one of the first to third reference examples, where the humidification assembly is arranged above the air purification filter in the housing. The humidification assembly has a movement restriction part. The movement restriction part is configured to restrict the air purification filter from moving upward when the humidification assembly and the air purification filter are attached to the housing.

In this reference example, because the humidification assembly restricts the air purification filter from moving upward, the air purification filter can be prevented from floating upward with a simple configuration, without providing a dedicated member for restricting the air purification filter from moving. In addition, the number of components can be kept lower than in cases where a dedicated member for restricting movement is provided. An air purifier as a sixth reference example is the air purifier according to the fifth reference example, further provided with a filter case housing at least part of the air purification filter. The filter case includes an air flow guide configured to guide air that has passed through the air purification filter to the humidification assembly. The movement restricting part is configured to be in contact with the top of the air flow guide.

In this reference example, the air purification filter cannot move upward since the motion restriction part of the humidification assembly contacts the top of the air flow guide of the filter box. Therefore, the air purification filter can be prevented from floating with a simple configuration. Since the air flow guide is in contact relationship with the motion restriction part, air hardly passes between the air flow guide and the motion restriction part. Therefore, air that has passed through the air purification filter can be prevented from being guided to an undesired path.

An air purifier as a seventh reference example is the air purifier according to the sixth reference example, where the air purification filter includes a first filter and a second filter disposed below the first filter. The filter case accommodates the first filter. The filter case is configured to slide on an upper surface of the second filter when the first filter housed in the filter case is attached to the housing. The filter case is configured to be in contact with the upper surface of the second filter after the first filter housed in the filter case has been fixed to the housing. Because this reference example is for the filter case housing the first filter to slide on the upper surface of the second filter when the first filter is attached to the housing, the first filter is easily attached to the housing. In addition, because the filter case comes into contact with the upper surface of the second filter after the first filter has been attached, the upward movement of the second filter can be restricted.

An air purifier as an eighth reference example is the air purifier according to the seventh reference example, where a case-side convex part or a case-side concave part is formed in the filter case. A case-side concave part or a case-side convex part, which is configured to fit with the case-side convex part or the case-side concave part formed in the filter case when the first filter housed in the filter case is attached to the case, is formed in the case.

In this reference example, because the housing and the filter box respectively have a convex part and a concave part that fit together, the first filter housed in the filter box is easily attached at a predetermined position.

When the filter box slides on the upper surface of the second filter, or in other words, when the filter box is guided by the upper surface of the second filter, the convex part and the concave part fit together easily. However, when there is no second filter (when the filter box cannot slide on the upper surface of the second filter), it is difficult to positionally align the convex part and the concave part and join them together. In other words, when the second filter is not present, it is difficult to connect the first filter. Therefore, it is easy to avoid mishaps by forgetting to put in the second filter.

An air purifier as a ninth reference example is the air purifier according to the eighth reference example, which is further provided with a filter detection sensor configured to detect whether the first filter is attached to the housing or not.

In this reference example, the inconvenience of forgetting to insert the first filter can be avoided because the filter detection sensor is provided.

Because the air purifier is set up so that it is difficult to connect the first filter when the second filter is not present, it is possible to detect mishaps by forgetting to connect the entire air purification filter simply by detecting whether the first filter is present or not.

<Advantageous effects>

In the air purifier as the first reference example, a single opening can be used to attach/detach both the air purification filter and the humidification assembly. As a result, the number of openings can be minimized.

In the air purifier as a second reference example, the separation of the air purification filter can be facilitated.

In the air purifier as the third reference example, the air purification filter can be stably kept in the housing.

In the air purifier as the fourth reference example, enough space can be ensured to separate the air purification filter above the air purification filter.

In the air purifier as the fifth reference example, because the humidification assembly restricts the upward movement of the air purification filter, the air purification filter can be prevented from floating upward with a simple configuration, without providing a dedicated member to restrict the movement of the air purification filter.

In the air purifier as the sixth reference example, the air purification filter can be prevented from floating up with a simple setting.

In the air purifier as the seventh reference example, the first filter is easily attached to the housing, and the upward movement of the second filter can be restricted.

In the air purifier as the eighth reference example, the first filter is easily fixed in a predetermined position.

In the air purifier as the ninth reference example, the inconvenience of forgetting to insert the first filter can be avoided.

Brief description of the drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an air purifier according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the internal configuration of the air purifier seen from the rear;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the internal configuration of the air purifier seen from the right;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the internal configuration of the air purifier seen from above;

FIG. 5, which is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of the humidification assembly, shows the humidification assembly attached to the housing;

FIG. 6, which is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of the humidification assembly, shows the separated humidification assembly when separated from the housing;

FIG. 7 shows the procedure of the separation operation;

FIG. 8 shows the procedure of the separation operation;

FIG. 9 shows the procedure of the separation operation in the air purifier according to Modification 1 FIG. 10 shows the procedure of the separation operation in the air purifier according to Modification FIG. 11 shows the procedure of the separation operation in the air purifier according to Modification FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view of the air purifier according to Modification 1D;

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of the internal configuration of the air purifier according to Modification 1D as seen from the rear;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of the internal configuration of the air purifier according to Modification 1D as seen from above;

FIG. 15 shows a separation procedure for the air purifier according to Modification 1D;

FIG. 16 is a schematic perspective view of the air purifier according to Modification 1E, which is not within the scope of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a schematic view of the internal configuration of the air purifier according to Modification 1E seen from the rear, which is not within the scope of the present invention;

FIG. 18 is a schematic view of the internal configuration of the air purifier according to Modification 1E seen from the right, which is not within the scope of the present invention;

FIG. 19 shows a separation method for the air purifier according to Modification 1E, which is not within the scope of the present invention;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the air purifier according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 21, which is a cross-sectional view along line XXI-XXI of the air purifier according to FIG.

20, shows the inside of the air purifier as seen from the right;

FIG. 22, which is a cross-sectional view along line XXIl-XXII of the air purifier according to FIG.

20, shows the inside of the air purifier as seen from the front;

FIG. 23 is a drawing, as seen from above, of the periphery of the humidifying element housed in the housing of the air purifier according to FIG. 20;

FIG. 24 is a drawing to illustrate the structure of the fan periphery and the direction of the airflow ejected from the fan in the air purifier according to FIG. 20,

FIG. 25 is a plan view of the dust collecting filter used in the air purifier according to FIG. 20;

FIG. 26 is a perspective view, as seen from the front left, of the filter box housing the deodorizing filter in the air purifier according to FIG. 20;

FIG. 27 is a perspective view, as seen from the front right, of the filter housing according to FIG.

26;

FIG. 28 includes drawings for illustrating the deodorizing filter detection sensor disposed adjacent to the filter case according to FIG. 26, (a) showing the state of the deodorizing filter detection sensor when the deodorizing filter is not housed in the filter case, and (b) showing the state of the deodorizing filter detection sensor when the deodorizing filter is housed in the filter case;

FIG. 29 is a drawing to illustrate how the humidifying tray of the air purifier according to FIG. 20 is attached to the housing, and how the rotation shaft of the rotor of the humidifying element and the drive shaft of the humidifying motor are connected to each other;

FIG. 30, which is a drawing for illustrating the air flow in the air purifier according to FIG. 20, illustrates the air flow using a cross-sectional view of the inside of the housing as seen from the front;

FIG. 31 is a drawing to illustrate the air flow particularly around the humidification assembly and the bypass opening in the air purifier according to FIG. 20, the humidification element being omitted;

FIG. 32 includes cross-sectional views, as seen from the front, illustrating the separation procedure of the humidification assembly and the air purification filter of the air purifier according to FIG. 20, (a) showing the state before the humidification assembly and the air purification filter are separated, (b) showing the state where the humidification tank of the humidification assembly was separated, (c) showing the state of the humidification tray of the humidification assembly that was separated, (d) showing the state of the deodorizing filter of the air purification filter that was separated, and (e) showing the state of the dust collecting filter of the air purification filter that was separated;

FIG. 33 includes schematic perspective views, as seen from the front left, of the disassembly method of the humidification assembly of the air purifier according to FIG. 20, (a) showing the state before the humidification assembly is separated, (b) showing the state of the humidification tank being separated, (c) showing the state of the humidification tank after being separated, and (d) showing the state of the humidification tray being separated;

FIG. 34 schematically draws a state where the filter box is attached without attaching the dust collecting filter, in the air purifier according to FIG. 20.

FIG. 35 is a cross-sectional view of the inside of the air purifier according to Modification 2G as seen from the front. Convex portions are formed on the housing, and concave portions where the convex portions of the housing fit are formed on the filter case.

FIG. 36 is a cross-sectional view of the interior of the Modification 2H air purifier as viewed from the right. In the Modification 2H air purifier, a humidification rotor spoon system is employed in the humidification assembly.

Description of the achievements

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiment is a specific example of the present invention and is not intended to limit the technical scope of the invention.

<First realization>

(1) General configuration of the air purifier

FIGS. 1 to 4 show a schematic configuration of an air purifier 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the air purifier 10. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view along the line I-I of the air purifier shown in FIG. 1. In other words, FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the internal configuration of the air purifier 10 viewed from the rear. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view along the line ll-ll of the air purifier 10 shown in FIG. 1. In other words, FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the internal configuration of the air purifier 10 viewed from the right. FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the internal configuration of the air purifier 10 viewed from above.

The air purifier 10 according to the present embodiment has an air purification function and a humidification function. The air purifier 10 is configured so that the humidification function can be selectively executed. Specifically, when the user does not select the humidification function, only the air purification function effectively operates in the air purifier 10, and when the user selects the humidification function, the humidification function effectively operates together with the air purification function. In other words, when the user selects the humidification function, the air purifier 10 also functions as a humidifier.

The air purifier 10 is provided with a quadrangular prism-shaped housing 11, as shown in FIG. 1. Furthermore, the air purifier 10 is mainly provided with an air blowing device 12, an air purification filter 20, and a humidification assembly 30 in the housing 11, as shown in FIG. 2. The configuration of the air purifier 10 is described in detail below.

(2) Detailed configuration

(2-1) Housing

The housing 11 houses the air blowing device 12, the air purification filter 20 and the humidification assembly 30 as described above. The housing 11 defines an air blowing chamber R1, an air purification chamber R2 and a humidification chamber R3, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The air blowing device 12 is arranged in the air blowing chamber R1. The air purification filter 20 is arranged in the air purification chamber R2. The humidification assembly 30 is arranged in the humidification chamber R3. The air blowing chamber R1, the air purification chamber R2 and the humidification chamber R3 are aligned in the order indicated from the bottom to the top. The housing 11 has a quadrangular prism shape as described above. In other words, the housing 11 has a shape that is elongated vertically. Therefore, the installation area of the air purifier 10 according to the present embodiment is smaller than the installation area of a conventional air purifier where the air blowing chamber R1, the air purification chamber R2 and the humidification chamber R3 are aligned horizontally. Specifically, the housing 11 includes a frame and a plurality of surfaces attached to the frame.

The housing 11 has an intake port 11a and a discharge port 11b, as shown in FIG. 1. The intake ports 11a are openings for drawing air into the inside of the housing 11 from the outside of the housing 11. The intake port 11a is arranged at the bottoms of both the front surface and the rear surface of the housing 11 (see FIGS. 1 and 3). The discharge port 11b is an opening for blowing out air that has passed through the inside of the housing 11. In other words, the discharge port 11b is an outlet for air in the housing 11. The discharge port 11b is arranged at the roof portion of the housing 11, as shown in FIG. 1. Specifically, the discharge port 11b is formed within the contour of the roof portion in the roof portion of the housing 11 along the contour of the roof portion except for an edge of the front surface side. In other words, the discharge port 11b is formed along the edges constituting the left and right sides and the rear side of the roof portion of the housing 11, within these edges (see FIGS. 1 and 2). In the present embodiment, the discharge port 11b is formed by a frame assembled into a rectangular shape.

An opening 15 is formed in the housing 11 (see FIG. 7(b) and (c)). The opening 15 is formed at a location that can be accessed from the front surface side of the air purifier 10. In the present embodiment, the opening 15 is located at the top of the air purifier 10. The opening 15 can be opened and closed by a door 11c. A handle 11ca is formed on the door 11c. The opening 15 allows the components housed in the housing 11 to be attached/detached. Specifically, the opening 15 allows access to the humidification assembly 30 and the air purification filter 20 in the housing 11.

The door 11c has a configuration that allows separation from the housing 11. The door 11c is attached to a tank 31, described below. Specifically, the door 11c is attached so that the door 11c and the tank 31 can be moved integrally. In other words, when the door 11c is separated from the housing 11, the tank 31 is also separated from the housing 11. The door 11c can be separated upward from the air purifier 10 (see FIG. 7(b). The door 11c can also have a configuration that can be separated from the front side of the air purifier 10. The opening 15 opens when the door 11c is separated from the housing 11.

A straightening plate 36 is disposed inside the housing 11 (see FIG. 3). The straightening plate 36 is disposed in the humidifying chamber R3, as shown in FIG. 3. Specifically, the straightening plate 36 is disposed in the humidifying chamber R3 near a humidifying element 33, described below. The straightening plate 36 guides the air flow f3 entering the humidifying chamber R3 from the air purification chamber R2 to the humidifying element 33. Specifically, the straightening plate 36 guides the air flow f3 to the humidifying element 33 so that the air flow f3 is prevented from bypassing the humidifying element 33 and flowing out directly from the discharge port 11 b. Furthermore, flange portions 11d, 11f are provided inside the housing 11, as shown in FIG. 2. The flange portion 11d is arranged in the air purification chamber R2. The flange portion 11f is arranged in the humidification chamber R3. Specifically, the flange portion 11d is arranged on the inner wall of the housing 11 defining the air purification chamber R2. More specifically, the flange portion 11d is arranged at a predetermined height position along the inner periphery of the housing 11. The air purification filter 20, described below, is placed on the flange portion 11d. In other words, the flange portion 11d is arranged upstream of the air purification filter 20 with respect to the air flow direction. The flange portion 11d is provided so that the air purification filter 20 is arranged horizontally in the air purification chamber R2. The flange portion 11d, together with a sealing member 11e described below, functions as a sealing means for sealing the space between the air purification filter 20 and the inner wall of the housing 11. The flange portion 11f is arranged along the inner wall of the housing 11 defining the humidification chamber R3. The flange portion 11f is arranged at a predetermined height position along the inner periphery of the housing 11. A tray 32 of the humidification assembly 30, described below, is placed on the flange portion 11f. In other words, the flange portion 11f is arranged upstream of the humidification assembly 30 with respect to the air flow direction.

A control panel 13 is arranged on an upper side surface of the housing 11, as shown in FIG.

1. The control panel 13 is provided with various switches (for example, a power switch and/or a function selection switch) for operating the air purifier 10. The control panel 13 is connected to a control device (not shown) integrated in the housing 11. Signals received by the control panel 13 are transmitted to the control device.

(2-2) Air blowing device

The air blowing device 12 draws the air out of the housing 11 into the air blowing chamber R1. The air blowing device 12 also blows the air introduced into the air blowing chamber R1 into the air purification chamber R2 and the humidification chamber R3. In other words, the air blowing device 12 blows air into the air purification filter 20 and the humidification assembly 30 (the humidification element 33).

The air blowing device 12 includes a fan (an air blowing fan) 12a and a fan motor 12b, as shown in FIG. 3. The fan 12a is a Sirocco fan. The fan 12a is configured from a hub portion 12aa and a plurality of blades 12ab. The blades 12ab are arranged in a cylindrical formation around the peripheral edge of the hub portion 12aa. By rotating the hub portion 12aa and the blades 12ab, air is drawn in along the direction of the rotation axis, and then blown in the centrifugal direction from the blades 12ab. In other words, by rotating the hub portion 12aa and the blades 12ab, air is drawn from outside the housing 11 into the air blowing chamber R1 through the intake ports 11a. The air blown in the centrifugal direction from the blades 12ab is then sent to the air purification chamber R2.

The air blowing device 12 is arranged at the center of a horizontal plane in the air blowing chamber R1. Specifically, the air blowing device 12 is arranged at a middle position with respect to both the depth direction and the width direction in the air purifier 10 (see FIG. 3). In other words, air drawn into the air blowing chamber R1 is sent from the center of the air blowing chamber R1 to the center of the air purification chamber R2 by the air blowing device 12.

(2-3) Air purification filter

The air purification filter 20 purifies the air drawn into the air purifier 10. Specifically, the air purification filter 20 removes dust contained in the air. The air purification filter 20 is arranged downstream of the air blowing device 12 with respect to the air flow direction. In addition, the air purification filter 20 is arranged upstream of the humidification assembly 30 with respect to the air flow direction.

The air purification filter 20 includes a dust collecting filter 21 and a deodorizing filter 22, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The dust collecting filter 21 is a thin and soft net made of a resin. The dust collecting filter 21 removes dust contained in the air. The deodorizing filter 22 absorbs malodorous components contained in the air. The dust collecting filter 21 and the deodorizing filter 22 are arranged inside the air purification chamber R2 in the prescribed order from the upstream side in the air flow direction. Specifically, the dust collecting filter 21 and the deodorizing filter 22 are arranged along their thickness direction. The thickness direction of the dust collecting filter 21 and the deodorizing filter 22 coincides with the flow direction f2 of the air passing through the air purification chamber R2. In other words, the air purification filter 20 is arranged in a direction orthogonal to the air flow direction f2.

The air purification filter 20 is placed in the flange portion 11d formed inside the housing 11, as described above. In other words, the air purification filter 20 is held by the flange portion 11d. The sealing member 11e is arranged between the air purification filter 20 and the flange portion 11d. The sealing member 11e is arranged horizontally on the flange portion 11d. Specifically, the sealing member 11e is arranged along the surface of the flange portion 11d. The flange portion 11d and the sealing member 11e function as sealing means for sealing the space between the air purification filter 20 and the inner wall of the housing 11, as described above. The flange portion 11d and the sealing member 11e are arranged upstream of the air purification filter 20 with respect to the air flow direction. In other words, the sealing means is arranged upstream of the air purification filter 20 with respect to the direction where the air purification filter 20 is separated. The sealing means ensures a seal between the air purification filter 20 and the housing 11 when air is sent from the air blowing chamber R1 to the air purification chamber R2.

During maintenance, the air purification filter 20 is attached/detached through the opening 15 (see FIG.

7). Specifically, after the humidification assembly 30 described below is separated through the opening 15, the air purification filter 20 moves into the space (i.e., the humidification chamber R3) formed inside the housing 11, and then is removed through the opening 15. Specifically, the air purification filter 20 moves in the thickness direction of the air purification filter 20 and is separated from the housing 11. In other words, the thickness direction of the air purification filter 20 coincides with the direction (the attachment/separation direction) where the air purification filter 20 is separated. The direction where the air purification filter 20 is separated coincides with the air flow direction in the air purification chamber R2. In other words, the dust collecting filter 21 and the deodorizing filter 22 move along the air flow direction in the air purification chamber<r>2 and thus are separated from the flange portion 11d and separated from the housing 11.

(2-4) Humidification set

The humidification assembly 30 vaporizes the supplied water and humidifies the air. The humidification assembly 30 is arranged downstream of the air blowing device 12 and the air purification filter 20 with respect to the air flow direction. In other words, the humidification assembly 30 humidifies the air purified by the air purification filter 20.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show the schematic configuration of the humidification assembly 30. FIG. 5 shows the humidification assembly 30 attached to the housing 11. FIG. 6 shows the detached humidification assembly 30 when separated from the housing 11.

The humidification assembly 30 is arranged in the humidification chamber R3 inside the housing 11 as described above. In other words, the humidification assembly 30 is arranged at an upper position inside the housing 11. When the humidification assembly 30 is separated from the housing 11, a large space is created at this upper position inside the housing 11. Specifically, when the humidification assembly 30 is separated from the housing 11, a space is formed where the air purification filter 20 can be moved in the humidification chamber R3. In other words, when the humidification assembly 30 is separated from the housing 11, a space is formed that serves as a movement path through which the air purification filter 20 is separated above the air purification chamber R2. The air purification filter 20 moves in the thickness direction of the air purification filter 20 (a direction orthogonal to the air purification filter 20) and is separated from the flange portion 11d.

The humidification assembly 30 mainly includes the tank 31, the tray 32 and a plurality of humidification elements 33, as shown in FIG. 5 and 6.

(2-4-1) Tank

The tank 31 stores water to be supplied to the humidifying elements 33. The tank 31 has a filling port 31 a. A water supply valve (not shown) is attached to the filling port 31 a. The water supply valve has a general structure where a valve body is pushed to a valve port by a spring. Therefore, a detailed description of the water supply valve is not given here.

In use, the tank 31 is placed in a tank receiving portion 32a of the tray 32, described below (see FIGS. 4 and 6). Specifically, the tank 31 is mounted on the tray 32 with the water supply valve directed downward. With the water supply valve directed vertically downward, the tank 31 is pushed against a push pin of the tray 32. The weight of the tank 31 itself causes the water supply valve to be opened with the push pin.

The tank 31 is arranged inside the housing 11 near the discharge port 11b, as shown in FIG.

2 and 3. The tank 31 is also arranged in the middle with respect to the left and right direction inside the housing 11, as shown in FIG. 4. The side surface on the front surface side of the tank 31 is attached to the door 11c, as described above.

A plurality of humidifying elements 33, which will be described later, are arranged on both sides across the width of the tank 31, as shown in FIG. 5. In other words, the tank 31 is arranged adjacent to the humidifying elements 33. Specifically, the tank 31 is arranged such that it partially obstructs the space between a pair of humidifying elements 33 that are arranged opposite each other. In other words, the tank 31 is partially inserted into the space formed between the pair of humidifying elements 33.

The tank 31 has a plurality of external surfaces, as shown in FIG. 6. These external surfaces include a rear surface lateral vertical surface F1, lateral vertical surfaces F2, a curved surface F3, and lateral inclined surfaces F4.

The vertical surface on the back surface side F1 is a hexagonal surface placed near the back surface side of the air purifier 10. The vertical side surface on the back surface F1 extends vertically in the upward and downward direction. The vertical side surface on the back surface F1 has six edges, including a pair of upper and lower edges, left and right edges, and two inclined edges joining the upper and lower edges to the left and right edges. The upper and lower edges are parallel to each other. The left and right edges are parallel to each other. The dimension d1 of the edge on the upper end side of the vertical surface on the back surface side F1 is greater than the dimension d2 of the edge on the lower end side.

The lateral vertical surfaces F2 extend to the side of the front surface from the left and right sides of the lateral vertical surface of the rear surface F1. The lateral vertical surfaces F2, which are orthogonal to the lateral vertical surface of the rear surface F1, extend vertically in the upward and downward direction. Each of the lateral vertical surfaces F2 has a shape similar to an inverted letter L. In FIG. 6, only the lateral vertical surface F2 placed on the right side of the tank 31 is shown, but the tank 31 also has a lateral vertical surface F2 on the left side. The lateral vertical surfaces F2 have shapes that are in bilateral symmetry.

The curved surface F3 extends downward from the lower end of the lateral vertical surface of the rear surface F1. The curved surface F3 is partially curved forward. Specifically, the upper end of the curved surface F3 is in a horizontal plane position equal to the lateral vertical surface of the rear surface F1, and the lower end of the curved surface F3 is in a horizontal plane position farther toward the front surface side than the lateral vertical surface of the rear surface F1. In other words, the lower end of the curved surface F3 is positioned on the front surface side from the horizontal plane position of the vertical surface of the rear surface side F1.

The inclined side surfaces F4 are wall surfaces joining the vertical side surfaces F2 and the curved surface F3. In FIG. 6, only the inclined side surface F4 placed on the right side is shown, but the tank 31 also has a lateral inclined surface F4 on the left side. The inclined side surfaces F4 have shapes that are in bilateral symmetry. The inclined side surfaces F4 are inclined with respect to the flow direction of the air passing through the air purification filter 20. The flow direction of the air passing through the air purification filter 20 is orthogonal to the thickness direction of the humidifying elements 33 (see symbol f3 in FIG. 2). Specifically, the inclined side surfaces F4 are inclined from the front surface side toward the rear surface side, and toward the center across the width of the air purifier 10. In other words, the lateral inclined surfaces F4 extend inward from the outer side of the air purifier 10 in the width direction, from the front surface side of the air purifier 10 toward the rear surface side. The inclination angles of the lateral inclined surfaces F4 with respect to the lateral vertical surfaces F2 can be decided depending on the distance to the adjacent humidifying elements 33, the width of the space inside the humidifying chamber R3, and other factors. Specifically, the inclination angles are designed such that the air sent to the humidifying chamber R3 flows along the lateral inclined surfaces F4 and is thus properly guided in the thickness direction of the humidifying elements 33.

The plurality of outer surfaces of the tank 31 change the direction of the air flow several times in the humidification chamber R3. Specifically, the outer surfaces of the tank 31 perform a direction change so that the air sent to the humidification chamber R3 passes through the humidification elements 33 and then is exhausted through the discharge port 11 b.

More specifically, the inclined side surfaces F4 cause the air flowing along the tank 31 to flow toward the humidifying elements 33 arranged adjacent to both sides of the tank 31. Therefore, an airflow directed toward the humidifying elements 33 is formed within the humidifying chamber R3. Specifically, the inclined side surfaces F4 change the flow direction of the air passing through the air purification filter 20 to be guided to the humidifying elements 33 (see FIG. 2). In other words, the inclined side surfaces F4 are inclined with respect to the flow direction (approximately the vertical direction) of the air passing through the air purification filter 20, whereby the approximately vertical airflow is guided in the thickness direction of the humidifying elements 33 (see symbols f3 and f4 in FIGS. 2 and 3). The air flowing in the thickness direction of the humidifying elements 33 (the air passing through the humidifying elements 33) is then guided toward the lateral vertical surfaces F2 and exhausted through the discharge port 11b.

Therefore, the tank 31 is arranged adjacent to the plurality of humidifying elements 33 so that air flowing in a direction orthogonal to the thickness direction of the humidifying elements 33 changes its flow direction and passes through the humidifying elements 33, and then flows along the outer surfaces of the tank 31 to be exhausted from the discharge port 11 b. In other words, the flow direction of the air flowing near the plurality of humidifying elements 33 is changed because the tank 31 is arranged adjacent to the plurality of humidifying elements 33. As a result, the flow direction of the air that has passed through the air purification filter 20 is changed to pass through the humidifying elements 33, and the flow direction of the air is further changed to be exhausted from the discharge port 11 b after having passed through the humidifying elements 33.

(2-4-2) Tray

The tray 32 temporarily receives and stores water supplied from the tank 31. The tray 32 supplies water to the plurality of humidifying elements 33, described below. The tray 32 has an approximate U-shape in a plan view, as shown in FIG. 4. Specifically, the tray 32 includes a portion corresponding to the lower edge of the U-shape (the portion corresponding to the lower edge), and portions extending from both sides of the portion corresponding to the lower edge (extending portions). The portion corresponding to the lower edge extends in the width direction (left and right direction) of the air purifier 10. The extending portions extend in the depth direction (the forward and backward direction) on both left and right sides of the air purifier 10. The tray 32 is arranged directly above the air purification filter 20 described above. Specifically, the tray 32 is placed on the flange portion 11f as described above.

The tray 32 mainly has the tank receiving part 32a, the water supply parts 32b and the shaft receiving parts 32c, as shown in FIG. 6.

(a) Tank receiving part

The tank receiving part 32a receives the tank 31 described above. The tank receiving part 32a is located at the corresponding lower edge part described above. The tank receiving part 32a is provided with the support part and the push pin, neither of which are shown. The support part supports a predetermined location of the tank 31 (the corner of the tank 31). The push pin contacts the water supply valve and pushes the water supply valve open when the tank 31 descends due to its own weight. As a result, the water in the tank 31 is supplied to the tank receiving part 32a.

A handle 32d is provided on the outer wall of the tank receiving part 32a (see FIG. 1). The user places his fingers on the handle 32d and pulls the tank receiving part 32a forward (toward the front surface side) to take out the tray 32 from the housing 11.

(b) Water supply parts

The water supply parts 32b are portions for supplying the humidifying elements 33 with water supplied from the tank 31. Specifically, the water supply parts 32b receive the water supplied to the receiving part of the tank 32a and then supply the water to the humidifying elements 33. The water supply parts 32b are placed in the extension portions described above.

The water supply parts 32b and the tank receiving part 32a described above are divided by a partition wall (not shown). An opening is formed in the partition wall. The water supplied from the tank 31 to the tank receiving part 32a is sent through the opening to the water supply parts 32b. In other words, the water received in the tank receiving part 32a arranged on the front surface side of the casing 11 is sent in the depth direction on both the left and right sides of the casing 11. The water supply parts 32b are filled with water to a predetermined water level. In other words, water is accumulated to a predetermined water level in the water supply parts 32b so that the humidifying elements 33 are immersed. The water accumulated in the water supply parts 32b is automatically regulated to maintain the predetermined water level as long as there is water in the tank 31. Therefore, water received by a tray 32 from the tank 31 is supplied to the plurality of humidifying elements 33.

(c) Shaft receiving parts

The shaft receiving parts 32c are portions receiving rotating shafts (rotor rotating shafts) 33d of the humidifying elements 33, described hereinafter. The shaft receiving parts 32c are placed in the extension portions described above. The shaft receiving parts 32c are a pair of columns extending vertically upward from the side walls of the water supply parts 32b.

In the present embodiment, the water supply parts 32b extend on both sides in the width direction of the air purifier 10. Therefore, shaft receiving parts 32c are provided in the respective water supply parts 32b placed on both sides in the width direction. The shaft receiving parts 32c respectively arranged to the water supply parts 32b are arranged at the same horizontal plane position in the depth direction. In other words, the shaft receiving parts 32c arranged in the plurality of water supply parts 32b are arranged at positions where they face each other. U-shaped recesses are formed at the upper ends of the shaft receiving parts 32c to rotatably support the rotating shafts of the rotor 33d.

(2-4-3) Humidification elements

The humidifying elements 33 vaporize the supplied water and humidify the air. Specifically, the humidifying elements 33 vaporize the water accumulated in the tray 32 and humidify the air. More specifically, the humidifying elements 33 vaporize the water accumulated in the water supply parts 32b described above and humidify the air.

In the present embodiment, a plurality of humidifying elements 33 are used. More specifically, two humidifying elements 33 are used. The two humidifying elements 33 are arranged in parallel. Specifically, the two humidifying elements 33 are arranged along the depth direction on the left and right sides of the air purifier 10. The two humidifying elements 33 are arranged near the tank 31 on both sides of the tank 31 as shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5. The two humidifying elements 33 are also arranged at positions where they face each other.

The two humidifying elements 33 are arranged above the tray 32. Specifically, the humidifying elements 33 are arranged above the water supply parts 32b of the tray 32. Water is supplied to the two respective humidifying elements 33 by the tank 31 and the tray 32 described above. In other words, water is supplied to the two respective humidifying elements 33 by a single shared tank 31 and a single shared tray 32.

The two humidifying elements 33 are both rotating elements. Specifically, each of the humidifying elements 33 mainly includes a humidifying filter 33a and a humidifying rotor 33b. Each of the humidifying filters 33a is a vaporizing material formed into disk shapes from a nonwoven fabric. The humidifying filters 33a have filter surfaces. The two humidifying elements 33 are arranged so that the filter surfaces face each other. The humidifying rotors 33b are frames that enclose the outer peripheries of the humidifying filters 33a and hold the humidifying filters 33a. Each of the humidifying rotors 33b has a rotor rotation shaft 33d at the center and has a gear (not shown) at the outer periphery. The gears are configured so that a first drive part 33e and a second drive part 33f each mesh with a gear (see FIGS. 5 and 6).

The first drive part 33e and the second drive part 33f each have a rotating shaft, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Gears are fixed to both ends of each rotating shaft. Specifically, the first drive part 33e includes a drive gear 33ea and a driven gear 33eb. The second drive part 33f includes driven gears 33fa, 33fb. The drive gear 33ea of the first drive part 33e is arranged to mesh with the left-side humidifying element gear 33. The driven gear 33fa of the second drive part 33f is arranged to mesh with the right-side humidifying element gear 33. The driven gear 33eb of the first drive part 33e and the driven gear 33fb of the second drive part 33f are arranged to mesh with each other.

The drive gear 33ea of the first drive part 33e is rotated by the transmission of the rotational force from a drive motor 35 (see FIG. 7(b)). The rotation of the drive gear 33ea of the first drive part 33e causes the humidifying element 33 that meshes with the drive gear 33ea to rotate. The driven gear 33eb of the first drive part 33e is also rotated by the rotation of the drive gear 33ea. In addition, the driven gear 33fb of the second drive part 33f is rotated by the driven gear 33eb of the first drive part 33e. In addition, the driven gear 33fa of the second drive part 33f is rotated by the rotation of the driven gear 33fb of the second drive part 33f. The humidifying element 33 meshing with the driven gear 33fa of the second drive part 33f thus rotates. In other words, due to the rotation of a single drive motor 35, the rotation force of this single drive motor 35 is sequentially transmitted to the drive gear 33ea and the driven gears 33eb, 33fb, 33fa. As a result, both of the humidifying elements 33 rotate.

Each of the humidifying elements 33 comprises a plurality of water-extracting parts 33c, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 6. The water-extracting parts 33c are arranged on the gear side surfaces of the humidifying rotors 33b. In other words, the water-extracting parts 33c are arranged on the outer side of the outer peripheries of the humidifying filters 33a. Each of the water-extracting parts 33c is in the shape of a cup. Each of the water-extracting parts 33c is in a shape capable of drawing water into the tray 32 (in the water supply parts 32b) when the humidifying elements 33 rotate.

The humidifying elements 33 are arranged so that the bottoms of the humidifying filters 33a are not immersed in the water in the tray 32, and each of the gear tooth tips of the humidifying rotors 33b approaches the bottom surface of the tray 32 when it comes to the bottom point, as shown in FIG. 3. The water-extracting parts 33c are sequentially immersed in the water in the tray 32 and draw water upward, when the humidifying elements 33 rotate. Each of the water extracting parts 33c then pours the extracted water onto the humidifying filter 33a when it approaches the upper point of the humidifying element 33. Specifically, the water extracted by the water extracting parts 33c flows out of the water extracting parts 33c near the upper point of the humidifying elements 33, and the water is poured onto the humidifying filters 33a.

(3) Air purifier actions and air flow

The actions of the air purifier 10 and the airflow generated by the actions of the air purifier 10 are described below using FIGS. 2 and 3. In FIGS. 2 and 3, symbols f1 to f5 indicate the airflow. In FIG. 3, with respect to the airflow that has flowed into the humidifying chamber R3 after passing through the air purification filter 20, the solid lines indicate the airflow passing between the humidifying filters 33a, and the dashed lines indicate the airflow on the outer sides of the humidifying filters 33a.

When the air purifier 10 is turned on, the fan motor 12b of the air blowing device 12 rotates the fan 12a. Since the rotating fan 12a blows air in the centrifugal direction, the pressure surrounding the rotation axis therefore drops. Thus, air is drawn into a fan inlet port located at the center of the fan 12a. As a result, an air flow is created from the intake ports 11a to the fan intake port. In the air purifier 10 according to the present embodiment, the air blowing chamber R1 is provided at the lowest part of the casing 11 as described above. The intake ports 11a are formed at the bottoms of the front and rear surfaces of the housing 11. Therefore, when the air blowing device 12 is actuated, the air purifier 10 draws air from the bottoms of the front and rear surfaces (see symbols f1 in FIG. 3). In other words, due to the actuation of the air blowing device 12, the air outside the housing 11 is sucked into the air blowing chamber R1.

The operation of the air blowing device 12 causes the air to be blown out in the centrifugal direction from the plurality of blades 12ab, and flow toward the air purification filter 20 (see symbols f2 in FIGS. 2 and 3). In other words, the air in the air blowing chamber R1 is sent to the air purification chamber R2.

The air sent to the air purification chamber R2 first passes through the dust collecting filter 21 on the upstream side. Dust contained in the air is removed by the dust collecting filter 21. The air that has passed through the dust collecting filter 21 then passes through the deodorizing filter 22 on the downstream side. The deodorizing filter 22 absorbs the malodorous components contained in the air. Static pressure is exerted on all surfaces of the air purification filter 20 by the air introduced from the air blowing chamber R1. The air that has passed through the air purification filter 20 is then sent to the humidification chamber R3.

The air sent to the humidification chamber R3 flows upward (see symbols f3 in FIGS. 2 and 3). An air flow is created along the external surfaces (outer walls) of the tank 31 inside the humidification chamber R3. The air flow f3 is guided by the straightening plate 36 to pass through the humidification filters 33a. The air flowing into the humidification chamber R3 therefore flows in the direction of the thickness of the air purification filter 20 (see symbols f3), and then branches off to the two humidification elements 33 (see symbols f4 in FIG. 2). In other words, the air flows orthogonal to the thickness direction of the humidifying elements 33 after passing through the air purification filter 20, and then flows along the tank 31 in the humidifying chamber R3 to change its flow direction and bend in the thickness direction of the humidifying elements 33 (in the axial direction of the rotor rotation axes 33d). Next, the air passes through the humidifying elements 33 and flows along the outer walls of the tank 31 to be exhausted from the discharge port 11b (see symbols f5 in FIGS. 2 and 3).

When the air purifier 10 is turned on while the humidifying function is on, the humidifying elements 33 rotate. Because the lower parts of the humidifying filters 33a immerse the water in the tray 32, the following immersed parts of the humidifying filters 33a draw the water into the tray as the humidifying elements 33 rotate. The rotation of the humidifying elements 33 also causes the water drawing parts 33c to draw the water into the tray 32 and drop the water onto the humidifying filters 33a near the upper point of the humidifying elements 33. As a result, the water completely penetrates through the humidifying filters 33a. In other words, when the humidification function is turned on, the air coming from the air purification chamber R2 into the humidification chamber R3 causes the water soaked through the humidification elements 33 to vaporize. Thus, the air is humidified. Then, the humidified air is blown out from the discharge port 11b. When the air purifier 10 is turned on while the humidification function is turned off, the humidification elements 33 do not rotate. In other words, air is blown out from the discharge port 11b without being sufficiently humidified.

(4) Air purification filter assembly/disassembly operation

Next, the operation of assembling/disassembling the air purification filter 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate, in order, the operation of separating the air purification filter 20 from the housing 11 (the separation operation). Specifically, FIGS. 7(a) to (d) use perspective views of the air purifier 10 to show the procedure of the separation operation, and FIGS. 8(a) to (d) use schematic configuration views of a cross section of the air purifier 10 along the line ll-ll in FIG. 1 to show the procedure of the separation operation. FIGS. 7(a) to (d) respectively correspond to FIGS. 8(a) to (d). The operation of fixing the air purification filter 20 to the housing 11 is performed by reversing the steps of the separation operation.

FIGS. 7(a) and 8(a) show the air purifier 10 before maintenance is started. When maintenance is started, the door 11c is first opened as shown in FIGS. 7(b) and 8(b). Specifically, the door 11c is separated from the housing 11. When the door 11c is separated, the opening 15 is opened (see FIG. 7(b)). The separation of the door 11c causes the tank 31 attached to the door 11c to be separated from the housing 11. In this embodiment, the tank 31 is separated from the housing 11 by lifting the door 11c upward. The tank 31 can be separated from the housing 11 by pulling the door 11c toward the front surface side.

Next, the tray 32 is separated from the housing 11 as shown in FIGS. 7(c) and 8(c). Specifically, the tray 32 is pulled forward using the handle 32d. At this time, the humidifying elements 33 are pulled out of the housing 11 through the opening 15. As a result, a wide space is formed inside the upper part of the housing 11. In other words, a space where the air purification filter 20 in the humidifying chamber R3 can be moved is formed by separating the tray 32 and the humidifying elements 33 from the housing 11.

The air purification filter 20 is then separated from the housing 11 as shown in FIGS. 7(d) and 8(d). After the air purification filter 20 is moved in the filter thickness direction and removed from the flange portion 11d, the filter moves through the humidification chamber R3 and is separated from the housing 11. In other words, the air purification filter 20 is pulled upward toward the downstream side in the air flow direction, and then taken out of the housing 11 through the opening 15.

(5) Features

(5-1)

The air purifier 10 according to the above embodiment is provided with the air purification filter 20, the humidification assembly 30, the fan (air blowing fan) 12a and the casing 11. The air purification filter 20 removes dust contained in the air. The humidification assembly 30 vaporizes the supplied water and humidifies the air. The air blowing device 12 blows air toward the air purification filter 20 and the humidification assembly 30. Specifically, the air blowing device 12 blows air to the air purification filter 20 and the humidification filters 33a. The housing 11 houses the humidification assembly 30, the air purification filter 20, and the air blowing device 12. The housing 11 has an opening 15 for attaching/detaching the humidification assembly 30. The humidification assembly 30 is arranged in alignment with the air purification filter 20 on the downstream side of the air purification filter 20 with respect to the direction where the air purification filter 20 is separated. The opening 15 allows the air purification filter 20 to be separated after the humidification assembly 30 has been separated.

Generally, when an air purifier includes a humidification assembly, the air purifier is provided with both an opening for attaching/separating the humidification assembly and an opening for attaching/separating the air purification filter. The opening for attaching/separating the air purification filter is formed on a side surface of the housing so that the air purification filter can be inserted in a direction orthogonal to the air flow direction. The opening for attaching/separating the humidification assembly is formed to be large on the side surface of the housing so as to allow the tank to be separated therethrough. An opening with a cover (a door) is provided to ensure that the housing is airtight. Therefore, when the air purifier includes a humidification assembly, doors are required on both the opening for attaching/separating the air purification filter and the opening for attaching/separating the humidification assembly. A certain degree of tightness can be ensured by providing doors in the openings, but it is not desirable to increase the number of openings when a high degree of tightness is required.

In view of this, in the air purifier 10 according to the above embodiment, the opening 15 for attaching/separating the humidification assembly 30 is also used as the opening 15 for attaching/separating the air purification filter 20. Specifically, the humidification assembly 30 is arranged on the downstream side of the air purification filter 20 in the direction where the air purification filter 20 is separated. After the humidification assembly 30 has been separated through the opening 15, the air purification filter 20 can be separated from the housing 11 through the same opening 15. In other words, a single opening can be used to attach/separate both the humidification assembly 30 and the air purification filter 20. As a result, the number of doors can be kept to a minimum. Therefore, a high degree of tightness can be achieved. Furthermore, the number of manufacturing steps can be reduced because there is no need to provide a plurality of openings and/or doors.

(5-2)

In the air purifier 10 according to the above embodiment, the direction where the air purification filter 20 is separated is the thickness direction of the air purification filter 20. In other words, the air purification filter 20 is separated in the thickness direction of the air purification filter 20.

As described above, in a conventional air purifier, the air purification filter is inserted from the lateral side of the housing so as to be orthogonal to the air flow direction. When an air purification filter is provided, it is common to provide a sealing member in order to improve the air tightness of the air purification filter relative to the housing. The sealing member is arranged along the external contours of the air purification filter. When the air purification filter is configured to be inserted from the lateral side of the housing, the sealing member scrapes against the housing or the air purification filter and suffers abrasions, when the air purification filter is separated. As a result, it is difficult to ensure constant tightness over a long period of time.

A sealing member is also used to increase the tightness with the air purification filter 20 in the air purifier 10 according to the above embodiment. However, in the air purifier 10 according to the above embodiment, the air purification filter 20 is separated in the thickness direction from the air purification filter 20. Therefore, abrasions on the air purification filter can be suppressed when the air purification filter 20 is removed. As a result, a predetermined tightness can be ensured for a long period of time.

In the air purifier 10 according to the above embodiment, the large space formed after separating the humidification assembly 30 can be used to separate the air purification filter 20. Therefore, separation of the air purification filter 20 can be facilitated.

(5-3)

The air purifier 10 according to the above embodiment is further provided, on the upstream side of the air purification filter 20 with respect to the separation direction, with the sealing means (the flange portion 11d and the sealing member 11e) for sealing the space between the air purification filter 20 and the housing 11. Specifically, the air purification filter 20 is placed on top of the flange portion 11d formed on the inner side of the housing 11, and the sealing member 11e is arranged on a horizontal plane in the flange portion 11d, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Therefore, the air purification filter 20 can be stably kept in the housing 11.

(5-4)

In the air purifier 10 according to the above embodiment, the humidifying assembly 30 includes the tank 31 for storing water, the tray 32 for receiving water from the tank 31, and the humidifying filters 33a for vaporizing water supplied from the tray 32 and humidifying air. When the humidifying assembly 30 is separated from the housing 11, a large space is formed above the air purification filter 20 inside the housing 11. Therefore, a sufficient space can be ensured for separating the air purification filter 20 during maintenance in the air purifier 10. In addition, the air purification filter 20 can be pressed by the humidifying assembly 30 when the air purifier 10 is in operation. Therefore, the stability of the air purification filter 20 can be ensured.

(6) Modifications

Modifications of the above embodiment are described below. In the modifications, the configurations described in the above embodiment are described using the same symbols.

(6-1) Amendment 1A

In the description of the air purifier 10 according to the above embodiment, the direction where the door 11c was arranged was described as the front side (the front surface side), but the front surface of the air purifier 10 may be in any direction. For example, the direction where the control panel 13 is arranged may be the front surface.

(6-2) Amendment 1B

In the air purifier 10 according to the above embodiment, the discharge port 11b is arranged at the upper end portion (the roof portion) of the casing 11, as shown in FIG. 1. When the door 11c is separated, the portion (frame) defining the discharge port 11b remains at the upper end portion of the casing 11 (see FIG. 7(a) and (b)).

An air purifier 100, where a discharge port grille 11 g is attached to the housing 11 as shown in FIG. 9, can be used in this modification. Specifically, in the air purifier 100, the discharge port grille 11 g is attached to the upper end of the housing 11. The discharge port 11 b is formed in the discharge port grille 11 g (see FIG. 9(a)). When the discharge port grille 11 g is raised upward, the upper end of the housing 11 is opened as shown in FIG. 9(b). The tank 31 is then separated together with the door 11 c as shown in FIG. 9(c). As a result, the upper part of the front surface side of the housing 11 is also opened. In other words, a large opening 15, extending from the upper end portion of the casing 11 to the top of the front surface side, is formed in the casing 11. The tray 32 and the humidifying elements 33 are separated from the casing 11 through this opening 15, as shown in FIG. 9(d). In FIGS. 9(c) and (d), the moving direction of the tank 31, the tray 32, and the humidifying elements 33 is upward, but the moving direction of the tank 31, the tray 32, and the humidifying elements 33 is not limited to upward, and may be toward the front of the air purifier 100.

Similar to the air purifier 10 according to the previous embodiment, after the humidification assembly 30 is separated from the housing 11, the wide space formed inside the housing 11 can be used to move the air purification filter 20 inside the housing in the air purifier 100. This configuration allows the air purification filter 20 to be separated from the housing 11 through the opening 15.

Therefore, also in the air purifier 100, a single opening 15 can be used to attach/detach both the humidification assembly 30 and the air purification filter 20, similar to the air purifier 10 according to the previous embodiment.

(6-3) Modification 1C

The air purifier 10 according to the above embodiment and the air purifier 100 according to Modification B are configured so that the upper part of the front surface and the roof part can be opened. In other words, the air purifiers 10, 100 have a large opening 15 formed between the upper part of the front surface of the housing 11 and the upper end part.

In this modification, the opening 15 may be formed only at the upper part of the front surface of the housing 11. For example, even when an air purifier 200 has a configuration where only the upper part of the front surface of the housing 11 can be opened as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the same effects as the air purifier 10 according to the previous embodiment can be achieved.

Specifically, the air purifier 200 is configured so that the upper end portion of the housing 11 cannot be opened (see FIGS. 10(a) and (b)). FIGS. 10(a) and 11(a) show states where the door 11c is closed. The door 11c has a configuration where the upper end can be rotated in a direction away from the housing 11 with the lower end portion as a fulcrum, as shown in FIGS. 10(b) and 11(b). When the handle 11ca is pulled forward, the upper end of the door 11c is separated from the housing 11 and the tank 31 is exposed (see FIGS. 10(b) and 11(b)). The tank 31 is then separated from the housing 11 through the opening 15. After that, the tray 32 and the humidifying elements 33 are also separated from the housing 11 through the opening 15, as shown in FIGS. 10(c) and 11(c). Therefore, a space where the air purification filter 20 can be moved above the air purification filter 20 is formed. As a result, the air purification filter 20 can be separated from the housing 11 through the opening 15 (see FIGS. 10(d) and 11(d)).

Therefore, in the air purifier 200, a single opening 15 can be used to attach/detach both the humidification assembly 30 and the air purification filter 20, similar to the air purifier 10 according to the previous embodiment.

(6-4) Modification 1D

In the air purifier 10 according to the above embodiment, the discharge port 11b is formed in the roof portion of the housing 11 (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

In this modification, the discharge ports 11b may be formed on the upper parts of both side surfaces in the left and right direction of the housing 11 as shown in FIG. 12, and the discharge ports 11b may be arranged at positions where they face the filter surfaces of a plurality of humidifying elements 33, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14.

FIG. 12 is an external perspective view showing an example of an air purifier 300 where the discharge ports 11b are formed on the upper parts of both side surfaces in the left and right direction of the housing 11. FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view along the line Ill-Ill of the air purifier 300 shown in FIG. 12. In other words, FIG. 13 is a schematic view of the internal configuration of the air purifier 300 as seen from the rear. FIG. 14 is a schematic view of the internal configuration of the air purifier 300 as seen from above. In the air purifier 300, the intake ports 11a are formed on the lower parts of both surfaces in the forward and rearward direction of the housing 11, similar to the air purifier 10 according to the previous embodiment.

In the air purifier 300, the discharge ports 11b are arranged at positions where they face the filter surfaces of the humidifying filters 33a, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. Therefore, in the air purifier 300, air drawn into the air blowing chamber R1 from the bottoms of the front and rear surfaces of the housing 11 flows to the above air purification chamber R2, and the air is sent to the humidifying chamber R3 (see FIG. 13). The air sent to the humidifying chamber R3 changes its flow direction to the thickness direction of the humidifying elements 33. In other words, the air changes its flow direction to a direction orthogonal to the humidifying elements 33, and the air is blown out from the discharge ports 11b.

The air purifier 300 also has a configuration where the door 11c can be rotated in a direction such that the upper end is separated from the housing 11 with the lower end portion as a fulcrum as shown in FIG. 15(a), similar to the air purifier 200 according to Modification C. When the handle 11ca is pulled forward, the upper end of the door 11c is separated from the housing 11 and the tank 31 is exposed. The tank 31 is then separated from the housing 11 through the opening 15. After that, the tray 32 and the humidifying elements 33 are also separated from the housing 11 through the opening 15 (see FIG. 15(b)). Therefore, a space is formed where the air purification filter 20 can be moved above the air purification filter 20. As a result, the air purification filter 20 can be separated from the housing 11 through the opening 15 (see FIG.

15(c)).

Therefore, in the air purifier 300, a single opening 15 can be used to attach/detach both the humidification assembly 30 and the air purification filter 20, similar to the air purifier 10 according to the previous embodiment.

Furthermore, in the air purifier 300, the air blown out of the housing 11 from the discharge ports 11 b passes through the wide area of the humidifying filters 33 a. Specifically, because the discharge ports 11 b are arranged at positions where they face the filter surfaces of the humidifying filters 33 a, the air can be humidified by utilizing most of the filter surfaces of the humidifying filters 33 a. In other words, the utilized area of the filter surfaces can be increased due to such a configuration. As a result, the humidifying efficiency can be improved.

(6-5) Modification 1E which is not within the scope of the present invention. In the air purifier 10 according to the above embodiment, the air purification filter 20 is mounted horizontally in the housing 11 (see FIG.

2). The air purification filter 20 can be mounted vertically in the housing 11.

FIG. 16 is an external perspective view showing an example of an air purifier 400 where the air purification filters 20 are vertically mounted in the housing 11 and which is not within the scope of the present invention. In the air purifier 400, intake ports 11a are formed at the bottoms of both side surfaces in the left and right directions of the housing 11, and a discharge port 11b is formed at the roof portion of the housing 11.

FIGS. 17 and 18 are schematic views showing the internal configuration of the air purifier 400. Specifically, FIG. 17, a schematic cross-sectional view along line IV-IV of the air purifier 400 shown in FIG. 16, shows the internal configuration of the air purifier 400 as viewed from the rear. FIG. 18, a schematic cross-sectional view along line V-V of the air purifier 400 shown in FIG. 16, shows the internal configuration of the air purifier 400 as viewed from the right. In the air purifier 400, the air blowing chamber R1 is provided inside the upper part of the housing 11, and the air purification chamber R2 and the humidification chamber R3 are provided inside the lower part of the housing 11, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18.

The air purification filters 20 are vertically mounted in the housing 11. In other words, the air purification filters 20 are arranged at a position where they face the intake ports 11a, as shown in FIG. 17. Specifically, the air purification filters 20 are arranged so that the filter surfaces face the intake ports 11a. The air purification filters 20 are respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the housing 11. The air purification filters 20 are provided along the forward and rearward direction of the housing 11.

In the air purifier 400, the humidifying elements 33 are arranged on the left and right sides of the housing 11 as shown in FIG. 17. Specifically, the humidifying elements 33 are arranged so that the filter surfaces of the humidifying filters 33a face the filter surfaces of the air purification filters 20. Also in the air purifier 400, the humidifying assembly 30 is arranged on the downstream side of the air purification filters 20 with respect to the air flow direction, and is also arranged on the downstream side of the air purification filters 20 with respect to the direction where the air purification filters 20 are spaced apart.

The air drawn in from the intake ports 11a flows toward the lower center of the casing 11. Specifically, the air drawn in from the intake ports 11a flows in the thickness direction of the air purification filters 20 and the humidification filters 33a, and sequentially passes through the air purification filters 20 and the humidification filters 33a. In other words, the air drawn in from the intake ports 11a passes through the humidification filters 33a after passing through the air purification filters 20.

The air flow then changes its flow direction to a direction orthogonal to the thickness direction of the air purification filters 20 and the humidification filters 33a. Specifically, the air that has passed through the air purification filters 20 and the humidification filters 33a then flows upward toward the air blowing chamber R1, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 17. The air sent to the air blowing chamber R1 is sucked along the rotation axis direction by the rotation of the hub portion 12aa and the plurality of blades 12ab, and the air is blown out of the blades 12ab in the centrifugal direction. Next, the air is blown out through the discharge port 11b.

FIGS. 19(a) to (c) show the operation procedure for separating the air purification filters 20 in the air purifier 400. The air purifier 400 also has a configuration where the door 11c can be rotated in a direction such that the upper end is separated from the housing 11 with the lower end portion as a fulcrum as shown in FIG. 19(a), similar to the air purifier 200 according to Modification C. When the handle 11ca is pulled forward, the upper end of the door 11c is separated from the housing 11 and the tank 31 is exposed. The tank 31 is then separated from the housing 11 through the opening 15. The tray 32 and the humidifying elements 33 are also separated from the housing 11 through the opening 15 (see FIG. 19(b)). Therefore, a space is formed where the air purification filters 20 can move in the thickness direction of the air purification filters 20. As a result, the air purification filters 20 can be separated from the housing 11 through the opening 15 (see FIG. 19(c)).

Therefore, in the air purifier 400, a single opening 15 can be used to attach/detach both the humidification assembly 30 and the air purification filters, similar to the air purifier 10 according to the previous embodiment.

Furthermore, in the air purifier 400, the air introduced into the housing 11 from the intake ports 11 a passes through the wide area of the humidifying filters 33 a. Specifically, because the discharge ports 11 b are arranged at positions where they face the humidifying filters 33 a, the air can be humidified by utilizing most of the filter surfaces of the humidifying filters 33 a. As a result, the humidifying efficiency can be improved.

(6-6) Modification 1F

In the above embodiment, the tray 32 is placed on the flange portion 11f. In this modification, the outer walls of the water supply portions 32b of the tray 32 may be provided with a long, thin protrusion extending along the direction where the outer walls extend, and the inner walls of the housing 11 may be provided with a configuration capable of supporting this protrusion in addition to the flange portion 11f. The protrusion is arranged along the direction where the tray 32 is inserted. Therefore, the stability of the tray 32 is further improved. In addition, the protrusions allow the tray 32 to move more easily along the depth direction of the housing 11.

(6-7) Modification 1G

In the above embodiment, the plurality of humidifying elements 33 are rotated by a single drive motor 35. Specifically, the rotation force of the single drive motor 35 is successively transmitted to the drive gear 33ea and the driven gears 33eb, 33fb, 33fa. As a result, the two humidifying elements 33 rotate.

Another configuration may be employed in this modification such as a configuration where a single drive motor 35 rotates a plurality of humidifying elements 33. For example, a plurality of humidifying elements 33 are configured to be fixed to a single rotor rotating shaft 33d, and a drive gear is attached to this single rotor rotating shaft 33d. Therefore, the plurality of humidifying elements 33 can be rotated by rotating the drive gear with the single drive motor 35.

(6-8) Modification 1H

In the air purifier 10 according to the above embodiment, the tank 31 is attached to the door 11c to be integrated with the door 11c to open and close the opening 15. Therefore, when the door 11c is separated from the casing 11, the tank 31 is also separated from the casing 11.

In this modification, the door 11c and the tank 31 may not be integrated. In other words, the configuration may be such that the door 11c is separated from the housing 11, and the tank 31 is then separated from the opening 15.

<Second realization>

An air purifier 510 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will now be described.

(1) General configuration of the air purifier

FIG. 20 is an external perspective view of the air purifier 510 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the terms “front (front surface),” “rear (rear surface),” “right,” “left,” “up,” “down,” etc. are used to describe directions, arrangements, and the like. When not specified, these terms represent the directions, arrangements, and the like according to the arrows shown in FIG. 20. FIGS. 21 to 23 and 30 to 32 also show arrows representing “front,” “rear,” “right,” “left,” “up,” and “down.” The directions indicated by the arrows in FIGS. 21 to 23 and 30 to 33 coincide with the directions indicated by the arrows in FIG. 20.

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view along line XXI-XXI of the air purifier 510 shown in FIG. 20. In other words, FIG. 21 is a drawing of the interior of the air purifier 510 of FIG. 20, as viewed from the right. FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view along line XXII-XXII of the air purifier 510 shown in FIG. 20. In other words, FIG. 22 is a drawing of the interior of the air purifier 510 of FIG. 20, as viewed from the front.

The air purifier 510 according to the present embodiment has an air purification function and a humidification function (humidity regulating function). The air purifier 510 is configured so that the humidification function can be selectively executed (configured so that the humidification function can be turned on and off). Specifically, when the user selects the humidification function (when the humidification function is turned on), the air purification function and the humidification function of the air purifier 510 work together effectively. When the user does not select the humidification function (when the humidification function is turned off), only the air purification function of the air purifier 510 works effectively. However, no limitation is provided in this regard, and the air purifier 510 can always effectively operate the air purification function and the humidification function. However, it is easier to ensure user comfort with a setup where the humidification function can be run selectively.

The air purifier 510 is mainly provided with a housing 511 (see FIG. 20), an air blowing device 512 (see FIG. 21), an air purification filter 520 (see FIG. 21), a filter box 523 (see FIG. 22), a filter detection sensor 525 (see FIG. 22), and a humidification assembly 530 (see FIG.

22). The housing 511 houses the air blowing device 512, the air purification filter 520, the filter box 523, the filter detection sensor 525, and the humidification assembly 530. The air blowing device 512 takes air from outside the housing 511 and sends the air to the air purification filter 520 and the humidification assembly 530. The air purification filter 520 removes dust contained in the air and also removes odorous components contained in the air. The filter box 523 houses a deodorizing filter 522 of the air purification filter 520, described hereinafter. The filter detection sensor 525 detects whether or not the deodorizing filter 522 of the air purification filter 520 is attached to the housing 511. The humidification assembly 530 vaporizes the supplied water and humidifies the air.

(2) Detailed configuration

The following is a detailed description of the main components of the air purifier 510, which are the housing 511, the air blowing device 512, the air purification filter 520, the filter box 523, the filter detection sensor 525, and the humidification assembly 530.

(2-1) Housing

The housing 511 houses the air blowing device 512, the air purification filter 520, the filter box 523, the filter detection sensor 525, the humidification assembly 530 and other components of the air purifier 510. The housing 511 is formed in a quadrangular prism shape having a long and thin external appearance, that is, the housing is formed in a quadrangular prism shape extending lengthwise in the vertical direction. The space for accommodating the components is formed inside the housing 511. A control panel 513 is disposed on an upper side surface (the upper front surface) of the housing 511, as shown in FIG. 20. The control panel 513 is provided with various switches (for example, a power switch and/or a function selection switch) for operating the air purifier 510. The control panel 513 is connected to a control device (not shown) built into the housing 511. Various commands received by the control panel 513 are transmitted as signals to the control device. The control device controls actions of the air purifier 510 according to the commands received by the control panel 513 and/or detection results of various sensors including the filter detection sensor 525.

The interior of the housing 511 is mainly divided into three spaces, to form an air blowing chamber S1, an air purification chamber S2 and a humidification chamber S3 (see FIG. 21 and 22).

The air blowing device 512 is arranged in the air blowing chamber S1 (see FIGS. 21 and 22). The air purification filter 520 is arranged in the air purification chamber S2 (see FIGS. 21 and 22). The humidification assembly 530 is arranged in the humidification chamber S3 (see FIGS. 21 and 22). The air blowing chamber S1, the air purification chamber S2, and the humidification chamber S3 are aligned in the order from bottom to top (see FIGS. 21 and 22). In other words, inside the housing 511 of the air purifier 510, the air blowing device 512, the air purification filter 520, and a humidifying element 533 (see FIG. 21 ) of the humidification assembly 530, described below, are arranged in the order shown below. In this embodiment, maintenance work is easy because the humidification assembly 530 needing maintenance is arranged in the upper space where the work is easily performed, and the humidification assembly 530 can be accessed through an opening 515, described below, arranged on the upper left surface of the housing 511.

A first opening K1 is arranged between the air blowing chamber S1 and the air purification chamber S2 (see FIG. 22). Air passes from the air blowing chamber S1 to the air purification chamber S2 through the first opening K1. A second opening K2 is also arranged between the air purification chamber S2 and the humidification chamber S3 (see FIG. 22). Air passes from the air purification chamber S2 to the humidification chamber S3 through the second opening K2.

The housing 511 has intake ports 511a and a discharge port 511b, as shown in FIG. 20. The intake ports 511a and the discharge port 511b are openings formed in rectangular shapes.

The intake ports 511a are openings for drawing air from outside the housing 511 into the inside of the housing 511. The intake ports 511a are arranged at the bottoms of both the left and right surfaces of the housing 511 (see FIG. 22). Each of the intake ports 511a is provided with an inner grille 511aa and an intake grille 511ab to prevent invasion of foreign objects and the user's fingers (see FIG. 22). The inner grilles 511aa are arranged on the inner sides of the intake grilles 511ab which are provided on the sides of the outer surfaces of the housing 511 (see FIG. 22). A pre-filter 511ac for removing large dust particles from the air drawn into the housing 511 is arranged on the inner side of each intake grille 511ab (see FIG. 22).

The discharge port 511b is an opening for blowing out air that has passed through the inside of the housing 511. In other words, the discharge port 511b is an outlet for the air in the housing 511. The discharge port 511b blows out air that has been purified by the air purification filter 520, or air that has been humidified by the humidification assembly 530 after being purified by the air purification filter 520. The discharge port 511b is disposed on the upper surface (the roof portion) of the housing 511, as shown in FIG. 20. The discharge port 511 b is provided with a metal mesh 511ba and a discharge grill 511 bb to prevent invasion of foreign objects and the user's fingers (see FIG. 22). The metal mesh 511ba is arranged on the inner side of (under) the discharge grid 511 bb which is provided on the outer surface side of the housing 511 (see FIG. 22).

The opening 515 is formed on the upper left surface of the housing 511 (see FIGS. 22 and 33(d)). The opening 515 can be opened and closed by attaching/separating a first side plate 511c and a second side plate 511d (see FIG. 20). The first side plate 511c is integrally formed with a humidifying tank 531 of the humidifying assembly 530, described below (see FIG. 22). The second side plate 511d defines part (the left side wall) of a humidifying tray 532 of the humidifying assembly 530, described below (see FIG. 22). A handle 511ca, which is used when the first side plate 511c is attached/detached (when the humidifying tank 531 is attached/detached), is formed on the first side plate 511c (see FIG. 20). A handle 511da, which is used when the second side plate 511d is attached/detached (when the humidifying tray 532 is attached/detached), is formed on the second side plate 511d (see FIG.

20).

The opening 515 is an opening for attaching/detaching components housed in the housing 511. Specifically, the opening 515 is an opening used for assembling/disassembling (attaching/detaching) the humidification assembly 530 and the air purification filter 520 in the housing 511. In this embodiment, both the humidification assembly 530 and the air purification filter 520 are configured to be accessible through a single opening 515 instead of providing a working opening designated for maintenance of the humidification assembly 530 and a working opening designated for maintenance of the air purification filter 520 separately. Therefore, it is easy to improve the airtightness of the housing 511 and prevent air from flowing through the space created in the opening for maintenance. The attachment/detachment of the humidification assembly 530 and the air purification filter 520 through the opening 515 is described below.

Inside the housing 511, a flange portion 511e is provided for placing a dust collecting filter 521 of the air purification filter 520, described below (see FIGS. 21 and 22). The flange portion 511e is arranged on the inner wall of the housing 511 in the air purification chamber S2. The flange portion 511e is a horizontal supporting surface that supports the dust collecting filter 521 from below. The flange portion 511e is arranged below the dust collecting filter 521 of the air purification filter 520, or in other words, on the upstream side with respect to the air flow direction (see FIGS. 21 and 22).

The flange portion 511e is provided along the entire periphery of the inner wall of the housing 511. The flange portion 511e closely contacts a bottom surface 521ba (see FIG. 21) of a peripheral edge portion 521b (see FIG. 25) of the dust collecting filter 521 of the air purification filter 520, and functions as a sealing means for sealing the space between the dust collecting filter 521 and the housing 511. A sealing member (not shown) made of, for example, a resin, may also be disposed between the flange portion 511e and the air purification filter 520 to further enhance the sealing of the space between the dust collecting filter 521 and the housing 511.

Inside the housing 511, a supporting part 511f (see FIG. 22) is arranged to place the filter box 523 housing the deodorizing filter 522 of the air purification filter 520, which is described below. The supporting part 511f is arranged on the inner wall on the left side of the housing 511 in the air purification chamber S2 (see FIG. 22). The supporting part 511f is provided above the flange part 511e (see FIG. 22). The supporting part 511f is a horizontal supporting surface for supporting the filter box 523 housing the deodorizing filter 522 from below (see FIG. 22).

The concave portions 511g, which engage with the convex portions 523a provided to the filter case 523, described below, are also arranged on the inner wall of the housing 511 (see FIG. 22). The concave portions 511g are arranged at two locations on the inner wall on the right side of the housing 511. The concave portions 511g are respectively formed so that one of the two convex portions 523a (see FIG.

27) provided to the filter case 523 fits into each concave portion 511g. The concave portions 511g are provided above the flange portion 511e (see FIG. 22). The concave portions 511g are arranged at positions where the filter case 523 will be substantially horizontal in a state where the convex portions 523a provided on the right side of the filter case 523 are engaged in the concave portions 511g and the left side of the filter case 523 is placed on the support portion 511f. In a state where the filter case 523 is attached to the housing 511 (in a state where the convex portions 523a are engaged with the concave portions 511g and the left side of the filter case 523 is placed on the support portion 511f), the bottom surface of the filter case 523 is in contact with an upper surface 521bb (see FIG. 21 ) of the peripheral edge portion 521b (see FIG. 25 ) of the dust collecting filter 521, described hereinafter. Hereinafter, the attachment of the filter case 523 to the housing 511 is described.

A straightening plate 511h is disposed inside the housing 511 (see FIG. 22). The straightening plate 511h is disposed in the humidifying chamber S3, as shown in FIG. 22. The straightening plate 511h is disposed above the second opening K2. In the humidifying chamber S3, the straightening plate 511h is disposed to the right of the humidifying element 533, described below, and is adjacent to the humidifying element 533. The straightening plate 511h has a flat surface formed to rise gradually from the right side to the left side. The straightening plate 511h guides the airflow from the second opening K2 into the humidifying chamber S3 to the humidifying element 533.

A bypass opening 511ha is formed in the straightening plate 511h (see FIG. 31). The bypass opening 511ha is disposed above the second opening K2 (see FIG. 31). The bypass opening 511ha guides part of the air that has passed through the air purification filter 520 out of the housing 511 without letting the air pass from the humidification chamber S3 through the humidification element 533, as shown by the dash-dotted arrows in FIG. 31. The bypass opening 511ha thus provided enables the air flow rate through the air purification filter 520 to be increased, compared to all the air being guided to the humidification element 533, which causes a relatively large pressure loss. An ion generator 540 is provided on the surface of the straightening plate 511h on the opposite side of the humidifying chamber S3 (see FIG. 22). When the ion generator 540 is instructed to operate through the control panel 513, the ion generator 540 generates plasma ions. The plasma ions are driven out of the housing 511 by air passing through the bypass opening 511ha and then blown out of the housing 511.

(2-2) Air blowing device

The air blowing device 512 is arranged in the air blowing chamber S1 (see FIG. 22). The air blowing device 512 takes air from the outside of the housing 511 into the air blowing chamber S1 and blows the air into the air purification chamber S2 and the humidification chamber S3. In other words, the air blowing device 512 is a device that blows air to the air purification filter 520 and the humidification assembly 530 (the humidification element 533).

The air blowing device 512 mainly has a fan 512a, a fan motor 512b, and a spiral casing 512c (see FIG. 22). The fan 512a is arranged on the left side of the air blowing chamber S1, and the fan motor 512b is arranged on the right side of the air blowing chamber S1 (see FIG. 22). The spiral casing 512c defines an air duct for guiding the air blown by the fan 512a to the first opening K1 positioned above the fan 512a.

The fan 512a is a Sirocco fan having a stable air blowing speed. The fan 512a has a hub portion 512aa and a plurality of blades 512ab (see FIG. 24 ). The blades 512ab are arranged in a cylindrical formation around the peripheral edge of the hub portion 512aa. The fan motor 512b drives the fan 512a to rotate the hub portion 512aa and the blades 512ab and air is introduced into the fan 512a along the rotation axis direction. At this time, air is introduced into the air blowing chamber S1 from the outside of the housing 511, through the intake ports 511 a. In the fan 512a, air is blown in the centrifugal direction from the blades 512ab. The air blown in the centrifugal direction from the blades 512ab is then guided through the spiral casing 512c to the first opening K1, and sent to the air purification chamber S2.

Because the air is blown in the centrifugal direction from a plurality of blades 512ab as described above, the air flows, not upward but upward obliquely, to the dust collecting filter 521 of the air purification filter 520, as shown by the arrows of a dotted line in FIG. 24.

(2-3) Air purification filter

The air purification filter 520 purifies the air introduced into the air purifier 510. Specifically, the air purification filter 520 removes dust contained in the air. The air purification filter 520 also removes odor-causing components.

The air purification filter 520 is arranged in the air purification chamber S2 (see FIG. 22). The air purification filter 520 is arranged above the air blowing device 512 and below the humidification assembly 530 (see FIG. 22). The air purification filter 520 is also arranged on the downstream side of the air blowing device 512 and on the upstream side of the humidification assembly 530 with respect to the air flow direction.

The air purification filter 520 mainly includes the dust collecting filter 521 and the deodorizing filter 522 (see FIG. 21). The dust collecting filter 521 removes dust contained in the air. The deodorizing filter 522 removes odor-causing components contained in the air.

The deodorizing filter 522 is arranged above the dust collecting filter 521. In other words, the deodorizing filter 522 is arranged on the downstream side with respect to the dust collecting filter 521 with respect to the air flow direction.

The thickness direction of the dust collecting filter 521 and the deodorizing filter 522 is the vertical direction. That is, the thickness direction of the air purification filter 520 is the vertical direction. The air passes through the air purification filter 520 mainly in the thickness direction. In other words, the air purification filter 520 is arranged so that the air purification filter 520 (the dust collecting filter 521 and the deodorizing filter 522) extends in a direction orthogonal to the air passage direction.

(2-3-1) Dust collector filter

The dust collector filter 521 is a filter for removing fine dust that was not removed by the pre-filters 511ac arranged in the intake ports 511a. The dust collector filter 521 is formed in a rectangular shape.

A pleated filter, folded into a plurality of folds 521a and having a plurality of "pleats" formed therein, is used as the dust collecting filter 521 (see FIG. 25 ). When the dust collecting filter 521 is viewed in a cross section orthogonal to the folds 521a, the cross section is formed into a shape having a plurality of continuous peaks and valleys. The use of a pleated filter makes it possible to ensure a larger surface area (ventilation area) of the dust collecting filter 521 in the same installation area, compared to the use of a filter with a flat plate having no "pleats" formed therein.

The dust collecting filter 521 is placed on the flange portion 511e so that the direction where the pleats 521a of the pleated filter extend is orthogonal to the direction where a tab portion 512ca of the spiral casing 512c of the air blowing device 512 extends, or in other words, the direction of the rotation axis of the fan 512a of the air blowing device 512 (see FIG. 24).

The dust collecting filter 521 of the air purification filter 520 is placed on the flange portion 511e formed inside the housing 511, as described above. In other words, the dust collecting filter 521 of the air purification filter 520 is held in the housing 511 with the flange portion 511e. The flange portion 511e is in contact (see FIG. 21) with the bottom surface 521 ba of the peripheral edge portion 521 b (see FIG. 25) of the dust collecting filter 521 through which air does not pass, and the flange portion 511e thus functions as a sealing means for sealing the space between the air purification filter 520 and the inner wall of the housing 511. The sealing means ensures a seal between the air purification filter 520 and the housing 511 when air is sent from the air blowing chamber S1 to the air purification chamber S2. The flange portion 511e is arranged on the upstream side of the air purification filter 520 with respect to the air flow direction. In other words, the sealing means is arranged on the upstream side of the air purification filter 520 with respect to the direction where the air purification filter 520 is separated. The attachment/detachment of the dust collecting filter 521 to the housing 511 is described below.

(2-3-2) Deodorizing filter

The 522 deodorizing filter removes odor-causing components contained in the air. The 522 deodorizing filter has a rectangular shape.

The deodorizing filter 522 is housed in the filter case 523, described below, as shown in FIGS. 26 and 27. The deodorizing filter 522 can be attached/detached from the filter case 523. The attached state of the filter case 523 to the housing 511 and the attachment/detachment of the deodorizing filter 522 (the filter case 523) to the housing 511 are described below. In addition, the filter detection sensor 525 for confirming whether the deodorizing filter 522 is present or not is described below.

(2-4) Filter box

The filter box 523 houses the air purification filter 520. Specifically, the filter box 523 houses the deodorizing filter 522 which is part of the air purification filter 520 (see FIG. 26).

The filter housing 523 is a ring-shaped rectangular member, inside which the deodorizing filter 522 is housed. The filter housing 523 has side wall portions 523b (see FIGS. 21 and 22), which are rough C-shaped in cross section, for enclosing and supporting the peripheral edge portion of the housed deodorizing filter 522 from above and below and from the sides (the outer peripheral sides). In other words, the side wall portions 523b are opened at the inner peripheral sides. The entire periphery of the deodorizing filter 522 is enclosed by the side wall portions 523b. The upper and lower surfaces of the filter box 523 have large openings, and the air that has passed through the dust collecting filter 521 passes from below through the deodorizing filter 522 housed in the filter box 523, and blows over the deodorizing filter 522.

The right surface of the side wall portion 523b of the filter case 523 is provided with convex portions 523a that engage with the concave portions 511g disposed on the inner walls of the housing 511. The convex portions 523a are disposed at two locations on the right surface of the side wall portion 523b. This number of convex portions 523a is an example, and is not provided by way of limitation and can be decided accordingly. The number of the concave portions 511g disposed on the inner walls of the housing 511. The number of convex portions 523a can also be decided accordingly. The convex portions 523a are formed to each fit into one of the two concave portions 511g (see FIG. 25) disposed on the housing 511.

When the filter box 523 is attached to the housing 511, the convex portions 523a engage with the concave portions 511g, and the left surface side of the filter box 523 is placed on the supporting portion 511f disposed inside the housing 511. In other words, when the filter box 523 is attached to the housing 511, the filter box 523 is supported from below by the concave portions 511g where the convex portions 523a fit, and by the supporting portion 511f. When the filter box 523 is attached to the housing 511, the deodorizing filter 522 is attached to the housing 511 in a horizontal state, or in other words, the deodorizing filter 522 is attached such that the vertical direction coincides with the thickness direction of the filter. The attachment of the filter box 523 to the housing 511 and the separation of the filter box 523 from the housing 511 are described below.

In the middle of the left side of the side wall portion 523b of the filter case 523, a cutout portion 523ba is formed, where the side wall portion 523b is cutout (see FIG. 26). In the cutout portion 523ba, the side wall portion 523b is cutout with the upper side (the upper surface and the upper side of the side surface) remaining (see FIG. 26). When the deodorizing filter 522 is housed in the filter case 523, the deodorizing filter 522 is exposed in the cutout portion 523ba.

The filter box 523 includes an air flow guide 524 disposed above the air purification filter. The air flow guide 524 is integrally formed with the filter box 523.

The air flow guide 524 is disposed above the left side of the filter case 523 (see FIG. 22). The air flow guide 524 is disposed above the first opening K1 formed in the housing 511. The air flow guide 524 has vertical surfaces 524a extending upward from the left portions of the front and rear side wall portions 523b, and a first guide surface 524b extending at an upward-right inclination from the side wall portion 523b on the left side (see FIG. 27). The first guide surface 524b is a curved surface for guiding the air that has passed through the deodorizing filter 522 of the air purification filter 520 to the humidifying element 533 of the humidifying assembly 530. Because the first guide surface 524b is formed from a smooth curved surface, the air that has passed through the deodorizing filter 522 can be guided to the second opening K2 and further to the humidifying element 533, while suppressing the increase in pressure loss. The vertical surfaces 524a of the air flow guide 524 prevent the air that has passed through the deodorizing filter 522 from passing through the front and rear spaces of the first guide surface 524b of the air flow guide 524, from being directed upward to pass through the spaces between the housing 511 and the humidifying tray 532, described below, and flowing out of the housing 511. The vertical surfaces 524a and the first guide surface 524b mainly guide the air that has passed through the left side of the deodorizing filter 522 to the humidifying element 533.

A concave portion 524d formed to be concave downward is provided at the top of the air flow guide 524 (see FIG. 27). The concave portion 524d is formed to be concave not only downward, but also in the area below the upper surface 524c on the left side of the air flow guide 524 (see FIG. 27). The concave portion 524d functions as a holder for the user to grasp when attaching/detaching the filter case 523. When the air purification filter 520 and the humidification assembly 530 are attached to the housing 511, the upper surface 524c (see FIGS. 26 and 27) of the air flow guide 524 is in contact with the lower surface 532b of the humidification tray 532 of the humidification assembly 530 (see FIG. 22), described herein. Therefore, even if air is blown from the air blowing device 512 and a force is generated that would cause the air purification filter 520 to float upward (move upward), the humidification tray 532 restricts the air purification filter 520 from moving upward. In other words, the bottom surface 532b of the humidifying tray 532 functions as a movement restricting part to restrict the air purification filter 520 from moving upward.

(2-5) Filter detection sensor

The filter detection sensor 525 (see FIG. 22) detects whether or not the air purification filter 520 is attached to the housing 511. Specifically, the filter detection sensor 525 detects whether or not the deodorizing filter 522 of the air purification filter 520 is attached to the housing 511.

The filter detection sensor 525 mainly has a detection lever 525a and a detection switch 525b (see FIG. 28(a) and (b)). The detection lever 525a is configured to be rotatable about a rotating shaft 525c (see FIG. 28(a) and (b)). At the end on one side, the detection lever 525a has a contact arm 525d extending in a direction intersecting the direction where the detection lever 525a extends, and which comes into contact with the deodorizing filter 522. A contact portion of the detection switch 525aa that comes into contact with the detection switch 525b is arranged at the end on the other side of the detection lever 525a (the end arranged on the opposite side of the end where the contact arm 525d is provided, with the rotating shaft 525c in the middle). The contact arm 525d in this embodiment extends arcuately from the detection lever 525a, but this contact arm 525d is not provided as a limitation and may be formed to extend perpendicularly to the direction where the detection lever 525a extends.

The detection lever 525a is configured so that the force is exerted in a direction around the rotating shaft 525c by a torsion spring (not shown) (so that the detection switch contact portion 525aa is separated from the detection switch 525b). When the contact arm 525d is not in contact with the deodorizing filter 522 (when the deodorizing filter 522 is not housed in the filter case 523), the contact arm 525d passes through the cutout portion 523ba of the filter case 523 and protrudes into the filter case 523, as shown in FIG. 28(a). In this state, the detection switch contact portion 525aa of the detection lever 525a is not in contact with the detection switch 525b. Therefore, when the deodorizing filter 522 is not housed in the filter case 523, the filter detection sensor 525 does not transmit to the control device (not shown) of the air purifier 510 the signal that is transmitted when the deodorizing filter 522 is present. In such a state, the control device determines that the deodorizing filter 522 is not attached to the air purifier 510 and executes necessary control, such as stopping operation of the air purifier 510, or issuing an alarm indicating that the deodorizing filter 522 is not attached. Although no illustrations or descriptions are provided here, when not only the deodorizing filter 522 but also the filter case 523 is not attached to the housing 511, the contact portion of the detection switch 525aa is not in contact with the detection switch 525b, and the signal transmitted when the deodorizing filter 522 is present is not transmitted to the control device.

When the deodorizing filter 522 is housed in the filter case 523, the contact arm 525d is in contact with the deodorizing filter 522 at the cutout portion 523ba of the side wall portion 523b of the filter case 523. The detection lever 525a then resists the force of the torsion spring (not shown) and rotates in a direction where the detection switch contact portion 525aa of the detection lever 525a comes into contact with the detection switch 525b. When the contact portion of the detection switch 525aa comes into contact with the detection switch 525b, the detection switch 525b is turned on, and the signal to be transmitted when the deodorizing filter 522 is present is transmitted from the filter detection sensor 525 to the air purifier control device 510. When the control device determines that the deodorizing filter 522 is attached to the air purifier 510, the air purifier 510 is allowed to operate if there are no other abnormalities.

The filter detection sensor 525 that detects the presence of the deodorizing filter 522 is only provided to this air purifier 510 as a sensor for detecting the presence of the filter, but no limitation is provided thereon. For example, a sensor using the same principle as the filter detection sensor 525 or another detection principle may be provided in order to detect the presence of the dust collecting filter 521. However, as described below, when the dust collecting filter 521 is not present in this air purifier 510, it becomes difficult to attach the filter case 523 housing the deodorizing filter 522, and therefore, it is also possible to detect when the dust collecting filter 521 is not attached, simply by detecting the presence of the deodorizing filter 522.

(2-6) Humidification set

The humidification assembly 530 vaporizes the supplied water and humidifies the air. Specifically, the humidification element 533 of the humidification assembly 530 in particular vaporizes the supplied water and humidifies the air. The humidification assembly 530 is arranged on the downstream side of the air blowing device 512 and the air purification filter 520 with respect to the air flow direction. In other words, the humidification assembly 530 humidifies the air that has been purified by the air purification filter 520. The humidification assembly 530 is a rotary type humidification assembly. In the humidifying assembly 530, the peripheral edge of the humidifying element 533 is rotated to pass through the water accumulated in the humidifying tray 532, described below, and the water is vaporized from the humidifying element 533 containing the water, whereby the air is humidified.

The humidification assembly 530 is arranged in the humidification chamber S3 inside the housing 511 (see FIG. 22). In other words, the humidification assembly 530 is arranged in an upper position inside the housing 511 (see FIG. 22). The humidifying tank 531, the humidifying tray 532, and the humidifying element 533, all described below, of the humidifying assembly 530 are detachable from the housing 511. When the humidifying tank 531, the humidifying tray 532, and the humidifying element 533 are separated from the opening 515 (see FIG. 22) of the housing 511, a large space is created at an upper position inside the housing 511. Specifically, when the humidifying assembly 530 is separated from the housing 511, a space where the air purification filter 520 can be moved is formed in the humidifying chamber S3. In other words, when the humidification assembly 530 is separated from the housing 511, a space is formed above the air purification chamber S2, and this space serves as a movement path for the air purification filter 520 when the air purification filter 520 is separated. Hereinafter, the attachment/detachment of the air purification filter 520 is described.

The humidification assembly 530 mainly has the humidification tank 531, the humidification tray 532, and the humidification element 533, as shown in FIG. 22 and 23. The humidification assembly 530 also has a humidification motor 534 (see FIG. 22) for rotatably driving the humidification element 533. The humidification motor 534 is installed inside the housing 511. The humidification tank 531, the humidification tray 532, and the humidification element 533 are detachable from the housing 511.

(2-6-1) Humidification tank

The humidifying tank 531 accumulates water to be supplied to the humidifying element 533. The humidifying tank 531 is integrally formed with the first side plate 511c of the housing 511. Therefore, the humidifying tank 531 is configured to be separated from the humidifying assembly 530 (the humidifying tray 532) by separating the first side plate 511c from the housing 511 (see FIG. 32(b)).

The humidifying tank 531 is arranged on the left side of the humidifying tray 532. Because the humidifying tray 532 is arranged on the left side of the housing 511, the humidifying tank 531 is arranged on the left side of the housing 511.

In this air purifier 510, the fan motor 512b of the air blowing device 512, which is a heavy object as described above, is arranged on the right side of the housing 511 (see FIG. 22 ). On the other hand, the humidifying tank 531, which is also a heavy object, is arranged on the left side of the housing 511 (see FIG. 22 ). In other words, the fan motor 512b is shifted to one side (the right one) from the center of the air purification filter 520, and the humidification tank 531 is shifted to the opposite side (the left one) of the aforementioned side from the center of the air purification filter 520. The heavy fan motor 512b and the humidifying tank 531 are not one-sided when viewed in a top view, but are spaced in opposite directions from each other. Therefore, this 510 air purifier has a good weight balance.

The humidifying tank 531 has a filling port 531a. A water supply valve (not shown) is attached to the filling port 531a. The water supply valve has a general structure where a valve body is pushed toward a valve port by a spring. Therefore, a detailed description of the water supply valve is not provided here.

In use, the humidifying tank 531 is arranged in a tank receiving part 532c, described below, on the left side of the humidifying tray 532. Specifically, the humidifying tank 531 is mounted on the tank receiving part 532c of the humidifying tray 532 with the filling port 531a facing downward. When the humidifying tank 531 is mounted on the tank receiving part 532c, a push pin (not shown) arranged in the humidifying tray 532 is pushed against the water supply valve at the filling port 531a which is facing downward. Due to the weight of the humidifying tank 531, the water supply valve is pushed by the push pin, and the valve port is pushed and opened, and the filling port 531a is opened. As a result, water is supplied to the humidifying tray 532 described below, and water for immersing the humidifying element 533 is accumulated to a predetermined height in the humidifying tray 532.

The humidifying tank 531 is formed into a mostly rectangular shape as viewed from the right side (see FIG. 21). The left side of the humidifying tank 531 is formed into a flat surface shape extending approximately vertically as viewed from the front side (see FIG. 22). The right side of the humidifying tank 531 is formed into a curved surface shape as viewed from the front side (see FIG. 22). The right side surface 531b (see FIG. 22) of the humidifying tank 531, formed into a curved surface, functions as a guiding surface for guiding air that has passed through the humidifying element 533 to the discharge port 511b. Specifically, the bottom of the right side surface 531b (the bottom of the right side surface 531ba) is a curved surface that is concave to the left and downward. The lower part of the right side surface 531ba is a curved surface formed to rise further toward the left (see FIG. 22). The lower part of the right side surface 531ba is a curved surface that changes its inclination to approach the vertical on the left side (see FIG. 22). The upper part of the right side surface 531b (the upper part of the right side surface 531 bb) is a vertical surface smoothly connected to the lower part of the right side surface 531ba (see FIG. 22). Because it is formed in such a way, the right side surface 531b guides the air that has passed through the humidifying element 533 at an inclination toward the left to the discharge port 511b at the top of the housing 511, without causing a large pressure loss.

(2-6-2) Humidification tray

The humidifying tray 532 temporarily receives and accumulates water supplied from the humidifying tank 531. Specifically, water to be supplied to the humidifying element 533, described below, is accumulated in the humidifying tray 532. The second side plate 511d of the housing 511 also serves as a left side wall of the humidifying tray 532.

The humidifying tray 532 is arranged below the humidifying element 533 (see FIG. 22). The humidifying tray 532, as shown in FIG. 22, is formed approximately in a U-shape as viewed from the side (the front in FIG. 22). The humidifying tray 532 is arranged on the left side of the housing 511 (see FIG. 22). A second opening K2 is formed between the right side wall of the humidifying tray 532 and the inner wall of the housing 511 (see FIG. 22).

The humidifying tray 532 has a second curved guide surface 532a for guiding the air that has passed through the air purification filter 520 to the humidifying element 533, at the lower right corner of the humidifying tray 532 (see FIG. 22). In other words, the humidifying tray 532 has a second curved guide surface 532a for guiding the air that has passed through the air purification filter 520 to the humidifying element 533, at the lower side corner of the humidifying tray 532 that is adjacent to the second opening K2 (see FIG. 22). Specifically, the curved surface machining is applied at the lower right corner of the humidifying tray 532.

The second guide surface 532a and the above-described first guide surface 524b of the air flow guide 524 form a continuous curve, with a small gap G created between the air flow guide 524 and the humidifying tray 532. The bottom surface 532b of the humidifying tray 532 functions as a motion restricting part to restrict the air purification filter 520 from moving upward, when the humidification assembly 530 and the air purification filter 520 have been joined inside the housing 511. In other words, the bottom surface 532b of the humidification tray 532, as a motion restricting part, contacts the upper surface 524c of the air flow guide 524 and restricts the air purification filter 520 from moving upward. Therefore, the space created between the air flow guide 524 and the humidifying tray 532 is extremely small. Therefore, most of the air passing through the deodorizing filter 522 and guided to the first guide surface 524b is guided through the second opening K2 to the humidifying element 533. In other words, the air guided to the first guide surface 524b hardly flows through the space between the air flow guide 524 and the humidifying tray 532 and leaks out of the housing 511 through spaces such as the spaces between the housing 511 and the first side plate 511c and/or the second side plate 511d.

The humidifying tray 532 has the tank receiving part 532c for receiving the humidifying tank 531 on the left side (see FIG. 23). The humidifying tank 531 is arranged in the tank receiving part 532c with the filling port 531a facing downward (see FIG. 22). The water supply valve in the filling port 531a of the humidifying tank 531 mounted in the tank receiving part 532c is pushed against a push pin (not shown) arranged in the tank receiving part 532c. Due to the weight of the humidifying tank 531, the water supply valve is pushed by the push pin, the valve port is opened, the filling port 531a is opened, and water is supplied to the humidifying tray 532.

Water supplied from the humidifying tank 531 is supplied to a water supply part 532d on the right side of the humidifying tray 532 (see FIG. 23). The water supply part 532d is arranged below the humidifying element 533 (see FIG. 22). The water supply part 532d is a portion for supplying to the humidifying element 533 the water that has been supplied from the humidifying tank 531 at the tank receiving part 532c.

The water supply part 532d and the tank receiving part 532c are separated by a partition (not shown). A notch is formed in the partition, and the water supplied from the humidifying tank 531 to the tank receiving part 532c is sent to the water supply part 532d through the notch. In other words, the water supplied to the tank receiving part 532c disposed on the left surface side of the housing 511 is then sent to the water supply part 532d on the right side of the housing 511. In order to immerse the humidifying element 533, the water supply part 532d accumulates the water to a predetermined water level. The water level of the water supply part 532d is automatically regulated to be maintained at the predetermined water level when there is water in the humidifying tank 531.

The humidifying tray 532 has a supporting part 532e (see FIG. 29). The supporting part 532e rotatably supports the rotor rotating shaft 533c (see FIG. 29) of the humidifying element 533, described hereinafter. The supporting part 532e is configured to allow the rotor rotating shaft 533c to be removed so that the humidifying element 533 can be separated during maintenance and other times. Specifically, the supporting part 532e is formed in an upward U-shaped opening, and is configured to allow the rotor rotating shaft 533c to be attached/detached through the U-shaped opening (see FIG. 29).

Each of the guide pins 532f is provided on the front and rear side surfaces of the water supply part 532d of the humidifying tray 532 (see FIG. 29). When the humidifying tray 532 is attached to the housing 511, the humidifying tray 532 is easily placed in the predetermined position by pushing the humidifying tray 532 into the housing 511 so that the guide pins 532f fit into the C-shaped guides 511 i (see FIG. 29), arranged on the front and rear inner walls of the housing 511, through the C-shaped openings.

(2-6-3) Humidification element

The humidifying element 533 vaporizes the supplied water and humidifies the air. Specifically, the humidifying element 533 receives the water supply accumulated in the humidifying tray 532, vaporizes the supplied water and humidifies the air.

The humidifying element 533 is arranged on the right side of the humidifying tray 532. Specifically, the humidifying element 533 is arranged above the water supply part 532d arranged on the right side of the humidifying tray 532.

The humidifying element 533 has a circular shape. The humidifying element 533 mainly has a humidifying filter 533a, a humidifying rotor 533b and the rotor rotation shaft 533c (see FIG. 29).

The humidifying filter 533a is a vaporizing material made of a nonwoven fabric. The humidifying filter 533a has a circular shape. The humidifying filter 533a contains water supplied from the humidifying tray 532 and humidifies the air by vaporizing the water.

The humidifying rotor 533b is a frame that encloses the outer peripheral edge of the humidifying filter 533a and holds the humidifying filter 533a. The humidifying rotor 533b is connected with a rotor rotation shaft 533c disposed at the center of the humidifying rotor 533b.

One side (the left side) of the rotor rotation shaft 533c is rotatably supported by the support portion 532e disposed on the humidifying tray 532. A hexagonal link portion 533d is formed on the other side (the right side). In addition, a distal end portion 533e which is continuous with the joining portion 533d and is formed to narrow toward the end is formed at the end on the right side.

When the humidifying tray 532 is attached to the housing 511, the rotating shaft of the rotor 533c is inserted from the distal end portion 533e side into a hole 534ba in a link receiving portion 534b of the humidifying motor 534, described below (see FIG. 29 ). The rotating shaft of the rotor 533c is inserted through the hole 534ba until the link portion 533d reaches the link receiving portion 534b, whereby the link portion 533d and the link receiving portion 534b are joined together. Specifically, the hole 534ba in the link receiving portion 534b is a hexagonal hole substantially the same as the outer contours of the link portion 533d. When the linking portion 533d is inserted into the hole 534ba formed in the link receiving portion 534b, the linking portion 533d fits into the link receiving portion 534b and the two are joined together. When the link receiving portion 534b and the linking portion 533d are joined together, the rotor rotation shaft 533c and a drive shaft 534a of the humidifying motor 534, described below, are joined together. When the humidifying motor 534 is driven and the drive shaft 534a rotates, the rotor rotation shaft 533c also rotates. Because the link portion 533d and the hole 534ba of the link receiving portion 534b are formed in hexagonal shapes in this embodiment, the link receiving portion 534b rotates non-idling relative to the link portion 533d when the drive shaft 534a rotates.

Because the rotor rotation shaft 533c has the distal end portion 533e that is formed to narrow toward the end in this embodiment, the distal end portion 533e functions as a guide, and it is easy to insert the rotor rotation shaft 533c into the hole 534ba in the link receiving portion 534b.

When the rotation driving force is transmitted to the rotor rotation shaft 533c from the humidifying motor 534, described below, and the humidifying element 533 rotates, the peripheral edge of the humidifying filter 533a of the humidifying element 533 passes through the water accumulated in the water supply part 532d of the humidifying tray 532. When the peripheral edge of the humidifying filter 533a passes through the water accumulated in the water supply part 532d of the humidifying tray 532, the humidifying filter 533a receives the water supply from the water supply part 532d. When the humidifying element 533 rotates, the air blown by the air blowing device 512 (air that has passed through the air purification filter 520) is supplied to the humidifying filter part 533a that has moved above the water supply part 532d. When the air passes through the humidifying filter 533a, the water contained in the humidifying filter 533a is vaporized, and thus the air is humidified.

(2-6-4) Humidification motor

The humidifying motor 534 is a motor for rotatably driving the humidifying element 533.

The humidifying motor 534 is installed inside the housing 511. Specifically, the humidifying motor 534 is attached to the housing 511 on the right side of the humidifying assembly 530.

The humidifying motor 534 is configured to transmit the driving force to the drive shaft 534a (see FIG. 22). When the humidifying motor 534 rotates, the drive shaft 534a rotates.

The drive shaft 534a has the link receiving portion 534b on the left side (see FIG. 22 ). The hexagonal hole 534ba is formed in the link receiving portion 534b (see FIG. 29 ). The shape of the hole 534ba is substantially the same as the cross-sectional shape of the rotor rotation shaft 533c. The hole 534ba is formed in a hexagonal shape slightly larger than the cross-sectional shape of the link portion 533d of the rotor rotation shaft 533c, so that the link portion 533d can be inserted. As described above, the drive shaft 534a and the rotor rotation shaft 533c are joined together by inserting the joining portion 533d of the rotor rotation shaft 533c into the hole 534ba.

(3) Air purifier actions and air flow

The actions of the air purifier 510 and the airflow caused by the actions of the air purifier 510 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 30 and 31. In FIGS. 30 and 31, the airflow is indicated by arrows of a dotted line.

When the air purifier 510 is turned on, the fan motor 512b of the air blowing device 512 rotates the fan 512a. Because the rotating fan 512a blows air in the centrifugal direction, the pressure surrounding the rotation axis of the fan 512a drops, and air is drawn into a fan intake port positioned at the center of the fan 512a. As a result, air flow occurs from the intake ports 511a to the fan intake port positioned at the center of the fan 512a. In other words, due to the rotation of the fan 512a, air is drawn into the air blowing chamber S1 from the intake ports 511a formed at the bottoms of the left and right surfaces. At this time, comparatively large dust particles are removed by the pre-filters 511 ac arranged at the intake ports 511 a.

Air is blown in the centrifugal direction from the plurality of blades 512ab (see FIG. 24) of the fan 512a of the air blowing device 512. This air blown in the centrifugal direction is guided to the first opening K1 by the scroll casing 512c, and sent from the first opening K1 to the air purification chamber S2 (see FIG. 30).

The air sent to the air purification chamber S2 first passes through the dust collecting filter 521 of the air purification filter 520, arranged on the upstream side with respect to the air flow direction. The dust collecting filter 521 removes the dust contained in the air.

Having passed through the dust collecting filter 521, the air further passes through the deodorizing filter 522 on the downstream side with respect to the air flow direction. The odor-causing components are removed by the deodorizing filter 522.

The air that has passed through the air purification filter 520 is sent through the second opening K2 to the humidifying chamber S3. At this time, particularly, the air that has passed through the left side of the deodorizing filter 522 is smoothly guided toward the second opening K2 by the first guide surface 524b of the air flow guide 524 and the second guide surface 532a formed at the bottom of the humidifying tray 532 (see FIG. 30). As described above, because the upper surface 524c of the air flow guide 524 and the lower surface 532b of the humidifying tray 532 are in contacting relation, there is practically no gap formed between the air flow guide 524 and the humidifying tray 532. The air hardly passes through this gap, passes through the gap between the housing opening 511 and the first side plate 511c and/or the second side plate 511d, and escapes from the housing 511. The first guide surface 524b and the second guide surface 532a form a continuous curve with a slight gap G between them, and the air is smoothly guided along this curve to the second opening K2 (see FIG. 30).

The air sent to the humidifying chamber S3 flows upward, and this air is guided to the humidifying element 533 by the straightening plate 511 h disposed in the upper area of the housing 511. Because the bypass openings 511 ha are formed at two locations in the straightening plate 511 h (see FIG. 31), part of the air (for example, 20% of the air that has flowed into the humidifying chamber S3) passes through the bypass openings 511ha and is guided out of the housing 511 without passing through the humidifying element 533 (see FIG. 31). The ion generator 540 is arranged on the surface of the straightening plate 511h on the opposite side of the humidifying chamber S3, and the plasma ions generated by the ion generator 540 are exhausted from the housing 511 together with the air passing through the bypass openings 511h.

When the humidification function of the air purifier 510 is operating, the humidifying element 533 is rotated by the humidifying motor 534. Because the humidifying element 533 is arranged so that the bottom of the humidifying element 533 is immersed in the water in the water supply part 532d of the humidifying tray 532, when the humidifying element 533 rotates, the portion of the humidifying filter 533a that is newly immersed in the water draws out the water in the humidifying tray 532. The air passing through the humidifying element 533 facilitates vaporization of the water soaked in the humidifying filter 533a. The air thus becomes humidified air.

The air that has passed through the humidifying element 533 and has been humidified flows in the left-up direction and changes its flow direction to vertically upward with the right side surface 531b of the humidifying tank 531 functioning as a guide surface, and the air is exhausted from the discharge port 511b (see FIG. 30).

A case where the humidification function is turned on has been described above. When the humidification function is turned off, the humidification element 533 does not rotate, and the air passing through the humidification element 533 is exhausted through the discharge port 511b, mostly without being humidified.

(4) Separation of the humidification assembly and the air purification filter

Next, the separation of the humidification assembly 530 and the air purification filter 520 is described, mainly with reference to FIGS. 32 and 33. FIG. 32 illustrates the separation work, where the humidification assembly 530 and the air purification filter 520 are separated from the housing 511. In FIG. 32, cross-sectional views of the inside of the housing 511 as seen from the front are used to illustrate the separation work of the humidification assembly 530 and the air purification filter 520. FIG. 33 illustrates the separation work where the humidification assembly 530 is separated from the housing 511. In FIG. 33, perspective views of the housing 511 as seen from the front left are used to illustrate the separation work of the humidification assembly 530.

FIGS. 32(a) and 33(a) show the air purifier 510 before the separation work of the humidification assembly 530 and the air purification filter 520 is started.

When the humidification assembly 530 and the air purification filter 520 are separated, firstly, the user grabs the handle 511ca of the first side plate 511c and opens the first side plate 511c so that the top of the first side plate 511c is tilted to the left as shown in FIGS. 32(b) and 33(b). The humidification tank 531, which is integrally formed with the first side plate 511c, is then separated from the housing 511 by pulling out the humidification tank 531 at an upward tilt to the left (see FIGS. 32(b) and 33(c)).

Next, the humidifying tray 532 is separated from the housing 511 as shown in FIGS. 32(c) and 33(d). Specifically, the user grabs the handle 511da provided on the second side plate 511d constituting part of the humidifying tray 532, and pulls the humidifying tray 532 forward (to the left). At this time, the connecting portion 533d of the rotor rotation shaft 533c of the humidifying element 533 is separated from the connecting receiving portion 534b provided to the driving shaft 534a connected to the humidifying motor 534. In this embodiment, because the linking portion 533d is simply inserted into the hole 534ba of the linking receiving portion 534b and is not particularly secured by a fastening member (for example, a screw or the like), the linking portion 533d can be easily removed from the hole 534ba (see FIG.

29). Furthermore, because the guide pins 532f arranged on the side surface of the humidifying tray 532 move along the guides 511i formed on the inner surface of the housing 511 in this embodiment, the user can pull the humidifying tray 532 horizontally to the left (see FIG. 29).

Therefore, the humidifying tray 532 where the humidifying element 533 is mounted on the support part 532e is separated from the housing 511, whereby the opening 515 on the left of the housing 511 is widely opened (see FIGS. 32(d) and 33(d)). A large space is formed in the upper interior of the housing 511 when the humidifying tray 532 has been separated. In other words, the separation of the humidifying tray 532 and the humidifying element 533 from the housing 511 ensures a space where the air purification filter 520 can be moved in the humidifying chamber S3.

After this step, the deodorizing filter 522 of the air purification filter 520 is first separated from the housing 511 as shown in FIG. 32(d). Specifically, the user grasps the concave portion 524d on the upper surface of the air flow guide 524 integrally formed with the filter case 523, lifts the filter case 523 from the support portion 511f of the housing 511, and pulls the convex portions 523a disposed on the right surface of the filter case 523 out of the concave portions 511g of the housing 511. Next, after having moved the filter case 523 in the thickness direction of the deodorizing filter 522 (upward) while grasping the concave portion 524d, the user moves the filter case 523 through the humidifying chamber S3 and separates the filter case 523 from the inside of the housing 511. In other words, the deodorizing filter 522 is pushed upward on the downstream side with respect to the upstream direction. from the air flow, and is then removed from the housing 511 through the opening 515.

Finally, the dust collecting filter 521 of the air purification filter 520 is separated from the housing 511 as shown in FIG. 32(e). Specifically, after the user lifts the dust collecting filter 521 from the flange portion 511e of the housing 511 and moves the dust collecting filter 521 in its own thickness direction (upward), the user moves the dust collecting filter 521 through the humidifying chamber S3 and separates the dust collecting filter 521 from the housing 511. In other words, the dust collecting filter 521 is pushed upward on the downstream side with respect to the air flow direction, and then is taken out of the housing 511 through the opening 515.

(5) Humidification set accessory and air purification filter

Next, the attachment of the humidification assembly 530 and the air purification filter 520 is described. When the drawings in FIGS. 32 and 33 are viewed in reverse order, they illustrate the attachment work of the humidification assembly 530 and the air purification filter 520. Therefore, the drawings illustrating the states of the attachment work of the humidification assembly 530 and the air purification filter 520 are omitted.

The joining of the humidification assembly 530 and the air purification filter 520 is described according to the state in which the air purification filter 520 and the humidification assembly 530 have been completely separated.

First, the dust collecting filter 521 of the air purification filter 520 is attached inside the housing 511. Specifically, the user inserts the dust collecting filter 521 into the humidifying chamber S3 through the opening 515, then moves the dust collecting filter 521 downward and places the dust collecting filter 521 on the flange portion 511e of the housing 511 (see FIG. 32(d) and (e)).

The user then connects the deodorizing filter 522 housed in the filter box 523 to the housing 511, above the dust collecting filter 521.

Specifically, the user grasps the concave portion 524d of the air flow guide 524 integrally formed with the filter box 523, and inserts the filter box 523 into the humidifying chamber S3 through the opening 515 with the right side lowered. Then, while sliding the right side of the bottom surface of the filter box 523 over the upper surface 521bb (see FIG. 32(d)) of the peripheral edge portion 521b (see FIG. 25) of the dust collecting filter 521, the user moves the filter box 523 from the left side to the right side. At this time, the user moves the filter box 523 from the left side to the right side while gradually lowering the left side of the filter box 523 downward.

The filter box 523 is moved to the right on the dust collecting filter 521 until the convex portions 523a formed on the filter box 523 fit into the concave portions 511g provided on the housing 511. With the convex portions 523a fit into the concave portions 511g, the left side of the filter box 523 can be lowered and placed on the support portion 511f. Without the convex portions 523a fit into the concave portions 511g, the left side of the filter box 523 interferes with the inner surface of the housing 511 and the filter box 523 cannot be accommodated in the housing 511.

If one attempts to attach the filter box 523 without having attached the dust collecting filter 521, there is no structure to support the filter box 523 on the lower side, nor is there a structure to guide the convex portions 523a of the filter box 523 to the concave portions 511g. Therefore, when one attempts to attach the filter box 523 with the dust collecting filter 521 still unattached, the right side of the filter box 523 easily falls as shown in FIG. 34, and it is difficult to fix the filter box 523 in the correct position.

When the deodorizing filter 522 housed in the filter case 523 is attached to the housing 511, that is, when the convex portions 523a of the filter case 523 fit into the concave portions 511g of the housing 511 and the left side of the filter case 523 is supported on the support portion 511f, the filter case 523 is in a state of contacting the upper surface 521 bb (see FIG. 21) of the peripheral edge portion 521 b (see FIG. 25) of the dust collecting filter 521. Furthermore, as described later, when the humidifying tray 532 and the humidifying tank 531 are attached to the housing 511, the lower surface 532b of the humidifying tray 532 is in a state of contacting the upper surface 524c of the guide rail. airflow 524 integrally formed with the filter box 523. Because the humidifying tray 532 and the humidifying tank 531 restrict the upward movement of the filter box 523 and the filter box 523 is in a state of contacting the upper surface 521bb of the peripheral edge portion 521b of the dust collecting filter 521, the dust collecting filter 521 is prevented from moving upward even if the airflow exerts a force that would cause the dust collecting filter 521 to float upward.

After the attachment of the air purification filter 520 is completed, the humidifying tray 532 is attached to the housing 511 (see FIG. 32(c) and 33(d)). Specifically, the user grasps the handle 511da provided on the second side plate 511d constituting part of the humidifying tray 532 and moves the humidifying tray 532 horizontally to the right, so that the guide pins 532f provided on the humidifying tray 532 fit into the guides 511 i provided on the front and rear inner walls of the housing 511, and the distal end portion 533e of the rotor rotation shaft 533c of the humidifying element 533 is inserted into the hole 534ba of the link receiving portion 534b of the drive shaft 534a connected with the humidifying motor 534 (see FIG. 29 ). In this embodiment, since the guides 511 i and the link receiving portion 534b function as guides, it is easy to move the humidifying tray 532 horizontally. When the linking part 533d is inserted into the hole 534ba, and the orientation of the hexagonal shape of the linking part 533d and the orientation of the hexagonal hole 534ba do not match, the humidifying element 533 rotates so that the orientation of the hexagonal shape of the linking part 533d and the orientation of the hexagonal hole 534ba match, whereby the linking part 533d and the link receiving part 534b are joined together.

With the humidifying tray 532 attached to the housing 511, the bottom surface 532b of the humidifying tray 532 is in a contacting state with the upper surface 524c of the air flow guide 524 integrally formed with the filter case 523. Because the humidifying tray 532 and the upper surface 524c of the air flow guide 524 are in a contacting state, the air purification filter 520 is prevented from moving upward even if the airflow exerts a force that would cause the air purification filter 520 to float. In other words, in this embodiment, the bottom surface 532b of the humidifying tray 532 functions as a movement restricting part to restrict the air purification filter 520 from moving upward.

Finally, the user grasps the handle 511ca of the first side plate 511c and causes the lower side of the first side plate 511c integrally formed with the humidifying tank 531 to engage with the upper side of the second side plate 511d, with the top of the first side plate 511c tilted to the left (see FIG.

32(b) and 33(b)). Next, the first side plate 511c is placed vertically, whereby the opening 515 of the housing 511 is closed (see FIGS. 32(a) and 33(a)).

(6) Features

(6-1)

The air purifier 510 according to the above embodiment is provided with the air purification filter 520, the humidification assembly 530, the fan 512a and the housing 511. The air purification filter 520 removes dust contained in the air. The humidification assembly 530 vaporizes the supplied water and humidifies the air. The air blowing device 512 blows air toward the air purification filter 520 and the humidification assembly 530. Specifically, the air blowing device 512 blows air to the air purification filter 520 and a humidification filter 533a. The housing 511 houses the humidification assembly 530, the air purification filter 520 and the fan 512a. The housing 511 has an opening 515 for attaching/detaching the humidification assembly 530. The humidification assembly 530 is arranged in alignment with the air purification filter 520 on the downstream side with respect to the direction where the air purification filter 520 is separated. The opening 515 allows the air purification filter 520 to be separated after the humidification assembly 530 has been separated.

In the air purifier 510 according to the above embodiment, the opening 515 for attaching/separating the humidification assembly 530 is also used as an opening 515 for attaching/separating the air purification filter 520. Specifically, the humidification assembly 530 is arranged on the downstream side of the air purification filter 520 in the direction where the air purification filter 520 is separated. After the humidification assembly 530 is separated through the opening 515, the air purification filter 520 can be separated from the housing 511 through the same opening 515. In other words, a single opening 515 can be used to attach/separate both the humidification assembly 530 and the air purification filter 520. As a result, the number of openings can be minimized and high air tightness in the housing can be achieved. 511. Because there is no need to provide a plurality of openings or doors, the number of manufacturing steps can also be reduced.

(6-2)

In the air purifier 510 according to the above embodiment, the direction where the air purification filter 520 is separated is the thickness direction of the air purification filter 520. In other words, in this embodiment, the direction where the air purification filter 520 is separated is vertical.

In the air purifier 510 according to the above embodiment, the air purification filter 520 is separated in the thickness direction of the air purification filter 520. Therefore, abrasion of the air purification filter 520 and the housing 511 (abrasion of the sealing member when a sealing member is placed between the air purification filter 520 and the housing 511) is less likely to be generated than in a case where the air purification filter 520 is horizontally pulled out of the housing 511. As a result, a predetermined tightness can be ensured for a long period of time.

In the air purification filter 510 according to the above embodiment, the large space formed after separating the humidification assembly 530 can be used to separate the air purification filter 520. Therefore, the air purification filter 520 can be easily separated.

(6-3)

The air purifier 510 according to the above embodiment is provided, on the upstream side of the air purification filter 520 with respect to the separation direction, with a flange portion 511e as a sealing means for sealing the space between the air purification filter 520 and the housing 511.

Specifically, the air purification filter 520 is placed on the flange portion 511e formed on the inner side of the housing 511. Therefore, the air purification filter 520 can be stably maintained relative to the housing 511. A sealing material may be disposed between the air purification filter 520 and the housing 511.

(6-4)

In the air purifier 510 according to the above embodiment, the humidification assembly 530 includes the humidification tank 531 for accumulating water, the tray 532 for receiving the water from the humidification tank 531, and the humidification filter 533a which holds the water supplied from the humidification tray 532 and humidifies the air by vaporizing the water.

When the humidifying tank 531, the humidifying tray 532, and the humidifying element 533 of the humidifying assembly 530 are separated from the housing 511, a large space is formed in the housing 511 above the air purification filter 520. Therefore, sufficient space can be ensured for disassembling the air purification filter 520 during maintenance on the air purifier 510. Furthermore, the air purification filter 520 can be pressed by the humidification assembly 530 when the air purifier 510 is in operation. Therefore, the stability of the air purification filter 520 can be ensured.

(6-5)

In the air purifier 510 according to the above embodiment, the humidification assembly 530 is arranged above the air purification filter 520 in the housing 511. The humidification assembly 530 has the bottom surface 532b of the humidification tray 532 as a movement restriction part. The bottom surface 532b of the humidification tray 532 prevents the air purification filter 520 from moving upward when the humidification assembly 530 and the air purification filter 520 are attached inside the housing 511.

In this embodiment, because the humidification assembly 530 restricts the air purification filter 520 from moving upward, the air purification filter 520 can be prevented from floating upward with a simple configuration, without providing a dedicated member to restrict the air purification filter 520 from moving. In addition, the number of components can be kept lower than in cases where a dedicated member is provided to restrict movement.

(6-6)

The air purifier 510 according to the above embodiment is provided with the filter case 523 for accommodating the air purification filter 520, or specifically for accommodating the deodorizing filter 522 of the air purification filter 520. The filter case 523 includes an air flow guide 524 for guiding the air that has passed through the air purification filter 520 to the humidification assembly 530. The bottom surface 532b of the humidification tray 532 is in contact with the top of the air flow guide 524 (the upper surface 524c of the air flow guide 524).

In this embodiment, the air purification filter 520 is restricted from moving upward since the bottom surface 532b of the humidification assembly 532 comes into contact with the upper surface 524c of the air flow guide 524 of the filter box 523. Therefore, the air purification filter 520 can be prevented from floating upward with a simple configuration. Since the air flow guide 524 is in a contacting relationship with the bottom surface 532b of the humidification tray 532, air hardly passes between the air flow guide 524 and the bottom surface 532b of the humidification tray 532. Therefore, air that has passed through the air purification filter 520 can be prevented from being guided to an unwanted route.

(6-7)

In the air purifier 510 according to the above embodiment, the air purification filter 520 includes the deodorizing filter 522 as an example of a first filter, and the dust collecting filter 521 as an example of a second filter. The dust collecting filter 521 is disposed below the deodorizing filter 522. The filter case 523 accommodates the deodorizing filter 522. The filter case 523 slides on the upper surface 521bb of the peripheral edge portion 521b of the dust collecting filter 521 when the deodorizing filter 522 housed in the filter case 523 is attached to the housing 511. The filter case 523 is in contact with the upper surface 521bb of the peripheral edge portion 521b of the dust collecting filter 521 after the deodorizing filter 522 housed in the filter case 523 is attached to the housing 511.

Because this embodiment is configured so that the filter case 523 housing the deodorizing filter 522 slides on the upper surface 521bb of the peripheral edge portion 521b of the dust collecting filter 521 when the deodorizing filter 522 is attached to the housing 511, the deodorizing filter 522 is easily attached to the housing 511. Furthermore, because the filter case 523 comes into contact with the upper surface 521bb of the peripheral edge portion 521b of the dust collecting filter 521 after the deodorizing filter 522 is attached, the upward movement of the dust collecting filter 521 can be restricted.

(6-8)

In the air purifier 510 according to the above embodiment, convex portions 523a as an example of case-side convex portions are formed in the filter case 523. Concave portions 511g, as an example of case-side concave portions, which fit with the convex portions 523a formed in the filter case 523 when the deodorizing filter 522 housed in the filter case 523 is attached to the case 511, are formed in the case 511.

In this embodiment, because the convex portions 523a are provided in the filter case 523 and the concave portions 511g where the convex portions 523a fit are provided in the housing 511, the deodorizing filter 522 housed in the filter case 523 is easily attached at a predetermined position.

When the filter box 523 slides on the upper surface 521 bb of the peripheral edge part 521 b of the dust collecting filter 521, or in other words, when the filter box 523 is guided by the upper surface 521 bb of the peripheral edge part 521 b of the dust collecting filter 521, the convex parts 523a and the concave parts 511g easily fit together. However, when there is no dust collecting filter 521 (when the filter box 523 cannot slide on the upper surface 521 bb of the peripheral edge part 521 b of the dust collecting filter 521), it is difficult to positionally align the convex parts 523a and the concave parts 511g and fit them together. In other words, in this embodiment, when the dust collecting filter 521 is not present, it is difficult to attach the deodorizing filter 522. Therefore, it is easy to avoid inconvenience by forgetting to attach the dust collecting filter 521.

(6-9)

The air purifier 510 according to the above embodiment is provided with the filter detection sensor 525 to detect whether the deodorizing filter 522 is attached to the housing 511 or not.

In this embodiment, the inconvenience of forgetting to connect the deodorizing filter 522 can be avoided because the filter detection sensor 525 is provided.

Because the air purifier 510 is configured so that it is difficult to connect the deodorizing filter 522 when the dust collecting filter 521 is not present, it is possible to detect mishaps of forgetting to connect the entire air purifying filter 520 simply by detecting whether the deodorizing filter 522 is present or not.

(7) Modifications

The configuration of the air purifier 510 of the second embodiment may be combined, as appropriate, with the configuration of the air purifier 10 of the first embodiment or the details of the modifications of the first embodiment, as long as there are no contradictions.

The following are modifications to the air purifier 510 of the second embodiment. The following modifications can be applied to the air purifier 10 of the first embodiment as long as there are no contradictions.

(7-1) Amendment 2A

In the above embodiment, the bottom surface 532b of the humidifying tray 532 functions as a movement restriction part to restrict the air purification filter 520 from moving upward, but no limitation is provided in this regard. For example, the humidification assembly 530 may have a movement restriction part formed to protrude downward from the humidifying tray 532. However, when the movement of the air purification filter 520 is restricted by the bottom surface 532b of the humidifying tray 532, the movement of the air purification filter 520 can be restricted with a simple structure.

(7-2) Amendment 2B

In the above embodiment, the bottom surface 532b of the humidifying tray 532, an example of a movement restriction part, is in contact with the air flow guide 524 of the filter box 523, but no limitation is provided thereby. For example, the bottom surface 532b of the humidifying tray 532 may restrict the air purification filter 520 from moving upward by being in contact with a portion of the filter box 523 other than the air flow guide 524.

For example, the filter box 523 may not have an air flow guide 524, and the bottom surface 532b of the humidifying tray 532 may restrict the air purification filter 520 from moving upward by being in contact with the filter box 523 which does not have an air flow guide 524. However, it is preferable to provide the air flow guide 524 because providing the air flow guide 524 makes it possible for air that has passed through the deodorizing filter 522 to be guided to the humidifying assembly 530 with less pressure loss.

(7-3) Modification 2C

In the above embodiment, the air flow guide 524 is integrally formed with the filter case 523, but no limitation is provided thereon. For example, the air flow guide 524 may be provided to the bottom surface 532b of the humidifying tray 532. In this case, the upward movement of the air purification filter 520 may be restricted by having the air flow guide 524 function as a movement restriction part and bringing the bottom of the air flow guide 524 and the top of the filter case 523 into contact.

However, when the air flow guide 524 is arranged on the bottom surface of the humidifying tray 532, the opening 515 of the housing 511 should be formed larger. Therefore, it is preferable that the air flow guide 524 is integrally formed with the filter box 523.

(7-4) 2D Modification

In the above embodiment, the deodorizing filter 522 is included in the air purification filter 520, but no limitation is provided in this regard. The air purification filter 520 may have only the dust collecting filter 521. In this case, the dust collecting filter 521 may be configured to be accommodated in the filter case 523. The bottom surface 532b of the humidifying tray 532 may restrict the air purification filter 520 from moving upward by contacting the top of the air flow guide 524 contained in the filter case 523 housing the dust collecting filter 521.

(7-5) Modification 2E

In the above embodiment, the air purification filter 520 includes the dust collecting filter 521 and the deodorizing filter 522, but no limitation is provided in this regard, and the air purification filter may be configured to include another filter.

(7-6) Modification 2F

The configuration of the filter detection sensor 525 of the above embodiment is just an example, and a sensor applying another principle may be used as the filter detection sensor.

(7-7) Modification 2G

In the above embodiment, the convex portions 523a are provided to the filter case 523 and the concave portions 511g are provided to the housing 511, and the convex portions 523a fit into the concave portions 511g, but no limitation is provided in this regard.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 35, concave portions 523c as an example of box-side concave portions may be provided to the filter box 523, convex portions 511j as an example of shell-side convex portions may be provided to the housing 511, and the convex portions 511j of the housing 511 may be fit into the concave portions 523c of the filter box 523.

(7-8) Modification 2H

In the above embodiment, the humidifying assembly 530 uses a system where the humidifying filter 533a of the humidifying element 533 is immersed in the water in the water supply part 532d of the humidifying tray 532, but no limitation is provided in this regard.

For example, a humidification rotor spoon system may be employed in humidification assembly 530.

Specifically, in a humidification assembly 530 using a humidification rotor spoon system, a plurality of spoons 533ba are arranged on the humidification rotor 533b of the humidification element 533 (see FIG. 36 ). In the humidification rotor spoon system, the humidification filter 533a is not directly immersed in water, and when the humidification rotor 533b rotates, the spoons 533ba collect water in the water supply part 532d of the humidification tray 532. The humidification rotor 533b rotates further, and when the spoons 533ba move near the uppermost position, the spoons 533ba drop water onto the humidification filter 533a, whereby water is supplied to the humidification filter 533a.

Industrial application

The air purifier according to the present invention is useful as an air purifier where tightness is easily ensured in a housing.

List of reference signs

10, 100, 200, 300, 400, 510 Air Purifier

11,511 Housing

11a, 511a Intake port

11b, 511b Discharge port

11c Door

11ca Shooter

11d, 511e Flange (sealing media)

11 e Sealing member (sealing media)

12, 512 Air blowing device

12a, 512a Fan (air blowing fan)

12b, 512b Fan motor

12aa, 512aa Part of the cube

12ab, 512ab Palette

15, 515 Opening

20, 520 Air Purification Filter

30, 530 Humidification set

31 Tank

32 Tray

32a, 532c Tank receiving part

32b, 532d Water supply part

32c, 532e Part of the support

32d, 511da Shooter

33, 533 Humidification element

33a, 533a Humidification filter

33b, 533b Humidification rotor

33c Water extraction part

33d, 533c Rotating axis of the rotor

33e First drive part

33ea Driven Gear

33eb Drive gear

33f Second part of drive

33fa Driven gear

33fb Driven gear

35 Engine driven

511c First side plate

511ca Shooter

511g Concave part (concave part on the side of the housing) 511j Convex part (convex part on the side of the housing) 521 Dust collector filter (second filter)

521bb Top surface (top surface of second filter) 522 Deodorizing filter (First filter)

523 Filter box

523a Convex part (convex part of box side) 523c Concave part (concave part of box side)

524 Airflow Guide

525 Filter detection sensor

531 Humidification tank (Tank)

532 Humidification Tray (Tray)

532b Lower surface (Motion restriction part)

534 Humidification motor

R1, S1 Air blow chamber

R2, S2 Air purification chamber

R3, S3 Humidification chamber

List of quotes

Patent Bibliography

[Patent Bibliography 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-283545

Claims (8)

1. An air purifier (10, 510), comprising: an air purification filter (20, 520) configured to pass air therethrough in the vertical direction and remove dust contained in the air; a humidification assembly (30, 530) including a humidification element (33, 533) configured to vaporize the supplied water and humidify the air; an air blowing fan (12a, 512a) configured to blow air; and a housing (11,511) housing the humidification assembly, the air purification filter and the air blowing fan, an opening (15, 515) being formed in the housing, characterized by: The air blowing fan, air purification filter and humidification assembly are arranged in the order listed from bottom inside the casing; The housing is configured such that the opening allows the humidification assembly and the air purification filter to be separated through the opening; The air blowing fan is set to blow air to the air purification filter and humidification assembly; The humidification assembly is arranged in alignment with the air purification filter on a downstream side of the air purification filter relative to a movement path through which the air purification filter is separated, and is arranged above the air purification filter; and The housing is configured such that the opening allows the air purification filter to be separated after the humidification assembly has been separated. 2. The air purifier according to claim 1, further comprising: a sealing means (11d, 11e, 511e) arranged on an upstream side of the air purification filter with respect to the movement path of the air purification filter and configured to seal a space between the air purification filter and the housing. 3. The air purifier according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the humidification assembly includes: a tank (31,531) configured to accumulate water; a tray (32, 532) configured to receive water from the tank; and a humidifying filter (33a, 533a) configured to hold water supplied from the tray and humidify the air by vaporizing the water. 4. The air purifier (510) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The humidification assembly has a movement restriction part (532b) configured to restrict the air purification filter from moving upward when the humidification assembly and the air purification filter are attached in the housing. 5. The air purifier according to claim 4, further comprising: a filter housing (523) housing at least part of the air purification filter, where The filter box includes an air flow guide (524) configured to guide air that has passed through the air purification filter to the humidification assembly, and The movement restriction portion is configured to be in contact with an upper portion of the airflow guide. 6. The air purifier according to claim 5, wherein The air purification filter includes a first filter (522) and a second filter (521) disposed below the first filter, the filter box accommodating the first filter, The filter housing is configured to slide over an upper surface (521 bb) of the second filter when the first filter accommodated in the filter housing is attached to the housing, and The filter housing is configured to be in contact with the upper surface of the second filter after the first filter housed in the filter housing has been fixed to the housing. 7. The air purifier according to claim 6, wherein a box-side convex portion (523a) or a box-side concave portion (523c) is formed in the filter box (523), and a housing-side concave portion (511g) or a housing-side convex portion (511j), which is configured to fit with the case-side convex portion or the case-side concave portion formed in the filter case when the first filter housed in the filter case is attached to the housing, are formed in the housing (523). 8. The air purifier according to claim 7, further comprising: a filter detection sensor (525) configured to detect whether or not the first filter is attached to the housing.