JP2000266376A - Humidifier - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent large quantities of hot water and steam from overflowing at once from a container in the case of overturning a humidifier. SOLUTION: In this humidifier comprising a water storage container 13, an evaporating container 15 receiving water 5 from the container 13 for setting the water level to the same as that of the container 13, a pipeline 17 for connecting the two containers 13, 15, a heater 16 for heating the water 5 supplied through the pipeline 17, and a gravity type shutting-off mechanism 30 for shutting off hot water 5 and steam in response to an attitude of the humidifier, so that hot water 5 and steam 9 will not flow out to an exterior, when the humidifier is inclined at a prescribed angle or larger, mechanism 30 has a support having an opening of a prescribed size for discharging the steam at a prescribed position of a recess, and a passage of a size for communicating with the opening of the support to guide the steam to the outside, a weight at a periphery of the passage of the opening side, and a sphere 33 movably mounted at the support.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heating humidifier for discharging steam generated by heating water. In detail, a simple shut-off mechanism that shuts out the flow of hot water and steam according to the position of the humidifier is provided, and when the humidifier falls down, a large amount of hot water and Is prevented from overflowing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, humidifiers have been often used in ordinary homes and offices to prevent air from drying in living rooms, reception rooms, conference rooms, and the like. Humidifiers are classified into an ultrasonic type that emits water by vibrating water with ultrasonic waves and a heating type that emits steam by heating water.

FIG. 22 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration example of a heating type humidifier 1 according to a conventional system. Humidifier 1 shown in FIG.
Has a tank storage container 2, and a tank 3 having a water inlet 3A is mounted upside down. That is, since the water inlet 3A is mounted toward the bottom of the tank container 2, the atmospheric pressure is not applied to the water surface C inside the tank after the tank is mounted. A valve body (not shown) is attached to the water inlet 3A, and when the tank 3 is mounted on the tank storage container 2, the valve body is opened by the projection 4 or the like, so that the water 5 can flow out.

[0004] A heating section 6 is provided adjacent to the tank housing 2 to heat water 5 supplied from the tank 3. The heating section 6 has a pan 6A for evaporation and a heat source 6B. The heat source 6B is attached to a lower portion of the evaporating dish 6A, and predetermined heat energy is applied to the water 5 of the dish 6A. For this purpose, a pipe 7 is provided so as to connect the tank container 2 and the plate 6A in the horizontal direction. In this type of humidifier 1, the water level A of the heating unit 6 and the water level B of the tank storage container 2 become equal due to the atmospheric pressure, but the water level (water surface C) in the tank and the water level A of the heating unit 6 are different. State (Pascal's principle).

Accordingly, when the water 5 in the heating unit 6 is heated and the hot water is reduced by evaporation, the heating unit 6 is removed from the tank 3.
Water 5 is supplied. This watering principle is almost equivalent to a bird waterer. A steam guide member 8 is attached to an upper portion of the heating unit 6, and the steam 9 is guided and discharged to the outside. The steam 9 can prevent the drying of air in a living room, a reception room, a conference room, or the like. According to the heating type, the surroundings of the humidifier are not stained white as compared with the ultrasonic type.

[0006]

However, the conventional heating type humidifier has the following problems. Since the tank 3 is mounted with the water inlet 3A facing the bottom of the tank container 2, water 5 cannot be supplied into the tank while the tank 3 is mounted.
Therefore, after the tank 3 is extracted from the tank storage container 2, the water 5 must be replenished in the tank, and the operability at the time of water replenishment is poor. By the way, if we adopt a structure in which the water inlet 3A is provided at the top of the tank 3 in the inverted state without any contrivance,
Since the atmospheric pressure is applied to the tank during the water supply, the water level of the heating unit 6 rises and overflows.

When the shape of the dish portion 6A is devised so that water can be poured from above the tank storage container (hereinafter also referred to as a water storage container) 2, the dish portion 6A (hereinafter also referred to as an evaporation container). If the humidifier 10 is accidentally overturned when the water level is high, a large amount of hot water and steam may flow out at once.

Therefore, the present invention solves such a conventional problem, and when the humidifier falls down, a large amount of hot water and steam overflow from the steam generating container at once. It is an object of the present invention to propose a humidifier capable of preventing the humidification.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a humidifier according to the present invention comprises: a container for storing water; a container for generating steam for evaporating water received from the container for storing water; A humidifier having a pipe connecting the steam generation container and the water storage container, and a heating unit for heating water supplied through the pipe, wherein the humidifier is inclined at a predetermined angle or more. A gravitational shutoff mechanism for shutting off hot water and steam in accordance with the position of the humidifier so that hot water and steam heated by the heating unit do not flow outside. A support having an opening of a predetermined size for discharging steam to a predetermined position, a passage having a size communicating with the opening of the support for guiding the steam to the outside, and It has a weight around the passage on the opening side and can move freely on the support It is characterized in that it has a mounted spheroids.

According to the present invention, when the humidifier maintains a predetermined posture, the spherical body is located at a position where the opening of the support and the passage are aligned, and the outflow of steam is released. When the humidifier does not maintain the predetermined posture, there is a spherical body at a position where the opening of the support and the passage deviate from each other so as to block outflow of steam and hot water. .

Therefore, when the humidifier falls down, it is possible to prevent a large amount of hot water and steam from overflowing from the steam generating container at one time. Moreover, a heating humidifier that can be filled with water from the top of the water storage container can be configured.

[0012]

Next, an embodiment of a humidifier according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a humidifier 100 as an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a simple shut-off mechanism that can shut off the outflow of hot water and steam according to the attitude of the humidifier is provided, and when the humidifier falls down, a large amount of steam is generated from the steam generation container at a time. The hot water and steam can be prevented from overflowing.

The humidifier 100 according to the present invention has a rectangular parallelepiped housing 11 shown in FIG. Although the size of the housing 11 depends on the capacity of the humidifier 100, the width W is about 12 cm, the length L is about 40 cm, and the height H is about 30 cm for general household use. A display unit 10 such as an operation slide switch or a light emitting diode (LED) is attached to the front surface of the housing. A lid 12 is attached to an upper portion of the housing 11. On the left side of the lid 12, a steam outlet 12A is formed. In this example, when the lid 12 is removed from the upper part of the housing, a water storage space (hereinafter, referred to as a water storage container 13) as a water storage container capable of being poured from the upper part is arranged at substantially the center, and the humidifying water 5 is filled therein. .

In this housing 11, a water storage container 13 shown in FIG.
A bottomed evaporator mounting part 14 is arranged adjacent to the, and a container for generating steam (hereinafter, referred to as an evaporating container) 15 is mounted. The evaporator mounting portion 14 is provided with the steam jet port 12 of the lid 12.
The evaporator mounting portion 14 is positioned below the water storage container 13 by a partition member (heat insulating wall) 14A with good watertightness. The evaporator mounting portion itself constitutes one room with good water tightness. However, if water 5 accumulates in the evaporator mounting portion, a drain plug is provided on the back surface of the housing 11 to remove the water 5. A member 11A is provided. The plug member 11A may be provided at the pipe 17 or at the lowest part of the water storage container 13 in addition to the evaporator mounting portion 14.

A heating section 16 is disposed substantially at the bottom of the evaporator mounting section 14, and an evaporation vessel 15 is provided on the heating section 16. In this example, a heating unit separation type in which the heating unit 16 and the evaporation container 15 can be separated, and a heating unit integrated type in which the heating unit 16 and the evaporation container 15 are integrated are the targets. In this example, the evaporating container 15 receives the water 5 from the water storage container 13 and has the same water level as the water storage container 13. For this purpose, the evaporating container 15 and the water storage container 13
Are tied together.

That is, the pipe line 17 is connected between a drain port 13A extending downward from the bottom of the water storage container 13 and a water supply port 15A extending downward from the bottom of the evaporation container 15. Water 5 is supplied. The pipe 17 is formed by processing and shaping a synthetic resin or hard rubber.

In a heating section 16 provided below the evaporating vessel 15, the water 5 supplied through a pipe 17 is heated. The heating unit 16 is provided at a position higher than the pipe 17 and adjacent to the evaporation container 15. This is because, by utilizing the property that the warm hot water 5 ′ rises but does not easily propagate downward, the heat escaping from the evaporation container 15 to the water storage container 13 through the pipe 17 is reduced.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the heating vessel 15 of the heating part separation type. The evaporating vessel 15 shown in FIG. 3 includes a bottomed heating vessel 16C and a steam generating tubular body (hereinafter referred to as an evaporating tubular body) 18 detachably engaged with the heating vessel 16C. Have. This evaporating cylinder 1
Reference numeral 8 denotes a heat-resistant cylindrical body having a height h11 substantially equal to the depth of the water storage container 13. Diameter φ11 of evaporating cylinder 18
Is about 30 mm to 70 mm. The evaporating cylinder 18 is made of aluminum, its alloy, heat-resistant resin, ceramics or heat-resistant glass which is processed into a cylindrical shape. The upper and lower portions of the evaporating cylinder 18 are open, and a lower peripheral portion of the evaporating cylinder 18 is provided with, for example, a brim 18A.
have. The collar 18A is attached so as to be hooked on the edge of the heating container 16C.

Since the water 5 leaks in this state, a packing member 19 having good watertightness is attached between the heating vessel 16C and the flange 18A of the evaporating cylinder 18. An O-ring made of hard rubber is used for the packing member 19. A water supply port 15A is provided at the bottom in the evaporating container, and is connected to the above-mentioned conduit 17.

A heat source 16A is attached to the outer peripheral portion near the bottom in the evaporation container. The heat source section 16A is composed of an electric heater (band heater) using a nichrome wire of about 200 to 400 W, depending on the capacity of the humidifier 100. When the heat source portion 16A is formed of a band heater, the heat source portion 16A is inserted and fitted in a groove 16B provided in the outer peripheral portion of the heating portion 16 in advance. Since the evaporating cylinder 18 is detachably attached to the heating vessel 16C in this heating section separation type, cleaning of the inside of the heating vessel can be easily performed as compared with the heating section integrated type.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the structure of the evaporating vessel 151 integrated with the heating section. Evaporation container 151 shown in FIG.
Is a heat-resistant cylindrical body having a height h12 substantially equal to the depth of the water storage container 13 described above. The diameter φ12 of the evaporating container 151 is 30 in the same manner as in the evaporating container 15 of the heating part separation type.
mm to about 70 mm. As the evaporating container 151, aluminum, an alloy thereof, a heat-resistant resin, or ceramics formed into a bottomed and cylindrical shape is used. A water supply port 15A is provided at the bottom in the evaporating container, and is connected to the above-mentioned conduit 17. A heat source section 16A similar to the heating section-separated type is attached to the outer peripheral portion near the bottom in the evaporation container.
In this integrated heating section, since the cylindrical portion for generating steam and the heating section 16 are formed integrally, there is no water leakage.

FIG. 5 is a front sectional view showing an operation example of the humidifier 100. In this example, when the water 5 is poured from the upper part of the water storage container 13, the water storage container 13 and the evaporating container 15 are connected by the pipe 17, so that the water level B of the water storage container 13 is directly changed to the water level A of the evaporating cylinder 18. Becomes When the water 5 in the evaporation container is heated by the heating unit 16, the water 5 is heated by the heating unit 16 because the heating unit 16 is provided at a position higher than the pipe 17 and adjacent to the evaporation container 15. The water 5 (hot water) flows exclusively in the evaporating vessel 15.

Therefore, the vapor 9 can be released from the upper part of the evaporating container 15. Moreover, the water 5 at a position lower than the heating unit 16 is less likely to be warmed up than the water 5 at a position higher than the heating unit 16. As a result, the line 1
7, the amount of heat escaping to the water storage container 13 can be minimized. Thereby, the heating type humidifier 100 which can inject water from the upper part of the water storage container 13 can be constituted.

In the above example, the water 5 in the evaporating cylinder 18 is entirely heated by the heating unit 16. Ideally, only the water 5 in the upper part of the evaporating cylinder 18 is boiled to produce steam 9
Is released, heat energy can be used efficiently.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing an example of the structure of the floating heating unit 110. As shown in FIG. The heating unit 110 shown in FIG. 6 has an annular heat-resistant floating member (doughnut-shaped float) 111. The size of the floating member 111 has an outer diameter φ14 smaller than the inner diameter φ13 of the evaporating cylinder 18. The evaporating cylinder 18 is attached to a tray 121 without the heating unit 16. A water supply port 15 </ b> A is formed in the receiving part 121 and connected to the pipe 17.

The floating member 111 is formed by processing a heat-resistant resin into a floating ring shape. A waterproof electric heater (sheath waterproof heater) is attached to the floating member 111 as the heat source section 16A. The electric heater is joined to a lower portion of the floating member 111 by an adhesive or the like. The electric heater is connected to a waterproof cord 112 having a length longer than the height of the evaporating cylinder 18, guided to the outside of the evaporating cylinder 18, and connected to a power control circuit (not shown). The connection portion (charged portion) between the electric heater and the waterproof cord 112 may be solidified with an adhesive having good watertightness, insulation and heat resistance.
As the adhesive, an epoxy-based two-component mixed type is preferable.

Floating member 11 equipped with this electric heater
1 is used while floating on water 5 in an evaporation container. As a result, only the water 5 in the upper part of the evaporating cylinder 18 is heated, and the vicinity of the water surface boils to release the steam 9. Therefore, heat energy can be used more efficiently than when the heating unit 110 is provided around the bottom of the evaporation container 15.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a component assembling example for explaining another function of preventing the rotation of the floating heating section 120. In this example, the inner wall surface of the evaporation container 113 is formed so as to protrude to the outside in a convex shape, and the convex portion 114 forms a concave groove 115 along the wall surface in the evaporation container.
Further, an annular floating member (which may have a columnar shape) 117 having a convex portion 116 shown in FIG. That is, the convex portion 116 of the floating member 117 is formed by the concave groove portion 11 formed along the wall surface inside the evaporation container 113.
Fit to 5. Thereby, the concave groove 115 in the evaporation container 113 functions as a guide member and also functions as a rotation preventing member of the floating member 117. Also in this example, the waterproof electric heater 122 is mounted on the floating member 117.
Is joined to the lower part of the panel by an adhesive having good watertightness, insulation and heat resistance. The electric heater 122 is a floating member 117
It is good to pull out from the inside of the ring of the upper part. This also heats only the water in the upper part of the evaporation container 113, and the vicinity of the water surface boils to release steam.

The mechanism for preventing the rotation of the floating member of this type is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG.
8 and the shape of the evaporating container 119 may be changed. The evaporation container 119 shown in FIG. 8 has a square shape when viewed from above, and the heating unit 123 also has a square shape. The heating section 123 has a square floating member 118. Of course, the waterproof electric heater 124 also has a square shape and is joined to the lower portion of the floating member 118 by an adhesive having good watertightness, insulation, and heat resistance. It is assembled so that the four corners of the floating member 118 match the four corners of the evaporating container 119. This also prevents the rotation of the floating member 118. In addition, the evaporation container 119 and the floating member 118 are not limited to a square, but may be a triangle, a pentagon, a hexagon,
It should just be a polygon like ..

Next, the humidifier 200 provided with the gravity type breaking mechanism 20 will be described. FIG. 9 is a partially crushed sectional view showing a configuration example of a humidifier 200 as an embodiment.
The humidifier 200 according to the present invention is a water storage container 1 shown in FIG.
3, an evaporating vessel 15, a heating section 16, a pipe line 17, and a gravitational shutoff mechanism 20. The components having the same names and the same reference numerals as those of the above-described humidifier 100 have the same functions, and the description thereof will be omitted. As the heating unit 16, an evaporating cylindrical part integrated type and an evaporating cylindrical part separated type can be used.

In this example, a gravity-type shutoff mechanism 20 is attached to the steam outlet 15C of the evaporating vessel 15 shown in FIG. 9, and the hot water 5 and the steam 9 heated by the heating unit 16 are supplied to the humidifier 200. It shuts off according to a posture. For example, the gravitational shutoff mechanism 20 includes the humidifier 2
When the predetermined position of the humidifier 200 is not maintained, the outflow of the steam 9 and the hot water 5 are shut off when the predetermined position of the humidifier 200 is not maintained. Done.

The gravity-type shutoff mechanism 20 is preferably detachable from the evaporating vessel 15. For example, a female screw may be formed inside the steam outlet 15C of the evaporating container 15, and a male screw may be formed on the outer peripheral portion of the gravity-type shutoff mechanism 20, and fixed with a water-tight packing member therebetween. By removing the gravity-type shut-off mechanism 20, the inside of the evaporation container 15 can be easily cleaned.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a component assembly showing an example of the structure of the gravity type breaking mechanism 20. When the gravity type blocking mechanism 20 shown in FIG. 10 is applied to the cylindrical evaporation container 15 shown in FIG. 3, the steam outlet 15C of the evaporation container 15 is used.
And a disk-shaped support 21 large enough to cover the disk. When applied to the rectangular parallelepiped evaporating container 119 shown in FIG. 8, a rectangular support having a size capable of covering the vapor outlet of the evaporating container 119 may be prepared. The gravity-type shutoff mechanism 20 may use a heat-resistant watertight member. For example, aluminum, its alloy, heat-resistant resin or ceramics is used for the watertight member.

An opening 21A for discharging the steam 9 is provided at the center of the support 21. Around the opening 21A of the support 21, two or more pillars 22A
To 22D. In this example, four pillar portions 22A
-22D are attached. These support portions 22A to 22D
Is a disc-shaped valve element 23 having a larger diameter than the opening 21A.
Is movably attached, and closes the opening 21A with the valve body 23 pushed up, and opens the opening 21A with the valve body 23 lowered. A disc-shaped retaining portion 24 having substantially the same diameter as the valve body 23 is attached to the support portions 22A to 22D as engaging portion supporting portions by engaging screws 25A to 25D, and the disc-shaped valve body 23 is supported by the retaining members. Is done.

In this example, the support 2
A floating distance d is defined between 1 and the retaining portion 24. The valve body 23 can freely move up and down between the floating distances d (see FIG. 11). A hole 24A is formed in the center of the retaining portion 24, and the pendulum 2 for moving the valve body is formed.
6 is fitted. This pendulum part 26 has a valve body 2 at one end.
3 has a pressing portion 27 of a predetermined shape for pushing up, and a spherical weight 28 at the other end. Of course, pressing part 2
7 is assembled in a state where it is inserted into the central portion of the support portion 22A to 22D before the retaining portion 24 is attached to the column portion.
The weight 28 has a female screw formed in the center, and the pressing portion 27
Is fixed by screwing with the male screw formed in the above.

Next, the operation of the gravity type breaking mechanism 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation example (at the time of normal operation) of the gravity type breaking mechanism 20, and FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation example (at the time of overturning). In this example, the steam outlet 15C of the evaporation container 15 shown in FIG.
It is assumed that the gravity-type shutoff mechanism 20 is attached to the.

For example, when the humidifier 200 maintains a predetermined posture, that is, when the humidifier 200 shown in FIG.
When the normal posture is maintained, the weight 28 maintains the posture at the position based on gravity.
The opening 21A is opened in a state where the disc-shaped valve body 23 movably attached to D is lowered. Therefore, the outflow of the steam 9 is released from the gap at the floating distance d.

When the predetermined posture of the humidifier 200 is not maintained, that is, when the evaporating container 15 shown in FIG. 12 is tilted by an angle θ1 from a certain reference plane,
As the pendulum unit 26 maintains its posture and is between the floating distance d, the weight 28 is inclined with respect to the humidifier 200 at a position based on gravity, so that the pressing unit 27 is pushed up. By pushing up the pressing portion 27, the support portion 2
Since the disc-shaped valve body 23 movably attached to 2A to 22D is pushed up, the opening 21A is closed. Therefore, the outflow of the steam 9 and the hot water 5 is blocked by the valve body 23.

Thus, when the humidifier 200 falls down, it is possible to prevent a large amount of hot water 5 and steam 9 from overflowing from the evaporation container 15 at one time. Moreover,
Heated humidifier 20 that can be filled with water from the top of water storage container 13
0 can be configured. In this example, the water storage container 13
Although the description has been given of the case where the gravity type shutoff mechanism 20 is applied to the humidifier 200 in which the water level of the evaporating container 15 is the same as the water level of the evaporating container 15, the water level of the water storage container 13 and the water level of the evaporating container 15 are different. The gravity type breaking mechanism 20 can be applied to the conventional humidifier 10.

Next, a humidifier 300 provided with another gravity type breaking mechanism 30 will be described. FIG. 13 is a partially crushed sectional view showing a configuration example of the humidifier 300 as the embodiment. The humidifier 300 according to the present invention has a water storage container 13, an evaporating container 15, a heating unit 16, a pipeline 17, and a gravitational shutoff mechanism 30 shown in FIG. Humidifier 100 described above
The components having the same names and the same reference numerals have the same functions, and the description thereof will be omitted. As the heating unit 16, an evaporating cylindrical part integrated type and an evaporating cylindrical part separated type can be used.

In this example, the evaporating vessel 15 shown in FIG.
A gravity-type shutoff mechanism 30 is attached to the steam outlet 15 </ b> C, and cuts off the hot water 5 and the steam 9 heated by the heating unit 16 according to the attitude of the humidifier 300. Also in this example, the gravity type blocking mechanism 30 is connected to the evaporating vessel 1.
5 is preferably detachable. For example, a female screw is formed inside the steam outlet 15C of the evaporation container 15, and a male screw is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the gravity-type shutoff mechanism 30, and fixed with a water-tight packing member therebetween. By removing the gravity-type shutoff mechanism 30, the evaporating vessel 15
Cleaning of the inside can be easily performed.

FIG. 14 is a component assembly perspective view showing an example of the structure of the gravity type breaking mechanism 30. As shown in FIG. 14 has a disk-shaped support 31 large enough to cover the steam outlet 15C of the evaporation container 15. The same watertight member as the gravity-type shutoff mechanism 20 is used for the gravity-type shutoff mechanism 30. A hemispherical recess 32 is formed at the center of the support 31, and an opening 31 A having a predetermined diameter for passing the steam 9 is provided at the center of the recess 32.

A spherical body 33 is movably attached to the hemispherical concave portion 32. A passage 34 having substantially the same diameter as the opening 31A of the support 31 is provided at the center of the spherical body 33 to guide the vapor 9 to the outside. In addition, a weight 35 is fixedly provided substantially along the hemisphere on the opening side of the support 31 and around the passage 34. Due to the weight 35, the spherical body 33 can always maintain a predetermined posture in which the passage 34 is oriented in the vertical direction.

In this state, the spherical body 33 is replaced with the hemispherical concave portion 32.
After being fitted, the spherical body 33 is prevented from falling off from the upper part of the spherical body 33 by a donut-shaped retaining portion 36, and the spherical body 33 is movable. Therefore, in the center of the retaining portion 36, the inside thereof is
Hole 3 having a shape substantially along the hemispherical portion protruding from 2
6A is formed, and the spherical body 33 is made to protrude.

Next, the operation of the gravity type breaking mechanism 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation example (at the time of normal operation) of the gravity type breaking mechanism 30, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation example (at the time of falling). In this example, the steam outlet 15C of the evaporation container 15 shown in FIG.
It is assumed that the gravity-type cutoff mechanism 30 is attached to the.

For example, when the humidifier 300 maintains a predetermined posture, that is, the humidifier 300 shown in FIG.
When the normal posture is maintained, the weight 35 is fixed at a position based on gravity, and the spherical body 33 movably attached to the support 31 allows the opening 31A of the support 31 and the spherical body to be opened. The position where the passage 33 is aligned with the passage 34 is obtained. Therefore, the outflow of the vapor 9 from the evaporation container 15 to the outside is released.

When the humidifier 300 cannot maintain the predetermined posture, that is, when the evaporating container 15 shown in FIG. 16 is inclined from the reference plane by the angle θ2,
The weight 35 is fixed at a position based on gravity. However, since the evaporating container 15 is inclined by the angle θ2, the opening 31A of the support 31 and the passage 34 of the spherical body 33 are not aligned. Therefore, the outflow of the hot water 5 and the steam 9 from the evaporation container 15 to the outside is shut off.

Thus, when the humidifier 300 falls down, it is possible to prevent a large amount of hot water 5 and steam 9 from overflowing from the evaporation container 15 at one time. Moreover,
Heated humidifier 30 that can be filled with water from the top of water storage container 13
0 can be configured. This gravity-type shutoff mechanism 30
Can also be applied to the conventional humidifier 10 in which the water level of the water storage container 13 and the water level of the evaporation container 15 are different.

Next, the humidifier 400 provided with another gravity type blocking mechanism 40 will be described. FIG. 17 is a partially crushed sectional view showing a configuration example of a humidifier 400 as the embodiment. The humidifier 400 according to the present invention has a water storage container 13, an evaporating container 15, a heating unit 16, a pipeline 17, and a gravitational shutoff mechanism 40 shown in FIG. Humidifier 100 described above
The components having the same names and the same reference numerals have the same functions, and the description thereof will be omitted. As the heating unit 16, an evaporating cylindrical part integrated type and an evaporating cylindrical part separated type can be used.

In this example, the evaporating vessel 15 shown in FIG.
A gravity-type shutoff mechanism 40 is attached to the steam outlet 15C of the humidifier 400 so as to shut off the hot water 5 and the steam 9 heated by the heating unit 16 according to the posture of the humidifier 400. Also in this example, the gravity type blocking mechanism 40 is connected to the evaporating vessel 1.
5 is preferably detachable. For example, a female screw is formed inside the steam outlet 15C of the evaporation container 15, and a male screw is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the gravity-type shutoff mechanism 40, and fixed with a packing member having good watertightness therebetween. By removing the gravity shut-off mechanism 40, the evaporating vessel 15
Cleaning of the inside can be easily performed.

FIG. 18 is a component assembly perspective view showing an example of the structure of the gravity type breaking mechanism 40. As shown in FIG. The gravity type blocking mechanism 40 has a disk-shaped support 41 large enough to cover the air outlet 15C of the evaporation container 15. The same watertight member as the gravity-type shutoff mechanism 20 is used for the gravity-type shutoff mechanism 40. The support 41 shown in FIG. 18 has a hole 41A for engagement at the center, and a cone-shaped weight storage section 42 is provided on the hole, and furthermore, around the weight storage section 42. Are provided with openings 43A to 43D for blowing out steam. In this example, four openings 43A to 43D are provided.

The bottom of the weight storage section 42 has a conical shape, and contains a weight ball 44 of a predetermined size. The weight ball 44 is always positioned near the center of the conical bottom by gravity. From the bottom of the weight storage section 42 to the support 4
The valve body supporting projection 45 having a length penetrating through the hole 41A is fitted into the one hole 41A through a spring body 46. The protrusion 45 is provided with a retaining portion 45A, and a spring body 46 having a predetermined urging force is attached thereto. A valve body 47 of a predetermined size is attached to the protrusion 45 by a screw 48 for engagement.
The openings 43A to 43D are closed.

A spring or a coil spring is used as the above-mentioned spring body 46, and has such a biasing force that it can be easily contracted by the weight of the weight ball 44 and can lift the valve body 47. The upper part of the weight storage part 42 is the spring body 4
6. At the time when the projection 45 and the weight ball 44 are included, they are sealed by the top plate member 49. This is to prevent these members from jumping out of the weight storage section 42 to the outside.

Next, the operation of the gravity type breaking mechanism 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation example (at a normal time) of the gravity type breaking mechanism 40, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation example (at the time of falling). In this example, the steam outlet 15C of the evaporation container 15 shown in FIG.
It is assumed that the gravity-type shut-off mechanism 40 is attached to the.

For example, when the humidifier 400 maintains a predetermined posture, that is, when the evaporating vessel 1 shown in FIG.
5 keeps the normal posture,
Since the inner weight ball 44 is located at the center of the conical bottom due to gravity, it pushes against the retaining portion 45A of the protrusion 45, and the weight of the weight ball 44 exceeds the urging force of the spring body 46. Open the body 47. Therefore, the outflow of the vapor 9 from the evaporation container 15 to the outside is released.

When the humidifier 400 cannot maintain the predetermined posture, that is, when the evaporating container 15 shown in FIG. 20 is inclined at an arbitrary angle from a certain reference plane, the weight storage section 42 Weight ball 4 indicated by the two-dot chain line
4 comes out of the center of the conical bottom and does not push the retaining portion 45A of the projection 45, so that the spring body 46
The valve body 47 is closed by the urging force of the above. Therefore, the outflow of the hot water 5 and the steam 9 from the evaporation container 15 to the outside is shut off.

Thus, in the case where the humidifier 400 falls down, it is possible to prevent a large amount of hot water 5 and steam 9 from overflowing from the evaporating container 15 at one time. Moreover,
Heated humidifier 40 that can be filled with water from the top of water storage container 14
0 can be configured. This gravity-type shutoff mechanism 40
Can also be applied to the conventional humidifier 10 in which the water level of the water storage container 14 and the water level of the evaporation container 15 are different.

Next, an example of a circuit configuration applicable to each humidifier will be described. FIG. 21 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration example of the humidifier 100. In this example, the heat source section 16A is automatically controlled according to the amount of water in the evaporation container. The humidifier 100 of this example has a power switch SW shown in FIG. A power supply circuit 84 is connected to the power supply switch SW, and a part of the commercial power supply is stepped down to a voltage for operating power supply. A method of directly supplying the commercial power to the heat source section 16A, a method of supplying the commercial power at a low voltage, and a method of boosting the commercial power to a high voltage are used. In any case, it suffices to conform to the Electrical Appliance and Material Control Law.

The power supply circuit 84 is connected to a relay circuit 85 and an AC-DC converter 86. Relay circuit 8
At 5, the optimum voltage processed by the power supply circuit 84 is selected. Further, switching control of the voltage supplied to the heat source unit 16A may be performed according to the amount of water in the evaporation container. The heat source 16A is connected to the relay circuit 85, and a predetermined voltage is supplied to a band heater or the like, so that predetermined heat energy is given to the water 5 from the heating unit 16.

On the other hand, the AC-D connected to the power supply circuit 84
In the C converter 86, the voltage for the operation power supply is converted into a DC voltage, and is supplied to the CPU (Central Processing Unit) 87 and the light source 95 of the operation display mechanism 80 described above. Depending on the structure of the humidifier, a motor control circuit 88, a motor 89 and a fan 96 are provided. At that time, the DC voltage is supplied to the motor control circuit 88 and the motor 89. The humidifier 1 in which the water level in the tank is different from the water level in the evaporating container as in the conventional system is provided with the fan 96 to blow the steam 9.

The CPU 87 is connected to an LED and a slide switch constituting the display unit 10, and is connected to a float sensor 97 and a humidity sensor 98. A display unit 10 such as an operation slide switch or a light emitting diode (LED) is attached to the front of the housing. The slide switch is operated so that the operating time of the humidifier and the indoor humidity can be set. The setting result is LE
D is displayed on the display unit 10.

The float sensor 97 preferably detects an analog amount. Even a single on / off detection float sensor can perform on / off control of the heat source unit 16A based on the water level. In this example, a float sensor 97 is provided at a position where the lowest water level of the evaporating container 15, the pipe line 17, or the water storage container 13 is provided, the amount of water is detected at these positions, and a water level detection signal S1 is output to the CPU 87. Further, the heat source unit 16A is automatically controlled according to the humidity set value by the slide switch and the indoor humidity detection signal S2 obtained from the humidity sensor 98. For example, when the indoor humidity value obtained by the humidity sensor 98 is larger than a preset humidity set value, the heat source unit 16 is controlled to reduce the humidity.
Voltage control is performed in such a manner that the voltage supply value of A is reduced, for example.

On the contrary, when the indoor humidity value obtained by the humidity sensor 98 becomes smaller than the preset humidity set value, the voltage supply value of the heat source section 16A is increased, for example, so as to increase the humidity. Is controlled by the voltage. This allows
When the water level of the evaporating container 15 is high or low, the optimum steam 9 can be discharged into the room. This circuit configuration example is not limited to the humidifier 100, and can be applied to other humidifiers 200 to 400.

[0064]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A gravitational shutoff mechanism having an opening, a passage, and a spherical body is provided to shut out the outflow of hot water and steam according to the position of the humidifier. With this configuration, when the humidifier maintains a predetermined posture, a spherical body is provided at a position where the opening and the passage are aligned to release the outflow of steam. When the predetermined posture is no longer maintained, there is a spherical body at a position where the opening and the passage deviate from each other so as to block outflow of steam and hot water. Therefore, when the humidifier falls down, a large amount of hot water and steam can be prevented from overflowing from the steam generating container at once. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is very suitable when applied to a heating humidifier that can inject water from the top of a water storage container and that emits steam generated by heating water.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a humidifier 100 as an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of an evaporator attachment section 14 as viewed from the top of the housing.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of an evaporation container 15 of a heating part separation type.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of an evaporating container 151 integrated with a heating unit.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation example of the humidifier 100 as viewed from the front of the housing.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration example of a floating heating unit 110.

FIG. 7 is a component assembly perspective view showing a configuration example of another floating heating unit 120.

FIG. 8 is a component assembly perspective view showing a configuration example of another floating heating unit 123.

FIG. 9 is a partially broken sectional view showing a configuration example of a humidifier 200 as an embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a component assembly perspective view showing a configuration example of a gravity type breaking mechanism 20.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation example (normal operation) of the gravity-type shutoff mechanism 20.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation example (at the time of falling) of the gravity type breaking mechanism 20;

FIG. 13 is a partially crushed sectional view showing a configuration example of a humidifier 300 as an embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a component assembly perspective view showing a configuration example of a gravity type blocking mechanism 30.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation example (at a normal time) of the gravity type breaking mechanism 30.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation example (at the time of falling) of the gravity type breaking mechanism 30.

FIG. 17 is a partially crushed sectional view showing a configuration example of a humidifier 400 as an embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a component assembly perspective view showing a configuration example of a gravity type blocking mechanism 40.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation example (normal operation) of the gravity-type shutoff mechanism 40.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation example (at the time of falling) of the gravity type breaking mechanism 40.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration example of the humidifier 100.

FIG. 22 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration example of a humidifier 1 according to a conventional method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 13 water storage container (water storage container, water storage storage container) 14 evaporator mounting part 15 evaporator container (steam generation container) 16 heating unit 17 conduit 18 evaporating cylindrical body 20, 30, 40 gravity-type shut-off mechanism 21 , 31, 41 Support 23, 47 Valve 26 Pendulum 28, 35 Weight 33 Spherical 42 Weight storage 44 Weight sphere 100-400 Humidifier

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A container for storing water, a container for generating steam for evaporating water received from the container for storing water, a pipe connecting the container for generating steam and the container for storing water, and the pipe A humidifier having a heating unit for heating water supplied through a passage, wherein when the humidifier is inclined by a predetermined angle or more, the hot water and steam heated by the heating unit are prevented from flowing out. A gravitational shutoff mechanism for shutting off the hot water and steam according to the posture of the humidifier, wherein the shutoff mechanism has an opening of a predetermined size for discharging steam at a predetermined position of the concave portion. A support, having a passage sized to communicate with the opening of the support for guiding the vapor to the outside, and having a weight around the passage on the opening side and being movable to the support; And a spherical body attached to the Humidifier. 2. The spherical body is located at a position where the opening of the support and the passage of the spherical body communicate with each other when the humidifier maintains a predetermined posture, and releases steam outflow. When the predetermined posture of the humidifier is no longer maintained, the humidifier is located at a position where the opening of the support body and the passage of the spherical body are shifted from each other so as to block outflow of steam and hot water. The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein the humidifier is made. 3. The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein a water level of the water storage container is equal to a water level of the steam generation container. 4. The water storage container according to claim 1, wherein the water storage container is a storage portion for directly storing water or a storage portion for storing a tank for storing water. One of the humidifiers. 5. The humidifier according to claim 4, wherein the tank has an opening through which water can be injected from above.