JP2002174442A - Air cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the frequency of exchange of part items of a supply fan, a light source, etc., as regulation of cleaning capacity is effectively effected and to perform constant operation of an air cleaner and increase an operation time. SOLUTION: To solve a problem described above, in the air cleaner described in item 1, having a plurality of air cleaning function parts consisting of an air purifying function parts to clean polluted air in the atmosphere and a supply fan, when demand cleaning capacity demanded by an air cleaner is within a range of cleaning capacity of a given air cleaning function part, only the air cleaning function part is operated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an air purifier capable of purifying pollutants such as odor components in the air.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an air purifier has been known in which dust in the air is removed by a dust collecting section and odor components in the atmosphere are removed by a deodorizing section. In such an air purifier, the odor component is carried to the deodorizing function unit by the blower fan, and the odor can be removed by adsorption or decomposition in the deodorizing function unit, and the dust collected by the blower fan in the dust collecting function unit. Can be removed. Also, an air purifier having a photocatalyst deodorizing function in a deodorizing function section is known (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-251028). In photocatalytic deodorizing, an odor component is carried to a photocatalyst by a blower fan and emitted from a light source. When the ultraviolet light excites the photocatalyst, the odor component adsorbed on the photocatalyst is decomposed, and the odor can be removed.

[0003]

However, in the air purifier, the purifying ability of the air purifier is adjusted by increasing or decreasing the air volume of a blower fan for circulating room air in the air purifier body. Is common. For example,
The air flow of the blower fan is set in multiple stages (strong, medium, weak, etc.) (mostly 3 stages). In the case of DC fans, the intensity of the air flow is set by increasing or decreasing the input voltage, and the purification capacity is adjusted in multiple stages It is supposed to be.

On the other hand, in the adjustment of the purifying capacity by adjusting the air volume of one blower fan, it is necessary to always operate the blower fan in order to obtain the purifying ability. In the photocatalytic deodorization, the light source also needs to be constantly operated. It is said that the life of the blower fan is about 20,000 hours, and the life of the ultraviolet lamp using the cold cathode tube is about 20,000 hours for the light source. In consideration of the constant operation and long operation time, it is necessary to replace the blower fan and the ultraviolet lamp. These replacement operations are very complicated, and there is a demand to reduce the frequency of replacement of the blower fan and the light source. Therefore, a first object of the present invention is to provide an air purifier that can reduce the frequency of replacing parts such as a blower fan and a light source while effectively adjusting the purification ability. A second object of the present invention is to assist in making the air purifier always in operation and prolonging the operation time.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an air purifier according to the present invention has a plurality of air purifying function units including an air purifying function unit for purifying polluted air in the atmosphere and a blower fan. The air purifier provided is characterized in that when the required purifying ability required for the air purifier is within the range of the purifying capacity of the predetermined air purifying function part, only the air purifying function part is operated. is there.

[0006] In the above configuration, the number of operating and the operating locations of the air purifying function section and the blower fan are controlled according to the required purifying ability, so that the purifying ability of the contaminated air is directly adjusted. For example, when there are two air purifying function units and a blower fan, when the degree of indoor air pollution is high, the air purifying function unit and the two blower fans are operated two times, and the purifying ability required to reduce the degree of pollution is lower than the air purifying function unit. If it is within the purifying capacity of one blower fan, the air purifying capacity can be adjusted by operating one fan or the like. Blow fan 2 with small air volume
Compared to the case of adjusting and using the air volume of one large air volume fan that can output the air volume of one fan, the case of adjusting the air volume by adjusting the operation number of two small air volume fans is one air fan Since the operating time per unit can be shortened, the replacement life of the blower fan can be extended. The number of the air purification function units and the number of blower fans provided in the air purification device may be two or more. For example, when there are four blowers, the air purifier may be operated with four blowers when the purifying capacity of the air purifying device is maximum, and may be operated with two blowers when the purifying capacity is medium.

An air purifier according to a second aspect of the invention is an air purifier according to the first aspect, wherein the required purifying ability at the time of starting operation is within a range of the purifying ability of the plurality of air purifying function units. The air purifying function is controlled so as to be sequentially switched.

In the above configuration, the operation switching is not forgotten as compared with the case where the user switches the operation of the air purifying function unit and the blower fan, and the operation of the air purifying function unit and the blower fan is sequentially switched without fail, so that the air is blown. Since the fans can be used evenly, the replacement life of the blower fan can be extended.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the air purifier of the first aspect, the air purifier further includes a memory for storing an operation time of each of the plurality of air purification function units, and a required purification ability at the start of the operation. When the purifying capability of the plurality of air purifying function units is within the range, the air purifying function unit that operates with the shortest operating time stored in the memory is operated.

According to the above construction, the operating time of each air purifying function unit and the blower fan is stored in a memory, and each of the air purifiers is operated so that the operating time is substantially the same. Can be further extended than the air purifier described in 2.

An air purifier according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the air purifier according to any one of the first to third aspects, further comprising a sensor for detecting a degree of air pollution, and the required purifying ability is adjusted according to the degree of air pollution. It is characterized by calculating.

In the above configuration, the degree of air pollution is determined by a sensor for detecting the degree of air pollution, and when the degree of air pollution is high, the air purification function is increased by increasing the number of operating air purification function units and blowers. However, when the degree of air pollution is low, the number of operating air purification function units and blowers can be reduced to reduce the air purification capacity, so that the air purification capacity can be adjusted efficiently without human intervention. it can.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the air purifier according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the air purifying function unit includes a photocatalyst carrying a photocatalyst and a light source for irradiating the photocatalyst with ultraviolet light. Wherein the photocatalytic deodorizing function section comprises:

According to the above configuration, since the odor component is decomposed by the photocatalyst, the odor component does not remain on the photocatalyst, and the catalyst does not need to be replaced, so that a long-term deodorizing effect can be obtained. In addition, by alternately operating the photocatalytic deodorizing function sections, the lighting time of the light source of the deodorizing function section can be shortened, so that the replacement life of the light source can be extended.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the air purifier of the fifth aspect, further comprising an odor sensor, wherein when the odor sensor has reacted to an odor exceeding a certain threshold, the blower fan is stopped. Also, the light source is lit for a predetermined time.

According to the above control method, when the odor sensor is reacting to a strong odor exceeding a certain threshold, the light source is turned on even after the blower fan is stopped. Can decompose odor components accumulated on the photocatalyst without being decomposed. For this reason, a higher performance air purifier can be obtained.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the air purifier according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, when a certain air purifying function unit fails, a failure indication is displayed, and the other air purifying function units are remaining. The purifying capacity of the fuel cell is adjusted so as to be larger than the purifying capacity that can be controlled in the non-failure state.

According to the above control method, even when the other air purifying function unit fails, the air purifying effect can be obtained by operating the remaining air purifying function units. In addition to simply driving, by operating with an increased air volume than when performing normal strong operation, it is possible to obtain an air cleaning effect close to that before failure.

An air purifier according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the air purifier according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein a front grill which can be opened and closed corresponding to each of the air purifying function units is provided on the front surface of the air purifier. The air purifying function unit with the front grille closed can be operated even when any one of the front grilles is opened.

According to the above control method, the air purifying function of the closed grill can be operated even when any of the front grills is opened. Therefore, for example, an air purifying function having a deodorizing function and an air purifying function having a dust collecting function are provided. In an air purifier equipped with a functional unit, while operating the air purifying function unit having a deodorizing function, the other front grill can be opened and the dust collecting function unit can be replaced, so that the odor is constantly generated in the living room. The dust collection function can be replaced in the room without stopping the air purifier. Here, a medium-performance filter, a HEPA filter, and the like can be given as examples of the dust collection function unit.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view of an air purifier according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In this air purifier, an air purifying function unit composed of a blower fan 1, a photocatalyst 2, an ultraviolet lamp 3, an ultraviolet lamp driving circuit 4, a medium performance filter 5, and a fan case 6 is provided in an air purifier body.
And a control board 9, and a front grill 11 and a pre-filter 16 on the air suction side of the air purifying function section, and an outlet grill 15 on the outlet side. The air is passed through the front grill, the pre-filter, the air purification function, and the blow grill in this order. An operation panel 13, a remote control receiver 14, and an odor sensor 17 are arranged on the left side of the front surface of the air purifier main body.

The pre-filter 16 is for removing relatively large dust or dirt. For example, the pre-filter 16 is made of polypropylene and has a linear shape of 210 μm, having a mesh size of about 39 pieces per inch and about 33 pieces per inch. The medium-performance filter is for removing slightly fine contaminant particles. The material is preferably a material using a charged nonwoven fabric.

As the ultraviolet lamp 3, any type of ultraviolet lamp can be used as long as it can emit light including ultraviolet light. For example, a cold cathode lamp mainly emitting a wavelength in the ultraviolet region of 320 to 420 nm is used. This is desirable in terms of life and miniaturization of the device. Photocatalyst 2
Means that a photocatalyst containing an adsorbent such as titanium oxide and activated carbon as a main raw material is supported. Titanium oxide is activated by ultraviolet energy, has a strong photocatalytic action, and has a property of oxidizing and decomposing odorous components and organic components attached to the photocatalyst 2. The structure of the photocatalyst 2 is, for example, a structure in which a plurality of flat glass nonwoven fabrics supporting a photocatalyst are laminated. The laminated structure is preferable for use as a photocatalyst because it is less likely to cast shadows than a honeycomb-shaped photocatalyst or the like and is efficiently irradiated with ultraviolet rays.

The control board 9 is equipped with a microcomputer for judging the operation mode, a memory for storing the operation state and operation time of the purifying function section, and the like.

Next, the basic operation of the air purifier will be described. When an operation switch (not shown) is turned on, the ultraviolet lamp 3 is turned on, the blower fan 1 is operated, and the contaminated air is sucked in from the front grill, and after the large dust and dirt are removed by the pre-filter 16, the cleaning function is performed. Sucked into. After fine dust and dust are removed from the sucked contaminated air by the medium-performance filter 5, odor components are captured by the photocatalyst 2. The air from which the odor component has been removed by the photocatalyst 2 is discharged from the blowing grill 15. The odor component removed by the photocatalyst 2 is decomposed into an odorless component by being irradiated with ultraviolet rays from an ultraviolet lamp.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main electrical configuration of the air purifier. A sirocco fan, an ultraviolet lamp as a light source, and a display unit are controlled by signals transmitted from an operation switch, an odor sensor, and a front panel open detection switch via a microcomputer mounted on the control board 9.

Next, the control flow will be described. FIG. 3A is an example of a flowchart showing the flow of control of the air purifier. First, in STEP 1, the process shifts to STEP 2 based on a signal sent from an operation switch provided on the main body or the remote controller for switching between automatic operation and purification capability. In STEP2
Based on the signal sent in STEP 1, the microcomputer determines whether the air purifier is operated automatically or not automatically. If the operation is not the automatic operation, the process shifts to STEP4, and shifts to the next step according to the purification ability selected by the user. Also, if there is a driving method frequently used by the user as the driving mode,
Providing a special switch that operates according to the driving method improves the usability of the user. For example, if the operation mode is set as the diaper change mode as the operation mode, if the user selects the diaper change mode at the time of diaper change,
First, drive for 15 minutes with strong deodorizing performance, and then run for 15 minutes with low deodorizing performance. According to the diaper changing mode, it is convenient that the user switches the operation without pressing the switch after the odor disappears after the user presses the switch at the time of changing the diaper. On the other hand, in the case of automatic driving, the odor sensor 12
Is processed by the microcomputer, the microcomputer selects the purifying ability set according to the degree of contamination, automatically selects the cleaning ability, and proceeds to the next step. The process proceeds to STEPs 5, 8, and 12, according to the purifying ability selected in STEPs 3 and 4. FIG. 3B shows an example of the purifying ability corresponding to the degree of contamination. The purifying ability is adjusted by a combination of the operating states of the two blowers 1 and the light source 3. The number of switching of the purification capacity and the number of switching stages of the blower fan 6 are not limited to this example.

In STEPs 9, 13 and 16, the microcomputer determines the operation time of the purifying function unit, and selects an operation mode from FIG. 3B so as to operate the purifying function unit with the shorter operation time. Steps 9, 13, and 16 can be replaced with control for operating a purifying function unit different from the purifying function unit previously operated.

In the air purifier according to the present invention, it is possible to extend the replacement life of the blower fan 1 and the ultraviolet lamp 3 by controlling the operating state and the number of the blower fan 1 and the ultraviolet lamp 3 according to the degree of air pollution. Yes, fan 1
The frequency of replacing the ultraviolet lamp 3 can be reduced. In addition, when the odor component is removed from the living room when an extremely strong odor flows into the room, even after the blower fan stops blowing, the ultraviolet lamp 3 is controlled to continue to be turned on for a while, so that the ultraviolet lamp 3 is adsorbed on the photocatalyst. By decomposing the odor component, it is possible to perform higher-performance deodorization.

FIG. 4 is a control flowchart according to the second embodiment of the present invention. First, in STEP 19, it is determined whether or not there is any abnormality (failure, life, etc.) in the purification function unit 1. If there is no abnormality, the process proceeds to STEP 20, and if there is an abnormality, STEP 2
After execution of step 2, the flow shifts to step 23. If it is determined in STEP 20 that there is no abnormality in the purification function unit 2, the process proceeds to the normal operation in STEP 21, and if there is an abnormality, the process proceeds to STEPs 26 and 27. In step 23, it is determined whether or not the purifying function unit 2 has an abnormality. If there is an abnormality, step 24 is performed.
Move to 5. By executing the control of FIG. 4 as described above,
Even when there is an abnormality in one side, the operation can be continued with the purification function unit having no abnormality. In the case of operating with one side, not only the operation with the purifying function unit having no abnormality is performed, but also the purifying operation similar to the case where two purifying function units are operated by increasing the rotation speed of the blower fan 1 and increasing the air volume. Control to get performance.

FIG. 5 is a control flowchart of the third embodiment of the present invention. First, in STEP 28, a signal is sent from a switch that detects the open / closed state of the front cover 1, and it is determined whether or not the front cover 1 is closed.
After step 29, the process proceeds to step 31. When the front cover 1 is open, the process proceeds to STEP 31 via STEP 30. ST
In EP31, it is determined whether the front cover 2 is open, and if it is closed, the process proceeds to STEP34. On the other hand, if the front cover 2 is open, the process proceeds to STEP33. Even if one side is open by the control method shown in FIG. 5, the front panel is displayed to indicate that the front panel is open, and only the remaining closed cleaning function section starts to operate, thereby cleaning the pre-filter and the medium performance. The air purifier can be operated continuously even when the filter is replaced. Also, to display that the front panel is open, if the front panel was not closed properly when replacing the filter, etc., continue to operate only with the one closed without noticing that one is open Can be prevented.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart relating to the suppression of the illuminance of the ultraviolet lamp. During the automatic operation, the illuminance of the living room is sensed by the illuminance sensor in STEP 35, and if the illuminance is about 10 lux or more, the automatic operation is continued. The amount of light leaking out can be reduced.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. The blower may be a cross flow fan or the like instead of a sirocco fan, and the shape of the photocatalyst is not limited to a laminate on a flat plate, but may be a honeycomb or the like. It may be. The number of air purifying function units is not limited to two, and the number of combinations is not limited as long as it is two or more. If the number and locations of the air purifying function units can be controlled in accordance with the degree of air pollution in an air purifier having a plurality of air purifying function units, the photocatalyst of the air purifying function unit can be converted into odorous components such as activated carbon and zeolite. The replacement life can be prolonged even if it is replaced with one that can remove the same, and the same effect can be obtained.

[0034]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since a plurality of air purifying function units are provided, and the number and locations of the air purifying function units can be controlled in accordance with the degree of air pollution, replacement of the blower fan is performed. As a result of extending the life, a good air cleaning function can be maintained without performing a troublesome replacement work for a long time.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the air purifying function unit is provided with a memory for storing the air purifying function unit which was operated last time, and the operation of the air purifying function unit is sequentially switched during the operation to control the operation. The parts can be driven as equally as possible.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the memory for storing the operation time of each air purification function unit is provided, the operation time of each air purification function unit can be controlled so as to be substantially the same. Long life of the functional section can be made uniform.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a sensor for detecting the degree of air pollution is further provided, and automatic operation can be performed in accordance with the degree of air pollution. A good air purifying function can be maintained.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the deodorizing function section is composed of the photocatalyst carrying the photocatalyst and the light source for irradiating the photocatalyst with ultraviolet rays, the photocatalysis by the ultraviolet rays is semi-permanently maintained. It can provide a long-term deodorizing effect. In addition, the light source can extend the life of replacement according to the inventions of claims 1 to 4, so that the air purifier is very maintainable.

In the invention according to claim 6, when the odor sensor has reacted to a strong odor exceeding a certain threshold value,
Since the light source is turned on even after the blower fan has stopped, the odor components accumulated on the photocatalyst body can be decomposed without being decomposed by the photocatalyst body within the operation time of the blower fan. For this reason, a higher performance air purifier can be obtained.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when one of the air purifying function units fails, a failure indication is displayed and the operation mode of the remaining air purifying function units can be adjusted. Even in the case where there is, by increasing the rotation speed of the remaining blower fan and increasing the air volume, it is possible to obtain purification performance close to that in the case where all the purification function units are operating normally.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, even when any one of the front grills attached to the front of the air purifier is opened, the operation can be performed by the air purification function section having the front grill closed, so that the pre-filter is cleaned. The air purifier can be operated continuously even when replacing a medium-performance filter, and can respond to recent demands for continuous operation of the air purifier.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main electrical configuration of the air purifier.

FIG. 3A is an example of a flowchart showing a control flow of the air purifier. (b) is an example of the purification ability corresponding to the degree of pollution.

FIG. 4 is a control flowchart according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a control flowchart according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart for suppressing illuminance of ultraviolet rays.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Blow fan 2 ... Photocatalyst 3 ... Ultraviolet lamp 4 ... Ultraviolet lamp drive part 5 ... Medium performance filter 6 ... Fan case 7 ... Catalyst cover 8 ... Medium performance filter case 9 ... Control board 10 ... Operation board 11 ... Front panel 12 ... Side panel 13 ... Operation panel 14 ... Remote control receiver 15 ... Blow-out grill 16 ... Pre-filter 17 ... Odor sensor 18 ... Housing base

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification FI FI Theme Court ゛ (Reference) B01D 53/36 H (72) Inventor Tomonori Tokunori 2-1-1 Nakajima, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka East 3L056 BD07 BE02 BF06 4C080 AA07 AA10 BB02 CC01 HH05 JJ03 KK08 LL03 MM02 NN05 QQ01 QQ11 QQ17 4D048 AA22 BA05X BA07X BA41X BB08 CA07 CC32 CC40 DA01 DA02 DA03 Q08 QA11 QA21 TA06 TA07

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An air purifier provided with a plurality of air purifying function units including an air purifying function unit for purifying polluted air in the atmosphere and a blower fan, wherein a required purifying performance required for the air purifier is a predetermined air. An air purifier characterized in that when the purifying function is within the purifying range, only the air purifying function is operated. 2. The air purifier according to claim 1, wherein when the required purifying ability at the start of operation is within the purifying ability of the plurality of air purifying functional parts, the operating air purifying functional parts are sequentially switched. An air purifier characterized by being controlled in a controlled manner. 3. The air purifier according to claim 1, further comprising: a memory for storing an operation time of each of the plurality of air purification function units, wherein a required purification performance at the time of starting operation of the plurality of air purification function units. An air purifier characterized by operating the air purifying function section having the shortest operating time stored in the memory when the purifying ability is within the range. 4. The air purifier according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor for detecting a degree of air pollution, wherein the required purifying ability is calculated in accordance with the degree of air pollution. Cleaner. 5. The photocatalyst deodorizing function according to claim 1, wherein the air purifying function section includes a photocatalyst carrying a photocatalyst and a light source for irradiating the photocatalyst with ultraviolet rays. An air purifier characterized by being a part. 6. The air purifier according to claim 5, further comprising an odor sensor, wherein when the odor sensor has reacted to an odor exceeding a certain threshold, the light source is turned on for a predetermined time even after the blower fan is stopped. An air purifier characterized by being. 7. The air purifier according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein when a certain air purifying function unit fails, a failure indication is displayed, and the purifying ability of the other air purifying function units is set to a non-failure state. An air purifier characterized in that the air purifier is adjusted so as to be larger than a controllable purification capacity. 8. The air purifier according to claim 1, further comprising a front grill which can be opened and closed corresponding to each of the air purifying function units on the front of the air purifier, and any one of the front grills is opened. An air purifier characterized in that the air purification function unit with the front grille closed can be operated even when the air conditioner is in a closed state.