JP2003014261A - Humidifier - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent bacteria, mold, algae, etc., from propagating in a water holding means, in a humidifier of such a system as to bring air into contact with the water holding means in a wet state so as to shift moisture to air. SOLUTION: This humidifier sends air by blast means 19 to the water holding means 14 kept wet by water supply means 50 so as to shift moisture to the air. The air with its humidity raised is blown out into a room from a blowout port 24. This dries the water holding means 14 to weaken the vigor of activity of bacteria, mold, algae, etc., by stopping the water supply means 50 and driving only the blast means 19. This raises the humidifying capacity or accelerates the drying by heating the air contacting with the water holding means 14 by means of a heating means 20. Moreover, this humidifier is provided with an ion generator 18, and this performs sterilization by blowing the ion cluster consisting of plus ions and minus ions against the water holding means 14. This sends out the ion cluster into a room, too, so as to sterilize the floating bacteria in the air.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a humidifying device which can be used alone or in combination with an air conditioner. The "air conditioner" refers to any device that changes the physical properties of air to create a desired atmosphere, and examples thereof include an air conditioner, an air purifier, and a fan heater.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Temperature, humidity, and
There are pollutants, etc. Regarding humidity control in humidity control,
Conventionally, various methods have been proposed. For example, there is a method in which water is boiled and diffused into the air in the form of water vapor, or a method in which water is atomized by ultrasonic waves and mixed into the air. Or prepare a large area water retention means and put it in a wet state,
There is also a system in which air is brought into contact with the water retaining means to transfer moisture to the air.

Each of the above humidification methods has advantages and disadvantages. For example, the boiling method and the ultrasonic method can downsize the device, but the former is a high energy consumption type,
The latter has a high equipment cost. The method using a large-area water retention means is disadvantageous in that the device is downsized, but it has advantages that it does not require much energy, the device cost is low, and the operation reliability is high.

An example of a moisturizing device of a water retaining means is actually developed.
It can be found in Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 148520, 62-2936, and 63-134326.

In all of the humidifiers described in the above-mentioned three publications, the lower end of the water retaining means is immersed in water or a deodorizing liquid, and the water retaining means is always kept in a wet state. In such a device, bacteria, mold, algae, etc. propagate in the water retention means,
Besides being a source of foul odor, there is a problem in that they or their spores are scattered indoors by the wind. Depending on the type, scattered substances can cause infections.

In the apparatus described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 63-134326, the water retaining means contains a deodorant.
This can suppress the bad odor, but if the performance of the deodorant deteriorates, the water retention means must be replaced. In addition, the reproduction of bacteria, fungi, algae, etc. cannot be suppressed.

The apparatus described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-2936 has a deodorizing and sterilizing effect by mixing soil bacteria and plant enzymes in a mixture of activated carbon for collecting odor, a surfactant and purified water. Since it is a deodorant that it has, it can be expected to have an effect of suppressing the reproduction of bacteria, mold, algae, and the like. However, there is a drawback in that such a deodorizing liquid having a special composition must always be prepared and replenished each time the liquid volume becomes small.

[0008]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a humidifying device of a type in which air is brought into contact with a moisturizing means in a wet state to transfer water to the air, and bacteria, mold, algae, etc. propagate in the moisturizing means. It is an object of the present invention to be able to suppress the above with a simple device configuration. At the same time, we provide a humidifying device that increases the amount of ions in the air to obtain a relaxation effect and an effect of disinfecting and sterilizing bacteria floating in the air, and also sterilizing and disinfecting the water retention means with ions. The purpose is to

[0009]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

To achieve the above object, in the present invention, a water retention means, and a water supply means for placing the water retention means in a wet state,
In a humidifying device equipped with a blowing means for bringing air into contact with the water retaining means in a wet state to transfer moisture to the air and sending the air into the room, a humidifying operation for simultaneously driving the water supplying means and the blowing means, and the water supplying means are provided. The drying operation of the water retaining means, which is stopped and only the air blowing means is driven, is enabled.

By stopping the water supply means and driving only the air supply means to dry the water retention means in this way, bacteria, mold, algae, etc. propagate in the water retention means, which may cause a bad odor or an infectious disease. Can be suppressed.

Further, according to the present invention, when the operation of the humidifier is started,
First, the water retention means drying operation was performed for a predetermined time, and then the humidifying operation was started. As a result, even if bacteria, fungi, algae, etc. propagate during the operation stop period, it is possible to perform humidification while weakening the activity. Generation of odor at the beginning of operation is also prevented.

Further, according to the present invention, at the end of the operation of the humidifier,
It was decided to perform the water retention means drying operation for a predetermined time, and then to completely stop the humidifying device. As a result, it is possible to prevent bacteria, fungi, algae, etc. from propagating during the operation stop period.

Further, in the present invention, during the humidifying operation, the air contacting the water retaining means can be heated by the heating means. Thereby, more moisture can be evaporated and the humidification can be speeded up.

Further, in the present invention, the air contacting the water retaining means can be heated by the heating means during the drying operation of the water retaining means. This makes it possible to evaporate more water and accelerate the drying of the water retaining means.

Further, according to the present invention, at the end of the operation of the humidifier,
The blowing means and the heating means are used together for a predetermined time to carry out the water retaining means drying operation, and thereafter, the heating means is stopped and the blowing means alone performs the water retaining means drying operation before stopping. As a result, the humidifying device can be completely stopped after the heating means is sufficiently cooled, and safety can be improved.

Further, according to the present invention, the air contacting the water retaining means can be heated by the heating means during the humidifying operation or the water retaining means drying operation. It was heated to a high temperature. As a result, the water retaining means can be sufficiently dried and sterilization also progresses.

Further, in the present invention, an ion generator for sending out ions to the indoor air is provided together with the humidifier. As a result, the amount of ions in the air can be increased to obtain a relaxation effect and a disinfection / sterilization effect of bacteria floating in the air.

Further, in the present invention, the ions generated by the ion generator are sprayed onto the water retaining means during the humidifying operation or the water retaining means drying operation. As a result, the water retaining means can be sterilized and sterilized with ions.

Further, in the present invention, a part of the air flow generated by the blowing means is sent to the ion generator. This eliminates the need to provide a fan dedicated to the ion generator.

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the humidifying device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic structure of the humidifier 1. 10
Is a housing, and the inside thereof is partitioned into a water tank compartment 10b and a ventilation compartment 10c by a vertical partition wall 10a. An openable lid 11 is provided on the upper surface of the water tank compartment 10b, and a water tank 12 is inserted from here. 13 is the bottom of the water tank compartment 10b and the ventilation compartment 10
The water tank 12 is attached to the deck plate 13b on the upper surface of the water receiving pan which is arranged so as to straddle the bottom portion of c.

The water tank 12 only has a water injection port 12a on one side as an opening, and water is replenished into the tank from here. After replenishing the water, the water inlet 12a is tightly closed with the screw type cap 27, and the water tank 12 is inverted so that the water inlet 12a faces downward and placed on the deck board 13b. The cap 27 projects into the water receiving pan 13 through the opening 13c provided in the deck plate 13b.

The structures of the water inlet 12a and the cap 27 are as seen in FIGS. At the center of the cap 27, a cylindrical water supply port member 27 a is formed so as to project to the outside of the water tank 12. At the center of the water supply port member 27a, there is a cylindrical bearing portion 27b supported by four spokes 27c, and a water supply opening 27d is provided between the water supply port member 27a and the bearing portion 27b. A shaft 28 is axially slidably supported at the center of the bearing portion 27b. A flange 28a is formed at one end of the shaft 28, and the shaft 28 is constantly urged toward the outside of the water tank 12 by a compression coil spring 29 inserted between the flange 28a and the bearing portion 27b. There is. Reference numeral 30 denotes a rubber valve disk attached to the other end of the shaft 28, which is brought into close contact with the water supply port member 27a by the urging force of the compression coil spring 29 to close the water supply opening 27d. In order to improve the adhesion to the water supply port member 27a, the valve disc 30 has a convex lens shape curved toward the water supply port member 27a. These shaft 28 and flange 2
8a, the compression coil spring 29, and the valve disc 30 constitute a valve unit 31.

From the bottom surface of the water receiving pan 13, the valve opening pin 1
3a stands up. When the water tank 12 is placed in a predetermined position, the valve opening pin 13a hits and pushes the shaft 28, thereby creating a gap 43 between the valve disk 30 and the water supply port member 27a. From this gap 43 through the water supply opening 27d,
Water flows into the water receiving pan 13. When the water level reaches the lower end of the water supply port 27a, the atmospheric pressure causes no more water to flow in the water tank 1.
It will not flow out from 2. When the water is consumed, the water flows out from the water tank 12 so as to compensate for it, so that the water level in the water receiving pan 13 is always kept constant. A water level sensor 25 detects the water level in the water receiving pan 13.

In the ventilation compartment 10c, a flat rectangular parallelepiped water retaining means 14 is arranged with its main surface (the largest surface) having a rectangular parallelepiped shape being vertical. The water retaining means 14 is made of a non-woven fabric to form a lattice and allows air to pass through the holes of the lattice, and the lattice shape appears on the main surface. The water retaining means 14 is placed on the deck plate 13b of the water receiving pan 13, and the lower end thereof faces the opening 13d provided in the deck plate 13b. However, the lower end of the water retaining means 14 is not submerged in the water in the water receiving pan 13.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a water supply pipe penetrating the deck plate 13b, the lower end of which is immersed in water in the water receiving pan 13 and reaches near the bottom of the water receiving pan 13. The upper end of the water supply pipe 15 is connected to a water sprinkling pipe 17 arranged horizontally on the water retaining means 14. A water supply pump 16 is provided in the middle of the water supply pipe 15, and when the water supply pump 16 is operated, water is sucked up from the water receiving pan 13 and pushed up to the water sprinkling pipe 17. The sprinkling pipe 17 is provided with a large number of drip holes 26 (see FIG. 4), through which water pours into the water retaining means 14. The position and diameter of the drip hole 26 are set so that water is evenly distributed to each part of the water retention means 14. The amount of water supply is adjusted according to the amount of humidification.

The water retaining means 14 made of a non-woven fabric absorbs the pouring water and becomes wet. Excess water drops from the lower end of the water retention means 14 and returns to the water receiving pan 13. The water supply pipe 15, the water supply pump 16, and the water sprinkling pipe 17 constitute water supply means 45. The water supply means 45 can be driven only when the water level sensor 25 detects a water level above a predetermined level. If the water level drops below a certain level, the housing 1
0 A display to that effect appears on the display unit (not shown) on the outer surface.

The ventilation compartment 10c has a suction port 21 on the side surface and an air outlet 24 on the upper surface, and a ventilation path is formed between them. A heating unit 20, a blowing unit 19, and a water retaining unit 14 are arranged in this ventilation path in order from the upstream side. The heating means 20 is a nichrome wire heater, and the blowing means 19 is a propeller fan and a motor for rotating the propeller fan. The blower unit 19 can change the number of rotations of the motor to adjust the amount of blown air. To save energy,
The heating means 20 is not used except when the rising of humidification is accelerated, high humidity is required, or the water retention means 14 is dried.

Reference numeral 18 is an ion generator installed in the ventilation compartment 10c. Ion generator 18
A part of the air flow generated by the air blower 19 is sent to the air passage via a bypass passage different from the main air passage. The air that has received the ions in the ion generator 18 is directed by the damper 23 to one of the following two air passages. The first is an air passage that exits indoors from the ion outlet 22 on the upper surface of the ventilation compartment 10c, and the second is an air passage that blows the water retaining means 14.

The structure of the ion generator 18 is shown in FIG.
The ion generating device 18 has a dielectric and a pair of electrodes facing each other with the dielectric interposed therebetween as a main part of the configuration. In this embodiment, a cylindrical glass tube with open ends (outer diameter 20 mm) 32
Is used as a dielectric. The material of the dielectric is not limited to this, and any material having an insulating property may be used. There is no limitation on the shape. When the dielectric has a cylindrical shape as in this embodiment, the larger the outer diameter and the smaller the wall thickness, the larger the capacitance of the dielectric and the more easily ions are generated, but the more ozone is generated at the same time. From the point of increase, the dimensions must be determined in consideration of the balance of ions and ozone. From the experimental results, glass tube 3
It is recommended that the outer diameter of 2 be 20 mm or less and the wall thickness be 1.6 mm or less.

Inside and outside of the glass tube 32, an inner electrode 33 and an outer electrode 34, each of which is formed by rolling a stainless steel plain weave wire mesh into a cylindrical shape, are arranged. The inner electrode 33 is a high voltage electrode and the outer electrode 3
4 functions as a ground electrode. SUS3 for the inner electrode 33
A 16- or SUS304 stainless steel wire plain-woven 40-mesh wire mesh is roll-formed into a cylindrical shape. For the outer electrode 34, a 16-mesh wire net in which a stainless steel wire of SUS316 or SUS304 is plain-woven is roll-formed into a cylindrical shape. The "mesh" means the number of meshes per inch. Therefore, the larger the number of meshes, the finer the mesh. The inner electrode 33 and the outer electrode 34 are in close contact with the glass tube 32 in order to increase the capacitance of the ion generator 18 and increase the ion generation efficiency.

Both ends of the glass tube 32 are stopper members 3 made of an insulating material.
Close at 5,36. The plug members 35, 36 are formed of an elastic material such as rubber into a substantially cylindrical shape, each of which has a circumferential projection 40 on one side surface, and a glass tube 32 is formed in a circumferential groove 41 formed in the circumferential projection 40. The end of is inserted. Plug member 3
An outer peripheral groove 42 is also formed on the outer peripheral surfaces of 5, 36. The outer peripheral groove 42 is used to fix the ion generator 18 to the ventilation compartment 10c.

A hole 37 is provided at the center of the plug members 35 and 36. When manufacturing the plug members 35 and 26, the holes 37 are closed with a thin film. This thin film is processed so that it can be easily broken, and the thin film can be pierced to insert an object when necessary. In this embodiment, the lead wire 38 is passed through the hole 37 of the plug member 36, and the lead wire 38 is connected to the inner electrode 33 inside the glass tube 32. The lead wire 39 is also connected to the outer electrode 34.

The ion generator 18 is assembled as follows. First, the inner electrode 33 with the lead wire 38 welded in advance is inserted into the glass tube 32. Then, the thin film of the hole 37 of the plug member 36 is pierced with a sharp tool, the lead wire 38 is passed through the hole 37, and then the plug member 36 is fitted to the glass tube 32. Then, the outer electrode 34, to which the lead wire 39 has been welded in advance, is fitted to the outside of the glass tube 32,
Then, the plug member 35 is fitted to the other end of the glass tube 32.

Electrodes 33 facing each other with the glass tube 32 in between,
When an AC voltage is applied between 34, an ionization phenomenon such as electric discharge occurs in the atmosphere, and approximately equal amounts of positive ions and negative ions are generated. Here, the applied AC voltage is, for example, 1.1.
It is set to kV to 2.0 kV.

At this time, the positive ions are H⁺(H₂
O)_n, O as a negative ion₂ ^-(H₂O)_mThe proper amount
It can occur stably. With these positive ions
Negative ions are, by themselves, inferior to airborne bacteria.
There is no other sterilizing effect. But these ions at the same time
When present in air, positive and negative ions
Are attached to airborne bacteria, and the chemical reaction between the two causes
Hydrogen peroxide, an active species₂O₂Or hydroxyl radical
(.OH) is generated. This H₂O₂Or (.OH) is
As it has extremely strong activity, it is possible to sterilize and sterilize airborne bacteria.
Wear. When using this for sterilization and sterilization of the water retention means 14
Then, from the point of generation of positive and negative ions
The ion concentration at each position 10 cm apart was set to 10,0.
00 / cm³By the above, the purpose can be achieved.
It

FIG. 11 shows the emission from the ion generator.
Shows the residual ratio of airborne bacteria to the concentration of ions
It is a figure. The vertical axis shows the residual rate of airborne bacteria (unit:%)
The horizontal axis is the ion concentration unit: pieces / cm³) Is shown
It Vertical 2.0 in an atmosphere of temperature 25 ℃, relative humidity 42%
m, 2.5m, height 2.7m (volume 13.5m³) Pair
In the elephant area, using the ion generator 18,
The air volume is 4m ³/ Min to blow air
The air was stirred.

The ion concentration indicates a measured value at a position 10 cm from the peripheral surface of the glass tube 32 of the ion generator 18. The remaining rate of airborne bacteria is 50
About 0 to 1500 pieces / m ^{3 was} spread, and the number of E. coli remaining in the air when the ions were sent for 1 hour was detected. The number of E. coli is measured by collecting with an air sampler at a flow rate of 40 L / min for 4 minutes.

According to the figure, when no ions are delivered (ion concentration is about 300 / cm ³ ), the residual rate of floating bacteria due to spontaneous decay after 1 hour is 63.5% (reduction rate 36.5). %). Initial concentration of E. coli (eg 5
There is a measurement error of about 10% in (0 to 1500 pieces / m ³ ). Therefore, the residual rate of airborne bacteria is 53.5%.
When it is less than (reduction rate 46.5%), it may be considered that there is a bactericidal effect.

Considering the accuracy of the test, the survival rate of E. coli after 1 hour is 6 when the ions are not delivered.
A condition of 0% or more is desirable. Based on this, the measurement result of FIG. 11 shows that the ion concentration is about 10,000 / c
It can be seen that the bactericidal effect is exhibited at m ³ , and the survival rate is rapidly decreased when the m ³ is exceeded. Therefore, set the ion concentration to 1
A bactericidal effect can be obtained by controlling the number to be more than 10,000 / cm ³ .

The control circuit of the humidifier 1 is constructed as shown in FIG. Reference numeral 50 denotes an operation panel provided on the surface of the housing 10, and 55 denotes a control board provided inside the housing 10. An operation switch 51, a humidification switch 52, an ion operation switch 53, and a humidity setting switch 54 are arranged on the operation panel 50. The control board 55 includes a switch input circuit 56 that receives a signal from the switch group,
The control unit 57 receives input data from the switch input circuit 56. The control unit 57 is a main part of control, and is provided with elements such as a CPU and a memory necessary for forming a so-called microcomputer.

The control unit 57 is the ion generator drive circuit 5
8, the blower drive circuit 59, the water supply drive circuit 60, the heating drive circuit 61, and the damper drive circuit 62 are controlled. A signal is also transmitted from the humidity sensor 63 to the control unit 57. The humidity sensor 63 is arranged outside or inside the housing 10 at a place where indoor air flows.

The operation switch 51 serves as a main switch of the entire humidifier 1, and can be switched between two states of "on" and "off". The humidifying switch 52 is for selecting the operation mode of the humidifying operation, and "automatic" → "strong" each time it is pressed.
→ "Medium" → "Weak" → "Off" → "Auto".

The ion operation switch 53 is for selecting the operation mode of the ion generator 18 and the one in which the air blowing means 19 and the heating means 20 are added, and each time it is pressed, "cluster" → "cleaning 1" → "cleaning" 2 "
→ Switches in the order of “Off” → “Cluster”.

The humidity setting switch 54 is for setting the humidity of the indoor air, and selects one from a plurality of humidities set at predetermined numerical intervals.

Next, the operation of the humidifier 1 will be described. First, the operation switch 51 is set to “OFF”, the water tank 12 is taken out, water is put in the water tank 12, and the water receiving pan 13 is put in again.
Set on top. Then, turn on the operation switch 51.
To The humidification switch 52 and the ion operation switch 53 are set to "automatic" and "cluster" in the initial state, and when the operation switch 51 is turned "on", the automatic humidification operation accompanied by ion generation is started. The “cluster” means that an ion cluster, which is a group of positive ions and negative ions, is generated by the ion generator 18.

In the automatic humidifying operation, as shown in FIG. 7, the heating means 2 is initially kept with the water supply means 45 stopped.
0 and the blower means 19 are driven for a predetermined time. As a result, air is blown onto the water retaining means 14. The air contacting the water retaining means 14 deprives the water retaining means 14 of moisture, and the water retaining means 1
Dry 4

The air contacting the water retention means 14 is heated by the heating means 2
It is heated by 0 to form warm air of about 60 to 70 ° C., which accelerates the drying. The bactericidal effect also increases. By drying the water retaining means 14 in this manner, the bacteria, fungi, algae, etc. attached to the water retaining means 14 weaken the activity. Further, generation of odor is also prevented.

After the lapse of a predetermined time, the heating means 20 is de-energized and the heating of the air is stopped. Water supply means 4 for replacement
5 starts operation, and water is poured into the water retention means 14. The water retaining means 14 is in a wet state, moisture is transferred to the air passing through it, and the humidity of the air rises. The air with increased humidity is blown out from the air outlet 24 to increase the humidity inside the room.

When there is a large difference between the humidity set by the humidity setting switch 54 and the actual humidity measured by the humidity sensor 63, and it is necessary to rapidly replenish the indoor air with a large amount of water, the water supply means After the start of the operation of 45, the energization of the heating means 20 is continued, and the air contacting the water retention means 14 is used as warm air. This increases the amount of water evaporated,
More water can be contained in the air. The warm air temperature at this time is slightly lower than the temperature at which the water retention means 14 is dried, and is about 40 to 50 ° C. When the measured humidity approaches the set humidity, the power supply to the heating means 20 is stopped.

Ion generator 18 together with water supply means 45
Also starts driving. At this time, the damper drive circuit 62 switches the damper 23 to the ion outlet 22.
The ion clusters are sent out indoors from the ion outlets 22. Then, approximately equal amounts of generated positive and negative ions surround bacteria floating in indoor air and chemically react to generate hydrogen peroxide H ₂ O ₂ or hydroxyl radical (.OH) which is an active species, and sterilize the bacteria. ·Sterilize.

When the ion generator 18 is used together during the humidifying operation as described above, the habitat rate of the influenza virus is lowered due to the increase of humidity in the air, and the floating bacteria other than the influenza virus can be generated by the ion clusters. Air is obtained.

If the ratio of the positive ions and the negative ions generated by the ion generator 18 is changed and the ratio of the negative ions is increased, the relaxation effect is generated for the people in the room, and the indoor environment can be made more comfortable. .

In the automatic humidifying operation, the humidifying amount is automatically adjusted so that the set humidity is maintained, and the water-retaining means drying operation is performed on the way. That is, as shown in FIG.
When the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 63 reaches the set humidity, the water supply means 45 and the ion generator 18 stop operating, and only the heating means 20 and the blowing means 19 are operated. Similar to the water retention means drying operation performed immediately after the operation of the humidifier 1, the heating means 20 heats the air to about 60 to 70 ° C., so the water retention means 14 dries quickly and the water retention means 14 is about to reproduce. Bacteria, fungi, algae, etc. weaken the activity.
Generation of odor is also prevented.

When the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 63 drops to a predetermined value, the water retaining means drying operation is terminated and the humidifying operation is restarted. In this way, the humidifying operation and the water retaining means drying operation are alternately repeated.

When the operation switch 51 is turned off during the automatic humidifying operation, the operation ending process is performed as shown in FIG. That is, the operation of the water supply means 45 and the ion generator 18 is stopped, and the energization of the heating means 20 is started. About 60
After performing the water retention means drying operation for a predetermined time with warm air of 70 ° C, the heating means 20 is de-energized. Since the blowing means 19 continues to operate, the water retaining means 14 is continuously dried while cooling the heating means 20 having residual heat.

After entering the residual heat cooling stage of the heating means 20 as described above, the ion generator 18 starts its operation. At this time, the damper drive circuit 62 controls the damper 23 to retain the water.
Switch to the side. As a result, the ion clusters generated by the ion generator 18 are sprayed onto the water retaining means 14, and spread over the entire water retaining means 14 to sterilize and sterilize the bacteria attached to the water retaining means 14. After a lapse of a predetermined time, the blower unit 19 and the ion generator 18 are both stopped from operation, and the humidifier 1 is in a completely stopped state.

As described above, in the automatic humidifying operation, when the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 63 reaches the set humidity, the water retaining means drying operation is started. Humidification switch 52 is "strong""medium"
If it is set to any of "weak", the operation is performed such that a predetermined amount of water is evaporated regardless of the set humidity.

For example, "strong" is about 400 ml /
Time, "Medium" is about 250 ml / hour, "Weak"
Then, the blowing amount of the blowing unit 19 and the heating amount of the heating unit 20 are adjusted so that the water is evaporated at a rate of about 100 ml / hour.

In these "strong", "medium", and "weak" operations, the water retention means drying operation is performed only at the start and stop of the operation, and the water retention means drying operation is performed during the humidifying operation. Absent.

When the ion operation switch 53 is set to "OFF", the humidification operation and the water retention means drying operation that do not involve ion generation are performed in any of "automatic", "strong", "medium", and "weak". Is done.

On the other hand, when the humidifying switch 52 is set to "off", only ion delivery can be performed without humidification. That is, if the ion operation switch 53 is set to “cluster”, the ion generator 18 starts ion generation at the same time when the operation switch 51 is turned “on”, the air blower 19 also starts air blow, and the ion clusters are ion outlets. 22.

When the ion operation switch 53 is set to "cleaning 1", the damper 23 is switched to the side of the water retaining means 14 and the water retaining means 14 is sprayed with ion clusters to perform sterilization and sterilization.

When the ion operation switch 53 is set to "cleaning 2", the heating means 20 is energized, and hot air of about 60 to 70 ° C. and ion clusters are simultaneously blown to the water retaining means 14, whereby hot air drying and sterilization / sterilization are performed. Simultaneous progress.

As described above, the generation of warm air for drying the water retention means and the generation of ions are compatible with each other. Therefore, in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, the ion generator 18 may be driven during the drying period of the water retention means. .

The humidifying switch 52 is set to "strong""medium".
If set to either "weak" and the ion operation switch 53 is set to "cluster", "cleaning 1" or "cleaning 2", the ion cluster is delivered indoors while humidifying, or the water retaining means is provided while humidifying. It is possible to disinfect and sterilize 14.

Although the embodiment in which the present invention is applied to the stand-alone humidifying device has been described above, the present invention can be applied to a case where a humidifying function is added to various air conditioners such as an air conditioner and an air purifier. it can. In addition, it is possible to make the following modifications in implementation.

For example, a water retention means. Although each of the cells shown in FIG. 4 has a quadrilateral lattice shape, it may have a honeycomb structure as shown in FIG.
Further, the material of the water retaining means is not limited to the non-woven fabric, and any material can be used as long as it can keep the wet state by the capillary phenomenon.

The water supply method is not limited to the method of dropping water from above. Water may be replenished by splashing or spraying from the side. The point is that it is only necessary to stop the water supply means so that the water supply is cut off and the water retention means can be dried.

Although the total amount of ion clusters is sent to the room during the automatic humidifying operation, a part or the whole amount may be sprayed onto the water retaining means.

The blowing means can also be constituted by a fan other than the propeller fan, such as a sirocco fan or a cross flow fan. The heating means may be composed of a positive temperature coefficient thermistor instead of the nichrome wire heater.

Besides, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0074]

According to the present invention, the water retaining means, the water supplying means for placing the water retaining means in a moist state, and the water retaining means in a moist state are brought into contact with air to transfer moisture to the air and blow the air into the room. In the humidifying device including the means, the humidifying operation of driving the water supplying means and the blowing means at the same time, and the water retaining means drying operation of stopping the water supplying means and driving only the blowing means are enabled. By driving only the water retention means to dry it, bacteria in the water retention means
It is possible to prevent molds, algae, etc. from breeding and generating a bad odor or causing an infectious disease. And this does not require drugs.

At the start of the operation of the humidifier, the water retention means drying operation is first performed for a predetermined time, and then the humidifying operation is started. Therefore, it is assumed that bacteria, fungi, algae, etc. have propagated during the operation stop period. Also, humidification can be performed while weakening the activity. Generation of odor at the beginning of operation is also prevented.

At the end of the operation of the humidifier, the water retention means is dried for a predetermined time, and then the humidifier is completely stopped. Therefore, it is possible to prevent bacteria, mold, algae, etc. from growing during the operation stop period. be able to.

Further, during the humidifying operation, since the air contacting the water retaining means can be heated by the heating means, more moisture can be evaporated and the humidification can be speeded up.

Further, since the air contacting the water retaining means can be heated by the heating means during the water retaining means drying operation, more water can be evaporated to accelerate the drying of the water retaining means.

At the end of the operation of the humidifier, the water retaining means drying operation is performed by using both the air blowing means and the heating means for a predetermined time, and thereafter the heating means is stopped and the water retaining means drying operation is performed only by the air blowing means. Since the heating means is cooled after the heating means is sufficiently cooled, the humidifying device can be completely stopped, and the safety can be improved.

During the humidifying operation or the water retaining means drying operation,
Since the air contacting the water retaining means can be heated by the heating means, the air is heated to a higher temperature during the water retaining means drying operation than during the humidifying operation.
The water retention means can be dried sufficiently and sterilization proceeds.

Further, since the ion generator for sending out the ions to the indoor air is provided side by side with the humidifier, it is possible to increase the amount of ions in the air to obtain a relaxation effect and a sterilizing / sterilizing effect of bacteria floating in the air. it can.

During the humidifying operation or the water retaining means drying operation,
Since the ions generated by the ion generator are sprayed onto the water retaining means, the water retaining means can be sterilized and sterilized with the ions.

Since a part of the air flow generated by the blowing means is sent to the ion generator, it is not necessary to provide a fan dedicated to the ion generator.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional view showing an embodiment of a humidifying device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a cap to be combined with a water tank.

FIG. 3 is a partial horizontal sectional view of the cap.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a water retaining means and a water feeding means.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the ion generator.

FIG. 6 is a circuit block diagram of the humidifier.

FIG. 7: Sequence diagram at the start of automatic humidification operation

[Figure 8] Sequence diagram during automatic humidification operation

FIG. 9: Sequence diagram at the end of automatic humidification operation

FIG. 10 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 4, showing a modified example of the water retention means.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the concentration of ions generated from an ion generator and the residual rate of airborne bacteria.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 humidifier 10 housing 10a partition wall 10b water tank compartment 10c ventilation compartment 11 lid 12 water tanks 12a water inlet 13 Water pan 13a Valve opening pin 13b deck board 13c, 13d opening 14 Water retention means 15 Water supply pipe 16 water pump 17 Watering pipe 18 Ion generator 19 Blower means 20 Heating means 21 Suction port 22 Ion outlet 23 damper 24 Outlet 25 Water level sensor 26 Drip hole 27 caps 27a Water inlet member 27b Bearing 27c spokes 27d Water supply opening 28 axes 28a flange 29 Compression coil spring 30 valve disc 31 valve unit 32 glass tube (dielectric) 33 Inner electrode 34 Outer electrode 35, 36 Plug member 37 holes 38, 39 Lead wire 40 circumference protrusion 41 circumferential groove 42 peripheral groove 43 Gap 45 Water supply means 50 Operation panel 51 Operation switch 52 Humidification switch 53 Ion operation switch 54 Humidity setting switch 55 Control board 56 switch input circuit 57 control unit 58 Ion generator drive circuit 59 Blower driving circuit 60 Water supply means drive circuit 61 heating means drive circuit 62 damper drive circuit 63 Humidity sensor

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F term (reference) 3L055 AA01 AA04 AA05 AA06 AA07                       BA02 DA03 DA04 DA05 DA11                 3L060 AA01 AA05 CC06 CC07 DD07                       EE23 EE25 EE26

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A water retention means, a water supply means for placing the water retention means in a wet state, and a blower means for bringing moisture into the air by bringing air into contact with the water retention means in the wet state and sending the air into the room. In the humidifying device, the humidifying device is capable of performing a humidifying operation in which the water supply unit and the blowing unit are simultaneously driven, and a water retaining unit drying operation in which the water supplying unit is stopped and only the blowing unit is driven. 2. The humidifying device according to claim 1, wherein when the humidifying device starts to operate, the water retaining means drying operation is first performed for a predetermined time, and then the humidifying operation is performed. 3. The humidifying device according to claim 1, wherein when the operation of the humidifying device is finished, a water retention means drying operation is performed for a predetermined time and then stopped. 4. The humidifying device according to claim 1, wherein during the humidifying operation, the air contacting the water retaining means can be heated by the heating means. 5. The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein the air contacting the water retaining means can be heated by the heating means during the water retaining means drying operation. 6. At the end of the operation of the humidifying device, a drying operation of the water retaining means is performed by using both the air blowing means and the heating means for a predetermined time.
The humidifying device according to claim 5, wherein after that, the heating means is stopped for a predetermined time, and the water retaining means is dried only by the blowing means and then stopped. 7. The heating means is capable of heating the air contacting the water retaining means during the humidifying operation or the water retaining means drying operation, and the air is heated to a higher temperature during the water retaining means drying operation than during the humidifying operation. The humidifying device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the humidifying device is provided. 8. An ion generating device for sending out ions to indoor air is additionally provided.
The humidifier according to any one of 1. 9. The humidifier according to claim 8, wherein the ions generated by the ion generator are sprayed onto the water retaining means during the humidifying operation or the water retaining means drying operation. 10. The humidifying device according to claim 8, wherein a part of the air flow generated by the blowing means is sent to the ion generating device.