JP2003172527A - Moisture-conditioner and air-conditioner using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem on an indoor moisture conditioner that it is difficult to surely cause the desorption of moisture to humidify air only in the way of heating a moisture absorbent with heating means. <P>SOLUTION: This moisture conditioner comprises the absorbent 1 for absorbing moisture, the heating means 2 for heating the absorbent to cause the desorption of the moisture, a blowing fan 3 for distributing air into the absorbent, and ultrasonic wave generating means 5 for applying ultrasonic waves to the absorbent. The ultrasonic wave generating means gives vibration to the absorbent to easily accelerate the desorption of the absorbed moisture, resulting in efficient humidification. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a humidity control apparatus for humidifying air by supplying no water or other means by using an adsorbent that adsorbs moisture and the like, and an air conditioner using the humidity control apparatus. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional humidity control apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-165.
As is known in Japanese Patent Publication No. 934, etc., air is passed through an adsorbing element whose adsorbent-containing material is processed into a corrugated shape to have a large surface area per unit volume, and moisture contained in the air is absorbed by the adsorbing element. It was adsorbed with an adsorbent. Further, in the conventional humidifier, as is known from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-270980, after indoor or outdoor air is allowed to pass through the adsorption element to adsorb the moisture,
The adsorption element was heated by a heater to remove water.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional method, when the adsorbed moisture is desorbed by the heating means for humidifying the air, it is difficult to uniformly heat the entire adsorption element, and the adsorbed moisture is absorbed. Since it cannot be reliably desorbed, there is a problem that efficient humidification cannot be performed.

The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to obtain a humidity control apparatus for efficiently dehumidifying the adsorbed water and efficiently humidifying the air and an air conditioning apparatus using the humidity control apparatus. And

[0005]

In order to solve the above problems, the humidity control apparatus of the present invention is an ultrasonic wave generating means for applying ultrasonic waves to the adsorbent, in addition to the heating means for desorbing the water adsorbed by the adsorbent. In addition to the desorption of water by the heating means, the adsorbent promotes the desorption of water by ultrasonic waves,
Humidification can be performed efficiently.

Further, the humidity control apparatus of the present invention is provided with a photocatalyst on the adsorbent for adsorbing water and an ultraviolet irradiation means for activating the photocatalyst. The function of the photocatalyst for decomposing the dirt adhering to the adsorbent is provided. Can be stabilized over a long period of time.

Further, the humidity control apparatus of the present invention is provided with the ozone generating means in the vicinity of the adsorbent for adsorbing the water, so that the adsorbent can be kept clean.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The invention according to claim 1 is an adsorbent for adsorbing moisture, a heating means for heating the adsorbent to desorb moisture, and a blowing means for circulating air through the adsorbent. And a humidity control device provided with an ultrasonic wave generation means for applying ultrasonic waves to the adsorbent. As a result, in addition to the desorption of water by the heating means, the adsorbent promotes the desorption action of water by the ultrasonic wave generation means.

The invention according to claim 2 has a photocatalyst,
And an adsorbent that adsorbs moisture, a heating unit that heats the adsorbent to desorb moisture, a blowing unit that circulates air through the adsorbent, and an ultraviolet irradiation unit that activates the photocatalyst of the adsorbent. It is a provided humidity control device. As a result, the photocatalyst decomposes dirt such as dust and oils and fats attached to the adsorbent, and the photocatalyst is activated by the ultraviolet irradiation means,
It has the function of maintaining performance for a long time.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, an adsorbent for adsorbing water, a heating means for heating the adsorbent to desorb the water, a blowing means for circulating air through the adsorbent, and the adsorbent It is a humidity control apparatus provided with ozone generating means provided near the body. As a result, the dirt and moisture adhering to the adsorbent serve as a nutrient source, and before the mold or the like is generated, the ozone generating means has an effect of constantly maintaining a clean state by the fungicidal and antibacterial effects.

If negative ions are also generated when ozone is generated, humidified air and negative ions that are good for the body can be supplied at the same time. Negative ions can also be maintained for a long time.

The invention according to claim 4 is an air conditioner in which the humidity control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is provided so as to operate in conjunction with or independently of an air conditioning heat exchanger and a blower fan. Is. As a result, the humidity control apparatus has the function of performing humidification together with air conditioning or alone.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the humidity control apparatus of the present invention and an air conditioner using the same will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 shows the structure of a first humidity control apparatus. 1 is an adsorbent for adsorbing moisture, which is formed by forming an inorganic material substrate such as ceramic paper on the surface of which a solid adsorbent such as silica gel or zeolite is supported, into a honeycomb structure, and processed into a substantially cylindrical shape having a diameter of 250 mm and a thickness of 30 mm. I am doing it. Then, the adsorbent 1 is provided with the outer shell 6
The driving member rotates at 5 rpm / min so that moisture can be uniformly adsorbed from the air flowing in the fluid passage 7 and desorbed by heating.

Reference numeral 2 is an electric heater arranged upstream of the adsorbent 1.
The adsorbent 1 is heated by a heating means such as
It is to be detached. No. 3 has an air volume of 0.
5m ³Is installed on the upstream side of the heating means 2,
Air is circulated through the fluid passage 7. 4 communicates with fluid passage 7
Indoor suction port 8 and outdoor suction port 8a of the outer shell 6
With a switching damper that alternately opens and closes to switch between indoor and outdoor
is there.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a switching damper which alternately opens and closes the indoor side outlet 10 and the outdoor side outlet 10a of the outer shell 6 communicating with the fluid passage 7 to switch between indoor and outdoor. This is performed in conjunction with the side switching damper 4. Reference numeral 5 denotes an ultrasonic wave generating means of an ultra-wide area reproduction tweeter disposed between the adsorbent 1 and the heating means 2 and at a position 50 mm upstream of the adsorbent 1, and the ultrasonic wave having a frequency of 25 kHz is applied to the adsorbent 1 for adsorption. It acts to promote the desorption of water from the body 1.

In the above embodiment, the switching dampers 4 and 9 are switched to the outdoor side to open the outdoor side inlet 8a and the outdoor side outlet 10a, and the blower fan 3 is rotated to let the outdoor air pass through the fluid passage 7. Then, the adsorbent 1 through which the outdoor air has passed adsorbs moisture. Next, switching dampers 4 and 9
Is switched to the indoor side to open the indoor inlet 8 and the indoor outlet 10, the indoor air is circulated through the fluid passage 7 by the rotation of the blower fan 3, and the adsorbent 1 is heated by the heating means 2. The adsorbed moisture is desorbed from the heated adsorbent 1 to humidify the indoor air passing therethrough, and the conditioned air is blown out from the indoor outlet 10 into the room.

In the present embodiment, the ultrasonic wave generation means 5 further applies ultrasonic waves having a frequency of 25 kHz to the adsorbent 1 to desorb water, so that the desorbing action of water on the adsorbent 1 becomes more active. Humidification is actively performed. When the humidity of the room of 8 tatami mats is measured with this humidity controller in the outside air condition of 7 ° C DB / 6 ° C WB, and the amount of humidification is measured, a humidification amount of 300 g / h is obtained, which is about 20% higher than when the ultrasonic waves are not applied. % Performance improved.

(Comparative Example 1) Further, the humidity control apparatus of the present Example 1 and the humidity control apparatus without the ultrasonic wave generating means 5 were used under the condition of outside air of 7.
As a result of conducting a comparative experiment of humidifying a room of 8 tatami mats in a room temperature of DB / 6 ° C.WB, the latter humidification amount was only 250 g / h.

As described above, in the present embodiment, in addition to the desorption of water by the heating means 2, the adsorbent 1 promotes the desorption action of water by the ultrasonic waves of the ultrasonic wave generation means 5, thereby providing effective humidification. It can be carried out.

In this embodiment, the number of revolutions of the adsorbent 1 and the installation position of the ultrasonic wave generating means 5 were fixed, but similar results could be obtained even when the number of revolutions was 5 to 70 rpm / min. Further, the same result could be obtained even when the installation position of the ultrasonic wave generating means 5 with respect to the adsorbent 1 was 30 to 80 mm.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 2 shows the structure of a second humidity control apparatus. Then, only the parts different from those of the first embodiment will be described, parts having the same configurations and operational effects will be assigned the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. Reference numeral 11 shows a honeycomb structure of an inorganic material substrate such as ceramic paper on the surface of which a solid adsorbent such as silica gel or zeolite and a photocatalyst made of titanium oxide having an amount of titanium oxide of about 10 mg / cm ² are carried by a spray method. It is an adsorbent that adsorbs the formed water. It has a diameter of 250 mm and a thickness of 1 so that it can easily transmit light.
It is processed into a substantially cylindrical shape of 5 mm.

Then, the adsorbent 11 is provided with an outer shell 6
Water can be adsorbed uniformly from the air flowing in the fluid passage 7 and is rotated at 5 rpm / min by the driving unit so that the water can be desorbed when heated, and adhered by the air flow. The oil and other stains are decomposed by the photocatalytic oxidation. Reference numeral 12 denotes an ultraviolet irradiation means such as a 10 W ultraviolet irradiation lamp that generates a wavelength of 390 nm or less to activate the photocatalyst of the adsorbent 11.
It is arranged before and after, and the interval of the ultraviolet irradiation to the adsorbent 11 can be arbitrarily changed by the control device 13.

In the above embodiment, the adsorbent 11 was adsorbed with salad oil of about 0.1 cc / cm ³ and irradiated with ultraviolet rays by the ultraviolet ray irradiation means 12 for 6 h / day for one month. The room of 8 tatami was humidified in 7 ° C DB / 6 ° C WB. According to this embodiment, when the switching dampers 4 and 9 are switched to the outdoor side to open the outdoor inlet 8a and the outdoor outlet 10a and rotate the blower fan 3 to pass the outdoor air to the fluid passage 7. The adsorbent 1 through which the outdoor air passes adsorbs moisture. Next, the switching dampers 4 and 9 are switched to the indoor side, and the indoor side suction port 8 and
The indoor air outlet 10 is opened, the indoor air is circulated through the fluid passage 7 by the rotation of the blower fan 3, and the adsorbent 1 is heated by the heating means 2. The adsorbed moisture is desorbed from the heated adsorbent 1 to humidify the indoor air passing therethrough, and the conditioned air is blown out from the indoor outlet 10 into the room.

In the present embodiment, when air passes through the fluid passage 7 and dirt such as dust and oil adheres to the adsorbent 11, the photocatalyst decomposes the dirt, adsorbs water, and desorbs water. The action is always kept stable. On the other hand, the ultraviolet irradiation means 12 is controlled by the control device 13 at an appropriate interval to irradiate the adsorbent 11 with ultraviolet rays to activate the photocatalyst. As a result, a humidification amount of 240 g / h was obtained. This is because the dirt is decomposed by the oxidizing action of the photocatalyst carried on the adsorbent 11 before the adsorbent of the adsorbent 11 is deteriorated, so that the performance can be maintained for a long time.

Since the adsorbent 11 is loaded with an adsorbent, when an odorous substance such as ammonia, acetaldehyde or acetic acid adheres to the adsorbent 11, the odor also flows into the room. The irradiation frequency can be arbitrarily changed to shorten the regeneration frequency of the adsorbent 11.

(Comparative Example 2) Salad oil was added to about 0.1 c.
c / cm ^{3 The} humidity control apparatus of the present Example 2 using the adsorbent 11 that was left naturally for 1 month and the photocatalyst and the UV irradiation means that were simply left naturally were the same as in Example 2 except for that. If the humidity conditioner using the adsorbent is set to 7
As a result of conducting a comparative experiment in which a room of 8 tatami mats was humidified in ° C DB / 6 ° C WB, only 75 g / h of humidification was obtained in the latter case. It is considered that this is because the salad oil was permeated into the adsorbent of the adsorbent and deteriorated, so that the water could not be sufficiently adsorbed.

As described above, in this embodiment, the photocatalyst decomposes dirt such as dust and oils adhering to the adsorbent, and the photocatalyst is activated by the ultraviolet irradiation means to decompose the dirt adhering to the adsorbent. The action of the photocatalyst can be stabilized for a long period of time.

In this embodiment, the number of revolutions of the adsorbent 11 was fixed, but similar results could be obtained even when the number of revolutions was 5 to 70 rpm / min. The present invention is not limited to this. As a method for supporting the photocatalyst, a dipping method or the like can be used. After supporting a solid adsorbent such as silica gel or zeolite, C
The titanium oxide layer may be formed by the VD method.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 3 shows the structure of a third humidity control apparatus. In the present embodiment, only parts different from the first embodiment will be described, parts having the same configurations and effects will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. Reference numeral 14 is an ozone generating means composed of a plurality of needle-shaped electrodes and a ground electrode made of metal, for generating ozone by applying a voltage of DC 10 kv to the needle-shaped electrodes, and the ozone concentration is 0 when passing through the adsorbent 1. It is adjusted so as to be 0.005 to 0.1 ppm, and the mold generated in the adsorbent 1 is decomposed by the oxidizing action of ozone. Reference numeral 15 is a control device for the ozone generating means 14, and the switching dampers 4 and 9 are always the indoor suction port 8 and
The ozone generator 14 is turned on and off so that ozone is generated when the indoor outlet 10 is closed and the indoor air passage is closed, and ozone does not flow into the room.

In the above embodiment, the switching dampers 4 and 9 are switched to the outdoor side to open the outdoor side inlet 8a and the outdoor side outlet 10a, and the blower fan 3 is rotated to let the outdoor air pass through the fluid passage 7. Then, the adsorbent 1 through which the outdoor air has passed adsorbs moisture. Next, switching dampers 4 and 9
Is switched to the indoor side to open the indoor inlet 8 and the indoor outlet 10, the indoor air is circulated to the fluid passage 7 by the rotation of the blower fan 3, and the adsorbent 1 is heated by the heating means 2. The adsorbed moisture is desorbed from the heated adsorbent 1 to humidify the indoor air passing therethrough, and the conditioned air is blown out from the indoor outlet 10 into the room.

In the present embodiment, the ozone generating means 14 generates ozone when the outdoor air is flowing through the fluid passage 7, and the dirt and moisture adhering to the adsorbent 1 serve as a nutrient source to decompose the mold. To do. Therefore, the adsorbent 1 can always be kept clean and hygienic humidity control can be performed.

According to this embodiment, the humidity control apparatus of this embodiment provided with the ozone generating means and the humidity control apparatus without the ozone generating means are operated for one month, respectively, and then placed on the downstream side of the humidity control apparatus. Using RCS air sampler manufactured by Biotest Co., Ltd. 1
80 L of air was sampled for 2 minutes each time. The medium used is DIFC
PDA (potato dextrose agar) is used in the special medium for fungus of company O. The culture was carried out at 25 ° C. for 3 days, and the result was expressed by the number of colonies.

As shown in (Table 1), the ozone generating means 14
The anti-fungal effect was confirmed for the humidity control apparatus equipped with, but the anti-fungal effect was not confirmed at all without the ozone generating means. As is clear from the results of this test, it was confirmed that the humidity control apparatus equipped with the ozone generating means 14 had antifungal properties due to ozone. As a result, it is possible to maintain a clean state at all times, so that clean humidification is possible.

[0035]

[Table 1]

Further, the ozone generating means 14 of this embodiment is
Since the principle of generating negative ions is the same, negative ions are also generated. Generally, it is said that negative ions are good for the body if they are 1000 / cc or more, and 10,000 to 18,000 / in the vicinity of the waterfall in the natural world.
There is cc. In the ozone generating means of this embodiment, 50000
It is possible to generate up to 100,000 pieces / cc, and it is possible to supply it indoors. Moreover, there is also a synergistic effect that negative ions can be maintained for a long time by adjusting the humidity to 30 to 60%. In this embodiment, it is possible to keep the amount of negative ions at 1000 pieces / cc or more in a room of 8 tatami mats.

In the humidity control apparatuses of the above-mentioned Embodiments 2 and 3, only the heating means 2 is adopted as means for desorbing the water adsorbed by the adsorbent and humidifying the fluid, but the present invention is not limited to this. However, if the ultrasonic wave generating means is provided as in the first embodiment so as to further promote the desorption action of water in the adsorbent, the action of each of the embodiments is combined with the action and effect of such means. The effect can be remarkably exhibited.

(Embodiment 4) FIG. 4 shows the construction of an air conditioner in which the humidity control devices of Embodiment 1 are arranged in parallel. The air conditioner includes, for example, an outdoor unit (not shown) and an indoor unit 16 here.
1 is installed separately, and the humidity control apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is installed in parallel on both sides or one side of the horizontally long indoor unit 16. Reference numeral 17 denotes an air conditioning heat exchanger for cooling or heating, which is arranged in a flow passage 20 connecting an air intake 18 for indoor air and an air outlet 19 for blowing the conditioned air into the room. A blower fan 21 is provided. The humidity control device uses the indoor side inlet 8 and the indoor side outlet 10 as the indoor unit 1
The suction port 18 and the discharge port 19 of 6 are opened to the inside of the room separately, and the indoor unit 16 is controlled by the control device (not shown).
It is designed so that it can be operated in conjunction with or independently.

In the above embodiment, the operation of the humidity control apparatus is the same as that described in the first embodiment, and when the room is dried due to the operation of the air conditioner, etc., even when the indoor unit 16 is operating,
Further, even when it is stopped, the humidity control apparatus can be operated to humidify the circulating indoor air. Therefore, the humidity control can be performed regardless of the operation of the air conditioner, and the usability can be improved.

In this embodiment, the indoor side inlet 8 and the indoor side outlet 10 of the humidity control device are provided separately from those of the indoor unit 16, but the inlet 18 and the outlet 1 of the indoor unit 16 are provided.
The inlet and the outlet of the fluid passage may be connected to 9 for use. In addition, although the present embodiment is an example in which the humidity control apparatus of the first embodiment is installed in parallel with the air conditioner, the present invention is not limited to this, and the humidity control apparatuses shown in the second and third embodiments are installed in parallel. Of course, it is okay.

[0041]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION As is apparent from the above embodiments, in the invention described in claim 1, in addition to the desorption of water in the adsorbent by the heating means, the desorption action is promoted by ultrasonic waves, and humidification is efficiently performed. It can be performed.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the dirt adhering to the adsorbent can be always removed, and the action of the photocatalyst can be stabilized for a long period of time.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent generation of mold on the adsorbent and to always perform clean humidification.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the humidity can be adjusted regardless of the operation of the air conditioner, and the usability can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a humidity control apparatus showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a humidity control apparatus showing the second embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a humidity control apparatus showing the third embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of an air conditioner showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1,11 Adsorbent 2 heating means 3, 21 Blower fan (Blower means) 5 Ultrasonic generator 12 Ultraviolet irradiation means 14 Ozone generating means 17 Air conditioning heat exchanger

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) B01D 53/26 101 B01D 53/26 101B B01J 19/00 321 B01J 19/00 321 19/10 19/10 19 / 12 19/12 C F24F 6/10 F24F 6/10 6/12 101 6/12 101A (72) Inventor Hironao Numamoto 1006 Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 3L053 BC05 3L055 BA01 BB11 CA04 4C080 AA05 AA07 AA10 BB02 BB05 CC02 CC09 HH05 JJ03 KK04 KK06 MM02 MM04 MM06 MM08 NN02 QQ12 QQ17 4D052 AA08 CB00 BA01 BA03 BA08 BA01 BA03 BA08 A05 A03 BA08 A04 A00 A03 A01 A03 A08 A02 A03 A01 A03 A08 A01 A03 A08 A01 A03 A08 A01 A03 A08 A01 A03 A08 A01 A03 A08 A01 A03 A0 A01 CA33 CA54 DA02 EA05 EB31 EC09 ED01 FA14 FB01 FC02 FC07

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An adsorbent that adsorbs moisture, a heating unit that heats the adsorbent to desorb the moisture, a blowing unit that circulates air through the adsorbent, and an ultrasonic wave that applies ultrasonic waves to the adsorbent. A humidity control device comprising a sound wave generator. 2. An adsorbent that has a photocatalyst and adsorbs moisture, a heating unit that heats the adsorbent to desorb moisture, an air blowing unit that circulates air through the adsorbent, and the adsorbent. A humidity control device comprising an ultraviolet irradiation means for activating the photocatalyst. 3. An adsorbent that adsorbs moisture, a heating unit that heats the adsorbent to desorb the moisture, a blowing unit that circulates air through the adsorbent, and an ozone provided near the adsorbent. A humidity control device comprising a generating means. 4. An air conditioner provided with the humidity control apparatus according to claim 1 so as to operate in conjunction with or independently of an air conditioning heat exchanger and a blower fan.