JP2005125231A - Dehumidifier - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dehumidifier capable of ensuring sufficient insulation from an ion apparatus and preventing ingress of foreign matters from the outside without reducing generation of ions. <P>SOLUTION: Negative ions contained in dry air are guided to an outlet from a negative ion generator 45 along a smooth inclination of an electrode supporting stand 54 without any trouble. Thus, generation of negative ions is not reduced. In addition, the creeping distance from the negative ions generator 45 to the outlet 3 is increased by the inclination, and sufficient insulation for the negative ion generator can be ensured. Further, easy ingress of foreign matters from the outlet 3 to the negative ion generator 45 can be prevented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a dehumidifier that sends out air obtained by a refrigeration cycle from an air outlet and releases ions generated by an ion device to the outside.

  Conventionally, this type of dehumidifier has a refrigeration cycle mechanism in which an evaporator (heat exchanger) and a condenser are provided in a main body, and chlorofluorocarbon gas compressed to a high pressure as a refrigerant by a compressor (compressor) is circulated to the evaporator and the condenser. A refrigeration mechanism is provided. When the indoor air sucked from the air suction port by the blower touches the evaporator and exchanges heat, the moisture contained in the air is condensed, and the air from which the moisture has been removed is heated by the condenser and blown. It is discharged outside from the outlet. Further, the condensed water adhering to the evaporator is temporarily collected in a drain pan in the main body, and is dripped and stored in a water storage tank from a hose connection port provided at a lower portion of the drain pan.

A dehumidifier having such a refrigeration cycle is provided with an ion device that generates positive ions and negative ions by discharge, and those ions sterilize airborne bacteria in the air at the same time as dehumidification. ing.
JP 2002-243198 A

  The above-described ion device has a problem that the amount of ions generated during discharge is reduced and the airborne bacteria in the air cannot be effectively sterilized, particularly when the humidity of indoor air is high. Therefore, in Patent Document 1 described above, by providing an ion device on the outlet side from which the dehumidified dry air is sent to the outside, a stable amount of ions can be sent to the outside even in a room with high humidity. is there.

  In this case, if the electrode of the ion device is attached immediately before the blowout port of the dehumidifier and ions are released to the outside so as not to disturb the dry exhaust air, the amount of ions released from the blowout port increases. However, when the electrode of the ion device that applies a high voltage approaches immediately before the blowout port from which ions are delivered, the creepage distance from the outer surface of the dehumidifier that forms the blowout port decreases, and sufficient insulation cannot be secured. Produce. Moreover, in the said patent document 1, although the wall-shaped shielding means is provided between a blower outlet and an ion apparatus, and the structure which prevents a contact with the ion apparatus from the outside is employ | adopted, such wall shape There is also a concern that the amount of ions generated from the outlet is significantly reduced by the shielding means.

  In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a dehumidifier that can sufficiently secure insulation from an ion device and prevent entry of foreign substances from the outside without reducing the amount of generated ions. Objective.

  According to the dehumidifier of the present invention, after a part of the dehumidified air is guided to the ion device and contains ions, it merges with the remaining air and is sent to the outside from the outlet, and the surrounding humidity is high. Can supply a stable amount of ions. Moreover, since the ions contained in the air are guided from the ion device to the air outlet without being obstructed along the inclination of the mounting portion, the amount of generated ions does not decrease. Further, this inclination increases the creeping distance from the ion device to the air outlet, ensuring sufficient insulation against the ion device, and makes it difficult for foreign matter to easily enter the ion device from the air outlet.

  According to the dehumidifier of the present invention, it is possible to ensure sufficient insulation from the ion device and prevent the entry of foreign substances from the outside without reducing the amount of generated ions.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the dehumidifier of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 showing the appearance of the dehumidifier, 1 is a main body of a vertically long box-shaped dehumidifier, and a suction port 2 for taking in air is provided on the side of the main body 1 and on the upper rear side. An air outlet 3 for sending dry air is provided in front of the upper portion of the main body 1. A water storage tank 5 made of transparent resin is detachably provided in the opening 4 formed on one side of the main body 1. A display / operation panel 6 includes a plurality of LEDs and various switches, for example. A rotatable handle 7 is provided at the top of the main body 1 so as to surround the display / operation panel 6 in a U-shape.

  The blowout port 3 is provided with an uplife wrap 9 and a downlife wrap 10 that are opened when dry air is delivered. Further, below the downlife wrap 10, an ion indicator 11 is provided as an ion generation amount confirmation means for displaying the generation amount of negative ions in color.

  The display / operation panel 6 includes a dehumidifying button 12, an operation switching button 13, a turn-off timer button 14, and an ion button 15 that constitute an operation means 40 described later. Corresponding to these buttons, a full water lamp 20 that is turned on when the water storage tank 5 is full is provided as a display means 39 together with a humidity lamp 16, an operation switching lamp 17, a turn-off timer lamp 18, and an ion lamp 19.

  FIG. 4 schematically shows the configuration of the refrigeration cycle mechanism 21 provided inside the main body 1. In the figure, a refrigeration cycle mechanism 21 is a compressor 22 that circulates refrigerant, a condenser 23 that releases heat in the refrigerant, a dryer 24, a capillary tube 25, and a heat exchanger that condenses moisture in the air. A two-way valve 27 serving as a refrigeration cycle switching unit is provided in parallel with a path from the evaporator 26 to the compressor 22 and is configured by sequentially connecting the evaporator 26. Reference numeral 28 denotes a temperature sensor as a frost detection means provided in the evaporator 26. When the temperature sensor 28 detects frost formation on the evaporator 26, the two-way valve 27 is opened. When the two-way valve 27 is closed, a cooling circulation path 29 is formed in which the refrigerant circulates in the path of the compressor 22 → the condenser 23 → the dryer 24 → the capillary tube 25 → the evaporator 26 → the compressor 22. When the two-way valve 27 is opened, a heating circuit 30 is formed from the compressor 22 → the two-way valve 27 → the evaporator 26 → the compressor 22. In addition, the refrigeration cycle mechanism 21 is provided with a blower 31 for sending air from the outside to the evaporator 26.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the controller 35 incorporated in the main body 1 and its periphery. In the figure, a controller 35 includes a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as a microcomputer) 38 having a control means 36 and a blower rotational speed adjusting means 37, and a display means 39 for displaying an operation state provided in the display / operation panel 6 described above. And operation means 40 including various buttons. The control unit 36 includes temperature information from the temperature sensor 28 and the room temperature sensor 42 for detecting the temperature of the evaporator 26, an operation signal from the operation unit 40, and a load current detection unit 43 for detecting a load current flowing through the compressor 22. The rotation speed of the blower 31 and the display of the display means 39 are controlled based on the detection information from the sensor, the time information of the built-in timer (not shown), and the humidity information from the humidity sensor 44 that detects the ambient humidity. It has a function to do. The blower rotation speed adjusting means 37 adjusts the rotation speed of the blower 31 to, for example, either a strong air amount or a weak air amount based on a control signal from the control means 36. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a negative ion generator 45 is provided as an ion device in which a high voltage generator and an electrode are integrated. The negative ion generator 45 generates negative ions by applying a high voltage between its electrodes based on a command from the control means 36.

  6 and 7 show the structure inside the air outlet 3. In each of these drawings, 51 is an electrode of the negative ion generator 45, which is configured by arranging a pair of conductive pins 53 serving as a plus side electrode and a minus side electrode in proximity to an insulating base 52. The electrode 51 is placed on the upper surface of the electrode support 54 in the main body 1 with the tip of the conductive pin 53 facing the air outlet 3. Further, a hood-like blowout cover 55 is provided so as to cover the upper portion of the electrode 51, and a first guide that guides only dry air to the blowout outlet 3 by the blowout cover 55 and the main body case 56 inside the main body 1. 1 blowout path 57 and a branch from this first blowout path 57, a part of the dry air is guided to the electrode 51 of the negative ion generator 45, and the dry air containing negative ions is guided to the blowout port 3. Second blowing paths 58 are respectively formed.

  On the upper surface of the electrode support 54, a smoothly inclined taper portion 59 is formed that is located in the middle of the second air outlet 58 extending from the electrode 51 to the air outlet 3 and rises toward the air outlet 3. . The inclination of the taper portion 59 may be any shape as long as negative ions generated from the electrode 51 are sent out along the inclined surface without colliding, and the tip portion 60 facing the blowout port 3 has a finger or the like from the blowout port 3. Is formed so as not to enter the electrode 51. That is, the electrode support 54 that is the attachment portion of the electrode 51 has a protruding shape toward the blowout port 3. In addition, in FIG. 7, the structure of the blowing path by the side of the uplife wrap 9 is abbreviate | omitted for convenience.

  Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. When the operation means 40 is operated to instruct the start of the dehumidifying operation, the control means 36 outputs a signal for driving the compressor 22 and also sends a signal for driving the blower 31 at a predetermined rotational speed, which will be described later, to the blower rotational speed adjusting means. Output to 37. As a result, the compressor 22 and the blower 31 are driven to start the dehumidifying operation of either the strong air amount or the weak air amount.

  During this dehumidifying operation, since the two-way valve 27 is closed by a control signal from the control means 36, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 22 circulates through the cooling circuit 29 without passing through the two-way valve 27. That is, the refrigerant enters the condenser 23 from the compressor 22, releases heat in the refrigerant, and then enters the capillary tube 25 from the dryer 24 and is expanded. Thereafter, the refrigerant evaporates in the evaporator 26, and heat is taken from the heat exchange fins 52 of the evaporator 26, the temperature of the evaporator 26 is lowered, and the flow returns to the compressor 22 again. At that time, the indoor air sucked into the main body 1 by the blower 31 is touched to the evaporator 26 to be cooled and dehumidified, and the cooled air is heated by the condenser 23 to be dried as dry air from the outlet 3 of the main body 1 to the outside. Discharged.

  On the other hand, when the room temperature is low and frost adheres to the evaporator 26, the temperature detected by the evaporator 26 by the temperature sensor 28 decreases. The control means 36 detects the frost formation of the evaporator 26 when the detected temperature from the temperature sensor 28 is a predetermined temperature, for example, 0 ° C. or less, for a certain period of time or longer. The control of the refrigeration cycle mechanism 21 is switched. Specifically, the two-way valve 27 is opened by the control means 36, and the refrigerant from the compressor 22 is directly fed to the evaporator 26 via the two-way valve 27 without passing through the condenser 23. As a result, the evaporator 26 acts to release the heat of the refrigerant and raise the temperature, thereby melting the frost adhering to the evaporator 26. The refrigerant that has passed through the evaporator 26 returns to the compressor 22 again, and continues the defrosting operation until the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 28 rises.

  Further, during the dehumidifying operation, the control means 36 monitors the load state of the compressor 22 based on the detection information from the load current detection means 43. When the load of the compressor 22 is less than the set value, the operation of a weak air volume is performed to reduce the rotation speed of the blower 31. On the other hand, if the load on the compressor 22 is greater than or equal to the set value, the control unit 36 determines the current operating state of the blower 31 and if it is a strong air volume, it is left as it is, and if it is a weak air volume, the burden on the compressor 22 is eased. Therefore, the operation is automatically switched to the operation of the high air flow rate that increases the rotation speed of the blower 31.

  Thereafter, when the operation unit 40 performs an operation to stop the dehumidifying operation, the control unit 36 does not immediately stop the driving of the compressor 22 and the blower 31, but performs the same operation as the defrosting operation for a predetermined time or more. That is, by opening the two-way valve 27 and forming the heating circulation path 30, the temperature of the evaporator 26 is raised, the water adhering to the evaporator 26 is evaporated, and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 28 of the evaporator 26 is predetermined. For example, the refrigeration cycle mechanism 21 is controlled to be maintained at a temperature of 80 ° C. or higher for about 5 minutes. Then, when 5 minutes, which is a predetermined time, has passed, the driving of the compressor 22 and the blower 31 is stopped, assuming that the water adhering to the evaporator 26 has sufficiently evaporated.

  In the dehumidifying operation, most of the dry air generated by the refrigeration cycle 21 is guided to the outlet 3 from the first outlet 57 without passing through the electrode 51 side, and is sent to the outside. (See symbol S1 in FIG. 6), a part passes through the second air outlet 58. Here, if a high voltage is applied to the electrode 51 of the negative ion generator 45, the dry air containing negative ions generated from the electrode 51 is converted into a smoothly inclined tapered portion 59 and a hood-like blowout cover 55. And is sent to the outside from the blowout port 3 (see symbol S2 in FIGS. 6 and 7). At that time, since the dry air containing negative ions flows along the tapered portion 59 having a smooth slope, the resistance to the blowing air is reduced, and the dry air can be sent to the outside without reducing the amount of negative ions. In addition, since the electrode support base 54 has a shape protruding forward toward the air outlet 3, it can prevent entry of foreign matter from the outside and reaches the electrode 51 from the main body 1 on which the air outlet 3 is formed. Creepage distance can be extended. Therefore, sufficient insulation with respect to the electrode 51 is ensured.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, in the dehumidifier equipped with the negative ion generator 45 as an ion device that sends out dry air from the outlet 3 and generates ions such as negative ions, the negative ion generator 45 is provided at the air outlet 3, and a part of the dried air is guided to the negative ion generator 45, and an electrode support base 54 as a mounting portion having a smooth inclination toward the air outlet 3 is provided to the negative ion generator 45. Provided.

  In this case, after a part of the dehumidified dry air is led to the negative ion generator 45 and contains negative ions, it merges with the remaining dry air and is sent to the outside through the air outlet 3, and the surrounding humidity is high. However, a stable amount of negative ions can be supplied. Further, the negative ions contained in the dry air are guided from the negative ion generator 45 to the outlet without being obstructed along the smooth inclination of the electrode support 54, so the amount of negative ions generated does not decrease. . In addition, this slope increases the creeping distance from the negative ion generator 45 to the blower outlet 3, ensuring sufficient insulation for the negative ion generator 45, and facilitates the negative ion generator 45 from the blower outlet 3. Foreign objects are less likely to enter.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said Example, A various deformation | transformation implementation is possible in the range of the summary of this invention. For example, the inclination of the tapered portion 59 may not be formed in a straight line, and may be formed in a curved shape in consideration of, for example, the air flow.

It is a front view of the dehumidifier which shows one Example of this invention. It is a rear view of a dehumidifier same as the above. It is a top view of a dehumidifier same as the above. It is explanatory drawing which represented the refrigerating-cycle mechanism typically same as the above. It is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration same as the above. It is a front view of the principal part seen from the blower outlet side same as the above. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 6.

Explanation of symbols

3 outlets
45 Negative ion generator (ion device)
54 Electrode support base

Claims (1)

In a dehumidifier equipped with an ion device that sends out air from the air outlet and generates ions, the ion device is provided at the air outlet, guides air to the ion device, and has an inclination toward the air outlet. A dehumidifier comprising an attachment portion provided in the ion device.

Images