JP2005265258A - Portable dehumidifier - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable dehumidifier provided with operation mode for dehumidifying the inside of a room and drying clothes efficiently by utilizing a mechanism for changing direction of blowing-out. <P>SOLUTION: This portable dehumidifier is constituted by storing a main fan, a dehumidifying rotor and a motor for rotating and driving it, a regeneration heater, a regeneration fan, a heat exchanger or the like in a main body case. It is provided with a blowing-out direction change means for changing the direction of blowing-out of dried air blown out from a blow-out port in a predetermined scope of angle in the horizontal direction. Operation mode capable of being set using an operation part for a control part for controlling the main fan, the motor for rotating and driving the dehumidifying rotor, the regeneration heater, the regeneration fan, and the blowing-out direction change means is realized. A clothes drying mode and sterilizing drying mode are provided, and the blowing-out direction change means operates in at least the sterilizing drying mode. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention includes a main fan for taking in air from an air intake port and blowing out dry air after dehumidification treatment from the air outlet, a dehumidification rotor for adsorbing moisture in the taken-in air, and a motor for rotating the motor, A portable dehumidifier in which a regenerative heater including a regenerative heater, a regenerative fan, and a heat exchanger for exposing the heated air to a part of the dehumidification rotor to take out moisture adsorbed on the dehumidification rotor is housed in the main body case. About.

  This type of portable dehumidifier is called a rotor-type dehumidifier or a rotary dehumidifier, and a conventional example thereof is disclosed in Patent Document 1. This type of dehumidifier is configured to adsorb moisture in the air to the dehumidification rotor by passing air through a dehumidification rotor impregnated with a hygroscopic agent such as zeolite, and to blow dry air after dehumidification treatment. ing. The disc-shaped dehumidifying rotor rotates at a low speed, and a part of the fan-shaped portion is regenerated in the reproduction area. In the regeneration area, the regeneration air heated by the regeneration heater is applied to the dehumidification rotor, and the moisture adsorbed on the dehumidification rotor is taken out by the regeneration air. That is, moisture is removed from the dehumidification rotor, and the dehumidification rotor is regenerated. The temperature of the high-humidity regeneration air after removing moisture from the dehumidifying rotor is lowered by a heat exchanger. As a result, moisture in the regeneration air is condensed, and the collected water is stored in the drain tank.

Many portable dehumidifiers have various operation modes such as clothes drying as well as room dehumidification. The control in the clothes drying mode is described in, for example, Patent Document 2 in addition to Patent Document 1. However, the portable dehumidifier described in Patent Document 2 is not a rotor-type dehumidifier described in Patent Document 1, but a cooling-type dehumidifier using a compressor. Moreover, in the portable dehumidifier of patent document 2, the lid | cover which can be opened and closed which closes a blower outlet serves as a wind direction board, and can change the blowing direction of dry air to an up-down (front-back) direction by adjusting the opening-and-closing angle. .
JP 2001-259350 A JP 2003-42514 A

  Regardless of whether it is a rotor type or a cooling type portable dehumidifier, conventionally, dry air is often blown out from a substantially rectangular air outlet provided on the upper surface of the main body case. Some portable dehumidifiers in Patent Document 2, such as those that can manually adjust the blowing direction of dry air in the vertical (front and back) direction and those that are provided with a similar electric louver, Nothing has a mechanism to change the direction (horizontal direction).

  However, in order to spread the dry air blown out from the blowout outlet to every corner of the room, a structure in which the blowout direction is changed in the horizontal direction is desirable. The present inventors have developed a portable dehumidifier capable of changing the blowing direction of the dry air blown from the blower outlet to the horizontal direction by adding a relatively simple mechanism. An object of this invention is to provide the portable dehumidifier provided with the operation mode which can perform the dehumidification of a room | room efficiently or the drying of clothes using such a mechanism which changes the blowing direction.

  A first configuration of a portable dehumidifier according to the present invention is a main fan for taking in air from an air intake port and blowing out dry air after dehumidification treatment from an outlet, and for adsorbing moisture in the taken-in air. The dehumidification rotor and its rotation driving motor, and the regenerative means including the regenerative heater, the regenerative fan and the heat exchanger for applying the heated air to a part of the dehumidification rotor and taking out the moisture adsorbed to the dehumidification rotor are the main body case In the portable dehumidifier housed inside, provided with blowing direction changing means for changing the blowing direction of the dry air blown from the blowing port in the horizontal direction within a predetermined angle range, and a motor for driving the rotation of the main fan and the dehumidifying rotor As the operation mode that can be set using the operation unit for the control unit that controls the regenerative heater, the regenerative fan, and the blowing direction changing means, And a de and sterilization drying mode, a portable dehumidifier in at least eradication drying mode blowout direction changing means characterized in that it operates.

  According to such a configuration, when the sterilization drying mode is set as the operation mode, the dry air can be distributed to every corner of the room by the action of the blowing direction changing means. The blowing direction changing means may be operated in the clothes drying mode. In this case, the drying air can be blown over a wide range, so that the clothes can be quickly dried to the end even if the clothes are suspended over a wide range. Is obtained.

  In the second configuration of the portable dehumidifier according to the present invention, in the first configuration, both the regeneration heater and the main fan are driven at the maximum output in the clothes drying mode, and the main fan is driven at the maximum output in the sterilization drying mode. And the output of the regenerative heater changes step by step. According to such a configuration, in the clothes drying mode, the clothes can be dried in a short time using the maximum dehumidification output. On the other hand, in the sterilization drying mode, power can be saved by suppressing the output of the regenerative heater while blowing dry air into the room with the maximum air volume.

  The third configuration of the portable dehumidifier according to the present invention is the same as the second configuration described above except that a humidity sensor for detecting the humidity of the air taken in from the air intake port is provided, and the control unit detects by the humidity sensor. The output of the regenerative heater is changed stepwise based on the humidity. According to such a configuration, it is possible to save power by suppressing excessive or useless dehumidification in the sterilization drying mode.

  The 4th structure of the portable dehumidifier by this invention is an example of the concrete control of the said 3rd structure, and a control part turns on a reproduction | regeneration heater by 1st output lower than a maximum output in disinfection drying mode. After driving for a predetermined time, if the humidity detected by the humidity sensor is lower than the first set humidity, the heating output of the regenerative heater is switched to the second output lower than the first output, and then the humidity detected by the humidity sensor is higher than the first set humidity. If it becomes lower than the low second set humidity, heating by the regenerative heater is stopped. According to such a configuration, it is possible to save power by suppressing excessive or useless dehumidification in the sterilization drying mode.

  A fifth configuration of the portable dehumidifier according to the present invention includes a humidity sensor for detecting the humidity of the air taken in from the air intake port in the second, third, or fourth configuration, and a control unit. In the clothes drying mode, the gradient of decrease in detected humidity by the humidity sensor is determined after a predetermined time has elapsed, and the shorter remaining operating time is set to the off timer as the determined gradient of detected humidity increases, and the remaining operating time has elapsed The automatic stop is performed later. According to such a configuration, the drying time that changes depending on conditions such as the amount of moisture contained in the clothes dried in the room and the size of the room is estimated, and the time until automatic stop is automatically set according to the result. Can be adjusted. As a result, appropriate clothing drying can be performed while reducing wasteful power.

  The sixth configuration of the portable dehumidifier according to the present invention is provided with means for setting operation and stop of the blowing direction changing means in the operation unit, and the setting information is stored from the stop to the next start of operation. Features. According to such a configuration, for example, in the clothes drying mode, the operation and stop of the blowing direction changing means can be switched according to the range in which the clothes are suspended, and when the drying method is the same every time, the blowing direction changing means The operation can be started with the same setting as the previous time without resetting the operation or stop. In addition, a non-volatile memory may be used as a means to memorize | store the setting information of the action | operation and stop of a blowing direction change means, and a volatile memory may be used. In the latter case, for example, when the power plug is removed, the storage of the setting information is reset.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  The external appearance of the portable dehumidifier which concerns on the Example of this invention is shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2. FIG. 1 (a) is an external view from the top, FIG. 1 (b) is an external view from the front, FIG. 2 (a) is an external view from the right side, and FIG. 2 (b) is an external view from the back. Simplified and shown. Further, FIG. 3 shows a schematic internal structure of the portable dehumidifier as viewed from the right side. Furthermore, the schematic diagram for demonstrating the dehumidification operation | movement of this portable dehumidifier is shown in FIG.

  This portable dehumidifier has a main fan 12 and its motor 13, a dehumidifying rotor 14 and its rotation driving motor 15, and a regeneration unit 16 inside a main body case 11 consisting of a front case 11 F and a rear case 11 R which are resin molded products. , A heat exchanger 17, a filter 18, a drain tank 19 and the like are accommodated. The main fan 12, which is a centrifugal fan, takes in air from an air intake 21 formed on the back surface of the main body case 11 (rear case 11R), and blows out dry air after dehumidification from the air outlet.

  The air outlet is formed between the upper end opening of the air outlet cylinder 22 provided on the right side of the upper surface of the main body case 11 and the lid member 23. As will be described in detail later, the disc-shaped lid member 23 that closes the upper end opening of the blowing cylinder 22 can be fixed in a posture inclined around the horizontal axis. As shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 3, the dry air is inclined forward and upward as indicated by an arrow AR from the outlet OP formed between the lid member 23 in the inclined posture and the upper end opening of the outlet cylinder 22. Is blown out. As will be described later, the lid member 23 can reciprocate in a predetermined angular range around the vertical axis, whereby the blowing direction of the dry air blown out from the outlet OP is in the horizontal range within the predetermined angular range. Change.

  In the portable dehumidifier of this embodiment, the dehumidifying means is configured by the dehumidifying rotor 14, the regeneration unit 16, the heat exchanger 17, and the like. The dehumidification rotor 14 has a structure in which ceramic fiber paper is wound in a disk shape and fired at a high temperature so that zeolite as a moisture absorbent is impregnated. When air taken in from the air intake 21 by the main fan 12 (hereinafter referred to as processing air) passes through the dehumidifying rotor 14, moisture in the processing air is absorbed by the dehumidifying rotor 14 and the processing air Dehumidification processing is performed. A flat gear 14 a is provided on the outer periphery of the dehumidifying rotor 14, and a small-diameter gear 15 a meshing with the spur gear 14 a is fixed to the rotating shaft of the dehumidifying rotor driving motor 15. When the dehumidifying rotor driving motor 15 rotates, the dehumidifying rotor 14 is configured to rotate slowly around the central axis 14AX.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a metal case 16 </ b> A constituting the regeneration unit 16 is provided in a fan-shaped portion that is a part of the dehumidifying rotor 14. A regenerative heater 25 is mounted in the metal case 16A. The side of the metal case 16A communicates with a regeneration air blowing path 16B constituting the regeneration unit 16, and an impeller of a regeneration fan 24, which is a sirocco fan, is accommodated in the ventilation path 16B. The regeneration air blown by the regeneration fan 24 is heated by the regeneration heater 25 in the metal case 16 </ b> A of the regeneration unit 16 and then applied to the fan-shaped portion (regeneration zone) that is a part of the dehumidifying rotor 14 from the front side. .

  In the regeneration zone, moisture contained in the moisture absorbent of the dehumidifying rotor 14 is removed by the heated regeneration air (the dehumidifying rotor 14 is dried). As a result, the moisture absorption function of the moisture absorbent is recovered and regenerated, and the moisture removal rotor 14 moves again to the dehumidification zone as the dehumidification rotor 14 rotates to perform dehumidification processing. The dehumidifying zone means a portion other than the fan-shaped regeneration zone. The regenerating air absorbed through the regeneration zone of the dehumidifying rotor 14 enters the heat exchanger 17 as indicated by an arrow ARC in FIG. 4 and passes through the inside of the heat exchanger 17 to be cooled. Removed by condensation. After that, the regeneration air that has come out of the heat exchanger 17 is sent again by the regeneration fan 24 from the regeneration air blowing path 16B to the metal case 16A in which the regeneration heater 25 is accommodated.

  The heat exchanger 17 is a molded product made of polypropylene, and includes a front heat exchanger 17F and a rear heat exchanger 17R. The front heat exchanger 17F and the rear heat exchanger 17R have internal spaces that are independent from each other, and communicate with each other through a connecting portion 17a at the lower corner in a state of being overlapped as shown in FIG. A regeneration air inlet 17b is formed at the upper center of the front heat exchanger 17F, and a regeneration air outlet 17c is formed at the upper corner of the rear heat exchanger 17R.

  Regeneration air that has exited from the rear side of the regeneration zone enters the front heat exchanger 17F from the inlet 17b, flows from the top to the bottom through the front heat exchanger 17F, and then moves to the rear heat exchanger 17R through the connecting portion 17a. After flowing through the rear heat exchanger 17R from the bottom to the top, the heat exchanger 17 exits from the outlet 17c and returns to the blower path 16B of the regeneration unit 16. In FIG. 4, the dehumidification rotor 14 and the regeneration unit 16 are drawn apart from the heat exchanger 17, but actually, they are close as shown in FIG. 3, and are constituted by the regeneration unit 16 and the heat exchanger 17. Regeneration air circulates through the closed circuit.

  The front heat exchanger 17F and the rear heat exchanger 17R constituting the heat exchanger 17 are formed with a large number of slits 17d so that the air for regeneration flows through the inside of the heat exchanger 17 and the process air can pass in a direction orthogonal thereto. Has been. The treated air taken in from the air intake port 21 on the back side of the dehumidifier passes through the filter 18 and then through the slit 17d of the heat exchanger 17 as indicated by an arrow AR. At this time, heat exchange between the regeneration air flowing inside the heat exchanger 17 and the processing air is performed. That is, the high-temperature regeneration air is cooled and the processing air is warmed.

  By cooling the regeneration air, moisture in the regeneration air is condensed and removed. Moisture condensed inside the front heat exchanger 17F and the rear heat exchanger 17R is collected while dropping inside, and falls from a drain outlet formed at the lower end of the heat exchanger 17 and enters the drain tank 19. Stored. The regeneration air from which moisture has been removed is sent from the heat exchanger 17 again to the metal case 16A via the air passage 16B of the regeneration unit 16, heated by the regeneration heater 25, and used for regeneration of the dehumidifying rotor 14. Thus, the regeneration means of the dehumidification rotor 14 is constituted by the regeneration unit 16 including the regeneration fan 24 and the regeneration heater 25 and the heat exchanger 17.

  In the dehumidification rotor 14 heated by the regeneration air heated in the regeneration zone, residual heat remains in the portion moved to the dehumidification zone by the rotation. The process air heated through the slit 17d of the heat exchanger 17 is dehumidified when passing through the dehumidification zone of the dehumidification rotor 14 as indicated by an arrow AR, and is further dehumidified by the dehumidification rotor 14 where residual heat remains. It is warmed, sent to the blowing cylinder 22 by the main fan 12, and blown out from the blowout port OP. Therefore, the dry air blown out from the blowout port OP has a lower humidity and a higher temperature than the air taken in from the air intake port 21.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, on the upper surface of the main body case 11 (the front case 11F and the rear case 11R), the operation unit 27 for setting the operation mode and instructing the start or stop of the operation is on the front side. A handle portion 28B to which a handle 28 for carrying the portable dehumidifier is attached is arranged on the back side. The handle 28 is pivotally supported around the horizontal axis 28AX with respect to the handle portion 28B, that is, the upper surface of the rear case 11R. As can be seen from FIGS. 1 (a) and 2 (b), the handle 28 does not protrude from the upper surface, the rear surface, and the side surface of the handle portion 28B, that is, the rear case 11R in the accommodated state of the horizontal posture shown by the solid line. It is within the plane. On the other hand, the portable dehumidifier can be carried by holding the handle 28 in a state where the handle 28 is raised upward as indicated by a broken line.

  As can be seen from FIGS. 2B and 3, the handle portion 28 </ b> B formed on the upper surface of the rear case 11 </ b> R is provided at a position one step lower than the operation portion. And using this step part, the fixing screw 30 for fixing the upper part of the rear case 11R to the upper part of the front case 11F is screwed from the back surface (see FIG. 2B). By doing so, the head of the fixing screw 30 necessary for assembling the main body case 11 can be hidden from conspicuous locations on the front surface, side surface, and upper surface. Further, the structure in which the air intake 21 is provided on the back surface of the main body case 11 (rear case 11R) and the blow-out cylinder 22 having the air outlet is provided on the side portion (right side) of the upper surface of the main body case 11 is inconspicuous in appearance. A wide area air intake 21 can be secured on the back surface.

  Further, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, the heat exchanger 17 is disposed on the back side inside the main body case 11, and heavy components including the dehumidification rotor 14, the regenerative heater 25, and the motor 13 of the main fan 12 It is arranged at the approximate center of the direction. And the horizontal axis 28AX which is a connection part of the handle | steering-wheel 28 and the upper surface (handle part 28B) of the main body case 11 is located in the approximate center part of the front-back direction. With such a structure, when the handle 28B of the handle portion 28B is grasped and the portable dehumidifier is lifted, the weight balance is good and the carrying is easy. This structure is also preferable from the viewpoint of the strength of the main body case 11 which is a resin molded product.

  Further, as can be seen from FIG. 1B and FIG. 3, the operation portion 27 is inclined to the front surface, and the upper end portion that forms the outlet of the blowing cylinder 22 is higher than the operation portion 27. Is provided. According to such a configuration, the operability of the key switch and the like of the operation unit 27 is improved. Moreover, since possibility that the warm dry air which blows off from a blower outlet will flow the vicinity of the operation part 27 will become low, there is no possibility that deterioration of the decorative panel (resin sheet) stuck to the operation part 27 will be accelerated. Or the discomfort in the case of operating during operation is eliminated.

  5A and 5B show the blowing cylinder member 20 constituting the blowing cylinder 22, wherein FIG. 5A is a top view and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. This blowing cylinder member 20 is attached to the upper end portion of the cylindrical portion constituting the blowing cylinder 22 of the main body case 11 (front case 11F). Therefore, the blowing cylinder 22 is comprised by the blowing cylinder member 20 shown in FIG. 5, and the cylindrical part of the main body case 11 (front case 11F) connected under it. On the inner surface of the blowing cylinder member 20 (blowing cylinder 22), an engaging portion for connecting a hose for extending blowing of dry air (bellows hose) is provided. That is, the locking projections 20a and the engagement holes 20b are provided so as to be lined up and down at three locations at intervals of 120 degrees in the circumferential direction. The locking projection 20a receives the base end surface of the blowing extension hose, and the engagement hole 20b is for engaging the engaging projection provided on the outer peripheral surface of the base end portion of the blowing extension hose.

  FIG. 6 shows a state where the blowing extension hose 29 is connected to the upper end opening of the blowing cylinder 22 (blowing cylinder member 20). The lid member 23 that closes the upper end opening of the blowing cylinder 22 is detachable. When the blowing extension hose 29 is connected to the blowing cylinder 22, the lid member 23 is removed and the proximal end of the blowing extension hose 29 is blown out. It is inserted into the upper end opening of the tube 22. The base end surface of the blowout extension hose 29 abuts on the three locking projections 20a on the inner surface of the blowout cylinder member 20, and the three engagement projections provided on the outer peripheral surface of the base end portion of the blowout extension hose 29 blow out. By engaging with the three engagement holes 20b of the cylindrical member 20, the blowing extension hose 29 is fixed to the blowing cylinder 22 (blowing cylinder member 20). The blowing extension hose 29 is used when drying shoes and small clothes using warm dry air coming out of the portable dehumidifier.

  Moreover, the blowing cylinder 22 protruding from the upper surface of the main body case 11 (front case 11F) is arranged so that the side surface thereof contacts the stepped portion extending from the operation portion to the handle portion, as can be seen from FIGS. According to such a structure, the strength of the boundary portion between the blowing cylinder 22 and the upper surface of the main body case 11 is increased as compared with the case where the blowing cylinder protrudes from the flat upper surface. In particular, since an external force may be applied to the boundary portion between the blow tube 22 and the upper surface of the main body case 11 when the blow extension hose 29 is connected to the blow tube 22, it is preferable that the strength of this portion is strong.

  FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the operation unit 27 of the portable dehumidifier. The operation mode of the portable dehumidifier of the present embodiment will be described with reference to this figure. The operation unit 27 is provided with a plurality of push button switches and LED lamps described below. To be precise, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, the two printed circuit boards 31 and 32 are arranged below the operation unit 27 (inside the front case 11F) so as to overlap each other, and the upper printed circuit board. A plurality of push button switches and LED lamps corresponding to the operation unit 27 are mounted on the switch board 31. A printing resin sheet (decorative sheet) provided with a pressing portion corresponding to each push button switch and a transparent window corresponding to each LED lamp is attached to the operation portion 27. The control board 32, which is a lower printed circuit board, controls the driving of the main fan motor 13, the dehumidifying rotor motor 15, the regenerative fan 24, the regenerative heater 25, etc., and the input of each push button switch of the operation unit 27. A control circuit (control unit) including a microprocessor that performs signal processing, display output processing of each LED lamp, and the like is mounted.

  In the operation unit 27 of FIG. 7, an on / off switch 33 at the right end is a pushbutton switch for instructing operation start and stop of the portable dehumidifier. If this switch is pressed during stop, the operation is started. If this switch is pressed during operation, the operation is stopped. As will be described later, the setting contents of several operation modes (operation states) are stored in the control unit, and the operation is continued with the previous setting contents at the start of operation. However, when the main power is turned off (when a power failure occurs or when the power plug is unplugged), the stored settings are lost.

  In FIG. 7, the LED lamp provided on the on / off switch 33 is an ion display lamp 34, which is turned on during operation and turned off during stoppage. An ion generating electrode is attached to the air passage inside the blowing cylinder 22, and a high voltage is applied to the ion generating electrode during operation. As a result, dry air containing negative ions is blown out from the blowing cylinder 22.

  In FIG. 7, the upper left LED lamp of the operation unit 27 is a full / no tank display lamp 35. This is lit when the drain tank 19 is not attached or when the water stored in the drain tank 19 exceeds the full water level. As will be described later, a float sensor using a magnetic sensor for detecting that the drain tank 19 is not attached or that the stored water exceeds the full water level is provided.

  In FIG. 7, the push button switch at the lower left of the operation unit 27 is a blowout port rotation / fixed changeover switch 36. Although the detailed structure will be described later, the disc-shaped lid member 23 that closes the upper end opening of the blowing cylinder 22 can be fixed in an inclined posture around the horizontal axis, and the inclined lid member 23 and the upper end of the blowing cylinder 22 are fixed. A blower outlet is formed between the openings. The lid member 23 can reciprocate in a predetermined angular range around the vertical axis, whereby the blowing direction of the dry air blown from the outlet changes in the horizontal direction within the predetermined angular range. A motor that reciprocally rotates the lid member 23 around a vertical axis within a predetermined angle range is provided as a blowing direction changing means. By switching on and off of this motor, the rotation and stop of the blowing direction (blowing outlet) are switched. be able to. The push button switch for performing this command is the blowout port rotation / fixed changeover switch 36.

  If the air outlet rotation / fixed changeover switch 36 is pressed while the air outlet (lid member 23) is stopped, the air outlet (lid member 23) starts reciprocating rotation, and the air outlet (lid member 23) reciprocates. If the air outlet rotation / fixed changeover switch 36 is pressed while the air outlet is moving, the reciprocating rotation of the air outlet (lid member 23) stops. The setting as to whether or not to reciprocate is stored in the control unit unless the main power is turned off, and the operation is continued with the previous setting at the start of operation. In the initial state after the main power is turned off / on, the outlet is set to reciprocate.

  In FIG. 7, an off timer setting switch 37 is provided on the right side of the outlet rotation / fixed changeover switch 36, and three timer display lamps 38 for displaying 1 hour, 3 hours and 6 hours, respectively, are provided thereon. ing. Each time the off-timer setting switch 37 is pressed once, the off-timer setting value changes to 1 hour, 3 hours, and 6 hours, and the three timer display lamps 38 are sequentially turned on accordingly. If the off-timer setting switch 37 is further pressed from the setting state for 6 hours, the off-timer setting is canceled and all the three timer display lamps 38 are turned off (return to the continuous operation setting). When the off timer is set, the operation of the dehumidifier automatically stops after the set time. During operation, the display of the three timer display lamps 38 changes according to the remaining time.

  In FIG. 7, an operation changeover switch 39 is provided on the right side of the off-timer setting switch 37, and three operation mode lamps 40 for displaying the weak, standard and automatic operation modes are provided thereon. Each time the operation changeover switch 39 is pressed once, the operation mode is switched to one of three modes, weak, standard and automatic, and the corresponding operation mode lamp 40 is lit. This setting information is stored in the control unit unless the main power is turned off, and is continuously operated with the previous setting contents at the start of operation. Standard operation is set in the initial state after the main power is turned off and on. In the weak operation and the standard operation, the dehumidifying capacity is set to be weak and standard (medium), respectively. The dehumidifying capacity is mainly determined by the heating output from the regenerative heater 25 and the amount of air blown by the main fan 12. The regenerative heater 25 and the main fan 12 are output controlled in three stages of low, medium and high, respectively. In the weak operation, the regenerative heater 25 and the main fan 12 are both set to low output, and in the standard operation, the regenerative heater 25 and the main fan 12 are set. Are set to medium output. In automatic operation, the dehumidifying capacity (regenerative heater 25 and main fan 12) is variably controlled based on detection information from a humidity sensor described later.

  In FIG. 7, a clothing drying mode switch 41 and a sterilization drying mode switch 42 are provided on the right side of the operation changeover switch 39. These pushbutton switches are used to set a clothing drying mode or a sterilization drying mode, which is a special operation mode that has priority over the above-described weak, standard, and automatic operations, which are normal dehumidification modes. That is, when the clothing drying mode switch 41 or the sterilization drying mode switch 42 is pressed, regardless of whether the stored operation mode setting information is weak, standard or automatic operation, the clothing drying mode or removal The fungus drying mode starts. Detailed control of these operation modes will be described later.

  The clothing drying mode switch 41 and the sterilization drying mode switch 42 are provided with respective setting display lamps 41a or 42a. When the clothing drying mode switch 41 and the sterilization drying mode switch 42 are pressed to set the clothing drying mode or the sterilization drying mode, the corresponding setting display lamp 41a or 42a is turned on. The settings for clothing drying mode or disinfection drying mode are reset when operation stops, and when the operation starts next, normal dehumidification mode (weak, standard or automatic operation where setting information is stored) starts. Is done.

  In FIG. 7, three humidity display lamps 43 are provided above the clothing drying mode switch 41 and the sterilization drying mode switch 42. The humidity of the air taken in from the air inlet 21 is detected by the humidity sensor, and the detection result is used for operation control and displayed by the three humidity display lamps 43. As an example, when the detected humidity is lower than 40%, one of the three humidity display lamps 43 is turned on at the left end, and when it is 40 to 60%, two pieces except the right end are turned on. If it is higher than%, all three lights up.

  Next, the mounting structure of the humidity sensor will be described. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, a humidity sensor air passage 45 partitioned by a partition wall 44 is formed below the heat exchanger 17, and the humidity sensor 46 is mounted in the middle of the humidity sensor air passage 45. A printed circuit board is arranged. The lead wire of the humidity sensor 46 is connected to the control board 32 through the humidity sensor air passage 45. The humidity sensor air passage 45 is a dedicated air passage that is partitioned from the passage (treatment air passage) of the processing air (arrow AR) from the air intake port 21 to the dehumidification rotor 14, and the inlet 47 also takes in the air. It is provided separately from the mouth 21. That is, as shown in FIG. 2B, the humidity sensor air passage inlet 47 is provided immediately below the air intake 21 provided on the back surface of the main body case 11 (rear case 11R).

  The air ARH sucked into the humidity sensor air passage 45 from the inlet 47 reaches the main fan 12 without passing through the dehumidification rotor 14. The processing air AR taken from the air intake 21 and passing through the dehumidification rotor 14 and reaching the main fan 12 and the air ARH sucked into the air passage 45 for the humidity sensor are merged by the main fan 12 and reach the blowing cylinder 22. That is, the common main fan 12 performs the intake of the processing air AR from the air intake 21 and the intake of the air ARH from the inlet 47 to the humidity sensor air passage 45.

  When the dehumidifier is operated with the air outlet between the upper end opening of the blowing cylinder 22 and the lid member 23 almost blocked, the inside of the main body case 11, particularly the regenerative heater 25 and the dehumidifying rotor 14. The temperature around is abnormally high. Even in this case, since the temperature increase of the humidity sensor air passage 45 partitioned from the passage (processing air passage) of the processing air AR is suppressed, erroneous detection of the humidity sensor 46 can be avoided. As a result, a malfunction that stops the operation at a humidity higher than the set humidity is avoided. Further, the air sucked into the humidity sensor air passage 45 reaches the blowing cylinder 22 without passing through the dehumidification rotor 14, and thus has an effect of lowering the temperature inside the dehumidifier. Further, since the inlet 47 of the humidity sensor air passage 45 is disposed in the vicinity (immediately below) of the air intake 21, a part of the air flowing into the dehumidifier from the air intake 21 in the room air. It flows into the air passage 45 for the humidity sensor. Therefore, the humidity detection accuracy of the air AR to be dehumidified is increased.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the control circuit of the portable dehumidifier of this embodiment. The control unit 48 includes a microprocessor and its peripheral circuits, drive circuits for each motor and heater, and is mounted on the control board 32. Signals from a plurality of pushbutton switches 49 constituting the aforementioned operation unit 27 are input to the control unit 48, and the plurality of LED lamps 50 are controlled to be turned on or off by the control unit 48. Further, the detection signal of the humidity sensor 46 and the detection signal of the position sensor 51 are input to the control unit 48. The position sensor 51 is a sensor that detects whether or not the lid member 23 that is reciprocally rotated by the blowing direction changing means is at the reference position. Control of the blowing direction changing means based on this sensor and its detection information is optional and will be described in detail later. Further, the detection signal of the above-described float sensor 59 is also input to the control unit 48.

  As the mechanical parts that are driven and controlled by the output of the control unit 48, the motor 13 of the main fan 12, the motor 15 of the dehumidification rotor 14, the regeneration fan 24 (the motor thereof), the regeneration heater 25, and the blowing direction rotating motor 52 are provided. include. The blowing direction rotation motor 52 is a motor of the above-described blowing direction changing means. The microprocessor constituting the control unit 48 follows the program stored in the ROM (Read Only Memory) and, if necessary, based on the detection signal of the humidity sensor 46 and the detection signal of the position sensor 51, Execute drive control.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control in the automatic operation mode. The outline of the automatic operation mode will be described below based on this flowchart. In the weak operation of the normal dehumidifying mode, both the regeneration heater 25 and the main fan 12 are set to low output, and in the standard operation, both the regeneration heater 25 and the main fan 12 are set to medium output. The regenerative heater 25 and the main fan 12 are capable of three-stage output control of low, medium and high, respectively.

  When the operation is started in the automatic operation mode, in step # 101, the main fan 12 (the motor 13 thereof) is driven at a high output (high speed) and the regenerative heater 25 is driven at a high output. In addition, the dehumidifying rotor 14 (the motor 15 thereof), the regeneration fan 24, and the blowing direction rotating motor 52 are turned on. However, if the blowing direction rotating motor 52 is set to OFF during the previous operation, the setting information is continuously valid, so the blowing direction rotating motor 52 remains off. As another example, the blowing direction rotating motor 52 may be turned on at the start of operation in the automatic operation mode. In this case, if the outlet rotation / fixed changeover switch 36 of the operation unit 27 is pressed, the blowing direction rotating motor 52 can be stopped and the blowing direction can be changed to fixed.

  In the next step # 102, it is checked whether 10 minutes have elapsed since the start of operation. The high output (high dehumidification capability) set in step # 101 is maintained until 10 minutes have elapsed. When 10 minutes have elapsed, the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 46 is acquired in step # 103. If the detected humidity is 60% or more (Yes in Step # 104), the high output (high dehumidification capability) of the main fan 12 and the regenerative heater 25 is maintained in Step # 105.

  When the detected humidity is 55 to 60% (Yes in Step # 106), both the main fan 12 and the regenerative heater 25 are switched to medium output (medium dehumidification capability) in Step # 107. When the detected humidity is 40 to 55% (Yes in Step # 108), both the main fan 12 and the regenerative heater 25 are switched to low output (low dehumidification capability) in Step # 109. When the detected humidity is less than 40% (No in Step # 108), the low output of the main fan 12 is maintained and the regeneration heater 25 is turned off (Step # 110).

  As described above, the dehumidifying ability switching control based on the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 46 is continued until the time set in the off timer elapses. If the time set in the off-timer has elapsed (Yes in step # 111), operation stop processing is performed in step # 113, and all braking / driving outputs are stopped. Even in the case of continuous operation where no off timer is set, if the time set as the maximum operation time in the automatic operation mode (36 hours in the example of FIG. 9) has elapsed (in step # 112) Yes), the process proceeds to the operation stop process of step # 113. Note that the specific values of the detected humidity and the timer time as control parameters in the above description are merely examples, and these values can be changed as necessary.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control in the clothes drying mode. When the operation is started in the clothes drying mode, in step # 201, the main fan 12 (the motor 13 thereof) is driven at a high output (high speed) and the regenerative heater 25 is driven at a high output. In addition, the dehumidifying rotor 14 (the motor 15 thereof), the regeneration fan 24, and the blowing direction rotating motor 52 are turned on. Even in the clothes drying mode, the setting of whether or not to change the blowing direction by the blower outlet rotation / fixed changeover switch 36 of the operation unit 27 is valid, and the setting information is stored and continued at the next start of operation. And become effective. As another example, the blowing direction rotation motor 52 may be turned on at the start of operation in the clothes drying mode.

  In the clothes drying mode, the high output (high dehumidification capability) set in step # 201 is maintained from the start to the stop of operation. That is, in the clothes drying mode, the clothes are dried in a short time using the maximum dehumidification output. In the next step # 202, it is checked whether or not 30 minutes have elapsed since the start of operation. When 30 minutes have elapsed, the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 46 is acquired in step # 203. In the subsequent step # 204, the time until the detected humidity decreases from 35% to 30% is measured. In other words, the decrease gradient of the detected humidity is determined, and the shorter remaining operation time is set in the off timer as the decrease gradient of the detected humidity is larger as follows.

  When the time until the detected humidity decreases from 35% to 30% is less than 15 minutes (Yes in Step # 205), it means that the decrease slope of the detected humidity is large. Minutes are set (step # 206). This corresponds to the case where the amount of clothes to be dried is small, the amount of moisture in the clothes is small, or the volume of the drying chamber in which the clothes are suspended is small. When the time until the detected humidity decreases from 35% to 30% is 15 to 30 minutes (Yes in Step # 207), it means that the decrease slope of the detected humidity is at an intermediate level, so the off timer Is set to an intermediate time of 30 minutes (step # 208). When the time until the detected humidity is reduced from 35% to 30% is 30 minutes or more (No in Step # 207), it means that the decreasing slope of the detected humidity is small, so the off timer has a long time of 60 minutes. Is set (step # 209). This corresponds to a case where there are many clothes to be dried, a large amount of moisture in the clothes, or a large volume of the drying chamber in which the clothes are suspended.

  If the off timer set as described above elapses (Yes in Step # 210), the operation stop process is performed in Step # 212, and all braking / driving outputs are stopped. Moreover, also when the time (4 hours in the example of FIG. 10) set as the maximum operation time in the clothes drying mode has elapsed (Yes in step # 211), the process proceeds to the operation stop process in step # 212.

  When it takes 30 minutes or more for the detected humidity to decrease from 35% to 30% (No in step # 207), the detected humidity does not actually decrease to 30% even after 30 minutes have passed. Means when In other words, if the detected humidity does not decrease to 30% even after 30 minutes have passed after the detected humidity has reached 35%, the process proceeds to step # 209 at that time and 60 minutes is set in the off timer. In addition, the specific values of the detected humidity and the timer time as the control parameters in the above description are merely examples, and these values can be changed as necessary.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control in the sterilization drying mode. The sterilization drying mode is an operation mode for the purpose of blowing dry air containing negative ions from the above-described ion generation electrode to every corner of the room while suppressing wasteful power consumption. When the operation is started in the sterilization drying mode, in step # 301, the main fan 12 (the motor 13 thereof) is driven at a high output (high speed) and the regeneration heater 25 is driven at a medium output. In addition, the dehumidifying rotor 14 (the motor 15 thereof), the regeneration fan 24, and the blowing direction rotating motor 52 are turned on. Even in the sterilization drying mode, the setting as to whether or not to change the blowing direction by the blower outlet rotation / fixed changeover switch 36 of the operation unit 27 is valid, and the setting information is stored, and the next operation is started. It becomes valid continuously. As another example, the blow direction rotating motor 52 may be turned on at the start of operation in the sterilization drying mode. In the sterilization drying mode for the purpose of spreading the dry air to every corner of the room, it is preferable to operate with a setting that changes the blowing direction.

  In the next step # 302, it is checked whether 10 minutes have elapsed since the start of operation. Until 10 minutes have elapsed, the output set in step # 301, that is, the high output of the main fan 12 and the medium output of the regenerative heater 25 are maintained. In the sterilization drying mode, the output of the regenerative heater 25 starts from a medium output (corresponding to a first output lower than the maximum output) while maintaining the main fan 12 at a high output, and the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 46 is detected. Control is performed to reduce the output of the regenerative heater 25 step by step with the decrease. That is, the detected humidity is acquired from the time when 10 minutes have elapsed from the start of operation (step # 303), and when the detected humidity becomes 50% or less (Yes in step # 304), the output of the regenerative heater 25 is reduced to the low output (first (Corresponding to a second output lower than the output) (step # 305). If it exceeds 50%, the process returns to step # 301 and the medium output of the regenerative heater 25 is maintained.

  Thereafter, the detected humidity is acquired in Step # 306, and if the detected humidity is 45% or less (Yes in Step # 307), the regenerative heater 25 is turned off (zero output) (Step # 308). If the detected humidity exceeds 45% (No in Step # 307), the output of the regeneration heater 25 is maintained at a low output (Step # 309). The output control of the regenerative heater 25 based on the detected humidity is continued until the time set in the off timer elapses. If the time set in the off timer has elapsed (Yes in step # 310), operation stop processing is performed in step # 312 and all braking / driving outputs are stopped. Further, even in the case of continuous operation in which the off timer is not set, if the time set as the maximum operation time in the sterilization drying mode (36 hours in the example of FIG. 11) elapses (in step # 311) Yes), the process proceeds to the operation stop process of step # 312.

  Note that the specific values of the detected humidity and the timer time as control parameters in the above description are merely examples, and these values can be changed as necessary. In particular, when the output control of the regenerative heater 25 based on the detected humidity is performed, it is desirable to change the humidity threshold value (45% of step # 307) as a judgment criterion according to the room temperature. In other words, the dehumidifier of this embodiment has the effect of increasing the room temperature by supplying warm dry air as described above. However, when operating in the sterilization drying mode when the room temperature is low, the corner of the room increases as the room temperature increases. Condensation may occur in places where heat insulation is insufficient or where air convection is unlikely to occur. In order to avoid this dew condensation, a temperature sensor is provided in the vicinity of the humidity sensor 46, and when the detected temperature is lower than a predetermined threshold value, the humidity threshold value in step # 307 is changed from 45% to 5 to 10%. It is preferable to perform such control as to decrease.

  Further, in the sterilization drying mode, as described above, the main fan 12 maintains the maximum output (high output) while suppressing the wasteful power consumption by lowering the output of the regeneration heater 25 from the maximum output. When the output of the regeneration heater 25 is lowered, regeneration of the dehumidification rotor 14 in the regeneration zone described with reference to FIG. 4 is not sufficient. That is, the temperature of the regeneration air applied to the dehumidification rotor 14 in the regeneration zone decreases, and the moisture absorbent of the dehumidification rotor 14 moves from the regeneration zone to the dehumidification zone without being completely dried. As a result, the dehumidifying capacity of the dehumidifying rotor 14 cannot be used to the maximum extent. In this case, even if a large amount of processing air AR is supplied to the dehumidifying rotor 14, the portion exceeding the dehumidifying capacity of the dehumidifying rotor 14 is not dehumidified and simply passes through the dehumidifying rotor 14. Rather, such processing air that passes only lowers the temperature of the dehumidification rotor 14 and the regeneration unit 16 (inside regeneration air), and further reduces the dehumidification capability of the dehumidification rotor 14.

  In order to avoid the above phenomenon, a bypass path for the processing air that bypasses the dehumidification rotor 14 and reaches the main fan 12 may be provided. That is, an opening constituting a bypass path is provided in the peripheral part (particularly the lower end part) of the resin molded product surrounding the dehumidifying rotor 14 so that the processing air passing through the opening reaches the main fan 12 without passing through the dehumidifying rotor 14. do it. Furthermore, a damper that closes the opening may be provided, and the damper may be opened only during operation in the sterilization drying mode.

  Next, a mechanism for changing the blowing direction of the dry air blown out from the blower outlet formed between the upper end opening of the blowing cylinder 22 and the inclined lid member 23 in a predetermined angular range in the horizontal direction is shown in FIG. Description will be made with reference to 12 to 17. FIG. 12 is a front view, a bottom view, and a side view of the lid member. FIG. 13 is a top view, a front view, a side view, and a cross-sectional view of a relay shaft member that holds the lid member so as to be fixed in an inclined posture around the horizontal axis and that is rotatably held around the vertical axis. . FIG. 14 is a top view and a cross-sectional view of a rectifying member in which a vertical shaft portion that holds a lid member via a relay shaft member and a gear that rotates the vertical shaft portion are integrally formed. FIG. 15 is a view for explaining a method of assembling the lid member, the relay shaft member, and the rectifying member. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an assembled state of the lid member, the relay shaft member, and the rectifying member. FIG. 17 is a top view of a rectifying member base to which the rectifying member is attached.

  In FIG. 12 which shows the cover member 23, (a) is a front view, (b) is a bottom view, (c) is a side view. The lid member 23 is made of a resin molded product, and includes a dome-shaped top plate 231 and a plurality of (four in the illustrated example) wings 232 disposed below and parallel to the top plate 231 at a predetermined interval. It is configured. The wings 232 are provided over a substantially half circumference along the front (front side) edge of the top plate 231, and the bottom surface of the top plate 231 is spaced at a predetermined interval by the column portions 233 at both ends and the column portions 234 at the center (front). It is fixed to. In addition, a U-shaped wall portion 235 in a plan view is provided at the center of the lower surface of the top plate 231. A pair of pivot holes 236 are provided on opposite wall surfaces of the wall portion 235 that are parallel to each other.

  The wall portion 235 and its pivot support hole 236 constitute a means for the lid member 23 to rotate around the horizontal axis 23AX and be fixed in an inclined posture. The reason why the wall portion 235 is U-shaped in plan view and further bent at both ends is to increase the strength of the boundary portion (joint portion) between the lower surface of the top plate 231 and the wall portion 235. In addition, the central wall surface 237 that connects opposite parallel wall surfaces has an effect of preventing an error (reverse insertion) of the attachment direction of the relay shaft member described below.

  FIG. 13 shows the relay shaft member 53, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a side view, and (d) is a DD cross-sectional view in (a). The relay shaft member 53 is made of a resin molded product, and has a cylindrical shape with the upper surface closed and the lower end released. A pair of pivot projections 531 that engage with the pivot holes 236 of the lid member 23 are provided on the left and right side surfaces of the relay shaft member 53, and one side surface has a circular shape around the pivot projection 531. A friction holding surface 532 is provided. The friction holding surface 532 has a structure in which annular protrusions and annular grooves are alternately arranged concentrically.

  When the lid member 23 and the relay shaft member 53 are joined together so that the pair of pivot projections 531 of the relay shaft member 53 are engaged with the pair of pivot holes 236 of the lid member 23, the wall of the lid member 23 The opposing wall surfaces that are parallel to each other constituting the portion 235 are held so as to sandwich the left and right side surfaces of the relay shaft member 53. The friction holding surface 532 makes it easy to rotate the lid member 23 around the horizontal axis 23AX, and secures the lid member 23 in an inclined posture. Further, a projection rib 533 for preventing reverse insertion is provided on the back side of the relay shaft member 53. That is, even if the relay shaft member 53 is reversed and connected to the lid member 23, the protruding rib 533 interferes with the central wall surface 237 constituting the wall portion 235 of the lid member 23, so that the reverse insertion cannot be performed. Yes.

  On the upper surface of the relay shaft member 53, there are provided three engagement holes that engage with engagement protrusions provided at the tip of the vertical shaft portion (rotating shaft) of the rectifying member. That is, the central engagement hole 534 and the two engagement holes 535 provided in directions different by 90 degrees. Only one of the two engagement holes 535 engages with an engagement protrusion provided on the vertical shaft portion of the rectifying member. The two engagement holes 535 are provided in the directions different by 90 degrees because the lid member 23 attached via the relay shaft member 53 to the vertical shaft portion of the rectifying member differs by 90 degrees in the horizontal direction. This is because it can be changed between two directions. Engaging grooves 536 and 537 that engage with engaging protrusions provided on the side surface of the vertical shaft portion of the rectifying member are provided in the lower front portion and the lower right portion of the relay shaft member 53. For the same reason as the above-described engagement hole 535, two engagement grooves 536 and 537 are provided in directions different from each other by 90 degrees (lower front surface and right side surface).

  14A and 14B show the rectifying member 54, where FIG. 14A is a top view and FIG. 14B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. The flow regulating member 54 is made of a resin molded product and has two functions. The first function is a rectifying function that divides a horizontal cross section in the inner space of the blowing cylinder 22 into a plurality of sections. In the present embodiment, the disk-shaped portion constituted by the honeycomb-shaped partition walls 541 exhibits this rectifying function. Thereby, regardless of the shape of the air passage from the air outlet of the main fan 12 to the air outlet, the effect of uniforming the air blown from the air outlet is obtained. As in the dehumidifier of the present embodiment, in the structure in which the blow-out cylinder 22 constituting the blow-out port is provided so as to protrude from the upper surface side portion of the main body case 11, the blow-out air path of the main fan 12 (the front side of the dehumidifier) ) Through the blowing cylinder 22 to the outlet, the shape of the air path is curved, so that the air flow flowing through the air path tends to be uneven. Even in this case, non-uniform airflow is suppressed by the rectifying action of the rectifying member 54. In addition, the partition for dividing the horizontal cross section in the blowing cylinder 22 internal space into a plurality of sections is not limited to the honeycomb-shaped partition, and may be, for example, a lattice-shaped partition.

  The second function of the rectifying member 54 is to support the lid member 23 via the relay shaft member 53 and to transmit the driving force of the blowing direction rotation motor 52 to the lid member 23 so that the lid member 23 is arranged around the vertical axis. Is a function of reciprocatingly rotating. In order to perform this function, a vertical shaft portion (rotating shaft) 542 that protrudes upward from the central portion of the disk-shaped portion formed of the honeycomb-shaped partition wall 541 is provided upright, and a flat gear 543 is provided on the outer peripheral portion. Is provided. In FIG. 14A, the outline of each tooth of the spur gear 543 is omitted, the peak envelope and the valley envelope are drawn with thin lines, and the intermediate line between them is drawn with a one-dot chain line.

  Two engagement protrusions 544 and 545 that engage with the engagement holes 534 and 535 of the relay shaft member 53 are provided on the front end surface (upper surface) of the vertical shaft portion 542. The engagement protrusion 545 located at a position shifted from the center (axial center) is shorter than the engagement protrusion 544 located at the center. Further, the engaging protrusion 545 is positioned at the tip of the tongue 545a separated by a slit, and when the tip of the engaging protrusion 545 is pressed, it can be retracted downward to some extent by elastic deformation (bending) of the tongue 545a. It is. Further, on the side surface of the vertical shaft portion 542, an engagement protrusion 546 that is engaged with one of the two engagement grooves 536 and 537 of the relay shaft member 53 is provided.

  In the assembly relationship illustrated in FIG. 15, the engagement groove 537 provided on the right side surface of the relay shaft member 53 engages with the engagement protrusion 546 provided on the side surface of the vertical shaft portion 542 of the rectifying member 54. After the relay shaft member 53 is put on the vertical shaft portion 542 of the rectifying member 54, the lower end opening of the engagement groove 537 of the relay shaft member 53 is aligned with the engagement protrusion 546 of the vertical shaft portion 542 and pushed in the axial direction. Then, the relay shaft member 53 is rotated with respect to the rectifying member 54. The engagement protrusion 546 moves along the engagement groove 537 formed in an L shape, and is fixed in the state shown in FIG. At this time, the engagement protrusion 544 provided at the center of the upper surface of the vertical shaft portion 542 of the rectifying member 54 engages with the engagement hole 534 provided at the center of the upper surface of the relay shaft member 53. The engaging protrusion 545 provided at a position shifted from the center of the upper surface of the vertical shaft portion 542 contacts the inner surface of the relay shaft member 53 and retracts downward due to elastic deformation of the tongue portion 545a. When the rectifying member 54 is rotated, the engaging protrusion 545 is fitted into the engaging hole 535 on the upper surface of the relay shaft member 53. Thereby, the fitting state between the relay shaft member 53 and the rectifying member 54 (the vertical shaft portion 542 thereof) is fixed.

  FIG. 16B shows a state in which the lid member 23 is attached to the state of FIG. Actually, it is more workable to first couple the lid member 23 and the relay shaft member 53 and then couple them to the rectifying member 54. FIG. 16C shows a state in which the lid member 23 is inclined approximately 30 degrees around the horizontal axis (the horizontal axis 23AX in FIG. 12). 16B and 16C, the cross section of the blowing cylinder member 20 shown in FIG. 5 is added with a broken line so that the relationship between the lid member 23 and the like and the blowing cylinder 22 can be understood. Moreover, in FIG.16 (c), a mode that process air is blown off from the blower outlet OP formed between the cover member 23 and the upper end opening part of the blowing cylinder 22 (blowout cylinder member 20) is shown by the arrow line AR. ing.

  15 and 16, the engagement groove 537 provided on the right side surface of the relay shaft member 53 is engaged with the engagement protrusion 546 provided on the side surface of the vertical shaft portion 542 of the rectifying member 54. In this case, the air outlet faces the front side of the dehumidifier (FIG. 16 (c)). On the other hand, when the engagement groove 536 provided on the front surface of the relay shaft member 53 is engaged with the engagement protrusion 546 provided on the side surface of the vertical shaft portion 542 of the rectifying member 54, the right side of the dehumidifier The outlet will face the surface side. As described above, the lid member 23 (and the relay shaft member 53) is detachable with respect to the vertical shaft portion (rotating shaft) 542 of the rectifying member 54, and the lid member 23 is lidded at two angular positions that are different by 90 degrees in the horizontal direction. The member 23 can be fixed to the vertical shaft portion 542. These two different angular positions (orientations) are the center positions (orientations) when the lid member 23 reciprocates around the vertical axis. In this embodiment, the vertical shaft portion 542 of the rectifying member 54 and the lid member 23 are attached via the relay shaft member 53. However, as another embodiment, a lid is attached to the upper end portion of the vertical shaft portion of the rectifying member 54. You may employ | adopt the structure which attaches the member 23 directly.

  Next, a rectifying member base for supporting the rectifying member 54 and reciprocatingly rotating around the vertical axis will be described. As shown in FIG. 17, the rectifying member base 55 to which the rectifying member 54 is attached is a resin plate-like member having a circular opening 551 provided at a substantially central portion. A low annular wall portion 552 is formed in a portion slightly retreated from the edge of the circular opening 551. A low wall portion 553 for reinforcement is also formed at the peripheral portion of the rectifying member base 55. On the other hand, the rectifying member 54 shown in FIG. 14 is provided with a cylindrical portion 547 below a flat gear 543 on the outer peripheral portion, and a little inside thereof, three legs arranged at intervals of 120 degrees in the circumferential direction. A portion 548 is provided. The rectifying member 54 is attached to the rectifying member base 55 so that the cylindrical portion 547 of the rectifying member 54 is fitted on the annular wall portion 552 of the rectifying member base 55. At this time, the outwardly projecting claw portions 548 a formed at the tips of the three leg portions 548 hold the lower surface of the rectifying member base 55, so that the rectifying member 54 is rotatable with respect to the rectifying member base 55. Retained.

  A small-diameter gear 56 that is screwed into a flat gear 543 provided on the outer peripheral portion of the rectifying member 54 that is rotatably held with respect to the rectifying member base 55 is provided, and a blowing direction that is attached to the lower surface of the rectifying member base 55 A small diameter gear 56 is fixed to the rotation shaft of the rotation motor 52. The blow direction rotating motor 52 is a low speed geared motor having an automatic reversing function for automatically reversing the rotation direction when a certain load is applied. Further, the height of the annular wall portion 552 of the rectifying member base 55 that rotatably holds the rectifying member 54 is formed such that the portion in the range of the angle SA (150 degrees) shown in FIG. 17 is lower than the other portions. Yes. A small protrusion that engages with the lowered recess is provided so as to protrude inward from one place on the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 547 of the rectifying member 54 (the angular position RS shown in FIG. 14A).

  Therefore, when the rectifying member 54 is rotationally driven by the blowing direction turning motor 52 and the small-diameter gear 56 which are driving means, and the small protrusion provided on the cylindrical portion 547 reaches the end of the range of the angle SA, The small protrusion comes into contact with the stepped portion where the wall portion 552 becomes high, and cannot be rotated any further. As a result, the automatic reversing function of the blow direction rotating motor 52 works to reverse the rotation direction of the rectifying member 54. In this manner, the control unit 48 shown in FIG. 8 can reciprocate the rectifying member 54 within the range of the angle SA in the horizontal direction simply by turning on the blowing direction rotation motor 52, and as a result, The lid member 23 (and hence the blowing direction) can be reciprocated around the vertical axis within the range of the angle SA. In order to stop the reciprocating rotation, the blowing direction rotating motor 52 may be turned off.

  However, the direction when the lid member 23 (blowing direction) stops according to the timing when the blowing direction turning motor 52 is turned off is a random angular position within the range of the turning angle SA. Therefore, a micro switch 57 and a swing member 58 for operating the micro switch 57 are provided as position sensors for detecting the center position (reference position) of the lid member 23 (rectifying member 54) in the angular range SA around the vertical axis. . The oscillating member 58 is pivotally supported on the upper surface of the rectifying member base 55 on the base end side so as to be oscillatable around the vertical axis 58 </ b> AX, and the distal end is in contact with the operation lever of the microswitch 57. Further, a protruding portion 581 is provided at an intermediate portion between the proximal end side and the distal end side, and the protruding portion 581 is configured to abut on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 547 of the rectifying member 54. The cylindrical portion 547 of the rectifying member 54 is provided with a recess in the outer peripheral surface at a position corresponding to the reference position (the angular position RC shown in FIG. 14A), and this recess is the protruding portion 581 of the swing member 58. When the distances coincide with each other, the swing member 58 and the operation lever of the micro switch 57 move in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG.

  Therefore, when the cylindrical portion 547 of the rectifying member 54 reaches the center position (reference position) within the range of the rotation angle SA, the microswitch 57 is turned on (or off), and the microswitch 57 is turned off at other positions ( Or on). In this manner, the center position (reference position) in the angular range SA around the vertical axis of the rectifying member 54 (the lid member 23, that is, the blowing direction) can be detected. However, the position sensor for detecting the reference position is not limited to the configuration including the micro switch 57 and the swing member 58 as described above, and can be configured using various known sensors.

  The output signal of the micro switch 57 (position sensor) can be used for the following control. As the first control, the control unit 48 delays the rotation stop of the lid member 23 until the lid member 23 reaches the reference position based on the detection information of the position sensor when the rotation stop of the lid member 23 is instructed. To control. As a result, when the outlet rotation / fixed changeover switch 36 of the operation unit 27 is pressed during the reciprocating rotation in the blowing direction and the blowing direction rotating motor 52 is turned off, immediately at a random angular position. Instead of being turned off, the lid member 23 is turned off after facing the reference position, that is, the front surface (or right side surface) that is the center of the rotation angle. Similarly, when the operation is stopped by the on / off switch 33, the turn-off timing of the blowing direction rotation motor 52 is delayed. By doing so, dry air is always blown out in the same direction (front or right side of the dehumidifier) when the operation is resumed. When the operation is restarted in the rotation stop mode of the lid member, it is better to always use the dry air blown from the same direction.

  As a second control, when the control information is not obtained from the position sensor when the power is turned on and the lid member 23 is in the reference position, the controller 48 starts to rotate the lid member 23. When the position sensor detects that the reference position has been reached, initial position control for stopping the rotation of the lid member 23 is executed. By executing such initial position control, the blower outlet automatically faces the reference direction (the front or right side of the dehumidifier) when the power is turned on. If the power plug is removed while the lid member 23 is rotating, the first control cannot prevent the lid member 23 from stopping at a random angular position, but according to the second control, Even in such a case, dry air can always be blown from the same direction when the operation is resumed. The first control may be omitted and only the second control may be performed.

  Note that the position sensor that detects the reference position in the angular range SA around the vertical axis of the lid member 23 (that is, the blowing direction) and the control based on the detection information are optional and not essential.

  Next, the drain tank 19 for storing water collected from the heat exchanger 17 constituting the dehumidifying means and the surrounding structure will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 18 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the drain tank 19 and its surrounding structure when the portable dehumidifier of this embodiment is viewed from the back. FIG. 19 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a structure relating to a temporary water storage member when the portable dehumidifier of this embodiment is viewed from the left side. FIG. 20 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a structure related to the float sensor of the drain tank 19 when the portable dehumidifier of this embodiment is viewed from the left side.

  As can be seen from the overall view of the portable dehumidifier shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 18, the drain tank 19 has an elongated, substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is a cylindrical shape that constitutes the blowing cylinder 22 on the right side surface of the body case 11 of the dehumidifier. The drain tank 19 is mounted so as to be inserted from an opening provided below the portion. A concave portion 191 is provided in the upper portion of the right side surface (left side in FIG. 18) of the drain tank 19, and a U-shaped handle 192 in plan view is provided thereon. Therefore, when taking out the drain tank 19 from the main body case 11, it is only necessary to insert a finger upward from the recess 191, hold the handle 192, and pull out the drain tank 19. If the drain tank 19 is pulled out a little, fingers can be inserted from the upper side of the handle 192, so that it is easy to grip. In particular, workability when taking out the drain tank 19 of the portable dehumidifier placed on the floor while a person stands is good.

  As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the drain tank 19 is provided with a tank lid 61, and a water receiving portion 611 that is recessed in a funnel shape is provided near the left side (right side in FIG. 18) end of the tank lid 61. It has been. An inlet hole 612 communicating with the inside of the drain tank 19 is provided at the center of the water receiving portion 611. A drain outlet 171 provided at the lower end of the heat exchanger 17 is located above the water receiver 611. As shown in FIG. 19, the drain port 171 is provided at the lower end portion of the front heat exchanger 17F, and the drain passage 172 communicating with the lower end portion of the front heat exchanger 17F is provided at the lower end portion of the rear heat exchanger 17R. It has been.

  As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, a temporary water storage member 62 is provided between a drain port 171 provided at the lower end of the heat exchanger 17 and a water receiving portion 611 of the drain tank 19. The temporary water storage member 62 has a function of temporarily storing water dripped from the drain port 171 in a state where the drain tank 19 is removed from the main body case 11. The temporary water storage member 62 has a plate-like drooping plate 621 that hangs down from the bottom of the container having an open top, and the upper end of the container is pivotally supported with respect to the main body case 11 and can swing around a horizontal axis 62AX. It has a simple structure.

  In a state where the drain tank 19 is removed from the main body case 11, the drooping plate 621 of the temporary water storage member 62 hangs down as shown by a broken line in FIG. 18, and the opening of the container faces the upper drainage port 171. In this state, the water dripped from the drain outlet 171 is temporarily stored in the container of the temporary water storage member 62. When the drain tank 19 is attached to the main body case 11, the left side (right side in FIG. 18) end of the drain tank 19 abuts on the drooping plate 621 of the temporary water storage member 62, and the temporary water storage member 62 is moved around the horizontal axis 62 </ b> AX. It rotates and becomes an inclination posture as shown by a solid line in FIG. As a result, the water stored in the container of the temporary water storage member 62 falls into the water receiving portion 611 formed in the lid portion 61 of the drain tank 19 and falls into the drain tank 19 from the inlet hole 612. In this state, the water dripped from the drain port 171 falls directly to the water receiving portion 611 of the drain tank 19.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 20, a float 63 is attached to the drain tank 19. The float 63 is supported so as to hang from the shaft member 631 hung over a substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction of the drain tank 19 and to swing around the shaft member 631. The suspended float 63 is drawn with a solid line in FIG. 20 and with a broken line in FIG. When water accumulates in the drain tank 19 and the water level reaches a full water level as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 18, the float 63 rotates around the shaft member 631 and assumes an inclined posture as shown by a solid line.

  On the upper surface of the float 63, a detection unit 632 containing a magnet is provided. In addition, a float sensor 59 composed of a magnetic sensor is disposed at a position facing the detection unit 632 of the float 63 in the hanging posture. The float sensor 59 is mounted on a printed board 591, and the printed board 591 is fixed to the internal frame of the main body case 11. The output signal of the float sensor 59 is input to the control unit 48 mounted on the control board 32. When the drain tank 19 is attached to the main body case 11 and the stored water does not reach the full water level, the float 63 is in a substantially hanging posture, and the float sensor 59 is accommodated in the detection unit 632 of the float 63. A magnet is detected. When the drain tank 19 is removed from the main body case 11 or when the water stored in the drain tank 19 reaches a full water level and the float sensor 59 is in an inclined posture, the detection signal of the magnet from the float sensor 59 is Not output. Based on the signal from the float sensor 59, the control unit 48 controls lighting or extinguishing of the full / no tank display lamp 35 of the operation unit 27 as described above.

  FIG. 21 shows a modification relating to the temporary water storage member 62. In the modification shown in FIG. 21A, a pair of elongated wall members are disposed inside a pair of support members 111 on the inner frame side of the main body case 11 that supports the temporary water storage member 62 so as to be rotatable around the horizontal axis 62AX. 112 is provided. The pair of wall members 112 have a function of making it difficult for the pivot shaft portion 622 of the temporary water storage member 62 to drop out of the pivot hole 111 a of the support member 111.

  In the modification shown in FIG. 21B, small hemispherical engagement protrusions 623 are provided at the end portions of both side surfaces (front and rear surfaces of the dehumidifier) of the temporary water storage member 62. In addition, a pair of elongated members 113 each having an engagement hole 113a that engages with the engagement protrusion 623 in the hanging posture of the temporary water storage member 62 (shown by a broken line in FIG. 21B) A pair of support members 111 are provided so as to be lined up. That is, when the drain tank 19 is removed from the main body case 11, the latching portion for fixing the hanging posture of the temporary water storage member 62 is the temporary water storage member side engagement protrusion 623 and the main body case side engagement hole 113 a (elongated member). 113). In the state where the drain tank 19 is temporarily removed from the main body case 11, water dripped from the drain port 171 is stored in the temporary water storage member 62 pivotally supported around the horizontal axis 62AX. When vibration is applied to the portable dehumidifier, the temporary water storage member 62 may swing, and water stored in the temporary water storage member 62 may spill. In the configuration of the modified example of FIG. 21B, the hanging posture of the temporary water storage member 62 is fixed. Therefore, even if vibration is applied to the portable dehumidifier, the temporary water storage member 62 does not swing, and the accumulated water is temporarily The possibility of spilling from the water storage member is reduced.

  As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was described and the modification was also suitably demonstrated, this invention is not restricted to said Example and modification, It can implement with a various form.

It is the top view and front view which show the external appearance of the portable dehumidifier which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is the right view and back view which show the external appearance of a portable dehumidifier. It is sectional drawing which shows the internal schematic structure which looked at the portable dehumidifier from the right side surface. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the dehumidification operation | movement by a portable dehumidifier. It is the upper side figure and front view of the blowing cylinder member which comprise the blowing cylinder of a portable dehumidifier. It is a front view which shows a mode that the hose for blowing extension was connected to the upper end opening part of the blowing cylinder of a portable dehumidifier. It is a top view which shows the operation part of a portable dehumidifier. It is a block diagram of the control circuit of a portable dehumidifier. It is a flowchart which shows the example of control in automatic operation mode. It is a flowchart which shows the example of control in clothes drying mode. It is a flowchart which shows the example of control in disinfection drying mode. It is the front view, bottom view, and side view of a cover member. It is a top view, a front view, a side view, and a cross-sectional view of the relay shaft member. It is the upper side figure and sectional drawing of a baffle member. It is a figure for demonstrating the assembly method of a cover member, a relay shaft member, and a rectifying member. It is a figure which shows the assembly state of a cover member, a relay shaft member, and a rectification member. It is a top view of the rectification member base with which the rectification member is mounted. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows a drain tank when the portable dehumidifier is seen from the back, and the structure of its periphery. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the structure regarding the temporary water storage member when a portable dehumidifier is seen from the left side. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the structure regarding the float sensor of a drain tank when a portable dehumidifier is seen from the left side. It is a figure which shows the modification regarding a temporary water storage member.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Main body case 12 Main fan 14 Dehumidification rotor 15 Motor of dehumidification rotor 17 Heat exchanger 21 Air intake 23 Lid member (blowing direction change means)
24 Regenerative fan 25 Regenerative heater 27 Operation unit 46 Humidity sensor 48 Control unit 52 Blowing direction rotating motor (blowing direction changing means)
54 Rectifying member 56 Small-diameter gear (drive means)

Claims (6)

A main fan for taking in air from the air intake port and blowing out the dehumidified dry air from the outlet, a dehumidification rotor for adsorbing moisture in the taken-in air, a motor for driving the motor, and heated air A portable dehumidifier in which a regenerating means including a regenerative heater, a regenerative fan, and a heat exchanger for taking out moisture adsorbed on the dehumidifying rotor by being applied to a part of the dehumidifying rotor is housed in a main body case. ,
A blowing direction changing means for changing a blowing direction of the dry air blown from the blowing outlet in a horizontal range within a predetermined angle range;
A clothing drying mode as an operation mode that can be set using an operation unit with respect to a control unit that controls the main fan, the motor for rotationally driving the dehumidification rotor, the regeneration heater, the regeneration fan, and the blowing direction changing means. And a sterilization drying mode, wherein the blowing direction changing means operates at least in the sterilization drying mode. In the clothes drying mode, the regeneration heater and the main fan are both driven at the maximum output, and in the sterilization drying mode, the main fan is driven at the maximum output and the output of the regeneration heater changes stepwise. The portable dehumidifier according to claim 1. A humidity sensor for detecting the humidity of the air taken in from the air intake port is provided, and the controller stepwise outputs the regeneration heater based on the humidity detected by the humidity sensor in the sterilization drying mode. The portable dehumidifier according to claim 2, wherein the dehumidifier is changed. In the sterilization drying mode, the control unit drives the regeneration heater when the humidity detected by the humidity sensor becomes lower than a first set humidity after driving the regeneration heater with a first output lower than the maximum output for a predetermined time. The output is switched to the second output lower than the first output, and then the heating by the regenerative heater is stopped when the humidity detected by the humidity sensor becomes lower than the second set humidity lower than the first set humidity. The portable dehumidifier according to claim 3. A humidity sensor for detecting the humidity of the air taken in from the air intake port is provided, and the control unit determines a decreasing slope of the humidity detected by the humidity sensor after a predetermined time has elapsed in the clothes drying mode, The portable dehumidifier according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein a shorter remaining operation time is set in an off-timer as the judged gradient of detected humidity decreases, and automatic stop is performed after the remaining operation time has elapsed. . The means for setting the operation and stop of the blowing direction changing means is provided in the operation unit, and the setting information is stored from the operation stop to the next operation start. The portable dehumidifier described in the item.

Images