JP2005291620A - Air cleaner and its operation control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To securely remove airborne bacteria, residual odor, and offensive substances to increase the degree of cleanliness inside the living room of an accommodation. <P>SOLUTION: This air cleaner comprises ultraviolet lamps 14 storably arranged, parallel with each other, in a frame body 12 installed at a suction port side opening 22a in the chamber of an air conditioner installed in a ceiling space communicating with the living room, an ultraviolet lamp unit 11 formed of the lighting device of the ultraviolet lamps 14, a photocatalyst unit 30 in which photocatalyst substrates 34 carrying titanium oxide photocatalyst 35 on their surfaces opposite to the ultraviolet lamps 14 are vertically installed on a base plate 31 detachably installed on the lower surface of the ultraviolet lamp unit 11 along the longitudinal direction of the ultraviolet lamp 14 so as to be positioned in clearances between the ultraviolet lamps 14, and a light shielding part 40 fixed to the base plate 31 of the photocatalyst unit 30, sucking air from the suction port, and preventing radiated light from the ultraviolet lamps 24 from leaking into the living room. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an air purification device and an operation control method thereof, and more particularly to an air purification device using a photocatalyst unit incorporated in an air conditioner installed in a guest room such as an accommodation facility and an operation control method thereof.

  In accommodation facilities such as hotels, it is important that cleaning and bed making are completed and the room is clean before the guest checks in and enters the guest room. For this reason, on the management side of each accommodation facility, cleaning by a predetermined procedure, room ventilation, sterilization, etc. are performed so that the air is clean and residual odors such as tobacco and food and drink are removed. I am trying. At this time, dust and airborne bacteria generated at the time of room cleaning at the time of room cleaning performed after the previous guest checks out and bed making are spread in the room. For this reason, measures are taken to operate an indoor ventilation device or the like equipped with a high-performance filter mechanism at the maximum capacity until the check-in to quickly remove dust and the like from the room. In these cases, the clean state may be grasped as a specific numerical standard by a measuring device using a sensor or the like, and may be managed so as to be below the reference value.

  By the way, conventional indoor cleaning is generally performed by a dust collection filter (hereinafter simply referred to as a filter) installed in an air conditioner. There are various types and structures of filters equipped with a deodorizing function, but most filters collect dust etc. on the filter surface. For example, a filter having a deodorizing function has a dust collecting effect along with dust adhesion. The deodorizing effect also decreased, and frequent maintenance was required to maintain a good operating state. In addition, indoor pollution is not limited to dust, body odor, food and drink, residual odor such as cigarettes, etc., but various floating germs, malodorous substances such as ammonia, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and various volatile organic compounds (hereinafter referred to as VOCs). ). For this reason, in order to further improve the cleanliness in the cabin, it is necessary to reliably remove airborne bacteria, residual odor, malodorous substances, and VOCs.

In this way, various purification devices and air-conditioning devices that utilize the purification action of a known photocatalyst such as titanium oxide have been developed as devices capable of deodorizing various airborne bacteria and residual odors (Patent Documents 1, Patent Document 2).
In these patent documents, an ultraviolet lamp is installed between a blower fan or the like installed in the apparatus or the ventilation path and the suction port, and a plate-like shape that supports or houses a photocatalyst at a position facing the ultraviolet lamp. The body is attached at a predetermined interval. And deodorization, bacteria removal, etc. are performed by the oxidative decomposition action on the photocatalyst surface irradiated with ultraviolet rays. In Patent Document 1, a plurality of light shielding plates are installed between the suction port and the light deodorizing filter so that the ultraviolet rays of the ultraviolet lamp accommodated in the air conditioner do not leak out of the casing of the device. Further, in Patent Document 2, as disclosed in FIG. 4, for example, as a technique using the ceiling space, a plurality of light sources are arranged in parallel in the ceiling space, and a catalyst container is provided between the light sources. Deodorizing air flowing on the air path between the exhaust side is realized. Each of these members is fixed at a predetermined position as a fixed structure.

JP-A-8-312977. Japanese Patent No. 3089239. (See especially Figure 4)

  By the way, in accommodation facilities such as hotels, the ceiling space is designed to be narrow (low) in order to secure a larger living space, so a fan unit for air conditioning equipment is installed along with various piping equipment such as bathrooms and wash facilities. At present, equipment space such as position and duct piping is very limited. In addition, in order to give priority to the interior design of the guest room, the position of providing a maintenance opening in the ceiling space portion is also limited.

  In addition, as described above, the operation of the air conditioner for cleaning the room before the guest checks in can be handled manually by the employee when the guest room is empty. In addition, while the guest is in the room, the adjustment of the cleaning is left to the guest (resident), and there is a possibility that a comfortable indoor environment may not be provided. Therefore, if the air purifier is fully automated during the guest reception preparation stage and can be operated to some extent automatically until the guest leaves the room, Can be cleaned.

  Furthermore, when it is assumed that a conventional photocatalytic purification device is installed, it is premised to provide a device with sufficient functions that can clean the guest room, but the relationship with the interior of the room, the space, There is a need to provide an apparatus having a structure that takes into account the ease of apparatus maintenance after installation. In that respect, the above-mentioned patent documents do not solve these problems.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and is an air purification apparatus installed in a guest room of an accommodation facility, which cleans the room by automatic operation before the guest's check-in. It is another object of the present invention to provide an air purifying apparatus and an operation control method thereof that can clean the room in the room and that can be easily maintained on the management side.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an air purifying device that is accommodated in a suction port side in a chamber of an air conditioner installed in a ceiling space of a falling ceiling that leads to a living room. A plurality of UV lamps housed in parallel in a frame supported via a mounting jig, a UV lamp unit comprising a lighting device for lighting the UV lamp, and a lower surface of the UV lamp unit On each surface facing the ultraviolet lamp along the longitudinal direction of the ultraviolet lamp so as to be positioned in a gap between the ultraviolet lamps arranged in parallel on a base plate that is detachably attached via a frame. A plurality of photocatalyst substrates carrying titanium oxide photocatalysts are erected, and are fixed to the lower surface of the base plate of the photocatalyst unit. Thereby allowing the intake air from the suction opening, characterized in that the irradiation light of the UV lamp and a light shielding portion that does not leak into the room.

  Further, as an invention applicable to other air conditioners, it is installed in a ceiling space of a falling ceiling that leads to a living room, and is provided in a chamber of an air conditioner provided with a negative ion generator in the vicinity of an air discharge port facing the living room. An air purification device housed on the suction port side of the plurality of ultraviolet lamps housed in parallel in a frame supported by a mounting jig in the chamber, and the ultraviolet lamps An ultraviolet lamp unit composed of a lighting device to be lit, and a base plate that is detachably attached to the lower surface of the ultraviolet lamp unit via the frame so as to be positioned in a gap between the ultraviolet lamps arranged in parallel, A photocatalyst in which a plurality of photocatalyst substrates on which titanium oxide photocatalysts are supported are erected on each surface facing the ultraviolet lamp along the longitudinal direction of the ultraviolet lamp A knit and a light-shielding portion that is fixed to the lower surface of the base plate of the photocatalyst unit, allows intake from the suction port, and does not leak the irradiation light of the ultraviolet lamp into the living room. To do.

  In these air purification apparatuses, it is preferable that the photocatalyst substrate is a substrate in which a ceramic sheet carrying a photocatalyst is attached to a surface facing the ultraviolet lamp.

  In the above-described operation control method for the air purifier, a sensor capable of detecting the air cleanliness is provided, and based on the detection value of the sensor, the room cleaning of the room is performed by an operation command from the operation control unit of the air purifier. Depending on the detection value of the sensor, the maximum capacity of the air conditioner is automatically operated from the time until the guest enters the room and the air purifier is automatically operated for a predetermined time after the guest enters or stays in the room. Perform automatic operation, then perform automatic operation or manual operation of the air purification device based on the operation start signal from the operation control unit as a result of detection according to the degree of contamination when the guest is in the room It is characterized in that the room is cleaned.

  According to the present invention, when the guest uses the room, the room is cleaned by using the air purification device using the photocatalyst unit incorporated in the air conditioner installed in the guest room of the accommodation facility or the like. There is an effect that the cleaning of the guest room in the front and in the room can be reliably and efficiently realized.

  Hereinafter, as the best mode for operating the air purification apparatus of the present invention to carry out air purification in a passenger room, the following embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory view schematically showing a cross section of a guest room 1 such as a hotel. As shown in the figure, the passage 4 that extends from the entrance door 2 on the left side of the drawing to the living room 3 on the right side has a descending ceiling structure, and is in a ceiling space 5 that is slightly wider than the ceiling space on the living room 3 side. A fan coil unit 21 as an air conditioner 20 equipped with the air purification device 10 of the present invention is installed in a state of being suspended from the lower surface of the upper floor slab. The air purification device 10 is housed in the lower surface of the suction side chamber 22 of the ceiling fan coil unit 21 as shown in both figures, and the lower end of the purification device is sucked into the duct via the filter material 43 (FIG. 3). As shown in FIG. 3, a lattice surface (not shown) appears on the ceiling surface. On the other hand, the air outlet 24 is provided on the ceiling wall surface 7 of the ceiling with the duct descending via a silence box 25 in the middle of the duct. At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, the air outlet 24 and the air inlet 23 from the fan coil unit 21 provided with the air purification device 10 approach each other, a short circuit is generated, and warm air is generated in the feet in the living room 3. If there is a possibility that the air will not reach, a duct 27 linked to an exhaust duct for ventilation of a bus unit (not shown) or a blowout port 28 that extends a duct of another unit to the window side is provided separately to realize indoor return air. It is also preferable to prevent condensation on the window surface 8.

  The structure of the air purification apparatus 10 of this invention is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the air purifying device 10 has an entire device that is attached to a fitting 9 made of steel and attached to the lower opening of the suction side chamber 22 of the ceiling fan coil unit 21. It is designed to be detachably supported.

  The air purification apparatus 10 is mainly composed of an ultraviolet lamp unit 11, a photocatalyst unit 30, a light shielding unit 40, and a control unit 45 (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 3, the ultraviolet lamp unit 11 has a normal tube-type ultraviolet lamp mounted on a socket 13 mounted in a steel frame 12 having an open top and bottom surface at a predetermined interval. A lighting unit 15 (not shown) such as an inverter or a ballast is attached outside the frame body, and the ultraviolet lamps 14 of the respective sockets 13 connected by connectors (not shown) are connected to the control unit. It can be turned on and off by an operation signal from 45. In this embodiment, an ordinary ultraviolet irradiation type lamp is used as the ultraviolet lamp 14, but various special lamps that promote the oxidative decomposition action of the photocatalyst such as black light can be used if the socket size is suitable. It is. In this embodiment, the distance between the ultraviolet lamps 14 and the distance between the photocatalyst substrates 34 are set so that the distance (shortest distance) between the outer surface of the ultraviolet lamp 14 and the surface of the photocatalyst 35 is 15 mm. In this state, the purification action on the surface of the photocatalyst 34 is exerted to the maximum, and the purification efficiency is reduced in accordance with the separation at a distance away portion. Therefore, the number of tubes and the tube length of each ultraviolet lamp 14 described above can be set as appropriate depending on the scale of the purification device, and the interval between the ultraviolet lamps 14 can be set to various conditions for irradiating the photocatalyst unit 30 disposed therebetween (for example, Needless to say, it can be set as appropriate depending on the appropriate distance for the purification efficiency, the material and area of the photocatalyst 35 of the photocatalyst unit 30 to be mounted, and the like.

  3 and 4 and FIG. 5, the photocatalyst unit 30 is an assembled member of a shaped steel plate in which a light shielding portion 40 having a two-layer structure is attached to the lower surface of the base plate 31, and the upper surface of the base plate 31. As shown in each figure, plate-like holders 32 for holding both ends of the substrate 34 on which the photocatalyst 35 is carried are erected at a predetermined interval. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, this interval is equal to the above-described arrangement interval of the ultraviolet lamps 14 when assembled so as to be fitted into the ultraviolet lamp unit 11 from below. It is set to be located at an intermediate position that is equidistant from the ultraviolet lamp 14.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the light-shielding unit 40 includes two light-shielding plates 41 and 41 that are laminated with a slight gap in the vertical direction so that ultraviolet rays do not leak to the outside (inside the cabin 1). The opening 42 formed in one light shielding plate 41 is made of a steel plate processed product in which each opening 42 is formed such that the opening 42 is completely hidden by the other light shielding plate 41, The surface is painted matte black. Needless to say, the shape and the like of the light shielding plate 41 can be appropriately set as long as the predetermined ventilation capability is maintained.

  Further, the filter material 43 is positioned so as to completely cover the light shielding portion 40 from below, and serves as the air inlet 23 of the air conditioner 20. The filter member 43 is housed in a support frame (not shown) removably attached to a frame member of a suction port (not shown) attached to the edge of the ceiling opening so that periodic replacement and cleaning can be easily performed. It has become.

  The configuration of the photocatalyst substrate 34 and the photocatalyst 35 carried on the substrate will be briefly described. In the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the four photocatalyst substrates 34 facing the ultraviolet lamp 14 are made of thin steel plates, and as shown in FIG. The photocatalyst 35 is supported on the inner surface of the photocatalyst substrate 34 located on both sides of the photocatalyst. In this embodiment, a ceramic sheet is used as a base sheet for supporting the photocatalyst, and the photocatalyst substrate 34 is configured by sticking this ceramic sheet to a thin steel plate. Then, both end portions of the photocatalyst substrate 35 are locked to the plate holder 32, and each photocatalyst substrate 34 is erected and held on the base plate 31.

  In this embodiment, the titanium oxide photocatalyst supported on the base sheet is composed of prismatic crystals, and the bases of the prismatic photocatalytic crystals are closely fixed to the substrate, and the photocatalytic surface is formed on the substrate. This prismatic crystal has a hollow structure having a high-density outer wall, and granular photocatalyst particles of various particle diameters can be enclosed as an appropriate crystal aggregate in the hollow part, forming a partially low-density outer wall part. Thus, it is also preferable to bring the internal photocatalytic crystal into an active state. In addition to the ceramic sheet as in the present embodiment, for example, a metal plate such as aluminum or stainless steel, a ceramic plate, a silica plate, or a self-supporting network can be used as the base sheet. In this case, for example, an aluminum substrate carrying a photocatalyst can be directly locked and attached to the plate-like holder 32, and in this case, the photocatalytic unit can be reduced in weight.

  Moreover, in this invention, the negative ion generator 50 is installed in the blower outlet vicinity. The negative ion generator 50 is intended to mix negatively charged fine particles into the air discharged from the outlet 24, and has a negative amount such that the ion balance in the room is close to the ion balance in a preferable natural state. Ion generation is possible. In the present embodiment, the negative ion generator 50 is a small box-like device installed in the vicinity of the duct 26 near the outlet 24, and as shown in FIG. The generated negative ions can be diffused into the living room 3 together with the exhaust air. As shown in FIG. 2, the negative ion generator 50 can control the start / stop of operation and the amount of negative ions generated by an operation panel 53 installed on the wall surface of the room. At this time, in order to image the negative ion generation amount and the effect to the guest who is the user of the device, instead of simple scale display as an operation index, for example, the environment near the waterfall, the environment in the forest, etc. It is also preferable to display an image of the natural environment according to the amount of negative ions generated on the operation panel to encourage sensory usage.

  Next, an embodiment of the operation control method of the air purification device 10 described above will be described with reference to the graph of FIG. FIG. 7 is a time-lapse graph schematically showing changes in sensor detection values in a state in which concentration detection is possible using, for example, a dust concentration sensor, an odor sensor, or a corresponding VOCs sensor as an index of indoor cleanliness. In general, it is confirmed that the current value in the guest room is a value sufficiently lower than the legal standard value in the current operation, and among them, the value set by the facility manager as a self-managed value. In the figure, room cleaning is performed after the previous guest checks out or goes out, for example. The current value reaches the highest value level. After the room cleaning is completed, the air conditioner 20 is operated at maximum capacity by automatic operation in a vacant state before check-in by the guest. At the same time, the air purifier is operated and air purification by the photocatalytic unit 30 is performed. By this automatic driving, the guest is checked in with each detected value lowered to the lowest value, and each detected value increases according to the guest's behavior pattern after the guest enters the room. During this time, for about 1 hour immediately after the entry (occupation) is confirmed, automatic operation with a predetermined capacity may be performed in order to suppress the rising peak value, or manual operation according to the preference of the guest at the same time as entering the room. You may switch to driving. During this time, each detected value changes with a small fluctuation by the operation of the air purification device 10 automatically or manually. Furthermore, as a general bedtime, the silent operation mode is set to the minimum in the sleep operation mode from midnight (0:00) to the next morning (for example, 6:00). Note that manual operation has priority over these automatic operation modes. For this reason, when the indoor pollution by smoking and eating and drinking progresses at midnight, it is also possible to drive the air purification apparatus 10 by manual operation using a timer function together.

The schematic explanatory drawing which showed the indoor purification | cleaning state by the air conditioning system which incorporated the air purification apparatus by this invention in ceiling space. The partial cross section figure which expanded and showed partially the air conditioning system provided with the air purifying apparatus shown in FIG. The perspective view which decomposed | disassembled and showed the air purification apparatus of this invention. The cross-sectional view which showed the assembly state of the ultraviolet lamp unit of the air purification apparatus of this invention, and a photocatalyst unit. The side view which showed the photocatalyst board | substrate part of the photocatalyst unit. The fragmentary sectional view which showed the installation state of the negative ion generator. The time-dependent graph which showed an example of the change of the indoor detection value by the operation control method by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Guest room 3 Living room 5 Falling ceiling space 10 Air purification apparatus 11 Ultraviolet lamp unit 14 Ultraviolet lamp 20 Air conditioner 21 Fan coil unit 22 Chamber 23 Suction port 24 Outlet 30 Photocatalyst unit 34 Photocatalyst substrate 35 Photocatalyst 40 Photocatalyst 40 Shading part 45 Operation control unit

Claims (4)

An air purification device housed on the suction port side in a chamber of an air conditioner installed in a ceiling space of a falling ceiling that leads to a living room,
An ultraviolet lamp unit comprising a plurality of lamps arranged in parallel in a frame supported in the chamber via a mounting jig, an ultraviolet lamp unit comprising a lighting device for lighting the ultraviolet lamp, and the ultraviolet lamp unit Relative to the ultraviolet lamp along the longitudinal direction of the ultraviolet lamp so as to be positioned in the gap between the ultraviolet lamps arranged in parallel on the base plate removably attached to the lower surface of the ultraviolet lamp via the frame A plurality of photocatalyst substrates each having a titanium oxide photocatalyst carried on each side, and a photocatalyst unit fixed to the lower surface of the base plate of the photocatalyst unit, enabling intake from the suction port, and An air purification apparatus comprising: a light shielding portion that does not leak the irradiation light of the ultraviolet lamp into the living room. An air purifier installed in a ceiling space of a falling ceiling leading to a living room and housed on the suction port side in a chamber of an air conditioner provided with a negative ion generator in the vicinity of the air discharge port facing the living room. ,
An ultraviolet lamp unit comprising a plurality of lamps arranged in parallel in a frame supported in the chamber via a mounting jig, an ultraviolet lamp unit comprising a lighting device for lighting the ultraviolet lamp, and the ultraviolet lamp unit Relative to the ultraviolet lamp along the longitudinal direction of the ultraviolet lamp so as to be positioned in the gap between the ultraviolet lamps arranged in parallel on the base plate removably attached to the lower surface of the ultraviolet lamp via the frame A plurality of photocatalyst substrates each having a titanium oxide photocatalyst carried on each side, and a photocatalyst unit fixed to the lower surface of the base plate of the photocatalyst unit, enabling intake from the suction port, and An air purification apparatus comprising: a light shielding portion that does not leak the irradiation light of the ultraviolet lamp into the living room.   The air purification apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the photocatalyst substrate is a substrate formed by attaching a ceramic sheet carrying a photocatalyst on a surface facing the ultraviolet lamp.   3. The operation control method for an air purification device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a sensor capable of detecting air cleanliness is provided, and an operation command is issued by an operation control unit of the air purification device based on a detection value of the sensor. By performing the maximum capacity automatic operation of the air conditioner during the time from the room cleaning of the living room to the guest entering the room and performing the automatic operation of the air purifying device, for a predetermined time after the guest enters or stays in the room. The air purifying of the air purifying device based on the operation start signal from the operation control unit as a result of performing the automatic operation based on the detection value of the sensor and then detecting according to the degree of contamination when the guest is in the room. An operation control method for an air purifying device, wherein automatic operation or manual operation is performed to clean the room.

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