JP2007143937A - Floor mount type air disinfecting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a floor mount type air disinfecting apparatus which can stably perform the disinfection of air passing through a gas-liquid contact member. <P>SOLUTION: This floor mount type air disinfecting apparatus is equipped with the gas-liquid contact member 5 which is arranged in a floor mount type cabinet 2, an electrolytic water dropping means which makes an electrolytic water drop onto the gas-liquid contact member 5, and a water receiving tray 9 which is arranged under the gas-liquid contact member 5, and receives the electrolytic water passing through the gas-liquid contact member 5. Also, the floor mount type air disinfecting apparatus is equipped with a circulation pump 13 which makes the electrolytic water accumulated in the water receiving tray 9 circulate to the electrolytic water dropping means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to, for example, a portable floor-standing air sterilizer that can remove airborne microbial viruses and the like.

In general, an air sterilization apparatus that captures viruses or fungi such as influenza virus and mold floating in the air (hereinafter referred to as viruses) and inactivates or sterilizes these viruses (hereinafter referred to as inactivation). It is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In this type of air sterilization apparatus, a filter with a tea extract component is disposed, and viruses and the like captured by the filter are inactivated mainly by the action of tea polyphenols contained in the extract component. .
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 08-266828

However, in the conventional configuration, with time, tea polyphenols are gradually lost from the filter surface due to oxidative decomposition or the like. For this reason, when the filter is used over a long period of time due to a gradual decline in the function of inactivating viruses and the like, the virus and the like once captured by the filter rescatters while remaining active. There is a fear.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a floor-standing type air sterilization apparatus that can solve the above-described problems of the prior art and can stably perform sterilization of air passing through a filter.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gas-liquid contact member disposed in a floor-standing casing, electrolyzed water dropping means for dropping electrolyzed water on the gas-liquid contact member, and the gas-liquid contact member. And a water receiving tray that receives the electrolyzed water that has passed through the gas-liquid contact member, and a circulation pump that circulates the electrolyzed water accumulated in the water receiving tray to the electrolytic water dropping means. To do.

  According to this configuration, the electrolyzed water dropping means for dropping electrolyzed water on the gas-liquid contact member, and a water tray that is disposed below the gas-liquid contact member and receives the electrolyzed water that has passed through the gas-liquid contact member, In order to provide a circulation pump for circulating the electrolyzed water collected in the water tray to the electrolyzed water dropping means, the electrolyzed water is continuously supplied to the gas-liquid contact member by the circulating pump via the electrolyzed water dropping means. By allowing air to pass through the liquid contact member, it is possible to stably sterilize the air. Moreover, the amount of water used is reduced by circulating this electrolyzed water. Furthermore, since electrolyzed water is a dripping type, electrolyzed water can be uniformly moistened over the entire area of the gas-liquid contact member.

  In this case, the electrolyzed water dropping means includes an electrode for electrolyzing tap water to generate the electrolyzed water, and this electrode is disposed between the circulation pump outlet and the electrolyzed water inlet of the gas-liquid contact member. It is good also as a structure. The electrolyzed water dropping means may include an electrode that electrolyzes tap water to generate the electrolyzed water, and the electrode is disposed in the water tray.

  In addition, a support tray may be connected to the water tray in the longitudinal direction of the water tray, and the circulation pump and a water supply tank for supplying tap water into the support tray may be arranged on the support tray. Further, the circulation pump and the water supply tank are arranged on one end side of the casing, and an operation section and / or an electric circuit board section for performing various operations of the air sterilization apparatus are arranged on the other end side of the casing. It is good also as the structure which did. The electrolyzed water may contain active oxygen species obtained by electrolyzing tap water, and the active oxygen species may contain at least one substance selected from hypochlorous acid, ozone, and hydrogen peroxide. Further, the polarity of the electrode may be reversed periodically or irregularly under a predetermined condition.

  In the present invention, there are provided electrolyzed water dropping means for dropping electrolyzed water onto the gas-liquid contact member, and a water receiving tray that is disposed below the gas-liquid contact member and receives the electrolyzed water that has passed through the gas-liquid contact member. Since it has a circulation pump that circulates the electrolyzed water collected in the tray to the electrolyzed water dropping means, the electrolyzed water is continuously supplied to the gas-liquid contact member by the circulating pump via the electrolyzed water dropping means. By allowing air to pass through the member, air can be sterilized stably. Moreover, the amount of water used can be reduced by circulating this electrolyzed water. Furthermore, since the electrolyzed water is a dripping type, the electrolyzed water can be uniformly moistened over the entire area of the gas-liquid contact member, and the air passing through the electrolyzed water can be sterilized uniformly.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In FIG. 1, the code | symbol 1 shows a floor-standing type air sanitizer. This floor-mounted air sterilization apparatus 1 includes a box-shaped housing 2, which includes a leg piece 2A, a front panel 2B, and a top panel 2C, on both sides of the top panel 2C. The operation lid 2D and the opening / closing lid 2E are arranged side by side. Below the operation lid 2D, as shown in FIG. 2, an operation panel (operation unit) 41 for performing various operations of the floor-type air sterilization apparatus 1 is provided. A water supply tank 11 for replenishing tap water to be supplied is configured to be drawable. A printed circuit board (electric circuit board unit) is disposed on the back side of the operation panel 41, and this printed circuit board controls the operation of the floor-type air sterilizer 1.
In addition, a horizontally long suction port 3 is formed in the lower part of the housing 2, and a prefilter 3 </ b> A is disposed above the suction port 3. A blower fan 7 is disposed above the pre-filter 3A, and a gas-liquid contact member 5 having high water retention is disposed above the blower fan 7 in a brace shape as shown in FIG. A horizontally long air outlet 4 is disposed above the liquid contact member 5. Reference numeral 8 denotes a support plate for the blower fan 7, and the support plate 8 is supported by the housing 2.

  This gas-liquid contact member 5 is a filter member having a honeycomb structure, has a structure in which a wide gas contact area is ensured, electrolytic water can be dripped, and clogging is difficult. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the gas-liquid contact member 5 is formed in a honeycomb shape as a whole by joining a material 5A bent into a wave shape and a flat material 5B. These materials 5A and 5B include materials that are less reactive with electrolyzed water, which will be described later, in short, materials that are less susceptible to degradation by electrolyzed water, such as polyolefin resins (polyethylene resins, polypropylene resins, etc.), PET (polyethylene terephthalate) resins. A material such as a vinyl chloride resin, a fluorine resin (PTFE, PFA, ETFE, etc.) or a ceramic material is used. In this configuration, a PET resin is used for these materials 5A and 5B.

  The inclination angle θ of the gas-liquid contact member 5 is desirably 30 ° or more. In the case of less than that, the dropped electrolyzed water does not flow along the inclination of the gas-liquid contact member 5 but falls downward. Further, when the inclination angle θ approaches 90 °, the air blowing path passing through the gas-liquid contact member 5 becomes nearly horizontal, and it is difficult to blow upward by that much. When this blowing direction is made close to horizontal, the blowing air cannot be blown far away, and as described later, the device is not suitable for sterilization of a large space. The inclination angle θ is preferably 80 °> θ> 30 °, more preferably 75 °> θ> 55 °, and about 57 ° in this configuration.

5A to 5C show a means for dropping electrolytic water onto the gas-liquid contact member 5.
A water tray 9 (see FIG. 3) is disposed below the gas-liquid contact member 5, and a water tank support tray (support tray) 10 is connected to the water tray 9 in the longitudinal direction of the water tray. Yes. The water supply tank support tray 10 is provided with a water supply tank 11 for supplying tap water containing chlorine ions into the support tray 10 and a circulation pump 13. In this embodiment, the water supply tank 11 is comprised so that tap water can be replenished from the said water supply tank 11 when the water in the water supply tank support tray 10 reduces. When the tap water in the water supply tank 11 runs out, the user removes the water supply tank 11 from the water supply tank support tray 10, supplies the tap water to the water supply tank 11, and attaches it to the water supply tank support tray 10 again.
An electrolytic tank 31 is connected to the circulation pump 13, and an electrolytic water supply pipe 17 is connected to the electrolytic tank 31. The electrolyzed water supply pipe 17 is configured to include a large number of water spray holes (not shown) on the outer periphery, and as shown in FIG. 5B, in the water spray box 5C formed at the upper edge of the gas-liquid contact member 5. Has been inserted. In this configuration, the electrolyzed water dripping means includes an electrolyzed layer 31 and an electrolyzed water supply pipe 31.

  As shown in FIG. 5C, the electrolytic cell 31 includes three pairs of electrodes 32 and 33. When the electrodes 32 and 33 are energized, they electrolyze the tap water flowing into the electrolytic cell 31 to react with active oxygen. Generate seeds. Here, the reactive oxygen species are oxygen molecules having an oxidation activity higher than that of normal oxygen and related substances, and so-called narrow definition such as superoxide anion, singlet oxygen, hydroxyl radical, or hydrogen peroxide. These active oxygens include so-called broadly active oxygens such as ozone and hypohalogen acids. In the present embodiment, the electrolytic cell 31 is disposed between the outlet of the circulation pump 13 and the inlet of the gas-liquid contact member 5, preferably close to the inlet of the gas-liquid contact member 5, and electrolyzes tap water. The generated active oxygen species can be supplied to the gas-liquid contact member 5 immediately.

The electrodes 32 and 33 are, for example, electrode plates in which the base is made of Ti (titanium) and the coating layer is made of Ir (iridium) or Pt (platinum). The current value applied to the electrodes 32 and 33 is the current density. A predetermined free residual chlorine concentration (for example, 1 mg (milligram) / l (liter)) is generated as 20 mA (milliampere) / cm ² (square centimeter).

When the tap water is energized by the electrodes 32 and 33, the cathode electrode
4H ⁺ + 4e ⁻ + (4OH ⁻ ) → 2H ₂ + (4OH ⁻ )
And the anode electrode
2H ₂ O → 4H ⁺ + O ₂ + 4e ⁻
As soon as the reaction of
Chlorine ions contained in water (pre-added to tap water)
2Cl ⁻ → Cl ₂ + 2e ⁻
In addition, this Cl ₂ reacts with water,
Cl ₂ + H ₂ O → HClO + HCl
It becomes.

  In this configuration, when the electrodes 32 and 33 are energized, HClO (hypochlorous acid) having a high sterilizing power is generated, and air is passed through the gas-liquid contact member 5 to which this hypochlorous acid is supplied. The gas-liquid contact member 5 can prevent germs from breeding, and can inactivate viruses floating in the air passing through the gas-liquid contact member 5. Further, when the odor passes through the gas-liquid contact member 5, it reacts with hypochlorous acid in the electrolytic water, and is ionized and dissolved to be removed from the air and deodorized.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
In FIG. 1, when the operation lid 2D is opened, the operation panel 41 shown in FIG. 2 faces. By operating this operation panel 41, the operation of the floor-standing air sterilizer 1 is started. When this operation is started, the circulation pump 13 is driven with reference to FIG. 6, and the tap water accumulated in the water supply tank support tray 10 is supplied to the electrolytic cell 31.
In the electrolytic bath 31, when the electrodes 32 and 33 are energized, tap water is electrolyzed to generate electrolytic water containing active oxygen species. This electrolyzed water is sprinkled into the watering box 5C through a watering hole (not shown) of the electrolyzed water supply pipe 17, and from here it soaks into the upper edge of the gas-liquid contact member 5 and gradually toward the lower part. Wet.

  The surplus electrolyzed water is collected in the water tray 9 and flows into the adjacent water supply tank support tray 10 where it is stored. In this configuration, the circulation pump 13 circulates water, and when the amount of water is reduced by evaporation or the like, an appropriate amount of tap water is supplied to the water supply tank support tray 10 via the water supply tank 11. When the amount of water in the water supply tank 11 decreases, the open / close lid 2E (see FIG. 1) is opened, the water supply tank 11 is taken out, and tap water is supplied.

  The air-liquid contact member 5 moistened with the electrolyzed water is supplied with indoor air as indicated by an arrow X through the blower fan 7. The indoor air comes into contact with the active oxygen species soaked in the gas-liquid contact member 5 and is blown out into the room again. This reactive oxygen species has a function of destroying and eliminating (removing) the surface protein (spike) of the virus essential for infection when, for example, influenza virus invades into the indoor air. The influenza virus and the receptor (receptor) necessary for the virus to become infected do not bind, thereby preventing the infection. As a result of the verification test in collaboration with the Institute for Hygiene and Environment, it was found that 99% or more of the virus can be removed when the air in which the influenza virus has entered is passed through the gas-liquid contact member 5 of this configuration.

  In this embodiment, an electrolyzed water dropping means for dropping electrolyzed water onto the gas-liquid contact member 5 and a water tray 9 disposed below the gas-liquid contact member and receiving the electrolyzed water that has passed through the gas-liquid contact member 5 are provided. And a circulating pump 13 that circulates the electrolyzed water accumulated in the water tray 9 to the electrolyzed water dropping means. The electrolyzed water is continuously supplied to the gas-liquid contact member 5 by the circulating pump 13 through the electrolyzed water dropping means. The air can be stably sterilized by supplying air to the gas-liquid contact member 5. Moreover, the amount of water used can be reduced by circulating this electrolyzed water. Furthermore, since the electrolyzed water is a dripping type, the electrolyzed water can be evenly moistened over the entire area of the gas-liquid contact member 5, and the air passing therethrough can be sterilized uniformly.

  In the present embodiment, the indoor air sucked from the suction port 3 provided in the lower part of the housing 2 is brought into contact with the electrolyzed water dropped on the gas-liquid contact member 5, and the blower provided in the upper part of the housing 2. In order to provide a structure that blows out from the outlet 4, this floor-standing air sanitizer 1 is installed in a so-called large space such as a kindergarten, elementary, middle, or high school, a nursing care insurance facility, a hospital, etc. However, indoor air sterilized in contact with the electrolyzed water can be blown away from the large space, and air sterilization in the large space can be efficiently achieved. In addition, since the gas-liquid contact member 5 is disposed in a bracing manner in the floor-standing casing 2, the depth dimension of the casing 2 becomes smaller and thinner than when it is horizontally disposed. Furthermore, since the gas-liquid contact member 5 is formed of a material that is less reactive with the electrolyzed water, the durability of the gas-liquid contact member 5 is improved and the life thereof is extended.

  In the present embodiment, a water tank support tray 10 is connected to the water tray 9 in the longitudinal direction of the water tray 9, and tap water is supplied to the water tank support tray 10 with the circulation pump 13 and the water tank support tray 10. Since the water supply tank 11 is arranged, the maintenance work can be easily performed by the circulation pump 13 and the water supply tank 11 being concentrated in one place. Moreover, in this embodiment, the circulation pump 13 and the water supply tank 11 are arrange | positioned at the one end side of the housing | casing 2, The operation panel 41 which performs various operation of the said air sterilizer 1 and the other end side of this housing | casing 2 and Since the printed circuit board is arranged, the electric component and the water-using component are separated, so that the operation panel 41 is prevented from getting wet when removing the water supply tank 11 in the water supply operation of the water supply tank 11 or the like.

  In this embodiment, the electrolyzed water containing hypochlorous acid is collected in the water receiving tray 9 and flows into the adjacent water supply tank support tray 10. For this reason, miscellaneous bacteria do not occur in each dish, and generation of slime is prevented. For this reason, the frequency of cleaning and maintenance of each dish is reduced, and labor such as maintenance can be reduced.

In the above configuration, it is desirable to adjust the concentration of active oxygen species (hypochlorous acid) in the electrolytic water to a target concentration. The target concentration is normally set to a concentration that inactivates viruses or the like (for example, mold fungi) that are frequently present in the installation place (for example, school) of the floor-type air sanitizer 1. In this case, for example, the concentration of hypochlorous acid in the electrolytic water is adjusted by changing the current flowing through the electrodes 32 and 33 or the voltage applied between the electrodes 32 and 33. As an example, the concentration of hypochlorous acid can be changed to a high concentration by increasing the current flowing through the electrodes 32 and 33 (for example, 40 mA / cm ^{2 in} terms of current density). According to this, since it is only necessary to change the voltage applied to the electrode without using a new device or the like, cost reduction and space saving can be achieved.

As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on one Embodiment, this invention is not limited to this. For example, ozone (O ₃ ) or hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ) may be generated as the active oxygen species. In this case, when a platinum tantalum electrode is used as an electrode, active oxygen species can be stably generated with high efficiency by electrolysis from water having a small ion species.
At this time, in the anode electrode,
2H ₂ O → 4H ⁺ + O ₂ + 4e ⁻
At the same time as
3H ₂ O → O ₃ + 6H ⁺ + 6e ⁻
2H ₂ O → O ₃ + 4H ⁺ + 4e ⁻
This reaction occurs and ozone (O ₃ ) is generated. In the cathode electrode,
4H ⁺ + 4e ⁻ + (4OH ⁻ ) → 2H ₂ + (4OH ⁻ )
O ₂ ⁻ + e ⁻ + 2H ⁺ → H ₂ O ₂
Thus, O ₂ ⁻ produced by the electrode reaction and H ⁺ in the solution are combined to produce hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ).

In this construction, by supplying current to the electrodes, a large ozone sterilizing power (O ₃₎ and hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂₎ is generated, these ozone (O ₃₎ and hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂₎ Electrolyzed water containing can be made. The concentration of ozone or hydrogen peroxide in the electrolyzed water is adjusted to a concentration that inactivates the target virus and the like, and air is passed through the gas-liquid contact member 5 supplied with the electrolyzed water of this concentration. It is possible to inactivate floating target viruses and the like. Further, when the odor passes through the gas-liquid contact member 5, it reacts with ozone or hydrogen peroxide in the electrolytic water, and is ionized and dissolved to be removed from the air and deodorized.

When scale is deposited on the electrode (cathode) by electrolyzing tap water, the electrical conductivity is lowered, and continuous electrolysis becomes difficult.
In this case, it is effective to reverse the polarity of the electrode (switch between positive and negative of the electrode). By electrolysis using the cathode electrode as the anode electrode, the scale deposited on the cathode electrode can be removed. In this polarity reversal control, for example, it may be reversed periodically using a timer, or may be reversed irregularly, such as reversed every time the operation is started. Further, an increase in electrolytic resistance (decrease in electrolysis current or increase in electrolysis voltage) may be detected, and the polarity may be reversed based on this result.

  In the above embodiment, a water supply system using the water tank 11 that can be freely taken in and out is used. Instead of the water tank 11, for example, a water pipe water supply system that directly connects city water by connecting a water pipe 81 as shown in FIG. It goes without saying. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the electrolytic layer 31 is arrange | positioned in the exit side of the circulation pump 13, and it is set as the structure provided with the electrodes 32 and 33 in this electrolytic layer 31, as shown in FIG. It is good also as a structure which arrange | positions 82 and 83 and produces | generates electrolyzed water in the said water receiving tray 9. FIG.

It is a perspective view which shows one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows an internal structure. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a housing | casing. It is a front view of a gas-liquid contact member. It is a systematic diagram which shows the means to dripping electrolyzed water to a gas-liquid contact member, A is a side view, B is sectional drawing of a watering box, C is a block diagram of an electrolytic cell. It is explanatory drawing of air purification. It is a figure for demonstrating another embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Floor-type air sanitizer 2 Case 3 Suction inlet 4 Outlet 5 Gas-liquid contact member 7 Blower fan 9 Water receiving tray 10 Water supply tank support tray 11 Water supply tank 13 Circulation pump 31 Electrolyzer 32, 33, 82, 83 Electrode 41 Operation panel (operation unit)

Claims (7)

  A gas-liquid contact member disposed in a floor-standing casing, electrolyzed water dropping means for dropping electrolyzed water onto the gas-liquid contact member, and disposed below the gas-liquid contact member, the gas-liquid contact member A floor-standing air sterilization apparatus comprising a water tray that receives the electrolytic water that has passed, and a circulation pump that circulates the electrolytic water accumulated in the water tray to the electrolytic water dropping means.   The electrolyzed water dropping means includes an electrode for electrolyzing tap water to generate the electrolyzed water, and the electrode is disposed between the circulation pump outlet and the electrolyzed water inlet of the gas-liquid contact member. The floor-standing air sanitizer according to claim 1.   The floor-mounted air sterilization apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrolytic water dropping means includes an electrode that electrolyzes tap water to generate the electrolytic water, and the electrode is disposed in the water tray. apparatus.   A support tray is connected to the water tray in the longitudinal direction of the water tray, and the circulation pump and a water supply tank for supplying tap water into the support tray are arranged on the support tray. The floor-standing air sanitizer according to any one of 1 to 3.   The circulation pump and the water supply tank are arranged on one end side of the casing, and an operation unit and / or an electric circuit board unit for performing various operations of the air sterilization apparatus are arranged on the other end side of the casing. The floor-standing air sanitizer according to claim 4.   3. The electrolyzed water contains active oxygen species obtained by electrolyzing tap water, and the active oxygen species contains at least one substance selected from hypochlorous acid, ozone and hydrogen peroxide. The floor-standing air sterilizer according to any one of 5 to 5.   The floor-mounted air sterilizer according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the polarity of the electrode is reversed periodically or irregularly under a predetermined condition.

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