JP2008064430A - Water level displaying device, humidifier with it, and air cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a water level displaying device capable of always securing visibility, and a humidifier with it, and an air cleaner. <P>SOLUTION: The humidifier is provided with an air passage 4 extending from an air inlet 2 of a device body 1 to an air outlet 3, an air blower means 5 for blowing air to the air passage, a deodorizing filter 6 and/or a dust collecting filter 7 arranged in the air passage 4, a humidifying filter 8 arranged in the air passage 4, and a water tank 9 for supplying water to the humidifying filter. At least a part of a surface of the water tank 9 is constituted by a translucent material, a display window 10 is disposed in such a manner of confronting the translucent part so that a water level in the water tank can be virtually recognized from the outside, and the air passage 4 is formed so that at least a part of the air blown out of the air blower means 5 passes an outer surface of the water tank 9. Therefore, a stain on the surface of the water tank 9 can be suppressed, visibility of a remaining amount of water can be maintained for a long time, and a cleaning frequency by a user can be reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a water level display device that displays the water level of a water tank, a humidifier equipped with the water level display device, and an air purifier.

It is desirable that the water level such as the remaining amount of water in the water tank is easily visible. Patent Document 1 describes a humidifier-equipped stove that can easily and reliably check the amount of remaining water in a tank even if it is separated from the main body. This stove with a humidifier is a transparent or semi-transparent, which has a V-shaped or U-shaped viewing window with a large upper opening width and a small lower opening width at the front center of the stove body, and is housed in the stove body. The tank is made visible through the viewing window.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-337671

  By the way, as described above, the water tank is often made of a transparent material so that the remaining amount of water secured inside can be visually observed from the outside. It must be cleaned regularly to keep the tank surface clean. In addition, when regular cleaning is not performed, visibility is lowered, and therefore, an appearance of a tank water level display device that does not require regular cleaning is desired.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a water level display device that can always ensure visibility, a humidifier equipped with the water level display device, and an air cleaner.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a water tank for storing water in which at least a part of the tank surface is made of a translucent material, and the water level in the water tank can be visually recognized from the outside facing the translucent part. In the tank water level display device having a display window, air blowing means is provided for sending air, and an air passage is formed so that at least part of the air sent from the blowing means passes through the outer surface of the water tank. It is characterized by that.

  According to the above configuration, the air passage is formed so that air passes through the outer surface of the water tank, and at least a part of the air is sent to the water tank by the blowing means, so that contamination of the surface of the water tank is suppressed, The visibility of the remaining amount of water can be maintained over a long period of time. Therefore, the frequency of cleaning by the user can be suppressed.

  The present invention also includes a blowing means for sending the air sucked from the suction port of the apparatus main body to the outlet, a humidifying filter for humidifying the air from the blowing means, and a water tank for supplying water to the humidifying filter. In the humidifying device, at least a part of the surface of the water tank is made of a translucent material, and provided with a display window that faces the translucent part and from which the water level in the water tank can be visually recognized from the outside. An air passage is formed so that at least a part of the air sent from the blowing means passes through the outer surface of the water tank.

  According to the above configuration, even in a humidifier with a large amount of water used, since at least part of the air sent from the blowing means passes through the outer surface of the water tank, it is possible to suppress contamination of the surface of the water tank, The visibility of the remaining amount of water can be maintained over a long period of time.

  Further, in this humidifier, a charge eliminating means for preventing the water tank surface from being charged can be provided. By the charge removing means, the surface of the water tank is prevented from being charged and the adhesion of dirt can be suppressed.

  As this static elimination means, the ion generating element which generate | occur | produces the positive / negative ion provided in the air path which sends air to the outer surface of a water tank can be illustrated. The ion generating element increases the concentration of positive ions and negative ions in the air and brings the air containing the ions into contact with the water tank, so that the water tank surface can be effectively prevented from being charged for a long period of time. The visibility of the remaining amount of water can be maintained.

  Further, the present invention provides an air passage from the air inlet of the device main body to the air outlet, an air blowing means for sending air to the air passage, a deodorizing filter and / or a dust collecting filter disposed in the air passage, An air cleaner comprising a humidifying filter disposed in the air passage and a water tank that supplies water to the humidifying filter can be provided.

  In this air purifier, at least a part of the surface of the water tank is made of a translucent material, and a display window is provided that can visually recognize the water level in the water tank from the outside facing the translucent part. An air passage is formed so that at least a part of the air sent from the blowing means passes through the outer surface of the water tank.

  According to the above configuration, a humidifying function is added even in an air purifier equipped with a deodorizing filter and / or a dust collecting filter, and at that time, the visibility of a necessary water tank is also improved. The visibility of the remaining amount of water can be maintained.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the air passage is formed so that air passes through the outer surface of the water tank, and at least a part of the air is sent to the water tank by the blowing means. It is suppressed, the visibility of the remaining amount of water can be maintained over a long period of time, and the frequency of cleaning by the user can be suppressed.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of an air cleaner showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view of the same.

  The air cleaner according to the present embodiment is disposed in the air passage 4 from the air suction port 2 to the air outlet 3 of the device main body 1, the blowing means 5 for sending air to the air passage 4, and the air passage 4. A deodorizing filter 6, a dust collecting filter 7 and a humidifying filter 8, and a water tank 9 for supplying water to the humidifying filter 8 are provided.

  The apparatus main body 1 is formed in a vertically long box shape, and an air suction port 2 for sucking air is formed in the front panel 1a. Inside the apparatus main body 1, a filter storage chamber 4a disposed behind the air suction port 2, a fan storage chamber 4b formed on the rear side thereof, and a tank formed on the side of the fan storage chamber 4b The storage chamber 4c is partitioned.

  An air passage 4 is formed from the air inlet 2 to the air outlet 3 through the filter storage chamber 4a, the fan storage chamber 4b, and the tank storage chamber 4c. Moreover, in this embodiment, the air blower outlet 3 is formed above the tank storage chamber 4c. In addition, the air blower outlet 3 may be formed in the side of the tank storage chamber 4c, or the downward direction, for example, in order for the tank storage chamber 4c to detachably store the water tank 9, it is in a state where one side is open. In this case, the air outlet 3 can be an open surface thereof.

  The deodorizing filter 6, the dust collection filter 7 and the humidification filter 8 are sequentially arranged in the filter storage chamber 4a from the upstream side to the downstream side in the air blowing direction so as to face the air suction port 2.

  The deodorizing filter 6 is a rectangular bag made of polypropylene fiber, polyester fiber or the like divided into a plurality of uniform storage chambers that are continuous in the vertical direction, and each storage chamber is packed with an adsorbent such as activated carbon uniformly dispersed therein. It has been. As the adsorbent, activated carbon such as coconut palm, coal pitch, polyacrylonitrile, or cellulose can be used.

  The dust collection filter 7 is composed of a HEPA filter, and a frame material is hot-melt welded so as to cover the filter medium. The filter medium is formed by superposing and folding an aggregate made of a polyester / vinylon nonwoven fabric and a melt blown nonwoven fabric. Tremicron (registered trademark) manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc., which has been subjected to electric stone processing, can be used as the melt blown nonwoven fabric. Further, an antibacterial sheet made of a non-woven fabric processed with hydroxyapatite can be stacked on the surface of the filter medium and thermocompression bonded. The dust collection filter 7 collects fine dust.

  A pre-filter (not shown) formed by welding a mesh made of polypropylene to a rectangular frame made of synthetic resin such as ABS is provided on the front surface (upstream side in the blowing direction) of the deodorizing filter 6 and the dust collecting filter 7. ) Can be arranged to remove large garbage.

  The humidifying filter 8 is a zigzag formed by continuously bending a non-woven fabric having a water absorption thickness in a W shape as viewed from above, and vaporizes water absorbed on the filter surface. Is. The humidifying filter 8 is held by a frame (not shown), and the lower end thereof is immersed in a humidifying tray 12 provided at the lower part of the apparatus main body 1, and absorbs and vaporizes water in the humidifying tray by capillary action. It is like that.

  The humidifying filter 8 is not limited to a natural suction method that absorbs water on the filter surface by capillary action, but may be a method of pumping the water in the humidifying tray 12 with a pump and forcibly blowing it to the humidifying filter 8 from above.

  Water is supplied to the humidifying tray 12 from the water tank 9 on the end side in the left-right direction. The water tank 9 stores water for humidification, and is detachably installed in a tank storage chamber 4c on the side of the main body 1. When a water stop valve 15 is provided at the joint 14 at the lower end of the water tank 9 and the water tank 9 is attached to the humidifying tray 12, the valve presser at the water supply port of the humidifying tray 12 opens the water stop valve 15, and the water tank 9 Is supplied to the humidifying tray 12. And if the water tank 9 is removed, the water stop valve 15 will close and water leakage will be prevented.

  The water tank 9 is a container made of a translucent material made of synthetic resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene, and faces the translucent portion 9a forming the outer surface of the water tank 9 from the outside. Is formed in the tank housing chamber 4c. A water level display device for displaying the water level is constituted by the light transmitting portion 9 a of the water tank 9 and the display window 10. In addition, when the tank storage chamber 4c is in a state where one side is open and exposed to the outside, the open side functions as a display window.

  The translucent part 9a may make the entire container translucent with a translucent material, but a part of the tank may be made of a vertically long translucent material.

  The display window 10 can be constituted by a vertically long slit formed on the side surface of the device body 1. The slit is covered with a protective cover (not shown) such as a transparent acrylic resin.

  The air passage 4 is formed so that the air sent from the blowing means 5 is formed from the fan storage chamber 4b through the tank storage chamber 4c and passes through the outer surface of the water tank 9 stored in the tank storage chamber 4c. Is formed.

  The air blowing means 5 includes a sirocco fan 18 provided in the fan housing portion 4 b of the device main body 1 and a fan motor 19. The rotation speed of the fan motor 19 is controlled so that the air blowing means 5 increases the air volume when generating a large amount of humidification and decreases the air volume when reducing the humidity.

Further, an ion generating element 20 that generates positive and negative ions downstream of the fan 18 in the air blowing direction is disposed in the fan housing portion 4b. The ion generating element 20 generates H ⁺ (H ₂ O) _{m which} is a positive ion and O ₂ ⁻ (H ₂ O) _n which is a negative ion (m and n are arbitrary natural numbers) in the air. Both ions surround airborne fungi and viruses in the air and inactivate fungi and the like by the action of hydroxyl radicals (.OH) of active species generated at that time.

  The ion generating element 20 is composed of a discharge part having a discharge electrode and an induction electrode, and a dielectric (both not shown), and a structure in which the discharge electrode is arranged outside and the induction electrode is arranged inside the dielectric. Has been. The discharge electrode and the induction electrode are connected to the secondary side of the transformer of a voltage application circuit (not shown). By applying an AC voltage to the discharge unit by the voltage application circuit, positive ions and negative ions are generated, Ions are released into the space by the wind.

  The air flowing into the fan storage chamber 4b is mixed with ions released from the ion generating element 20 and water molecules, and the water molecules surround the ions, and then toward the tank storage chamber 4c. It is delivered to the tank surface. The sent positive and negative ions come into contact with the surface of the water tank, and charging of the surface of the water tank can be prevented.

  In the above configuration, when the blowing unit 5 is driven, indoor air is taken into the device main body 1 from the air suction port 2. The air taken in from the suction port 2 passes through the deodorizing filter 6 and the dust collecting filter 7 to collect dust and inactivate viruses and allergens. The air that has passed through the deodorizing filter 6 and the dust collection filter 7 is supplied to the humidifying filter 8, and the moisture held in the humidifying filter 8 is vaporized and taken into the air flowing through the air passage 4. This humidified air flows from the filter storage chamber 4a into the fan storage chamber 4b, and in the fan storage chamber 4b, ions released from the ion generating element 20 and water molecules are mixed. And it guide | induces to the tank storage chamber 4c in the state where positive / negative ion concentration is high, and contacts the outer surface of the water tank 9 here.

  By contact with the water tank, the surface of the water tank can be prevented from being charged to prevent the adhesion of dirt, and the visibility of the remaining amount of water can be maintained over a long period of time.

  Air containing positive and negative ions is discharged into the room through the air outlet 3 communicating with the tank storage chamber 4c in a state surrounded by water molecules. At this time, when the humidification filter 8 does not humidify the air, the particle diameter is estimated to be 2 to 3 nm. However, when humidification is performed from the humidification filter 8, the number of water molecules increases and the particle diameter becomes about 18 nm. It is estimated that For this reason, the degree of collision between airborne fungi such as fungi and viruses and ions increases. Further, when ions collide with dust in the air, the ions are protected by water molecules and disappearance is reduced. Therefore, the floating bacteria in the room can be quickly removed.

  FIG. 3 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of an air cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the air outlet 3 in the apparatus main body is formed to communicate with the upper side of the fan storage chamber 4b, and a part of the air in the fan storage chamber is guided to the tank storage chamber 4c.

  The air guided to the tank storage chamber 4c may be returned to the upper air outlet 3 as it is, or may be discharged to the outside through a gap in the tank storage chamber 4c. Other configurations are the same as those of the embodiment shown in FIGS.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, Of course, many corrections and changes can be added within the scope of the present invention. For example, a heating body that heats air upstream in the air blowing direction from the humidification filter may be provided, and the humidification amount may be increased by heating and supplying air to the humidification filter.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the air cleaner provided with both the deodorizing filter and the dust collecting filter was demonstrated, it is not restricted to this, It is an air cleaner provided only with either a deodorizing filter or a dust collecting filter. Also good.

  In the above embodiment, the air sucked from the suction port is humidified by the humidifying filter and then guided to the tank storage chamber 4c. However, the air passage that passes through the humidifying filter and the air passage that does not pass through the humidifying filter are switched. A damper mechanism may be provided, and air that does not pass through the humidifying filter may be guided to the tank storage chamber 4c by switching the damper mechanism to prevent condensation on the surface of the water tank.

  Moreover, this invention is applicable not only to the case where it applies to the water level display apparatus of an air cleaner like the said embodiment but to water level display apparatuses, such as a humidifier and a dehumidifier provided with the water tank.

The front view which shows schematic structure of the air cleaner which shows embodiment of this invention. Plan sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the air cleaner of FIG. The front view which shows schematic structure of the air cleaner which shows other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Apparatus main body 2 Air suction inlet 3 Air blower outlet 4 Air passage 4a Filter storage chamber 4b Fan storage chamber 4c Tank storage chamber 5 Blower means 6 Deodorizing filter 7 Dust collection filter 8 Humidification filter 9 Water tank 9a Translucent part 10 Display window 12 Humidification tray 18 Sirocco fan 19 Fan motor 20 Ion generator

Claims (5)

A tank water level display device comprising: a water tank for storing water in which at least a part of the tank surface is made of a translucent material; and a display window facing the translucent part and allowing the water level in the water tank to be visually recognized from the outside. In
A tank water level display device comprising air blowing means for sending air, wherein an air passage is formed so that at least part of the air sent from the air blowing means passes through the outer surface of the water tank. A blower means for sending air sucked from the suction port of the apparatus body to the blowout outlet, a humidifying filter for humidifying the air from the blower means, and a water tank for supplying water to the humidifying filter, In the humidifying device in which at least a part of the surface is made of a light-transmitting material and is provided with a display window facing the light-transmitting portion so that the water level in the water tank can be visually recognized from the outside, the air is sent from the blowing means. A humidifying device, wherein an air passage is formed so that at least a part of the air passes through an outer surface of the water tank. The humidifying device according to claim 2, further comprising a charge eliminating unit that prevents charging of the surface of the water tank. The humidifying device according to claim 3, wherein the static eliminating means is an ion generating element that generates positive and negative ions provided in an air passage that sends air to an outer surface of a water tank. An air passage extending from an air inlet to an air outlet of the device main body, a blowing means for sending air to the air passage, a deodorizing filter and / or a dust collecting filter disposed in the air passage, and disposed in the air passage And a water tank for supplying water to the humidifying filter. At least a part of the surface of the water tank is made of a translucent material, and the water tank is externally opposed to the translucent part. In the air purifier provided with a display window through which the water level in the tank can be visually confirmed, an air passage is formed so that at least a part of the air sent from the blowing means passes through the outer surface of the water tank. An air purifier characterized by.

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