JP2008082683A - Humidifier - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a humidifier capable of applying a proper amount of humidification to the vicinity of a person who needs humidification such as the vicinity of a driver in a cabin so as not to cause the problems of increasing a cooling load or causing a blur in window glass. <P>SOLUTION: The humidifier 1 humidifying by supplying moisture of a molecular level which permeated a moisture permeable film 31, into air, introduces water W for humidification to the inside of the moisture permeable film 31 utilizing surface tension, and allows air Ai for humidification to flow to the outside of the moisture permeable film 31. Moisture which permeated the moisture permeable film 31 is thereby added to the air Ai to increase humidity. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a humidifier that adds humidity to the air, and more particularly, to a humidifier suitable for use in a vehicle or the like.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in vehicles such as automobiles, air conditioners that provide a comfortable vehicle interior environment by cooling and heating the vehicle interior space have been widely used. Since such a vehicle air conditioner has only a cooling function and a heating function, there is a demand to humidify the air in the vehicle interior during the cooling operation in summer and the heating operation in winter and to improve the vehicle interior environment. There is.

As a conventional humidifier, an ultrasonic method or a heater heating method is known as a general humidifier used at home, for example. However, the ultrasonic type and heater heating type humidifiers have been pointed out as sanitary problems such as generation of germs.
Further, as a humidifier that is easy to care and excellent in hygiene, a moisture permeable membrane method using moisture permeable polyurethane as a moisture permeable membrane has been developed. (For example, see Patent Document 1)
JP 2004-10161 A

By the way, when a humidifier is used together with an air conditioner in a passenger compartment of an automobile or the like, the following problems have been pointed out.
That is, if humidification is performed during the cooling operation, high-humidity air is cooled, so that the cooling load increases by the amount of moisture cooling in the air. Further, when the humidity is increased by humidification during the heating operation, there is a problem that moisture in the vehicle interior is condensed due to a temperature difference between the vehicle interior and the exterior, and the inner surface of the window glass such as a windshield is fogged. For this reason, when using both the air conditioning operation in the passenger compartment by the air conditioner and the humidifying operation by the humidifier, sufficient consideration for the above-described problem is required.
Therefore, in the present invention, in order to avoid the problem of increasing the cooling load or causing fogging of the window glass, for example, in the vicinity of a person who needs humidification, such as the vicinity of the driver in the passenger compartment. An object is to provide a humidifier capable of humidifying an appropriate amount.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following means.
The humidifier according to the present invention is a humidifier that supplies moisture at a molecular level that has permeated through a moisture permeable membrane into the air and humidifies the inside of the moisture permeable membrane by introducing water for humidification using surface tension. At the same time, by supplying air to be humidified to the outside of the moisture permeable membrane, moisture transmitted through the moisture permeable membrane is added to the air to increase the humidity.

  According to such a humidifier, water for humidification is introduced into the inside of the moisture permeable membrane by utilizing surface tension, and air is supplied to the outside of the moisture permeable membrane, thereby allowing the moisture permeable membrane to pass therethrough. Since moisture is increased by adding moisture to air, humidifying water can be introduced into the moisture permeable membrane without using power, and stress acting on the moisture permeable membrane can be almost eliminated.

In the humidifier described above, the moisture permeable membrane is disposed in a vertical direction in a casing having a water storage portion at a lower portion, and humidifying water is introduced from the water storage portion into the moisture permeable membrane by surface tension. And an air guide passage formed inside the casing and gradually rising from the air inlet disposed near the upper end of the water storage portion toward the upper air outlet, and the upper portion of the casing with the air guide passage. A fan that is arranged to communicate with the air outlet and that introduces and blows out air to be humidified from the air inlet, while the air flowing through the air guide passage gradually rises and flows around the moisture permeable membrane, A vertical type that is humidified by moisture that has permeated through the moisture permeable membrane and blown out to the outside is preferable, so that it is possible to secure an air guide passage that increases the surface area through which the humidified air comes into contact with the moisture permeable membrane, Plane It can be obtained even humidification amount required to reduce such outer shape (the footprint).
In this case, the air guide passage for gradually raising the air to be humidified from the air inlet toward the upper air outlet is preferably formed in a spiral shape or a zigzag shape, for example.

  In the above-mentioned invention, it is preferable to provide a water storage cover so as to cover the water storage surface of the water storage unit, thereby preventing humidification water in the water storage unit from evaporating from the water surface and scattering of germs. Can be prevented.

  In the above invention, it is preferable that an opening / closing means is provided at an air introduction port for introducing humidified air into the casing, and the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing means is linked with ON / OFF of the electric motor driving the fan. As a result, when the operation is stopped, the air inlet can always be closed to block the inside and outside of the casing.

  In the above invention, the moisture permeable membrane may be a tubular portion set to have a small cross-sectional area for introducing the humidifying water to a desired height by surface tension, or the humidifying water to a desired height by surface tension. It is preferable to have a facing surface portion set to a narrow gap size to be introduced.

  According to the humidifier of the present invention described above, moisture is introduced through the moisture permeable membrane by introducing humidifying water into the inside of the moisture permeable membrane using surface tension and flowing air to be humidified outside the moisture permeable membrane. Therefore, the power for introducing the humidifying water into the moisture permeable membrane becomes unnecessary, and there is almost no stress such as water pressure acting on the moisture permeable membrane. Accordingly, it is possible to perform an energy saving operation while minimizing the power required for the operation, and to obtain a remarkable effect that the durability of the moisture permeable membrane is improved.

  Further, the humidifier of the present invention introduces humidifying water into the inside of the moisture permeable membrane disposed in the vertical direction from the water storage portion at the lower portion of the casing, and the fan disposed at the upper portion of the casing has an air guide passage. The air that is humidified through the air inlet is gradually raised from the air inlet toward the upper air outlet, so that the air that flows through the air guide passage gradually rises around the moisture permeable membrane and flows out the humidified air to the outside. It becomes a vertical type that blows out. In other words, since the air to be humidified becomes an air guide passage that can ensure a sufficient surface area to flow in contact with the moisture permeable membrane, it is possible to obtain the required amount of humidification even if the planar installation area is reduced. It becomes a vessel. Therefore, for example, as a vehicle-mounted small humidifier that locally applies an appropriate amount of humidification to an area that requires humidification, such as a portion where the skin of an occupant is exposed, by using a cup holder or the like in the passenger compartment. Is preferred.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of a humidifier concerning the present invention is described based on a drawing.
A humidifier 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a first embodiment according to the present invention. The humidifier 1 has a vertically structured structure in which a moisture permeable membrane unit 30 including a plurality of moisture permeable membranes 31 is installed in a substantially cylindrical casing 10 and an electric fan 40 is attached to the upper portion of the casing 10. A type. In this humidifier 1, for example, water W for humidification is introduced into the inside of a tube-shaped moisture permeable membrane 31 having a circular cross-section flow path using surface tension, and a fan is provided outside the moisture permeable membrane 31. By operating the air No. 40 and flowing the air Ai to be humidified indicated by arrows in the figure, the moisture at the molecular level that has passed through the moisture permeable membrane 31 is added to the air Ai to blow out the humidified air Ao with increased humidity. Can be humidified.

  The casing 10 is a molded part of resin or the like having a substantially cylindrical shape, and a water storage part for storing the water W for humidification in the lower part of the casing 10 by closing the lower part installed in the vertical direction and forming the bottom surface 11a. 11 is provided. The water storage section 11 is provided in the vertical direction (height) of the casing 10 in a range of about 1/3 from the bottom surface, for example, but can be appropriately changed according to various conditions such as humidification capacity and continuous operation time. is there. A water level window 12 using a transparent resin or the like is provided on the side surface of the water storage unit 11 so that the user can visually check the amount of water stored (remaining amount).

A substantially cylindrical inner tube portion 13 is formed inside the casing 10 at a position above the water storage portion 11. Inside the inner cylinder 13, there is a vertical cylindrical space 14 provided in the center and serving as a space for installing a moisture permeable membrane unit 30 to be described later, and a spiral wind guide serving as a flow path for air to be humidified A passage 15 is formed.
An air introduction path 16 is formed on the outer peripheral side of the inner cylindrical portion 13 between the inner wall surface of the casing 10. The air introduction path 16 is a flow path for guiding the air Ai introduced from the air introduction port 17 that opens to the upper end portion side of the casing 10 to the air inlet 18 of the air guide passage 15 by operating the fan 40. .
An air filter 19 is attached to the air introduction port 17 in order to remove foreign matters such as dust from the air Ai.

That is, the air inlet 18 provided through the inner cylinder portion 13 is disposed in the vicinity of the upper end portion of the water storage section 11, and the air Ai introduced from the air inlet 18 into the inner cylinder portion 13 is operated by the fan 40. The air guide passage 15 rises spirally toward the upper air outlet 20. In other words, the main flow of air Ai introduced from the air inlet 18 into the inner cylinder portion 13 is guided to the plate-like member 15a that spirally protrudes from the inner wall surface of the inner cylinder portion 13 toward the axial center direction. The air flow gradually rises around the moisture permeable membrane 31 along the wind guide channel 15. In this case, the air inlet 18 is preferably positioned at least below the middle position in the vertical direction of the casing 10 in order to ensure sufficient flow path length and perform highly efficient humidification.
A part of the air Ai introduced from the air inlet 18 into the inner cylinder portion 13 passes through the gap between the moisture permeable membranes 31 arranged in the columnar space portion 14 and rises toward the air outlet 20. Become a flow.

The moisture permeable membrane unit 30 is integrated by supporting a plurality of upper end portions of a tube-like moisture permeable membrane 31 on a base member 32 with a space between each other. The moisture permeable membrane unit 30 is easily replaced by removing a fan casing 43 (to be described later) with respect to a closing plate 21 attached so as to close the upper end portion of the inner cylinder portion 13 except for an opening serving as an air outlet 20, for example. In order to be able to do so, it is detachably supported.
As the moisture permeable membrane 31 described above, a moisture permeable polyurethane molded into a thin tube shape is used. This moisture permeable membrane 31 has the property of transmitting only molecular water from the high humidity side to the low humidity side, and does not allow the passage of germs and scales, thus preventing the spread of germs in the air. Can do. In the illustrated configuration, the plurality of moisture permeable membranes 31 arranged in the casing 10, specifically, in the columnar space portion 14 of the inner cylinder portion 13 in the vertical direction, have a hollow lower end portion that is open to store water. The tank 11 extends to the vicinity of the bottom surface 11a. Therefore, each osmosis membrane 31 will be in the state where more than the predetermined length by the side of a lower end part entered water W, if the water W of the water storage tank 11 has the residual amount more than a predetermined value.

Here, the suitable inner diameter of each moisture permeable membrane 31 is set to a value at which the water W in the water storage tank 11 rises to a desired height due to surface tension. In other words, since the entire length of the moisture permeable membrane 31 is effectively humidified, the water W in the water storage tank 11 can be introduced to the vicinity of the upper end of each moisture permeable membrane 31 by using surface tension that does not require power. Set to a suitable inner diameter.
Specifically, in the case of a small-diameter tube having an inner diameter of 1 mm, the water surface in the tube rises by about 24 mm due to surface tension, so the preferred inner diameter to be set for the moisture-permeable membrane 31 is the length of the moisture-permeable membrane 31 and the like. It may be determined in consideration of these conditions.

  In addition, all the moisture permeable membranes 31 constituting the moisture permeable membrane unit 30 may be set to have the same inner diameter, but since the main flow of the air Ai flows, the moisture permeable membrane whose inner diameter is set narrow on the outer peripheral side where there is a large amount of circulation. The membrane 31 may be disposed, and the moisture permeable membrane 31 having a relatively large inner diameter may be disposed on the inner side near the center and with a small amount of circulation. In this way, since the water W is introduced to a high position in the moisture permeable membrane 31 on the outer peripheral side where the amount of air Ai is large, efficient humidification becomes possible.

Further, the casing 10 described above includes a water supply port 23 provided with a water tap 22 that can be opened and closed (detached) at a position shifted in the circumferential direction from the air introduction path 16 and the air inlet 18. The water supply port 23 is formed between the inner wall surface of the casing 10 and the inner cylinder portion 13, and serves as an inlet of a water supply passage 24 that supplies the water W for humidification to the water storage portion 11.
In the illustrated example, a water storage cover 25 is provided so as to cover the water storage surface of the water storage unit 11. Providing such a water storage cover 25 can prevent the water W in the water storage section 11 from evaporating, so that the continuous operation time of the humidifier 1 can be increased. Further, since the water storage cover 25 is provided, it is possible to prevent germs from being scattered, so that the humidifier 1 becomes more sanitary.

At the upper part of the casing 10, a fan 40 is provided for introducing air Ai into the casing 10 and blowing out humidified air Ao that has been humidified by adding water at a molecular level that has passed through the moisture permeable membrane 31. In the fan 40, a fan main body 42 that rotates using an electric motor 41 as a drive source is housed and installed in a fan casing 43. In addition, although the dimension of a height direction increases by having arrange | positioned the fan 40 to the upper part of the casing 10, the projection area which looked at the humidifier 1 from upper direction can be made small.
The fan casing 43 is connected to the upper end portion of the inner cylinder portion 13 so as to be easily attached and detached. On the lower surface side of the fan casing 43, an intake port 44 through which the humidified air Ao flowing through the air guide passage 15 and humidified is opened. The suction port 44 communicates with the air outlet 20 opened at the upper end portion of the inner cylinder portion 13. The fan casing 43 is provided with an air outlet 45 for blowing the humid air Ao to the outside.

  The vertical humidifier 1 configured as described above can be installed using a cup holder in a passenger compartment of a passenger car or the like, for example, by setting the outer dimensions of the casing 10 to be about a beverage can or a plastic bottle. Become. In this case, since the power source of the electric motor 41 that drives the fan 40 is required, a battery can be used. However, as commonly used in other in-vehicle devices, the instrument panel cigarette is used. It is preferable to prioritize miniaturization by receiving power supply using a lighter.

As preparation before using the humidifier 1, the water W for humidification is supplied to the water storage part 11 from the water supply opening 23 which opened the water supply tap 22. FIG. When the water supply is completed, the water tap 22 is closed and the humidifier 1 is installed at a desired use position and connected to a power source. Therefore, the operation of the humidifier 1 is started by turning on a switch (not shown). The operation of the humidifier 1 is started by energizing the electric motor 41 and rotating the fan main body 42.
On the other hand, the water W in the water reservoir 11 rises in the small-diameter moisture-permeable membrane 31 to the vicinity of the upper end due to surface tension.

  When the fan main body 42 rotates, air Ai for humidification from the air introduction port 17 of the casing 10 passes through the filter 19 and is sucked into the air introduction path 16. The air Ai enters the spiral air guide passage 15 from the air inlet 18 and gradually turns toward the air outlet 20 while swirling around the plurality of moisture permeable membranes 31 constituting the moisture permeable membrane unit 30. It rises step by step. By flowing through the air guide passage 15 as described above, the flow path length in which the air Ai flows in contact with the surface of the permeable membrane 31 can be increased. For this reason, since the surface area and time of the moisture permeable membrane 31 in contact with the air Ai are also increased, a sufficient amount of moisture is added to the air Ai by the molecular level water that has passed through the moisture permeable membrane 31 to efficiently humidify. be able to.

The humidified air Ao thus humidified is introduced into the fan casing 43 through the suction port 44 communicating with the air outlet 20, and then blown out from the blower outlet 45 toward the external humidification target via the fan body 42. Is done. The humidification target in this case, that is, the small humidifier 1 for in-vehicle use is a local one such as a part where the skin of an occupant is exposed. Therefore, even if necessary humidification is performed, the cooling load is substantially reduced. There is no increase. In addition, since water at the molecular level is added and humidified, fogging does not occur on the glass of the window even in combination with heating operation.
Since such a humidifier 1 introduces water W into the moisture permeable membrane 31 using surface tension during the humidifying operation, a driving device such as a pump other than the electric motor 41 that drives the fan 40 is unnecessary. It is quiet and energy-saving operation is possible. And compared with the case where it supplies with a pump, the water pressure which acts on the moisture permeable film 31 which introduce | transduces the water W with surface tension will be in a state which is almost equal. Therefore, the stress such as pressure acting on the moisture permeable membrane 31 is only the pressure of the air Ai flowing in contact with the outer peripheral surface, so that the durability of the permeable membrane 31 can be improved.

In the above-described embodiment, the air guide passage 15 is formed in a spiral shape in order to increase the area and time in which the air Ai contacts the surface of the permeable membrane 31 and flows. Modifications such as raising the height are possible.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the humidifier 1 has been described as a small vehicle-mounted one, but is not limited to this, and can be applied to various uses by appropriately increasing the size.

Subsequently, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part similar to 1st Embodiment mentioned above, and the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.
The illustrated humidifier 1A is a horizontal type, and a moisture permeable membrane unit 30A composed of a plurality of moisture permeable membranes 31 is installed in a box-shaped casing 10A having an open upper surface, and an electric fan is mounted on an upper side surface of the casing 10A. 40 is attached. In this horizontal type, air Ai for humidification is introduced from the upper surface of the casing 10A by the operation of the fan 40, and is humidified when flowing around the moisture permeable membrane 31 so as to cross the inside of the casing 10A.

The water W for humidification is stored in the water storage part 11 provided in the lower part of the casing 10A. The water W is injected from a water supply port 23 provided with a water tap 22 and supplied to the water storage unit 11 through a water supply passage 24. In addition, although illustration was abbreviate | omitted, you may provide the water level window 12 and the water storage cover 25 suitably as needed.
Humidification air Ai is introduced from an air introduction port 17A made up of a plurality of openings (such as slits) provided on the upper surface of the casing 10A. In this case, the air inlet 17A is provided with an opening / closing plate 26 serving as a sliding type opening / closing means. The opening / closing plate 26 includes openings such as a plurality of slits 26a that are opened at a position that matches the opening of the air introduction port 17A and are closed at a position that does not match. That is, when the humidifier is used, the air Ai can be introduced by sliding the open / close plate 26 to the open state.

The air Ai introduced into the casing 10A further passes through a through hole 33 provided as an air flow path in the base member 32A of the moisture permeable membrane unit 30A, and enters the humidified region where a large number of moisture permeable membranes 31 are arranged. Flows in. In this humidification region, since the lower end side of the moisture permeable membrane 31 having a thin tube shape is in the water in the water storage portion 11, the moisture permeable membrane 31 has a surface tension for humidification as in the above-described embodiment. Water has been introduced. The air Ai flowing through the periphery of the moisture permeable membrane 31 is humidified by the molecular level water that has passed through the moisture permeable membrane 31.
The humidified air Ao thus humidified passes through the fan 40 and is blown out from the air outlet 40 to the outside.

By the way, the above-described opening / closing operation of the opening / closing plate 26 is substantially opened when the humidifier 1A is in operation and closed when the operation is stopped. For example, as shown in FIG. It is preferable to provide a switch function for interlocking the motor 41 with ON / OFF.
Specifically, contacts Sa and Sb electrically connected to the electric motor 41 are provided at appropriate positions of the casing 10A and the opening / closing plate 26. When the opening / closing plate 26 is opened, both the contacts Sa and Sb come into contact with each other and are energized. When the open / close plate 26 is closed, the contacts Sa and Sb are separated and the energization is cut off (see FIG. 3B). That is, when the opening / closing plate 26 is in the open state, the contacts Sa and Sb come into contact with each other to start the operation of the fan 40. When the opening / closing plate 26 is in the closed state, the contacts 40 Sa and Sb are separated to operate the fan 40. Therefore, when the operation of the humidifier 1A is stopped (not used), the air introduction port 17A is always closed to prevent entry of foreign matters such as dust and evaporation of the water W.

  As described above, each of the humidifiers 1 and 1A of the present invention uses the thin tube-shaped moisture permeable membrane 31 to introduce the humidifying water W into the moisture permeable membrane 31 using the surface tension. Therefore, energy saving operation that does not require power for water supply is possible, and further, there is almost no stress such as water pressure acting on the moisture permeable membrane 31, so that the durability and reliability of the moisture permeable membrane 31 are improved. Can be improved.

In the above-described embodiment, the moisture permeable membrane 31 is formed in a thin tube shape. However, as long as the water W in the water storage section 11 can be introduced into the inside by surface tension, for example, as in the modification shown in FIG. It is not limited to tubes.
That is, the cross-sectional shape is not limited to a circular shape as long as it is a tubular portion set to a small cross-sectional area that introduces the water W for humidification to a desired height by surface tension, and the first shape shown in FIG. A rectangular cross section or polygonal cross section of one modification, or a substantially semicircular or elliptical shape of the stage 2 modification shown in FIG. 4B may be adopted.

Furthermore, as in the third modification shown in FIG. 4C, a configuration may be provided in which the facing surface portion is set to have a narrow gap size that introduces the water W for humidification to a desired height by surface tension.
In addition, the tubular portion and the opposing surface portion that serve as a flow path for introducing the water W may be formed by forming one flow path for each tube as in the tube-shaped moisture-permeable portion 31 described above. As in the moisture permeable portions 31A, 31B, and 31C of the modifications shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of flow paths may be arranged and integrated at a predetermined interval.
In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, For example, it can change suitably in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, such as the shape of a casing.

It is sectional drawing which shows a vertical humidifier as 1st Embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows a horizontal type humidifier as 2nd Embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the interlocking | linkage of the opening / closing operation | movement of the opening-and-closing means provided in the air introduction port, and ON / OFF of the electric motor for fan drive, (a) shows the state at the time of the driving | running | working with an air introduction port open, Indicates the state when the operation is stopped with the air inlet closed. It is a perspective view which shows the structural example of a moisture-permeable film, (a) is a 1st modification, (b) is a 2nd modification, (c) is a 3rd modification.

Explanation of symbols

1 Humidifier (vertical type)
1A humidifier (horizontal type)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,10A Casing 11 Water storage part 12 Water level window 13 Inner cylinder part 14 Hollow cylindrical part 15 Air guide passage 15a Plate-like member 16 Air introduction path 17, 17A Air introduction port 18 Air inlet 20 Air outlet 23 Water supply port 24 Water supply channel 25 Water storage cover 26 Opening and closing plate 30, 30A Moisture permeable membrane unit 31, 31A, 31B, 31C Moisture permeable membrane (tube shape)
32, 32A Base member 33 Through hole 40 Fan W Water Ai Air to be humidified Ao Humidified air Sa, Sb Contact

Claims (5)

In a humidifier that humidifies by supplying moisture at the molecular level that has passed through the moisture permeable membrane into the air,
Water for humidification is introduced into the inside of the moisture permeable membrane by utilizing surface tension, and moisture that has passed through the moisture permeable membrane is added to the air by flowing air to be humidified outside the moisture permeable membrane. Humidifier characterized by increasing humidity. The moisture permeable membrane is disposed in a vertical direction in a casing provided with a water storage portion at the bottom, and water for humidification is introduced from the water storage portion into the inside of the moisture permeable membrane by surface tension.
An air guide passage that is formed inside the casing and gradually increases the air that is humidified from the air inlet disposed near the upper end of the water storage portion toward the upper air outlet;
A fan arranged at the top of the casing to communicate with the air outlet, and introducing and blowing out air to be humidified from the air inlet;
2. A vertical type wherein the air flowing through the air guide passage is gradually lifted up and flows around the moisture permeable membrane, and is humidified by moisture permeated through the moisture permeable membrane and blown to the outside. The humidifier described in 1.   The humidifier according to claim 2, wherein a water storage cover is provided so as to cover a water storage surface of the water storage section.   3. An opening / closing means is provided at an air introduction port for introducing humidified air into the casing, and the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing means is linked with ON / OFF of an electric motor that drives the fan. The humidifier according to 3.   The moisture permeable membrane has a tubular section set to a small cross-sectional area that introduces the humidifying water to a desired height by surface tension, or a narrow gap size that introduces the humidifying water to a desired height by surface tension. The humidifier according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a facing surface portion set as described above.

Images