JP2008272115A - Air purifier - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To sufficiently demonstrate air purifying action by molding and plants. <P>SOLUTION: In the air purifier 1, an internal ventilation path 30 inside which air can pass through is formed in the housing part 14 of a plant growing unit 7, and the plant growing unit 7 is disposed on a ventilation path between an air inlet 6 and an exhaust port 4. In the meantime, a plurality of holding cylinders 18 communicating with a water supply tank 15 are erected on the bottom part of the housing part 14, the holding cylinders 18 are made to hold blind cylindrical housing pots 20 housing ceramic balls 28 and the plant P so as to be inserted and removed in the state that the lower end of the housing pot 20 is projected into the water supply tank 15, holes 19 and 21 for communicating the inside and the outside are respectively formed on the holding cylinders 18 and the housing pots 20, and the ceramic balls 28 are filled around the holding cylinders 18 as well. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an air cleaner that sucks and purifies outside air into a body case and discharges the purified air.

  The air purifier can be used to remove pollen, house dust, etc. by exhausting the outside air sucked into the main body case by a fan through a filter made of paper or non-woven fabric, and exhausting it out of the main body case as purified air. Are known. In particular, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a filter housing region in which a filter is housed in a main body case having an air suction port for sucking outside air and an exhaust port for exhausting sucked air and having a fan, An invention of an air purifier has been disclosed in which a plant storage region in which a container in which a houseplant is planted is stored in a culture medium such as a quality ceramic ball. In addition to the action of removing harmful substances and germs in the air by the filter, this air purifier brings the harmful substances etc. into contact with the ceramic balls in the plant storage area so that the harmful substances etc. are present in the roots of the plant and its surroundings. It is intended to be degraded by the action of useful microorganisms.

JP 2001-149718 A JP 2001-149724 A

  In the above air purifier, since the containers in which plants are planted are scattered in the space in the plant storage area, the air passing through the area does not always contact the ceramic balls, and the container itself is only on the upper surface. Since this is only open, the amount of air in the region in contact with the ceramic ball is small, and the purification action by the ceramic ball cannot be said to be sufficient.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an air purifier in which air purifying action by cultivating soil and plants is sufficiently exhibited and an excellent purifying and deodorizing function can be obtained.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, an air inlet for sucking outside air and an air outlet for discharging sucked air are formed in a main body case having a fan. And an air purifier provided with a plant growing unit comprising a housing portion containing a porous ceramic ball and rooting a plant, and a water supply tank located below the housing portion, An internal air passage that allows air to pass therethrough is formed in the housing portion, and the plant growing unit is disposed on the air passage between the air inlet and the air outlet, and communicates with the water supply tank at the bottom of the housing portion. A plurality of holding cylinders are erected, and in the holding cylinder, a bottomed cylinder containing pot containing ceramic balls and plants is removably held in a state where the lower end of the containing pot projects into the water supply tank, Holding cylinder and housing The dot and hole for communicating the inside and outside respectively formed, even around the holding tube is characterized in that filled with ceramic balls.
In addition to the object of claim 1, the invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that the main body case accommodates a fan in order to more suitably obtain the action of absorbing and decomposing harmful substances by ceramic balls and useful microorganisms. The bottom case has a bottomed cylindrical lower case provided with an exhaust port, and a transparent cylindrical upper cover provided on the upper surface of the lower case and provided with an intake port on the closed upper surface. The upper edge of the housing part of the plant growing unit is locked to the upper edge of the upper cover and the lower end opening of the upper cover is attached to the upper edge of the housing part. It is characterized in that it is formed so as to come out radially from the vent hole provided in the side wall.
In addition to the object of claim 1 or 2, the invention described in claim 3 retains water in the water supply tank in the storage portion in order to promote the deodorizing effect and effectively propagate useful microorganisms. Water supply means for supplying the ceramic balls around the cylinder is provided.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in addition to a normal filter, a ceramic ball or a plant can be used to effectively absorb and decompose harmful substances in the air, and an excellent purification and deodorizing function can be obtained. . In particular, since the taken-in air is configured to surely pass through the storage unit and the storage pot in the plant growing unit, the action of absorbing and decomposing harmful substances and the like by the generated useful microorganisms is sufficiently exhibited.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, the air is uniformly passed through the entire housing portion by the internal air passage through which air is radiated radially. Absorbs and decomposes harmful substances and the like more effectively.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first or second aspect, the adoption of the water supply means promotes the deodorizing effect by supplying water to the ceramic balls filled around the holding cylinder. I can expect. Moreover, since the same growth environment as the inside of an accommodation pot is formed, a plant root becomes easy to extend outside a holding cylinder, and it leads to more effective propagation of useful microorganisms.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an air cleaner, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof, and the air cleaner 1 includes a bottomed cylindrical lower case 3 provided with an exhaust port 4 with a deodorizing filter on a side surface. A rectangular cylindrical main body case 2 having a transparent cylindrical upper cover 5 provided on the upper surface of the lower case 3 and provided with an air inlet 6 with a dustproof filter on the upper surface. A plant growing unit 7 for accommodating and growing foliage plants is housed.
The lower case 3 has casters 8, 8... On the outer bottom surface so that the main body case 2 can be moved, and a fan 9 is provided below the inside of the lower case 3. The fan 9 is a sirocco fan, and is housed in a duct 10 having a suction port 11 on the lower surface and connected to the exhaust port 4, and operating the operation switch 12 and the strength changeover switch 13 provided on the front side of the lower case 3. Thus, it is possible to select the drive and the air volume.

The plant growing unit 7 has a double structure in which the upper part is a plant housing part 14 and the lower part is a water supply tank 15, and a flat rectangular flange 16 extending around the upper edge of the housing part 14 is provided in the lower case. 3 is supported by the upper end opening of the lower case 3. The lower end opening of the upper cover 5 is attached to the upper side of the flange 16.
The accommodating portion 14 has a square bowl shape that opens upward and is slightly smaller than the lower case 3, and a ventilation plate in which a large number of ventilation holes are formed in the horizontally long rectangular openings formed on the front, rear, left and right side walls. 17, 17,... Are provided.
Further, as shown in FIG. 3, on the bottom surface of the accommodating portion 14, five holding cylinders 18 that are open at the bottom and communicate with the water supply tank 15 at the center in plan view and at four locations around the center, 18 ・ ・ is erected. Each holding cylinder 18 has a height at which the upper end protrudes slightly upward from the opening surface of the housing portion 14, and a plurality of through holes 19, 19. Here, the central holding cylinder 18 has a larger diameter than the surrounding holding cylinders 18.

A plant accommodation pot 20 is inserted into each holding cylinder 18. The storage pot 20 is a bottomed cylinder having a plurality of through holes 21, 21,... Formed on the side surface and the lower surface, and the holding cylinder 18 is engaged with the upper end of the holding cylinder 18 by locking a flange 22 formed on the upper edge. 18 is held inside 18 and protrudes downward into the water supply tank 15. On the bottom surface of the water supply tank 15, flat cross-shaped ribs 23, 23,.
Further, a pair of water supply pipes 24 and 24 are provided as water supply means at a point-symmetrical position around the central holding cylinder 18 on the bottom surface of the housing portion 14. The water supply pipe 24 is a cylindrical body that is open at the top and bottom and whose lower end is in contact with the bottom surface of the water supply tank 15. In each water supply pipe 24, strip-shaped non-woven fabrics 25 and 25 each having an upper end fixed to the bottom surface of the housing portion 14 are provided. Each is drooping. Reference numeral 26 denotes a float pipe that protrudes into the water supply tank 15 through the accommodating portion 14 in the vicinity of the central holding cylinder 18, and the water level in the water supply tank 15 can be confirmed by a float 27 provided therein. .

  The accommodating portion 14 and each accommodating pot 20 are filled with ceramic balls 28, 28. This ceramic ball 28 is a porous material obtained by kneading clay, lime, talc and the like into a spherical shape, dried and fired. Here, three types of ceramic balls 28 having different water retention rates are filled in three layers. Has been. Specifically, the lower layer has a water retention rate of 50%, the middle layer has a water retention rate of 25-30%, and the upper layer has a water retention rate of 10-15%. Filled in proportion. Further, minerals are added to the lower and middle ceramic balls 28 by immersing them in mineral water in advance. Here, the plant P in which the ceramic balls 28 are rooted with the ceramic balls 28 as soil is accommodated only in each accommodation pot 20.

On the other hand, the water supply tank 15 has a cylindrical shape that is slightly larger than the housing portion 14, and the upper ends of the water tank 15 are connected to lower surfaces of the flange 16 of the housing portion 14 by connecting portions 29, 29,. By being connected to, the outer side of the ventilation plate 17 is opened and supported below the accommodating portion 14. Therefore, an internal ventilation path 30 through which air that has entered from the upper surface opening passes radially through the ventilation holes of the front, rear, left and right ventilation plates 17 is formed in the housing portion 14.
Further, on the back side of the water supply tank 15, there is provided a cover portion 31 that closes between the connecting portions 29 and 29 and reaches the upper portion of the side surface of the water supply tank 15. An opening 32 provided on the side surface of the cover portion 31, and a cover portion A water supply path to the water supply tank 15 is formed by a notch 33 provided in the upper part of the water supply tank 15 in 31. A water supply port 34 corresponding to the opening 32 is provided on the back side of the lower case 3 on the back side of the cover portion 31 so as to be opened and closed by a lid 35.

In the air purifier 1 configured as described above, the ceramic balls 28 and the plants P are accommodated in the storage pots 20 and inserted into the holding cylinders 18, and a predetermined amount is supplied from the water supply port 34 into the water supply tank 15. Supply water. As a result, the lower portion of each storage pot 20 is immersed in the water in the water supply tank 15, and the porous ceramic balls 28 can absorb the water and supply water to the plant P. Moreover, the mineral added to the lower ceramic balls 28 prevents water from being spoiled and supplies nutrients necessary for the plant P. Therefore, the plant P is grown in each accommodation pot 20.
Furthermore, since the lower part of the water supply pipe 24 is also immersed in water, the nonwoven fabric 25 sucks up water and supplies water to the ceramic balls 28 around the holding cylinder 18.

In this state, when the operation switch 12 is operated to turn on the power to the fan 9 and drive the fan 9, outside air is taken into the upper cover 5 from the intake port 6 on the upper surface as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 2. At this time, first, dust in the air is removed by the dust filter of the intake port 6.
Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the air taken into the upper cover 5 passes through the housing portion 14 by the internal ventilation path 30 and is radially radiated from the front, rear, left and right ventilation plates 17 in the plant growing unit 7. I will escape. At this time, air passes between and inside the numerous ceramic balls 28 in the accommodating portion 14, so that harmful substances such as formaldehyde, toluene, and xylene, odor components such as acetaldehyde and ammonia, and various germs are absorbed.

Further, since the through holes 19 and 21 are formed in the holding cylinder 18 and the storage pot 20, the air also passes between the ceramic balls 28 in the storage pot 20. Since useful microorganisms such as VA mycorrhizal fungi are generated in the roots of the plant and around the roots, harmful substances are more effectively absorbed and decomposed by the useful microorganisms. In particular, this useful microorganism can flow out of the holding cylinder 18 through the through holes 19 and 21, so that it is propagated uniformly in the ceramic balls 28 in the housing portion 14. Therefore, absorption and decomposition actions of harmful substances and the like in the housing part 14 can be suitably obtained.
The air that has passed through the accommodating portion 14 thus reaches the suction port 11 through the side surface of the water supply tank 15, and is discharged from the exhaust port 4 through the duct 10 from the fan 9. Again, the air is purified and deodorized by the deodorizing filter.

  Therefore, if this air purifier 1 is installed and operated indoors, the indoor air is effectively purified and deodorized, and a comfortable indoor space can be maintained. In addition, since the water level in the water supply tank 15 can be confirmed by the float pipe 26, water may be replenished from the water supply port 34 if the water is reduced. Further, if the upper cover 5 is removed, the plant growing unit 7 is exposed and the accommodation pot 20 can be easily removed from the holding cylinder 18, so that the plant can be easily maintained and replaced.

  Thus, according to the air cleaner 1 of the said form, in the accommodating part 14 of the plant growth unit 7, the internal ventilation path 30 which can let air pass through is formed, and the plant growth unit 7 is made into the inlet port 6 with it. A plurality of holding cylinders 18 that are arranged on the air passage between the exhaust port 4 and communicated with the water supply tank 15 are erected on the bottom of the accommodating portion 14, and the ceramic balls 28 and the plants P are placed on the holding cylinder 18. The stored bottomed cylinder storage pot 20 is detachably held in a state where the lower end of the storage pot 20 protrudes into the water supply tank 15, and a through-hole 19 that allows the inside and outside to communicate with the holding cylinder 18 and the storage pot 20. , 21 are formed, and the ceramic ball 28 is filled around the holding cylinder 18, so that in addition to the normal dustproof filter and deodorizing filter, the ceramic ball 28 and the plant P are used for harmful substances in the air. Absorption etc., decomposition effectively performed, excellent purification, deodorization function can be obtained. In particular, since the taken-in air is configured to reliably pass through the storage unit 14 and the storage pot 20 in the plant growing unit 7, absorption and decomposition actions of harmful substances and the like by the generated useful microorganisms are sufficiently exhibited.

In particular, here, the main body case 2 is provided with a bottomed cylindrical lower case 3 containing a fan 9 and provided with an exhaust port 4 on the side surface, an upper port of the lower case 3, and an intake port 6 provided on the upper surface. A transparent cylindrical upper cover 5, the flange 16 of the accommodating portion 14 of the plant growing unit 7 is locked to the upper end opening of the lower case 3, and the lower end opening of the upper cover 5 is attached to the flange 16. The internal air passage 30 is formed so that air that has entered from the upper opening of the housing portion 14 is radially discharged from the air holes provided in the side wall of the housing portion 14 to the outside of the housing portion 14. The air taken in 2 will pass through the entire storage part 14 evenly, so that the action of absorbing and decomposing harmful substances and the like by the ceramic balls 28 and useful microorganisms is more suitably exhibited. .
Then, by providing the water supply pipe 24 for supplying the water in the water supply tank 15 to the ceramic balls 28 around the holding cylinder 18 in the housing portion 14, moisture is also supplied to the ceramic balls 28 filled around the holding cylinder 18. Therefore, the promotion of the deodorizing effect can be expected. Moreover, since the same growth environment as the inside of the accommodation pot 20 is formed, the root of a plant becomes easy to extend outside the holding cylinder 18, and it leads to more effective propagation of useful microorganisms.

[Purification and deodorization performance test]
Using an iron plate with a thickness of 0.6 mm, a cube having a height of 1240 mm, a width of 900 mm, and a depth of 900 mm is formed. An axial fan is installed, VOC (volatile organic compound) gas and odor gas are injected through a hole of φ35 mm formed on the side of the cube, and the sirocco fan is operated at a high level (air flow 1.17 m ³ / min). The removal state of harmful substances over time was measured. The measurement results are shown in Table 1 (each value is calculated based on JEM1467 of the Japan Electrical Manufacturers' Association).

From the above results, harmful substances such as formaldehyde, toluene, and xylene are removed in 10 to 15 minutes, and odorous components such as acetaldehyde, ammonia, acetic acid, and methyl mercaptan are removed in 5 to 45 minutes. It was confirmed that
In addition, according to the size of the room, it was confirmed that harmful substances were removed in 6 to 8 tatami mats in 3 hours, 10 tatami mats in 4 hours, 15 tatami mats in 5 hours, and 20 tatami mats in 6 hours.

In addition, the number of holding cylinders and storage pots is not limited to the above-described form, and can be increased or decreased as appropriate. The shape of the holding cylinders and storage pots may be a square cylinder other than the cylinder. Of course, the number and shape of the through holes provided in the holding cylinder and the storage pot can be changed as appropriate, and catechin and saponin may be attached to the ceramic balls to enhance the sterilizing and deodorizing effects.
Also, the water supply means can be changed such as increasing the number of water supply pipes or increasing the number of non-woven fabrics depending on one water supply pipe.
Furthermore, the overall shape of the main body case may be a cylindrical shape instead of a rectangular tube shape, and dimensions such as height, width, depth, etc. are not limited to the above-described form.

And in the said form, although the inlet port is provided in the upper side of the plant growth unit, and the exhaust port is provided in the lower side, respectively, it is made to ventilate up and down, but an inlet port and an exhaust port are provided in the right and left of a plant growth unit. Arrangement is also possible. In this case, the internal air passage is formed so that air enters the housing portion from the side and exits as it is. That is, the internal ventilation path may be appropriately changed according to the arrangement form of the plant growing unit.
In addition, the filter provided at the intake port and the exhaust port is not limited to the cloth filter, and other structures such as a paper filter and a ceramic filter can be used.

It is a perspective view of an air cleaner. It is a center longitudinal cross-sectional view of an air cleaner. It is explanatory drawing which looked at the accommodating part from the upper part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the ventilation state in a accommodating part.

Explanation of symbols

  1 .... Air purifier, 2 .... Main body case, 3 .... Lower case, 4 .... Exhaust port, 5 .... Upper cover, 6 .... Intake port, 7 .... Plant growing unit, 9 .... Fan, 14 ..Accommodating section, 15 ..Water supply tank, 16 ..Flange, 17 ..Ventilation plate, 18 ..Holding cylinder, 19, 21 ..Through hole, 20 ..Container pot, 28.・ Internal ventilation path, 34 ・ ・ Water supply port.

Claims (3)

A main body case with a fan is formed with an intake port for sucking in outside air and an exhaust port for discharging the sucked air, and a porous ceramic ball is accommodated in the main body case to root the plant. An air purifier provided with a plant growing unit comprising a housing part and a water supply tank located below the housing part,
In the housing part of the plant growing unit, an internal ventilation path through which air can pass is formed, and the plant growing unit is disposed on the ventilation path between the intake port and the exhaust port,
A plurality of holding cylinders communicating with the water supply tank are erected at the bottom of the accommodating section, and a bottomed cylinder accommodating pot accommodating the ceramic balls and plants is disposed on the retaining cylinder, and a lower end of the accommodating pot is The holding cylinder and the holding pot are each formed with a through-hole communicating with the inside and the outside, and filled with the ceramic balls around the holding cylinder. An air purifier characterized by.   The main body case has a bottomed cylindrical lower case that houses a fan and has an exhaust port on the side surface, and a transparent cylindrical upper cover that is provided at the top of the lower case and has an intake port on the upper surface. Then, the upper end periphery of the housing part of the plant growing unit is locked to the upper end opening of the lower case, and the lower end opening of the upper cover is attached to the upper end periphery of the housing part. The air cleaner according to claim 1, wherein air entering from an upper opening of the housing is formed so as to escape radially from a vent hole provided in a side wall of the housing portion to the outside of the housing portion.   The air cleaner according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a water supply means for supplying water in the water supply tank to the ceramic balls around the holding cylinder in the housing portion.

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