JP2010164266A - Humidifier - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a humidifier capable of easily performing water supply work and efficiently distributing the air to a moisture permeable film module by an air blower. <P>SOLUTION: This humidifier 10 includes a housing 11, a water supply tank 12 disposed at a top part of the housing 11, the moisture permeable film module 13 disposed at a lower part of the water supply tank 12, and a sirocco fan 14 disposed at a lower part of the moisture permeable film module 13 which is near the moisture permeable film module 13. The moisture permeable film module 13 has a plurality of moisture permeable elements 85 arranged in parallel with each other. Further this humidifier 10 is provided with a supply pathway connecting the water supply tank 12 and a lower end part of the moisture permeable elements 85 for supplying the water from the water supply tank 12 to the moisture permeable elements 85. The water supplied to the moisture permeable elements 85 through the supply pathway is conveyed in the moisture permeable elements 85 from a lower side to an upper side by siphon effect. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a structure of a humidifier.

  Humidifiers that perform humidification using a moisture permeable membrane are conventionally known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses such a humidifier. Patent document 1 is disclosing the following structures as a floor-mounted humidifier. That is, the floor-mounted humidifier includes a housing, a humidifier body, a cartridge-type tank, and a blower fan. The housing is a floor-standing type and has a vertically long structure in which an air passage connecting a suction port provided in the lower part of the front surface and an air outlet provided in the upper part is formed inside. The humidifier body is disposed in the air passage in the lower part of the housing, and is configured in a moisture permeable membrane type in which the suction surface is close to and opposed to the suction port. The cartridge type tank is disposed above the humidifier body in the housing, and is configured to supply water to the humidifier body and to be taken out of the housing. The blower fan is disposed in an air path above the tank in the housing, and generates an air flow from the inlet to the outlet in the air path.

JP-A-9-89316

  However, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, since the blower fan (blower) and the humidifier body (moisture permeable membrane module) are arranged apart from each other in the vertical direction with the cartridge type tank (water supply tank) interposed therebetween, the humidifier There was room for improvement in terms of efficiently sending air to the body. Moreover, since the removable cartridge tank needs to be taken into consideration, there is a limit to the amount of water that can be stored in a single water supply operation.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a humidifier that can easily perform water supply work and can efficiently send air into the moisture permeable membrane module by a blower. There is to do.

Means and effects for solving the problems

  The problems to be solved by the present invention are as described above. Next, means for solving the problems and the effects thereof will be described.

  According to the viewpoint of this invention, the humidifier comprised as follows is provided. That is, the humidifier is in the vicinity of the housing, the water supply tank disposed in the upper portion of the housing, the moisture permeable membrane module disposed below the water supply tank, and the moisture permeable membrane module. A blower disposed below the moisture permeable membrane module.

  Thereby, since a water supply tank is arrange | positioned at the upper part of a housing | casing, a water supply operation | work can be performed easily. Moreover, since the air blower is arrange | positioned in the moisture-permeable membrane module vicinity, air can be efficiently sent in to a moisture-permeable membrane module, and a humidification effect can be improved.

  The humidifier is preferably configured as follows. That is, the moisture permeable membrane module has a plurality of moisture permeable elements arranged in parallel. A supply path connecting the water supply tank and the lower end portion of the moisture permeable element is formed, and water supplied to the moisture permeable element through the supply path is lowered inside the moisture permeable element by a siphon effect. It is conveyed from the side to the upper side.

  Thereby, since the water supply tank is arranged above the moisture permeable membrane module, it is possible to easily generate a siphon effect using the gravity in the water conveyed through the supply path toward the moisture permeable membrane module below. it can. Moreover, since the structure for supplying water to a moisture permeable membrane module can be comprised using a siphon effect, the structure of a humidifier can be simplified and manufacturing cost can be reduced effectively.

  In the humidifier, a water supply hose is configured such that one end of the water supply tank is connected to the water supply tank and the other end is connectable to a supply source for supplying water to the water supply tank. It is preferable to provide.

  As a result, the user can perform the water supply operation with the water supply tank fixed to the housing side while omitting the operation of attaching and detaching the water supply tank.

  In the humidifier, the blower is preferably disposed at the bottom of the casing.

  Thereby, since the air blower which is a heavy article will be arrange | positioned in the housing | casing lower part, the gravity center of a humidifier can be located below, and it can stabilize more.

  The humidifier is preferably configured as follows. That is, the humidifier is disposed below the water supply tank, and is disposed at a delivery port for sending the air humidified by the moisture permeable membrane module to the outside of the housing, and below the delivery port. An intake for taking air into the body. The delivery port is configured to send out humidified air to the outside of the housing in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which air is sucked into the intake port in a plan view.

  Thereby, since it is not necessary for the air flow path to bypass the water supply tank, the path length from the intake port to the delivery port can be formed compactly, and air can be efficiently sent to the moisture permeable membrane module. . In addition, by making the air sucking direction different from the air sending direction, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the moisture permeable membrane module can be increased in relation to the air flow path in the housing, and the space in the housing Can be used effectively.

The front sectional view showing the schematic structure of the humidifier concerning one embodiment of the present invention. The side view which showed the schematic structure of the humidifier of this embodiment. Front sectional drawing which showed a mode that the water supply operation | work of the humidifier of this embodiment was performed.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a humidifier 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of the humidifier 10. FIG. 3 is a front cross-sectional view showing how the humidifier 10 performs a water supply operation.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a humidifier 10 according to the present embodiment performs humidification using a moisture permeable membrane, and includes a casing 11, a water supply tank 12, a moisture permeable membrane module 13, a sirocco fan (blower). ) 14 as a main component. In addition, the humidifier 10 includes four caster wheels (wheels, moving means) 17 and is configured to be movable by these caster wheels 17. The configuration of each part will be described below.

  The housing 11 is for supporting various devices and components provided in the humidifier 10, and is formed in a vertically elongated rectangular parallelepiped shape. The casing 11 of the present embodiment is configured such that the front width is larger than the side width. As shown in FIG. 2, an outlet 41 for sending out humidified air is formed on the front side in the center of the casing 11 in the vertical direction. An intake port 40 for taking air into the housing 11 is formed at a lower portion of the side surface on one side (right side in the drawing) of the housing 11. The air is taken in from the intake port 40 and is humidified in the housing 11, and then sent out of the housing 11 from the delivery port 41. In addition, an unillustrated operation panel having a display unit or the like is disposed on the front surface of the housing 11, and handles 18 used when moving the humidifier 10 are disposed on both sides of the housing 11. Has been.

  In addition, an open / close cover (open / close mechanism) 30 for opening the inside of the housing 11 to perform water supply work is disposed on the upper surface of the housing 11. The opening / closing cover 30 is rotatably attached to the upper surface of the housing 11, and normally functions as a lid that covers the upper side of the housing 11.

  Next, the water supply tank 12 will be described. The water supply tank (reservoir) 12 is for supplying water to the moisture permeable membrane module 13, and is disposed in the upper part of the housing 11. The water supply tank 12 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped box shape with a part of the upper surface opened, and is configured to store an appropriate amount of water therein. And the supply pipe 80 for sending water to the moisture-permeable membrane module 13 mentioned later is connected to the bottom face of the water supply tank 12.

  A water supply hose 56 is connected to a side surface upper part of one side (right side in FIG. 1) of the water supply tank 12 of the present embodiment via a water supply pipe (water supply hose connection part) 36 that connects the inside and outside of the water supply tank 12. . A female coupling device (coupling device) 55 in which a female engagement portion (not shown) is formed is integrally connected to the upstream end portion of the water supply hose 56. Inside the female coupling device 55, there is a check valve device that allows a flow from the end of the water supply hose 56 in which the female coupling device 55 is arranged to the water supply tank 12, and prevents a flow opposite to the flow. Is arranged.

  Further, a water supply hose accommodating portion 25 for accommodating the water supply hose 56 is formed in the vicinity of the water supply tank 12. As shown in FIG. 1, the water supply hose accommodating portion 25 is disposed adjacent to the water supply tank 12. The water supply hose accommodating portion 25 is located below the opening / closing cover 30, and the water supply hose accommodating portion 25 is exposed to the outside by opening the opening / closing cover 30.

  In addition, the water supply tank 12 of the present embodiment includes a ball tap mechanism (water supply stop mechanism) 22. The ball tap mechanism 22 is disposed in the water supply tank, and is connected to the end of the water supply pipe 36 opposite to the side to which the water supply hose 56 is connected. The ball tap mechanism 22 closes the valve of the water supply pipe 36 and automatically stops water supply to the water supply tank 12 when the water level in the water supply tank 12 reaches a certain level or higher.

  Next, the moisture permeable membrane module 13 will be described. The moisture permeable membrane module 13 is for humidifying air and is supported by a bracket (not shown) below the water supply tank 12. The moisture permeable membrane module 13 of the present embodiment has a plurality of moisture permeable elements 85 arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval.

  The moisture permeable element 85 has a base material and a moisture permeable film (super water-repellent porous film) as main components. The base material is formed as a rectangular plate-like member, and is arranged in an upright posture. The moisture permeable membrane is disposed so as to cover the surfaces on both sides in the thickness direction of the substrate. Further, a feed passage for feeding water to the moisture permeable membrane is formed inside the base material. One end of the feed passage is connected to an element supply port formed at the lower end of the moisture permeable element 85.

  Next, a supply path for supplying water from the water supply tank 12 to the moisture permeable element 85 of the moisture permeable membrane module 13 will be described. The supply path has, as main components, a supply pipe 80 and an in-module passage disposed in the moisture permeable membrane module 13. The supply pipe 80 connects the lower part of the water supply tank 12 and the moisture permeable membrane module 13. The in-module passages connect the supply pipe 80 connected to the moisture permeable membrane module 13 and the element supply ports of the plurality of moisture permeable elements 85, respectively.

  Further, an electromagnetic valve 81 is disposed in the middle of the path of the supply pipe 80, and the electromagnetic valve 81 is configured to stop the supply of water from the water supply tank 12 to the moisture permeable membrane module 13. The electromagnetic valve 81 is electrically connected to a control unit (not shown), and opens and closes the supply pipe 80 based on a signal from the control unit.

  A branch portion 83 is formed in the middle of the path of the supply pipe 80 and downstream of the electromagnetic valve 81. At the branch portion 83, the drain path toward the drain cock 82 is branched from the supply path toward the moisture permeable membrane module 13. A path of the supply pipe 80 toward the moisture permeable membrane module 13 is connected to a lower portion of the moisture permeable membrane module 13 so as to bend in the horizontal direction from the branch portion 83. On the other hand, the path toward the drain cock 82 extends downward from the branch portion 83 and is connected to the drain cock 82.

  With this configuration, when water is supplied from the water supply tank 12 to the moisture permeable membrane module 13, as shown in FIG. 1, water is filled in the feed passage of the moisture permeable element 85 by the siphon effect. That is, the water supplied from the element supply port to the inside of the base material flows from the lower side to the upper side through the feed passage and is supplied to the surface of the base material. Thereafter, the water permeates the moisture permeable membrane, becomes water vapor, and mixes with the air, whereby the air in the vicinity of the moisture permeable membrane module 13 is humidified.

  Next, the sirocco fan 14 will be described. The sirocco fan 14 is for taking air into the housing 11 and sending it to the moisture permeable membrane module 13, and is disposed in the vicinity of the moisture permeable membrane module 13 and at the bottom of the housing 11. The sirocco fan 14 has a rotating body having a plurality of blade-like members, an exterior cover having a function as a cover while sending out wind generated by the rotating body in a certain direction, and a drive for rotationally driving the rotating body. Source as a main component. The sirocco fan 14 is arranged so that the axial direction of the rotating body is oriented in the horizontal direction, and the rotating body is rotated by the drive source to suck in air in the horizontal direction, and the sucked air is moved upward. It is configured to send out.

  A dustproof pre-filter 42 is attached to a portion of the intake port 40 formed in the housing 11. Further, a sterilizing enzyme filter (sterilizing enzyme high performance filter) 43 is disposed between the pre-filter 42 and the sirocco fan 14. The sterilizing enzyme filter 43 can sterilize the air taken into the housing 11.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a wind direction plate 44 is disposed above the sirocco fan 14. The air sent from the sirocco fan 14 is guided to the moisture permeable membrane module 13 by the wind direction plate 44. The air sent to the moisture permeable membrane module 13 is humidified by water vapor in the vicinity of the moisture permeable element 85 and sent out of the housing 11 from the delivery port 41. Thus, the air taken in from the intake port 40 on the side surface of the housing 11 passes through the prefilter 42, the sterilizing enzyme filter 43, and the moisture permeable membrane module 13 by the sirocco fan 14 and the wind direction plate 44. 11 is discharged out of the housing 11 from the front outlet 41.

  By the way, the humidifier 10 of this embodiment is provided with a caster wheel 17 (moving means) that enables the humidifier 10 to move, and a sirocco fan 14 is disposed at the bottom of the housing 11. As described above, since the sirocco fan 14 which is a heavy object is arranged at the bottom, the center of gravity of the humidifier 10 can be positioned on the lower side, so that the humidifier 10 can be moved stably and the like. .

  Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the water supply operation | work of the humidifier 10 of this embodiment is demonstrated. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the attachment 60 is attached to the edge part of the tap 20 of water supply via the attachment auxiliary tool 50. As shown in FIG. The attachment 60 is configured as a male coupling device and is configured to be engageable with the female coupling device 55.

  The user first opens the opening / closing cover 30, takes out the water supply hose 56, and engages the female coupling device 55 with the attachment 60. In this embodiment, since the water supply tank 12 and the water supply hose accommodating part 25 are arrange | positioned at the upper part of the housing | casing 11, the water supply hose 56 can be taken out easily. By connecting the water supply hose 56 and the attachment 60, a water supply path from the water tap 20 to the water supply tank 12 is formed, so that tap water can be supplied. Water flowing out from the water tap 20 is stored in the water supply tank 12 through the attachment auxiliary tool 50, the attachment 60, the female coupling device 55, and the water supply hose 56.

  When the user finishes the water supply operation, the user removes the female coupling device 55 from the attachment 60 and accommodates the water supply hose 56 and the female coupling device 55 in the water supply hose accommodating portion 25. In the present embodiment, since the female coupling device 55 has a check valve device, even when the female coupling device 55 is removed from the attachment 60, the water in the water supply hose 56 flows backward and leaks to the outside. There is nothing.

  As described above, the humidifier 10 of the present embodiment is configured as follows. That is, the humidifier 10 is in the vicinity of the housing 11, the water supply tank 12 disposed above the housing 11, the moisture permeable membrane module 13 disposed below the water supply tank 12, and the moisture permeable membrane module 13. And a sirocco fan 14 disposed below the moisture permeable membrane module 13.

  Thereby, since the water supply tank 12 is arranged at the upper part of the housing 11, the user can easily perform the water supply operation without bending his / her waist or bending his / her knee, which is user-friendly. A humidifier 10 is realized. Moreover, since the sirocco fan 14 is arrange | positioned in the moisture-permeable membrane module 13 vicinity, air can be efficiently sent to the moisture-permeable membrane module 13, and a humidification effect can be improved.

  Further, the humidifier 10 of the present embodiment is configured as follows. That is, the moisture permeable membrane module 13 includes a plurality of moisture permeable elements 85 arranged in parallel. The humidifier 10 is provided with a supply path that connects the water supply tank 12 and the lower end of the moisture permeable element 85. And the water supplied to the moisture permeable element 85 through this supply path is conveyed from the lower side to the upper side in the moisture permeable element 85 by the siphon effect.

  Thereby, since the water supply tank 12 is arrange | positioned above the moisture-permeable membrane module 13, the siphon effect is easily generated using gravity in the supply path toward the moisture-permeable element 85 of the moisture-permeable membrane module 13 below. Can be made. Moreover, since water is supplied to the moisture permeable membrane module 13 using a siphon effect, the drive means etc. for conveying water can be omitted. Therefore, the configuration of the humidifier 10 can be simplified, and the manufacturing cost can be effectively reduced.

  In addition, the humidifier 10 of the present embodiment is connected to a water supply tank 12 at one end and a water supply faucet 20 (supply source) for supplying water to the water supply tank 12 at the other end. ) Is provided with a water supply hose 56 that can be connected.

  Accordingly, the user can perform the water supply operation while omitting the operation of attaching and detaching the water supply tank 12 and the water supply tank 12 being fixed to the housing 11 side.

  Moreover, in the humidifier 10 of this embodiment, the sirocco fan 14 is arrange | positioned at the housing | casing 11 bottom part.

  Thereby, since the sirocco fan 14 which is a heavy article will be arrange | positioned in the housing | casing 11 lower part, the gravity center of the humidifier 10 can be stabilized more.

  Further, the humidifier 10 of the present embodiment is configured as follows. That is, the humidifier 10 is disposed below the water supply tank 12, disposed at the outlet 41 for sending the air humidified by the moisture permeable membrane module 13 to the outside of the casing 11, and below the outlet 41, And an intake 40 for taking in air inside the body 11. The delivery port 41 is configured to send out humidified air to the outside of the housing 11 in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which air is sucked into the intake port 40 in plan view.

  This eliminates the need for the air flow path to bypass the water supply tank 12, so that the path length from the intake port 40 to the delivery port 41 can be formed compactly, and air can be efficiently sent to the moisture permeable membrane module 13. Is possible. In addition, by making the air sucking direction different from the air sending direction, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the moisture permeable membrane module 13 can be increased in relation to the air flow path in the housing. The space inside can be used effectively. In this embodiment, by arranging the horizontally long moisture permeable membrane module 13 toward the front side where the width of the casing is long, the area where the moisture permeable membrane module 13 is in contact with air is increased, thereby improving the humidification effect. Is realized.

  Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above configuration can be further modified as follows.

  In addition to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, the configuration can be changed to a configuration including a driving device such as a pump as means for conveying water from the water supply tank 12 to the moisture permeable membrane module 13.

  Moreover, the structure of the moisture permeable membrane module 13 can be changed suitably. For example, the moisture permeable membrane module can be changed to a configuration including a plurality of tubes formed of moisture permeable membranes as moisture permeable elements.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although it is the structure by which the ball tap mechanism 22 is arrange | positioned in the water supply tank 12, this structure can be changed suitably. For example, the ball tap mechanism 22 can be changed from the above embodiment to a configuration in which the ball tap mechanism 22 is omitted.

  Moreover, the water supply hose 56 of the said embodiment can be changed suitably. For example, it can also be set as the structure directly connected to the faucet 20 of a water supply not via the attachment 60. FIG.

  Moreover, although the humidifier 10 of the said embodiment is provided with the caster ring | wheel 17 as a moving means, this caster ring | wheel 17 can be abbreviate | omitted and can be changed into a floor-mounted humidifier.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Humidifier 11 Case 12 Water supply tank 13 Moisture permeable membrane module 14 Sirocco fan (blower)
40 Inlet 41 Outlet 56 Water supply hose 85 Moisture permeable element

Claims (5)

A housing,
A water supply tank disposed at the top of the housing;
A moisture permeable membrane module disposed below the water supply tank;
A blower disposed near the moisture permeable membrane module and below the moisture permeable membrane module;
A humidifier comprising: The humidifier according to claim 1,
The moisture permeable membrane module has a plurality of moisture permeable elements arranged in parallel,
A supply path connecting the water supply tank and the lower end portion of the moisture permeable element is formed, and water supplied to the moisture permeable element through the supply path is lowered inside the moisture permeable element by a siphon effect. A humidifier which is conveyed from the side to the upper side. The humidifier according to claim 1 or 2,
One end of the water supply tank is connected to the water supply tank, and the other end includes a water supply hose configured to be connectable to a supply source for supplying water to the water supply tank. vessel. A humidifier according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The humidifier is characterized in that the blower is disposed at the bottom of the casing. A humidifier according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A delivery port disposed below the water supply tank and for sending out the air humidified by the moisture permeable membrane module to the outside of the housing;
An intake port disposed below the delivery port and for taking air into the housing;
The humidifier configured to send out humidified air to the outside of the casing in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which air is sucked into the intake port in a plan view.

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