JP2011052876A - Humidification device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a humidification device capable of suppressing scattering of water drops to the external of a water storage tank. <P>SOLUTION: When air permeability of a filter 2 is degraded because the water stored in a water tank body 5 is absorbed by the filter 2, and scale precipitating from the absorbed water, attaches to the filter 2, the wind which should pass through the filter 2, bypasses a water tank body 5 side without passing through the filter 2 as shown by an arrow A2. But as a water surface is covered by a covering member 6 inside of the water tank body 5 as shown in Fig.2(a), the water surface does not wave, and water drops are not raised from the water surface even when wind is blown to the water tank body 5. Accordingly, the scattering of the water drops from the water surface and the movement of the scattering water drops to the external of the water storage tank 41 cannot be found. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vaporizing humidifier equipped with a disk-shaped filter.

The vaporizing humidifier includes a disk-shaped filter (see Patent Document 1). This filter uses a filter main body having water absorption and air permeability and a frame body that holds the filter main body, and absorbs water when a part of the filter is submerged in a water storage tank.
The humidifier sucks air outside the device (for example, the room where the humidifier is installed) and blows the sucked air toward the absorbed filter. At this time, water absorbed in the filter is evaporated. Then, the humidifier discharges the wind containing the evaporated water (that is, the humidified wind) to the outside of the apparatus.

JP 2009-47402 A

  A scale may adhere to the filter. The scale is a deposit of water-soluble impurities (such as calcium or magnesium) contained in the water absorbed by the filter. In particular, when the filter is used for a long time, the water absorbability and air permeability of the filter tend to be lowered due to the attached scale. If the pressure loss of the wind passing through the filter becomes large due to a decrease in water absorption and air permeability, the wind that should pass through the filter bypasses the filter (ie, passes through a place not assumed when the humidifier is designed) To come.

By the way, since the filter is partially submerged, the wind that bypasses the filter tends to touch the water in the water storage tank.
As a result, the water surface is greatly swollen, so that the water droplets detached from the water surface are likely to be scattered outside the water storage tank. In addition, when the wind speed is high, water droplets wound up from the water surface may be scattered outside the water storage tank.

Water droplets scattered outside the water storage tank adhere to objects outside the water storage tank.
When the attached water droplets are dried, the scale deposited from the water droplets adheres to the object outside the water storage tank. As a result, the inside of the humidifier becomes dirty and the aesthetic appearance is impaired.
Further, when the amount of water droplets scattered is large, there is a possibility that water droplets gather and flow out of the humidifier.
From the above, the user must wipe off the water droplets attached to the object outside the water storage tank or clean the attached scale. That is, the conventional humidifier has a problem that user convenience is poor.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a situation, The main objective is to suppress scattering of the water droplet to the exterior of a water storage tank by setting it as the structure which coat | covers water surfaces other than the part which can be immersed in a filter. It is to provide a humidifying device capable of performing the above.

  A humidifier according to the present invention includes a disk-shaped filter having water absorption and air permeability, a rotation drive mechanism for rotating the filter in the circumferential direction, a water storage tank, and a blower that blows air in a direction crossing the filter. The humidifying apparatus in which the filter is arranged in a vertical posture, and a part of the outer peripheral side of the filter can be submerged in the water storage tank, the water storage tank is a water tank main body for storing water, The filter of the water stored in the water tank main body has a covering portion that covers a water surface other than a portion that can be submerged.

  The humidifying device according to the present invention is characterized in that the covering portion is detachably attached to the water tank body.

  The humidifying device according to the present invention is such that the covering portion is detachably attached to a covering plate portion disposed at a position lower than an upper end portion of the peripheral wall of the aquarium body, and a lower surface of the covering portion facing the water surface. It has the latching | locking part which positions and fixes the said coating | coated board part by latching, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

In the present invention, the humidifier includes a filter, a rotation drive mechanism, a water tank, and a blower.
The water storage tank has a water tank main body for storing water and a covering portion.
The filter has a disk shape and has water absorption and air permeability. Further, a part of the outer peripheral side of the filter can be immersed in the water tank body.
The rotation drive mechanism rotates the filter arranged in the vertical posture in the circumferential direction.
By rotating in the circumferential direction, the filter continuously immerses its outer peripheral side in the circumferential direction, and sucks up water from the outer peripheral side to the central side. For this reason, water spreads throughout the filter. That is, the filter absorbs water efficiently throughout the filter.

The blower blows air in a direction crossing the filter toward the absorbed filter. The air blown toward the filter is obtained by, for example, sucking dry air in a room where a humidifier is installed into the apparatus. The wind that has passed through the filter absorbs moisture, and the absorbed moisture is discharged outside the apparatus.
When scales deposited from the absorbed water adhere to the filter and the water absorption and air permeability of the filter are reduced, the air blown toward the filter bypasses the filter without passing through.

The covering portion of the water storage tank covers the water surface stored in the water tank main body. For this reason, it is suppressed that the wind which bypassed the filter touches the water surface. As a result, the generation of waves on the water surface and the rolling up of water droplets are suppressed, and consequently the scattering of water droplets from the water surface is suppressed.
Even if water droplets scatter from the water surface, the splattered water droplets, for example, hit the water-repellent coating part and fall into the water tank body or be absorbed by the water-absorbing coating part, etc. Scattering to the outside is suppressed.

  By the way, the covering portion does not cover a portion where the filter can be submerged. For this reason, the flooding and rotation of the filter are not hindered by the covering portion. That is, uneven water absorption of the filter is not hindered.

In this invention, the coating | coated part is attached with respect to the water tank main body so that attachment or detachment is possible.
Since water droplets are likely to adhere to the covering portion, scales are also likely to adhere. Further, for example, when the amount of water stored in the water tank main body is reduced, there is a possibility that the scale adheres to the inner peripheral surface of the water tank main body.
When it is desired to clean the water storage tank to which the scale is attached, the user cleans the covering portion and the water tank body with the covering portion removed from the water tank body. This is because it is difficult to clean the water storage tank with the covering part mounted on the water tank body, but it is easy to clean the covering part and the water tank body individually. Therefore, the convenience of the user who cleans the water tank can be improved.

On the other hand, when using a water tank, the user should just attach a coating | coated part to a water tank main body.
As a result of the above, it is possible to prevent the water storage tank from becoming dirty due to the adhesion of the scale and the appearance from being damaged. And since a water tank can be reused easily, the running cost of a humidification apparatus can be held down rather than the case where a water tank is made disposable, and an environmental load can be reduced.

In this invention, a coating | coated part has a coating | coated board part and a latching | locking part.
A coating | coated board part is distribute | arranged to the position lower than the upper end part of the surrounding wall of a water tank main body. At this time, the lower surface of the covering plate portion faces the water surface.
If the covering plate portion is disposed at a position equal to or higher than the upper end portion of the peripheral wall of the water tank body, water droplets scattered from the water surface are likely to exceed the upper end portion of the peripheral wall.
That is, by disposing the covering plate portion at a position lower than the upper end portion of the peripheral wall of the water tank main body, it is possible to further suppress the scattering of water droplets outside the water storage tank.

Such a covering plate portion is positioned and fixed by the locking portion.
If there is no locking portion, the covering plate portion may float or sink in water depending on the material. When the covering plate part is submerged in water, the covering part cannot exhibit the effect of suppressing the scattering of water droplets. When the covering plate portion is floating in water, the arrangement position of the covering plate portion may be unnecessarily changed due to the inclination of the humidifying device or the impact applied to the humidifying device. As a result, there is a possibility that inconveniences such as detachment of the covering portion from the water tank main body or contact of the covering portion with the rotating filter may occur.

On the other hand, when positioned and fixed by the locking portion, the covering portion has an effect of suppressing scattering of water droplets. In addition, there is no inconvenience such as detachment of the covering portion from the water tank body or inhibition of water absorption of the filter.
Moreover, when the water surface is located above the covering plate part due to some trouble, the user can easily recognize that the amount of water stored in the water storage tank is excessive.
By the way, a latching | locking part latches to the surrounding wall of a water tank main body so that attachment or detachment is possible. For this reason, a latching | locking part does not inhibit the attachment or detachment of the coating | coated part with respect to a water tank main body.

In the case of the humidifier of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of inconvenience associated with the deterioration of the filter over time. Specifically, since the wind is suppressed from touching the water surface, it is possible to suppress the generation of waves on the water surface and the water droplets being rolled up from the water surface.
Therefore, scattering of water droplets from the water storage tank to the outside of the water storage tank can be suppressed. Moreover, it can suppress that the scattered water droplet adheres to the object (for example, air blower) outside a water tank, and the scale deposited from the adhering water droplet adheres to the object outside a water tank. Furthermore, it is possible to suppress the inside of the humidifying device from becoming dirty due to the attached scale and the appearance from being lost, and the scattered water droplets from collecting and flowing out of the humidifying device.

  As a result, the user does not need to wipe off water droplets adhering to an object outside the water tank or clean the adhering scale. That is, the humidifier of the present invention can improve the convenience for the user.

It is a side view which shows typically the internal structure of the humidification apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the case where a wind bypasses the filter with which each of the humidification apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and the conventional humidification apparatus is provided. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the filter and water storage tank with which the humidification apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is provided. It is a rear view which shows the structure of the filter and water storage tank with which the humidification apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is provided. It is sectional drawing of the VV line in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the water storage tank with which the humidification apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is provided. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the water tank main body of the water storage tank with which the humidification apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is provided. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the coating | coated part of the water tank with which the humidification apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is provided.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings illustrating embodiments thereof.
FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing an internal configuration of a humidifier 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2A is an explanatory diagram showing a case where the wind bypasses the filter 2 provided in the humidifying device 1, and the filter 2 and the water storage tank 41 provided in the humidifying device 1 are viewed from the back side of the humidifying device 1. It is also a schematic rear view.
FIG.2 (b) is explanatory drawing which shows the case where a wind detours the filter 2 with which the conventional humidifier is equipped, and when the filter 2 with which the conventional humidifier is equipped and the water storage tank 40 are seen from the back side of the humidifier It is also a schematic rear view.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A, the humidifier 1 includes a housing 10, a purification filter 11, a louver 12, a filter 2, a rotation drive mechanism 3, a water storage tank 41, and a blower 7.
The casing 10 has a vertical rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is erected on the floor surface of the room. An intake port 101 is formed at the rear of the housing 10, and an exhaust port 102 is formed at the top of the housing 10. The intake port 101 is closed by a dust collection filter (not shown). A movable or fixed louver 12 is disposed at the exhaust port 102.
Inside the housing 10, an air passage 103 connecting the intake port 101 and the exhaust port 102 is formed.

In the middle of the ventilation path 103, the purification filter 11, the filter 2, the rotation drive mechanism 3, the water storage tank 41, and the blower 7 are arranged in this order from the intake port 101 side to the exhaust port 102 side. However, the second tray 52 described later of the water storage tank 41 is disposed outside the ventilation path 103 (more specifically, outside the housing 10).
The ventilation path 103 is formed in the front-rear direction of the humidifier 1 along the bottom of the casing 10 from the inlet 101 to the blower 7, and the front of the casing 10 from the blower 7 to the exhaust outlet 102. Are formed in the vertical direction of the humidifier 1.
Hereinafter, the front-rear direction (or vertical direction) of the humidifier 1 is simply referred to as the front-rear direction (or vertical direction).

  The purification filter 11 has a rectangular shape covering the entire intake port 101, and uses a filter main body for dust collection and deodorization having air permeability, and a synthetic resin frame body for holding the filter main body. Become. The purification filter 11 is configured such that a user of the humidifying device 1 can easily attach and remove the filter body manually from the frame body. The purification filter 11 filters air passing through itself, filters out fine floating dust and sand dust in the air, and deodorizes the air.

The water storage tank 41 includes a water tank main body 5 formed in a tray shape with an open top, and a covering member 6 that is detachably attached to the water tank main body 5 (see FIGS. 3 to 8 described later). . The covering member 6 functions as a covering portion in the embodiment of the present invention.
The water tank body 5 and the covering member 6 are each made of synthetic resin. That is, the covering member 6 has water repellency. The covering member 6 is not limited to a member having water repellency, and may be a member having water absorption, for example.

The aquarium body 5 has a shape that is long in the lateral direction, and is detachably attached to the bottom of the housing 10 such that its longitudinal direction is along the left-right direction.
In addition, the water tank body 5 stores water supplied from a water supply tank T (see FIG. 4 described later) disposed outside the ventilation path 103 (more specifically, the left outer surface of the housing 10). The water tank T is configured to automatically supply water to the water tank body 5 in order to maintain a predetermined water level in the water tank body 5.
The water level maintained by the water supply tank T is sufficiently flooded by the filter 2 and the peripheral wall of the water tank body 5 (specifically, each side wall including a front side wall 511, a rear side wall 512, and a right side wall 514, which will be described later). It is a position suitably lower than the upper end part.

The filter 2 is formed in a disk shape having an appropriate thickness, and uses a filter body having a honeycomb structure having water absorption and air permeability and a synthetic resin frame body that holds the filter body. The filter 2 is configured such that a user can easily attach and remove the filter main body to the frame body manually.
The filter 2 is detachably attached to the rotation drive mechanism 3. The filter 2 mounted on the rotation drive mechanism 3 is supported at three points by a later-described drive roller 32 and driven rollers 34 and 34 of the rotation drive mechanism 3. At this time, the filter 2 is arranged in the left-right direction and in a vertical posture, and the lower portion of the outer periphery of the filter 2 can be submerged in the water storage tank 41 (see FIGS. 3 to 5 described later).

The filter 2 attached to the rotation drive mechanism 3 rotates in the circumferential direction as the rotation drive mechanism 3 operates. The rotating shaft of the filter 2 is arranged in the front-rear direction.
The filter 2 rotating in the circumferential direction is continuously submerged in the circumferential direction at the outer peripheral portion. At this time, the outer peripheral portion of the filter 2 that is immersed absorbs water. The water absorbed by the outer peripheral portion is sucked up by the central portion of the filter 2. As a result, the filter 2 absorbs water evenly. Therefore, the water absorption amount of the filter 2 is large.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 1, the covering member 6 of the water storage tank 41 covers the water surface of the water stored in the water tank body 5 (more specifically, a first tray 51 described later). At this time, as shown in FIG. 2A, the covering member 6 covers the water surface other than the portion where the filter 2 can be submerged. For this reason, the covering member 6 does not impede the water immersion and rotation of the filter 2 and the water absorption of the filter 2.

The rotational drive mechanism 3 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A includes a filter motor 31, a drive roller 32, a connecting shaft portion 33, and two driven rollers 34, 34.
The filter motor 31 uses a DC motor or an AC motor, and is fixed at a predetermined position inside the housing 10.
The rotation shaft of the drive roller 32 is arranged in the front-rear direction.
The connecting shaft portion 33 connects the output shaft of the filter motor 31 and the rotating shaft of the drive roller 32.

The rotation shaft of each driven roller 34 is arranged in the front-rear direction. Each driven roller 34 is rotatably supported inside the side wall of the water tank body 5 (more specifically, the first tray 51; see FIGS. 5 to 7 described later).
The driving roller 32 and the driven rollers 34 are arranged at the vertices of a virtual isosceles triangle. The peripheral surface of the drive roller 32 is in contact with the top of the outer peripheral surface of the filter 2, and the peripheral surfaces of the driven rollers 34 and 34 are in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the filter 2.

When the filter motor 31 operates, the drive roller 32 rotates in one direction. Then, the rotation of the driving roller 32 is transmitted to the filter 2 and further transmitted to the driven rollers 34 and 34 via the filter 2. As a result, the filter 2 rotates in the circumferential direction.
The blower 7 uses a sirocco fan and blows air in a direction orthogonal to the purification filter 11 and the filter 2 toward the purification filter 11 and the filter 2, respectively. For this purpose, the blower 7 includes a fan motor 71 and blades 72.

  The fan motor 71 uses a DC motor or an AC motor, and the blades 72 rotate when the fan motor 71 operates. When the blades 72 rotate, as indicated by a solid arrow A1 in FIG. 1, the air passes through the intake port 101 from the outside of the humidifier 1 and is sucked into the ventilation path 103, and further passes through the ventilation path 103. In addition, an air flow (that is, wind) is generated from the ventilation path 103 through the exhaust port 102 and discharged to the outside of the humidifier 1. In FIG. 2, the front side toward the drawing is the upstream side of the wind, and the back side is the downstream side.

The indoor air in which the humidifier 1 is installed is contaminated and has a low humidity.
Therefore, the wind sucked into the ventilation path 103 is first purified by passing through the purification filter 11.
Next, the purified air is humidified by passing through the filter 2. This is because the wind passing through the filter 2 promotes the transpiration of water absorbed by the filter 2, and the evaporated water (that is, water vapor) is mixed into the wind passing through the filter 2.

After the purified and humidified air passes through the ventilation path 103, the direction of the air is regulated by the louver 12 and then discharged into the room where the humidifier 1 is installed.
As a result, the air in the room where the humidifier 1 is installed is purified and humidified as a whole.
Here, the filter 2, the rotation drive mechanism 3, and the water storage tank 40 shown in FIG. 2B correspond to the water tank body 5 of the filter 2, the rotation drive mechanism 3, and the water storage tank 41 shown in FIG. .

A large amount of scale adheres to the filter 2 used continuously for a long time. The scale attached to the filter 2 reduces the air permeability of the filter 2. For this reason, the pressure loss of the wind which passes the filter 2 becomes large.
At this time, the wind that should pass through the filter 2 bypasses the filter 2 as indicated by a dashed arrow A2 in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the conventional water tank 40 is not provided with the covering member 6, and the water surface is exposed. For this reason, the wind that bypasses the filter 2 directly touches the water stored in the water storage tank 40 and generates a large wave on the water surface. As a result, the water droplets detached from the water surface are scattered outside the water storage tank 40. In particular, when the wind speed is high, water droplets are wound up from the water surface, so that the amount of water droplets scattered outside the water storage tank 40 increases.

On the other hand, as shown to Fig.2 (a), the water storage tank 41 is provided with the coating | coated member 6, and the water surface is not exposed. For this reason, it is suppressed that the wind which bypassed the filter touches the water currently stored by the water tank main body 5 directly. As a result, the generation of waves on the water surface and the rolling up of water droplets from the water surface are suppressed. Even if water droplets are scattered from the water surface, the scattered water droplets hit the covering member 6 and fall to the water tank body 5.
As a result, the inconvenience that water droplets scatter from the water surface to the outside of the water storage tank 41 is suppressed.

Next, a detailed configuration of the water storage tank 41 will be described.
3 and 4 are a perspective view and a rear view showing the configuration of the filter 2 and the water storage tank 41, respectively.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV in FIG. 4 and is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a configuration in the vicinity of locking portions 65 and 66 described later.
6, 7, and 8 are perspective views showing configurations of the water storage tank 41, the water tank main body 5, and the covering member 6.

The water tank main body 5 integrally includes a first tray 51 in which the filter 2 is disposed, and a second tray 52 in which the water supply tank T is detachably mounted.
The first tray 51 has a rectangular shape in plan view, and the length in the left-right direction (or front-rear direction) is longer than the diameter (or thickness) of the filter 2 by an appropriate length. The front side wall 511, the rear side wall 512, and the right side wall 514 of the first tray 51 correspond to the peripheral wall of the water tank body 5. The front side wall 511 and the rear side wall 512 of the first tray 51 have appropriate heights that do not hinder the wind passing through the filter 2.

The first tray 51 and the second tray 52 are partitioned by a plate-like partition portion 501 (see FIG. 7) integrally provided on the inner surface of each of the bottom wall, the front side wall 511, and the rear side wall 512 of the water tank body 5. It has been. However, a water passage hole (not shown) is formed at the bottom of the partition portion 501. For this reason, the water supplied from the water supply tank T passes from the second tray 52 through the water passage hole of the partition portion 501 and flows into the first tray 51 to be stored.
The opening upper end position of the water passage hole is sufficiently lower than the water level maintained by the water supply tank T. That is, normally, when the humidifying device 1 is used, the water passage hole of the partition portion 501 is submerged, so that air passes between the first tray 51 side and the second tray 52 side by passing through the water passage hole. Will not flow in and out.

A plate-like partition portion 502 made of synthetic resin is continuously disposed on the upper portion of the partition portion 501.
The first tray 51 of the aquarium body 5 is inserted from an opening formed on the left side of the housing 10 and is detachably attached to the bottom of the housing 10. This opening is closed by the first tray 51 and the partition portions 501 and 502. As a result, the humidifier 1 is divided into the ventilation path 103 side where the first tray 51 and the filter 2 are arranged, and the side where the second tray 52 and the water supply tank T are arranged (that is, the outside of the ventilation path 103). It is done. Hereinafter, the side on which the second tray 52 and the water supply tank T are arranged is referred to as a tank arrangement side.

In FIG. 4, the right side of the partition portion 502 is the ventilation path 103 side and the left side of the partition portion 502 is the tank arrangement side in the drawing. Almost no air inflow or outflow occurs between the ventilation path 103 side and the tank arrangement side by bypassing the partitions 501 and 502.
For this reason, even if it is a case where the air blower 7 is act | operating, a wind does not generate | occur | produce on the tank arrangement | positioning side. That is, no water droplets are scattered from the water surface of the second tray 52. Even if the water droplets are scattered, since the water supply tank T is mounted on the second tray 52, the scattered water droplets contact the water supply tank T and fall into the second tray 52. Therefore, it is not necessary for the water storage tank 41 to include a covering portion that covers the water surface of the second tray 52.

The covering member 6 includes a frame body 60, covering plate portions 61, 63, 64, and four locking portions 65, 65, 66, 66 that are integrally formed. The tray 51 is detachably mounted.
The frame 60 supports the covering plate portions 61, 63, 64. Specifically, the frame body 60 is formed in a rectangular tube shape that is fitted in the first tray 51, and the front surface portion 601, the rear surface portion 602, the left surface portion 603, and the right surface portion 604 are formed on the first tray 51. The front side wall 511, the rear side wall 512, the partition part 501, and the right side wall 514 are contacted.

The covering plate portion 61 has a rectangular shape that is long in the left-right direction in plan view, and covers the water surface between the front side wall 511 of the first tray 51 and the filter 2. Such a covering plate part 61 is integrally projected on the front surface part 601 of the frame body 60.
The covering plate portion 63 has a rectangular shape in plan view, and covers the water surface between the partition portion 501 and the filter 2. Such a covering plate part 63 is integrally projected on a part of each of the front surface part 601 and the rear surface part 602 of the frame body 60 and the left surface part 603.
The covering plate portion 64 has a rectangular shape in plan view, and covers the water surface between the right side wall 514 of the first tray 51 and the filter 2. Such a covering plate portion 64 is integrally projected on the right surface portion 604 of the frame body 60.

However, the covering member 6 does not include a covering plate portion that covers the water surface between the rear side wall 512 of the first tray 51 and the filter 2. This is because, as shown in FIG. 5, the water surface between the rear side wall 512 and the filter 2 is narrow in the front-rear direction, so that a large wave is hardly generated. Moreover, even if a water droplet is wound up from this water surface, the wound water droplet contacts the filter 2 existing on the leeward side. Furthermore, even if a water droplet bypasses the filter 2, it falls into the water storage tank 41 before reaching the outside of the water storage tank 41.
That is, even if there is no cover plate portion between the rear side wall 512 and the filter 2, it is possible to prevent water droplets from being scattered outside the water storage tank 41.

  The lower surfaces of the covering plate portions 61, 63, and 64 as described above face the water surface of the water stored in the first tray 51, and the front side wall 511, the rear side wall 512, and the right side of the first tray 51. It is arranged at a position lower than the upper end of each of the walls 514. In addition, the frame body 60 is disposed inside the first tray 51.

  Accordingly, even if water droplets scatter around the frame body 60 and the covering plate portions 61, 63, 64 by any chance, the scattered water droplets are the upper ends of the front side wall 511, the rear side wall 512, or the right side wall 514. Crossing the part is suppressed. That is, the frame body 60 is externally fitted to the first tray 51, and the lower surfaces of the covering plate portions 61, 63, 64 are the upper end portions of the front side wall 511, the rear side wall 512, and the right side wall 514 of the first tray 51, respectively. Compared with the case where it arrange | positions at the above height, the scattering of the water droplet to the exterior of the water storage tank 41 can be suppressed.

The locking portions 65, 65, 66, 66 are for positioning the frame body 60, and thus the covering plate portions 61, 63, 64, and fixing them to the first tray 51.
Each of the locking portions 65 and 65 (or the locking portions 66 and 66) is L-shaped and is spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction, and is the upper end portion of the front surface portion 601 (or the rear surface portion 602) of the frame body 60. Projected integrally on the outer surface. Each locking part 65 (or each locking part 66) is detachably locked to the upper end of the front side wall 511 (or the rear side wall 512) of the first tray 51 from above.
In order to lock the locking portions 65 and 65 (or the locking portions 66 and 66), locking protrusions 515 and 515 (or locking protrusions 516) are formed on the outer surface of the upper end portion of the front side wall 511 (or the rear side wall 512). , 516) is projected.

Since the locking part 65 and the locking part 66 are symmetrical in the longitudinal direction, the locking part 66 will be described in detail below, and detailed description of the locking part 65 will be omitted.
The locking portion 66 integrally includes a plate-like horizontal portion 661 that protrudes backward from the upper end portion of the rear surface portion 602 and a plate-like vertical portion 662 that protrudes downward from the tip portion of the horizontal portion 661.
The horizontal portion 661 has flexibility. The through hole 663 formed in the horizontal portion 661 is for giving the horizontal portion 661 flexibility. If the through hole 663 is not formed, it is necessary to reduce the thickness of the horizontal portion 661 in order to give flexibility to the horizontal portion 661, and the horizontal portion 661 is easily damaged.
A locking claw 664 projects from the inner surface of the tip of the vertical portion 662.

  When the user inserts the frame body 60 into the first tray 51 and applies an external force to the covering member 6 from the upper side to the lower side, the locking claw 664 of the locking portion 66 locks the rear side wall 512. Abuts against the protrusion 516. At this time, when the user further applies an external force, the horizontal portion 661 is bent upward, and the locking claw 664 gets over the locking projection 516 from the upper side to the lower side. After the locking claw 664 finishes over the locking projection 516, the horizontal portion 661 returns to its original shape due to elasticity, so that the locking claw 664 and the locking projection 516 are engaged. Accordingly, the locking portion 66 is locked to the rear side wall 512. Similarly, the locking portion 65 is locked to the front side wall 511.

  As a result, the covering member 6 is attached to the first tray 51, and the covering plate portions 61, 63, 64 are positioned and fixed. For example, when the humidifying device 1 is tilted or when an impact is applied to the humidifying device 1, the covering plate portions 61, 63, and 64 that are positioned and fixed contact the filter 2 or the first tray. There is no risk of detachment from 51.

Further, when the user hooks a finger on the covering plate portions 61 and 64 and applies an external force to the covering member 6 from the lower side to the upper side, the horizontal portion 661 bends upward, and the locking claw 664 has the rear side wall 512. The locking protrusion 516 is climbed from the lower side to the upper side. As a result, since the engagement between the locking claw 664 and the locking projection 516 is released, the locking between the locking portion 66 and the rear side wall 512 is released. Similarly, the locking between the locking portion 65 and the front side wall 511 is released.
As a result, the covering member 6 is removed from the first tray 51.
Thus, the user easily attaches / detaches the covering member 6 to / from the first tray 51.

Since water droplets are likely to adhere to the covering member 6 (particularly, the lower surfaces of the covering plate portions 61, 63, 64), scales are also likely to adhere. Further, the scale may adhere to the inner surface of the water tank body 5.
When it is desired to clean the water storage tank 41 to which the scale is attached, the user removes the water storage tank 41 from the housing 10 and further removes the covering member 6 from the first tray 51. For this reason, the user can clean each of the water tank main body 5 and the covering member 6 easily.
Then, the user attaches the covering member 6 to the first tray 51 before attaching the water storage tank 41 to the housing 10.

By the way, when the blower 7 operates, the wind continues to pass through the ventilation path 103. At this time, the pressure on the ventilation path 103 side inside the housing 10 is lower than the pressure on the tank arrangement side.
If the partition portions 501 and 502 are not provided, the air that has not passed through the purification filter 11 easily flows from the tank arrangement side to the ventilation path 103 side, so that the purification efficiency of air deteriorates. That is, the partition parts 501 and 502 improve the air purification efficiency.

  Here, a case is considered in which the water level of the water storage tank 41 reaches the opening upper end position of the water passage hole of the partition portion 501 due to some circumstances (for example, insufficient water supply amount from the water supply tank T) during the operation of the blower 7. . At this time, due to the pressure difference between the tank arrangement side and the ventilation path 103 side, a wind is generated that passes through the water passage hole of the partition portion 501 and blows from the tank arrangement side to the ventilation path 103 side.

  Such wind (hereinafter referred to as irregular wind) easily winds up water droplets from the water surface. However, the rolled water droplet does not scatter outside the water storage tank 41. This is because the splashed water drops fall on the first tray 51 in contact with the covering plate portion 63. Even if the water droplets rolled up from the water surface are scattered to a position where the covering member 6 is not disposed, the filter 2 is disposed in a portion not covered by the covering member 6. For this reason, the splashed water droplet contacts the filter 2.

By the way, Patent Document 1 discloses a scattering prevention unit that prevents water droplets wound up by an irregular wind from scattering outside the water storage tank 41. However, the scattering prevention portion described in Patent Document 1 covers the water surface between the partition portion 501 and the filter 2. For example, the space between the front side wall 511 of the first tray 51 and the filter 2 is covered. Not. For this reason, the scattering prevention part of patent document 1 cannot fully suppress scattering of the water droplet by the wind which detoured the filter 2. FIG.
That is, the covering member 6 can simultaneously exhibit the same effect as the scattering prevention unit described in Patent Document 1 and the effect of suppressing the scattering of water droplets by the wind that bypasses the filter 2.

The humidifying device 1 as described above can suppress water splashes from the water storage tank 41 to the outside of the water storage tank 41 that occur with the aging of the filter 2.
Accordingly, it is possible to prevent water droplets from adhering to an object (for example, the inner surface of the ventilation passage 103 and the blower 7) disposed on the leeward side of the water storage tank 41, and the scale deposited from the attached water droplets is the water storage tank. It is suppressed that it adheres to the object arrange | positioned at 41 leeward side.
As a result, the inside of the humidifying device 1 is not soiled by the attached scale, and the aesthetic appearance is not impaired, and the scattered water droplets do not collect and flow out of the humidifying device 1.

In addition, the structure of the humidification apparatus 1 is not limited to the structure of this Embodiment. For example, the humidifier 1 may be configured to heat the air blown by the blower 7 on the upstream side of the filter 2. In this case, transpiration in the filter 2 is further promoted.
Further, the humidifier 1 may have a configuration in which an ion generating element is disposed in the vicinity of the exhaust port 102 and the generated positive ions and negative ions are added to the exhausted air.

Furthermore, the configuration of the filter 2 and the rotation drive mechanism 3 is not limited to the configuration of the present embodiment. For example, the rotation drive mechanism 3 may be configured not to include the driven rollers 34 and 34. In this case, the center position of the filter 2 is penetrated by the column-shaped rotating shaft part arranged in the horizontal posture, and this rotating shaft part is rotatably supported by an appropriate bearing.
Furthermore, the filter body of the filter 2 is not limited to a honeycomb structure, and the filter material may be formed by pleating the filter material.

  In addition, each engagement member 65 and 66 can be easily engaged and disengaged from the front side wall 511 and the rear side wall 512 by a user who attaches / detaches the covering member 6 to / from the first tray 51. A knob portion may be disposed on the stop portions 65 and 66. However, since the amount of the synthetic resin necessary for manufacturing the covering member 6 increases by the amount of the knob, the manufacturing cost of the covering member 6 increases. In addition, there is a possibility that the picking portion may obstruct the wind that tries to pass through the filter 2 although it is slight. Therefore, it is preferable to have a configuration in which there is no knob as in the covering member 6 of the present embodiment.

The embodiment disclosed this time is to be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is not intended to include the above-described meanings, but is intended to include meanings equivalent to the claims and all modifications within the scope of the claims.
Moreover, as long as the effect of this invention is effective, the humidifier 1 may contain the component which is not disclosed by embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Humidifier 2 Filter 3 Rotation drive mechanism 41 Water storage tank 5 Water tank main body 511 Front side wall (peripheral wall)
512 Rear side wall (peripheral wall)
514 Right side wall (surrounding wall)
6 Covering member (covering part)
61, 63, 64 Cover plate part 65, 66 Locking part 7 Blower

Claims (3)

A disk-like filter having water absorption and breathability;
A rotation drive mechanism for rotating the filter in the circumferential direction;
A water tank,
A blower for blowing air in a direction crossing the filter,
In the humidifying device in which the filter is arranged in a vertical posture, and a part of the outer peripheral side of the filter can be submerged in the water storage tank,
The water tank is
A tank body for storing water;
A humidifying device comprising: a covering portion that covers a water surface other than a portion where the filter of water stored in the water tank main body can be submerged.   The humidifying device according to claim 1, wherein the covering portion is detachably attached to the water tank body. The covering portion is
The lower plate faces the water surface, and a covering plate portion disposed at a position lower than the upper end portion of the peripheral wall of the water tank body,
The humidifying device according to claim 2, further comprising: an engaging portion that positions and fixes the covering plate portion by detachably engaging the peripheral wall of the water tank main body.

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