JP2015109911A - Air purification device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce electric power consumption and noise while maintaining an air purifying ability and preventing degradation of a blowing amount in an air purification device.SOLUTION: An air purification device 10 houses a light source 14, a photocatalyst member 16 and a blower 18 inside a casing 12, and the guide plates 46a, 46b are provided respectively between an outdoor air introduction port 44 formed to the casing 12 and the photocatalyst member 16. The air is guided so as to split along the circumferential direction of the casing 12 by the guide plates 46a, 46b when the air is taken inside the casing 12 from the outdoor air introduction port 44 under the drive action of the blower 18, and the air is purified by evenly circulating to an inner peripheral side in the circumferential direction of the photocatalyst member 16.

Description

  The present invention relates to an air purification apparatus that is installed indoors and purifies air in the room.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an air purifying apparatus that can remove and deodorize organic matter in a room by installing and operating in a house room or a vehicle cabin. In such an air purification device, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, an ultraviolet lamp is provided in the center of a cylindrical housing, and the cylindrical shape is formed so as to surround the outer peripheral side of the ultraviolet lamp. A photocatalytic member having air permeability is provided, and a blower is provided below the ultraviolet lamp and the photocatalytic member.

  In this air purification device, the photocatalyst member is activated by irradiating the photocatalyst member with ultraviolet rays from an ultraviolet lamp, and the air taken into the housing by operating the blower is allowed to pass through the photocatalyst member by photocatalysis. Therefore, air purified by removing odors and organic substances in the air is sent out indoors.

JP 2000-107276 A

  In the above-described air purification apparatus, an axial fan is used as a blower, and the axial fan has a structure in which air is circulated along the rotation axis direction. However, the axial fan can increase the amount of air blown, but has a characteristic that the amount of blown air extremely decreases when the airflow resistance increases because the static pressure is low. .

  On the other hand, in the type of air purification device that performs purification by allowing air to pass through the inside of the photocatalytic member having air permeability, the purification effect increases as the contact with the air passing through the photocatalytic member increases. In order to further increase the photocatalytic member, or when the flow rate is increased by increasing the rotational speed of the axial fan, the airflow resistance increases, and accordingly, the air flow rate decreases. And power consumption will increase.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described problems, and is an air purification device capable of reducing power consumption and noise while preventing a decrease in the amount of air flow while maintaining air purification capability. The purpose is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a light source that emits excitation light that excites a photocatalyst, a photocatalyst member that is disposed around the light source and has air permeability, and a blower that generates an air flow that passes through the photocatalyst member. And an air purification device having a light source, a photocatalyst member, and a casing that houses the blower therein,
The blower is a centrifugal blower, and the centrifugal blower is disposed on the downstream side of the photocatalyst member, and at least a part of the air suction port of the centrifugal blower and the opening at the axial end of the photocatalyst member overlap at least in part. It is characterized by being arranged so as to face each other.

  According to the present invention, in an air purification apparatus having a light source, a photocatalyst member, and a blower, the blower is disposed on the downstream side of the photocatalyst member as a centrifugal blower, and an air inlet in the centrifugal blower and an axial end of the photocatalyst member Are opposed to each other so that at least a part of the opening overlaps with the opening in the axial direction.

  Therefore, by using a centrifugal fan with high static pressure, the flow rate of air passing through the inside of the photocatalyst member is reduced even when the ventilation resistance is increased, as compared with the axial fan used in the conventional air purification device. It is difficult to circulate at a desired flow rate, and the pressure loss of the blower is reduced and the suction force from the blower acts efficiently on the opening by arranging the suction port and the opening close to each other. Can be made.

  As a result, the air can be efficiently contacted with the photocatalyst member by allowing air to pass through the photocatalyst member without unevenness, and a reduction in the amount of airflow can be maintained while maintaining the air purification capability. And reduction of power consumption and noise can be achieved.

  Further, the casing has an outside air inlet that takes in air from the outside to the inside, and includes a guide plate that guides air along the circumferential direction of the photocatalyst member between the outside air inlet and the photocatalyst member. Good. Thereby, since air can be distributed in the casing in the circumferential direction, the air can be prevented from flowing in the vicinity of the outside air inlet with respect to the photocatalyst member, and along the circumferential direction of the photocatalyst member. It can be purified by evenly flowing and passing through the inside.

  Furthermore, the guide plate may be formed of a material that does not transmit ultraviolet light that is excitation light, and the guide plate may be formed to be larger than the opening area of the outside air inlet. As a result, ultraviolet light, which is excitation light emitted from the light source, can be prevented from leaking to the outside of the casing through the outside air inlet through the guide plate, and the guide plate can be used not only for air rectification but also from the light source to the outside. By using as a shielding means for preventing leakage of ultraviolet rays, it is not necessary to provide a separate shielding means, and it is possible to reduce the number of parts and the manufacturing cost.

  According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

  That is, in an air purification apparatus having a light source, a photocatalyst member, and a blower, the blower is disposed on the downstream side of the photocatalyst member as a centrifugal blower, an air inlet in the centrifugal blower, and an opening at an axial end of the photocatalyst member Are opposed so that at least a part of them overlaps when viewed from the axial direction, and the flow rate of air passing through the inside of the photocatalyst member is less likely to be reduced by a centrifugal fan with a high static pressure, and the inlet and the opening are close to each other. The pressure loss of the blower can be reduced by the arrangement, and the suction force from the blower can be efficiently applied to the opening. As a result, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the amount of blown air while maintaining the air purification capability, and to reduce the size of the blower and reduce power consumption and noise.

1 is an overall cross-sectional view of an air purification device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing along the II-II line of FIG. It is sectional drawing along the III-III line of FIG.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of an air purifying apparatus according to the present invention will be given and described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 indicates an air purification device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the air purification device 10 includes a cylindrical casing 12, a light source 14 accommodated in the casing 12, a photocatalytic member 16 disposed on the outer peripheral side of the light source 14, And a blower 18 that takes air into the casing 12 and sends it out.

  The casing 12 is formed of, for example, a resin material and has a bottomed cylindrical main body 20 formed on one end side (arrow A direction) and the main body portion formed on the other end side (arrow B direction). And an enlarged diameter portion 22 that is larger than the diameter 20. Here, the case where the main body portion 20 is used as the lower side and the enlarged diameter portion 22 is used as the upper side will be described.

  The main body 20 is formed with a substantially constant diameter and a predetermined height along the axial direction (arrows A and B directions), and a first storage chamber 26 partitioned by a partition wall 24 is formed in the vicinity of the bottom thereof. A pair of first and second holding walls 28 and 30 spaced from each other by a predetermined distance from the partition wall 24 are formed. In the partition wall 24, a first connection portion 32 that holds one end portion of the light source 14 is formed on one end face (in the direction of arrow B) facing the first holding wall 28. A first control board 34 having an inverter circuit that drives and controls the light source 14 is stored in the first storage chamber 26 and is electrically connected to the first connection portion 32.

  The first holding wall 28 is provided substantially in parallel with the partition wall 24, and the light source 14 is inserted into the first hole 36 opened at the center thereof, and the first hole 36 has a predetermined radius on the outer peripheral side thereof. A recessed portion 38 that is recessed toward the partition wall 24 (in the direction of arrow A) is formed.

  The second holding wall 30 is formed substantially parallel to the first holding wall 28 at a predetermined distance from the other end side (in the direction of arrow B) of the casing 12, and a second hole 40 is formed at the center thereof. In addition to opening, a concave portion 42 is formed on the outer peripheral side of the second hole portion 40 and is recessed toward the other end side (in the direction of arrow B). The second hole portion 40 is formed with a larger diameter than the first hole portion 36 of the first holding wall 28, and the other end side of the light source 14 is inserted therethrough, and the air taken into the main body portion 20 is expanded in the diameter-enlarged portion 22. It also functions as a passage when flowing to the side (arrow B direction).

  On the other hand, a plurality of outside air inlets 44 are opened on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 20 to communicate the outside and the inside of the main body 20. The outside air introduction port 44 is formed in, for example, a substantially rectangular shape, is provided as a set with a predetermined spacing along the circumferential direction of the main body portion 20, and faces the photocatalyst member 16 housed in the main body portion 20. Are arranged as follows.

  As shown in FIG. 3, for example, guide plates 46a and 46b formed in a substantially rectangular shape are respectively provided on the inner peripheral side of the outside air introduction port 44. The guide plates 46a and 46b are provided with the outside air introduction port. It is formed in a plate shape having an area larger than the opening area of the port 44, and is provided at a predetermined interval so as to face the outside air introduction port 44. The guide plates 46a and 46b are formed of, for example, a material that does not transmit ultraviolet rays (for example, a metal material or a resin material) with a predetermined radius corresponding to the inner peripheral surface of the main body portion 20, and the lower end portion of the guide plates 46a and 46b is the arm 48. It is connected to and held by the inner wall surface of the main body 20 via the.

  The enlarged-diameter portion 22 includes, for example, a substantially constant diameter peripheral wall 50 that is expanded radially outward with respect to the main body portion 20 and a ceiling portion 52 that covers the upper portion of the peripheral wall 50, and the lower end portion of the peripheral wall 50 is It joins so that it may reduce in diameter gradually with respect to the said main-body part 20. As shown in FIG. A second connection portion 54 extending toward the center of the enlarged diameter portion 22 is formed at the lower end portion of the peripheral wall 50, and the other end portion of the light source 14 is connected and held.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ceiling portion 52 is formed with a substantially semicircular air outlet 56 at a position near the peripheral wall 50, and the air outlet 56 is provided with a plurality of lattices 58. It has been. That is, the air outlet 56 is formed in a slit shape opened by a plurality of lattices 58 with a predetermined width. A power switch and an indicator (not shown) are provided on the upper surface of the ceiling portion 52. On the other hand, on the inside of the ceiling portion 52, for example, a second control board 64 for performing drive control of a power switch and an indicator lamp is mounted and connected to the power switch and the like.

  On the other hand, a second storage chamber 66 in which the blower 18 is stored and a lead-out chamber 68 separated from the second storage chamber 66 are formed in the enlarged diameter portion 22. In the second storage chamber 66, a set of mounting flanges 70 projecting radially inward from the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 50 are formed, and the blower 18 is fixed via bolts 72. Accordingly, the blower 18 is installed in a substantially horizontal state in the second storage chamber 66 so as to be orthogonal to the axis of the casing 12, and is disposed on the downstream side of the photocatalytic member 16 in the air flow direction in the casing 12. Has been.

  The lead-out chamber 68 is formed in a semicircular cross section so as to face the blowout port 56 and along the peripheral wall 50, and includes a first partition wall 74 that is substantially parallel to the axis of the casing 12, a lower end portion of the first partition wall 74, and the aforementioned The second storage chamber 66 is separated by a second partition wall 76 that connects the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 50. Further, the outlet chamber 68 communicates with the outlet 56. That is, the first and second partition walls 74 and 76 are formed in a substantially L-shaped cross section, and separate the outlet chamber 68 inside the enlarged diameter portion 22.

  The first partition 74 is formed so as to face the second storage chamber 66, and the blower opening 90 of the blower 18 is connected so as to penetrate the first partition 74. As a result, the air sucked in the second storage chamber 66 by the blower 18 is led out to the outlet chamber 68 through the blower port 90.

  For example, a cold cathode fluorescent lamp in which a gas is sealed in a glass tube 78 is used as the light source 14, and the light source 14 is arranged on the main body portion 20 of the casing 12 along the axial direction (directions of arrows A and B) and on the axial line. Is done. One end portion of the light source 14 is connected to and held by the first connection portion 32, and the other end portion is connected and held by the second connection portion 54.

  The light source 14 energizes an electrode (not shown) provided inside the glass tube 78, so that electrons collide with each other to emit ultraviolet light (excitation light). The electrode is energized through the first and second connection portions 32 and 54 to which both ends of the glass tube 78 are connected.

  The light source 14 is not limited to a cold cathode fluorescent lamp, and may be any light source capable of emitting ultraviolet light such as an ultraviolet LED.

  The photocatalyst member 16 is provided, for example, so as to surround the outer peripheral side of the light source 14, is made of a porous body having a plurality of holes, and is formed so that air can pass between the outer peripheral side and the inner peripheral side. . The photocatalyst member 16 is formed in a cylindrical shape having an open center at one end and the other end, one end is held in the recess 38 of the first holding wall 28 via the spacer 80, and the other end is the second. By being held in the concave portion 42 of the holding wall 30 via the spacer 80, it is stored and held inside the casing 12. The photocatalyst member 16 is arranged so that the center of the opening 82 opened in a circular cross section is on the axis of the main body 20 (see FIG. 2). That is, the photocatalytic member 16 is disposed coaxially with the main body 20 together with the light source 14.

  And when the ultraviolet-ray irradiated from the light source 14 strikes the photocatalyst member 16, a photocatalyst is activated and the organic substance and smell which are contained in the nearby air are decomposed | disassembled.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the blower 18 is a centrifugal blower such as a sirocco fan, for example, and includes a housing 84 fixed to the casing 12 and a plurality of blades rotatably provided inside the housing 84. And a drive source (not shown) that rotationally drives the fan 86, and the housing 84 is fixed to the mounting flange 70 of the enlarged diameter portion 22.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 84 is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to surround the drive source and the fan 86, for example, and the cross-sectional area of the flow path formed therein is from the center toward the outer peripheral end. It is formed to gradually increase. As shown in FIG. 2, the lower surface of the casing 12 on the main body 20 side (arrow A direction) and the upper surface on the ceiling 52 side (arrow B direction) are used for sucking air into the interior. Each suction port 88 is formed, and on the other hand, a blower port 90 opened in a substantially rectangular shape is formed at the outer peripheral end. That is, in the housing 84, the suction port 88 and the blower port 90 are opened in directions orthogonal to each other.

  The suction port 88 is provided, for example, in a radially outward direction with a predetermined radius with respect to the center of the housing 84, and is divided into a plurality of (for example, three) openings along the circumferential direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the blower 18 is disposed such that at least a part of the suction port 88 overlaps the opening 82 of the photocatalyst member 16 disposed below when viewed in the axial direction. . Note that the blower 18 is not limited to the double suction centrifugal blower having the suction ports 88 on the upper surface and the lower surface of the housing 84, for example, a piece having the suction port 88 only on the lower surface of the housing 84. A suction-type centrifugal blower may be used.

  On the other hand, the air blowing port 90 is connected so as to penetrate the first partition wall 74, and the air in the second storage chamber 66 sucked by the air blower 18 through the suction port 88 under the driving action of the fan 86 passes through the air blowing port 90. Is derived.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1, it is limited to the case where the suction port 88 of the blower 18 and the other end (upper end) of the photocatalyst member 16 having the opening 82 are arranged so as to be completely parallel. Instead, the part of the suction port 88 and the opening 82 may be arranged so as to be inclined rather than parallel to each other as long as they overlap when viewed from the axial direction.

  The air purifying device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is basically configured as described above, and the operation and effects thereof will be described next. Here, a case where the air purification device 10 is installed in a vehicle interior of a vehicle will be described.

  First, when an occupant operates a power switch (not shown) of the air purification device 10 to turn on the power, the fan 86 of the blower 18 begins to rotate and the light source 14 is energized from the second control board 64. Start irradiating with UV. As a result, the air in the passenger compartment is sucked into the main body 20 through the pair of outside air inlets 44 under the driving action of the blower 18, and the photocatalyst member 16 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from the inner peripheral side, so that the photocatalyst is Start to activate.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the air sucked into the main body 20 from the pair of outside air inlets 44 is divided by the pair of guide plates 46a and 46b, respectively. After flowing along the circumferential direction, the air passes from the outside to the inside of the photocatalyst member 16 so that it can be distributed substantially evenly in the circumferential direction of the photocatalyst member 16 and circulate to the inner circumference side. Become. Therefore, air can be efficiently brought into contact with the plurality of holes opened in the photocatalyst member 16, and accordingly, odors and organic substances contained in the air are suitably decomposed and removed.

  The purified air rises from the center of the photocatalyst member 16 and is sucked up to the blower 18 side (in the direction of arrow B) through the opening 82 and passes through the second hole 40 of the second holding wall 30 to the second storage chamber 66. Then, the air is sucked into the housing 84 from the suction port 88 of the blower 18.

  The air sucked into the housing 84 is sent from the blower opening 90 to the outlet chamber 68 of the casing 12 in a substantially horizontal direction under the rotating action of the fan 86, and thereby to the peripheral wall 50 of the outlet chamber 68. After colliding and diverging in various directions in the outlet chamber 68 and diffusing, the air is blown out from the outlet 56 into the vehicle interior.

  As a result, the air blown from the outlet 56 into the passenger compartment reduces the wind noise when the air is sent out because the wind speed is reduced. The released air is slowly sent into the passenger compartment.

  The air purification device 10 described above is not limited to the case where it is installed and used in the vehicle interior of the vehicle as described above. For example, the air purification device 10 may be installed and used in the interior of a house. Good.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, in the air purification device 10, the centrifugal blower 18 is a centrifugal blower such as a sirocco fan, and the centrifugal blower has a high static pressure, and thus is used in a conventional air purification device. Compared with an axial fan, the flow rate of air passing through the inside of the photocatalyst member 16 is less likely to decrease even when the ventilation resistance increases, and can be circulated at a desired flow rate.

  The suction port 88 and the opening 82 of the photocatalyst member 16 are opposed to each other so that at least part of the suction port 88 and the opening 82 of the photocatalyst member 16 overlap when viewed in the axial direction of the casing 12. It becomes possible to arrange | position closer to the part 82, and the pressure loss of the air blower 18 at the time of flowing the same air quantity can be reduced. As a result, since the output of the blower 18 can be reduced, it is possible to reduce the size, and it is possible to reduce the noise caused by the operating sound by driving at a low speed. Note that it is preferable to arrange the blower 18 and the photocatalyst member 16 on the same axis because the pressure loss of the blower 18 can be further reduced.

  Further, since at least a part of the suction port 88 of the blower 18 and the opening 82 of the photocatalyst member 16 are opposed to each other when viewed from the axial direction, the suction force from the blower 18 is applied to the opening 82. Accordingly, it is possible to act efficiently, and air can pass through the photocatalyst member 16 without any deviation. As a result, the air taken into the casing 12 can be efficiently brought into contact with the holes of the photocatalyst member 16, and the purification of the air by the photocatalyst can be further enhanced.

  Furthermore, guide plates 46 a and 46 b are provided between the outside air inlet 44 and the photocatalyst member 16 in the main body portion 20 of the casing 12, and the air taken into the inside of the main body portion 20 from the outside air inlet 44 is surrounded. By guiding along the direction, the air can be diverted in the circumferential direction of the main body portion 20, so that the air flows in the vicinity of the outside air inlet 44 with respect to the photocatalyst member 16. Can be prevented, and can be evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the photocatalyst member 16 to be passed through and purified.

  Furthermore, the guide plates 46a and 46b are formed of a material that does not transmit ultraviolet rays, and are formed in an area larger than the opening area of the outside air introduction port 44 of the casing 12, so that the ultraviolet rays emitted from the light source 14 are introduced into the outside air. Leakage to the outside through the mouth 44 can be prevented. Therefore, the guide plates 46a and 46b are used not only for air rectification but also as shielding means for preventing leakage of ultraviolet rays from the light source 14 to the outside, so that it is not necessary to separately provide shielding means, and the number of parts and manufacturing cost are reduced. Reduction can be achieved.

  The air purifying apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that various configurations can be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Air purification apparatus 12 ... Casing 14 ... Light source 16 ... Photocatalyst member 18 ... Air blower 20 ... Main-body part 22 ... Diameter-expanding part 46a, 46b ... Guide plate 48 ... Arm 56 ... Outlet 68 ... Deriving chamber 82 ... Opening part 84 ... Housing 86 ... Fan 88 ... Suction port 90 ... Blower port

Claims (3)

A light source that emits excitation light that excites a photocatalyst, a photocatalyst member that is disposed around the light source and has air permeability, a blower that generates an air flow that passes through the photocatalyst member, the light source, the photocatalyst member, and the blower In the air purification device having a casing for storing the inside,
The blower is a centrifugal blower, and the centrifugal blower is disposed on the downstream side of the photocatalyst member, and an air intake port in the centrifugal blower and an opening at an axial end of the photocatalyst member are viewed from the axial direction. An air purifying device, wherein the air purifying device is disposed so as to overlap at least partially. The air purification device according to claim 1, wherein
The casing has an outside air inlet that takes in the air from the outside to the inside, and guides the air along the circumferential direction of the photocatalyst member between the outside air inlet and the photocatalyst member. An air purification device comprising: The air purification apparatus according to claim 2,
The air purification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide plate is formed of a material that does not transmit ultraviolet light that is excitation light, and the guide plate is formed larger than an opening area of the outside air inlet.

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