JP2017213544A - Dust collection filter and air cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dust collection filter enabling an ultraviolet ray to reach a wide range on the surface of a filter medium even by a few light sources; and to provide an air cleaner.SOLUTION: A dust collection filter 1 includes a filter medium 2. The filter medium 2 is constituted at least partially of fibers having ultraviolet ray diffusion means for diffusing an ultraviolet ray. As the ultraviolet ray diffusion means, fine particles having a smaller outer diameter than the outer diameter of the fibers constituting the filter medium 2 may be dispersed inside the fibers. As the ultraviolet ray diffusion means, irregularities may be formed on the surface of the fibers constituting the filter medium 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a dust collection filter and an air cleaning device.

  The conventional air cleaner disclosed in the following Patent Document 1 is configured as follows. The dust collection filter (10) is constituted by a high efficiency filter such as a HEPA filter in which the filter medium (24) is formed in a pleat shape. Ultraviolet lamps (11) are arranged on both front and rear surfaces of the dust collection filter (10) so as to be orthogonal to the pleating direction of the filter medium (24).

JP 2003-190269 A

  In the conventional configuration, two ultraviolet lamps (11) having the same length as the dust collecting filter (10) are required in order to apply ultraviolet rays to the entire surface of the filter medium (24). As a result, the structure becomes complicated and causes high costs.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. A dust collection filter capable of allowing ultraviolet rays to reach a wide range of the surface of a filter medium with a small amount of light source, and an air cleaner provided with the dust collection filter. An object is to provide an apparatus.

The dust collection filter according to the present invention includes a filter medium that is at least partially composed of fibers having ultraviolet diffusing means for diffusing ultraviolet rays.
An air cleaning apparatus according to the present invention includes the dust collection filter.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to allow ultraviolet rays to reach a wide range of the surface of the filter medium of the dust collection filter even with a small number of light sources.

2 is a perspective view showing a dust collection filter of Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the example of a fiber provided with an ultraviolet-ray diffusion means. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the other example of the fiber provided with an ultraviolet-ray diffusion means. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a filter medium provided in the dust collection filter of Embodiment 1. FIG. It is sectional drawing cut | disconnected by the virtual plane A in FIG. It is sectional drawing cut | disconnected by the virtual plane A in FIG. It is typical sectional drawing to which a part of FIG. 6 was expanded. It is a figure which shows the dust collection filter of a comparative example. It is typical sectional drawing to which a part of FIG. 8 was expanded. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an air cleaner provided with a dust collection filter according to Embodiment 1. FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Elements common to the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is simplified or omitted. The present disclosure may include any combination of configurations that can be combined among the configurations described in the following embodiments.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the dust collection filter of the first embodiment. A dust collection filter 1 according to Embodiment 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a filter medium 2 made of fibers. The filter medium 2 is in a state of being folded into an equally spaced pleat shape. Although not shown, the dust collection filter 1 may further include a holding frame for holding the shape of the filter medium 2. The dust collection filter 1 may be provided in an air cleaner, for example. The dust collection filter 1 may be a HEPA filter, for example. In the following description, in the dust collection filter 1, the direction in which the pleats of the filter medium 2 extend is referred to as “vertical direction”, and the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction is referred to as “lateral direction”.

  The ultraviolet light source 10 emits ultraviolet rays. Ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet light source 10 are applied to the filter medium 2 of the dust collection filter 1. The dirt such as dust collected on the filter medium 2 of the dust collection filter 1 may contain, for example, microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria and fungi, or organic substances such as pollen and odor components. By irradiating the filter medium 2 of the dust collection filter 1 with ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet light source 10, such microorganisms or organic substances can be inactivated. Inactivation of microorganisms or organic substances by ultraviolet rays is referred to as “sterilization” in the following description.

  The ultraviolet light source 10 may be, for example, a mercury lamp or a light emitting diode (ultraviolet LED). As the ultraviolet light source 10, a plurality of ultraviolet LEDs may be arranged side by side. The wavelength of the ultraviolet light emitted from the ultraviolet light source 10 may include a wavelength in the range of 200 nm to 300 nm, for example. The ultraviolet light source 10 may have a shape in which the longitudinal direction of the dust collection filter 1 is the longitudinal direction.

  At least a part of the filter medium 2 is made of a fiber having ultraviolet diffusing means for diffusing ultraviolet rays. The ultraviolet light diffusing means may diffuse the ultraviolet light reflected by the fiber. The ultraviolet diffusing means may diffuse ultraviolet rays that pass through the fiber. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG.2 and FIG.3, the example of the fiber provided with an ultraviolet-ray diffusion means is demonstrated.

  FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of a fiber provided with ultraviolet diffusing means. All or a part of the filter medium 2 provided in the dust collection filter 1 of Embodiment 1 may be configured by the fibers 3 shown in FIG. The fiber 3 has a structure in which fine particles 4 having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the fiber 3 are dispersed inside the fiber 3. A large number of fine particles 4 are dispersed in the main body 5 of the fiber 3. In the illustrated configuration, the entire fine particles 4 are inside the main body 5 of the fiber 3, but at least a part of the fine particles 4 may protrude partly from the surface of the main body 5.

  The fine particles 4 have ultraviolet transparency. The main body 5 of the fiber 3 has ultraviolet transparency. The fine particles 4 and the main body 5 of the fiber 3 have different refractive indexes. Ultraviolet rays incident on the inside of the fiber 3 from the surface of the fiber 3 are reflected or refracted at the interface between the fine particles 4 and the main body 5. Thereby, the ultraviolet rays reflected by the fibers 3 and the ultraviolet rays transmitted through the fibers 3 are diffused. The fine particles 4 have a function as a light diffusing agent.

  The main body 5 of the fiber 3 may be composed mainly of a resin such as polypropylene, rayon, or polyester. The fine particles 4 may be made of, for example, an acrylic resin or a styrene resin. As the fine particles 4, for example, trade name “Techpolymer” manufactured by Sekisui Plastics Co., Ltd. may be used. The fine particles 4 are not limited to those made of resin, and may be made of glass. The shape of the fine particles 4 is not limited to a spherical shape as illustrated, and may be a shape other than a spherical shape.

  FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another example of a fiber provided with ultraviolet diffusing means. All or part of the filter medium 2 provided in the dust collection filter 1 of Embodiment 1 may be configured by the fibers 6 shown in FIG. A large number of fine irregularities are formed on the surface of the fiber 6. When the ultraviolet rays are reflected or refracted on the surface of the fiber 6 on which these irregularities are formed, the ultraviolet rays reflected by the fiber 6 and the ultraviolet rays transmitted through the fiber 6 are diffused. The fiber 6 may have ultraviolet transparency.

  The filter medium 2 may include a plurality of layers. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the filter medium 2 provided in the dust collection filter 1 of the first embodiment. The filter medium 2 shown in FIG. 4 has a structure in which a first layer 7 and a second layer 8 are bonded together. The first layer 7 and the second layer 8 may be composed of fibers having different materials and / or outer diameters. The first layer 7 may be a fine sheet for collecting dust. A fine sheet for collecting dust is low in strength. The second layer 8 may be a coarse sheet for reinforcing the first layer 7. Both the first layer 7 and the second layer 8 may be formed of fibers provided with ultraviolet diffusing means. Only the first layer 7 may be formed of fibers provided with ultraviolet diffusing means. Only the second layer 8 may be formed of fibers provided with ultraviolet diffusing means. The filter medium 2 is not limited to the illustrated configuration, and may include a plurality of layers of three layers or more. In that case, at least one of the plurality of layers may be formed of a fiber having an ultraviolet diffusing unit.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along a virtual plane A in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, the ultraviolet light source 10 is disposed at the center in the horizontal direction of the dust collection filter 1 with respect to the position in the horizontal direction of the dust collection filter 1. A straight line with an arrow in FIG. 5 indicates the ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet light source 10 and the reflected light thereof. A dotted line in FIG. 5 shows an example of a range where ultraviolet rays reach on the surface of the filter medium 2.

  In the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. As shown in FIG. 5, ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet light source 10 is directly irradiated to the back of the pleats of the filter medium 2 at the center in the horizontal direction of the dust collection filter 1. At a position other than the horizontal center of the dust collection filter 1, the ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet light source 10 is blocked by the adjacent pleat mountain. For this reason, at a position other than the center in the horizontal direction of the dust collection filter 1, an area where the ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet light source 10 are not directly irradiated is generated inside the pleats of the filter medium 2. Since the fibers constituting the filter medium 2 include ultraviolet diffusing means, random reflection of ultraviolet light on the surface of the filter medium 2 is promoted. By repeating random reflection of the ultraviolet rays on the surface of the filter medium 2, the ultraviolet rays reach the back of the pleats while the amount of light decreases. As a result, the ultraviolet rays reach the back of the pleats of the filter medium 2 even at positions other than the center in the horizontal direction of the dust collection filter 1. Therefore, the sterilization effect by ultraviolet rays can be obtained over a wide range of the surface of the filter medium 2. In FIG. 5, the typical path | route of the ultraviolet-ray which reaches | attains the back of a pleat by repeating reflection on the surface of the filter medium 2 is shown.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along a virtual plane A in FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view enlarging a part of FIG. The straight line with the arrow in FIG.6 and FIG.7 shows the ultraviolet-ray emitted from the ultraviolet-ray light source 10, and its reflected light and transmitted light. The dotted line in FIG.6 and FIG.7 shows the example of the range which an ultraviolet-ray reaches | attains among the surfaces of the filter medium 2. FIG.

  Part of the ultraviolet rays irradiated to the filter medium 2 is transmitted to the opposite side of the filter medium 2. The example shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is an example in the case where the effect of the transmitted light is obtained in addition to the effect described in the example shown in FIG. Since the fibers constituting the filter medium 2 are provided with ultraviolet diffusing means, as shown in FIG. 7, the diffusion of ultraviolet light is promoted inside the filter medium 2, and the ultraviolet light from the surface opposite to the surface on the ultraviolet light source 10 side of the filter medium 2 Are emitted at various angles. The ultraviolet rays that have passed through the filter medium 2 and are emitted from the opposite surface of the filter medium 2 are irradiated on the surface of the adjacent pleats, so that the surface of the filter medium 2 opposite to the surface on the ultraviolet light source 10 side is irradiated. UV rays reach a wide range. Therefore, the disinfection effect by ultraviolet rays can be obtained in a wide range not only on the surface of the filter medium 2 on the ultraviolet light source 10 side but also on the opposite surface.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, even when the ultraviolet light source 10 is smaller than the width of the dust collection filter 1 in the lateral direction, the ultraviolet light can reach a wide range of the filter medium 2. . Therefore, even if a small ultraviolet light source 10 is used or a small number of ultraviolet light sources 10 are used, a sterilizing effect by ultraviolet rays can be obtained in a wide range of the filter medium 2. For this reason, the structure is simplified and the cost can be reduced. Moreover, since the said effect is acquired only by changing the material of the raw material of the filter medium 2, the existing manufacturing equipment can be used and a big capital investment becomes unnecessary.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a dust collection filter of a comparative example. FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view enlarging a part of FIG. The filter medium 91 provided in the dust collection filter 90 of the comparative example shown in FIG. 8 is entirely composed of fibers that do not include ultraviolet diffusing means. The straight lines with arrows in FIGS. 8 and 9 indicate the ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet light source 10. The diffusion of ultraviolet rays is not promoted on the surface and inside of the filter medium 91. In FIGS. 8 and 9, the range that the ultraviolet rays reach when the filtering medium 91 assumes that the ultraviolet rays are neither reflected nor diffused is indicated by a dotted line. In the dust collection filter 90 of the comparative example, a region where the ultraviolet rays do not reach in the filter medium 91 is widely generated. For this reason, in the dust collecting filter 90 of the comparative example, the sterilization effect by ultraviolet rays can be obtained only in a limited range in the filter medium 91.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an air cleaner 20 including the dust collection filter 1 of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the air cleaner 20 includes a housing 21. Inside the housing 21, the dust collection filter 1, the ultraviolet light source 10, and the blower 22 are installed. A suction port 23 for sucking indoor air into the housing 21 is provided on the front surface of the housing 21. An air outlet 24 for blowing out the air sucked into the housing 21 is provided on the upper surface of the housing 21. The air that has flowed into the housing 21 from the suction port 23 passes through the dust collection filter 1 and the blower 22, and flows out of the housing 21 through the air outlet 24. The air cleaner 20 may further include other devices (not shown) including, for example, a prefilter and a deodorizing filter.

  In the illustrated configuration, the suction port 23 is formed in the front surface portion of the housing 21, but instead of such a configuration, for example, the suction port 23 may be formed in the side surface portion of the housing 21. In the configuration shown in the drawing, the ultraviolet light source 10 is arranged inside the front portion of the housing 21, but the installation location of the ultraviolet light source 10 is not limited to this.

  The dust collection filter of the present invention is not limited to the air purifier 20 as described above, and can be applied to, for example, an air purifying apparatus provided in an air conditioner, an air purifying apparatus that purifies exhaust gas from an electric vacuum cleaner, and the like. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Dust collection filter, 2 Filter medium, 3 Fiber, 4 Fine particle, 5 Main body, 6 Fiber, 7 First layer, 8 Second layer, 10 Ultraviolet light source, 20 Air cleaner, 21 Housing, 22 Blower, 23 Inlet 24 outlet, 90 dust collecting filter, 91 filter medium

Claims (6)

  A dust collection filter comprising a filter medium at least partially composed of fibers having ultraviolet diffusing means for diffusing ultraviolet rays.   The dust collection filter according to claim 1, wherein fine particles having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the fiber are dispersed inside the fiber as the ultraviolet diffusing means.   The dust collection filter according to claim 2, wherein the fine particles are made of glass.   The dust collecting filter according to claim 1, wherein as the ultraviolet diffusing means, irregularities are formed on a surface of the fiber. The filter medium has a plurality of layers,
The dust collection filter according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a fiber forming at least one of the plurality of layers includes the ultraviolet diffusing unit.   An air purifier provided with the dust collection filter according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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