JP2023058197A - Air cleaner and air cleaning method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an air cleaner capable of suppressing water for humidification from continuing to stay in an inside thereof.SOLUTION: An air cleaner 100 capable of turning on/off a humidification mode of the present invention includes a measuring unit 41, a control unit 10, and a notification unit 50. The measuring unit 41 measures a period in which water exists in a humidification tray 31. The control unit 10 determines whether the period measured by the measuring unit 41 is equal to or longer than a first reference time or not. The notification unit 60 notifies a user of determination information based on the determination that the measured period is equal to or longer than the first reference time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an air cleaner and an air cleaning method.

An air purifier has been developed that has a humidifying function, has a water tray for storing water for humidification, and keeps the water tray clean. An air purifier having a humidifying function disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes an air purifying discharger, a humidifier, and a fan. The humidifying section has a water tray, and uses water stored in the water tray to humidify the sucked air. The fan blows the air humidified by the humidifying section into the room where the air cleaner is installed. Then, the active species are sent into the space above the water of the water tray of the humidifying section from the discharging section by using air blown by the fan. By feeding in the active species, the generation of slime and the propagation of bacteria due to the water remaining in the water tray can be suppressed.

Japanese Patent No. 5012971

However, even if active species are sent in as in the air purifier of Patent Document 1, the water continues to remain in the water tray, and the propagation of bacteria cannot be suppressed, and the remaining water may spoil. As a result, the inside of the water tray may become slimy or dirty. In addition, the filter part for sucking up the water in the water tray and using it for humidification generates an offensive odor, which may affect the odor of the air sent from the air purifier.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an air purifier capable of preventing water for humidification from remaining inside.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an air purifier capable of turning ON/OFF the humidifying mode includes a measurement section, a control section, and a notification section. The measuring unit measures the period during which water is present in the humidifying tray. The control unit determines whether the period measured by the measurement unit is longer than or equal to a first reference time. The notification unit notifies the user of determination information based on determination that the measured period is equal to or longer than the first reference time.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an air cleaning method for an air purifier capable of turning ON/OFF the humidification mode includes the steps of measuring a period in which water is present in a humidifying tray; It includes a step of determining whether or not it is longer than or equal to a reference time, and a step of notifying a user of determination information when it is determined that the measured period is longer than or equal to the first reference time.

According to the air purifier of the present invention, by notifying the user that the humidifying water remains inside the device for a certain period of time or longer, it is possible to prevent the humidifying water from remaining inside.

1 is a block diagram of an air purifier according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. It is a flow chart which shows the air cleaning method of the air cleaner which concerns on this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a modification of the flowchart of FIG. 2;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

<Embodiment>
An air cleaner 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an air purifier according to an embodiment of the invention. The air cleaner 100 has a humidification function, and humidifies the air by a vaporization method. FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the air cleaning method of the air purifier according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a modification of the flowchart of FIG. Specifically, FIG. 3 illustrates optional decision steps that can be added to the flowchart of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the air cleaner 100 includes a control unit 10, a storage unit 20, a humidification unit 30, a water level sensor 40, a measurement unit 41, a humidity sensor 42, an operation unit 50, and a notification unit. 60, a dust collection filter 70, and a fan 80. The air purifier 100 according to the present embodiment notifies the user when water remains inside the device for a predetermined period of time or more under specific conditions, and prompts the user to drain the water, for example. As a result, it is possible to suppress the generation of sliminess and offensive odor caused by the water remaining inside the equipment for a long period of time and putrefying.

The air cleaner 100 is, for example, a stationary air cleaner. In this embodiment, the air purifier 100 can turn ON/OFF the humidification mode during operation. ON/OFF of humidification mode is performed by automatic mode, for example. Specifically, when it is determined that the humidity is low during operation of the air purifier 100, the automatic mode automatically turns on the humidification mode to humidify the air. In addition, ON/OFF of humidification mode can also be performed manually. In the case of manual operation, for example, a humidification mode switching button is provided, and the user manually switches by pressing the button.

The control unit 10 is a hardware circuit including a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The control unit 10 controls the operation of each unit of the air cleaner 100 by having the processor read out and execute a control program stored in the storage unit 20 .

The storage unit 20 includes a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). Storage unit 20 stores various data and a control program for controlling the operation of each unit of air cleaner 100 . A control program is executed by the control unit 10 .

The humidifying section 30 humidifies the air when the air cleaner 100 is in the humidifying mode. The humidifying section 30 has a humidifying tray 31 and a humidifying filter 32 . The humidification tray 31 stores water for humidification. The humidifying filter 32 sucks up the water in the humidifying tray 31. - 特許庁The air is humidified by passing the air flow generated by the fan 80 described later through the humidification filter 32 . As the humidifying filter 32, a fixed type or a rotary type that rotates around a horizontal axis can be used.

A water level sensor 40 detects the water level of the humidifying tray 31 . The water level sensor 40 is, for example, a float switch or a distance measuring sensor. Detecting the water level by the water level sensor 40 indicates that water is present in the humidifying tray 31 . Therefore, this serves as one criterion for determining whether or not to notify the user of prompting the user to drain the water from the humidifying tray.

When the existence of water in the humidifying tray 31 is detected, the measurement unit 41 measures the period in which the water exists. The measuring unit 41 is, for example, a timer. If the period in which the water is present in the humidifying tray is too long, the water in the humidifying tray 31 may rot, causing sliminess and unpleasant odors. Therefore, when it is determined that the period measured by the measuring unit 41 is equal to or longer than a first reference time, which will be described later, determination information is notified to the user. Here, the determination information includes information prompting the user to drain water from the humidifying tray, information notifying that humidification has not been performed for a certain period of time or more, information notifying that water remains in the humidifying tray, This includes things that prompt you to clean the tray.

Humidity sensor 42 measures the humidity of the air. The humidity detected by the humidity sensor 42 can be used to determine whether humidification is being performed. Specifically, when the air purifier 100 has the rotary humidification filter 32, when the humidity becomes equal to or higher than the reference humidity described later, the rotation of the humidification filter 32 is stopped to stop further humidification. In other words, this indicates that the water in the humidifying tray 31 remains without being used for humidification. For this reason, the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 42 is one criterion for determining whether to notify the user of the determination information.

The operation unit 50 is, for example, a touch panel that receives user operations.

The notification unit 60 notifies the user of determination information when it is determined that water exists in the humidifying tray 31 under specific conditions. The notification unit 60 is, for example, an LED. The notification unit 60 may be arranged in the operation unit 50 or may be arranged as a separate member from the operation unit 50 .

The dust filter 70 collects dust in the air and purifies the sucked air. The dust collection filter 70 is, for example, a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter. Also, an ion generation unit may be further provided to generate ions and release them into the indoor air. The ion generating unit is detachable from the main body of the air cleaner 100 .

The fan 80 takes the air in the room where the air cleaner 100 is installed into the air cleaner 100 and passes it through the dust filter 70 . In the humidifying mode, the fan 80 further passes the taken air through the humidifying section to humidify it and blows it outside.

Air cleaner 100 may further include recognition unit 43 . The recognition unit 43 recognizes that the user has removed the humidifying tray. A sensor, for example, can be used for the recognition unit. When the recognition unit 43 recognizes the removal of the humidifying tray, it can be determined that the user has removed the humidifying tray and drained the water. Information on whether or not the tray recognized by the recognition unit 43 has been removed serves as a criterion for determining whether or not the control unit 10 resets the measurement by the measurement unit 41 .

Next, an air cleaning method of the air cleaner 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, in step S101, the air cleaner 100 is powered on. The process proceeds to step S102.

In step S102, it is determined whether the humidification mode of the air cleaner 100 is ON. If the humidification mode is ON (Yes in step S102), the process proceeds to step S108. Details of the processing in step S108 will be described later. If the humidification mode is OFF (No in step S102), the process proceeds to step S103.

In step S<b>103 , the water level sensor 40 detects the water level of the humidifying tray 31 . Based on the water level detected by the water level sensor 40, the control unit 10 determines whether water exists in the humidifying tray 31 or not. The water level sensor 40 uses an existing sensor such as a float switch or a distance measuring sensor.

A range sensor can be used to detect the water level in more detail. The distance measuring sensor reflects infrared rays or the like on the water surface of the humidifying tray, converts the reflected infrared rays into a distance, and measures the water level. Therefore, the water level first detected by the distance measuring sensor is compared with the water level detected after a certain period of time has elapsed, and the change in water level is measured from the difference. If the measured water level difference is smaller than the predetermined value, it can be determined that the water level hardly changes and that the water in the humidifying tray remains unused.

If no water exists in the humidifying tray 31, the process returns to step S102 (No in step S103). If there is water in humidifying tray 31 (Yes in step S103), the process proceeds to step S104.

In step S<b>104 , the measuring unit 41 measures the period during which water is present in the humidifying tray 31 . Then, the control unit 10 determines whether or not the period during which water is present in the humidifying tray 31 measured by the measuring unit 41 is longer than or equal to the first reference time. Here, the first reference time is the time during which the water in the humidifying tray 31 remains in the tray.

If the water in the humidifying tray 31 remains inside the air purifier 100 for a long period of time, there is a high possibility that the water will rot. Therefore, when determining that water remains in the humidifying tray 31 for a period of time equal to or longer than the first reference time, the control section 10 notifies the user of determination information. In this embodiment, as an example, the first reference time is 72 hours.

The first reference time can be changed based on environmental information indicating information about the surrounding environment in which air cleaner 100 is installed. Environmental information includes temperature and season. Specifically, when the ambient temperature of the air purifier 100 is high, the water in the humidifying tray 31 decomposes faster than usual, and the degree of contamination also increases. In this case, the first reference time can be made shorter than usual to encourage the user to take early action. Also, the first reference time may be shortened in response to seasons and times when water is likely to rot, such as summer and the rainy season.

In step S104, when the period in which water is present in the humidifying tray 31 is less than the first reference time (No in step S104), the process returns to step S102. If the period during which water is present in the humidifying tray is equal to or longer than the first reference time (Yes in step S104), the process proceeds to step S105.

In step S105, the notification unit 60 notifies the user of the determination information based on the determination that the measured period is longer than or equal to the first reference time. As an example, by lighting the LED, which is the notification unit 60, as a "maintenance lamp", the user is notified and urged to drain the water. Also, the care lamp may indicate that humidification has not been performed for a certain period of time or longer, that water remains in the humidifying tray, or that prompts cleaning of the tray. As a result, it is possible to suppress the generation of slime and odor caused by water remaining inside the air purifier 100 for a long period of time and putrefaction.

Note that the timing of notifying the user is not limited to the above mode. For example, when the control unit 10 determines that water remains for a predetermined period of time past the first reference time, it is possible to further notify the user.

When the notification unit 60 notifies the user in step S105, the process proceeds to step S106.

In step S106, it waits for the removal of the humidifying tray 31 by the user. In step S106, when the humidifying tray 31 is removed while the user is notified, the recognition unit 43 recognizes the action of removal by a sensor or the like. When the recognition unit 43 recognizes the removal of the humidifying tray 31, it can be determined that the user has removed the humidifying tray 31 and drained the water.

If removal of the humidifying tray 31 is not recognized in step S106 (No in step S106), the process returns to step S104. After a certain period of time, for example, the first reference time, the user is notified again. Also, before notifying the user, in addition to step S104, it may be determined whether the humidity is equal to or higher than the reference humidity. If removal of humidifying tray 31 is recognized (Yes in step S106), the process proceeds to step S107.

In step S<b>107 , the control unit 10 resets the measurement by the measurement unit 41 . At step S106, it has already been determined that the water in the humidifying tray 31 has been drained. Therefore, it is not necessary to continuously measure the period in which water is present in the measurement unit 41 . Therefore, the measurement is reset to avoid continuing unnecessary notifications to the user. As a result, accurate notification corresponding to the presence or absence of water in the humidifying tray 31 is realized.

After resetting the measurement by the measuring unit 41 in step S107, the process returns to step S102.

On the other hand, when the humidification mode of air cleaner 100 is ON in step S102, the process proceeds to step S108 as described above.

In step S108, the control unit 10 determines whether the humidity measured by the humidity sensor 42 is equal to or higher than the reference humidity. The reference humidity is, for example, the humidity at which humans usually feel comfortable. Humidity that is generally considered comfortable is about 50 to 65%. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is set to 65% as an example.

When the humidity measured by the humidity sensor 42 reaches the reference humidity, the air is sufficiently humidified, and no further humidification of the air is required. In other words, when the controller 10 determines that the humidity is equal to or higher than the reference humidity, the air in the room is in an over-humidified state. Therefore, in the case of the air cleaner 100 having a rotary filter, rotation of the humidification filter 32 is stopped to stop humidification (not shown). Then, the water in the humidifying tray 31 remains without being used for humidification. That is, in the case of the air cleaner 100 having a rotary filter, it is possible to determine whether the water in the humidifying tray 31 is being used by determining whether the humidity is equal to or higher than the reference humidity in step S108.

In the case of the air purifier 100 having a fixed filter, the process of step S102 may be omitted, and the process of step S103 may proceed regardless of whether the humidification mode is ON or OFF.

If the measured humidity is less than the reference humidity in step S108 (No in step S108), the process returns to step S102. If the measured humidity is greater than or equal to the reference humidity (Yes in step S108), the process proceeds to step S103. Subsequent processing is the same as when the humidification mode is OFF.

Here, the reference value used as the reference for determination by the control unit 10 is not limited to the first reference time and the reference humidity. For example, the water level detected by the water level sensor 40 may be used as a reference water level, and the humidifying operation time may be used as a second reference time for further determination.

Another step S109 in the flow of the modification will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, after the determination in step S104, further determination is performed in step S109.

For example, even if water remains in the humidifying tray 31 for the first reference time or more, if the amount of water in the humidifying tray 31 detected by the water level sensor 40 is extremely small, there is no need to prompt the user to drain the water. Therefore, the allowable amount of water remaining in the humidifying tray 31 is set as the reference water level.

Further, even when water remains in the humidifying tray 31 for the first reference time or more, the water in the humidifying tray 31 decreases if the humidifying operation time is long. On the other hand, if the humidifying operation time is short, there is a high possibility that the water in the humidifying tray 31 remains without being used for humidification. Therefore, the humidifying operation time is set as the second reference time. By making further determinations based on the reference water level and the second reference time, it is possible to more accurately determine the likelihood that water will remain in the humidifying tray 31 for a long period of time and spoil.

In step S109, if the water level of the humidifying tray 31 is equal to or higher than the reference water level and the humidifying operation time is equal to or shorter than the second reference time, the process proceeds to step S105 to notify the user. If the water level of the humidifying tray is less than the reference water level and the humidifying operation time is longer than the second reference time, the process returns to step S102.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various aspects without departing from the gist of the present invention. In order to make the drawings easier to understand, the drawings mainly show each component schematically. is different. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, etc. of each component shown in the above embodiment are examples and are not particularly limited, and various changes are possible without substantially departing from the configuration of the present invention. be.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention provides an air cleaner and has industrial applicability.

10 control unit 30 humidification unit 31 humidification tray 32 humidification filter 40 water level sensor 41 measurement unit 42 humidity sensor 43 recognition unit 60 notification unit 100 air purifier

Claims (8)

An air purifier capable of turning ON/OFF a humidification mode,
a measuring unit for measuring the period of time when water is present in the humidifying tray;
a control unit that determines whether the period measured by the measurement unit is equal to or longer than a first reference time;
and a notification unit configured to notify a user of determination information based on a determination that the measured period is longer than or equal to the first reference time. It also has a humidity sensor that measures humidity,
When the air purifier is in the humidification mode, the humidity measured by the humidity sensor is equal to or higher than the reference humidity, and the period measured by the measurement unit is determined to be equal to or longer than the first reference time, the control The air purifier according to claim 1, wherein the unit notifies the user of the determination information. Further comprising a water level sensor that detects the water level of the humidifying tray,
When the water level detected by the water level sensor is equal to or higher than a reference water level and it is determined that the humidifying operation time is equal to or less than the second reference time, the control unit notifies the user of the determination information. The air purifier described in . further comprising a recognition unit that recognizes removal of the humidifying tray,
4. The control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the recognition unit recognizes removal of the humidifying tray during notification to the user, the control unit resets the measurement by the measurement unit. air purifier. The air purifier according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first reference time is changed based on environmental information indicating information about the environment around the air purifier. Further comprising a humidification filter for sucking up the water in the humidification tray and providing it for humidification,
6. An air purifier according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the humidifying filter is rotary rotating about a horizontal axis. When operating an air purifier that can turn on/off the humidification mode,
measuring the duration of water presence in the humidifying tray;
determining whether the measured period is equal to or greater than a first reference time;
and notification of determination information to a user when the measured period is determined to be longer than or equal to the first reference time. When it is determined that the measured humidity is equal to or greater than the reference humidity and the measured period is equal to or greater than the first reference time when the air purifier is in the humidification mode, a step of notifying the user of the determination information. The air cleaning method of claim 7, further comprising:

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