JP2023130808A - Humidification element and humidifier - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a humidification element capable of suppressing generation of water droplets to connect adjacent humidification bodies.SOLUTION: A humidification element includes: a plurality of humidification bodies 20 arranged in a first direction that intersects with a vertical direction so as to create a gap therebetween, in which air can pass through the gap in a second direction that intersects with the vertical direction and the first direction; and water supply means for supplying water to the humidification bodies 20 so that water can flow through the humidification bodies 20 from top to bottom. At least two adjacent humidification bodies 20 are formed with a hole 20b that penetrates the humidification bodies 20 in the first direction. The hole 20b is of a shape that protrudes to one side and the other side alternately in the second direction from top to bottom. Positions of the holes 20b of the adjacent humidification bodies 20 coincide in the second direction. The holes 20b of the adjacent humidification bodies 20 are formed so that apexes 20d on one side in the second direction of the holes 20b are mutually displaced vertically, and apexes 20d on the other side in the second direction of the holes 20b are mutually displaced vertically.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present disclosure relates to a humidifying element and a humidifying device that generate humidified air.

Conventionally, humidification methods of humidifiers that generate humidified air include a vaporization type, a steam type, and a water spray type. Among these, the evaporative type humidifies the room by blowing air through a humidifier that has a water absorption function, exchanging heat between the moisture contained in the humidifier and the air, evaporating the moisture from the humidifier, and humidifying the room. It's a method. The vaporization type has high energy-saving performance because it is easier to reduce power consumption compared to the steam type and water spray type.

As an evaporative humidifier, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method in which a plurality of humidifiers are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction so as to provide gaps between them, and air is passed through the gaps between the adjacent humidifiers. A humidifying device is disclosed that allows water to flow from above to below a humidifier. Each humidifier has a plate shape. The thickness direction of the humidifier and the direction in which the plurality of humidifiers are lined up coincide with each other. Each humidifier is provided with a hole that penetrates in the thickness direction of the humidifier. In the humidifier disclosed in Patent Document 1, air flowing into the gap between adjacent humidifiers passes through the holes, disturbs the air flowing on the surface of the humidifier, and removes moisture from the humidifier. Evaporation can be accelerated.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 3-230037

However, in the humidifying device disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the humidifying body is provided with holes, the cross-sectional area of the humidifying body when cut in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction is smaller than that of a humidifying body without holes. . As a result, the cross-sectional area of the water flowing through the gaps inside the humidifier becomes small, and a portion of the water tends to overflow from the inside of the humidifier to the surface.

When water overflows onto the surface of a humidifier, it becomes water droplets, and depending on the size of the water droplets, a phenomenon may occur where the water droplets connect adjacent humidifiers. When this phenomenon occurs, the flow of air passing through the gap between adjacent humidifiers is obstructed, resulting in an increase in air pressure loss, a decrease in air volume, and a decrease in the amount of humidification. . In addition, water droplets connecting adjacent humidifiers are caught in the air passing through the gap between adjacent humidifiers and are scattered to the leeward side of the humidifier, causing a problem that they leak out of the humidifier. . Furthermore, water flows only to the area where the water droplets connect adjacent humidifiers, making it difficult for water to flow to other areas, resulting in a problem that the humidification area decreases and the amount of humidification decreases.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present disclosure is to obtain a humidifying element that can suppress the generation of water droplets connecting adjacent humidifiers.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, humidifying elements according to the present disclosure are arranged in a first direction intersecting the up-down direction so as to provide a gap between them, and a plurality of humidifiers through which air can pass through gaps in a second direction intersecting both directions; and a water supply means for supplying water to the humidifiers so that water flows from above to below the humidifiers. There is. At least two adjacent humidifiers have holes that penetrate the humidifiers in the first direction. The shape of the hole is such that it projects alternately in one direction and the other direction in the second direction from above to below. The positions of the holes of adjacent humidifiers in the second direction match. The holes of adjacent humidifiers are arranged such that the vertices of one of the holes in the second direction are offset from each other in the vertical direction, and the vertices of the other hole in the second direction are offset from each other in the vertical direction. is formed.

The humidifying element according to the present disclosure has the effect of suppressing the generation of water droplets that connect adjacent humidifying bodies.

A configuration diagram schematically showing a humidifying device according to Embodiment 1. A perspective view showing a humidifying element in Embodiment 1 A cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III shown in FIG. A front view showing a humidifier in Embodiment 1 A front view showing the state in which the holes of the humidifying body shown in FIG. 4 are projected onto another adjacent humidifying body. A cross-sectional view along the VI-VI line shown in FIG. A front view showing a humidifying body of a humidifying element in a modified example of Embodiment 1. A front view showing the state in which the holes of the humidifying body shown in FIG. 7 are projected onto another adjacent humidifying body.

Below, a humidifying element and a humidifying device according to an embodiment will be described in detail based on the drawings.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing a humidifying device 1 according to the first embodiment. The humidifying device 1 includes a humidifying element 2, a blower 3 that generates air passing through the humidifying element 2, and a heat exchanger 4 that heats the air passing through the humidifying element 2. The humidifying device 1 also includes a control device 5 that controls the operation and stopping of devices such as a blower 3 and a heat exchanger 4, and the supply of water to the humidifying element 2, and a drain pan that receives water flowing down inside the humidifying element 2. 6. The control device 5 is electrically connected to the blower 3 and the heat exchanger 4 via electric wires 7. Air flows in the direction shown by the white arrow Y1. Although not shown, the humidifying element 2, the blower 3, and the heat exchanger 4 are housed inside a single casing that forms the outer shell of the humidifying device 1. Note that the arrangement of the humidifying element 2, the blower 3, and the heat exchanger 4 is not limited to the illustrated example. For example, in this embodiment, the blower 3 is arranged on the windward side of the humidifying element 2 and blows air toward the humidifying element 2, but the blower 3 is arranged on the leeward side of the humidifying element 2 to suck air. You may also do so.

The blower 3 is a device that takes in air from outside the humidifying device 1 and supplies the taken air to the humidifying element 2 . Heat exchanger 4 is arranged between blower 3 and humidifying element 2. The heat exchanger 4 is not particularly limited as long as it can heat the air passing through the humidifying element 2, and is, for example, a direct expansion coil or a heater. After passing through the heat exchanger 4, the air supplied by the blower 3 passes through gaps between a plurality of humidifying bodies 20 (to be described later) of the humidifying element 2, and is blown out to the outside of the humidifying device 1. By passing air through the gaps between the plurality of humidifiers 20, the air and water contained in the humidifiers 20 come into contact and the air is humidified. Further, by supplying air heated by the heat exchanger 4 to the humidifying element 2, the amount of humidification in the humidifying device 1 can be increased. Note that the humidifier 1 does not need to include the heat exchanger 4.

The drain pan 6 is arranged below the humidifying element 2. The drain pan 6 serves to catch excess water from the humidifying element 2. Surplus water refers to water that remains without being used for humidifying the air in the humidifying body 20 of the humidifying element 2. The drain pan 6 includes a drainage section 8 for discharging the received surplus water. Excess water discharged from the drain pan 6 through the drainage part 8 is used for humidification or is discharged to the outside of the humidifier 1. Note that the drainage section 8 may be a drainage mechanism including a tube, a pump, etc. (not shown).

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the humidifying element 2 in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III shown in FIG. Hereinafter, when explaining the directions of each component of the humidifying element 2, the depth direction of the humidifying element 2 is referred to as the X-axis direction, the height direction of the humidifying element 2 is referred to as the Y-axis direction, and the width direction of the humidifying element 2 is referred to as the Z-axis direction. direction. Further, the + direction in the X-axis direction is defined as the front, and the - direction in the X-axis direction is defined as the rear. The + direction in the X-axis direction is the direction from the - side to the + side of the X-axis, and the - direction in the X-axis direction is the direction from the + side to the - side of the X-axis. Further, the + direction in the Y-axis direction is defined as the upper direction, and the - direction in the Y-axis direction is defined as the lower direction. The + direction in the Y-axis direction is the direction from the - side to the + side of the Y-axis, and the - direction in the Y-axis direction is the direction from the + side to the - side of the Y-axis. Further, the + direction in the Z-axis direction is defined as the right direction, and the - direction in the Z-axis direction is defined as the left direction. The + direction in the Z-axis direction is the direction from the - side to the + side of the Z-axis, and the - direction in the Z-axis direction is the direction from the + side to the - side of the Z-axis. The Y-axis direction may also be referred to as the up-down direction. Water flows in the direction indicated by the black arrow Y2 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the humidifying element 2 includes a casing 10 and a plurality of humidifying bodies 20. The shape of each humidifier 20 is a flat plate. The plurality of humidifiers 20 are arranged in the Z-axis direction so as to provide gaps between them. In this embodiment, the Z-axis direction is the first direction intersecting the vertical direction. A gap between adjacent humidifiers 20 becomes an air passage through which air can pass. The blower 3 shown in FIG. 1 generates air that passes through the gap between adjacent humidifiers 20. Air flows through the gap between adjacent humidifiers 20 from the − side to the + side in the X-axis direction. In this embodiment, the X-axis direction is the second direction that intersects both the up-down direction and the first direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, a recessed portion 20a is formed in the center portion of the upper end portion of the humidifying body 20 along the X-axis direction, and is recessed lower than other portions. A diffusing material 30 is arranged within the recess 20a. The diffusion material 30 is arranged so as to extend along the Z-axis direction. The diffusion material 30 and the plurality of humidifiers 20 are arranged such that the upper ends of the plurality of humidifiers 20 collectively contact one diffusion material 30 . A water storage section 12 that stores water to be supplied to the humidification body 20 and a water supply section 11 that supplies water sent from a water supply pipe (not shown) to the water storage section 12 are arranged above the humidification body 20 . A drain port 10k for draining excess water flowing down from the humidifier 20 is arranged below the humidifier 20.

As shown in FIG. 2, the casing 10 is a resin or metal member that houses the humidifier 20. The casing 10 is a box-shaped member and has a bottom wall 10c, a ceiling wall 10d, a front wall 10e, a back wall 10f, a first side wall 10g, and a second side wall 10h. The front wall 10e is provided with a water supply section 11 and a first opening 10i for allowing humidified air to flow into the humidifier 20. The rear wall 10f is provided with a second opening 10j for allowing the humidified air that has passed through the humidifier 20 to flow out. A drain port 10k is provided in the bottom wall 10c. The plurality of humidifiers 20 are exposed to the outside of the casing 10 through the first opening 10i, the second opening 10j, and the drain port 10k.

The casing 10 is divided into a first casing 10a located at the front and a second casing 10b located at the rear. The casing 10 is formed by combining a first casing 10a and a second casing 10b. The first casing 10a constitutes the front wall 10e of the casing 10, and also constitutes part of the bottom wall 10c, the ceiling wall 10d, the first side wall 10g, and the second side wall 10h. The second casing 10b constitutes the rear wall 10f of the casing 10, and also constitutes the remainder of the bottom wall 10c, the ceiling wall 10d, the first side wall 10g, and the second side wall 10h.

The water supply section 11 and the first opening 10i are provided in the first casing 10a. The second opening 10j is provided in the second casing 10b. A cutout 10m is formed in each of the first casing 10a and the second casing 10b in a portion that will become the bottom wall 10c. By combining the first casing 10a and the second casing 10b, the notch 10m of the first casing 10a and the notch 10m of the second casing 10b communicate with each other to form a drain port 10k.

As shown in FIG. 3, the water storage section 12 serves as a water supply means for supplying water to the humidifying body 20 so that water flows from above to below the humidifying body 20. The water storage portion 12 is made of resin, metal, or the like. Water storage section 12 is fixed to casing 10. The water storage section 12 is provided above the diffusion material 30. A plurality of water injection holes 12 a for injecting water into the diffusion material 30 are formed in the bottom surface of the water storage section 12 . Although one water injection hole 12a is illustrated in FIG. 3, a plurality of water injection holes 12a are actually formed at intervals in the Z-axis direction.

The diffusion material 30 is formed of a porous plate material. With the width direction of the diffusion material 30 aligned with the X-axis direction, the thickness direction of the diffusion material 30 aligned with the Y-axis direction, and the length direction of the diffusion material 30 aligned with the Z-axis direction, A diffusion material 30 is arranged. The diffusion material 30 is arranged directly below the water injection hole 12a. The diffusion material 30 absorbs water dripping from the water storage section 12 and sends the water to the humidifier 20. The water absorbed by the diffusion material 30 flows down toward the humidifier 20 while being diffused in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction due to the action of capillary force. The water diffused by the diffusion material 30 is supplied to each of the plurality of humidifiers 20 arranged in the Z-axis direction. Since the diffusion material 30 constantly comes into contact with water, it is preferably formed of a material that is not easily deteriorated by water. The diffusion material 30 is made of a material that does not easily deteriorate with water, and includes porous plates made of polyester such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin, cellulose, and metals such as titanium, copper, and stainless steel. An example of this is a porous plate. The lower end of the diffusion material 30 and the upper end of the humidifier 20 are in contact with each other. If the diffusion material 30 and the humidifying body 20 are in contact with each other, water flows down to the humidifying body 20 without stagnation due to the capillary force of the humidifying body 20.

Humidifier 20 is sandwiched between first casing 10a and second casing 10b. The center of the humidifier 20 along the Y-axis direction, the center of the first opening 10i along the Y-axis direction, and the center of the second opening 10j along the Y-axis direction are at the same height position. . On the other hand, the dimension L1 of the humidifier 20 along the Y-axis direction is larger than the dimension L2 of the first opening 10i along the Y-axis direction and the dimension L3 of the second opening 10j along the Y-axis direction. big. That is, the upper end and the lower end of the humidifier 20 are sandwiched between the casing 10 from both sides in the X-axis direction. The humidifier 20 is held inside the casing 10 so as not to fall out from the first opening 10i and the second opening 10j.

Although the shape of the humidifying body 20 shown in FIG. 2 is not particularly limited, it is preferably a flat plate having a constant thickness as in this embodiment. The plate thickness of the flat humidifier 20 is preferably about 0.3 mm to 2 mm. The shape of the humidifying body 20 may be, for example, a quadrangular prism, a cylinder, a cylindrical shape having a cavity inside, a rectangular cylinder, or a triangular cylinder. The shape of the humidifying body 20 may be changed as appropriate depending on the size of the humidifying device 1 to be manufactured.

As the material for the humidifying body 20, it is preferable to use a woven fabric, a nonwoven fabric, or a resin molded body having continuous pores. However, the material of the humidifying body 20 may be a porous ceramic body, a porous metal body, or the like as long as it has a three-dimensional network structure with a plurality of voids. Even when any of the materials described above is used for the humidifying body 20, it is preferable that the surface of the humidifying body 20 is subjected to a hydrophilic process in order to make it easier for water to spread throughout the humidifying body 20. Methods for making the humidifying body 20 hydrophilic are not particularly limited, and examples include a method of coating the surface of the humidifying body 20 with a hydrophilic resin, and a method of applying corona discharge or atmospheric pressure plasma to the surface of the humidifying body 20.

Note that when the air supplied by the blower 3 passes through the gap between the adjacent humidifiers 20, fine scales such as calcium and magnesium contained in water are deposited on the humidifiers 20. When scale is deposited on the humidifying body 20, the scale may be peeled off from the humidifying body 20 and discharged into the humidifying environment. Further, the precipitation of scale causes clogging of the three-dimensional network structure of the humidifying body 20, which prevents water from being distributed throughout the humidifying body 20, which may reduce the humidifying performance of the humidifying device 1. By subjecting the surface of the humidifying body 20 to hydrophilic processing, water is less likely to stay in the humidifying body 20, and therefore, scale precipitation is suppressed. Thereby, it is possible to suppress discharge of scale into the environment to be humidified, and it is also possible to suppress deterioration in humidifying performance of the humidifying device 1 due to scale precipitation.

Here, the configuration of the humidifier 20 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. Note that FIG. 4 is a front view showing the humidifier 20 in the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a front view showing the hole 20b of the humidifier 20 shown in FIG. 4 projected onto another adjacent humidifier 20. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, each humidifier 20 is formed with a hole 20b that penetrates each humidifier 20 in the Z-axis direction. Hereinafter, the portion of the humidifying body 20 other than the hole 20b will be referred to as a base portion 20c. The holes 20b play the role of disturbing the air flowing on the surface of the humidifying body 20 and promoting the evaporation of moisture from the humidifying body 20. The shape of the hole 20b is such that it projects alternately from above to below in one direction and the other in the X-axis direction. In this embodiment, the shape of the hole 20b is a zigzag shape in which straight portions are continuously and regularly bent, but it may also be in a wavy shape in which curved portions are regularly arranged.

The hole 20b includes a first extending portion 20f extending diagonally upward as it goes from one side to the other in the X-axis direction, and a second extending portion 20g extending diagonally downward as it goes from one side to the other in the X-axis direction. There is. The shapes of the first extending portion 20f and the second extending portion 20g are parallelograms in this embodiment, but may be rectangular, rhombic, oval, or the like. The shape of the hole 20b may be appropriately adjusted in consideration of the increase in the amount of humidification due to disturbance of the air flowing on the surface of the humidifying body 20, the manufacturing method of the humidifying body 20, and the like. Although the number of holes 20b is one in this embodiment, it may be plural. For example, two holes 20b may be provided spaced apart from each other in the X-axis direction. Although the position of the hole 20b is not particularly limited, in this embodiment it is on the leeward side of the center of the humidifier 20 in the X-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the hole 20b is formed in a region of the humidifying body 20 through which air to be humidified flows. The hole 20b is provided at a position overlapping the first opening 10i and the second opening 10j when viewed along the X-axis direction.

As shown in FIG. 5, the positions of the holes 20b of adjacent humidifiers 20 in the X-axis direction match. The shapes of the holes 20b of adjacent humidifiers 20 are the same. Adjacent humidifiers are arranged such that one apex 20d of the hole 20b in the X-axis direction is offset from each other in the vertical direction, and the other apex 20e of the hole 20b in the X-axis direction is offset from each other in the vertical direction. Twenty holes 20b are formed. That is, the phases of the holes 20b of adjacent humidifiers 20 are shifted from each other in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the apex 20d of the hole 20b of one of the adjacent humidifiers 20 and the apex 20e of the hole 20b of the other humidifier 20 are at the same height position, and The holes 20b of adjacent humidifiers 20 are formed such that the apex 20e of the 20 holes 20b and the apex 20d of the hole 20b of the other humidifier 20 are at the same height position.

The shape of the hole 20b is a slit in which the width W in the vertical direction is smaller than the length in the stretching direction. The inner wall of the hole 20b includes a first wall 20h that extends downward from above so as to project alternately in one direction and the other direction in the X-axis direction, and a first wall 20h that is arranged apart from the first wall 20h in the X-axis direction and extends upward. It has a second wall 20i that extends downward from the center so as to alternately project in one direction and the other direction in the X-axis direction. The distance from the first wall 20h to the second wall 20i along the vertical direction of the hole 20b is the width W of the hole 20b. It is preferable that the distance D1 by which the holes 20b of adjacent humidifiers 20 are shifted in the vertical direction is equal to or greater than the maximum distance from the first wall 20h to the second wall 20i along the vertical direction of the holes 20b. The distance D2 by which one vertex 20d of adjacent humidifiers 20 is shifted in the vertical direction is shorter than the distance D3 between one vertex 20d of adjacent humidifiers 20 along the vertical direction. The distance D4 by which the other vertices 20e of the adjacent humidifiers 20 are shifted in the vertical direction is shorter than the distance D5 between the other vertices 20e of the humidifiers 20 in the vertical direction.

By shifting the phases of the holes 20b of adjacent humidifiers in the vertical direction, there are areas where the two holes 20b overlap each other and areas where they do not overlap when viewed along the Z-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 6, in locations where the two holes 20b do not overlap with each other, one of the holes 20b and the base 20c of adjacent humidifiers 20 is arranged with a gap in the Z-axis direction. . Hereinafter, a portion where the two holes 20b do not overlap each other will be referred to as a non-overlapping portion 21. In FIG. 6, the range of the non-overlapping portion 21 is indicated by a rectangular chain double-dashed line. In the non-overlapping portion 21, one of the adjacent humidifiers 20 has a hole 20b and the other has a base 20c, so the water droplets 40 overflowing onto the surface of the humidifier 20 do not connect with the adjacent humidifier 20.

Next, the operation of the humidifier 1 will be explained.

The humidifying device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is capable of humidifying operation and drying operation, and the user can selectively perform humidifying operation and drying operation. As shown in FIG. 3, water flowing from the water supply section 11 flows into the water storage section 12. The water that has flowed into the water storage section 12 drips from the plurality of water injection holes 12 a on the bottom surface of the water storage section 12 and is absorbed by the diffusion material 30 . The water absorbed by the diffusion material 30 flows down while being diffused inside the diffusion material 30 due to the slope of the diffusion material 30, the capillary force of the diffusion material 30, and the gravity of the water, and reaches the lower end of the diffusion material 30. .

Since the lower end of the diffusion material 30 and the upper end of each humidifying body 20 are in contact with each other, water flowing down the diffusion material 30 is supplied to each humidifying body 20 . The water supplied to the humidifying body 20 flows down while being diffused inside the humidifying body 20 due to the capillary force of the humidifying body 20 .

When water flows down inside the humidifying body 20, the air generated by the blower 3 shown in FIG. , is exhausted from the humidifying element 2 as humidified air. That is, on the surface of the humidifying body 20, the air is humidified due to the water vapor partial pressure difference between the air flowing through the gap between the humidifying bodies 20 and the water retained in the humidifying body 20. On the other hand, the remaining water that is not used for humidifying the air in the humidifying body 20 drips from the lower end of the humidifying body 20 and is drained to the outside of the casing 10 from the drain port 10k shown in FIG. Therefore, the flow rate drained from the lower end of the humidifier 20 is equal to the amount of water supplied from the water supply section 11 to the humidifier 20 minus the amount of water used to humidify the air in the humidifier 20.

The humidifying device 1 shown in FIG. 1 stops supplying water from the water supply unit 11 after performing humidifying operation for a predetermined period of time. Subsequently, the humidifier 1 performs a drying operation to dry the plurality of humidifiers 20. Specifically, after the humidification operation, the operation of the blower 3 is continued for a certain period of time, and the air generated by the blower 3 is sent to the humidifier 20. This drying operation dries the humidifier 20 and suppresses the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria and mold in the humidifier 20. If microorganisms such as bacteria and mold grow, the humidifying body 20 becomes unsanitary, and when humidifying operation is performed, microorganisms, mold spores, etc. may be mixed into the humidified air, which is not preferable.

By using the heat exchanger 4 as in this embodiment, warm air can be sent to the humidifying element 2, so that the drying time of the humidifying body 20 can be shortened. However, since energy is required to heat the air, whether or not to use the heat exchanger 4 during the drying operation may be appropriately selected depending on the target specifications of the humidifier 1. The heat exchanger 4, such as a direct expansion coil, can be used not only during drying operation but also during humidifying operation. By heating the air and sending warm air to the plurality of humidifiers 20, the amount of water evaporated in the humidifiers 20 can be increased, and the amount of humidification per unit time can be increased. Like the drying operation, the humidifying operation requires energy to heat the air, so whether or not to use the heat exchanger 4 during the humidifying operation may be appropriately selected depending on the target specifications of the humidifier 1.

Next, the effects of the humidifying device 1 and the humidifying element 2 according to this embodiment will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 4, by providing the holes 20b in the humidifying body 20, the effect of disturbing the air flowing on the surface of the humidifying body 20 and promoting the evaporation of water from the humidifying body 20 can be obtained. On the other hand, when the humidifying body 20 is provided with the holes 20b, the cross-sectional area of the humidifying body 20 when cut in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction becomes smaller than when the humidifying body 20 does not have the holes 20b. As a result, the cross-sectional area of the water flowing through the gaps inside the humidifying body 20 becomes small, and some of the water may overflow from the inside of the humidifying body 20 to the surface. As shown in FIG. 6, when water overflows onto the surface of the humidifying body 20, it becomes water droplets 40, and depending on the size of the water droplets 40, a phenomenon may occur in which the water droplets 40 connect adjacent humidifying bodies 20. When such a phenomenon occurs, the following problems occur.
(1) Since air passing through the gap between adjacent humidifiers 20 is obstructed, the pressure loss of the air increases, the air volume decreases, and the amount of humidification decreases.
(2) The water droplets 40 connecting the adjacent humidifiers 20 are caught in the air passing through the gap between the adjacent humidifiers 20 and are scattered to the leeward side of the humidifier 1, and are exposed to the outside of the humidifier 1. The problem is that it leaks.
(3) The problem is that water flows only to the part where the water droplets 40 connect adjacent humidifiers 20, making it difficult for water to flow to other parts, reducing the humidifying area and reducing the amount of humidification.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the holes 20b formed in each humidifier 20 have a shape that projects alternately from above to below in one direction and the other in the X-axis direction. Further, in this embodiment, the vertices 20d of the holes 20b in the X-axis direction are shifted from each other in the vertical direction, and the vertices 20e of the holes 20b on the other side in the X-axis direction are shifted from each other in the vertical direction. The holes 20b of adjacent humidifiers 20 are formed so as to be offset from each other. With these configurations, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. An overlapping portion 21 is formed. In particular, in this embodiment, the distance D1 by which the holes 20b of adjacent humidifiers 20 shown in FIG. By being at least the maximum distance of , the non-overlapping portion 21 shown in FIG. 6 is reliably formed. On the other hand, when the holes 20b of adjacent humidifiers 20 are formed so as to completely overlap each other when viewed along the Z-axis direction, no non-overlapping portion 21 is formed.

In the non-overlapping portion 21, one of the adjacent humidifiers 20 has a hole 20b and the other has a base 20c, so that the water droplets 40 overflowing onto the surface of one of the adjacent humidifiers 20 are transferred to the adjacent humidifier 20. It doesn't connect with Furthermore, when water droplets 40 connecting two adjacent humidifiers 20 are generated above the non-overlapping portion 21 and flow down, when the water droplets 40 that have flowed down reach the non-overlapping portion 21, the water droplets 40 are connected to the non-overlapping portion 21. It is stretched out and enters the inside of the humidifier 20 through the hole 20b or flows down along the edge of the hole 20b. Therefore, even when the holes 20b are provided in the humidifier 20, it is possible to suppress the phenomenon in which water droplets 40 connect adjacent humidifiers 20, and to suppress the occurrence of the problems (1) to (3) above. can. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, compared to the case where the holes 20b of the adjacent humidifying bodies 20 are formed so as to completely overlap each other when viewed along the Z-axis direction, the holes 20b of the two adjacent humidifying bodies 20 are connected to each other. Since the duration and generation area of water droplets 40 can be reduced, the amount of humidification per unit time can be increased. As a result, the frequency of operating the heat exchanger 4 shown in FIG. 1 to heat the air is reduced, and the energy required for heating the air can be reduced, so that energy saving performance is improved.

Note that when air is heated by the heat exchanger 4, the temperature of the humidified air after passing through the humidifying element 2 is higher than the temperature of the air before passing through the heat exchanger 4. Therefore, humidified air whose temperature is higher than the indoor temperature is supplied indoors. As a result, the indoor temperature increases. In order to lower the increased indoor temperature, an air conditioner (not shown) may perform cooling operation. In this regard, in this embodiment, since the amount of humidification per unit time can be increased, the frequency of heating the air using the heat exchanger 4 can be reduced. Therefore, the temperature of humidified air supplied indoors can be suppressed. This makes it possible to suppress the rise in indoor temperature, thereby reducing the cooling load on the air conditioner installed indoors and improving the energy saving performance of the air conditioner.

In this embodiment, the case where the holes 20b are provided in all of the plurality of humidifiers 20 is illustrated, but the holes 20b may be provided in at least two adjacent humidifiers 20. That is, the holes 20b may be provided in some of the plurality of humidifiers 20.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing the humidifying body 20 of the humidifying element 2 in a modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a front view showing the hole 20b of the humidifier 20 shown in FIG. 7 projected onto another adjacent humidifier 20. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a plurality of holes 20b formed in each humidifier 20 may be arranged at intervals in the X-axis direction. In this way, the range of the non-overlapping portions 21 shown in FIG. It becomes easier to be caught. The interval G between adjacent holes 20b shown in FIG. 7 is shorter than the distance D6 along the X-axis direction from one apex 20d of the holes 20b in the X-axis direction to the other apex 20e of the holes 20b in the X-axis direction. preferable. In this way, the non-overlapping portions 21 are scattered at narrow intervals, making it easier for water droplets 40 to be captured in any one of the plurality of non-overlapping portions 21.

It should be noted that the greater the number of holes 20b, the more likely the phenomenon is that water droplets 40 connect adjacent humidifiers 20. If the number of holes 20b is increased in order to increase the amount of humidification, the amount of humidification increases when the above phenomenon does not occur, but when the above phenomenon occurs, the amount of humidification decreases. Therefore, the amount of water supplied to the humidifying element 2 is usually reduced to prevent water from overflowing onto the surface of the humidifying body 20. However, the water supplied to the humidifying body 20 is used for humidification in the humidifying body 20, and at the same time has the effect of washing away calcium and magnesium components that cause scale to be deposited on the humidifying body 20. When the amount of water supplied to the humidifying body 20 is reduced, scale precipitation is likely to occur inside and on the surface of the humidifying body 20, and the flow path inside the humidifying body 20 is reduced, so that the above phenomenon becomes more likely to occur. I end up. Therefore, suppressing the occurrence of the above phenomenon with a structure in which the humidifying body 20 is provided with a plurality of holes 20b as in the present embodiment is particularly useful for ensuring the humidifying performance of the humidifying device 1.

The configuration shown in the above embodiments is an example, and it is possible to combine it with another known technology, and a part of the configuration can be omitted or changed without departing from the gist. It is possible.

1 humidifying device, 2 humidifying element, 3 blower, 4 heat exchanger, 5 control device, 6 drain pan, 7 electric wire, 8 drainage section, 10 casing, 10a first casing, 10b second casing, 10c bottom wall, 10d Ceiling wall, 10e Front wall, 10f Rear wall, 10g First side wall, 10h Second side wall, 10i First opening, 10j Second opening, 10k Drain port, 10m Notch, 11 Water supply section, 12 Water storage part, 12a Water injection hole, 20 Humidifier, 20a Recess, 20b Hole, 20c Base, 20d, 20e Vertex, 20f First extension part, 20g Second extension part, 20h First wall, 20i Second wall , 21 non-overlapping part, 30 diffusion material, 40 water droplet.

Claims (4)

A plurality of air filters arranged in a first direction intersecting the up-down direction so as to provide gaps between each other, and allowing air to pass through the gaps in a second direction intersecting both the up-down direction and the first direction. a humidifier,
Water supply means for supplying water to the humidifier so that water flows from above to below the humidifier,
A hole passing through the humidifier in the first direction is formed in at least two adjacent humidifiers,
The shape of the hole is such that it projects alternately in one direction and the other direction in the second direction from above to below,
The positions of the holes of the adjacent humidifiers in the second direction match,
such that the vertices of one of the holes in the second direction are offset from each other in the up-down direction, and the vertices of the other hole in the second direction are offset from each other in the up-down direction; A humidifying element characterized in that the holes of the humidifying bodies adjacent to each other are formed. The inner wall of the hole includes a first wall extending alternately in one direction and the other direction in the second direction from above to downward, and a first wall extending away from the first wall in the second direction. a second wall that is arranged and extends so as to alternately protrude from the top to the bottom in one and the other of the second directions;
2. The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein a distance by which the holes of adjacent humidifiers are shifted in the vertical direction is equal to or greater than a maximum distance from the first wall to the second wall along the vertical direction. The humidifying element described. A plurality of the holes are arranged at intervals in the second direction,
The humidifying element according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an interval between the adjacent holes is shorter than a distance along the second direction from the one vertex to the other vertex. The humidifying element according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A humidifier comprising: a blower that generates air passing through the gap between the adjacent humidifiers.

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