JP2023141382A - Space purifier - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a space purifier capable of detecting malfunction of a supply part supplying water or salt water to an electrolytic tank.SOLUTION: An electrolytic tank 20 mixes water and salt water. A water supply part 52 supplies water to the electrolytic tank 20. A salt water supply part 22 supplies the salt water having a prescribed concentration to the electrolytic tank 20. An electrode 21 generates hypochlorous acid from mixed water of the water and the salt water mixed in the electrolytic tank 20. A failure determination part 46 determines a failure in at least one of the water supply part 52 and the salt water supply part 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present disclosure relates to space purification technology, and particularly to a space purification device that sprays water containing hypochlorous acid water.

The space sterilization and deodorization device sprays fine water particles such as chemicals, such as hypochlorous acid water, in order to sterilize the target area. For example, the liquid atomization chamber of the space sterilization and deodorization device releases water droplets from the hypochlorous acid aqueous solution stored in the water storage section. The water droplets are discharged from the outlet to the target area through the air passage through the ventilation by the ventilation unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

International Publication No. 20/158850

A configuration may be considered in which a hypochlorous acid water generation unit that generates hypochlorous acid water is disposed within the space purification device. In the hypochlorous acid water generation section, a predetermined amount of water and a predetermined amount of salt water are supplied to the electrolytic tank using a solenoid valve or a pump, and the mixed water is electrolyzed to produce hypochlorous acid water. generate. If the solenoid valve or pump malfunctions and salt water or water is not supplied to the electrolytic cell, the required concentration and amount of hypochlorous acid water will not be produced and the sterilization and deodorizing effects will be reduced, but the user should be aware of this. It may be difficult to do so.

The present disclosure has been made in view of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a space purification device that can detect a failure in a supply unit that supplies water or salt water to an electrolytic cell.

In order to solve the above problems, a space purification device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an electrolytic cell that mixes water and salt water, a water supply section that supplies water to the electrolytic cell, and a water supply section that supplies salt water of a predetermined concentration to the electrolytic cell. Determine failure of at least one of the salt water supply unit, the electrode unit that generates hypochlorous acid water from the mixed water of water and salt water mixed in the electrolytic tank, and the water supply unit and the salt water supply unit. A failure determination section.

Note that any combination of the above components and the expressions of the present disclosure converted between methods, devices, systems, etc. are also effective as aspects of the present disclosure.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a space purification device that can detect a failure of a supply unit that supplies water or salt water to an electrolytic cell.

It is a figure showing the composition of the space purification system of an example. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the space purification device of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the atomization section, the hypochlorous acid water generation section, and their peripheral configurations in FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the voltage value acquired by the voltage acquisition unit and time when the salt water supply unit in FIG. 3 is out of order. 2 is a flowchart showing processing of the space purification system of FIG. 1. FIG.

Before specifically describing the embodiments of the present disclosure, an outline of the embodiments will be described. This embodiment relates to a space purification system that adjusts humidity and sprays water containing an air purifying component (hereinafter referred to as "air purifying component") into a room. The space purification system includes a space purification device that performs humidity control and sprays water containing air purification components. For example, hypochlorous acid, which has sterilizing or deodorizing properties, is used as the air purifying component. This sterilizes or deodorizes the room.

A hypochlorous acid water generation unit provided inside the space purification device generates hypochlorous acid water. As mentioned above, if the solenoid valve or pump malfunctions and salt water or water is not supplied to the electrolyzer, you will not be able to obtain mixed water with the required concentration and amount, and hypochlorous acid water with the required concentration and amount will not be supplied. The amount of hypochlorous acid released into the air is significantly reduced, but this may be difficult for users to notice. Therefore, in the embodiment, failure of at least one of the water supply section and the salt water supply section is determined.

The examples described below all show one preferred specific example of the present disclosure. Therefore, the numerical values, shapes, materials, components, arrangement positions and connection forms of the components, steps (processes) and order of steps, etc. shown in the following examples are examples and limit the present disclosure. It's not the main idea. Therefore, among the constituent elements in the following examples, constituent elements that are not described in the independent claims representing the topmost concept of the present disclosure will be described as arbitrary constituent elements. Further, in each figure, substantially the same configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a space purification system 100 according to an embodiment. When the space purification system 100 circulates the air in the indoor space 62 (also referred to as "indoor room"), the air purification system 100 contains micronized water and air purifying components in the air (RA: Return Air) from the indoor space 62. It is a device that allows you to The space purification system 100 sterilizes and deodorizes the indoor space 62 by supplying air (SA: Supply Air) that circulates inside the indoor space 62 . Here, hypochlorous acid is used as an air purifying component, and the water containing the air purifying component is hypochlorous acid water.

As shown in FIG. 1, the space purification system 100 includes a space purification device 10, an operating device 70, a duct 64a, a duct 64c, a low reactivity duct 67a, and a low reactivity duct 67c. In this embodiment, the low reactivity duct 67a and the low reactivity duct 67c are collectively referred to as the duct 67.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the space purification device 10 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the space purification device 10 includes a housing 1, a purification air path 5, an atomization section 14, a hypochlorous acid water generation section 19, a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter 11, an air blowing section 12, It includes a temperature/humidity sensor 40 and a control section 41.

The housing 1 forms the outer shell of the space purification device 10, as shown in FIG. The housing 1 has an inlet 2a, an inlet 2c, an outlet 3a, and an outlet 3c. In this embodiment, the suction port 2a and the suction port 2c are collectively referred to as the suction port 2, and the air outlet 3a and the air outlet 3c are collectively referred to as the air outlet 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, the suction port 2a and the suction port 2c are arranged on one side of the housing 1. The air outlet 3a and the air outlet 3c are arranged on the other side of the housing 1 (the side facing one side of the housing 1).

The suction port 2a and the suction port 2c are intake ports that respectively take in air 8a and air 8c outside the housing 1 acquired from the indoor space 62 into the space purification device 10. The air 8a and the air 8c obtained from the indoor space 62 can also be called non-temperature-conditioned air in which the temperature of the indoor space 62 is not adjusted or temperature-conditioned air whose temperature is controlled by an air conditioner or the like separately installed in the indoor space 62.

As shown in FIG. 1, the suction port 2a communicates with an indoor suction port 65a provided on the ceiling of the indoor space 62 via a duct 64a. The suction port 2c communicates with an indoor suction port 65c provided on the ceiling of the indoor space 62 via a duct 64c. Thereby, the suction port 2a can suck the air 8a of the indoor space 62 into the space purification device 10 from the indoor suction port 65a. The suction port 2c can suck air 8c from the indoor space 62 into the space purification device 10 from the indoor suction port 65c.

Note that the indoor suction port 65c may not be provided; in this case, one end of the duct 64a is connected to the indoor suction port 65a, and the other end of the duct 64a is branched and connected to the suction port 2a and the suction port 2c. It's okay.

The air outlet 3 a is an outlet that discharges the air 9 a (SA) that has circulated within the space purification device 10 into the indoor space 62 . The air 9a contains finely divided hypochlorous acid water. The air outlet 3c is an outlet that discharges the air 9c (SA) that has circulated within the space purification device 10 into the indoor space 62. The air 9c also contains finely divided hypochlorous acid water.

As shown in FIG. 1, the air outlet 3a is communicated with an indoor air outlet 68a provided on the ceiling or the like of the indoor space 62 via a low-reactivity duct 67a. The air outlet 3c communicates with an indoor air outlet 68c provided on the ceiling of the indoor space 62 via a low-reactivity duct 67c. Thereby, the air outlet 3a can blow out the air 9a that has circulated within the space purifying device 10 toward the indoor space 62 from the indoor air outlet 68a. The air outlet 3c can blow out the air 9c that has passed through the space purification device 10 toward the indoor space 62 from the indoor air outlet 68c.

Note that the blower outlet 3a and the blower outlet 3c are not distinguished from each other, and, for example, the blower outlet 3c may not be provided. In this case, one end of the low-reactivity duct 67a may be connected to the air outlet 3a, and the other end of the low-reactivity duct 67a may be branched and connected to the indoor air outlet 68a and the indoor air outlet 68c.

Both the low-reactivity duct 67a and the low-reactivity duct 67c are ducts that are connected downstream of the purifying air passage 5 and have inner walls made of a low-reactivity material that does not react well with hypochlorous acid water. The low-reactivity material is, for example, a polyolefin material. The polyolefin material includes, for example, at least one of polyethylene and polypropylene.

As shown in FIG. 2, the purifying air passage 5 is provided in the housing 1, and communicates between the suction port 2 (the suction port 2a and the suction port 2c) and the blowout port 3 (the blowout port 3a and the blowout port 3c). do.

The purifying air passage 5 is an air passage through which both air 8a and air 8c flow. It can also be said that the purifying air passage 5 is an air passage through which air 8a and air 8c are mixed and distributed. In the purifying air passage 5, a HEPA filter 11, a hypochlorous acid water generating section 19, an air blowing section 12, and an atomizing section 14 are provided in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side. More specifically, the hypochlorous acid water generating section 19 is arranged upstream of the blowing section 12 and adjacent to the suction port (not shown) of the blowing section 12 . A finer part 14 is arranged downstream of the air blower 12 at a position adjacent to an outlet (not shown) of the air blower 12 . Further, a temperature/humidity sensor 40 is provided between the HEPA filter 11 and the air blower 12 in the purifying air path 5 . The temperature and humidity sensor 40 measures the temperature and humidity of the air that has passed through the HEPA filter 11 and outputs the measured values to the control unit 41.

The HEPA filter 11 is an air filter that removes dirt, dust, etc. from the air that has flowed into the space purification device 10, and outputs purified air. The HEPA filter 11 is arranged adjacent to the suction port 2a and the suction port 2c.

The blower section 12 is a device for conveying the air that has passed through the HEPA filter 11 to the atomization section 14 along the purification air path 5. The blower section 12 generates a flow of air in the purification air path 5. The blowing section 12 blows the air sucked in from the suction port 2 to the duct 67 via the atomization section 14 and the blow-off port 3 sequentially. More specifically, the blower section 12 is composed of a double-suction type centrifugal fan. The centrifugal fan can have a known configuration. The blower section 12 sucks air from each of suction ports (not shown) provided on the left and right sides toward the atomization section 14, and conveys the air to the atomization section 14 from an exhaust port (not shown). Note that a hypochlorous acid water generating section 19 is arranged upstream of a suction port (not shown) provided on the left side of the blowing section 12.

In the air blowing section 12, the air volume, that is, the rotation speed, is controlled according to the output signal from the control section 41. By operating the air blowing section 12, air is sent to the atomization section 14.

FIG. 3 shows the atomization section 14, the hypochlorous acid water generation section 19, and their peripheral configurations in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 also shows functional blocks related to failure determination included in the control unit 41. The control unit 41 includes a current control unit 42, a voltage acquisition unit 44, and a failure determination unit 46.

The atomization section 14 is a unit for humidifying the air taken into the purification air passage 5, and during humidification, it humidifies the air introduced from the ventilation section 12 together with atomized water as an air purification component. Contain hypochlorous acid. The micronization unit 14 can also be called an air purification unit. The atomization unit 14 dilutes the hypochlorous acid water generated by the hypochlorous acid water generation unit 19 with water, atomizes the diluted hypochlorous acid water by centrifugal crushing, and releases it into the air. The finely divided hypochlorous acid water is discharged from the outlet 3 to the outside of the housing 1 in a state in which the liquid component has evaporated.

The atomization section 14 has a centrifugal crushing unit 15 and a mixing tank 16. The atomization unit 14 rotates the centrifugal crushing unit 15 using a humidifying motor (not shown), sucks up the hypochlorous acid water stored in the mixing tank 16 by centrifugal force, and causes it to scatter, collide, and scatter around (in the centrifugal direction). It has a centrifugal crushing structure that crushes the particles and adds moisture to the air passing through.

The micronization unit 14 changes the rotation speed of the humidification motor according to the output signal from the control unit 41 to adjust the humidification capacity (humidification amount). The amount of humidification can also be said to be the amount of addition of air purifying components to the air. The control unit 41 controls the rotation speed of the centrifugal crushing unit 15 based on the humidity measurement value detected by the temperature and humidity sensor 72.

The hypochlorous acid water generating section 19 is arranged upstream of the blowing section 12 in the purified air path 5. The hypochlorous acid water generation section 19 includes an electrolytic cell 20, an electrode section 21, a salt water supply section 22, a salt water tank 23, a water supply section 52, a full water detection section 57, and a water shortage detection section 58.

The salt water tank 23 stores salt water (sodium chloride aqueous solution). The salt water supply section 22 supplies a predetermined amount of salt water with a predetermined concentration from the salt water tank 23 to the electrolytic cell 20 in accordance with the output signal from the control section 41 . The salt water supply unit 22 includes a salt water transport pump 24 , a check valve 25 , and a water pipe 26 . The salt water transport pump 24 and the check valve 25 are arranged in the water pipe 26. The water pipe 26 allows salt water to flow from the salt water tank 23 to the electrolytic cell 20 by the salt water transport pump 24 performing a transport operation in response to an output signal from the control unit 41 .

The water supply section 52 supplies water supplied from a water supply pipe such as a water supply pipe through the strainer 36 to the electrolytic cell 20 in accordance with an output signal from the control section 41 . The water supply section 52 includes a solenoid valve 54 and a water pipe 56. The solenoid valve 54 controls whether or not the supplied water flows into the water pipe 56 in accordance with the output signal from the control unit 41 . When the electromagnetic valve 54 opens, the water pipe 56 allows water to flow into the electrolytic cell 20. Supply of salt water by the salt water supply section 22 and supply of water by the water supply section 52 are started when the electrolytic cell 20 is almost empty.

The full water detection section 57 is a water level sensor that detects whether the amount of water in the electrolytic cell 20 is at the full water amount, and supplies the detection result to the control section 41 . When the full water level detection unit 57 detects that the full water level has been reached, the control unit 41 causes the water supply unit 52 to stop supplying water, and also causes the salt water supply unit 22 to stop supplying salt water. That is, the water supply section 52 supplies water to the electrolytic cell 20 until the full water level is detected by the full water detection section 57, and the salt water supply section 22 supplies water to the electrolytic cell 20 until the full water level is detected by the full water detection section 57. Salt water is supplied to the tank 20. Thereby, the water supply section 52 and the salt water supply section 22 supply a predetermined amount of water and a predetermined amount of salt water. The amount of water supplied per unit time is greater than the amount of salt water supplied per unit time. Note that the full water amount is smaller than the maximum amount of water that the electrolytic cell 20 can store.

The predetermined amount of salt water can be appropriately determined by experiment or simulation, and may be, for example, around 1/1000 of the predetermined amount of water.

In the electrolytic cell 20, the supplied water and salt water are mixed, and the mixed water of water and salt water is stored. The mixed water is a predetermined amount of salt water with a predetermined concentration that is to be electrolyzed.

The electrode section 21 is arranged in the electrolytic cell 20, and performs electrolysis of salt water by energizing the electrolytic cell 20 in response to an output signal from the control section 41, for example, when it is detected that the amount of water in the electrolytic cell 20 is full. , generates hypochlorous acid water with a predetermined concentration.

That is, the electrolytic cell 20 generates hypochlorous acid water by electrolyzing a chloride aqueous solution (for example, salt water) as an electrolyte between a pair of electrodes. Since a general device is used for the electrolytic cell 20, a detailed explanation will be omitted. Here, the electrolyte is an electrolyte that can generate hypochlorous acid water, and there is no particular restriction as long as it contains even a small amount of chloride ions. For example, when dissolving sodium chloride, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, etc. Examples include aqueous solutions. There is also no problem with hydrochloric acid. In this embodiment, an aqueous chloride solution (salt water) obtained by adding sodium chloride to water is used as the electrolyte.

After a predetermined amount of salt water is supplied and a predetermined amount of water is supplied, the current control section 42 applies a predetermined set current to a predetermined amount of mixed water in the electrolytic cell 20 using the electrode section 21. . The value of the set current can be appropriately determined by experiment or simulation depending on the amount and concentration of mixed water, the electrolysis time, the required concentration of hypochlorous acid water, and the like.

The current control section 42 controls the voltage applied to the electrode section 21 so that a set current flows through the electrode section 21. That is, constant current control is performed in order to bring the concentration of generated hypochlorous acid water to a desired value. Known techniques can be used for constant current control. The current control section 42 controls the voltage applied to the electrode section 21 to be high when the current flowing through the electrode section 21 is smaller than the set current, and controls the voltage applied to the electrode section 21 to be higher when the current flowing through the electrode section 21 is larger than the set current. Control voltage low.

When generation of hypochlorous acid water is completed in the electrolytic cell 20, the hypochlorous acid water supply section 28 supplies the water from the electrolytic cell 20 to the mixing tank 16 of the atomization section 14 in accordance with the output signal from the control section 41. Supply hypochlorous acid water. The hypochlorous acid water supply unit 28 includes a hypochlorous acid water transport pump 29 and a water pipe 30. The hypochlorous acid water transport pump 29 sends out approximately the entire amount of hypochlorous acid water in the electrolytic cell 20 to the water pipe 30 in response to an output signal from the control unit 41 . The water pipe 30 is connected between the hypochlorous acid water transport pump 29 and the mixing tank 16 and sends the hypochlorous acid water toward the mixing tank 16 .

The water supply section 32 supplies water to the mixing tank 16 in accordance with the output signal from the control section 41 . The water supply section 32 includes a solenoid valve 33 and a water pipe 34. The solenoid valve 33 controls whether or not water supplied from a water pipe outside the space purification device 10 via the strainer 36 is caused to flow into the water pipe 34 in accordance with an output signal from the control unit 41 . The water pipe 34 is connected between the electromagnetic valve 33 and the mixing tank 16 and sends water toward the mixing tank 16.

In this way, hypochlorous acid water and water are mixed in the mixing tank 16 of the atomization section 14. A mixture of hypochlorous acid water and water can also be called hypochlorous acid water. The atomization unit 14 sprays hypochlorous acid water into the indoor space 62 by centrifugally crushing the mixed water of hypochlorous acid water and water stored in the mixing tank 16 .

The water shortage detection section 58 is a water level sensor that detects that the amount of water in the electrolytic cell 20 has fallen below the lower limit amount of water, and supplies the detection result to the control section 41 .

Hypochlorous acid water is transported to the atomization unit 14 by the hypochlorous acid water supply unit 28, and when the water shortage detection unit 58 detects that the water amount in the electrolytic cell 20 has fallen below the lower limit water amount, the hypochlorous acid water The water generation unit 19 generates hypochlorous acid water again. When the amount of water in the electrolytic cell 20 is less than the lower limit water amount, the water supply section 52 supplies water to the electrolytic cell 20, and the salt water supply section 22 supplies salt water to the electrolytic cell 20.

The drain pan 37 is arranged under the atomization section 14, the hypochlorous acid water generation section 19, the hypochlorous acid water supply section 28, and the water supply section 32, and receives water falling from these. When the water level in the drain pan 37 reaches a predetermined value, the drain pump 38 drains the water in the drain pan 37 by flowing it into a drainage drain 39.

An operating device 70 is installed on the wall of the indoor space 62, as shown in FIG. The operating device 70 includes a user interface that can be operated by a user, and receives settings of a humidity setting value and an operating mode from the user. The operation modes include modes for specifying the amount of hypochlorous acid in the air, such as deodorization mode, sterilization mode, and normal mode. The operating device 70 includes a temperature and humidity sensor 72 that measures the temperature and humidity of the air in the indoor space 62. Since any known technology may be used to measure the temperature and humidity in the temperature/humidity sensor 72, the description thereof will be omitted here. The operating device 70 also includes a first failure notification section 48 and a second failure notification section 50. The first failure notification unit 48 and the second failure notification unit 50 will be described later.

The operating device 70 is connected to the control unit 41 by wire or wirelessly, and transmits humidity setting values, measured humidity values, and operation mode information to the control unit 41. All of these pieces of information may be sent together, any two or more pieces of information may be sent together, or each piece of information may be sent individually.

The control unit 41 controls the ventilation unit 12, the hypochlorous acid water generation unit 19, and the atomization unit 14. The control section 41 controls the concentration of hypochlorous acid in the mixed water of the atomization section 14 by controlling the supply amount of hypochlorous acid water and the supply amount of water to the atomization section 14 . More specifically, the control unit 41 controls the concentration of hypochlorous acid in the mixed water based on the required humidification amount. For example, when a small amount of humidification is required, the control unit 41 increases the concentration of hypochlorous acid in the mixed water. This makes it possible to satisfy the required amount of hypochlorous acid and maintain appropriate humidity. On the other hand, if a large amount of humidification is required and the concentration of hypochlorous acid in the mixed water is high, a large amount of hypochlorous acid will be supplied to the indoor space 62 along with a large amount of water, and the Chlorite concentration increases. As a result, the odor of hypochlorous acid becomes strong in the indoor space 62, and depending on the amount, it may be unpleasant for users. Therefore, when the required amount of humidification is large, by lowering the concentration of hypochlorous acid in the mixed water, the amount of humidification sent into the indoor space 62 can be increased and the amount of hypochlorous acid can be reduced. You can do less. Therefore, the control unit 41 can control the amount of hypochlorous acid released and the humidity at the same time.

Note that the control unit 41 may control the concentration of hypochlorous acid in the mixed water of the atomization unit 14 based on the required amount of hypochlorous acid. For example, when the required amount of humidification is small, the control unit 41 increases the concentration of hypochlorous acid in the mixed water as the required amount of hypochlorite increases. On the other hand, when the required amount of humidification is large, the control unit 41 lowers the concentration of hypochlorous acid in the mixed water as the required amount of hypochlorite increases.

Next, failure determination of the salt water supply section 22 and the water supply section 52 will be explained. Fault determination is performed during electrolysis of mixed water.

The voltage acquisition unit 44 of the control unit 41 acquires the voltage value applied to the electrode unit 21 when the current control unit 42 applies the set current.

The failure determination unit 46 determines whether or not there is a failure in each of the salt water supply unit 22 and the water supply unit 52 based on the voltage value acquired by the voltage acquisition unit 44. If the amount of water in the electrolytic cell 20 is greater than or equal to the lower limit water amount and less than or equal to the full water amount, and the voltage value acquired by the voltage acquisition portion 44 is greater than or equal to the first threshold Th1, the failure determination portion 46 determines whether or not the salt water supply portion 22 is activated. It is determined that there is a failure, and the determination result is output to the first failure notification section 48.

For example, if the transport pump 24 is out of order, that is, if the salt water supply unit 22 is out of order, salt water is not supplied to the electrolytic cell 20, but only water is supplied, so the salt content of the mixed water in the electrolytic cell 20 is The concentration is significantly lower than the salt concentration when the salt water supply section 22 is normal. In other words, the electrical conductivity of the mixed water becomes lower than normal. Therefore, in order to cause the set current to flow, it is necessary to apply a higher voltage to the electrode section 21 than in normal times.

FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the voltage value acquired by the voltage acquisition section 44 and time when the salt water supply section 22 of FIG. 3 is out of order. After the start of energization, the current control unit 42 increases the voltage applied to the electrode unit 21 because the current is smaller than the set current, and the voltage becomes higher than the first threshold Th1. Therefore, a failure of the salt water supply section 22 is detected. The first threshold Th1 can be appropriately determined by experiment or simulation so that a failure of the salt water supply section 22 can be detected.

If the voltage value acquired by the voltage acquisition unit 44 is less than or equal to the second threshold Th2, the failure determination unit 46 determines that the water supply unit 52 has failed, and outputs the determination result to the second failure notification unit 50.

When the water supply section 52 is out of order, water is not supplied to the electrolytic cell 20 and only salt water is supplied, so the salt concentration of the mixed water in the electrolytic cell 20 is different from that when the water supply section 52 is normal. significantly higher than salinity. In other words, the electrical conductivity of the mixed water becomes higher than normal. Therefore, in order to cause the set current to flow, it is necessary to apply a voltage lower than the normal voltage to the electrode section 21, and the applied voltage becomes lower than the second threshold Th2. The second threshold Th2 is smaller than the first threshold Th1. The second threshold Th2 can be appropriately determined by experiment or simulation so that a failure of the water supply section 52 can be detected.

The first threshold Th1 and the second threshold Th2 are values corresponding to a predetermined amount of salt water and a predetermined amount of water, respectively, and may be stored in advance in a storage section (not shown) in the control section 41, or The amount of water may be calculated by a not-shown calculation unit in the control unit 41 based on a predetermined calculation formula.

If the voltage value acquired by the voltage acquisition unit 44 is higher than the second threshold Th2 and lower than the first threshold Th1, the failure determination unit 46 determines that the salt water supply unit 22 and the water supply unit 52 are not in failure.

If the failure determination unit 46 determines that the salt water supply unit 22 or the water supply unit 52 is out of order, the failure determination unit 46 may stop the current supply to the current control unit 42 and stop electrolysis of the mixed water.

The first failure notification unit 48 notifies the failure of the salt water supply unit 22 when the failure determination unit 46 determines that the salt water supply unit 22 has failed. The second failure notification unit 50 notifies the failure of the water supply unit 52 when the failure determination unit 46 determines that the water supply unit 52 has failed. The first failure notification unit 48 and the second failure notification unit 50 can notify the surroundings of a failure using at least one of sound, light, and text, for example. A user or the like who is notified of the failure can easily recognize that the salt water supply section 22 or the water supply section 52 is malfunctioning.

The main body of the device, system, or method in the present disclosure includes a computer. When this computer executes the program, the main functions of the device, system, or method of the present disclosure are realized. A computer includes, as its main hardware configuration, a processor that operates according to a program. The type of processor does not matter as long as it can implement a function by executing a program. A processor is composed of one or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) or a large scale integration (LSI). A plurality of electronic circuits may be integrated on one chip or may be provided on a plurality of chips. A plurality of chips may be integrated into one device, or may be provided in a plurality of devices. The program is recorded on a computer-readable non-temporary recording medium such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), an optical disk, or a hard disk drive. The program may be stored in the recording medium in advance, or may be supplied to the recording medium via a wide area communication network including the Internet.

The operation of the space purification system 100 with the above configuration will be explained. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing of the space purification system 100 of FIG. The process in FIG. 5 starts when the control unit 41 outputs an instruction to generate hypochlorous acid water.

The salt water supply unit 22 supplies a predetermined amount of salt water (S10). The water supply unit 52 supplies a predetermined amount of water (S12). The salt water supply section 22 may supply salt water while the water supply section 52 is supplying water. The order of S10 and S12 may be reversed. The current control unit 42 applies a set current to the electrode unit 21 (S14), and the voltage acquisition unit 44 acquires the voltage value applied to the electrode unit 21 (S16).

If the voltage value is less than or equal to the second threshold Th2 (Y in S18), the failure determination unit 46 determines that the water supply unit 52 has failed (S20), and the second failure notification unit 50 indicates that the water supply unit 52 has failed. Notification is made (S22), and the process ends.

If the voltage value is not less than the second threshold Th2 (N of S18), the failure determination unit 46 determines whether the water amount in the electrolytic cell 20 is more than the lower limit water amount and less than the full water amount, and the voltage value is more than the first threshold Th1. If (Y in S24), it is determined that the salt water supply section 22 is malfunctioning (S26), the first failure notification section 48 notifies the malfunction of the salt water supply section 22 (S28), and the process ends. In S24, if the water amount in the electrolytic cell 20 is not less than the lower limit water amount and not more than the full water amount, and the voltage value is not less than the first threshold Th1 (N in S24), the process ends. Note that the order of S18 and S24 may be changed. In this case, if N in S24, the process moves to S18, and if N in S18, the process ends.

According to this embodiment, since it is determined whether or not there is a failure in each of the water supply section 52 and the salt water supply section 22, these failures can be detected. Therefore, it is possible to deal with failures of the water supply unit 52 and the salt water supply unit 22, for example failures of the electromagnetic valve 54 and the salt water transport pump 24.

The present disclosure has been described above based on examples. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that this example is merely an example, and that various modifications can be made to the combinations of these components or processing processes, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present disclosure. .

For example, in the embodiment, it is determined whether there is a failure in both the water supply unit 52 and the salt water supply unit 22, but the failure determination unit 46 determines whether there is a failure in either the water supply unit 52 or the salt water supply unit 22. You may judge. For example, if it is known in advance that one of the water supply section 52 and the salt water supply section 22 may fail more frequently than the other, and the other rarely fails, it may be determined that the one that fails frequently has failed. . In this modification, control can be simplified.

In the embodiment, the failure determination unit 46 determines whether there is a failure in the water supply unit 52 based on the voltage value acquired by the voltage acquisition unit 44, but instead of this determination, the failure determination unit 46 If the full water level is not detected by the full water detection unit 57 within a predetermined period of time after the water supply unit 52 starts supplying water, it may be determined that the water supply unit 52 is malfunctioning. The predetermined time can be set based on the time from when water supply starts until the full water level is reached when the water supply section 52 is normal. In this modification, the degree of freedom in configuring the space purification device 10 can be improved.

In the embodiment, the salt water supply section 22 supplies salt water using the salt water transport pump 24, but instead of the salt water transport pump 24, salt water may be supplied using a solenoid valve. In the embodiment, the water supply unit 52 supplies salt water using the electromagnetic valve 54, but the electromagnetic valve 54 may be replaced with a transport pump. According to these modifications, the degree of freedom in the configuration of the space purification device 10 can be improved.

In the embodiment, the full water detection section 57 is provided, but the full water detection section 57 may not be provided. In this case, the salt water supply section 22 supplies a predetermined amount of salt water to the electrolytic cell 20, and the water supply section 52 supplies a predetermined amount of water to the electrolytic cell 20. The predetermined salt water amount and the predetermined water amount are set so that the total amount of the predetermined salt water amount and the predetermined water amount becomes the full water amount.

An overview of one aspect of the present disclosure is as follows. A space purification device (10) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an electrolytic cell (20) that mixes water and salt water, a water supply section (52) that supplies water to the electrolytic cell (20), and an electrolytic cell (20) that supplies water to the electrolytic cell (20). ), a salt water supply unit (22) that supplies salt water of a predetermined concentration to the electrolytic cell (20), and an electrode unit (21) that generates hypochlorous acid water from the mixed water of water and salt water mixed in the electrolytic cell (20); It includes a failure determination unit (46) that determines failure of at least one of the water supply unit (52) and the salt water supply unit (22).

The space purification device (10) includes a current control unit (42) that applies a predetermined set current to a predetermined amount of mixed water using an electrode unit (21), and a current control unit (42) that applies a predetermined set current to a predetermined amount of mixed water. a voltage acquisition unit (44) that acquires a voltage value applied to the electrode unit (21), and a failure determination unit (46) that detects a failure based on the voltage value acquired by the voltage acquisition unit (44). may be determined.

The salt water supply section (22) supplies a predetermined amount of salt water to the electrolytic cell (20), the water supply section (52) supplies a predetermined amount of water to the electrolytic cell (20), and the current control section (42). ) energizes the set current after supplying a predetermined amount of salt water and supplying a predetermined amount of water, and the failure determination unit (46) applies the voltage acquired by the voltage acquisition unit (44). If the value is greater than or equal to the predetermined amount of salt water and the first threshold value corresponding to the predetermined amount of water, it may be determined that the salt water supply section (22) has failed.

The space purification device (10) includes a first failure notification unit (48) that notifies the failure of the salt water supply unit (22) when the failure determination unit (46) determines that the failure of the salt water supply unit (22) has occurred. It's okay.

The salt water supply section (22) supplies a predetermined amount of salt water to the electrolytic cell (20), the water supply section (52) supplies a predetermined amount of water to the electrolytic cell (20), and the current control section (42). ) energizes the set current after supplying a predetermined amount of water and supplying a predetermined amount of salt water, and the failure determination unit (46) applies the set current, If the voltage value is less than or equal to the second threshold corresponding to the predetermined amount of salt water and the predetermined amount of water, it may be determined that the water supply unit (52) is malfunctioning.

The space purification device (10) includes a full water detection section (57) that detects whether the water amount in the electrolytic cell (20) is at full water level, and the salt water supply section (22) supplies a predetermined amount of salt water to the electrolytic cell (20). The water supply unit (52) supplies water to the electrolytic cell (20) until the full water level is detected by the full water detection unit (57), and the failure determination unit (46) supplies water to the electrolytic cell (20). If the full water amount is not detected by the full water detection section (57) within a predetermined period of time after the start of water supply by the section (52), it may be determined that the water supply section (52) is malfunctioning.

The space purification device (10) includes a second failure notification unit (50) that notifies a failure of the water supply unit (52) when the failure determination unit (46) determines that the water supply unit (52) has failed. It's okay.

The salt water supply section (22) may supply salt water using a pump (24) or a solenoid valve.

The water supply section (52) may supply water using a pump or a solenoid valve (54).

The space purification device according to the present disclosure atomizes hypochlorous acid water and releases it into the air, and is useful as a device for sterilizing or deodorizing the air in a target space.

1 Housing, 2, 2a, 2c Suction port, 3, 3a, 3c Air outlet, 5 Purification air path, 8a, 8c, 9a, 9c Air, 10 Space purification device, 11 HEPA filter, 12 Air blower, 14 Refinement Part, 15 centrifugal crushing unit, 16 mixing tank, 19 hypochlorous acid water generation section, 20 electrolytic cell, 21 electrode section, 22 salt water supply section, 23 salt water tank, 24 salt water transfer pump, 25 check valve, 26 water pipe , 28 hypochlorous acid water supply section, 29 hypochlorous acid water transfer pump, 30 water pipe, 32 water supply section, 33 solenoid valve, 34 water pipe, 36 strainer, 37 drain pan, 38 drainage pump, 39 drainage drain, 40 temperature and humidity sensor, 41 control unit, 42 current control unit, 44 voltage acquisition unit, 46 failure determination unit, 48 first failure notification unit, 50 second failure notification unit, 52 water supply unit, 54 solenoid valve, 56 water pipe , 57 Full water detection section, 58 Water shortage detection section, 62 Indoor space, 64a, 64c Duct, 65a, 65c Indoor suction port, 67 Duct, 67a, 67c Low reactivity duct, 68a, 68c Indoor outlet, 70 Operating device, 72 Temperature and humidity sensor, 100 space purification system.

Claims (9)

An electrolytic cell that mixes water and salt water,
a water supply unit that supplies the water to the electrolytic cell;
a salt water supply unit that supplies the salt water at a predetermined concentration to the electrolytic cell;
an electrode unit that generates hypochlorous acid water from the mixed water of the water and the salt water mixed in the electrolytic tank;
a failure determination unit that determines a failure of at least one of the water supply unit and the salt water supply unit;
A space purification device equipped with. a current control unit that applies a predetermined set current to a predetermined amount of the mixed water through the electrode unit;
a voltage acquisition unit that acquires a voltage value applied to the electrode unit when the current control unit applies the set current,
The failure determination unit includes:
The space purification device according to claim 1, wherein a failure is determined based on the voltage value acquired by the voltage acquisition unit. The salt water supply section includes:
Supplying a predetermined amount of salt water to the electrolytic cell,
The water supply section includes:
Supplying a predetermined amount of water to the electrolytic cell,
The current control section includes:
After supplying the predetermined amount of salt water and supplying the predetermined amount of water, energizing the set current;
The failure determination unit includes:
The space purification device according to claim 2, wherein if the voltage value acquired by the voltage acquisition unit is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount of salt water and a first threshold value corresponding to the predetermined amount of water, it is determined that the salt water supply unit has failed. The space purification device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a first failure notification unit that notifies the failure of the salt water supply unit when the failure determination unit determines that the salt water supply unit has failed. The salt water supply section includes:
Supplying a predetermined amount of salt water to the electrolytic cell,
The water supply section includes:
Supplying a predetermined amount of water to the electrolytic cell,
The current control section includes:
After supplying the predetermined amount of water and supplying the predetermined amount of salt water, energizing the set current;
The failure determination unit includes:
The space purification device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein if the voltage value acquired by the voltage acquisition unit is equal to or less than a second threshold value corresponding to the predetermined amount of salt water and the predetermined amount of water, it is determined that the water supply unit is malfunctioning. . comprising a full water detection unit that detects whether the water amount in the electrolytic cell is at full water level,
The salt water supply section includes:
Supplying a predetermined amount of salt water to the electrolytic cell,
The water supply section includes:
Supplying water to the electrolytic cell until the full water level is detected by the full water detection unit,
The failure determination unit includes:
The space purification device according to claim 1, wherein if the full water level is not detected by the full water detection unit within a predetermined period of time after the water supply unit starts supplying water, it is determined that the water supply unit is malfunctioning. The space purification device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a second failure notification unit that notifies a failure of the water supply unit when the failure determination unit determines that the water supply unit has failed. 8. The space purification device according to claim 1, wherein the salt water supply unit supplies salt water using a pump or a solenoid valve. The space purification device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the water supply unit supplies water using a pump or a solenoid valve.

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