JP3304882B2 - humidifier - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steam-type humidifier for evaporating water and humidifying the water, and more particularly to a control for cleaning water scale attached to a storage tank for storing water.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a steam-type humidifier has been used in which tap water supplied to a storage tank is heated by a heater or the like, boiled and evaporated. By the way, since inorganic salts such as calcium and magnesium are dissolved in tap water, these are concentrated with the evaporation of water and may precipitate as scale. When the scale is deposited, it adheres in a hardened state to the inner wall surface of the storage tank, and reduces the heat transfer efficiency of the heater.

[0003] Therefore, in the humidifier, there is a cleaning method of dissolving and removing the scale attached to the inner wall surface of the storage tank by introducing citric acid or the like as a chemical into the storage tank and performing a humidification operation for several hours. Used. In this case, if scale cannot be removed by one humidification operation, the humidification operation is repeated several times.

[0004]

However, in the conventional cleaning method, the humidifying operation is performed for cleaning, and the electric power required for driving the heater is wasted. In addition, since the water was boiled, it wasted water and was uneconomical in terms of energy saving. Further, there is a problem that the humidification is performed when the humidity is not required, and the inside of the room becomes excessively humid, giving a user discomfort.

[0005] As described above, if the inside of the storage tank is simply cleaned, it is not necessary to perform the humidifying operation by boiling the water. In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a humidifier that can be economically performed when cleaning the inside of a storage tank and does not cause discomfort to a user.

[0006]

The object of the present invention is to provide a storage tank for storing water, a heater as heating means for boiling water in the storage tank to generate steam, and
Control means for controlling the heater, the control means, when performing a cleaning operation to remove water scale in the storage tank, to reduce the water temperature in the storage tank to a cleaning temperature lower than the boiling temperature during the humidification operation It controls the heater.

[0007] Scale may adhere to the wall surface in the storage tank due to the humidification operation. In order to remove the scale, for example, citric acid is charged as a chemical into the storage tank and the heater is driven to perform a cleaning operation. . In this case, the heater is controlled so that the water in the storage tank is not boiled, that is, the cleaning temperature is lower than the boiling temperature.

With this configuration, the heater does not need to be driven until the water is boiled as in the related art, so that the power consumption required for driving the heater can be reduced. In addition, since water is not evaporated, water can be saved, and the inside of the room does not become excessively humid.

In this case, as a method of maintaining the cleaning temperature, the temperature of the water in the storage tank is detected, and the heater is controlled based on the detection output to maintain the temperature of the water in the storage tank at the cleaning temperature. According to this, the water temperature during the cleaning operation can be accurately maintained at a temperature suitable for cleaning, and the efficiency of cleaning the inside of the storage tank can be increased. Alternatively, the heater is controlled based on the power supply rate to the heater, that is, the ratio of the ON / OFF time of power supply to the heater so that the water temperature in the storage tank becomes the cleaning temperature.

[0010] When the cleaning operation is performed, operating conditions at that time, for example, a cleaning temperature and a cleaning operation time may be set, and the scale in the storage tank may be removed according to the operating conditions. By doing so, the operating conditions of the cleaning operation can be set in consideration of the degree of adhesion of the scale, the cleaning time zone, and the like, so that the scale can be more appropriately and reliably removed.

Further, the humidifying operation time is cumulatively measured, and when the measured cumulative time reaches the reference time, a medicine is charged into the storage tank and control for the cleaning operation is automatically started. Or inform. Thereby, even if the user forgets the time to clean the inside of the storage tank, the cleaning is automatically started, so that a highly convenient humidifier can be provided.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<First Embodiment> FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a humidifier according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This humidifier is a steam-type humidifier that humidifies the inside of a room with steam generated by boiling water, and a water tank 2 that is detachably attached to a main body 1 and a water tank that stores water from the water tank 2. 3 and a storage tank 4 for storing water supplied from the water tank 3
And a heater 5 as heating means for heating and boiling water in the storage tank 4 to generate steam.

The water supply tank 2 has a water supply port formed on the lower surface thereof and is normally closed by a water supply cap 6 having a water supply valve structure. When the water supply tank 2 is mounted on the mounting portion 7 formed on the upper surface of the water tank 3 and mounted on the main body 1, a pin (not shown) in the water tank 3 opens the water supply valve in the water supply cap 6 to open. , The water supply tank 2 is in a state where water can be supplied.

The storage tank 4 is formed in a cylindrical shape and has an upper opening 8.
Is a steam outlet. In addition, an inflow port 9 is formed on the lower surface, and is connected to the water tank 3 by a connecting pipe 10. A coil-shaped heater 5 is wound around a lower outer wall of the storage tank 4. The heater 5 is disposed at a position lower than a specified water level of the water supplied to the storage tank 4.
In addition, as the heating means, an electromagnetic induction heating type may be used instead of the heater 5. Further, a water temperature detection sensor 11 as a water temperature detecting means for detecting a water temperature in the storage tank 4 is provided on a lower inner wall of the storage tank 4.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an electrical configuration of the humidifier. According to the figure, a commercial power supply 13 is supplied from an outlet or the like, and is connected to the auto transformer TR via a current fuse F. The auto transformer TR has two rectifiers.
Two diodes D1 and D2 are connected in series to extract a low voltage, and a smoothing electrolytic capacitor C is connected in parallel to each of the diodes D1 and D2. Both ends of the electrolytic capacitor C are connected to a control circuit 15 as control means via a constant voltage circuit 14, and a DC power supply voltage is supplied to the control circuit 15.

The control circuit 15 is constituted by a one-chip microcomputer which plays a central role in the present embodiment, a memory 16 for storing a predetermined control program, operation variables, and the like, and a timer for humidifying operation time. Has a timer 17 therein. Further, the control circuit 15 has an EEPR for storing the accumulated time of the humidifying operation.
A nonvolatile memory M such as an OM is connected. Even when the power supply voltage is not supplied to the humidifier due to a power failure, removal of a plug from an outlet, or the like, the nonvolatile memory M stores and holds the accumulated time of the humidification operation.

The commercial power source 13 is connected to the heater 5.
The heater 5 has a load driving circuit 18 for driving the heater 5.
Is connected. The load drive circuit 18 includes a triac 1 which is a semiconductor switching element connected to the heater 5.
9, a switching transistor 21 connected to a gate terminal of the switching transistor 21 via a resistor 20, and the above-described control circuit 15 is connected to a base terminal of the switching transistor 21. That is, the switching transistor 21 and the triac 19 are turned on by the control signal from the control circuit 15 according to the operation mode, and the heater 5 is driven.

The control circuit 15 is connected with a display circuit 22 for displaying the operation state of the humidifier and an operation circuit 23 as setting means for setting the operation.
The display circuit 22 has a humidifying lamp LED indicating that the humidifying operation is being performed.
1. Maintenance lamp LED2 indicating that cleaning operation is in progress, and two timer lamps L indicating remaining time of humidification operation and cleaning operation.
EDs 3 and 4 are provided.

The operation circuit 23 includes a humidification switch SW1 for starting the humidification operation, a maintenance switch SW2 for starting the cleaning operation, a timer switch SW3 for setting a humidification operation time, and a switch for stopping the humidification operation and the cleaning operation. SW4 and a changeover switch SW5 for setting the cleaning operation time are provided.

Each of the switches SW1 to SW4 is constituted by a momentary key switch whose contact is made conductive only when pressed. Further, the changeover switch SW5 is a three-terminal switch for setting three states, and can set a cleaning time. The changeover switch SW5 can be set to a “careful” mode (for example, 15 hours) or a “normal” mode (for example, 10 hours). ) Or "high speed" mode (for example, 5 hours) (see FIG. 4).

The control circuit 15 is connected to the above-described water temperature detection sensor 11, detects the water temperature in the storage tank 4, and inputs the value to the control circuit 15. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the control circuit 15 is connected to a reset signal generation circuit for initializing the control circuit 15, an oscillation circuit for supplying a clock pulse, and the like.

In the above configuration, when the water supply tank 2 is mounted on the receiver 7, the water in the water supply tank 2 enters the storage tank 4 from the water tank 3 through the connecting pipe 10, and is supplied to the same water level as the water level in the water tank 3. Is done. In the humidifying operation, the control circuit 1
The output from the heater 5 drives the heater 5 continuously or intermittently, and the water in the storage tank 4 is heated and boiled. Then, the boiling water is blown out as steam through the opening 8 of the storage tank 4 to humidify the inside of the room.

Incidentally, tap water supplied to the storage tank 4 contains inorganic salts such as calcium and magnesium dissolved therein, and these are concentrated with the evaporation of water, and may be deposited as scale. When the scale is deposited, it adheres and accumulates in a hardened state on the inner wall surface of the storage tank 4 and reduces the heat transfer efficiency of the heater 5.

Therefore, a cleaning operation is performed in order to remove the scale attached to the storage tank 4. At this time, the temperature of the water in the storage tank 4 becomes a cleaning temperature (80 ° C.) lower than the boiling temperature (100 ° C.), instead of boiling and evaporating the water in the storage tank 4 as in the related art. The heater 5 is controlled as described above. As described above, if the heater 5 is controlled, power for boiling the water is not required unlike the related art, and the power consumption required for driving the heater 5 can be significantly reduced.

A specific control operation of the control circuit 15 for the above series of operations will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. When the user presses the humidification switch SW1 of the operation circuit 23, the humidification operation is started (step S1). The control circuit 15 sends a control signal (High level) to the switching transistor 21 of the load drive circuit 18. As a result, the switching transistor 21 is turned on and the triac 19 is turned on. Then, the commercial power supply 13 is applied to the heater 5 to drive it, and at the same time, the display circuit 22 is driven by the output from the control circuit 15.
Is turned on.

At this time, the timer 17 is also started,
Start timing the humidification operation time. When the humidification operation is stopped, the timer 17 stops counting the time. Control circuit 15
Causes the non-volatile memory M to temporarily store the time measured up to that time. Then, when the humidification operation is restarted, the time measurement is also restarted, and the time measurement is read from the nonvolatile memory M, and the humidification operation time is measured and accumulated (step S2).

Thus, the accumulated time of the humidification operation is 1
When the time reaches 000 hours (YES in step S3), the humidification operation is stopped, and a cleaning operation for removing scale from the storage tank 4 is started (step S4). Specifically, the control circuit 15 sets the switching transistor 21 to Low.
A level control signal is output to turn off the heater 5, and the user is notified of this by sounding a buzzer, displaying a message, or the like. At the same time, the humidification lamp LED1 of the display circuit 22 is turned off, and the maintenance lamp LED2 is turned on instead. When the cleaning operation is started, the accumulated time of the humidification operation is reset to 0 hour.

Next, a process of determining whether a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) has elapsed is performed (step S5). The predetermined time is provided for setting the changeover switch SW5 of the operation circuit 23 and inputting citric acid after the user knows by a buzzer or the like that the cleaning operation is started. That is, the user selects and sets how long the cleaning operation is performed during the five minutes. And
During this time, citric acid is charged into the storage tank 4.

When a predetermined time has elapsed, the control circuit 15 reads the setting state of the changeover switch SW5 (step S5).
6). Then, the setting state of the change-over switch SW5 is determined (step S7), and the change-over switch SW5 is turned on.
If the mode is set, the cleaning time is set to 15 hours (step S8). If the mode is set to the "normal" mode, the cleaning time is set to 10 hours (step S8).
9) If the "high-speed" mode is set, the cleaning time is set to 5 hours (step S10), and one of the cleaning times is stored in the memory 16.

As described above, the user can selectively set the cleaning time as described above in consideration of the situation at that time, for example, the degree of adhesion of the scale, the time zone (time) during which the cleaning operation is performed, and the like. Can be. For example, if the degree of adhesion of scale is large, lengthen the cleaning time and carefully clean it.If the amount of scale is small or if you want to finish cleaning early before going to bed, set a shorter cleaning time. do it. As described above, since the cleaning time can be set in accordance with the degree of adhesion of the scale, unnecessary cleaning time can be saved, cleaning can be performed at a suitable time, and time can be effectively used. Therefore, a humidifier that is easy to use can be obtained.

Next, the temperature of the water in the storage tank 4 is detected by the water temperature detection sensor 11 (step S11), and the heater 5 is controlled so as to maintain the water temperature at a constant temperature of 80 ° C. That is, in step S12, the value of the water temperature is determined, and if the water temperature is 80 ° C. or higher, the heater 5 is turned off (step S13, if the heater 5 is off before that, the heater 5 is kept off), and the water temperature is continued. Lower. When the water temperature is 70
If the temperature is within the range of ~ 80 ° C, the heater 5 is intermittently driven (step S14) so that the water temperature approaches 80 ° C. Specifically, the heater 5 is driven in a cycle of ON for 2 minutes and OFF for 1 minute. If the water temperature is lower than 70 ° C., the heater 5 is turned on (step S15) to increase the water temperature. As described above, the cleaning operation is performed by controlling the heater 5, and when the cleaning time set by the changeover switch SW5 has elapsed (YES in step S16), the cleaning operation ends. Thereafter, the user cools the main body 1 and then drains the water in the water supply tank 2, the water tank 3, and the storage tank 4.

As described above, if the heater 5 is controlled according to the detected water temperature and the water temperature is maintained at 80 ° C.,
Bubble is less likely to be generated, and the water in the storage tank 4 is appropriately convected and stirred evenly. Therefore, scale is efficiently removed in a short time, and the cleaning efficiency of the storage tank 4 can be increased.

The humidifier is provided with a water temperature sensor 11 for detecting the water temperature in order to maintain the water temperature in the storage tank 4 at the cleaning temperature (80 ° C.). However, the cleaning temperature does not need to be exactly maintained at 80 ° C., and may have some temperature range. For this reason, the energization rate of the heater 5, that is, the ratio of the ON / OFF time of energization to the heater 5 is determined in advance by experiment so as to set the cleaning temperature, and the energization of the heater 5 is controlled based on the energization rate during the cleaning operation. To do it. This eliminates the need for the water temperature detection sensor 11, thereby reducing the cost of the apparatus.

Further, when the cleaning operation is performed, if the cleaning temperature is raised to a value close to 100 ° C., the boiling of water starts. In addition, when the cleaning operation is performed at a low cleaning temperature, it is difficult to remove the scale, and the cleaning operation takes time.
Therefore, the range of the cleaning temperature is desirably 60 to 95 ° C., and it is more desirable to set the cleaning temperature to 80 ° C. in order to remove the scale most efficiently.

As described above, by controlling the heater 5 without boiling the water in the storage tank 4, that is, by controlling the heater 5 to 80 ° C. lower than the boiling temperature, the power consumption required for driving the heater 5 can be reduced. it can.

Specifically, when expressed in numerical values, the humidification amount is 550 m
Taking the humidifier of L / h as an example, conventionally, the power consumption of the heater 5 at 100 ° C. is 420 watts, and when the humidification operation for cleaning is performed for 2 hours, the power of 840 watt · h is obtained. Consume. Also, 1.1 L of wasted water evaporates.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, in order to obtain the same cleaning effect as the conventional one, if the heater 5 consumes 30 watts at 80 ° C. and performs the cleaning operation for about 10 hours, It consumes about 300 watt-hours of power. Therefore, power consumption can be significantly reduced. Further, in this case, since water is not evaporated, water can be saved without being wasted. Furthermore, the inside of the room does not become excessively humid, and the user does not become uncomfortable. In addition, the user's own cleaning work can be saved.

When the accumulated time of the humidification operation has reached 1000 hours in step S3 of the process control described above, the cleaning time is unconditionally set to, for example, 10 hours without reading the changeover switch SW5 in step S6. Then, the cleaning operation may be started. This makes control easier.

In step S12, when detecting the water temperature, the water temperature is detected twice at appropriate time intervals, and it is determined whether the water temperature is increasing or decreasing. 5 may be controlled. For example, when the water temperature is lower than 70 ° C. but tends to increase, the heater 5 is intermittently driven. Alternatively, when the water temperature is in the range of 70 to 80 ° C. but the temperature is decreasing, the heater 5 is continuously turned on.

In the above process control, the cleaning operation is automatically switched to the cleaning operation when the accumulated time of the humidifying operation reaches 1000 hours. In this humidifier, the cleaning operation is performed at an arbitrary timing according to the user's request. It is also possible to do. That is, as shown in FIG.
If the maintenance switch SW2 is pressed, the cleaning operation is switched to the cleaning operation at that time, and the processes after step S11 shown in FIG. 1 are performed, and the water in the storage tank 4 is maintained at the cleaning temperature.
In this case, even if the accumulated time of the humidifying operation is less than 1000 hours, the accumulated time is reset to 0 hour when the cleaning operation is performed.

In the process control described above, the cleaning temperature is kept constant and only the cleaning time is set by operating the changeover switch SW5. However, the cleaning temperature is kept constant and the cleaning temperature can be set arbitrarily. You may. Alternatively, the configuration may be such that the cleaning time and the cleaning temperature can be set respectively.

Next, the operation of the display circuit 22 and the operation circuit 23 during the humidification operation will be described. When the timer switch SW3 of the operation circuit 23 is pressed once during the humidification operation, a High level signal is input to the control circuit 15 and the operation time of the humidification is one.
Set to time. That is, the humidification operation stops after one hour has passed. When the timer switch SW3 is pressed again in this state, the humidification time is set to 2 hours, and when it is further pressed, it is set to 3 hours. Pressing it further sets it to 4 hours, and each press increases the humidification time. And 4
When the button is further pressed in the state of the time setting, the timer setting of the humidification time is canceled and the continuous operation is performed.

When the humidification time is set, the operation time is displayed on each timer lamp LED3, 4 of the display circuit 22 by the output from the control circuit 15. That is, FIG.
As shown in the figure, the lamp LED 3 blinks when the humidification operation time is set to 1 hour, the lamp LED 3 lights up when the humidification operation time is set to 2 hours, and the lamp LED 4 blinks when the humidification operation time is set to 3 hours.
In setting the time, the lamp LED4 is turned on.

The lighting and blinking of each of the lamps LED3, 4 simultaneously indicate the remaining time of the humidification time. That is, when the lamp LED4 is turned on, the remaining humidification time is 3
When the lamp LED4 is blinking, the remaining humidification time is 2-3 hours. When the lamp LED3 is turned on, the remaining humidification time is 1-2 hours.
When D3 blinks, it indicates that the remaining humidification time is less than 1 hour. In this way, the remaining humidification operation time is schematically displayed as the humidification time elapses. Then, when the set humidification time elapses, the operation is stopped and the lamp LED3 is turned off.

In the cleaning operation, the remaining time is displayed by the timer lamps LED3 and LED4.
That is, as shown in FIG.
In the case of 5 hours, the lamp LED4 blinks, when the remaining cleaning time is 5 to 10 hours, the lamp LED3 is turned on, and when the remaining cleaning time is less than 5 hours, the lamp LED3 blinks.

<Second Embodiment> In this embodiment, the switching from the humidifying operation to the cleaning operation and the cleaning operation are all performed automatically. That is, during the humidification operation, the amount of scale attached is detected to judge the degree of contamination, and when the cleaning time has come, the control circuit 15 recognizes it, and the citric acid is automatically charged into the storage tank 4 and stored. The cleaning operation time is set according to the degree of contamination of the tank 4, and the cleaning operation is performed. As described above, if the cleaning of the storage tank 4 is automatically started and performed without user intervention, the user does not have to pay any attention to the cleaning of the storage tank 4.

More specifically, the humidifier has a function of automatically putting citric acid for removing scale into the storage tank 4. For example, a closed accommodation chamber for accommodating citric acid is formed on an outer wall near the upper opening 8 of the storage tank 4, and a supply valve provided at a lower portion of the accommodation chamber by a control circuit 15 so as to be openable and closable. Is provided. That is, the supply valve is opened by a control signal from the control circuit 15, and charges the citric acid stored in the storage chamber into the storage tank 4. In this case, the storage chamber and the supply valve function as a medicine injection unit.

Further, the humidifier has scale detecting means for detecting the amount of scale attached. Specifically, it has an ion sensor that measures the calcium ion concentration by measuring a potential difference corresponding to the ion activity in water. Then, when the ion concentration in the storage tank 4 measured by the ion sensor is high, it is determined that the amount of scale attached is large. Other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 8, the processing operation of this embodiment will be described. During the humidification operation, the storage tank 4 is detected by the scale detection means.
The amount of scale attached is detected (steps T1 and T2).
When the amount of adhesion exceeds a predetermined amount (step T3), it is further determined how much the amount is (step T3).
4). In other words, depending on the degree of adhesion,
It is divided into three stages of “small”, and it is determined which of the three stages corresponds.
If the adhesion amount is “large”, the cleaning time is set to 15 hours (step T5), and if the adhesion amount is “medium”,
The cleaning time is set to 10 hours (step T6). If the amount of adhesion is "small", the cleaning time is set to 5 hours (step T7), and the set cleaning time is stored in the memory 16.

As described above, the cleaning time is automatically set in accordance with the amount of scale attached, and the cleaning operation is performed according to the set cleaning time. Need not be set.

Next, citric acid is automatically introduced from the storage chamber (step T8), and the water temperature is detected (step T9). The processing operations of Steps T10 to T14 are the same as the processing operations of Steps S12 to S16 of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will not be repeated.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the cleaning time of the storage tank 4 is automatically determined, and the cleaning operation is started after the citric acid is supplied, so that the cleaning operation can be fully automated. This eliminates the need for the user to supply citric acid, and can prevent a problem that cleaning was not performed due to forgetting to supply citric acid. Further, since it is not necessary to set the cleaning time, a very convenient humidifier can be provided.

In this embodiment, as described in the first embodiment, the setting state of the changeover switch SW5 is read, and the cleaning time may be set based on the read state, or the accumulated time of the humidification time may be calculated. If the time exceeds 1000 hours, the operation may be switched to the cleaning operation.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and many modifications and changes can be made to the above embodiment within the scope of the present invention. For example, the accumulated time of the humidifying operation is not limited to 1000 hours, and the cleaning time that can be set by the changeover switch SW5 is also
It is not limited to 5, 10 or 15 hours. Further, the cleaning function of the humidifier of the present embodiment may be applied to a dehumidifying / humidifying device having a dehumidifying function. Further, fatty acids or the like collected from lemon juice or the like may be used as a drug instead of citric acid.

[0056]

As described above, according to the present invention, the cleaning operation of the storage tank is performed at a cleaning temperature lower than the boiling temperature during the humidifying operation, so that the heater required to boil water as in the prior art is used. Power consumption can be greatly reduced, and unnecessary water evaporation can be eliminated to save water. As a result, significant energy savings have been achieved,
A more economical humidifier can be provided. Moreover,
Since the water is not boiled during the cleaning operation, the humidity in the room does not become excessive and the discomfort of the user can be eliminated.

Further, if the heater is controlled based on the water temperature in the storage tank, the water temperature during the cleaning operation can be accurately maintained at a suitable cleaning temperature, and the cleaning efficiency in the storage tank can be increased. Alternatively, if the cleaning temperature is controlled by controlling the heater based on the power supply rate to the heater, the water temperature detecting means can be eliminated, and the cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

Further, the cleaning temperature and the cleaning operation time when the cleaning operation is performed are set, and the scale in the storage tank is removed according to the operating conditions. Operating conditions can be set in consideration of the above, and descaling can be more appropriately and reliably performed. In addition, since the cleaning operation can be performed according to the user's convenience, it is possible to provide a convenient humidifier that can perform cleaning at a suitable time.

In particular, the humidification operation time is cumulatively measured,
If the control for the cleaning operation is automatically started or notified when the accumulated time reaches the reference time, the user can use the humidifier without worrying about the cleaning time in the storage tank. And by automatically inject | pouring the chemical | medical agent for removing a scale into a storage tank, it can be set as a user-friendly and highly convenient humidifier.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a control operation of a humidifier according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a humidifier.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an electrical configuration of the humidifier.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a cleaning time in a mode selected by a changeover switch;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a change in water temperature in each operation mode.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an operation state of a timer lamp in a humidifying operation.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an operation state of a timer lamp in a cleaning operation.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a control operation of the humidifier according to the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 4 Storage tank 5 Heater 11 Water temperature detection sensor 15 Control circuit 17 Timer 18 Load drive circuit 23 Operation circuit

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-10-132205 (JP, A) JP-A-8-110072 (JP, A) JP-A-8-270990 (JP, A) JP-A-1- 114641 (JP, A) JP-A-61-213522 (JP, A) JP-A-3-52531 (JP, U) JP-A-3-14508 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. ⁷ , DB name) F24F 6/00 F22B 37/52

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A storage tank for storing water, heating means for boiling water in the storage tank to generate steam, and control means for controlling the heating means, wherein the control means comprises: When performing a cleaning operation for removing water scale in the storage tank, the heating unit is controlled so that a water temperature in the storage tank is set to a cleaning temperature lower than a boiling temperature in a humidification operation. vessel. 2. A water temperature detection means for detecting a water temperature in the storage tank, wherein the control means controls the heating means based on an output of the water temperature detection means to maintain the water temperature in the storage tank at a cleaning temperature. The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein the humidifier is used. 3. The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls the heating means on the basis of an electric conduction rate to the heating means so as to set the water temperature in the storage tank to the cleaning temperature. 4. The humidifier according to claim 1, further comprising setting means for setting an operation condition for performing a cleaning operation. 5. A time measuring means for accumulatively measuring a humidifying operation time, wherein the control means automatically starts control for a cleaning operation when the counted accumulated time reaches a reference time, or The notification is provided.
The humidifier according to any one of the above. 6. A medicine supply means for supplying a medicine for removing scale to a storage tank, wherein the control means activates the medicine supply means when control for a cleaning operation is started. The humidifier according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein