JP4808239B2 - Humidifier and air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a humidifier that transports humidified air and / or scented air into a room, an air conditioner equipped with the humidifier, and the like.

Steam generation methods include ultrasonic methods that radiate ultrasonic waves into water in the water storage tray to atomize water, heating methods that heat and evaporate with heaters, vaporization methods that apply wind to vaporized elements that have absorbed water by capillary action, etc. There is. Conventional humidifiers typically have a form in which air containing water vapor generated in such a manner is continuously discharged from an opening such as a slit or nozzle of the humidifier body.
In the conventional method as described above, the water vapor discharged from the air outlet becomes a low speed jet and diffuses in the space near the air outlet, so that the entire room space is uniform in order to humidify every corner of the room. Had to humidify. However, in recent housing spaces, wide living with few partitions is the mainstream, and in order to humidify such a large space as a whole, there is a problem that a large capacity humidification performance is required and the humidifier becomes large. there were.

  Corresponding to this, a method has been devised in which air containing water vapor is pressurized and ejected into a vortex ring (for example, Patent Document 1). In this system, a vortex ring is generated intermittently by controlling the pressurizing means to intermittently pressurize. According to such a method for ejecting water vapor, air containing water vapor can be ejected to a specific position as a vortex ring, and any space can be rapidly humidified over a wide range.

Japanese Patent No. 3675203

  However, in the conventional humidifier, there is a situation in which a large amount of condensation is likely to occur in a pressurized chamber into which a large amount of water vapor is sent. Condensation in the pressurized room is left unattended for a long time during operation, causing mold and germs to propagate, and breeding of germs and the like leads to deterioration of the indoor environment such as generation of malodor.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems. A humidifier capable of reducing the amount of condensed water in a pressurized chamber and suppressing the growth of mold and bacteria and an air conditioner including the humidifier. It is what we propose.

The humidifying device of the present invention includes a water vapor generating unit that stores water and generates water vapor from the water, a pressurizing chamber having a pressurizing unit that applies pressure to the air containing the water vapor generated in the water vapor generating unit, and the pressurizing chamber. At least one vortex ring outlet provided in the pressure chamber for jetting the pressurized air to the outside in a vortex ring shape, and pressurization for intermittently generating the vortex ring air by intermittently operating the pressurizing means a control device, e Bei and a heating means for heating the inner space or inner wall of the pressure chamber, wherein the heating means includes a heating device provided outside the pressurizing chamber, the air heated by the heating device And a fan for sending air into the pressurizing chamber, an air flow path between the fan and the pressurizing chamber, and a steam flow path between the water vapor generating unit and the pressurizing chamber, respectively. Formed in front of the air outlet portion of the air flow path. The speaker as pressurizing means arranged, the heating air blown by the fan in which is to apply to the speaker.

In the humidifier according to the present invention, the internal space or the inner wall of the pressurizing chamber is heated by the heating means, so that the relative humidity in the pressurizing chamber is reduced and the amount of dew condensation in the pressurizing chamber is reduced. In addition, a vortex ring having a high moisture concentration can be generated thereby ensuring high humidification performance. Furthermore, since the inside of the pressurizing chamber is dried by the heating means, it is possible to significantly suppress the growth of mold and germs due to the remaining dew condensation water, and it is possible to blow clean humid air.
In addition, since the pressurizing chamber is made of a base material having antifungal or antibacterial properties, it is possible to significantly suppress the growth of mold and various bacteria.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a humidifier according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and corresponds to a cross-sectional structure diagram. Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the humidifier according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
The humidifier 100 of the first embodiment has an outer periphery surrounded by a main body case 101. Inside the main body case 101, there are a water supply tank 102, a water vapor generating unit 103, a pressurizing chamber 104 having a speaker 105 that is an air pressurizing unit, a heater 106 that constitutes a heating unit, A fan 107 that sends air heated by the heater 106 to the pressurizing chamber 104, and a control device 108 that controls each device related to the operation of the humidifier such as the water vapor generation unit 103, the speaker 105, the heater 106, and the fan 107 are provided. Yes. Therefore, the control device 108 also functions as a pressurization control device and a temperature control device.

The water supply tank 102 and the water vapor generation unit 103 are connected by a water supply passage 110, and the amount of water supplied from the water supply tank 102 to the water vapor generation unit 103 is adjusted by a water supply valve 102 a provided at the bottom of the water supply tank 102.
Further, the steam generation unit 103 and the pressurizing chamber 104 are connected by a steam channel 111, and the outlet of the fan 107 and the pressurizing chamber 104 are connected by an air channel 112. In this example, the vapor channel 111 and the air channel 112 are not separated from each other, and are partially in common.

  The water vapor generation unit 103 includes a water storage tank and a water vapor generation device that generates water vapor from the water stored therein. Although the water vapor generator itself is not shown, a known water vapor generator such as an ultrasonic type, a heating type, or a vaporization type can be used.

  The pressurizing chamber 104 is a room for sending out humidified air, and is provided with a speaker 105 as an air pressurizing unit in the back thereof. Further, at least one vortex ring outlet 104 a is formed on the front surface of the pressurizing chamber 104 facing the speaker 105 to eject pressurized air to the outside in a vortex shape. It is preferable that the direction of the vortex ring outlet 104a be adjustable so that the air blowing direction of the vortex ring air (same as the vortex ring) 115 can be changed.

  Next, the operation of the humidifier 100 will be described. The water vapor generation unit 103 generates water vapor from the water stored in the water storage tank by the water vapor generation device. The steam 113 generated in the steam generation unit 103 is transferred to the pressurizing chamber 104 through the steam channel 111. In this example, the transfer of the water vapor 113 to the pressurizing chamber 104 is promoted by using the air blown by the fan 107, but the air blow of the fan 107 is not necessarily required for the transfer of the water vapor 113.

  In the pressurizing chamber 104, the speaker 105 is intermittently driven by the control device 108, and the air in the pressurizing chamber 104 is pressurized by the pressure fluctuation of the speaker 105 due to the driving. By this pressurization, air containing water vapor, that is, humidified air, is discharged to the outside as a vortex ring 115 from the vortex ring outlet 104a. Thus, humidified air can be sent far by sending the humidified air in a spiral shape.

On the other hand, the air sent out from the fan 107 is heated by the heater 106 to become high-temperature dry air 114, and the high-temperature dry air 114 enters the pressurizing chamber 104 through the air flow path 112. The high-temperature dry air 114 that has entered the pressurizing chamber 104 increases the temperature of the humid air in the pressurizing chamber 104 and the temperature of the inner wall of the pressurizing chamber 104.
As a result, the relative humidity in the pressurizing chamber 104 is reduced, and the amount of condensation in the pressurizing chamber 104 is reduced. And since the amount of dew condensation is reduced, the vortex ring 115 having a high moisture concentration can be generated, and high humidification performance is ensured. In addition, since the temperature of the vortex ring 115 rises, the vortex ring 115 becomes lighter and can be sent further. Furthermore, since the inner wall of the pressurizing chamber 104 is dried, the growth of mold and germs on the inner wall portion can be greatly suppressed.

Since the speaker 105 used for the air pressurization means has water absorption, when it is installed inside the high-humidity pressurization chamber 104, the pressurization performance is likely to be reduced due to water absorption. Therefore, when the high-temperature dry air 114 blown by the fan 107 is applied to the speaker 105, water absorption by the speaker 105 is suppressed, so that a decrease in pressurization performance can be prevented.
Although the speaker 105 is used as the air pressurizing means, other pressurizing means such as a bellows or a piston may be used instead of the speaker 105. This is the same in the following embodiments.

Next, an example of the operation mode of the heater 106 constituting the heating means will be described. FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an operation mode of the temperature heater 106 that can adjust the temperature, which is a heating unit of the pressurizing chamber 104.
For example, the heater 106 can be turned ON / OFF in synchronization with the ON / OFF operation (FIG. 2A) for generating humidified air by the humidifier 100 (FIG. 2B). In this case, the heating state of the heater 106 is controlled by the control device 108 so that a temperature capable of preventing condensation, for example, air at about 50 ° C., is sent into the pressurizing chamber 104.
In addition, for example, as a cleaning mode, air of about 60 ° C. or higher is periodically sent (may be continuous) for the purpose of drying the pressurizing chamber 104 and removing mold and germs without generating humid air. Thus, the heating state of the heater 106 is controlled by the control device 108 (FIG. 2C).
Further, the heater 106 is turned ON / OFF in synchronization with the ON / OFF operation (FIG. 2A) for generating humid air of the humidifier 100, but normally a temperature at which condensation can be prevented, for example 50 The heating state of the heater 106 may be controlled by the control device 108 so that air at about 0 ° C. is sent and air at about 60 ° C. or higher is sent periodically (FIG. 2D).
Note that the operation modes of the heater 106 listed above are examples, and the operation modes of the heater 106 are not limited to these modes. Further, the operation mode of the heater 106 shown here can be applied to the heater for heating the pressurizing chamber described in the second and subsequent embodiments.

In performing the above heater control, a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the pressurizing chamber is provided (a humidity sensor may be provided at the same time), information on these sensors is fed back to the control device 108, and the heater is based on the feedback information. 106 is preferably controlled.
In addition, it is preferable to provide a display unit that displays the current operation state (for example, normal operation mode, cleaning mode, humidifying chamber temperature, humidifying chamber humidity) of the humidifying device 100.

  FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a humidifier according to another aspect of the first embodiment. This humidifier 100A is not illustrated in that the steam 113 generated in the steam generator 103 is not blown using a fan, and the steam channel 111 and the air channel 112 are completely separated. 1 is the same as that of FIG. 1 except for the humidifier 100 of FIG. This humidifier 100A has an advantage that the blower 107 can be downsized as compared with the case of FIG. In other respects, the humidifying device 100A of FIG. 2 has substantially the same effect as the humidifying device 100 of FIG.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a humidifier according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In the heating device 100B of the second embodiment, the heating means for heating the inside of the pressurizing chamber 104 is replaced with the heaters 106a and 106b provided inside the pressurizing chamber 104 in place of the heater 106 and the fan 107 of the first embodiment. It is a thing. The number and arrangement of the heaters provided in the pressurizing chamber 104 may be appropriately determined according to the situation. However, in this case, the heaters 106a and 106b need to be waterproofed. The first embodiment seems to be more preferable for uniformly heating the inside of the pressurizing chamber 104 to every corner, but the same heating effect as the first embodiment is obtained by devising the installation mode of the heater. It is possible.

  In the humidifying device 100B according to the second embodiment, the relative humidity in the pressurizing chamber 104 decreases due to the heat generated by the heaters 106a and 106b, and the amount of condensation in the pressurizing chamber 104 decreases. And since the amount of dew condensation is reduced, the vortex ring 115 having a high moisture concentration can be generated, and high humidification performance is ensured. Further, since the temperature of the vortex ring 115 rises, the vortex ring 115 becomes lighter and can be sent far. Furthermore, since the inner wall of the pressurizing chamber 104 is dried, it is possible to significantly suppress the growth of mold and various germs. In the humidifying device 100B, the operation of generating and sending out the vortex ring 115 that is humidified air is the same as that described with reference to FIG.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a humidifier according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. The humidifying device 100C of the third embodiment is obtained by adding a water recovery pipe 116 to the configuration of the humidifying device 100B of the second embodiment, and is the same as the humidifying device 100B in other respects. By providing the water recovery pipe 116 between the bottom of the pressurizing chamber 104 and the water vapor generating unit 103, the water generated in the pressurizing chamber 104 can be returned to the water vapor generating unit 103. Thereby, water does not stay in the pressurizing chamber 104, and it is possible to more effectively suppress the growth of mold and germs due to the residual water. Such a water recovery pipe 109 is preferably installed also in other embodiments.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
In the embodiments so far, the generation of condensation in the pressurizing chamber 104 is suppressed by sending high-temperature dry air into the pressurizing chamber 104 or by providing a heater on the wall of the pressurizing chamber. It explained that it was possible to prevent the occurrence of mold and other germs. In addition to this, in the fourth embodiment, the pressurizing chamber 104 is formed of a material that is less prone to mold and bacteria.
For example, the inner wall of the pressurizing chamber 104 is formed of a material having antibacterial / antifungal properties, such as stainless steel, or a resin mixed with an antibacterial / antifungal material. Alternatively, an antibacterial / antifungal material, such as a fluororesin, is kneaded into the wall surface material or coated with the fluororesin on the inner wall of the pressurizing chamber 104. As materials having antibacterial and antifungal properties, in addition to the above, water-soluble antibacterial agents such as inorganic material-based silver-carrying antibacterial agents and organic material-based polyhexamethyleneguanidine salt-based antibacterial agents may be applied. it can. By configuring the inner wall of the pressurizing chamber 104 in this way, mold and germs are less likely to be generated inside the pressurizing chamber 104, and clean humid air can be blown into the room.

  In addition, by using the heater 106 and the fan 107 described above, hot air of 60 ° C. or higher is periodically sent into the pressurizing chamber 104, or the pressurizing chamber 104 is heated by the heaters 106 a and 106 b installed in the pressurizing chamber 104. By periodically setting the interior to 60 ° C. or higher, various germs existing in the pressurizing chamber 104 can be more effectively killed.

Embodiment 5 FIG.
FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a humidifier according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention. This humidifying device 100D is configured such that an aromatherapy device 120 is attached to the humidifying device 100 of FIG. 1 and a vortex ring 115 that is scented humidified air is sent out from the vortex ring outlet 104a.

The aromatherapy device 120 includes at least one filling container 122 filled with the essential oil 121, an oil supply valve 123 that is an oil supply unit that supplies the essential oil in the filling container 122, and a receiving container 124 that receives the essential oil from the oil supply valve 123. And an essential oil heating heater 125 (hereinafter simply referred to as a heater 125), which is an oil heating means for heating the essential oil in the receiving container 124. The receiving container 124 of the aromatherapy device 120 communicates with the pressurizing chamber 104 through the essential oil vapor air passage 126.
In the humidifier 100 </ b> D, the selected essential oil 121 is taken into the receiving container 124 from the filling container 122 through the oil supply valve 123, and is vaporized by the heater 125 there. The vaporized essential oil 121 enters the pressurizing chamber 104 through the essential oil vapor air passage 126. Other configurations are the same as those in FIG. For this reason, the vortex ring 115 sent out from the pressurizing chamber 104 contains the scent of the selected essential oil 121 in addition to the water vapor 113 generated by the water vapor generating unit 103.

  In FIG. 6, the aromatherapy device 120 is provided outside the pressurizing chamber 104, but the aromatherapy device 120 may be provided inside the pressurizing chamber 104. Further, a plurality of vortex ring outlets 104a, filling containers 122, oil supply valves 123, and receiving containers 124 are provided, and humidified air mixed with different essential oils is blown out as vortex rings 115 from the respective vortex ring outlets 104a. Good.

  In FIG. 6, if the aromatherapy device 120 and the speaker 105 are operated without operating the water vapor generation unit 103, it can function as an air conveying device that blows the scented vortex ring 115 that does not contain water vapor. . In this case, the fan 107 should be blown, but this is not always necessary.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the control of the humidifying device 100D shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the control device 108 of the humidifier 100D includes a CPU (or a microcomputer) and a drive circuit that drive and control the water vapor generating unit 103, the speaker 105, the heater 106, the fan 107, the aromatherapy device 120, and the like. In addition, the control device 108 takes in temperature information of the temperature sensor 117 disposed in the pressurizing chamber 104 and controls the heating temperature of the heater 106 based on the information. Further, the control device 108 displays the operation status of the humidifying device 100D (operation ON / OFF, normal operation mode, cleaning mode (see Embodiment 1), operation status of the aromatherapy device, etc.) on the display unit 118.
The operation of the control device 108 shown in FIG. 7 can be similarly applied to the humidifying devices 100 to 100C of the first to fourth embodiments except for the control of the aromatherapy device 120.

Embodiment 6 FIG.
Here, the aspect which provided the humidification apparatus demonstrated in the said embodiment together with the air conditioner which is an air conditioning apparatus is demonstrated. FIG. 8 is an external view of an air conditioning apparatus with a humidifying function according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, this air conditioner with a humidifying function is an air conditioner that is an air conditioner, instead of the humidifier described in the first to fifth embodiments (the humidifier 100 of the first embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 8). It is integrated with the machine 200. Reference numerals 201 and 202 denote an air inlet and an air outlet of the air conditioner 200. Thereby, in addition to cooling and heating, an air conditioner having an excellent dehumidifying function can be obtained. In addition, the aspect of integration of the humidifier 100 and the air conditioner 200 is not limited to the example of FIG. 8, and may be performed in an appropriate aspect.

The block diagram of the humidification apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. The illustration figure explaining the operation | movement aspect of the heater of the humidification apparatus of FIG. The block diagram of the humidification apparatus which concerns on another aspect of Embodiment 1. FIG. The block diagram of the humidification apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. The block diagram of the humidification apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. The block diagram of the humidification apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention. The block block diagram which concerns on control of the humidification apparatus of FIG. The external view of the air conditioning apparatus with a humidification function which concerns on Embodiment 6 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  100, 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D Humidifier, 101 Main body case, 102 Water supply tank, 102a Water supply valve, 103 Water vapor generation part (water storage tank and water vapor generator), 104 Pressurization chamber, 104a Vortex ring outlet, 105 Speaker, 106, 106a, 106b Heater, 107 Fan, 108 Control device, 110 Water supply path, 111 Steam flow path, 112 Air flow path, 113 Water vapor, 114 High temperature dry air, 115 Vortex ring air (vortex ring), 116 Water recovery pipe, 120 Aromatherapy device, 121 essential oil, 122 filling container, 123 oil supply valve, 124 receiving container, 125 essential oil heater, 126 air passage for essential oil vapor, 200 air conditioner, 201 air inlet, 202 The gas blow-out port.

Claims (10)

A water vapor generating section for storing water and generating water vapor from the water;
A pressurizing chamber having a pressurizing means for applying pressure to air containing water vapor generated in the water vapor generating section;
At least one vortex ring outlet provided in the pressurization chamber, for jetting the pressurized air to the outside in a vortex shape;
A pressurization control device for intermittently generating the vortex ring air by intermittently operating the pressurizing means;
Heating means for heating the internal space or the inner wall of the pressurizing chamber;
Bei to give a,
The heating means has a heating device provided outside the pressurizing chamber, and a fan for sending air heated by the heating device into the pressurizing chamber,
An air flow path is formed between the fan and the pressurizing chamber, and a steam flow path is formed between the water vapor generating unit and the pressurizing chamber,
A humidifier , wherein a speaker as the pressurizing means is disposed at an air outlet portion of the air flow path so that heated air blown by the fan is applied to the speaker . The humidifying device according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature control device for controlling a heating temperature of the heating means . The humidification according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a water recovery pipe for returning water generated in the pressurizing chamber to the steam generating unit is provided between the bottom of the pressurizing chamber and the steam generating unit. apparatus. The humidifying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pressurizing chamber is composed of a base material having antifungal or antibacterial properties . The humidifying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pressurizing chamber is configured of a resin material having an inner wall mixed with anti-fungal or antibacterial material . The humidification device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pressurizing chamber has an inner wall made of stainless steel . The humidification device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the pressurizing chamber has an aromatherapy device built therein or takes in air adjusted by the aromatherapy device. The aromatherapy device includes a filling container filled with essential oil, an oil supply means for supplying the essential oil in the filling container, a receiving container for receiving the essential oil from the oil supplying means, and an oil for heating the essential oil in the receiving container The humidifying device according to claim 7, further comprising a heating unit . 9. The vortex ring outlet, the filling container, the oil supply means, and the receiving container are provided in plural, and air mixed with different essential oil is blown out from each vortex ring outlet. Humidifier. An air conditioner with a humidifying function, wherein the air conditioner for adjusting the temperature of room air is integrated with the humidifier according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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