JP4985715B2 - Humidifier - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a so-called heating vaporization type humidifier that generates water vapor by heating water to give moisture to air.

The heat vaporization type humidifying device heats and vaporizes water for vaporization to generate water vapor, and humidifies with the water vapor. Basically, it suffices to provide a means for heating water, so that a simple structure is sufficient, and it is hygienic because it is humidified by vaporized water vapor, and there are advantages such as a large amount of humidification.

On the other hand, since the water for vaporization must be heated to near 100 ° C., high power consumption and high-temperature heating steam are generated, and in addition, tap water mixed with various impurities is used as the water for vaporization. There are also disadvantages such as easy to scale in the vaporized part. In particular, the generation of scale due to poorly soluble components such as calcium carbonate accumulates in proportion to the amount of water vaporized, which affects power consumption, humidification efficiency, and safety.

As a conventional technique, there is known a humidifier that is used in combination with a heater for heating and depressurizes the pressure in a steam generation chamber with a vacuum pump (Patent Document 1). By reducing the pressure in the steam generation chamber, the water for vaporization is vaporized at a lower temperature compared to the case of atmospheric pressure, so that low-temperature water vapor can be generated and power consumption can be reduced. I can do it.

Further, as conventional technology, vaporizing water absorbed by the water absorption plate is heated by a heater provided near the water absorption plate to generate water vapor, and the water absorption plate is rotated so that the brush contacts the water absorption plate. A configured humidifier is known. (Patent Document 2). According to this structure, the scale deposited on the water absorbing plate can be mechanically removed.

JP 62-196535 A (Fig. 1) JP-A-2-225925 (FIG. 1)

  However, according to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, a heater is provided in the vaporization water, and the vaporization water is directly heated. Therefore, the scale adheres to the heater in the water, and the heating efficiency decreases. There is a problem of doing it. In addition, since the entire water for vaporization is heated, there is a problem that it takes time from the start of operation to the generation of water vapor and the power consumption increases.

Further, according to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, since the scale removed mechanically enters the humidifying water tank as it is, the scale is accumulated in the humidifying water tank, and further, the humidifying water tank is used. Since there is no means for discharging the water in the water tank, there is a problem that the water in which the impurities such as scale are concentrated is stored in the humidifying water tank.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. The vaporization is performed in a reduced pressure state where vaporization is difficult at a low temperature at which scale does not easily occur, and the generated scale is mechanically removed. It is possible to obtain a humidifying device that can remove and discharge water with concentrated scale.

In the present invention, a vaporizing chamber 15 is formed by the cylinder 6 and the piston 7 installed in the cylinder 6 so as to be movable up and down, and the mist-like vaporizing water ejected by the nozzle 2b in the vaporizing chamber 15 is heated. The water vapor is generated by the above, and the water vapor is discharged to the outside of the outer box 13 from the discharge port connected via the backflow prevention valve 3a. The piston 7 has an inverted conical residual water storage portion 16 on its upper surface, a residual water drainage passage 17 penetrating from the bottom surface of the residual water storage portion 16 to the outside of the piston 7, and the residual water drainage passage. Open / close means for opening and closing 17, and further, a stagnant removal means 4 is provided on the upper surface of the cylinder 6.

  In the present invention, by reducing the pressure in the vaporizing chamber 15, water can be vaporized at a low temperature at which the scale is difficult to precipitate, and the vaporizing water heated in a mist form by the nozzle 2b can be vaporized efficiently. Can be increased. Further, the scale deposited on the side surface of the vaporizing chamber 15 is removed by friction between the piston 7 and the cylinder 6, and the scale stored in the residual water storage section 16 is prevented from being fixed and removed by the retained matter removing means 4. A scale can be discharged | emitted from the residual water drainage path 17 provided in piston 7 with the residual water stored in the said residual water storage part 16 without vaporizing.

It is a schematic block diagram of the humidification apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view of the staying thing removal means 4 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the figure which looked at the cylinder 6 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention from the downward direction. It is sectional drawing of the piston 7 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the temperature of water and the saturated vapor pressure which concern on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the mechanism of the scale removal of the vaporization chamber 15 side surface which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the mechanism which prevents the sticking of the scale stored in the residual water storage part 16 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. Is a diagram showing the solubility of calcium carbonate is sparingly soluble components according to the first embodiment of the present invention (CaCO _3). It is a figure which shows the open state of the residual water drainage channel 17 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the automatic washing | cleaning control which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention, and aged deterioration detection.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a humidifier according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
Reference numeral 1 denotes a water storage tank, which is composed of a vaporization water tank 1a provided in the upper part and a residual water tank 1b provided in the lower part. An air hole 14 penetrating to the outside of the outer box 13 is provided in the upper part of the water storage tank 1. A water supply pipe 2 is connected to the lower part of the vaporization water tank 1a via a vaporization water backflow prevention valve 11. The vaporization water backflow prevention valve 11 is installed so as to block the flow of water flowing into the vaporization water tank 1a and to flow water flowing out of the vaporization water tank 1a. The water supply pipe 2 is connected to the upper surface of the cylinder 6 via a water supply control means 2 a that opens and closes the water supply pipe 2.

The cylinder 6 has a cylindrical shape whose upper surface is closed, and a piston 7 is provided inside the cylinder 6 so as to be movable up and down. A vaporizing chamber 15 is formed by the cylinder 6 and the piston 7. Heating means 5 for heating the vaporizing chamber 15 is provided outside the cylinder 6 forming the vaporizing chamber 15.

On the upper surface of the cylinder 6, a nozzle 2 b connected to the water supply pipe 2 is provided so as to protrude into the vaporizing chamber 15. Further, a steam discharge port 3 is provided on the upper surface of the cylinder 6 so as to penetrate the outside of the outer box 13 through a backflow prevention valve 3a. The backflow prevention valve 3 a is installed so as to block the inflow of gas from the outside of the outer box 13 and to flow the gas from the vaporization chamber 15 toward the outside of the outer box 13.

Further, below the piston 7, a piston driving means 10 and a residual water guiding tank 8 are installed. A piston support member 9 having one end rotatably connected thereto is connected to the piston driving means 10, and the other end of the piston support member 9 is rotatably connected to the lower portion of the piston 7. The residual water guiding tank 8 is installed so as to receive the residual water discharged from the biston 7, and is connected to the residual water tank 1b via the residual water inlet 12.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the stagnant removal means 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the stagnant removal means 4 is formed by connecting a needle-like or elongated bar-like metal having elasticity in a ring shape. FIG. 3 shows a view of the cylinder 6 as viewed from below. As shown in FIG. 3, the stagnant removal means 4 is installed in the circumferential portion of the inner upper surface of the cylinder 6, and rubs against the surface of the residual water storage portion 16 described later when the piston 7 is lifted. It reaches the bottom of the residual water reservoir 16 and is configured to return to its original shape when the piston 7 is lowered.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the piston 7 according to the first embodiment of the present invention cut along its diameter. Reference numeral 16 denotes a residual water storage section formed in a conical shape on the upper surface of the piston 7, and the circumference of the bottom surface of the cone forming the residual water storage section 16 coincides with the circumference of the upper surface of the piston 7.
Reference numeral 17 denotes a residual water drainage channel, which is formed so as to penetrate from the bottom of the residual water storage portion 16 to the outside of the piston 7. Further, a drainage channel upper blocking member 21 that blocks the upper inlet of the residual water drainage channel 17 is provided at the bottom of the residual water storage unit 16. A drainage path lower closing member 22 that closes the residual water drainage path 17 is provided at the lower outlet of the residual water drainage path 17. A protective member (not shown) is provided at the lower part of the piston 7 so as to cover the lower outlet of the residual water drainage channel 17, and is connected to the piston support member 9 by this protective member. Further, the drainage channel lower closing member 22 is connected to a control means (not shown) and is installed so that the residual water drainage channel 17 can be opened and closed.

A support shaft 23 is provided at an intermediate portion of the residual water drainage channel 17 so as to penetrate the residual water drainage channel 17 in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface. Yes. Reference numeral 25 denotes a first open / close bar, one end of which is fixedly connected to the drainage channel upper closing member 21 and the other end is rotatably connected to one end of the support bar 24. Reference numeral 26 denotes a second opening / closing bar, one end of which is fixedly connected to the drainage channel lower closing member 22 and the other end is rotatably connected to the other end of the support bar 24.

Next, the operation will be described.
When the humidifier is operated, the piston driving means 10 rotates. As the piston driving means 10 rotates, the piston 7 moves up and down via the piston support member 9. According to Boyle's law, when the piston 7 moves downward, the volume of the vaporizing chamber 15 increases, so the pressure of the vaporizing chamber 15 is reduced. Conversely, when the piston 7 moves upward, the volume of the vaporizing chamber 15 decreases. The pressure in the vaporizing chamber 15 is increased.

Here, when the piston 7 comes to the lowest position, the water supply pipe 2 is opened for a predetermined short time by the water supply control means 2a. For example, the water supply control means 2a controls to open and close in conjunction with the vertical movement of the piston 7. Since the inside of the vaporizing chamber 15 is depressurized to a negative pressure, the vaporizing water is introduced into the vaporizing chamber 15 via the nozzle 2b due to a pressure difference from the atmospheric pressure applied to the water storage tank 1 via the water supply pipe 2. Is done.
At this time, the backflow prevention valve 3 a is closed by the pressure of the outside air, and the outside air does not flow into the vaporizing chamber 15.

The water passing through the nozzle 2b is sprayed into the vaporizing chamber 15 in a mist state. The water in the mist state is heated by the heating means 5. Since the water in the mist state has an increased evaporation water surface area, the vaporization efficiency is improved. Here, since the vaporization chamber 15 is depressurized, the boiling point of water is lower than that at atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the heating means 5 heats the vaporizing chamber 15 so that the temperature thereof approaches this boiling point.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the temperature of water and the saturated vapor pressure. As the pressure decreases, the temperature at which liquid water becomes gaseous water vapor also decreases. For example, when the pressure of the vaporizing chamber 15 is reduced to 0.2 atm, the heating unit 5 heats the vaporizing chamber 15 so that the temperature of the vaporizing chamber 15 is about 60 ° C.

In addition, as for the heating means 5, it is desirable to attach the heat insulation cover so that the heated heat may not escape outside. The piston 7 and the cylinder 6 are preferably formed of a metal having high thermal conductivity in order to efficiently conduct the heat from the heating means 5 into the vaporizing chamber 15.

The water in the mist state heated by the heating means 5 is vaporized as it is to become water vapor, and part of the water is not vaporized but adheres to the side surface of the vaporizing chamber 15 or the residual water storage portion 16 of the piston 7. The vaporized vapor is discharged out of the outer box 13 from the vapor discharge port 3 through the backflow prevention valve 3a when the piston 7 rises and the vaporization chamber 15 becomes positive pressure. On the other hand, the water adhering to the side surface of the vaporization chamber 15 and the residual water storage part 16 accumulates in the residual water storage part 16 as residual water due to gravity, and part of the water is evaporated to leave the scale and become water vapor. Discharged outside.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a mechanism for removing the scale 30 attached to the side surface of the vaporizing chamber 15. Since the circumference of the bottom surface of the cone that forms the residual water storage portion 16 coincides with the circumference of the upper surface of the piston 7, the outer edge side of the piston 7 and the side surface of the vaporizing chamber 15 rub against each other in the process of raising the piston 7. Thus, the scale attached to the side surface of the vaporizing chamber 15 is removed. The removed scale is stored at the bottom of the residual water storage unit 16 by gravity.

In addition, it is desirable to perform heat-resistant water repellent treatment on the inner wall of the vaporizing chamber 15. This is because water droplets adhering to the inner wall of the vaporizing chamber 15 immediately fall into the residual water storage portion 16 without staying on the inner wall.

FIG. 7 shows a mechanism for preventing the scale stored in the residual water storage unit 16 from sticking. Since the stagnant removal means 4 has elasticity, as the piston 7 moves up, the tip of the remaining water reservoir 16 rubs the conical surface from the outer edge to the center bottom to prevent the scale from sticking. Further, when the piston 7 is lowered, the tip portion thereof rubs the conical surface from the center bottom portion to the outward extension portion of the residual water storage portion 16 to prevent the scale from adhering, and the piston 7 and the accumulated matter removing means 4 do not come into contact with each other. Then, the stagnant removal means 4 returns to its original shape.

On the other hand, in the residual water storage unit 16, water that has not been vaporized is stored as residual water. At this time, as described above, since the temperature of the vaporizing chamber 15 can be set low, the scale deposited in the residual water storage unit 16 can be reduced. This will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing the solubility of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), one of the hardly soluble components in water that causes scale. The higher the temperature is, the more easily the poorly soluble component in water tends to precipitate. In the case of calcium carbonate, especially when the water temperature reaches 100 ° C., all the calcium carbonate dissolved in water is deposited. That is, when water is heated and vaporized at atmospheric pressure, calcium carbonate is surely deposited. Therefore, as described above, for example, if the pressure in the vaporizing chamber 15 is reduced to 0.2 atmospheric pressure, water is vaporized at about 60 ° C. from FIG. 5, so that precipitation of calcium carbonate can be reduced. I can do it.

Next, a mechanism for discharging the residual water stored in the residual water storage unit 16 will be described.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an open state of the residual water drainage channel 17, and is a diagram showing a state where the drainage channel lower closing member 22 is moved downward by the control means (not shown) in FIG. 4. When the drainage channel lower closing member 22 is moved downward, the right end of the support rod 24 connected via the second opening / closing rod 26 is moved downward. Since the support bar 24 is rotatably installed around the support shaft 23, the left end of the support bar 24 is moved upward. When the left end of the support bar 24 is moved upward, the first opening / closing bar 25 moves upward in conjunction with this, and the drainage channel upper blocking member 21 fixedly connected to the first opening / closing bar 25 is moved upward. Moved to. When the drainage channel upper blocking member 21 is moved upward, the residual water reservoir 16 and the residual water drainage channel 17 are in communication with each other, and the residual water stored in the residual water reservoir 16 passes through the residual water drainage channel 17 by gravity. It passes through and is discharged out of the piston 7.

When the residual water discharge path 17 is closed, it is closed by the reverse operation to the above.

  When the operation of the humidifier is stopped, it is desirable to discharge all the remaining water in the vaporizing chamber 15 by the above-described operation and introduce fresh vaporizing water into the vaporizing chamber 15 to perform a cleaning operation.

  In the above description, the vaporizing chamber 15 is heated by the heating unit 5. However, the heating unit 5 may be operated without operating. By operating in this way, fresh water is supplied from the nozzle 2b to the vaporizing chamber 15, and the inside of the vaporizing chamber 15 can be washed with fresh water.

The drainage channel upper blocking member 21 is a trapezoidal cone having a wide upper portion and a narrow lower portion in order to prevent the air in the vaporization chamber 15 from flowing out into the residual water channel discharge channel 17 when the vaporization chamber 15 is pressurized. It is desirable to have a shape. Further, it is desirable that the drainage channel lower closing member 22 has a trapezoidal cone shape with a wide lower portion and a narrow upper portion in order to prevent external air from flowing into the vaporizing chamber 15 when the vaporizing chamber 15 has a negative pressure.

The residual water discharged out of the piston 7 travels through the residual water introduction tank 8 and is stored in the residual water tank 1b via the residual water introduction port 12. The residual water stored in the residual water tank 1b is discharged at an arbitrary timing such as when water is supplied to the vaporizing water tank 1a. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which discharges the residual water which transmitted the residual water guide tank 8 out of the outer box 13 as it is.

According to the first embodiment, by reducing the pressure in the vaporization chamber 15, water can be vaporized at a lower temperature, and scale deposition of residual water stored in the residual water storage unit 16 can be reduced. Moreover, the vaporization efficiency can be increased by introducing the water on the mist into the vaporization chamber 15. Moreover, it can prevent that heating efficiency falls by removing the scale adhering to the side surface of the vaporization chamber 15 when the piston 7 raises. Further, the removed scale is stored in the residual water storage section 16 together with the residual water. However, the residual water storage section 16 is washed by the retained matter removing means 4 provided on the upper surface of the cylinder 6 to prevent the scale from sticking. I can do it. In addition, by providing a mechanism for discharging the residual water stored in the residual water storage unit 16, it is possible to prevent the water enriched in impurities from being stored.

Since the humidified air exhausted from the steam exhaust port 3 is distilled water despite the low temperature, safe and clean humidified air can be obtained. Further, since the vaporizing chamber 15 is sealed, the amount of water in the vaporizing chamber 15 is small, and water can be vaporized at a lower temperature, so that the possibility of scalding hot water even when the humidifier falls over is small. I can do it. Further, the heat generated by the movement of the piston 7 can be used as the heat of vaporization of water, and the heating amount of the heating means 5 can be reduced. Moreover, since the vaporization chamber 15 is pressurized and depressurized by the vertical movement of the piston 7, it is not necessary to use a vacuum pump.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the first embodiment, as an example, the water supply control means 2a is configured to open and close in conjunction with the vertical movement of the piston 7, but a humidity sensor (not shown) is installed outside the outer box 13, and the humidity sensor Based on the information, the water supply control means 2a may be configured to perform opening / closing control. By setting it as such a structure, the quantity of humidified air suitable for the use environment of a humidifier can be produced | generated.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
In the second embodiment, the opening / closing control of the water supply control means 2a is performed based on the information of the sensor provided outside the outer box 13. However, any of a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and an atmospheric pressure sensor (not shown) is used. One or more sensors may be provided in the vaporizing chamber 15, and the water supply control means 2a may be controlled to open and close based on information from the sensors. With such a configuration, an amount of humidification water suitable for the state of the vaporizing chamber 15 can be introduced into the vaporizing chamber 15.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
A configuration in which the humidifier is provided with a counter for storing the operation history of the humidifier such as an accumulated operation time counter, a humidified water accumulated flow rate counter, etc., a humidity sensor for the surrounding environment, and a temperature and pressure sensor in the vaporizing chamber 15. It can also be. The combination of these counters and sensors always grasps the state of the humidifier and notifies the user by voice or display, thereby prompting the user to maintain the humidifier. Moreover, when there is no operation and control from the outside, the automatic mode can be entered and the cleaning mode can be entered, or the humidifier can be forcibly stopped.

FIG. 10 shows an example of the maintenance control flow of the humidifier. If the accumulated time (for example, 9000 hours) or less, an example in which it is determined that there is no aging deterioration is shown. In the case of FIG. 10, the motor that is the piston driving means 10 is the main power source of the humidifying device, and it can be determined whether the motor is normal or not by the rise in the body temperature during motor operation.
When the motor is operating, if it is higher by 50 ° C. to 100 ° C. than the temperature at the time of stopping, the motor is physically deteriorated and the user is notified that treatment is necessary.
When the accumulated flow rate of the vaporized water is counted from the start of operation and reaches a certain amount used (e.g., equivalent to 300 h), the automatic cleaning mode is entered so that the vaporized water in the vaporization chamber 15 is not excessively concentrated, and the reduced pressure heating vaporization chamber 15 Wash the interior with water.
In addition, a sensor capable of sensing the temperature and pressure of the vacuum heating and vaporizing chamber 15 is also mounted. Always keep track of the state of the heart of the humidifier and notify the user.

Embodiment 5 FIG.
In the first to fifth embodiments, the vaporization chamber 15 has a single configuration, but a configuration in which a plurality of sets of the cylinder 6 and the piston 7 are provided may be employed. With such a configuration, a large amount of humidified air can be supplied.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Water storage tank 1a Evaporation water tank 1b Residual water tank 2 Water supply pipe 2a Water supply control means 2b Nozzle 3 Steam discharge port 3a Backflow prevention valve 4 Stagnant removal means 5 Heating means 6 Cylinder 6a Cylinder side surface 7 Piston 8 Residual water guide tank 9 Piston Support member 10 Piston drive means 11 Vaporization water backflow prevention valve 12 Residual water inlet 13 Outer box 14 Air hole 15 Vaporization chamber 16 Residual water reservoir 17 Residual water drainage channel 21 Drainage channel upper block member 22 Drainage channel lower block member 23 Shaft 24 Support bar 25 First open / close bar 26 Second open / close bar 30 Scale attached to side surface of vaporizing chamber 15

Claims (12)

A steam generating means comprising a cylinder and a piston which is provided in the cylinder so as to be movable up and down and forms a vaporization chamber together with the cylinder;
Heating means for heating the vaporization chamber;
Piston driving means for reciprocating the piston in the vertical direction;
A water supply pipe for leading the vaporizing water into the vaporizing chamber;
A nozzle connected to the water supply pipe and ejecting the water for vaporization into the vaporization chamber;
A water supply control means provided in the water supply pipe for controlling the amount of water supplied to the vaporizing chamber of the vaporizing water;
Backflow prevention means is provided, and a discharge port for discharging the steam generated by the steam generation means to the outside of the vaporization chamber,
With
The piston includes a residual water storage portion formed in a concave shape so that a peripheral edge in contact with the cylinder forms an acute angle on the piston upper surface, a residual water drainage channel formed in a bottom portion of the residual water storage portion, and the residual water A humidifying device comprising: an opening / closing means for opening and closing the drainage channel. The humidifying device according to claim 1, wherein a stagnant removing means is installed in the cylinder, and the stagnant removing means is brought into sliding contact with the peripheral surface of the residual water storage section as the piston moves up and down. The humidifier according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the opening / closing means includes two closing members that open and close the residual water drainage channel, and the two closing members perform the same opening / closing operation. The humidifier according to claim 3, wherein the opening / closing means includes an opening / closing mechanism that connects the two closing members. The opening / closing mechanism includes a support shaft fixedly formed in the residual water drainage channel, a support rod rotatably connected to the support shaft, and one end of the support rod rotatably connected to the support shaft. An opening / closing rod fixedly connected to one of the closing members, and an opening / closing rod rotatably connected to the other end of the support rod and fixedly connected to the other of the closing members. 4. The humidifying device according to 4. The retentate removal means humidifier according to claim 2 Symbol placement provided along the top rim of the cylinder. The humidifying device according to claim 6, wherein the stagnant removal means is made of a needle-like or elongated bar-like metal having elasticity. The humidifier according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the residual water storage section has an inverted conical shape. The water supply control means humidity sensor provided outside the outer box with the inside, on the basis of information of the humidity sensor, the humidifier according to any one of claims 1 to 8 for controlling the supply water control means. Wherein the vaporization chamber, temperature sensor, humidity sensor, is provided any one or more of the sensors pressure sensors, based on the information of these sensors, the humidifier according to any one of claims 1 to 9 for controlling the supply water control means. The humidification device according to claim 10 provided with the counter which memorizes the operation history of said humidification device, and the display part or voice output part which notifies a user about the operation situation of said humidification device. The humidification device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising a plurality of sets of the cylinder and the piston and a plurality of the vaporization chambers.

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