JP6475602B2 - Humidifier - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a humidifier that blows humidified air generated by humidified air generating means for generating humidified air itself in a water storage chamber.

  Conventionally, in this type of device, when the operation switch is operated and the end of the mist operation is instructed during the operation of the mist operation for blowing the humid air into the room by the humidified air generating means and the blower fan installed in the appliance main body. The drain valve is adjusted so that the water in the reservoir is led into the drain tank, and the drainage operation is performed to flow the water in the reservoir into the drain tank. When it was detected that the water was full, there was a notification to drain the water in the drainage tank to a washroom. (For example, Patent Document 1)

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-158281

  However, in this conventional system, if the control is such that the water in the drainage tank is drained based on the full water detection by the full water sensor, the drainage tank will not drain if the drainage tank does not become full due to the drainage operation after one mist operation. Therefore, the mist operation may be resumed when the user forgets to drain the water in the drainage tank to the washroom, etc. In this case, the drainage operation after the restarted mist operation is completed. Since the drainage tank is full, the drainage operation is interrupted by the full water sensor, and the user needs to drain the water in the drainage tank to the washroom and restart the drainage operation. There was room for.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to claim 1 of the present invention, a device main body, a water storage chamber in the device main body for storing water, and water connected to the water storage chamber to the water storage chamber into the drainage tank. A leading drain pipe, a drain valve that is installed in the middle of the drain pipe to open and close the valve to control the flow of drainage in the pipe, a full sensor that determines whether the drain tank is full, and water in the reservoir When the humidified air generating means for generating the humidified air, the blower fan for performing the mist operation for supplying the humidified air generated by the humidified air generating means to the room, and the full water sensor determine that the inside of the drainage tank is full are described above. Informing means for informing the drainage of the water in the drainage tank, and after the completion of the drainage operation of opening the drainage valve and draining the water in the water storage chamber after the mist operation is performed, the detection result by the full water sensor. The informer In a control unit for notifying to drain the water in the drainage tank,
A tank presence / absence detecting means capable of detecting that the drainage tank has been extracted from the instrument body and re-installed in the instrument body;
The controller restarts the mist operation if it cannot be determined that the drainage tank is installed in the appliance body again after the drainage operation is completed by the tank presence / absence detection means after the drainage operation is completed. It is characterized by prohibiting.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the tank presence / absence detecting means is constituted by the full water sensor.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the informing means is a drainage lamp that is on the operation unit of the instrument main body and that lights or blinks when drainage of water in the drainage tank is necessary.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the humidified air generating means includes a cylindrical rotating body that submerses a lower end in the water storage chamber and pumps up and disperses water by rotation, a mist motor that rotationally drives the rotating body, and the rotation It is characterized by comprising a colliding body with which water scattered by the rotation of the body collides.

  According to the present invention, after the drainage tank is extracted from the instrument body after the drainage operation by the tank presence / absence detection means, if it cannot be determined that the drainage tank has been installed in the instrument body again, the mist operation is prohibited from restarting. In order to prohibit resumption of mist operation unless the user pulls out the drain tank from the appliance body after draining operation and drains the water in the drain tank to the washroom etc. and installs it in the appliance body again. In addition, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the drainage tank is filled with water and the drainage operation is interrupted during the drainage operation when the mist operation is resumed.

  Further, since the tank presence / absence detection means is constituted by a full water sensor, it is not necessary to newly install a means for detecting the presence / absence of a drainage tank in the instrument body, and therefore an increase in product cost can be prevented.

  In addition, the notification means is a drain lamp that is on the operation section of the instrument body and lights or blinks when drainage of the water in the drainage tank is necessary, so that the user needs to drain the water in the drainage tank. Since it can be easily understood, user convenience is improved.

  The humidified air generating means includes a cylindrical rotating body that submerses the lower end of the water storage chamber, pumps up water by rotation, and scatters, a mist motor that rotationally drives the rotating body, and water scattered by rotation of the rotating body. Since it is configured with a colliding body that collides with water, a large amount of humidified air can be generated with a simple configuration that pumps the water in the water storage chamber with a rotating body and collides with the colliding body, so assembly is easy The humidified air generating means can be configured at low cost.

The perspective view explaining the external appearance of the instrument main body of one Embodiment of this invention Schematic configuration diagram of the embodiment Control block diagram of the embodiment The figure explaining the operation part of the embodiment The flowchart explaining the control at the time of the mist operation start of the embodiment Flowchart explaining control after drying operation of the embodiment

Next, a mist generator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 is a substantially rectangular instrument body, 2 is an air outlet formed in the upper panel 3 constituting the upper part of the instrument body 1, and 4 is pivotally supported at both ends of the air outlet 2 and is perpendicular to the upper panel 3 from a horizontal direction. A louver that can be rotated to a specific direction, 5 is an operation unit that is provided with a plurality of switches and that performs various operation commands, 6 is a suction port that is formed at the front center of the instrument body 1 and takes air into the instrument body 1, and 7 is an instrument A drainage tank storage unit 9 is installed at the lower part of the main body 1 and allows the drainage tank 8 installed inside to be taken out by pulling a handle. A water supply tank 10 is provided next to the drainage tank storage unit 7 and installed inside. A water inlet door for storing the water inlet, 11 is a water level window formed at the lower part of the water inlet door 9 for visually checking the amount of water remaining in the water tank 10, and 12 is installed at the bottom of the appliance main body 1 In the tire part that enables movement That.

  Reference numeral 13 denotes a water storage chamber that is installed in the apparatus main body 1 and stores a predetermined amount of water. The water storage chamber 13 includes a cylindrical rotating body 14 that is submerged in water and supported by a drive shaft. ing.

  The rotating body 14 has a hollow inverted conical shape and gradually increases in diameter upward, and is driven by a mist motor 15 that is connected to a drive shaft and rotationally drives the rotating body 14 to rotate the rotating body 14. The water in the water storage chamber 13 is pumped up by the centrifugal force of the rotation, and the water is pushed up along the outer wall and the inner wall of the rotating body 14, and the pushed-up water is scattered around the outer wall of the rotating body 14. Then, the water pushed up along the inner wall of the rotating body 14 is scattered from a plurality of scattering ports (not shown) formed at the upper end of the rotating body 14 to the surroundings.

  Reference numeral 16 denotes a cylindrical porous body which is positioned on the outer periphery of the rotating body 14 at a predetermined interval and rotates together with the rotating body 14. The porous body 16 includes a large number of slits, metal meshes and punching metal on its entire peripheral wall. A porous portion 17 is installed as a collision body composed of, for example, water, and the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the rotating body 14 pumps up water in the water storage chamber 13 and scatters air, so that water droplets passing through the porous portion 17 are crushed. As a result, water particles are refined to produce nanometer (nm) size mist, and a large amount of negative ions are generated by the Leonard effect due to the refinement of water particles.

  Reference numeral 18 denotes a blower fan that causes air to flow by being driven at a predetermined number of revolutions. The blower blows indoor air sucked from a suction port 6 formed in the front of the instrument body 1 to connect the water storage chamber 13 and the blower passage 19. By allowing the air to pass through and blowing from the air outlet 2, humidified air containing nano mist and negative ions generated in the water storage chamber 13 is supplied to the room.

  A heater 20 is installed in the water storage chamber 13 to heat the water storage. The heater 20 is installed on the outer wall of the water storage chamber 13 and is turned ON / OFF so that the temperature detected by the water storage temperature sensor 21 that detects the water storage temperature becomes a predetermined temperature. Switch the state appropriately.

  A water level sensor 22 is installed in the water storage chamber 13 to detect the water level by raising and lowering the float. When the water level in the water storage chamber 13 decreases and falls below a predetermined water level, an OFF signal is output and the water level rises to a predetermined level. When the water level is exceeded, an ON signal is output, and when the water level rises and the water storage chamber 13 becomes full, a full water signal is output.

  Reference numeral 23 denotes a water supply pipe installed at one end connected to the water storage chamber 13 and at the other end with a predetermined clearance provided at the bottom of the water supply tank 10. A water supply pump 24 that flows to the inside of the water storage chamber 13 and a flow rate sensor 25 that detects the flow rate of the water flowing in the water supply pipe 23 are installed.

  Reference numeral 26 denotes a drainage pipe having one end connected to the bottom of the water storage chamber 13 and the other end installed at the upper part of the drainage inlet 27 of the drainage tank 8. A drain valve 28 for controlling drainage of water in the chamber 13 is installed.

  29 is an air temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the humidified air that is installed in the air outlet 2 and is blown into the room, and 30 is the temperature of the indoor air that is installed in the vicinity of the air fan 18 and is sucked from the air inlet 6. An intake air temperature sensor 31 is a humidity sensor that is installed in the vicinity of the intake air temperature sensor 30 and detects the humidity in the room in which the appliance body 1 is installed. The mist motor is based on the temperature and humidity detected by each sensor. 15 and the rotation speed of the blower fan 18 are changed, and the ON / OFF state of the heater 20 is switched.

  Reference numeral 32 denotes a filter installed in the air passage 19, which replenishes large water droplets in the humidified air containing nanomist and negative ions generated in the water storage chamber 13 so as not to reach the air outlet 2. Further, the vicinity of the air blowing port 2 and the installation surface of the instrument body 1 are prevented from getting wet.

  33 is an overflow pipe having one end connected to the wall surface of the water storage chamber 13 and the other end installed at the upper part of the water supply inlet 34 of the water supply tank 10. When the water level sensor 22 fails and full water detection cannot be performed, Even if the water supply pump 24 continues to be driven and the water supply into the water storage chamber 13 does not stop, the water can be returned to the water supply tank 10 through the overflow pipe 33, so that the water can surely overflow from the water storage chamber 13. Can be prevented.

  35 is a float installed in the drainage tank 8, 36 is a magnet that moves up and down when the float 35 operates, 37 is an ON / OFF switch depending on whether the magnet 36 has magnetic force, and the drainage tank 8 is full. If the inside of the drainage tank 8 is not full, the distance between the magnet 36 and the full water sensor 37 is short, and the magnetic force of the magnet 36 can be detected by the full water sensor 37. Outputs an ON state, and when the water in the drain tank 8 increases and the float 35 gradually rises, the distance between the magnet 36 and the full sensor 37 gradually increases, and when the drain tank 8 becomes nearly full, the magnetic force of the magnet 36 is increased. When the full-water sensor 37 cannot be detected, the full-water sensor 37 outputs an OFF signal and closes the drain valve 28. Reliably prevent the situation from the tank 8 leakage of water.

  Further, when the drainage tank 8 is full and the OFF signal is output, the full water sensor 37 takes out the drainage tank 8 from the drainage tank storage unit 7 and discards the water in the drainage tank 8 at a washroom or the like. After that, when the drain tank 8 is installed again in the drain tank storage section 7 and returned to the instrument body 1, the signal is switched to the ON signal, so that the drain tank 8 is drained from the instrument body 1 from the state in which the drain tank 8 is full. After the tank 8 is taken out and the water in the drain tank 8 is discarded, it can be detected that the drain tank 8 is installed in the instrument body 1 again.

  The full water sensor 37 outputs an ON signal if the drain tank 8 is installed in the drain tank storage section 7 in the appliance body 1 when the drain tank 8 is not full, and the drain tank 8 is taken out from the drain tank storage section 7. Therefore, it functions as a tank presence / absence detecting means capable of detecting whether the drainage tank 8 exists in the instrument body 1.

  A louver motor 38 is connected to a support shaft (not shown) of the louver 4 and rotates the louver 4 to a predetermined angle, and rotates the louver 4 to a predetermined angle when the mist operation starts or stops.

  The operation unit 5 includes an operation switch 39 for instructing start and stop of operation, a hiking switch 40 for performing silent operation for reducing the operation sound by reducing the rotational speed of the mist motor 15 by a predetermined value, and humidified air. A timer on / off switch 41 for setting whether or not to start or stop a mist operation for supplying the air to the room, a clock setting switch 42 for setting the current time, and a mist operation for supplying humidified air to the room Timer adjustment switch 43 for setting the start time and stop time, humidification switch 44 for selecting the amount of humidified air supplied to the room from three levels of humidification levels, and the amount of humidified air supplied to the room from the three levels of airflow levels Air volume switch 45 to be selected, and display section for displaying the humidification level and the air volume level set by the humidification switch 44 and the air volume switch 45 6 and a display changeover switch 47 for changing the display item on the display unit 46 from humidification, air volume level to humidity, current time, etc., and pressing the switch for 3 seconds opens the drain valve 28 and opens the water in the water storage chamber 13. A drain switch 48 for forcibly draining water and a child lock switch 49 for prohibiting operations other than operation stop are provided.

  The operation unit 5 is provided with lamps corresponding to the respective switches. The operation lamp 50 which is turned on when the operation switch 39 is operated and the timer on / off switch 41 are operated to operate the timer on / off control. A timer lamp 51 that lights a lamp in a mode set by any of the controls, and a display that lights a predetermined lamp corresponding to the detected humidity displayed on the display unit 46 and the items of morning and afternoon of the current time An item lamp 52, a drain lamp 53 as a notification means that is turned on when the drain switch 48 is operated, or when the drain tank 8 is full and the full sensor 37 is switched to the OFF state, and the child lock switch 49. And a child lock lamp 54 that is turned on when the child lock is set.

  55 is a control unit composed of a microcomputer for controlling the operation content and the opening / closing of the valve based on the detection value detected by each sensor and the setting content of each switch provided on the operation unit 5. Mist motor control means 56 for driving at a predetermined rotational speed, blower fan control means 57 for driving the blower fan 18 at a predetermined rotational speed, and the water temperature in the water storage chamber 13 by changing the ON / OFF state of the heater 20. The heater control means 58 for controlling the time and the time measuring means 59 for counting the time elapsed since the start of the specific operation are provided.

Next, the operation from the start to the end of operation in one embodiment will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.
First, when the operation switch 39 of the operation unit 5 is operated or the operation start time set by the timer on / off switch 41 is reached, the control unit 55 opens the drain valve 28 and the water in the water storage chamber 13. When the water level sensor 22 detects an OFF signal, the water supply pump 24 is driven to drain the water in the water supply pipe 23, and a water replacement mode is performed in which the drain valve 28 is closed when a predetermined time has elapsed. (Step S101).

  When the water replacement mode in step S101 is completed, the control unit 55 supplies the water in the water supply tank 10 into the water storage chamber 13 through the water supply pipe 23, and when a water level sensor 22 detects an ON signal, a predetermined amount of water is supplied. Is stopped in the water storage chamber 13 and the driving of the water supply pump 24 is stopped, and then the blower fan 18 is driven for a predetermined time to perform a start-up mode in which large water droplets adhering to the rotating body 14 are dropped (step S102).

  When the start-up mode in step S102 is completed, the control unit 55 drives the louver motor 38 to stop the louver 4 at a position perpendicular to the upper surface of the instrument body 1, and is set by the humidification switch 44 and the air volume switch 45. Based on the humidification level and the air flow level, the mist motor control means 56 and the blower fan control means 57 control the respective rotational speeds so that the mist motor 15 and the blower fan 18 are driven at a predetermined rotational speed, and the stored water temperature. Based on the detection value of the sensor 21, the heater 20 is switched and controlled by the heater control means 58 to control the water storage temperature in the water storage chamber 13 at a predetermined temperature according to the humidification level and the air flow level. A normal operation mode for executing a mist operation within the range is performed (step S103).

  Here, the normal operation mode will be described in detail. The mist motor control means 56 changes the rotation speed of the mist motor 15 within the range of 800 to 1400 rpm, and the blower fan control means 57 sets the blower fan 18 within the range of 400 to 800 rpm. In the water storage chamber 13, the mist operation is performed at a rotational speed that matches the air flow level, and the temperature detected by the blower temperature sensor 29 becomes a value that matches the humidification level. The water heater temperature is changed, and the heater control means 58 switches the ON / OFF state of the heater 20 so that the temperature detected by the water reservoir temperature sensor 21 changes within a range of about 30 to 40 ° C.

When the operation switch 39 is turned OFF in the middle of the normal operation mode after starting the normal operation mode in step S103 or when the mist operation stop time set by the timer ON / OFF switch 41 is reached, the control unit 55 The heater 20 is turned on to heat the water, and the heater 20 is switched on / off so that the value detected by the water storage temperature sensor 21 changes around 60 ° C., so that the water in the water storage chamber 13 is sterilized. The sterilization operation is performed for 10 minutes.
And if the control part 55 judges that 10 minutes have passed since the said disinfection operation start, it will drive the mist motor 15 and the ventilation fan 18 by predetermined rotation speed, and will perform the cooling operation which reduces the water temperature in the water storage chamber 13. Run.
Further, when the control unit 55 determines that the temperature detected by the water storage temperature sensor 21 has become 40 ° C. or less and terminates the cooling operation, the control unit 55 stops the mist motor 15 and increases the rotational speed of the blower fan 18 to generate strong wind. At a certain 800 rpm, the drain valve 28 is opened to execute the drain operation for draining the water in the water storage chamber 13 into the drain tank 8, and the cleaning mode composed of the sterilization operation, the cooling operation and the drain operation is performed. This is performed after the normal mode (step S104).

  When the cleaning mode in step S104 is completed, the control unit 55 causes the blower fan control means 57 to drive the blower fan 18 at a rotation speed of 800 rpm at which strong wind is applied until 4 hours have passed since the start of the sterilization operation, which is a predetermined time. Then, a drying mode for drying the inside of the water storage chamber 13 is carried out (step S105). When 4 hours have elapsed from the start of the sterilization operation, the blower fan 18 is stopped and the drying mode is terminated, and the louver motor 38 is driven to drive the louver 4 The operation is stopped by closing.

Next, details of the control after the start of the drying operation will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, when the draining operation is completed and the drying operation is started, the control unit 55 determines whether the elapsed time from the start of the sterilization operation counted by the time measuring means 59 is 4 hours (step S201), and from the start of the sterilization operation. If the elapsed time is 4 hours or more, the blower fan 18 is stopped, the drain valve 28 is closed, the operation lamp 50 is turned off, and the drain lamp 53 is turned on to finish drying around the water storage chamber 13. This indicates that the operation of the humidifier has been completed, and lights the drain lamp 53 to notify the user that the water in the drain tank 8 needs to be drained to a washroom or the like (step S202).
In addition, if the time elapsed from the start of the sterilization operation counted by the time measuring unit 59 in step S201 is less than 4 hours, the control unit 55 continues counting in the time measuring unit 59 and repeats the determination in step S201. .

  After causing the various drive units to perform predetermined operations in step S202, the control unit 55 determines whether the detection output result of the full water sensor 37 has changed sequentially from the OFF state to the ON state (step S203), and the output result. If the state changes from the OFF state to the ON state in sequence, the user takes out the drain tank 8 from the drain tank storage unit 7, drains the water in the drain tank 8 into a washroom, etc., and enters the drain tank storage unit 7. Since the drainage tank 8 is installed again and returned to the appliance body 1, even if the operation switch 39 is operated and the mist operation is resumed, the drainage tank 8 becomes full during the drainage operation performed before and after the mist operation. If it is determined that there is no interruption and the drain lamp 53 is turned off and the operation switch 39 is operated, the operation is enabled again (step S204).

If the output result detected by the full water sensor 37 in step S203 is not sequentially switched from the OFF state to the ON state, the control unit 55 determines whether the operation switch 39 has been operated to instruct a re-operation (step S205). If it is determined that the operation switch 39 has been operated and a re-operation is instructed, the waste water flowing in from the water storage chamber 13 is accumulated in the drain tank 8 by the drain operation, and the drain tank 8 is in the drain tank during the drain operation. If the operation is interrupted due to full water, re-operation is not permitted, and the drain lamp 53 is blinked to prompt the water in the drain tank 8 to be drained to a washroom or the like (step S206).
If it is determined in step S205 that the operation switch 39 has not been operated, the control unit 55 repeats the determination in step S203.

  As described above, after the mist operation is completed, the drain valve 28 is opened to perform the drain operation for flowing the water in the water storage chamber 13 into the drain tank 8, and when the drying operation for drying the water storage chamber 13 is completed, the drain lamp By illuminating 53 and encouraging the drainage of the water in the drainage tank 8, the user can be conscious of draining the water in the drainage tank 8 at the washroom after the drainage operation is completed. Since there is no possibility that the operation of the drainage tank 8 is filled with water during the drainage operation and the operation is interrupted, user convenience is improved.

  Further, after the drying operation is completed and all the operations are completed, if it cannot be determined by the full-water sensor 37 that the drainage tank 8 has been inserted / removed from the drainage tank storage unit 7, the drainage lamp 53 is not accepted even if a rerun instruction is given. Is controlled so that the water in the drain tank 8 is not re-run without draining it to the washroom, etc., and the drain tank 8 is full during the drain operation during re-run. Since there is no interruption, it is possible to detect the presence / absence of the drainage tank 8 without installing a dedicated device for detecting the presence / absence of the drainage tank 8 in the drainage tank storage unit 7, thereby preventing an increase in product cost. In addition, user convenience is improved.

  In the present embodiment, the control using the drainage lamp 53 is described as the notification means. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a speaker that generates a sound is provided at a predetermined position of the appliance body 1. Control that guides the water in the tank 8 to drain may be used, and any informing means that informs the user that the water in the drainage tank 8 is discarded after the drainage operation is completed may be used.

  In the present embodiment, the control using the full water sensor 37 as the tank detection means is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an infrared sensor, a weight sensor, and the like are installed in the drain tank storage unit 7. Control for determining the presence / absence of installation may be used, and any means capable of determining the presence / absence of the drainage tank 8 in the drainage tank storage unit 7 is sufficient.

  Further, the configuration and control contents in the present embodiment are presented as examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, and can be implemented in various other forms. Various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

1 Instrument body
2 Blower
3 Top panel
8 Drain tank
13 Water storage room
14 Rotating body
15 Mist motor
17 Porous part (impact)
18 Blower fan
26 Drain pipe 28 Drain valve 37 Full water sensor (Tank presence detection means)
53 Drainage lamp (notification means)
55 Control unit

Claims (4)

A device body, a water storage chamber in the device body for storing water, a drain pipe connected to the water storage chamber for guiding the water in the water storage chamber into a drain tank, and a valve installed in the middle of the drain pipe to open and close the valve A drain valve for controlling the flow of drainage in the pipe, a full sensor for determining whether the drain tank is full, humidified air generating means for generating humid air from the water in the reservoir, and the humidified air generating means A blower fan that performs a mist operation for supplying humidified air generated in the room to the room, a notification means for notifying that the water in the drainage tank is drained when the fullness sensor determines that the drainage tank is full, and After the mist operation is performed, the drain valve is opened to drain the water in the water storage chamber, and after the drain operation is finished, the informing means informs the water in the drain tank to drain regardless of the detection result of the full water sensor. System And a part,
A tank presence / absence detecting means capable of detecting that the drainage tank has been extracted from the instrument body and installed again in the instrument body;
The controller restarts the mist operation if it cannot be determined that the drainage tank is installed in the appliance body again after the drainage operation is completed by the tank presence / absence detection means after the drainage operation is completed. Humidification device characterized by prohibiting.   The humidifying device according to claim 1, wherein the tank presence / absence detecting means is constituted by the full water sensor.   The humidifying device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the notification means is a drainage lamp which is on an operation unit of the appliance main body and which lights or blinks when drainage of water in the drainage tank is necessary.   The humidified air generating means is scattered by the rotation of the cylindrical rotating body that submerges the lower end in the water storage chamber, draws water by rotation and scatters, the mist motor that rotationally drives the rotating body, and the rotating body. The humidifying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the humidifying device comprises a colliding body with which water collides.

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