JP7330135B2 - humidifier - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a humidifier for humidifying indoor air.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a humidifier is provided with a water tank in which water is stored, and humidified air is generated by, for example, vaporizing the water stored in the water tank by a humidifying means or the like. Therefore, the bottom of the water tank that stores water is always submerged in water, and dirt such as limescale adheres to the submerged portion. If this dirt is left unattended, various bacteria will grow and cause odor, so regular maintenance is required for the water tank.

In general, the water tank is detachable from the main body, and is detached from the main body and washed with water for maintenance of the water tank. In addition, in order to make it easier to remove dirt from the water tank when washing with water, it is better for the water tank to have less unevenness. Reference 1). As a result, dirt such as scale can be easily removed, and the corners of the ribs can be prevented from being caught by the sponge during washing, thereby reducing the troublesomeness of cleaning.

JP 2014-47963 A

However, the structure described above also has room for improvement. For example, since there are irregularities around the partition plate that separates the inside of the water tank and around the float that detects the water level in the water tank, dirt tends to remain. If these can be removed, it is thought that maintainability will be improved more.

In addition, when the partition plate and the float are to be detachable, they are required to be easily detachable. However, even if it can be easily attached and detached, it must be avoided if it comes off during use of the humidifier or if it is displaced from the correct installation position, as this will lead to a loss of safety and humidification performance.

The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and is excellent in maintainability by making it possible to attach and detach parts such as partition plates and floats provided in the water tank part, and to be able to attach them simply and reliably. An object of the present invention is to provide a humidifying device.

The present invention comprises a water tank portion that is attached from an insertion port of a main body and stores water;
a water supply tank that supplies water to the water tank;
a vaporization filter for generating humidified air using the water in the water tank;
a partition section that partitions the water tank section into a water tank housing section that houses the water tank and a vaporization filter housing section that houses the vaporization filter;
A water level detection unit that detects the water level of the water tank unit,
The partition part and the water level detection part are detachable from the water tank part in a connected state,
The water tank portion includes a first locking portion that locks the partition portion to restrict upward movement, and a second locking portion that locks the water level detection portion to restrict horizontal movement. and a humidifying device.

By configuring as described above, the partition part and the water level detection part can be detachably attached to the water tank part, and can be attached easily and reliably, improving the maintainability of the humidifier without impairing safety and humidification performance. can be made

It is an external appearance perspective view of the humidifying device of this embodiment. It is an outline view showing composition of a humidifying device of this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the water storage part in the humidifier|moistener of this embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing parts forming a water reservoir in the humidifier of the present embodiment; It is sectional drawing of the water storage part in the humidifier|moistener of this embodiment. It is a perspective view of the water level detection part of this embodiment. It is a sectional view of the water level detection part of this embodiment. It is a top view of the frame which comprises the water level detection part of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the attachment state of the water level detection part of this embodiment, (A) shows the locked state fixed by the fixing means, (B) shows the non-locked state in which fixation by the fixing means is released.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be briefly described to illustrate the operation of the present invention.

The present invention is a humidifying device comprising: a water tank section that is attached from an insertion port of a main body to store water; and a vaporization filter that generates humidified air from the water in the water tank section. and a water level detecting portion for detecting the water level of the water tank portion, which is detachable from the water tank portion. and a second locking portion that locks the water level detection portion and restricts movement in the horizontal direction. It is configured so that movement is regulated together. Thereby, the partition part and the water level detection part can be reliably attached to the correct positions, and their positional deviation is also suppressed. Furthermore, since the partition part and the water level detection part can be easily attached to the water tank part, the maintainability of the humidifying device can be improved.

The water level detection unit has a float for detecting the water level in the water tank and a frame for housing the float, and is detachable from the water tank via the frame. Therefore, the partition section and the water level detection section can be attached/detached to/from the water tank section without touching the float. Therefore, since the float can be easily attached and detached without fear of deformation, the humidifying apparatus is excellent in maintainability.

Further, the water tank portion is provided with a third engaging portion, and when the fixing means provided in the water level detecting portion is brought into a locked state, the lock piece rotates in the horizontal direction and is fitted into the third engaging portion. . That is, the third locking portion restricts the upward movement, and the upward load can be dispersed between the first locking portion and the third locking portion. As a result, even if the partition part is grasped and the water tank part is lifted, the load is not concentrated in one place, and damage to the parts can be suppressed.

In addition, the water tank section is provided with a water tank side connecting portion to which the fixing means is connected, above the water surface, and the fixing means is connected to the water tank side connecting portion from above. This makes it possible to fix without immersing the hand in water, thereby improving convenience.

Further, the operating portion of the fixing means is provided on the upper surface of the fixing means. As a result, the operation is easy, and the locked state and the unlocked state can be easily visually recognized.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the humidifier of this embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an external view showing the configuration of the humidifier. On the upper surface of the main body 1 of the humidifier, there are provided a display operation unit 2 provided with a plurality of switches for instructing the operation of the humidifier and lamps for displaying the operating state, and an outlet 3 for blowing out humidified air. there is A suction port 4 is provided on a side surface of the main body 1 for taking indoor air into the main body 1, and a water supply tank 5 for supplying water to a water tank section 7, which will be described later, is detachably provided on the main body 1. In the humidifying apparatus of this embodiment, two tanks, ie, the first water tank 5a and the second water tank 5b are provided as the water tank 5, but the number of the water tank 5 may be one. A water amount window 6 for checking the amount of water in the water supply tank 5 is provided on the front of the main body 1. - 特許庁

Further, the bottom of the main body 1 is provided with a water tank portion 7 which is supplied with water from the water supply tanks 5 (the first water supply tank 5a and the second water supply tank 5b) and stores a certain amount of water. A vaporization filter 8 (8a, 8b) having water absorption is arranged in the water tank part 7, and a part of the vaporization filter 8 is immersed in the water in the water tank part 7, so that the water can be sucked up. moistened by The water tank part 7 has an open top surface, and is slidably provided so that it can be pulled out from the insertion opening 1a of the main body 1 when the two water supply tanks 5a and 5b are removed.

FIG. 3 is a top view showing the configuration of the water reservoir in the humidifier of the present embodiment, FIG. 4 is an exploded view showing the parts constituting the water reservoir, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the water reservoir. . The water storage section 9 includes the water tank section 7 described above, a partition section 12 erected in the water tank section 7 , and a water level detection section 13 for detecting the water level in the water tank section 7 . The partition part 12 and the water level detection part 13 are detachably provided in the water tank part 7 in a connected state.

In this embodiment, the water level detector 13 and the partition 12 are made of different members and can be disassembled, but the water level detector 13 is connected to the partition 12 by screwing. Therefore, the water level detection unit 13 is attached and detached together with the partition unit 12 . Therefore, in the following description, when there is a description that the partition part 12 is attached or detached or the water level detection part 13 is attached or detached, it means that the part that connects the partition part 12 and the water level detection part 13 is attached or detached. there is Moreover, the partition part 12 makes the surface where the water level detection part 13 is attached the front, and makes the back side of the front the back. In addition, the partition part 12 and the water level detection part 13 may be formed integrally and may have a structure that cannot be disassembled.

The interior of the water tank portion 7 is partitioned by a partition portion 12 into a water supply tank housing portion 14 that houses the water supply tank 5 and a vaporization filter housing portion 15 that houses the vaporization filter 8 . The partition portion 12 is provided with a communication hole 12a that communicates the water tank housing portion 14 and the vaporization filter housing portion 15, and the water supplied from the water tank 5 to the water tank portion 7 flows through the water tank housing portion. 14 flows into the vaporization filter housing portion 15 through the communication hole 12a, and a constant amount of water is stored in the water tank portion 7 to form a constant water surface.

Moreover, the partition part 12 has locking pieces 12b formed on both left and right ends of the front surface. A locking wall 7a extends inwardly at a position where the partition portion 12 of the water tank portion 7 is attached, and a first locking portion 71 into which the locking piece 12b is inserted into the locking wall 7a. is formed. When the partition portion 12 is attached to the water tank portion 7, by engaging the locking piece 12b with the first locking portion 71, the upward movement of the partition portion 12 is restricted and the upward positional displacement is prevented. is suppressed. Further, the inner wall of the water tank portion 7 is provided with a guide piece 7b that serves as a guide when the partition portion 12 is attached.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the water level detector of this embodiment, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the water level detector of this embodiment. FIG. 8 is a top view of a frame constituting the water level detection section. The water level detection unit 13 includes a float 16 that rotates up and down according to the water level in the water tank unit 7 and a frame 17 to which the float 16 is attached. The frame 17 has a substantially bottomed box shape with a bottom surface 171 and side surfaces 172 , and the float 16 is accommodated in a space 18 defined by the bottom surface 171 and the side surfaces 172 . Note that the frame 17 may have a shape having an upper surface in addition to the bottom surface 171 and the side surfaces 172 . A side surface 172 of the frame 17 is provided with a bearing portion 174 for receiving the rotation shaft 16 a of the float 16 .

Water passage holes 20 are formed in a bottom surface 171 and a side surface 172 of the frame 17 , and water flows inside and outside the space 18 through the water passage holes 20 . Further, the bottom surface 171 of the frame 17 is formed with a contact portion 21 that protrudes downward, that is, toward the water tank portion 7 side. As a result, when the water level detector 13 is attached to the water tank portion 7 , the contact portion 21 contacts the bottom surface of the water tank portion 7 . A gap for circulation is formed. Since the water in the water tank part 7 efficiently circulates between the inside and the outside of the space part 18 through this gap, the float 16 provided in the space part 18 accurately detects the water level in the water tank part 7. be able to. In this embodiment, the water passage holes 20 are provided not only on the bottom surface 171 but also on the side surfaces 172 , but the water passage holes 20 may be provided on at least the bottom surface 171 .

The frame 17 also has a frame-side connection portion 173 for connecting to the water tank portion 7 . The frame-side connection portion 173 extends outward from the upper end of the side surface 172 and has fixing means 19 for fixing the water level detection portion 13 to the water tank portion 7 . When the water level detection portion 13 is attached to the water tank portion 7, the frame side connection portion 173 is connected to the water tank portion side connection portion 7c described later via the fixing means 19. As shown in FIG.

The fixing means 19 has an operation portion 191 operated when switching the fixing means 19 between the locked state and the unlocked state, and a rotating portion 192 which rotates horizontally in conjunction with the operation of the operating portion 191 . The operating portion 191 is provided on the upper surface side of the fixing means 19 , and the rotating portion 192 is provided on the lower surface side. Further, a locking piece 194 projects from the rotating portion 192, and the position of the locking piece 194 moves as the rotating portion 192 rotates. Thereby, the fixing means 19 can be switched between the locked state and the unlocked state.

9A and 9B are diagrams showing the connecting portion between the water level detection portion and the water tank portion, in which (A) is a locked state in which the fixing means is fixed, and (B) is an unlocked state in which the fixing means is released. state. The water tank section 7 is provided with a water tank section side connection section 7c at a position higher than the water surface. The frame-side connecting portion 173 is connected to the water-tank-side connecting portion 7c from above through the fixing means 19 so as to be superimposed thereon, and is fixed by the fixing means 19. As shown in FIG. A second engaging portion 72 and a third engaging portion 73 are formed in the water tank section side connection portion 7c.

The second locking portion 72 locks the water level detection portion 13 to restrict movement in the horizontal direction. When the water level detection part 13 is attached to the water tank part 7 and the frame side connection part 173 is connected to the water tank part side connection part 7c, the water level detection part 13 is detected regardless of whether the fixing means 19 is locked or unlocked. The movement in the horizontal direction (backward direction of the partition part 12) is restricted by the second locking part 72. As shown in FIG. In other words, even if a force is applied to move the partition 12 in the rearward direction, the rotating portion 192 abuts on the second locking portion 72, so that the movement of the water level detection portion 13 is restricted. As a result, horizontal displacement of the partition 12 is suppressed.

When the fixing means 19 is in the locked state, the third locking portion 73 is locked by the locking piece 194 to restrict upward movement. As shown in FIG. 9A, when the operation portion 191 is in the lock position, the lock piece 194 is fitted into the third locking portion 73. As shown in FIG. The lock piece 194 is fitted into the third locking portion 73 to restrict upward movement of the water level detection portion 13 . When the fixing means 19 is to be unlocked, the operating portion 191 is turned to face the unlocked position. As a result, the rotating portion 192 rotates counterclockwise, and the lock piece 194 is disengaged from the third locking portion 73 as shown in FIG. restrictions will be lifted.

The humidifying device of this embodiment has the first locking portion 71, the second locking portion 72, and the third locking portion 73 as means for suppressing the positional deviation of the partition portion 12. Only the first locking portion 71 and the second locking portion 72 can restrict the movement in the upward direction and the horizontal direction, which is effective in suppressing the displacement of the partition portion 12 . However, by providing the third engaging portion 73, the water tank portion 7 and the water level detecting portion 13 can be fixed more securely, and the load applied in the upward direction can be prevented by the first engaging portion 71 and the third engaging portion. Since the load can be dispersed with the stop portion 73, it is possible to suppress the concentration of the load and effectively prevent the breakage of the parts.

The structure of the fixing means 19 shown here is just an example, and the fixing means 19 is not limited to the structure of this embodiment as long as the fixing means 19 can fix the water level detection portion 13 and the water tank portion 7 . For example, the operation portion 191 and the rotation portion 192 may be directly connected without using the connection member 193 to connect the operation portion 191 and the rotation portion 192, or the operation portion 191 and the rotation portion 192 may be integrated. can be formed to

In the humidifying apparatus having the above configuration, when the operation switch of the display/operation unit 2 is operated to issue an operation start instruction, the blower (not shown) is driven. By driving the air blower, indoor air is taken into the main body 1 from the suction port 4, and when the taken-in air passes through the vaporization filter 8, it becomes humidified air and is discharged from the blowout port 3 to perform the humidification operation. .

If the humidification operation is performed for a long period of time, dirt such as limescale and scale will adhere to the water tank section 7. Therefore, the humidifying device judges when to clean the water tank section 7 and notifies the user. ing. For example, the operating time of the humidifying device is measured, and when the operating time reaches a predetermined time, the user is notified by turning on the lamp of the display/operation unit 2 or by emitting an alarm sound. The user performs maintenance of the water tank section 7 based on this notification. Specifically, the maintenance of the water tank section 7 is performed by discarding the water accumulated in the water tank section 7 and washing the water tank section 7 with water.

Next, a procedure for attaching and detaching the partition section 12 and the water level detection section 13 when performing maintenance in response to the above notification will be described.

In normal use, the water level detector 13 is in a locked state in which it is fixed to the water tub 7 (FIG. 9(A)). Therefore, when removing the water level detection part 13 from the water tank part 7, first, the operation part 191 of the fixing means 19 is turned counterclockwise to release the locking state of the fixing means 19 and bring it into the unlocked state (FIG. 9B). )). After that, the partition part 12 is inclined in the rear direction. When the partition portion 12 is tilted, the locking piece 12b is disengaged from the first locking portion 71, and at the same time, the tip of the water level detecting portion 13 is lifted, and the turning portion 192 is locked to the second locking portion 72. be released. As a result, the partition portion 12 is freed from the restriction of upward movement by the first engaging portion 71 and the restriction of horizontal movement by the second engaging portion 72. can be removed from

When the partition part 12 and the water level detection part 13 are removed, the unevenness of the water tank part 7 is reduced, so that the water tank part 7 can be easily washed with water. Dirt can be easily removed by washing the removed partition part 12 and water level detection part 13 with water.

When attaching the water level detection unit 13 to the water tank unit 7, the procedure is the reverse of the procedure for removing it. First, the partition portion 12 is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the water tank portion 7 while being inclined in the rearward direction. At this time, since the guide piece 7b is provided on the side inner wall of the water tank portion 7, the partition portion 12 can be arranged at a predetermined position by making the partition portion 12 run along the guide piece 7b. Then, the partition portion 12 is rotated in the front direction around the point of contact with the bottom surface of the water tank portion 7 as a fulcrum, and the locking piece 12 b is locked to the first locking portion 71 . This restricts upward movement. At the same time, the movement in the horizontal direction is restricted by the second locking portion 72, so that the partition portion 12 can be attached at the correct position. After that, the operating portion 191 of the fixing means 19 is turned to fix the water level detection portion 13 to the water tank portion 7 .

In this way, the partition part 12 and the water level detection part 13 can be attached to and detached from the water tank part 7 in a connected state, and the partition part 12 is engaged with the water tank part 7 to restrict upward movement. By providing the stop portion 71 and the second locking portion 72 that locks the water level detection portion 13 to regulate horizontal movement, movement in both the upward direction and the horizontal direction is regulated, and the partition portion 12 can be effectively suppressed. Moreover, when attaching the partition part 12, it is sufficient to incline and rotate it, and it can be easily attached to the water tank part 7. - 特許庁

Even if the user forgets to lock the fixing means 19, the movement of the partition portion 12 is restricted by the first locking portion 71 and the second locking portion 72, which impairs the safety of the humidifying apparatus. There is no deterioration in humidification performance.

However, by setting the locking means 19 in a locked state, the fixing between the partition part 12 and the water tank part 7 can be made more reliable. In addition, in the locked state, the upward movement is restricted by the first locking portion 71 and the third locking portion 73 . That is, since the load applied in the upward direction can be distributed between the first engaging portion 71 and the third engaging portion 73, for example, even if the partition portion 12 is grasped and the water tank portion 7 is lifted, the load is 1. Damage to parts can be suppressed without concentrating on one spot.

Since the water tank section side connection section 7c to which the fixing means 19 is connected is provided at a position higher than the water surface, it is possible to fix the water tank without immersing the hand in water, thereby improving convenience.

Further, the operating portion 191 of the fixing means 19 is provided on the upper surface of the frame side connecting portion 173 . As a result, in addition to the effects described above, the operation is easy, and the locked state and the unlocked state can be visually recognized easily.

The water level detection unit 13 has a float 16 and a frame 17 that accommodates the float 16 , and is detachable from the water tank unit 7 via the frame 17 . Since the float 16 detects the water level by moving up and down according to the water level in the water tank, it is made of a material such as foamed resin that is light and floats on water. Therefore, the strength of the float 16 is weak, and there is a possibility that it will be deformed if it is removed by touching it directly with a hand. However, with the configuration described above, the partition section 12 and the water level detection section 13 can be attached to and detached from the water tank section 7 without touching the float 16 . Therefore, there is no possibility that the float 16 will be deformed, and attachment and detachment can be easily performed.

By forming the frame 17 into a shape including at least the bottom surface 171 and the side surfaces 172 , the strength is ensured, so that the frame 17 is prevented from being deformed. Furthermore, even if the removed water level detector 13 is dropped or hit, the float 16 is housed in the frame 17, so deformation of the float 16 is prevented.

Reference Signs List 1 main body 1a insertion port 5 water tank 7 water tank 7c water tank side connection 8 vaporization filter 12 partition 13 water level detector 14 water tank housing 15 vaporization filter housing 16 float 17 frame 19 fixing means 191 operation section 192 times Moving part 194 Lock piece 71 First locking part 72 Second locking part 73 Third locking part

Claims (5)

a water tank part that is attached from the insertion port of the main body and stores water;
a water supply tank that supplies water to the water tank;
a vaporization filter for generating humidified air using the water in the water tank;
a partition section that partitions the water tank section into a water tank housing section that houses the water tank and a vaporization filter housing section that houses the vaporization filter;
A water level detection unit that detects the water level of the water tank unit,
The partition part and the water level detection part are detachable from the water tank part in a connected state,
The water tank portion includes a first locking portion that locks the partition portion to restrict upward movement, and a second locking portion that locks the water level detection portion to restrict horizontal movement. and a humidifying device. 2. The humidifying device according to claim 1, wherein the water level detector includes a float that moves up and down according to the water level, and a frame that accommodates the float and is attached to the water tank. The frame body includes fixing means for fixing the water level detection part to the water tank part. A rotating portion that rotates in a direction, and a lock piece that protrudes from the rotating portion,
3. The humidifying device according to claim 2, wherein said water tank portion has a third engaging portion into which said locking piece is fitted when said fixing means is in said locked state. The water tank part has a water tank part side connection part to which the fixing means is connected at a position higher than the water surface,
4. The humidifying device according to claim 3, wherein said fixing means is connected to said water tank section side connection section from above. 5. The humidifying device according to claim 4, wherein the operating portion is provided on the upper surface of the fixing means.

Images