JP7461403B2 - humidifier - Google Patents

Description

Application of Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act 1. Publication at the Home Appliance Business Meeting (May 18th to May 28th, 2021) 2. Published on the website on October 8th and October 13th, 2021 3. Publication by sale as described in the attached sheet

The present invention relates to a humidifier.

Patent Document 1 discloses a humidifier. In this humidifier, a water collection pan 10 and a buffer tank 19 are connected by an overflow pipe, and any excess water in the water collection pan 10 is received in the buffer tank 19 through the overflow pipe.

Patent No. 5052437

However, in the humidifier of Patent Document 1, if the buffer tank 19 is full, water cannot be received, and water may overflow from the water collection pan 10.

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a humidifier that can prevent the humidifying liquid from overflowing.

The humidifier of the present invention comprises a tank section capable of storing humidifying liquid, a humidifying section arranged above the tank section and capable of humidifying with the humidifying liquid in the tank section, a storage section arranged above the tank section and capable of temporarily storing the humidifying liquid supplied from the tank section to the humidifying section, and a liquid delivery section that delivers the humidifying liquid temporarily stored in the storage section to the humidifying section, the humidifying section and the storage section being connected to each other by the liquid delivery section, so that their liquid levels change in conjunction with each other, and a return mechanism configured to return the humidifying liquid temporarily stored in the storage section to the tank section so that the liquid level in the humidifying section does not exceed a predetermined high liquid level.

In the above configuration, since the humidifying section and the storage section are in communication with each other, when the liquid level in the humidifying section rises, the liquid level in the storage section also rises. When the liquid level in the humidifying section reaches a high level, the humidifying liquid in the storage section is returned to the tank section by the return mechanism. This can prevent the humidifying liquid from overflowing from the humidifying section.

In the humidifier of the present invention, the tank section and the storage section can be supplied with the humidifying liquid from the outside.

The above configuration is convenient because liquid can be supplied to the tank section or the storage section depending on the usage.

In the humidifier of the present invention, the humidifier unit includes a heating unit in which the humidifying liquid accumulates and a heater for heating the heating unit, a pump unit for pumping the humidifying liquid from the tank unit to the storage unit, a tank liquid level detection unit capable of detecting the liquid level in the tank unit, a stored liquid level detection unit capable of detecting the liquid level in the storage unit, and a control unit, and the control unit is configured to execute pump unit stop control for stopping pumping by the pump unit when the tank liquid level detection unit detects that the liquid level in the tank unit has dropped to a predetermined low liquid level, and heater stop control for stopping heating by the heater when the stored liquid level detection unit detects that the liquid level in the storage unit has dropped to a predetermined low liquid level.

In the above configuration, when the tank liquid level detecting section detects that the liquid level in the tank has decreased to a predetermined low liquid level, the pump section stop control of the control section stops pumping by the pump section, so that the pump section is emptied. In other words, when the storage liquid level detection unit detects that the liquid level in the storage unit has decreased to a predetermined low level, the control unit stops heating by the heater. Heater stop control prevents empty heating in the heating section, that is, heating without humidifying liquid.

In the humidifier of the present invention, the control unit is configured to execute the heater stop control after the pump stop control, and when the heater stop control is executed, a predetermined amount of the humidifying liquid remains in the heating unit to prevent dry heating.

In the above configuration, the control section can prevent the heating section from being heated up dry.

According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress overflow of humidifying liquid in a humidifier.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a humidifier according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. FIG. This is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 3. FIG. It is a perspective view of the housing part outer wall and the housing part inner wall in the housing part of the same humidifier.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the humidifier based on 1st embodiment of this invention is demonstrated with reference to FIG. 1 thru|or 9. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the humidifier 1 of this embodiment is driven by power supplied via a power plug 2 (see FIG. 2).

The humidifier 1 has a housing 3. The housing 3 has a tank section 4 disposed below and a housing section 5 disposed above the tank section 4.

The tank section 4 has legs 6 formed at the bottom and a tank body section 7 arranged on the top of the legs 6. The legs 6 are formed in a frame shape when viewed from above (bottom). The tank body section 7 has tank side walls 8 formed in a cylindrical shape (in this case, a square cylindrical shape centered on the central axis CL of the humidifier 1) and a tank bottom wall 9. The tank body section 7 also has an opening 10 that is open on the upper side.

Below the opening 10 of the tank body 7, as shown in FIG. 6, a lid hook 11 that supports the storage portion 5 is arranged. The lid hook 11 is formed along the inner periphery of the tank body 7 and is formed in a plate shape convex inside the tank body 7.

Such tank main body 7 can be supplied with water (hereinafter referred to as humidifying liquid 12) from the outside. That is, it is possible to supply (reserve) the humidifying liquid 12 from the opening 10. As shown in FIG. 1, a window 13 is formed in the tank side wall 8 to indicate the minimum and maximum amount of humidifying liquid 12 to be supplied.

As shown in FIG. 7, the humidifying liquid 12 supplied to the tank body 7 is pumped upward through the liquid injection path 15 by driving the pump section 14 built into the storage section 5. That is, the pump section 14 has a function of pumping up the humidifying liquid 12 from the tank section 4 to a tray (storage section) 16, which will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 7, the liquid injection path main body 15A in the liquid injection path 15 has a tubular shape extending in the height direction of the tank main body portion 7. As shown in FIG. A filter 17 that is removably attached to the tank bottom wall 9 is arranged at the lower end of the liquid injection channel main body 15A. In addition, the entire liquid injection path 15 is arranged to be spaced inward from the tank side wall 8, and the upper end of the liquid injection path 15 is connected to the liquid injection path 15, which is a part of the lid hook 11 that protrudes inward from the lid hook 11. It is supported by the liquid path holding section 11A. In addition, in the lid hook 11, on the side of the tank side wall 8 of the liquid injection path holding portion 11A, a recessed wall 24B (described later) for aligning the tank portion 4 and the accommodating portion 5 in the circumferential direction is fitted from above and below. A convex portion 11B is formed for this purpose.

As shown in FIG. 6, the tank body 7 is provided with a tank liquid level detector 18 capable of detecting the capacity of the tank body 7, i.e., the water level (the level of the humidifying liquid 12). The tank liquid level detector 18 has a rod-shaped detector rod 18A that runs along the height direction of the tank body 7, and a gap 19 is provided between the lower end of the detector rod 18A and the tank bottom wall 9. The tank liquid level detector 18 also has a detector body 20 that detects whether the detector rod 18A is in contact with the humidifying liquid 12 in the tank 4. The upper end of the detector rod 18A is inserted into the lid hook 11, and the upper end is configured to be able to come into contact with the detector body 20 that is housed in the storage section 5. A contact portion 20A that can directly come into contact with the upper end of the tank liquid level detector 18 is connected to the detector body 20.

The tank portion 4 and the storage portion 5 are configured to be detachable. That is, when the humidifier 1 is in use, the accommodating part 5 is normally configured to be detachable from the tank part 4 in the vertical direction. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, the accommodating part 5 has an accommodating part outer wall 21 and an accommodating part inner wall 22.

The storage section outer wall 21 has an outer wall main body 23, a reduced diameter section 24, and a storage bottom wall 29. The outer wall main body 23 is formed in the up-down direction along the tank side wall 8. That is, the outer wall main body 23 has a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. The reduced diameter section 24 is formed at the lower part of the outer wall main body 23, and can be inserted from above into the opening 10 of the tank section 4 and abut against the upper surface of the lid hook 11. The storage bottom wall 29 is laid on the bottom of the reduced diameter section 24, and is a wall parallel to the tank bottom wall 9.

A plurality of (mode) switches SW (see FIGS. 1 and 9) are provided on one surface of the outer wall body 23 to adjust indoor humidity. Further, a plug hole 41 in which the power plug 2 is installed is formed on the other surface of the outer wall main body 23, that is, the surface opposite to the first surface (see FIGS. 2, 5, and 9). Further, above the plug hole 41 of the outer wall main body 23, an air intake port 43 through which a fan 31 (described later) draws in outside air is formed.

The recessed wall 24B is formed in the reduced diameter section 24 to circumferentially align the tank section 4 and the storage section 5. This recessed wall 24B is a wall that is continuous with the reduced diameter section 24 and is a wall that is open downward and outward. The recessed wall 24B has a surrounding wall 24a formed in a frame shape inside the reduced diameter section 24, and a top wall 24b formed at the upper end of the surrounding wall 24a.

As mentioned above, the tank section 4 and the storage section 5 are configured to be detachable, and the following describes the engagement/disengagement means 32 that allows them to be detachable in this manner. That is, an engagement/disengagement hole 32a for providing the engagement/disengagement means 32 is formed on the opposing lower side of the outer wall main body 23, and the engagement/disengagement means 32 is provided for this engagement/disengagement hole 32a.

The engaging and disengaging means 32 has a configuration that allows the storage section 5 to be freely attached and detached in the vertical direction to the tank section 4. The engaging and disengaging means 32 are arranged in pairs in the circumferential direction of the storage section 5, as shown in Figures 4 and 6. In this embodiment, the engaging and disengaging means 32 are arranged on a pair of side surfaces that connect one surface and the other surface of the outer wall main body 23. As shown in Figure 6, the engaging and disengaging means 32 includes an opening and closing member 45 and a pressing body 46. The opening and closing member 45 is a member that has a hinge structure 47 (spring mechanism) and swings from the outside to the inside with respect to the engaging and disengaging hole 32a. The opening and closing member 45 is biased outward by the hinge structure 47. The pressing body 46 is connected to the inside of the opening and closing member 45 via the hinge structure 47. The pressing body 46 also extends in the vertical direction to the lid hook 11. An engaging portion is arranged on the lower side of the pressing body 46, and an engaged portion (in this case, formed on the lid hook 11) is formed on the tank section 4 side.

When the tank section 4 and the storage section 5 are attached, the opening/closing member 45 is fitted into the engagement hole 32a by the hinge structure 47, and in this state, the engaging portion and the engaged portion are engaged. Then, by pressing the opening/closing member 45 inward against the elasticity of the hinge structure 47, the engaging portion and the engaged portion are disengaged, and the storage section 5 is disengaged from the tank section 4. A support base 32A (see, for example, Figures 6 and 9) for supporting the engagement/disengagement means 32 is formed on the inside of the reduced diameter section 24. The support base 32A has a peripheral wall 35a formed in a frame shape inside the reduced diameter section 24, which includes a part of the wall of the reduced diameter section 24, and a top wall 35b arranged at the upper end of the peripheral wall 35a. The lower end of the peripheral wall 35a is integrally formed with the storage bottom wall 29.

The housing inner wall 22 is arranged inside the housing outer wall 21 in the radial direction. The housing inner wall 22 has an upper continuous wall 26, a tray wall 27, and a guide wall 28.

The upper end continuous wall 26 is a wall that is continuous with the upper end of the outer wall main body 23, is arranged along the upper end outer circumference of the outer wall main body 23, and, as shown in FIG. In addition, it is an annular wall when viewed from above. Furthermore, a stepped portion 26a is formed on the inner surface of the upper end continuous wall 26, with which a side surface 56C of a canopy 56, which will be described later, engages.

The tray wall 27 forms a tray 16 as a storage section, and the tray 16 is open at the top and can supply (storage) the humidifying liquid 12 from the upper outside. The structure allows for temporary storage. The tray wall 27 is formed into a substantially concentric cylindrical shape that is open upward. Specifically, the tray wall 27 includes an outer tray wall 30 on the outside, an inner tray wall 37 located inside the outer tray wall 30, and a flat wall 36 that connects the lower ends of the outer tray wall 30 and the inner tray wall 37. The tray outer wall 30 extends from the upper continuous wall 26 downward from the central axis CL so as to be slightly reduced in diameter.

The tray inner wall 37 extends in the opposite inclination direction so as to face the tray outer wall 30, and has an upper end disposed midway in the vertical direction of the tray outer wall 30, and a lower end extending to the flat wall 36. The plane wall 36 is shaped like a plate, that is, a flat plate, and has a substantially annular shape when viewed from above. Further, the plane wall 36 is formed in a region corresponding to the lower part of the outer wall main body 23. As shown in FIG. 5, a pair of fan side walls 39, 39 (described later) are provided vertically in the middle of the annular shape, so that the humidifying liquid 12 on the tray 16 flows in the annular direction. It is blocked. Of the portion surrounded by the tray outer wall 30, the tray inner wall 37, and the plane wall 36, a region from the plane wall 36 to the tray inner wall 37 is formed as the tray 16. In this embodiment, the tray outer wall 30 has a diameter reduced toward the bottom, and the tray inner wall 37 has a diameter reduced toward the top, so that the tray 16 has a shape that becomes wider toward the top, and the upper opening is wider than the bottom. . Furthermore, a reservoir liquid level detection unit 40 (see FIG. 5) that can detect the liquid level of the humidifying liquid 12 in the tray 16 is arranged on the fan side walls 39 among the fan side walls 39, 39.

The guide wall 28 is formed on the inside of the tray inner wall 37. This guide wall 28 is a wall that supports the guide section 44 described later. As shown in Figures 7 and 9, the guide wall 28 is composed of a stepped wall 28a that extends from the upper end of the tray inner wall 37 toward the central axis CL and supports the flange 55 of the steam guide section 44, a guide wall 28b that is arranged downward from the inner end of the stepped wall 28a and is arranged on the outer periphery of the large diameter section 52 of the steam guide section 44, and an annular edge wall 51 that extends from the lower end of the guide wall 28b toward the central axis CL and supports the lower edge portion of the steam guide section 44.

The housing bottom wall 29 and the housing section inner wall 22 are screwed to the housing bottom wall 29 via the attachment means 38, as shown in Figs. 7 and 9. Specifically, the housing bottom wall 29 and the flat wall 36 are screwed to each other via the attachment means 38.

As shown in FIG. 6, a planar packing 50 (made of synthetic rubber) is arranged below the edge wall 51 and along the edge wall 51. The packing 50 has a convex portion 50a embedded in a concave portion 51a on the back surface of the edge wall 51.

A bottomed cylindrical heating section 49 is held on the lower side of the packing 50. The heating section 49 can store the humidifying liquid 12. The heating section 49 includes a substantially flat plate section 49a (brim section) that supports the lower surface of the packing 50, a cylindrical body 49b that extends downward from the inside of the flat plate section 49a, and a bottom section 49c that is the bottom of the cylindrical body 49b. A protrusion 49d is formed in the middle of the flat plate section 49a in the radial direction and is embedded in the lower surface of the packing 50. The upper surface of the bottom section 49c of the heating section 49 is set lower than the upper surface of the flat wall 36 of the tray 16. The upper end (flat plate section 49a) of the heating section 49 is set higher than the flat wall 36. The packing 50 is pressed against the back surface of the edge wall 51 with the convex portion 50a fitted into the concave portion 51a, and the flat portion 49a of the heating portion 49 abuts against the packing 50 from below, and is pressed against the underside of the packing 50 so that the protrusions 49d bite into it, thereby sealing between the edge wall 51 and the flat portion 49a.

Note that the packing 50 is a member for preventing liquid leakage (including vapor 12a obtained by evaporating the humidifying liquid 12) from the heating section 49. Further, a heater 48 is installed on the back side of the bottom portion 49c of the heating section 49, and the heating section 49 is configured so that the heat of the heater 48 is electrically heated. In this way, the heating section 49 and the heater 48 constitute the humidifying section 33. Furthermore, the humidifier 33 is fixed to the housing bottom wall 29 via a predetermined attachment means.

As shown in FIG. 9, a fan wall device 31A that houses the fan 31 is formed between the tray outer wall 30 and the tray inner wall 37. The fan wall device 31A includes the fan side walls 39, 39, a vertical wall 31a shaped to fit the tray inner wall 37, a top wall 31b disposed on the upper end of the fan side walls 39, 39 and the vertical wall 31a, and a ventilation section 31B disposed above the top wall 31b. The fan side walls 39, 39 rise from the flat wall 36 and extend to the step 26a of the storage section inner wall 22.

The vertical wall 31a is integrally formed at the center end of both side walls 39, 39 of the fan and is shaped to fit along the tray inner wall 37, so it is curved in plan view. The upper end of this vertical wall 31a also extends to the step 26a of the storage section inner wall 22. The top wall 31b is formed on a surface that fits along the step 26a, and is curved in plan view.

The ventilation section 31B is erected from the ceiling wall 31b. A ventilation hole 31c is formed eccentrically in the curved direction in the top wall 31b, and the ventilation part 31B includes a ventilation top wall 31d of a box-shaped main body, and a discharge hole 31e is formed in the inside on the central axis CL side. There is. The ventilation ceiling wall 31d projects above the upper end continuous wall 26. The reason for this is to align the canopy 56 in the circumferential direction.

As shown in FIG. 8, the fan 31 is a sirocco fan in this case. A fan base 42 for mounting the fan 31 is disposed between the outer wall body 23 and the tray outer wall 30. The inlet of the fan 31 is disposed corresponding to the air intake 43, and the outlet of the fan 31 is connected to the ventilation hole 31c.

Next, the steam guide section 44 will be explained. As described above, the steam guide section 44 is supported by the guide wall 28 and is arranged above the heating section 49 . The steam guiding section 44 is a member for guiding upward the steam 12a obtained by evaporating the humidifying liquid 12 in the heating section 49, and has a function of humidifying indoor space.

The steam guiding portion 44 is formed entirely in a cylindrical shape, and includes a large diameter portion 52 extending vertically around the central axis CL, and an inclined truncated conical portion above the large diameter portion 52. portion 53 and a mouth portion 54 which is above the inclined portion 53 and whose diameter is smaller than that of the large diameter portion 52. Furthermore, a flange portion 55 is formed between the large diameter portion 52 and the inclined portion 53 and is formed toward the outside.

The steam guiding portion 44 is provided so as to be freely attached to and detached from the guiding wall 28. Specifically, when the steam guiding portion 44 is attached to the guiding wall 28, the flange portion 55 is placed on the stepped wall 28a from above, and the lower edge portion of the large diameter portion 52 is placed on the edge wall 51 from above. At this time, the large diameter portion 52 is guided from above by the guide wall 28b.
In addition, a cushioning member 57 (made of synthetic rubber) for cushioning the canopy 56 is provided around the outer periphery of the mouth 54 of the steam guide section 44 and is detachably attached.

As shown in FIG. 7, the humidifier 1 of this embodiment has a pump section 14 that pumps the humidifying liquid 12 from the tank section 4 to the tray 16, and a pump section 14 that pumps the humidifying liquid 12 temporarily stored in the tray 16 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the humidifying liquid 12 temporarily stored in the tray 16 is sent to the tank section 4 so that the liquid level in the humidifying section 33 does not exceed a predetermined high level. and a return mechanism 60 configured to return to.

For this reason, as shown in FIG. 5, the flat wall 36 of the tray wall 27 is formed with a liquid injection port 58 connected to the pump section 14, an inlet 59a of the liquid delivery section 59, and an inlet 60a of the return mechanism 60.

7, the pump section 14 is disposed on the bottom wall 29. The upper end of the liquid injection passage 15 has a fitting hole 61. Inside the fitting hole 61, a hole is formed along the vertical direction so as to communicate between the tank section 4 and the storage section 5. The fitting hole 61 has an upper portion protruding above the bottom wall 29 and a lower portion protruding below the bottom wall 29. The upper end of the liquid injection passage body 15A of the liquid injection passage 15 is fitted into the lower portion of the bottom wall 29. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the inlet 14a of the pump section 14 is fitted into the upper portion of the fitting hole 61. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the outlet 14b of the pump section 14 is connected to the lower back side of the liquid injection port 58 penetrating the flat wall 36. The liquid injection port 58 is flush with the upper surface of the flat wall 36.

The liquid delivery unit 59 will be described. The liquid delivery unit 59 has the function of delivering the humidifying liquid 12 temporarily stored in the tray 16 to the humidifying unit 33. The liquid delivery unit 59 is configured to connect the flat wall 36 of the tray wall 27 to the heating unit 49. The outlet 59b of the liquid delivery unit 59 is connected to the inner peripheral surface of the heating unit 49, and the inlet 59a of the liquid delivery unit 59 is flush with the hole formed in the flat wall 36 of the tray wall 27, i.e., the upper surface of the flat wall 36.

The inlet 59a of the liquid delivery unit 59 is set higher than the outlet 59b of the liquid delivery unit 59. The inlet 59a and outlet 59b of the liquid delivery unit 59 are connected by a liquid delivery pipe 59A. In other words, the humidifying unit 33 and the tray 16 are connected by the liquid delivery unit 59, so that the liquid levels of the two change in conjunction with each other. Also, because the inlet 59a of the liquid delivery unit 59 is set higher than the outlet 59b, the humidifying liquid 12 stored in the tray 16 on the inlet 59a side flows by its own weight to the lower outlet 59b of the humidifying unit 33.

The return mechanism 60 is configured to return the humidifying liquid 12 stored in the tray 16 to the tank section 4, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 8. The return mechanism 60 is formed into a tubular shape extending in the vertical direction, and includes a return upper part 62 that penetrates the plane wall 36 in the vertical direction, and a return lower part 63 provided on the accommodation bottom wall 29. The lower part of 62 is penetrated into the return lower part 63.

The upper return section 62 is composed of an upper pipe 62A formed to rise from the flat wall 36, and a lower pipe 62B formed continuously with the upper pipe 62A and disposed below the flat wall 36. The upper end opening of the upper pipe 62A serves as the inlet 60a of the return mechanism 60. The height of the inlet 60a of the upper pipe 62A (return mechanism 60) is set higher than the height of the stored liquid level detection section 40. The height of the inlet 60a of the upper pipe 62A is set lower than the height of the lower surface of the packing 50 (the height of the upper surface of the flat plate section 49a of the heating section 49). The lower return section 63 is formed to rise from the storage bottom wall 29, and the lower end opening of the lower return section 63 serves as the outlet 60b of the return mechanism 60, which is connected to the inside of the tank section 4.

When the humidifying liquid 12 accumulated in the tray 16 exceeds the return water level 12b, that is, the upper tube 62A rising from the flat wall 36 as shown in FIG. The humidifying liquid 12 descends toward the section 4. Note that, since the upper tube body 62A rises from the plane wall 36, it is set higher than the liquid inlet 58 and the inlet 59a of the liquid feeding section 59.

The humidifier 1 is provided with a control unit 34 that controls the operation of the heater 48, the pump unit 14, and the fan 31. The control unit 34 is driven by an external supply of electricity via the power plug 2, and the input side of the control unit 34 is connected to a switch SW, a tank liquid level detection unit 18, and a stored liquid level detection unit 40.

When the tank liquid level detection section 18 detects that the liquid level in the tank section 4 has decreased to a predetermined low liquid level, the control section 34 executes pump section stop control to stop pumping by the pump section 14. Further, when the stored liquid level detection unit 40 detects that the liquid level in the tray 16 has decreased to a predetermined low liquid level, it has a function of executing heater stop control to stop heating by the heater 48. In this embodiment, the control unit 34 executes the heater stop control after the pump unit stop control. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, such a control section 34 is fixed within the outer wall 21 of the housing section.

As described above, in the humidifier 1 of this embodiment, the detection body 20 of the tank liquid level detection unit 18, the engagement/disengagement means 32, the fan 31, the humidification unit 33, the stored liquid level detection unit 40, the gasket 50, the liquid delivery unit 59, the return mechanism 60, the pump unit 14, and the control unit 34 are housed within the space formed by the combination of the storage unit outer wall 21 and the storage unit inner wall 22.

The humidifier 1 has the canopy 56, as shown in FIG. The canopy 56 forms a lid that is the upper part of the humidifier 1, and is configured to be detachable from the housing section 5 from above. The canopy 56 has an upper surface 56A, a lower surface 56B disposed below the upper surface 56A, and a side surface 56C that continues the upper surface 56A and the lower surface 56B, and extends along the outer wall 21 of the housing section in the vertical direction when viewed from above. It is formed into a substantially rectangular shape. In order to be able to be attached to and detached from the housing part 5 from above, the ventilation part 31B is provided with a fitting recess 56D in a part of the side surface 56C, which is fitted from above. A state in which the side surface 56C is engaged with the stepped portion 26a of the upper end continuous wall 26 is the attached state.

In this case, since a screw having a predetermined distance in the circumferential direction is formed on the side surface 56C and the upper part of the housing inner wall 22 (tray outer wall 30), the fitting recess 56D is fitted into the ventilation part 31B from above. and are configured to engage in a circumferential direction at the front.

The canopy 56 further has an inlet 65, a junction 66, and an outlet 67. The inlet 65 is detachably fitted into the mouth 54 of the steam guide 44 via a buffer member 57. The inlet 65 is formed cylindrically so as to protrude downward from the center of the lower surface 56B of the canopy 56. The junction 66 is a portion where the steam 12a entering from the inlet 65 and the airflow K from the fan 31 join together. The junction 66 is formed between the upper side of the inclined surface 56b arranged on the outer periphery of the inlet 65 and the upper surface 56A. The junction 56b is a surface that is inclined upward toward the outside. The outlet 67 is a portion formed as a hole formed in the upper surface 56A of the canopy 56, and ejects the combined fluid of the steam 12a and the airflow K formed at the junction 66 to the outside. The ejection section 67 is formed on the upper surface 56A so as to face the junction section 66. When the canopy 56 is attached to the storage section 5, the buffer member 57 has the function of preventing the steam 12a guided by the steam guide section 44 from leaking outside the steam guide section 44.

In the humidifier 1 having the above configuration, the housing portion 5 is configured to be freely attachable to and detachable from the tank portion 4 in the vertical direction when the humidifier 1 is in use. Then, by pushing the opening/closing member 45 and operating the pressing body 46 provided in conjunction with the opening/closing member 45, the engaging portion formed on the pressing body 46 and the tank portion 4 are connected. The accommodating portion 5 is disengaged from the engaged portion, and the accommodating portion 5 is vertically disengaged from the tank portion 4. Note that in this case, the canopy 56 is in an attached state in which it is attached to the housing section 5.

Let us assume that humidifying liquid 12 is supplied to the tank 4. The user of the humidifier 1 looks at the window 13, which indicates the minimum and maximum amounts of humidifying liquid 12, and supplies humidifying liquid 12 to the tank 4 up to an appropriate position. The storage section 5 is then fitted (engaged) into the tank 4. At this time, the storage section 5 is fitted in the direction in which the concave wall 24B and the convex section 11B fit together. In this way, the lower edge of the reduced diameter section 24 abuts against the upper surface of the lid hook 11, and the hinge structure 47 (spring mechanism section) engages the engaging section formed on the pressing body 46 with the engaged section formed on the tank 4, firmly engaging the tank 4 and the storage section 5.

Power is also supplied to the power plug 2. This drives the control unit 34. Then, the power switch in the switch SW is turned on and the mode switch is pressed. In this way, since the drive unit of the pump unit 14 is connected to the output side of the control unit 34, the pump unit 14 is driven and the humidifying liquid 12 is pumped up from the liquid injection path 15 by the lift of the pump unit 14. The inlet 14a of the pump unit 14 is connected to the fitting hole 61, and the outlet 14b of the pump unit 14 is connected to the liquid injection port 58. As a result, the pump unit 14 pumps up the humidifying liquid 12 from the tank unit 4 towards the tray 16.

When humidifying liquid 12 accumulates in the tray 16, it flows from the inlet 59a of the liquid delivery unit 59 to the liquid delivery tube 59A. The inlet 59a of the liquid delivery unit 59 is set higher than the outlet 59b of the liquid delivery unit 59. Therefore, the humidifying liquid 12 flows from the inlet 59a of the liquid delivery unit 59 through the liquid delivery tube 59A to the outlet 59b, and since the outlet 59b is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the heating unit 49, the humidifying liquid 12 accumulates in the heating unit 49.

On the other hand, since the drive unit of the heater 48 is connected to the output side of the control unit 34, when the heater 48 is heated by the control of the control unit 34, the heat is transferred to the heating unit 49, the heating unit 49 reaches a predetermined temperature, and the humidifying liquid 12 is heated. Also, since the drive unit of the fan 31 is connected to the output side of the control unit 34, the fan 31 rotates.

Then, the humidifying liquid 12 in the heating part 49 becomes steam 12a by heating by the heater 48, which is guided by the steam guiding part 44, and the steam 12a and the air flow K are combined at the merging part 66 of the canopy 56, and then jetted out from the spouting part 67. The air is then supplied into the room as an airflow K containing moisture.

As described above, the humidifying section 33 and the tray 16 are connected via the liquid delivery section 59, so when the liquid level in the humidifying section 33 rises, the liquid level in the tray 16 also rises. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, when the liquid level in the humidifying section 33 becomes high, the humidifying liquid 12 falls from the inlet 60a of the upper tube 62A in the return mechanism 60, passes through the lower tube 62B, and is returned from the outlet 60b of the lower return section 63 to the tank section 4. This makes it possible to prevent the humidifying liquid 12 from overflowing from the humidifying section 33.

That is, the height of the inlet 60a of the upper tube body 62A is set lower than the height of the lower surface of the packing 50 (the height of the upper surface of the flat plate portion 49a of the heating portion 49), so when the liquid level in the humidifying portion 33 becomes high, the humidifying liquid 12 falls from the inlet 60a to the outlet 60b of the return mechanism 60. This prevents the humidifying liquid 12 from overflowing from the humidifying portion 33. In addition, because the humidifying liquid 12 is returned by the return mechanism 60 before the packing 50 is immersed in the humidifying liquid 12, it is possible to prevent components contained in the humidifying liquid 12 (e.g., calcium carbonate, etc.) from adhering to the packing 50. Then, the control portion 34 is driven to humidify the room according to the mode switch.

Here, the liquid level of the humidifying liquid 12 in the tray 16 is detected by the stored liquid level detection section 40. Therefore, the humidifying liquid 12 does not normally fall into the tank section 4 by the return mechanism 60. However, as described above, the following case is assumed as an example of a case where the liquid level of the humidifying section 33 becomes a high liquid level. That is, there are cases where the stored liquid level detecting section 40 does not function and the pump section 14 sucks up the humidifying liquid, or when the user directly puts too much humidifying liquid 12 into the tray 16.

By the way, when the humidifying liquid 12 in the humidifier 1 decreases, when the tank liquid level detection part 18 detects that the liquid level in the tank part 4 has decreased to a predetermined low liquid level, the control part 34 turns on the pump. Pump section stop control is executed to stop pumping by the section 14. This state in which the liquid level in the tank part 4 has decreased to a predetermined low liquid level means that a gap 19 is provided between the lower end of the tank liquid level detection part 18 and the tank bottom wall 9, and the gap 19 is This is a case where a state in which the liquid level in the tank section 4 has decreased is detected. Thereby, the control section 34 executes pump section stop control on the pump section 14.

Therefore, when the tank liquid level detection unit 18 detects that the liquid level in the tank unit 4 has dropped to a predetermined low level, the control unit 34 performs pump unit stop control to stop pumping by the pump unit 14, thereby preventing the pump unit 14 from operating without any humidification liquid 12.

Further, after the control unit 34 executes the pump unit stop control, if the heating is continued and the humidifying liquid 12 remains in the humidifying unit 33 and the tray 16, the storage liquid level detecting unit 40 detects the liquid in the tray 16. When it is detected that the liquid level has decreased to a predetermined low liquid level, heater stop control is executed to stop heating by the heater 48. When the liquid level in the tray 16 has decreased to a predetermined low level, it means that the stored liquid level detection unit 40, which is formed to rise from the flat wall 36 and is provided on both side walls 39 of the fan, detects the humidifying liquid 12. This is the case when it is no longer detected. In this case, the control unit 34 executes heater stop control to stop heating by the heater 48, and stops heating the heater 48.

When the stored liquid level detecting unit 40 detects that the liquid level in the tray 16 has decreased to a predetermined low level, the heating unit 49 is controlled to stop heating by the heater 48. Dry heating, that is, heating without the humidifying liquid 12 can be prevented.

Further, the control unit 34 is configured to execute heater stop control after the pump unit stop control, and when executing the heater stop control, a predetermined amount of humidifying liquid 12 is added to the heating unit 49 to prevent dry heating. remains. This is because when the storage liquid level detection unit 40 no longer detects the humidifying liquid 12 on the tray 16, the control unit 34 executes heater stop control, but the top surface of the bottom 49c of the heating unit 49 It is set lower than the upper surface of the plane wall 36. Therefore, the humidifying liquid 12 in the tray 16 is moved to the heating part 49 by the liquid feeding part 59, and the humidifying liquid 12 in the tray 16 remains in the heating part 49. Furthermore, since the humidifying liquid 12 can be directly stored in the tank portion 4 that constitutes the housing 3, the storage capacity can be increased.

In the above usage example, the humidifying liquid 12 can be supplied to the tank part 4, but the humidifying liquid 12 can also be supplied to the tray 16 by removing the canopy 56 from the storage part 5. Therefore, it is convenient because the humidifying liquid 12 can be supplied to the tank section 4 or the tray 16 according to the convenience of use.

In the embodiment described above, the control section 34 was configured to execute the heater stop control after the pump section stop control. However, the pump section stop control may be performed after the heater stop control. Further, the control unit 34 may perform the heater stop control and the pump unit stop control at the same time. Furthermore, the heater stop control and the pump section stop control may be executed independently.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Humidifier, 4... Tank part, 5... Storage part, 9... Tank bottom wall, 10... Opening part, 11... Lid hook, 12... Humidifying liquid, 12a... Steam, 12b... Return water level, 14... Pump part , 14a... Inlet, 14b... Outlet, 15... Liquid injection path, 16... Tray (storage part), 18... Tank liquid level detection part, 19... Gap, 20... Contact part, 21... Accommodation part outer wall, 22... Accommodation part Inner wall, 23...Outer wall main body, 24...Reduced diameter part, 24B...Concave wall, 24a...Encircling wall, 24b...Ceiling wall, 26...Top continuous wall, 27...Tray wall, 28...Guiding wall, 28a...Stepped wall, 28b...Guidance wall, 29...Accommodation bottom wall, 30...Tray outer wall, 31...Fan, 31A...Fan wall device, 31B...Ventilating part, 31a...Vertical wall, 31b...Ceiling wall, 31c...Vent hole, 31d...Vent ceiling Wall, 31e...Discharge hole, 32...Engaging/disengaging means, 33...Humidifying section, 34...Control section, 35a...Surrounding wall, 35b...Ceiling wall, 36...Plane wall, 37...Tray inner wall, 39...Fan side walls, 40...Stored liquid level detection part, 44...Steam guide part, 48...Heater, 49...Heating part, 49a...Flat plate part, 49b...Cylindrical body, 49c...Bottom part, 50...Packing, 51...Edge wall, 52...Large Diameter portion, 54...mouth portion, 55...flange portion, 56...canopy, 56A...top surface, 56B...bottom surface, 56C...side surface, 56D...fitting recess, 56b...slope surface, 58...liquid injection port, 59...liquid feeding Part, 59A...Liquid feeding pipe, 59a...Inlet, 59b...Outlet, 60...Return mechanism, 60a...Inlet, 60b...Outlet, 62...Return upper part, 62A...Upper tube body, 62B...Lower tube body, 63...Return lower part , 65...Introduction part, 66...Confluence part, 67...Ejection part, CL...Central axis, K...Air flow

Claims (4)

a tank section formed in a cylindrical shape having an opening that opens upward and capable of storing humidifying liquid inside the cylindrical tank section by supplying humidifying liquid from the outside through the opening, and a housing section disposed above the tank section and configured to be detachable in the vertical direction ;
a humidifying section that is accommodated in the accommodation section and is capable of humidifying with the humidifying liquid in the tank section;
a storage section that is accommodated in the storage section and is capable of temporarily storing the humidification liquid to be supplied from the tank section to the humidification section;
a liquid delivery section that delivers the humidification liquid that is accommodated in the accommodation section and temporarily stored in the storage section to the humidification section;
Equipped with
The humidifying unit and the storage unit are configured to be in communication with each other through the liquid delivery unit, so that the liquid levels in the humidifying unit and the storage unit change in conjunction with each other;
A humidifier characterized by comprising a return mechanism that is accommodated in the storage section and is configured to return the humidifying liquid temporarily stored in the storage section to the tank section so that the liquid level in the humidifying section does not exceed a predetermined high liquid level. The humidifier according to claim 1 , wherein the storage portion has a planar wall formed in a substantially annular shape along a circumferential direction centered on the vertical direction, and is configured to be provided around the humidifier portion along the circumferential direction . A tank section that can store humidifying liquid;
a humidifying section that is disposed above the tank section, is capable of storing the humidifying liquid supplied from the tank section, and is capable of humidifying the air with the humidifying liquid;
a storage section disposed above the tank section, capable of temporarily storing the humidifying liquid to be supplied from the tank section to the humidifying section, the storage section having a planar wall formed in a substantially annular shape along a circumferential direction centered on a vertical direction, the storage section being provided around the humidifying section along the circumferential direction ;
a liquid delivery section that delivers the humidification liquid temporarily stored in the storage section to the humidification section;
Equipped with
The humidifying unit and the storage unit are configured to be in communication with each other through the liquid delivery unit, so that the liquid levels in the humidifying unit and the storage unit change in conjunction with each other;
A humidifier characterized in that it is configured to include an upper tubular body that rises from the flat wall and has an upper end opening, and is characterized in that it is configured to cause the humidifying liquid temporarily stored in the storage section to fall from the upper end opening of the upper tubular body and return it to the tank section so that the liquid level in the humidifying section does not exceed a predetermined high liquid level. The humidifier according to claim 3 , wherein the liquid delivery section includes an inlet connected to the storage section and an outlet connected to the humidifying section, the inlet being set higher than the outlet .