JP7466892B2 - Air cleaner - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applies (1) Exhibition date: September 4-6, 2019, Exhibition name: 2019 Cleaning General Exhibition, Venue: Pacifico Yokohama (2) Exhibition date: September 26, 2019, Exhibition name: 2019 Business Matching Fair, Venue: Ota City Nitta Cultural Center (3) Exhibition date: November 12, 2019, Exhibition name: Manufacturing Company Exhibition and Business Meeting 2019, Venue: Marronnier Plaza Large Exhibition Hall (4) Exhibition date: November 16, 2019, Exhibition name: Made in Isesaki Product Exhibition, Venue: Smark Isesaki (5) Exhibition date: February 12-14, 2020, Exhibition name: Tokyo Care Week 2020 6th CareTEX 2020, Venue: Tokyo Big Sight (6) Exhibition date: February 20, 2020, Exhibition name: Mebuki FG Manufacturing Company Forum 2020 Technical Business Meeting, Venue: Tsukuba International Congress Center (7) Exhibition date: February 26-28, 2020, Exhibition name: 2nd Factory Equipment and Supplies Exhibition, Venue: Makuhari Messe (8) Publisher: Gunma Keizai Shimbun Co., Ltd., Publication name: Gunma Keizai Shimbun, Publication date: March 19, 2020, Page 9 (9) Publication date: September 4, 2019, September 5, 2019, September 24, 2019, September 26, 2019, November 12, 2019, November 16, 2019, February 12, 2020, Publication address: https://www.facebook.com/atsushi. nedachi (10) Date of publication: September 10, 2019, Publication address: https://www. facebook. com/Kleins-Coltd-208945189194765 (11) Date of publication: December 1, 2019, Publication address: https://klein-s. co. jp/ (12) Date of publication: February 20, 2020, February 21, 2020, February 26, 2020, March 1, 2020, Publication address: https://www. facebook. com/atushi. nedachi

The present invention relates to an air purifier that removes dust and odors from the air.

Dust and odors are generated at work sites where various materials are processed or painted. To remove this dust and odors, work sites are usually equipped with air conditioning equipment including air purifiers. Air purifiers are generally designed to take in air containing dust and odors through a filter and remove them.

A relatively inexpensive dust collector is known that brings dust-containing air into contact with water to adsorb the dust and other particles (see Patent Document 1). This dust collector uses a suction fan to bring the dust-containing air into contact with water stored in a water storage container, thereby adsorbing and removing the dust and other particles.

JP 2018-111062 A

The dust collection device in Patent Document 1 is capable of removing dust particles with a relatively large mass, but is unable to sufficiently remove minute particles that have an odor, such as paint particles, and so the odor remains at the work site. In this case, in order to completely remove the odor, it is conceivable to place, for example, an expensive HEPA filter, which is used in clean rooms, in front of or behind the suction fan. However, in order to maintain the deodorizing effect, the filter must be replaced periodically, which creates the problem of high running costs.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide an inexpensive air purifier that can efficiently remove dust and odors from the air, has a simple structure, and keeps running costs low.

The air purifier according to the present invention includes a storage tank for storing a solution that captures and removes dust and odors, an air introduction path for introducing air containing the dust and odors into the storage tank,
The system is characterized in that it comprises a filter that is disposed in the solution and passes the air introduced via the air introduction path to generate bubbles including microbubbles, a suction fan that sucks the air through the solution, and an inclined passage that is disposed between the storage tank and the suction fan and has an inclined wall that is set at an inclination angle θ with respect to the horizontal line in a range of 20°<θ<40° and into which the bubbles flow , and in that a substantially L-shaped defoaming wall that causes the bubbles to collide with and disappear is disposed in the inclined passage on the suction fan side .

In the air purifier, the filter includes a first filter having an opening through which the air passes, and a second filter having an opening narrower than that of the first filter, and the air is passed from the first filter through the second filter to the inclined passage to generate the air bubbles including microbubbles.

In the air purifier, the filter has an opening at a downstream end of the air, which is formed in a direction perpendicular to the air flow, and through which the air passes, and the cross-sectional shape of the opening is a triangle with an apex angle on the upstream side of the air and a base on the downstream side of the air , and the air is passed through the opening into the inclined passage to generate the air bubbles including microbubbles.

The air purifier is characterized in that the apex angle α is in the range of 1°<α<15°.

The air purifier is also characterized in that the inclined passage is formed with a passage for returning the solution to the storage tank after the air bubbles have disappeared.

The air purifier is also characterized in that a first mesh member that suppresses the rise of the bubbles is disposed near the defoaming wall.

Furthermore, the air purifier is characterized in that a second mesh member that suppresses the rise of the air bubbles is disposed between the suction fan and the outlet of the inclined passage.

In the air purifier of the present invention, air is passed through a filter placed in a solution to generate bubbles including microbubbles, and then the air is allowed to flow into an inclined passage having an inclined wall with an inclination angle θ set in the range of 20°<θ<40° with respect to the horizontal line, allowing the air to come into sufficient contact with the solution. As a result, dust and odors in the air can be efficiently removed. In addition, since the air purifier can be constructed extremely simply without using a special filter, it is possible to provide an air purifier that keeps running costs low and is inexpensive.

In addition, in the air purifier of the present invention, the filter is formed with openings that have a triangular cross-sectional shape, which generates air bubbles that contain a larger number of microbubbles.

1 is a perspective view of an air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the air purifier shown in FIG. 1 taken along line II-II. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a filter constituting the air purifier shown in FIG. 2 . FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a first modified example of the air purifier according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a second modified example of the air purifier according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6A is a side view of the filter of a second modified example of the air purifier, FIG. 6B is a front view of the filter of the second modified example of the air purifier, and FIG. 6C is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the filter of the second modified example of the air purifier.

<Configuration of air purifier 10>
An air purifier 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the air purifier according to the present invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the air purifier shown in Fig. 1 taken along line II-II.

The air purifier 10 includes a housing 12 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The air purifier 10 includes a storage tank 14 that stores a solution W that captures and removes dust and odors, an air inlet passage 16 that introduces air containing dust and odors into the storage tank 14, a filter 18 that is disposed in the solution W and passes the air introduced through the air inlet passage 16 to generate bubbles including microbubbles, a suction fan 20 that draws air through the solution W, and a first inclined passage 22a, a second inclined passage 22b, and a third inclined passage 22c into which the air bubbles from the storage tank 14 flow.

The storage tank 14 is disposed at the bottom within the housing 12. The housing 12 is provided with a window 24 for externally checking the remaining amount of solution W stored in the storage tank 14, the degree of contamination, the state of air bubbles, etc. A transparent acrylic plate is installed in the window 24, for example. The solution W stored in the storage tank 14 captures and removes dust and odors in the air, and in addition to ordinary water, it may contain, for example, hypochlorous acid, which has a sterilizing effect.

The air introduction passage 16 communicates with the outside via an air introduction port 26 formed on the side of the housing 12. The air introduction passage 16 has a first partition wall 28 that extends vertically downward, and communicates with the storage tank 14 via a first inclined wall 30 that is connected to the lower end of the first partition wall 28.

The filter 18 is connected to the lower end of the first inclined wall 30 and is placed in the solution W of the storage tank 14 in a substantially horizontal state. As shown in FIG. 3, the filter 18 comprises a first filter 18a placed at the bottom and a second filter 18b placed at the top. The first filter 18a and the second filter 18b have a number of openings 32a and 32b. The openings 32b formed in the second filter 18b are set to be narrower than the openings 32a formed in the first filter 18a.

The suction fan 20 is disposed at the top of the housing 12. An exhaust port 34 is disposed at the top of the housing 12 to exhaust the air sucked in by the suction fan 20.

The first inclined passage 22a is formed between the first inclined wall 30 connected to the first partition 28 of the air introduction passage 16 and the second inclined wall 38 connected to the substantially vertical second partition 36 arranged near the end of the filter 18. The second inclined passage 22b is formed between the second inclined wall 38 and the third inclined wall 40 arranged on the upper part of the second inclined wall 38. The third inclined passage 22c is formed on the upper part of the third inclined wall 40. The first inclined wall 30, the second inclined wall 38 and the third inclined wall 40 are set at an inclination angle θ in the range of 20°<θ<40° with respect to the horizontal line.

A third partition 42 and a fourth partition 25 are arranged at the top of the third inclined passage 22c and are set in a substantially horizontal state. An outlet 23 of the third inclined passage 22c is formed between the third partition 42 and the fourth partition 25. The fourth partition 25 is supported by a fifth partition 27 connected to the housing 12.

The third partition 42 is disposed between the third inclined wall 40 and the suction fan 20. A first defoaming wall 46 having a generally L-shape is disposed at the lower end of the third inclined wall 40 via a passage 44. A second defoaming wall 48 extending toward the third inclined wall 40 is disposed at the lower part of the third partition 42. Therefore, the first inclined passage 22a, the second inclined passage 22b, and the third inclined passage 22c are formed as labyrinth-shaped passages by the first inclined wall 30, the second inclined wall 38, the third inclined wall 40, the third partition 42, the fourth partition 25, the first defoaming wall 46, and the second defoaming wall 48.

<Operation of air purifier 10>
First, as a preparation stage, the solution W is poured into the storage tank 14 until the filter 18 is below the liquid level of the solution W. In this case, before the suction fan 20 is driven, the liquid level of the solution W is at a constant height throughout the storage tank 14.

Next, the suction fan 20 is driven, and air is sucked in through the solution W. When suction begins, the air pressure on the first inclined passage 22a, the second inclined passage 22b, and the third inclined passage 22c sides becomes lower than the outside air pressure, so that the liquid level of the solution W on the first inclined passage 22a, the second inclined passage 22b, and the third inclined passage 22c sides becomes higher than the liquid level of the solution W on the air introduction path 16 side. As a result, air containing dust and odors is introduced into the air introduction path 16 from the air introduction port 26.

The air introduced into the air introduction passage 16 passes through the opening 32a of the first filter 18a arranged at the bottom, then passes through the opening 32b of the second filter 18b arranged at the top, and is supplied to the first inclined passage 22a, the second inclined passage 22b, and the third inclined passage 22c. In this case, the opening 32a of the first filter 18a is set wider than the opening 32b of the second filter 18b, so that the air can easily pass through the first filter 18a. Next, the air that has passed through the first filter 18a passes through the narrow opening 32b of the second filter 18b, generating air bubbles B containing microbubbles, which are supplied to the first inclined passage 22a, the second inclined passage 22b, and the third inclined passage 22c. In addition, a part of the air introduced into the air introduction passage 16 passes under the filter 18 and collides with the second partition wall 36 arranged in a substantially vertical state. As a result, air bubbles B containing a large number of microbubbles are supplied to the first inclined passage 22a, the second inclined passage 22b, and the third inclined passage 22c.

Here, since air bubbles B containing a large number of microbubbles are generated in the first inclined passage 22a, the second inclined passage 22b, and the third inclined passage 22c, the air comes into contact with the solution W over an extremely large contact surface area. Therefore, dust and odors in the air are efficiently taken into the solution W. In addition, since the first inclined wall 30, the second inclined wall 38, and the third inclined wall 40 constituting the first inclined passage 22a, the second inclined passage 22b, and the third inclined passage 22c are set at a relatively gentle inclination angle θ in the range of 20°<θ<40° with respect to the horizontal line, the generated air bubbles B do not disappear for a long time and slowly rise along the long labyrinth-like first inclined passage 22a, the second inclined passage 22b, and the third inclined passage 22c. In this case, the contact time between the air bubbles B and the air can be extended, so that the dust and odors are sufficiently taken into the solution W and removed. Furthermore, because the inclination angle θ of the first inclined wall 30, the second inclined wall 38, and the third inclined wall 40 is gentle, the suction fan 20 can draw in air with a small suction force, which helps keep running costs low.

On the other hand, the bubbles B that have taken in the air move toward the suction fan 20 through the first inclined passage 22a, the second inclined passage 22b, and the third inclined passage 22c. In this case, when the bubbles B pass between the L-shaped first defoaming wall 46 arranged at the lower end of the third inclined wall 40 and the second defoaming wall 48 arranged at the bottom of the third partition 42, they collide with the first defoaming wall 46 and the second defoaming wall 48 and disappear. In addition, the third partition 42 is arranged between the third inclined passage 22c and the suction fan 20. Therefore, the bubbles B are prevented from rising by the third partition 42 and do not reach the suction fan 20, so there is no risk of interference with the operation of the suction fan 20. The solution W generated when the bubbles B disappear is returned to the storage tank 14 through the passage 44 formed between the third inclined wall 40 and the first defoaming wall 46, and is reused to remove dust and odors.

In this way, the air purifier 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention does not require the use of expensive filters and can efficiently remove dust and odors from the air at low running costs. In addition, because of its simple configuration, it is possible to provide an inexpensive air purifier 10.

Next, a first modified example of the air purifier according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an air purifier 50 according to the modified example of the embodiment of the present invention. In the air purifier 50, a first mesh member 52 and a second mesh member 54 that suppress the rise of air bubbles B are arranged between the suction fan 20 and the first inclined passage 22a, the second inclined passage 22b, and the third inclined passage 22c. The first mesh member 52 is arranged between the first defoaming wall 46 and the housing 12. The second mesh member 54 is arranged between the third partition 42 and the fourth partition 25. The first mesh member 52 and the second mesh member 54 can be made of, for example, a metal net.

In the air purifier 50 configured in this manner, the air bubbles B that rise up the first inclined passage 22a and the second inclined passage 22b are partially defoamed when passing through the first mesh member 52 arranged near the first defoaming wall 46, and are returned to the storage tank 14 as the solution W. Air bubbles B that rise up the third inclined passage 22c without being defoamed are defoamed by the second mesh member 54 arranged at the outlet 23 of the third inclined passage 22c, and are similarly returned to the storage tank 14. Therefore, the air bubbles B generated within the housing 12 are more reliably defoamed, and the air bubbles B do not reach the suction fan 20.

Next, a second modified example of the air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an air purifier 70 according to the second modified example of the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6A is a side view of the filter of the second modified example of the air purifier, FIG. 6B is a front view of the filter of the second modified example of the air purifier, and FIG. 6C is an explanatory view showing an enlarged view of the filter of the second modified example of the air purifier.

Air purifier 70 is provided with filter 72 instead of filter 18 of air purifier 10. Therefore, the components of air purifier 70 other than filter 18 are the same as those of air purifier 10.

The filter 72 is connected to the lower end of the first inclined wall 30 and is placed in the solution W of the storage tank 14 in a substantially horizontal state. The filter 72 has an opening 74 through which air passes. The opening 74 is formed at the downstream end of the air introduced into the air introduction path 16 in a direction perpendicular to the air flow. The cross-sectional shape of the opening 74 is a triangle with the apex angle on the upstream side of the air. The angle α of the apex angle is 1°<α<15°, preferably 2°<α<4°. The openings 74 may be formed in a vertical row at the end of the filter 72. The cross-sectional shape of the opening 74 may be an isosceles triangle.

In the air purifier 70 configured in this manner, air introduced from the air inlet 26 passes through the air inlet passage 16 and the opening 74. When passing through the opening 74, air bubbles B containing microbubbles are generated and supplied to the first inclined passage 22a, the second inclined passage 22b, and the third inclined passage 22c. The filter 72 has an opening 74 with a triangular cross-sectional shape, so that air bubbles B containing a larger number of microbubbles are generated.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the first mesh member 52 and the second mesh member 54 are provided, but as long as the rising of the air bubbles B can be suppressed, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, only one of them may be provided.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, a filter 72 was provided instead of the filter 18 of the air purifier 10, but a filter 72 may be provided instead of the filter 18 of the air purifier 50.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 50, 70...Air purifier 12...Housing 14...Storage tank 16...Air introduction path 18, 72...Filter 18a...First filter 18b...Second filter 20...Suction fan 22a...First inclined passage 22b...Second inclined passage 22c...Third inclined passage 23...Outlet 24...Window 25...Fourth partition 26...Air introduction port 27...Fifth partition 28...First partition 30...First inclined wall 32a, 32b, 74...Opening 34...Exhaust port 36...Second partition 38...Second inclined wall 40...Third inclined wall 42...Third partition 44...Passage 46...First defoaming wall 48...Second defoaming wall 52...First mesh member 54...Second mesh member B...Air bubbles W...Solution

Claims (7)

a storage tank for storing a solution that captures and removes dust and odors;
an air introduction passage for introducing air containing the dust and odor into the storage tank;
a filter that is disposed in the solution and passes the air introduced through the air introduction path to generate bubbles including microbubbles;
a suction fan that draws the air through the solution;
an inclined passage disposed between the storage tank and the suction fan, the inclined passage having an inclination angle θ set to a range of 20°<θ<40° with respect to a horizontal line, into which the air bubbles flow;
Equipped with
An air purifier characterized in that a substantially L-shaped defoaming wall that causes the air bubbles to collide with each other and disappear is disposed in the inclined passage on the suction fan side . In the air purifier according to claim 1,
The filter includes a first filter having an opening through which the air passes, and a second filter having an opening narrower than that of the first filter, and the air is passed from the first filter through the second filter into the inclined passage to generate the air bubbles including microbubbles. The air purifier according to claim 1,
the filter has an opening formed at a downstream end of the air in a direction perpendicular to the air flow, through which the air passes;
The cross-sectional shape of the opening is a triangle with an apex angle on the upstream side of the air and a base on the downstream side of the air ,
The air purifier is characterized in that the air is passed through the opening and into the inclined passage to generate the air bubbles including microbubbles. In the air purifier according to claim 3,
An air purifier, wherein the apex angle α is in the range of 1°<α<15°. In the air purifier according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The air purifier according to claim 1, wherein the inclined passage is provided with a passage for returning the solution to the storage tank after the air bubbles have disappeared. In the air purifier according to claim 1 ,
An air purifier comprising: a first mesh member disposed near the defoaming wall for suppressing the rising of the air bubbles. The air purifier according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
The air purifier further comprises a second mesh member disposed between the suction fan and the outlet of the inclined passage for suppressing the air bubbles from rising.

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