JPH03154613A - Dehumidifier - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To ensure the prevention of water leakage by a method wherein a motor-driven air blower is provided in an air passage of a dehumidifier through which outside air is sucked in and out from a chamber for receiving a deliquescent desiccating agent and the dehumidifier is inclined to stop the air blower. CONSTITUTION:A cylindrical case for a dehumidifier 10 is composed of a container 12 and lid 14 engageable therewith. A deliquescent desiccating agent 16 is received in the container 12. The lid 14 is provided with an air inlet hole 18 and an air outlet hole 20 on its top face. A multiblade air blower 14 mounted to an inner side plate 24 is driven by a motor 36 to suck air in as shown by the view (a) and direct it against the desiccating agent 16 from a tapering air suction duct 26. The dehumidified air, as shown by the view (b), is passed through an air discharge duct 30 formed on a side plate 28 and discharged from the air outlet hole 20. When the dehumidifier 10 is inclined, a balancing type blade 40c of the air blower 40 is inclined into contact with a rid 42 of the motor 36 to run the motor 36 idle so as to stop the air circulation. This prevents a deliquesced liq. from creeping into the motor 36 and leaking to the exterior.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention is a dehumidifier using a deliquescent desiccant such as calcium chloride or magnesium chloride, and is suitable for removing moisture from closets, shoe boxes, etc. The present invention relates to a dehumidifier suitable for.

[Conventional technology]

A conventional dehumidifier using a deliquescent desiccant is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1983-93, which is shown in FIG.

In this dehumidifier, a container 1 consists of a main body 2 and a lid 3, and in the upper part inside the main body 2, a dish-shaped desiccant storage container 4 is provided with a number of deliquescent liquid dripping holes 4a at the bottom. is fixed. This storage container 4 contains a deliquescent desiccant 5, and is sealed with a moisture permeable film (not shown) placed above it, so that even if the dehumidifier is tilted, the desiccant 5 remains
This is to prevent it from overflowing. In addition, the inner bottom of the main body 2 is
This serves as a deliquescent liquid dripping hole 1a for storing the deliquescent liquid dripping from this storage container 4. In addition, a vent hole 6 is provided in the lid 3 on the top of the container 1 to provide electrical continuity between the inside and outside of the container 1.

In this dehumidifier, when the moist air outside the container flowing in through the vent hole 6 comes into contact with the desiccant 5, the desiccant 5 adsorbs moisture in the air by its deliquescent action. This moisture dissolves the desiccant 6 and deliquesces the liquid W.
The deliquescent liquid is stored in the deliquescent liquid storage chamber 1a through the deliquescent liquid dripping hole 4a.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, in such conventional dehumidifiers, the movement of air into and out of the container relies on natural convection, which limits the amount of air that comes into contact with the desiccant. The drawback was that the dehumidification effect was extremely low.

On the other hand, although such conventional dehumidifiers use a moisture-permeable membrane, it is undesirable for the dehumidifier to be tipped over or used in an inclined position for a long period of time, as there is a risk of deliquescent fluid seeping out. Therefore, it is recommended to use it by placing it on a flat surface.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and its purpose is to forcibly circulate the outside air that comes into contact with the deliquescent desiccant, thereby increasing the dehumidification effect, and,
To almost certainly prevent accidents such as leakage of deliquescent liquid even when installed in a tilted or overturned state and left unattended for a long period of time.

(Means for Solving the Problems) Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a storage chamber for accommodating a deliquescent desiccant, and introducing outside air into the storage chamber and exhausting the air from the storage chamber. In the dehumidifier, a blower attached to a rotating shaft of an electric motor is disposed in the ventilation path, and a blower stopping means stops the rotation of the blower when the dehumidifier is tilted. has been established. In particular, in the invention set forth in claim (2), the blower is constituted by a multi-blade blower. Further, in the invention set forth in claim (3), when the dehumidifier is tilted, the blower stopping means is arranged such that the multi-blade blower is tiltable relative to the rotation axis of the electric motor. The tilting support mechanism is supported, and a fixed protrusion that can be locked to the blades of the multi-blade blower when the multi-blade blower is tilted.

[Function] In the invention described in claim (1), when the electric motor is driven and the blower is rotated, outside air that comes into contact with the desiccant in the storage chamber is forced to circulate through the ventilation path.

For this reason, compared to the case of relying on natural convection without using a blower, the deliquescence effect of the desiccant is performed more actively, so moisture in the outside air is removed more quickly, and the dehumidification effect is enhanced.

In addition, when the dehumidifier is installed in an inclined state (including an overturned state), the blower stop means is activated and the rotation of the blower is stopped at the time of installation. Therefore, even if the device is left in such a tilted state, the forced circulation of outside air disappears, so the subsequent dehumidification effect becomes slight, and there is almost no risk of water leakage.

In particular, the invention as claimed in claim (2), in addition to obtaining the above-mentioned effect, also provides that the blower is a multi-blade blower (sirocco fan).
Therefore, the dehumidifier becomes smaller and its air blowing capacity increases. Further, in the invention described in claim (3), when the dehumidifier is tilted, the multi-blade blower is also tilted due to the tilt support mechanism, and the blades of the blower are easily locked to the fixed protrusion to rotate the blower. stops.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 1 to 4.

In these figures, 10 indicates a cylindrical dehumidifier. This dehumidifier 10 includes a container main body 12 that opens upward, and a lid 1 that tightly contacts and removably covers the opening surface of the container main body 12.
Both the container body 12 and the lid 14 are made of synthetic resin.

The inside of the container body 12 is a storage chamber 12a that accommodates a predetermined amount of a deliquescent desiccant 16 such as calcium chloride or magnesium chloride.

On the other hand, the lid 14 can maintain airtightness by being screwed onto the upper outer periphery of the container body 12 as shown in the figure, and has a mechanism for forcibly taking outside air into the interior and discharging the air. is provided. To explain this in detail, as shown in FIG. 2, at predetermined positions in the ceiling part 14a of the lid body 14, there are circular intake holes 18 for taking in outside air and elongated arc-shaped exhaust holes 20 for discharging air. is formed.

Further, on the back side of the ceiling part 14a of the lid body 14, a substantially horseshoe-shaped partition plate 22 is integrally fixed to surround the intake hole 18, as shown in FIG. A horizontal plate 24 forming the bottom surface of the partition plate 22 is integrally fixed inside the portion 14b, and furthermore, the partition plate 22 and the horizontal plate 24 are tapered toward the bottom at the center of the container body 14. It is extended into a nose shape, and this extended portion forms an intake duct 26. Further, inside the side surface 14b of the lid body 14, another horizontal plate 28 is fixed at a position lower than the horizontal plate 24, and this horizontal plate 28 is located at the center of the container body 14 and extends downward. It has a nose shape that tapers toward the end and extends with a larger diameter than the intake duct 26, and this extended portion serves as an exhaust duct 30.

On the other hand, the space defined by the partition plate 22 and the horizontal plate 24 becomes the intake chamber A, and the space defined by the partition plate 22 and the horizontal plate
The space defined by i28 becomes exhaust chamber B. Among these, on the side of the intake chamber A, a blower device 30 for forcibly taking in outside air is installed at a position directly below the intake hole 18 in the horizontal plate 24. This blower device 30 includes a housing 32 that is fixed to the horizontal plates 24 and 28 while penetrating through the horizontal plates 24 and 28, a battery 34 that is airtightly disposed in the lower part of the housing 32, and An electric motor 36 is disposed upwardly on the top of the housing 32, and a rotating shaft 36 of the electric motor 36 protrudes from the top surface of the housing 32.
The fan holder fixed to part a is part 38, and this fan holder is mounted on part 38 to rotate the multi-blade blower in the intake chamber A.
It is equipped with air blower m)40. Note that the battery 34 is replaceable, and a starting switch (not shown) is provided between the battery 34 and the electric motor 36.

The fan receiver part 38 has a circular mounting plate 38a and a fan inclined member 38b fixed on the mounting plate 38a. The diameter of the lower end of the fan inclined member 38b is the same as that of the mounting plate 3.
It is formed at a predetermined height with a tapered side surface that is smaller in diameter than the diameter of 8a and whose diameter decreases at a constant rate as it goes upward. The multi-blade blower 40 is also called a sirocco fan and is a centrifugal fan equipped with a large number of forward-facing blades, and has a cylindrical boss 40a at its center having the same inner diameter as the lower end of the fan inclined member 38b. An arm 40b extends from the upper end of the boss 40a, and a forward-facing blade 40c extends downward from the tip of the arm 40.
..., 40c are provided.

Further, around the housing 32 protruding from the horizontal plate 24, a plurality (for example, four) of lips 42° . The degree of protrusion of each lip 42 is determined by
0 is inclined, and when the inner circumferential surface of the boss 40a in a certain direction comes into contact with the outer circumferential tapered surface of the fan inclined member 38b,
The blade 40c in the inclined direction is set so as to be caught on any lip 42.

In this embodiment, the fan receiver is the part 38 and the multi-blade blower 40.
The boss 40a constitutes an inclined support mechanism for the blower 40, and this inclined support mechanism and each lip 42 constitute an air blower stopping means. In addition, the intake hole 18. Intake chamber A, intake duct 26. Exhaust duct 20. The flow path passing through the exhaust chamber B and the exhaust hole 20 constitutes a ventilation path.

Next, the effects of this embodiment will be explained.

First, it is assumed that the dehumidifier 10 is set at a desired moisture removal position in a normal operating state, that is, in a state where it is almost upright and hardly tilted. In this state, as shown in Figure 1,
The entire lower end surface of the boss 40a is the fan receiver part 38 of the mounting plate 3.
It is in a state where it is in contact with 8a.

Therefore, when a starting switch (not shown) is turned on, electric power is supplied from the battery 32 to the electric motor 36, and the electric motor 36 rotates in a predetermined direction.

Along with this, the motor rotation shaft 36a and the fan receiving part 38
At this time, friction is generated between the boss 40a and the mounting plate 38a due to the predetermined weight of the multi-blade blower 400, and the blower 40 also rotates together with the motor 36 without idle rotation.

As a result, the large suction force of the multi-blade blower 40 works, forcing humid outside air to pass through the intake hole 18 and into the dehumidifier 10.
sucked into the inside of. That is, as shown by arrow a in FIG. 1, outside air enters the storage chamber 12a through the intake hole 18, the intake chamber A, and the intake duct 26, and comes into contact with the desiccant 16 here. Then, the moisture contained in the drawn outside air is absorbed by the desiccant 16 by the deliquescent action of the desiccant 16 and becomes dry air, which is then transferred to the intake duct 30. Intake chamber B
and is discharged through the intake hole 20 as indicated by the arrow in FIG. At this time, the moisture adsorbed by the deliquescent action becomes a deliquescent liquid W and gradually accumulates at the bottom of the storage chamber 12a.

By continuing this dehumidification operation, air can be forcedly circulated much more efficiently than in the conventional structure where only natural convection is used, and the moisture absorption effect during the circulation is enhanced. Therefore, even if the outside air is humid, it is replaced by dry air within a short period of time (for example, a few days in a typical household closet), creating a highly moisture-proof structure.

Provides mildewproofing and deodorizing effects.

On the other hand, as the dehumidifying operation described above continues, the absorbed water accumulates in the storage chamber 12a as a deliquescent liquid W as described above, but the amount of water of this deliquescent liquid W increases as shown in FIG. Once that point is reached, the outside air hits the water surface and has nowhere to go, and can no longer circulate. This results in
After that, there was almost no dehumidification and the increase in the deliquescent liquid W almost disappeared.
The existing dehumidification capacity is almost exhausted.

Therefore, when the water surface of the deliquescent liquid W reaches the same level as the intake duct 26, the starting switch is turned off to stop driving the electric motor 36, and the lid 14 is removed to remove the deliquescent liquid W. Moreover, after that, if the desiccant 16 is replenished again, it can be used repeatedly.

By the way, when the dehumidifier 10 is placed inclined as shown in FIG. 4, for example, the motor rotation shaft 36a
is also tilted with respect to the direction of gravity. As a result, when the inclination angle becomes equal to or greater than the set angle, the blower 40 simply moves to the mounting plate 3.
8a, the blower 40 itself tries to maintain its attitude in the direction of gravity, and the blower 40 also comes into a state in which the surfaces in the inclined direction between the boss 40a and the fan inclined member 38b are in contact with each other. In other words, the blower 40 is connected to the motor rotation shaft 3
6a (that is, the dehumidifier 40), and the blades 40c of the blower 40 are caught on an arbitrary rib 42. As a result, although the blower 40 is in a state of idle rotation relative to the electric motor 36, its rotation is forcibly stopped, so forced circulation of outside air is eliminated, and thereafter the dehumidification speed becomes significantly slow.

Therefore, not only when the tilting point around 1 is the time when use is started, but also when the tilting occurs during use, the increase in water of the deliquescent liquid W is almost stopped. As a result, the deliquescent liquid W leaks to the outside from the suction duct 26 or the motor 36
Most of the unforeseen situations where the system goes inside can be avoided. This also applies when the dehumidifier 10 falls over.

Further, when the dehumidifier 10 is returned from a tilted or overturned state to a normal, upright state, the blower 40 also smoothly and reliably returns to its original state (the state shown in FIG. 1). As a result, the dehumidifying function in the normal state described above is exhibited.

In this way, in this embodiment, in addition to being able to dehumidify a large amount in a short period of time by forced circulation of outside air, the blower 40 is supported in the manner of Yajirobe, and the rotation of the blades 40c of this blower 40 is mechanically stopped. Since it is a simple device, its structure is simplified and its manufacturing cost is low. In addition to this, there is an advantage in that rotation is more reliably stopped when tilted and there is no lock when returning, compared to the case where a ratchet structure and lip-based locking mechanism are used to support the blower.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, even if the rotation of the blower 40 is stopped midway, the motor 36 continues to rotate, so that the deliquescent liquid evaporated from the storage chamber 12a recrystallizes and adheres to the rotating shaft 36a. It is also possible to prevent the shaft from solidifying.

Note that the blower in the present invention is not limited to the multi-blade blower (so-called sirocco fan) shown in the above embodiment, but may also be a centrifugal fan such as a backward-facing blade fan or a radial fan, or a propeller fan. ,
Forced circulation by these fans allows for more efficient dehumidification than conventional natural convection.

Further, the blower stopping means in the present invention is not limited to a mechanically stopping structure as in the above embodiment, but, for example, when the inclination angle of the dehumidifier 10 exceeds a predetermined angle, the contact point is turned off (opened). ) is inserted into the motor drive circuit to electrically drive the electric motor 36. That is, the rotation of the blower 40 may be stopped.

Further, the fixing protrusions in the present invention are not limited to ribs as described in the embodiments, but may have any shape as long as they can stop the rotation of the blade 40c, and the number thereof is arbitrary.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the dehumidifier of the present invention, since humid outside air can be forcibly taken into the container, a large amount of air can be brought into contact with the desiccant efficiently, and In addition to dramatically improving the dehumidifying effect, when the dehumidifier is placed at an angle, the rotation of the fan automatically stops, so the dehumidification speed can be significantly reduced. It is possible to almost certainly prevent water leakage due to a decrease in the allowable storage amount of deliquescent liquid under such conditions.

In particular, in the invention described in claim (2), since the blower is a multi-blade blower, a so-called sirocco fan, the blower mechanism can be downsized and a higher blowing capacity, that is, a dehumidifying capacity can be obtained. .

In addition, in the invention described in claim (3), since the multi-blade blower is stopped by the mechanical structure of the inclined support mechanism and the fixed protrusion, the structure is simplified and inexpensive, and stopping and returning is possible. This has the effect of ensuring reliable operation.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the embodiment in normal use, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing an example of the operation when placed in an inclined state according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of a conventional dehumidifier using a deliquescent desiccant. IO is a dehumidifier, 12 is a container body, 12a is a storage chamber, 16
18 is a deliquescent desiccant, 18 is an intake hole, 20 is an exhaust hole, 26 is an intake duct, 30 is an exhaust duct, 36 is an electric motor, 3
6a is the rotating shaft of the motor, 38 is a fan receiver, 40 is a multi-blade blower as a blower, 40a is a boss, 40c is a blade, 42 is a rib as a fixed protrusion, A is an intake chamber, B
is the exhaust chamber. Figure 2

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) In a dehumidifier comprising a storage chamber that accommodates a deliquescent desiccant and a ventilation path that introduces outside air into the storage chamber and exhausts air from the storage chamber, the ventilation path is provided with a rotating electric motor. A dehumidifier comprising: a blower attached to a shaft; and a blower stop means for stopping rotation of the blower when the dehumidifier is tilted. (2) The dehumidifier according to claim (1), wherein the blower is a multi-blade blower. (3) The blower stopping means includes a tilting support mechanism in which the multi-blade blower is supported by the rotating shaft of the electric motor in a state where the multi-blade blower is tiltable relative to the rotating shaft when the dehumidifier is tilted; 3. The dehumidifier according to claim 2, further comprising a fixed protrusion that can be locked to the blades of the multi-blade blower when the multi-blade blower is tilted.