JPH03195842A - Humidifier - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to control the humidifying capacity precisely without steps by a method wherein a controller, which performs stepless control by phase control to a heating element such as a self temperature control type heating element which is stored in a hollow, porous member which can hold water and make steam pass through, is provided. CONSTITUTION:In a hollow, porous member 1, a self temperature control type heating element 4 is stored together with a spacing member 3, and a controller 11 gives stepless control to the self temperature control type heating element 4 by phase control, and a triac is used. This controller 11 is connected to a lead wire 6 from copper foil electrodes 5 which are fixed by thermal fusion bonding at both ends in the width direction of the self temperature control type heating element 4. By the controller 11 which performs phase control by freely changing the phase angle of gate pulse for the triac, average power which is fed to the self temperature control type heating element 4 can be controlled without steps to change heating quantity of the self temperature control type heating element 4, and therefore, humidifying quantity can be controlled without steps.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a humidifier that increases humidity by supplying moisture to dry indoor air.

[Conventional technology]

Recently, living spaces have become increasingly insulated and classified from the viewpoint of energy conservation, and a higher level of air conditioning is required. Elements of air conditioning include temperature control, humidity control, and control of harmful air components. Among these, regarding temperature control, various satisfactory heating and cooling methods have been put into practical use.

However, with regard to humidity control and control of harmful components, no device has yet been proposed that is fully satisfactory.

In particular, humidifiers that control humidity are natural evaporation type and
There are electric heating type, water spray type, and ultrasonic type, but the natural evaporation type has a small humidifying capacity, the electric heating type has the disadvantage of high running costs, and the water spray type has poor humidification efficiency and is bulky. There's a problem. Furthermore, the ultrasonic type requires a lot of maintenance and has drawbacks such as scattering of fine powder of calcium carbonate.

Of these methods, the natural evaporation humidifier has the lowest initial cost and running cost, and is the most practical as it does not scatter fine calcium carbonate powder, but its weak point, the low humidification capacity, has been improved. For this purpose, configurations as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 have been conventionally adopted.

In FIG. 3, 1 is, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-171337.
It is a hollow porous member shown in the publication, and is a bag-shaped sheet member mainly composed of a porous sheet of hydrophobic polymer, so that water vapor can pass inside and outside the bag. It has become. Specifically, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polycarbonate, polyester,
It is constructed by layering a sheet made of synthetic resin such as fluororesin that blocks the passage of water and allows the passage of water vapor, and a breathable cloth made of woven fabric such as vegetable fiber or chemical fiber. ing.

In addition, the pores of the sheet and the breathable cloth will close if they are fully bonded, so for example, 5 to 10 III
Partial point joints are made at intervals of about I+ to facilitate the passage of water vapor. 2 is a water supply port for supplying water into the bag of the hollow porous member; 3 is a spacing member housed in the hollow porous member; on both sides and the center of the hollow porous member, hollow porous It is composed of a columnar part 3A extending in the longitudinal direction of the member and a thin plate part 3B that connects each columnar part.The columnar part 3A secures sufficient space within the hollow porous material, and the thin plate part A waterway is formed between 3B and the hollow porous member. The spacing member 3 is made of highly flexible vinyl chloride resin, silicone resin, or the like, and is manufactured by extrusion molding.

Numeral 4 is a self-temperature-controlled heating element housed in a hollow porous member together with the spacing member 3, and its surface is electrically insulated. This self-temperature-controlling heating element 4 is one in which a conductive filler is dispersed in a matrix material, and has a positive temperature coefficient of resistance. As the conductive filler, fine fibers of carbon or metal are used.
Carbon black is preferred to ensure a high positive temperature coefficient of resistance. Further, in order to control the self-temperature control function, a low melting point organic compound is added as a third component, and low molecular weight polyethylene wax is preferably used for this. The manufacturing method is 20~
A composition containing 30% by weight of carbon black and, if necessary, 10 to 30% by weight of low molecular weight polyolefin wax is made homogeneous using a Banbury mixer, etc., and then extruded using a T-die to form a sheet with self-temperature control. A type heating element composition is formed and cut into strips of a predetermined width. 5 is a copper foil electrode fixed to both ends of the heating element composition in the width direction by heat fusion; 6 is a lead wire connected to this electrode, which is led out from an appropriate location of the hollow porous member 1; It is connected to a power source (not shown).

Next, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the spiral type humidifier 10, in which the hollow porous member l shown in FIG. A water supply pipe 8 connected to the water supply port 2 and a water tank 9 for supplying evaporated water through the water supply pipe are provided above the water supply pipe 8.

By heating the water in the hollow porous member with the self-temperature-controlled heating element 4 in this way, the humidifying capacity can be significantly increased.

In addition, the arrow (A) in the figure shows the water supply direction, (B) shows the introduction direction of air, and (C) shows the derivation direction of air.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

Conventional humidifiers are constructed as described above, but the self-temperature-controlled heating element installed inside the hollow porous member is turned on and off.
There was a problem in that the humidification ability significantly changed when turned off.

The present invention was made to solve this problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a humidifier that allows stepless fine control of humidification capacity.

[Means to solve the problem]

The humidifier according to the present invention includes a controller that performs stepless control by phase control of a heating element such as a self-temperature-controlled heating element housed in a hollow porous member that can hold water and allow water vapor to pass through. It is something that

The humidifier according to claim 2 is provided with a controller that performs stepless control of a heating element such as a self-temperature-controlled heating element by phase control, and a humidity sensor that detects the temperature of the air before passing through the humidifier. It is.

[Effect]

In this invention, a controller is provided that performs stepless control of a heating element such as a self-temperature-controlled heating element housed in a hollow porous member by phase control, and By steplessly controlling the output power to the body, the amount of heat generated by the heating element can be changed, and the amount of humidification can be controlled steplessly.

In the invention of claim 2, there is provided a controller that performs stepless control of a heating element such as a self-temperature-controlled heating element housed in a hollow porous member by phase control, and a controller that controls the humidity of the air before passing through the humidifier. A humidity sensor is provided to detect the humidity, and the phase of the output power to the self-temperature-controlled heating element is controlled based on the signal obtained from the humidity sensor, thereby changing the amount of heat generated by the heating element to obtain the optimum amount of humidification.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which a self-temperature-controlled heating element 4 is provided in a hollow porous member 1 together with a spacing member 3.
11 has a self-temperature-controlled heating element 4,
This is a controller that performs stepless control using phase control, and uses a triac (not shown). This controller 11 is connected to lead wires 6 from copper foil wires 5 fixed to both ends of the self-temperature-controlled heating element 4 in the width direction by heat fusion.

Note that everything other than the above is the same as that shown in the prior art.

In the humidifier configured as described above, the average power supplied to the self-temperature-controlled heating element 4 is continuously controlled by the controller 11, which performs phase control by freely changing the phase angle of the gate pulse of the triac. The amount of heat generated by the self-temperature-controlled heating element 4 can be changed by changing the amount of heat generated by the self-temperature-controlled heating element 4, and the amount of humidification can be controlled steplessly.

Next, FIG. 2 shows another embodiment. In FIG. 2, 12 is a humidity sensor that detects the humidity of the air before passing through the humidifier, and is connected to the controller 11. Other than the above, the structure is the same as that shown in FIG.

In the humidifier configured as described above, a signal obtained from the humidity sensor 12 that detects the humidity of the air before passing through the humidifier is sent to the controller 11 for phase control by changing the phase angle of the gate pulse of the triac. , self-temperature-controlled heating element 4
By automatically controlling the average power supplied to the self-temperature-controlled heating element 4 and changing the amount of heat generated by the self-temperature-controlled heating element 4, the amount of humidification can be automatically and steplessly controlled.

In the above description, an example was given in which the spacing member 3 and the self-temperature-controlled heating element 4 were constructed separately and housed in a hollow porous member. A similar effect can be expected even if it is made to also serve as.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the present invention is a controller that performs stepless control of a heating element such as a self-temperature-controlled heating element housed in a hollow porous member capable of holding water and passing water vapor through phase control. By providing stepless control of the output power to the self-temperature-controlled heating element, the amount of heat generated by the heating element can be changed, and the amount of humidification can be controlled steplessly.

In the invention of claim 2, a humidity sensor for detecting the humidity of the air before passing through the humidifier is further connected to the controller, so that the output power to the self-temperature-controlled heating element is controlled by the signal obtained from the humidity sensor. By controlling the phase and changing the amount of heat generated by the heating element, the optimal amount of humidification can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hollow porous member of a humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a hollow porous member of a conventional humidifier. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the same conventional humidifier in which hollow porous members are laminated in a spiral shape. In the figure, 1 is a hollow porous member, 3 is a spacing member, 4 is a self-temperature-controlled heating element, 10 is a humidifier, 11 is a controller, and 12 is a humidity sensor. Note that the same reference numerals in the figures indicate the same or equivalent parts.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A hollow porous member formed by forming a sheet member mainly made of a porous sheet of hydrophobic polymer into a bag shape to allow water vapor to pass inside and outside the bag and provided with a water supply port; A spacing member that is housed in the hollow porous member and forms a waterway, and a heating element such as a self-temperature-controlled heating element that heats the water in the hollow porous member, and the water is supplied from the water supply port to the hollow porous member. In the humidifier, the air is supplied into the hollow porous member and is caused to flow through the outer surface of the hollow porous member so that the air contains water vapor that has passed through the hollow porous member. 1. A humidifier comprising: a controller connected to a heating element such as a self-temperature-controlled heating element housed in a humidifier for steplessly controlling the heating element through phase control. (2) Claim 1, wherein the controller is connected to a humidity sensor that detects the humidity of the air before passing through the humidifier.
Humidifier as described in section.