JPH0732860B2 - Deodorizing filter for air conditioner with life indicator - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a deodorizing filter for an air conditioner with a life indicator, and more specifically, a grid-shaped filter substrate and activated carbon particles adhered to the filter substrate. The present invention relates to this type of filter.

[Prior Art] Generally, only a coarse dust removal filter is attached to a conventional air conditioner, and the pressure loss of the filter is 0.1-0.2 mmAq (measured value at an air velocity of 1 m / sec,
The same applies hereinafter). On the other hand, in recent years, there has been a strong demand for removing submicron particles such as cigarette smoke and pollen, so that a high-density filter with a pressure loss of about 2 to 3 mmAq has been optionally used. However, since the use of the above-mentioned high-density filter causes a large pressure loss, it causes a problem such as a decrease in air volume or an increase in noise. Therefore, in order to address this problem, a dust removal mechanism with low pressure loss, such as an electrostatic precipitator or a filter using an electret fiber (semi-permanently polarized polyolefin fiber, disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-47299) is used. It came to be used.

However, since the dust removal mechanism with low pressure loss is not originally intended for deodorization, its deodorizing ability was low.

On the other hand, the applicant of the present application has proposed, in Japanese Patent Application No. 1-258748, a filter comprising a lattice-shaped filter substrate and particles of a gas adsorbent (mainly activated carbon) adhered to the filter substrate. This filter has a thickness of the above substrate = about 15
mm or less, flat area of one cell of the above-mentioned substrate lattice = about 0.20-about
0.35 cm ² , the size of the gas adsorbent particles = about 20 to about 60 mesh, the amount of gas adsorbent particles used per unit area of the substrate plane = about 400 to about 2000 g / m ² , the aperture ratio of this filter = about 50
-It is characterized by satisfying the condition of about 80%. In summary, the filter differs from conventional grid filters with activated carbon in that the size of the activated carbon (gas adsorbent) particles is relatively large and the thickness of the filter is small.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the above deodorizing filter, the service life thereof depends on the total operating time. However, since the user is not accumulating the operating time, the life of the filter cannot be accurately known. In addition, the sense of smell has the property of being paralyzed by habituation,
The user may use the filter that has already lost the deodorizing function as it is, and may give discomfort to the visitor.

The present invention has been made based on such a viewpoint, and an object thereof is to provide a deodorizing filter for an air conditioner, which is provided with an appropriate index for knowing the deodorizing life.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, in the filter of the present invention, a lattice-shaped filter base, gas adsorbent particles adhered to the filter base, and a part of the base And a cloth-like life indicator made of electret fiber having an excellent dust absorption function, which is arranged so as to cover the lattice.

In a desirable mode, the above-mentioned indicator consists of nonwoven fabrics. A filter holder is also used, which is set to be approximately the same as the expected color of the indicator at a given operating time, indexed from the life of the filter.

[Operation] According to the deodorizing filter of the present invention having the above configuration, dust is adsorbed on the indicator as the filter is used, and the indicator discolors. The user can know the life of the filter by using the color change of the indicator as an index.
Further, by using the filter-housing holder having the specific color as described above, the user can know the life of the filter more properly.

[Examples] Structure and material Fig. 1 is a plan view showing an example of the deodorizing filter 10 according to the present invention. This filter has a lattice-shaped filter base 12
And a net cover 22 that covers the base body 12.

With the net cover 22 removed, the deodorizing filter 10
Is the aperture ratio (in the plane parallel to the paper surface of FIG. 1)
Of about 50 to about 80%, which results as a result of various conditions described below. The thickness of the filter 10 (perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1) is 15 mm or less, preferably about 3 m.
It is over m.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view showing the base 12. Book filter 10
Is different from the conventional filter in that the size of the gas adsorbent particles 14 is relatively large and the thickness of the filter 10 is small as shown in the figure. These features are as a deodorizing filter for air conditioner, low pressure loss, suitable deodorizing ability,
It is the key to satisfy the conditions such as long life.

The base 12 is made of a thin material such as paper, aluminum or plastic. When paper is used as the material, it can be impregnated with a phenol resin or the like to reinforce the strength. Also the base
12 can be flame-retarded. Since the thickness of the substrate 12 is substantially the same as the thickness of the filter 10, it is about 15 mm or less, preferably 3 mm or more. This thickness is for this filter 10
However, as shown in FIG. 4, it is finally determined that it is housed in the housing of the air conditioner.

In the illustrated example, the lattice pattern of the base 12 is hexagonal, that is, a so-called honeycomb shape, but this pattern can be any shape such as a rectangle and a triangle. However, the plane area (in the plane parallel to the paper surface of FIG. 2) of one cell 16 of the lattice is about 0.20 to about 0.35 cm.
It becomes ² . This numerical value substantially means the density of the partition wall 18 for supporting the gas adsorbent particles 14.

The gas adsorbent particles 14 are made of activated carbon, but other types such as impregnated activated carbon can also be used. In addition, in order to deal with CO generation sources such as petroleum stoves, a catalyst capable of catalytically oxidizing CO can be used in combination with a deodorant. As this catalyst, a gold / oxide catalyst (disclosed in JP-A-60-238148, etc.) that does not die and activate even in the presence of water is desirable. The size of the gas adsorbent particles 14 is about 20 to about 60 mesh, and the amount of the gas adsorbent particles 14 used per unit surface area of the substrate 12 is about 400.
-About 2000 g / m ² .

The binder for adhering the gas adsorbent particles 14 to the base 12 is
It is desirable to use an adhesive to prevent the particles from falling off. Known adhesives such as acrylics, natural rubbers, synthetic rubbers, and silicones can be used as the adhesive, but in order to adhere strongly to the filter substrate so that activated carbon does not fall off, an adhesive with a high concentration is used. It is required that the agent is used and that the layer thickness thereof is increased to some extent. Therefore, the pressure-sensitive adhesive liquid used should have a high viscosity (about 10 to 50 poise), and the coating method should depend on the method capable of obtaining a thick layer thickness.

The net cover 22 is made of a heat-fusible fiber having a composite structure,
For example, it has a structure in which a polypropylene core material and a polyethylene sheath material having a melting point lower than that by 20 ° C. or more are combined.
A heat-fusible fiber having a composite structure is disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Publication (Kokoku) No. 52-37097, etc., and various types are already commercially available. Also, unlike this embodiment, it is possible to use a heat-fusible fiber made of a single material instead of the composite structure. In this example, the fiber diameter is about 0.2 mm and the mesh size is about 1.5 mm. The net cover 22 is coarse so as not to substantially increase the pressure loss of the filter 10,
It is important that it is highly breathable.

The net cover 22 is provided with the gas adsorbent particles 14 as described later.
The base body 12 after attachment is sandwiched between two nets, and the nets are heat-sealed along the peripheral edge of the base body 12 for sealing. For example, in the case of a filter having a total length of about 20 to 30 cm as in this embodiment, a heat-seal ear portion 24 of about 5 mm is formed around the filter. Proper dimensioning of the ears 24 is an important factor in ensuring the strength of the packaging of the cover 22.

Also provided in the cover 22 is a life indicator 26 which serves as an index of the service life of the filter. indicator
Reference numeral 26 is a non-woven fabric of electret fiber (semi-permanently polarized polyolefin fiber, disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-47299) having an excellent dust absorbing function. Indicator 26
The filter 10 is provided so as to cover a part of the lattice of the base 12.
As the contaminated air passes through it, it absorbs dust and discolors. The indicator 26 is not limited to a non-woven fabric of electret fibers, and may be any cloth-like body made of fibers having an excellent dust absorption function, having some breathability, and capable of recognizing discoloration.

As the indicator 26, a strip-shaped cloth is arranged in a plow shape as shown in the figure, and a square or circular cloth-shaped strip is used for the filter 10.
It is also possible to arrange it at the center or the corner of. However,
As will be described later, in the manufacturing process, the configuration shown in the illustrated embodiment is desirable because the indicator material can be continuously supplied and used. If a circular or square small indicator is used, a manufacturing process in which the indicator is preliminarily adhered to the substrate 12 after adsorbing the adsorbent 14 and then wrapped with the net cover 22 is preferable. Let's do it.

Usage Mode FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a holder 30 for housing the filter 10. The holder 30 is a resin molded product, and has a holding portion 32 for sandwiching the filter 10 and a handle portion 34 for handling. The holding part 32 is composed of a pair of open / close frames that can be opened and closed via a hinge part 36, and the pair of frames is maintained in a closed state by a claw 38 attached to a free end of the upper frame in the drawing. The handle portion 34 is formed integrally with the lower frame of the holding portion 32. Most of the sandwiching portion 32 is formed as an opening 33, and most of the filter 10 is exposed to the outside.

The holder 30 is colored yellowish brown (Munsell color chart “6.7YR-7 / 8”). This color is set to be approximately the same as the expected color of the indicator 26 at a given run time indexed from the life of the filter 10. That is, the user can easily know the life of the filter 10 by comparing the colors of the indicator 26 and the holder 30.

Fig. 4 shows the filter 10 with the indoor unit 40 of the air conditioner.
FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state of being assembled in the housing 42 of FIG. The filter 10 is housed in the holder 30 shown in FIG.
Built in. The arrow in the figure indicates the direction of air flow. The filter 10 is provided in the air introduction passage subsequent to the dust filter 44 that is normally used. The air that has passed through the filter 10 and is deodorized is heated or cooled by the heat exchanger 46, and is supplied indoors by the action of the blower 50. The filter 10 also uses a heat exchanger instead of the air introduction passage.
It is also possible to arrange it in the air discharge passage after 46. In the figure, reference numeral 48 is a dew tray.

Manufacturing Method FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a manufacturing process of the filter 10. First, a blank substrate having a predetermined thickness is supplied from the substrate feeder 52, and the adhesive is applied to the whole in the binder dipping portion 54. Next, the blank substrate is placed in a drier 56 to impart a predetermined viscosity to the binder and remove the smell of the binder solvent. After drying, the blank substrate is cut into a predetermined size by the cutting machine 58, and then sent to the adsorbent impregnation section 62.

On the other hand, an adsorbent of a predetermined size is supplied from the adsorbent feeder 62 to the adsorbent impregnating portion 64, and the adsorbent is adhered to the blank substrate surface via a binder. Next, the excess adsorbent that is incompletely attached to the substrate or the adsorbent is removed by the scrubbing section 66. Finally, the net cover 22 is applied to the base body in the packaging unit 68.
Will be packaged.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a net cover packaging machine used in the packaging section 68.

In this packaging machine, the upper net material 72 and the lower net material 74 made of the above-mentioned heat-fusible fibers are rolls 72r and 7 on the right side in the figure, respectively.
It is fed from 4r. Also, so that the lower net material 74 overlaps,
The indicator material 76 made of the above-described electret fiber is fed from the roll 76r.

At the top of the heat-sealing mold 82, the upper and lower net materials 7
The base 12 of a predetermined size, to which the adsorbent 14 is adhered, is inserted between the two and 74 by an appropriate means (for example, an automatic carrier or manual work). And here, the substrate 12 is a cylinder
The upper press 84 driven by 83 pushes the upper and lower net members 72, 74 into the mold 82. The pushed-in base body 12 is locked by abutting the stepped portion 86 in the mold. Further, in synchronization with the press 84, the pusher 88 driven by the cylinder 87 operates to support the lower surface of the base 12.

During the above pressing, the upper and lower net members 7 around the base 12
2, 74 are sandwiched between the upper peripheral surface of the mold 82 and the lower surface of the press 84. The upper peripheral surface of the mold 82 is heated by a suitable heat source contained in the mold 82, and the upper and lower net members 72 and 74 are bonded by heat sealing. The conditions of this heat sealing are, for example, if the upper and lower net materials 72, 74 are made of a double-structured fiber having the above-mentioned polyethylene sheath material, the temperature is about 140 ° C., the pressing pressure is 5 kg / cm ² or more, the pressing time 2 to
It will be 5 seconds.

The substrate 12 covered with the heat-sealed net material is subsequently sent onto the cutter holder 92. A cutting die 94 driven by a cylinder 93 is arranged above the receiving table 92, and the cutting die 94 descends in a state where the base body 12 is positioned with respect to the receiving table 92, and the base body is netted 72, 74. Punch with. At this time, as shown in FIG.
The ears 24 are dimensioned so as to remain about 5 mm. The punched substrate 12 with the net cover 22, that is, the filter 10 is extruded by a pusher or the like (not shown), for example, in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG.

The remaining portion 78 of the upper and lower net materials and the indicator material is collected by the winding roll 78r. The rotation speed of the roll 78r is controlled by the adjacent manual rotation handle 96, that is, the feeding speed of the upper and lower net members 72, 74 and the indicator member 76 is also controlled by the handle 96. However, it is also possible to automate the entire system regardless of this embodiment.

Experiment In order to obtain the relationship between the use time of the filter of the present invention and its deodorizing function and the coloring degree of the life indicator, the filter 10 with the indicator 26 as shown in FIG. It was attached and used under normal conditions. These filters were collected about every one month, and their deodorizing function and the coloring degree of the indicator 26 (Munsell color chart, see JIS Z8721) were examined in the laboratory.

Functional test method of the deodorizing filter The sensory test for confirming the deodorizing effect was performed as follows. First, two commercially available cigarettes were naturally burned in a stainless steel chamber having a volume of 17 m ³ , and at the same time, the deodorizing filter was attached to the air conditioner for operation. The air conditioner has a strong wind (1m
/ sec). 60 minutes after the start of the operation of the air conditioner, the air in the chamber was collected in an odorless 10-liter capacity plastic bag and subjected to a sensory test. The sensory test was conducted by 13 people who had previously excluded the olfactory disorder.

Deodorant function change with time The deodorant function depends on the odor intensity (6
Evaluation was made by the difference (equal odor reduction degree) between the average values of the stepwise odor intensity method (see Table 1). FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the period of use of the filter in a general household and the deodorizing function (degree of odor reduction) of the filter after each period of use. As shown in the figure, it was found that the deodorizing filter according to the present invention had no substantial deodorizing effect at the 6th month, and had a negative effect thereafter. Therefore, it can be seen that the service life of the deodorizing filter according to the present invention in a general household is about 6 months.

Table 1 6-stage odor intensity 0-not felt 1-felt 2-clearly felt 3-strongly felt 4-extremely intense 5-extremely intensely colored The coloring degree in a general household is shown in Table 2 by the numerical value of Munsell color chart.
The degree of progress of coloring was fast in the initial stage, and the change in color became slower as the number of days of use increased. The color of the indicator corresponding to 6 months which is the service life of this deodorizing filter is shown in Table 2
From the results, it can be seen that the color is a Munsell color chart “6.7YR-7 / 8” (yellowish brown). Use this color as the color of the holder shown in Fig. 2, or attach a tape of this color to a place where it is easily noticed by the user, and use this color as a guide for the time to replace the filter, which you tend to forget. You can

Table 2 Indicator coloring 1 month 2.5Y-7 / 8 3 months 10 YR-7 / 8 5 months 7.5YR-7 / 8 6 months 6.7YR-7 / 8 8 months 6.5YR-7 / 8 [Advantages of the Invention] According to the present invention, dust is adsorbed on the indicator as the filter is used, and the color of the indicator changes. Therefore, the user can know the life of the filter by using the color change of the indicator as an index. Further, by using the filter storing holder with the color of the indicator corresponding to the life of the filter, the user can know the life of the filter more properly.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the deodorizing filter according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a holder for accommodating the filter shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view showing the filter shown in FIG. 1 excluding the cover. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which the filter according to the present invention is incorporated in the housing of the indoor unit of the air conditioner. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a manufacturing process of the filter according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a side view showing the net cover packaging machine. FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the use period of the filter and the deodorizing function (degree of odor reduction) of the filter after each use period. 10 …… deodorizing filter, 12 …… substrate, 14 …… gas adsorbent,
16 …… cell, 22 …… net cover, 24 …… ear, 26 ……
indicator

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification number Reference number within the agency FI Technical indication location B01D 53/34 ZAB 53/38 53/81 (72) Inventor Katsuhiko Kin Take 336 Tatehara, Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture Toshiba Co., Ltd. Fuji Factory (72) Inventor Kaoru Mochizuki 336 Tatehara, Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture Toshiba Co., Ltd. Fuji Factory (56) References JP 56-102926 (JP, A) JP 61-25848 (JP) , Y2) Jitsuko Sho 61-25849 (JP, Y2)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A grid-shaped filter base, gas adsorbent particles adhered to the filter base, and electret fibers excellent in dust collecting function, which are arranged so as to cover a part of the grid of the base. A deodorizing filter for an air conditioner, comprising: a cloth-like life indicator. 2. The filter according to claim 1, wherein the indicator is made of non-woven fabric. 3. A highly air-permeable net cover of heat-fusible fiber covering the filter substrate, and heat-sealing ears formed on the periphery of the net cover corresponding to the sides of the substrate.
The filter according to claim 2, further comprising: 4. The filter according to claim 3, further comprising a holder for storing the filter, which is set to be approximately the same as the expected color of the indicator at a predetermined operating time calculated from the life of the filter.