JPH08121828A - Air cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To utilize clean air, to which negative ion is added as humidification air by a method wherein a passage, through which air with negative ion is added by a centrifugal agitation in an agitating chamber is discharged, is provided at the interior and a cylindrical guide-shaped cylinder serving as a guide in centrifugal agitation is suspended. CONSTITUTION: Mist Mw is centrifugally agitated by means of swirl air A fed with a pressure from a turbofan 11 and collided with the inner wall of an agitating chamber 2. In this case, high energy is imparted and dipoles orientation on a water drop surface is promoted and negative ion is added to air A making contact with mist Mw in this state. Thus, air A' to which negative ion is added is discharged in a room though an air discharge port 8 after the flow through a air discharge passage 7 in a guide cylinder 6 and a duct 9. The air A' to which negative ion is added has dust removing effect, a bacteria- removing effect, a deodorizing and gas-component-removing effect, a humidification effect, and an anti-static effect. This constitution provides an indoor living space into a comfortable state.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air purifier for supplying air to which negative ions have been added into a room.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It has long been known that air ions greatly affect the health of the human body, and urban dwellers yearn for nature due to the state of air ions in the urban environment and the natural environment of forests and seasides. Is very different.
The atmosphere in cities, especially industrial areas, contains large amounts of positive ions, and the atmosphere in forests and seasides contains large amounts of negative ions. Regarding the effects of positive and negative ions on the human body caused by ionization of air, it is generally said that positive ions excite nerves and negative ions calm nerves,
For this reason, it is considered that the presence of negative ions in the air refreshes the mood in forests and the seaside.

According to recent studies, it has been found that negative ions have a dust removing effect, a bacteria removing effect, a deodorizing and gas component removing effect, a humidity controlling effect, and an antistatic effect. Is attracting attention.

As a method of generating negative ions, there are a method using corona discharge and a method using ion dissociation of water. In the case of the method using corona discharge, ozone and nitrogen oxides harmful to the human body are added. Because of the problem of producing water, a method that utilizes ion dissociation of water that does not produce by-products harmful to the human body has attracted attention.

[0005] The method utilizing the ion dissociation of water utilizes the phenomenon that nearby air is ionized when water splits in connection with rain or other precipitation (ie, the Leonard effect). At this time, it has been confirmed that the ions generated in the air are negative ions regardless of the electric charge of the water droplet.

[0006] The mechanism of generating negative ions in the air due to water splitting is considered as follows.

That is, when high energy (for example, injection, collision, or flipping) is given to water in a state where air and water are in contact with each other, as shown in FIG. 12, H ⁺ , OH ^- electric double layer is produced by, at the interface is formed dipole double layer dipole is oriented by dipole moment possessed by the water, the negative ions are oriented towards the outside. As a result, a large amount of negative ions are attracted near the liquid surface, and the positive ions are not so strongly attracted and move freely in the liquid. Therefore, the positive ions remain in the liquid and are neutralized through ground contact, etc.
When a high energy such as flipping is given to break up the water droplet into an extremely small size, oxygen (O ₂ ) molecules existing at the interface on the air side are ionized when the dipole is oriented on the surface of the water droplet, and O ⁻
It is considered to be a negative ion molecule group represented by ₂ · (H ₂ O) n.

From the above-described negative ion generation mechanism, it has been found that the ionization of air is caused by giving high energy to water and splitting it, and an air purifying apparatus utilizing this is being developed.

This air purifying device injects water into a swirling airflow to split the jetted water in the swirling airflow to form mist and generate air ions.

[0010]

However, the above-described air purifying apparatus is regarded as a large-scale one used in factories and has a drawback that it cannot be used for home use.

By the way, humidifiers are often used in general households to control the humidity of indoor air. At that time, if the humidified air is cleaned by adding negative ions, it is extremely comfortable for indoor occupants. The present invention has been made by paying attention to the fact that it is likely to be as follows.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to make it possible to use clean air to which negative ions have been added as humidified air.

[0013]

According to the basic structure of the present invention, as means for solving the above problems, a mist generating means for generating fine mist, a water supply means for supplying water to the mist generating means, A cylindrical stirring chamber above the mist generating means for centrifugally stirring the mist and air to add negative ions to the air, an air pumping means for forcing the air into the stirring chamber, In an air purifier comprising a water recovery means for recovering the separated water,
In the stirring chamber, an air discharge passage for discharging air to which negative ions are added by centrifugal stirring in the stirring chamber is provided inside, and a cylindrical guide tube serving as a guide at the time of the centrifugal stirring is vertically provided. I have.

In the basic configuration of the present invention, there are the following embodiments.

That is, the mist generating means may be a rotary blade that repels water supplied from the water supply means to form a mist. In that case, the rotary blade is also used as the air pressure feeding means. Then, it can be structurally simplified.

The mist generating means may be a boiler or an ultrasonic mist generator provided below the stirring chamber.

[0017]

In the basic configuration of the present invention, the following actions can be obtained by the above means.

That is, the mist generated by the mist generating means is centrifugally stirred with the air fed by the air pressure feeding means in the stirring chamber to form a swirling flow around the guide cylinder, and collides with the wall of the stirring chamber. High energy is given to the mist, and negative ions are added to the air. The air to which the negative ions have been added in this manner is discharged indoors through an air discharge passage in the guide cylinder. The water separated by the collision with the guide cylinder and the inner wall of the stirring chamber is collected by the water collecting means.

Further, in the basic configuration of the present invention, when the mist generating means is a rotating blade which flies water supplied from the water supply means to form a mist, the mist is generated by collision of the rotating blade with water. At the same time, high energy is applied to the mist. In that case,
When the rotating blades are also used as the air pressure feeding means,
The mist generated by the rotating blades is centrifugally stirred in the stirring chamber by the air pumping function of the rotating blades.

When the mist generating means is a boiler or an ultrasonic mist generator provided below the stirring chamber, steam or mist generated from the boiler or the ultrasonic mist generator becomes mist, This is forcibly centrifugally stirred in the stirring chamber.

[0021]

According to the present invention, the mist generated by the mist generating means and the air pressure-fed by the air pressure feeding means are centrifugally stirred in the stirring chamber to impart high energy to the mist and add negative ions. The generated air is generated and discharged into the room, so the indoor living space is made comfortable by the dust removal effect, the bacteria removal effect, the deodorization and gas component removal effect, the humidity control effect, and the antistatic effect possessed by negative ions. There is an excellent effect that

Further, since a swirling flow centering on the guide cylinder can be easily obtained in the stirring chamber,
The dust contained in the mist is separated from the air together with the water droplets separated by the collision with the wall of the stirring chamber, and is recovered by the water recovery means, so that the air discharged into the room becomes more purified. There is also.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Some preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment FIGS. 1 to 3 show an air purifier according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

The air purifier of this embodiment is of a small size for home use, and has a cylindrical stirring chamber 2 in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped casing 1 as shown in FIG. At the bottom of the stirring chamber 2, a rotating blade 4, which is rotated at a high speed by a motor 3, is fixedly mounted on an upper end of a motor rotating shaft 3 a rotatably supported by a bearing 5. The rotary blades 4 generate fine mist Mw by flipping water W dropped from above, and constitute mist generating means in the claims. Here, the mist Mw is a general term for mist-like fine water droplets, and also includes mist and water vapor.

The outer peripheral side and the bottom side of the rotary blade 4
Dish-shaped diffusion preventing member 52 fixed to the bearing 5
The diffusion preventing member 52 functions to prevent the mist Mw flipped by the rotary blade 4 from diffusing in the centrifugal direction and to ensure that the mist Mw rises into the stirring chamber 2. Although the water W is separated into water droplets by the collision of the mist Mw with the peripheral wall of the diffusion preventing member 52,
This water W is returned to the bottom of the stirring chamber 2 through return holes 53 formed on the bottom surface of the diffusion preventing member 72, and is recovered through a drain pipe 17 described later in detail.
It is collected in the collection tank 18).

A cylindrical guide tube 6 is suspended from the center of the upper surface 2a of the stirring chamber 2 to a position above the rotary blades 4. The guide tube 6 is provided with air pressure feeding means (to be described later). In this case, the air A is pressure-fed from the turbo fan 11) into the stirring chamber 2 and serves as a guide when turning. The internal space is used as an air discharge passage 7. The upper end of the guide cylinder 6 is connected to an air outlet 8 formed at one upper end of the casing 1 via a duct 9. The mist Mw blown off by the rotary blade 4 is provided at the lower end of the guide cylinder 6.
A baffle 10 is provided to prevent the air from being sucked directly into the air discharge passage 7.

Further, a turbo fan 11 acting as an air pressure feeding means is disposed above the side wall 2b of the stirring chamber 2 in the casing 1. The turbo fan 1
Reference numeral 1 denotes a fan housing 13 having a discharge port 12 facing the upper part of the stirring chamber side peripheral wall 2b, a fan rotor 14 arranged in the fan housing 13, and a fan rotor 14
The discharge port 12 faces the eccentric direction from the center of the stirring chamber 2 so as to blow the discharge air A, as shown in FIG. The air A is swirled counterclockwise around the guide cylinder 6 in the stirring chamber 2.

Further, a drain port 16 for taking out water W separated in the stirring chamber 2 downward is formed in the bottom surface 2c of the stirring chamber 2, and the drain port 16 extends downward. The drain pipe 17 is connected, and the drain pipe 17 is
It faces the inlet 18a of the recovery tank 18 which serves as water recovery means. The recovery tank 18 is housed so as to be able to be taken in and out of the bottom of the casing 1. A recovery tank detecting means (for example, a limit switch 58) for detecting whether or not the recovery tank 18 is set is provided at a recovery tank setting position in the casing 1 (see FIG. 3).

Further, a water supply means 19 for supplying water W from above the rotating blades 4 is provided on the side of the stirring chamber 2 opposite to the turbo fan in the casing 1. The water supply means 19 includes a water supply tank 20 detachable from the casing 1 and a storage container 21 for temporarily storing water W supplied from the water supply tank 20.
And a water guide pipe 22 for leading water W from the storage container 21 to above the rotary blade 4. The storage container 21 is formed in the casing 1 immediately above the position where the collection tank 18 is provided and above the rotary blade 4. Reference numeral 23 denotes an opening for removing a water supply tank formed on the upper surface of the casing 1, and reference numeral 24 denotes an opening 2
A lid for opening and closing 3 and 25 are hinges for opening and closing the lid.

The water supply opening 20a of the water supply tank 20
Is provided with a cap 26 which can be screwed on and off. The cap 26 has a water supply nozzle 2 provided with an on-off valve 27.
8 are provided. The on-off valve 27 is provided with a water supply nozzle 28.
It is supported slidably up and down with respect to a bearing 29 erected therein, and is urged in the valve closing direction by a spring 30.

The storage container 21 has a cylindrical projection 31 at the center. When the water supply tank 20 is set, the water supply nozzle 28 of the water supply tank 20 is externally inserted into the projection 31. Then, the on-off valve 27 is pushed up by the protruding portion 31 to be opened. In this state, the water level is maintained slightly above the tip of the water supply nozzle 28.

The water guiding pipe 22 is connected to a side peripheral portion of the storage container 21, and a tip pouring port 22a thereof is exposed above the rotary vane 4. In addition, this water pipe 22
Has a relatively small diameter so that a large amount of water W does not flow, and an electromagnetic opening / closing valve 32 is provided in the middle thereof. The solenoid on-off valve 32 is energized at the same time as the driving of the rotary vane driving motor 3 and the fan motor 15 for the turbo fan. During the energization, an intermittent timer circuit 62 described later (see FIG. 3) ) To open and close intermittently.

A water tank detecting means (for example, limit switch 57) for detecting the presence or absence of the water tank 20 is provided at a water tank setting position in the casing 1 (see FIG. 3).

In the drawings, reference numeral 33 denotes an air suction port formed in the casing 1 at a position on the suction side of the turbo fan 11, and reference numeral 34 denotes an air filter for removing dust from the suction air A.

The electric elements in the air purifier of this embodiment are connected as shown in FIG.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 54 denotes a 100 V AC power supply, 55 denotes a main switch, 56 denotes a main fuse,
7 is a limit switch which is a water tank detecting means, 58
Is a limit switch as a recovery tank detecting means, 59 is an operation indicator lamp, 60 is a resistor for the operation indicator lamp, 61 is a fuse for protecting the rotating blade drive motor 3, and 62 is an intermittent timer for controlling opening and closing of the electromagnetic on-off valve 32. Circuit.

The air purifier configured as described above operates as follows.

When the main switch 55 is turned on in a state where the presence or absence of the setting of the water supply tank 20 and the recovery tank 18 is confirmed by the limit switches 57 and 58,
The driving of the rotating blade drive motor 3 and the turbo fan motor 15 is started, and at the same time, the energization of the electromagnetic on-off valve 32 and the operation display lamp 59 is started. Then
Electromagnetic on-off valve 32 controlled by an intermittent timer circuit 62
By the intermittent opening and closing, the water W of the storage container 21 is intermittently dropped onto the rotary blade 4 from the distal end opening 22a through the water guide pipe 22, and is blown off by the rotary blade 4 rotating at a high speed to generate a fine mist Mw. And stand in the stirring chamber 2. At this time, the mist M blown off by the rotating blades 4
The w collides with the peripheral wall of the diffusion preventing member 52 to prevent diffusion in the centrifugal direction, rises to the stirring chamber 2, and
The water W separated by the collision with the peripheral wall of No. 2
After being returned to the bottom of the stirring chamber 2 via 53..., It is collected in the collection tank 18 through the drain pipe 17. The above-described flip-out and diffusion preventing member 5 by the rotary blades 4
The collision of 2 with the peripheral wall imparts high energy to the mist Mw, and as described above, the dipole orientation in which the negative ions are directed outward is obtained on the surface of the water droplet (see FIG. 12).

The mist Mw obtained as described above is
The air is centrifugally stirred by the swirling air A fed from the turbo fan 11 and collides with the inner wall of the stirring chamber 2. Also in this case, high energy is applied to promote the dipole orientation to the surface of the water droplet, and negative ions are added to the air A that contacts the mist Mw in this state. The air A 'to which negative ions have been added in this manner is discharged from the air discharge port 8 into the room through the air discharge passage 7 and the duct 9 in the guide cylinder 6. The air A'added with the negative ions has a dust removing effect, a sterilizing effect, a deodorizing and gas component removing effect, a humidity adjusting effect, and an antistatic effect, so that the indoor living space is made comfortable. .

Further, in the stirring chamber 2, dust (for example, fine dust that has passed through the air filter 34) contained in the air A is pressed together with the mist Mw against the inner wall of the stirring chamber 2 and separated therefrom. Since W is to be recovered from the bottom of the stirring chamber 2 to the recovery tank 18 through the drain pipe 17, the air A ′ discharged into the chamber is
It is extremely clean without dust.

Embodiment 2 FIGS. 4 and 5 show an air purifier according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

In the case of the present embodiment, the turbo fan 11 in the first embodiment is abolished, and the rotary blade 4 is provided with an air pressure feeding function (in other words, a fan function). That is, an impeller of an axial fan is used as the rotating blade 4, and the air suction hole 35 is formed in the bottom surface 2 c of the stirring chamber 2. Mist M
In order to collect the water W separated by the collision of the w with the inner wall of the stirring chamber 2, an annular groove 36 is formed in the outer peripheral portion of the stirring chamber bottom surface 2 c, and the drain port 16 is provided in the groove 36. ing. The air suction port 33 is, of course, provided at a lower portion of the casing 1 (that is, at a position communicating with the air suction hole 35).

In the case of the present embodiment, the rotary blades 4 function as a mist generating means for flipping off the water W to generate mist Mw, and as an air pressure sending means for sending air A for centrifugally stirring the mist Mw. And the structure can be simplified by omitting the turbo fan. Other configurations, functions and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the description will be omitted to avoid duplication.

Embodiment 3 FIGS. 6 and 7 show an air purifier according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

In the case of this embodiment, in the water supply means 19 of the first embodiment, the capacity of the storage container 21 is increased, the sub tank 37 is installed at a position higher than the water level of the storage container 21, and the sub tank 37 is pumped up. Pump 3
8, the water W in the storage container 21 is pumped up, and the water guide pipe 22 is connected to the sub tank 37. In the sub-tank 37, a float switch 39 for controlling the start and stop of the pump 38 so that the water level in the sub-tank 37 can be kept constant.
Is provided. Reference numeral 40 denotes a connection pipe connecting the storage container 21 and the inlet of the pump 38, and reference numeral 41 denotes a connection pipe connecting the pump 38 and the sub tank 37.

In this embodiment, the pump 3
8 is a DC power supply drive, so pumping pump 3
A DC conversion circuit 63 is provided in the power feeding portion for the power supply circuit 8.

With the above configuration, the pump 38 is driven in accordance with the drop in the water level in the sub-tank 37, the water W in the storage container 21 is supplied to the sub-tank 37, and the water W is rotated via the water guide pipe 22. It will be dropped on the blade 4. Therefore, when the operation switch (not shown) of the pump 38 is turned off, the supply of the water W via the water guide pipe 22 is stopped, and after the operation switch is turned on, automatic water supply is performed. It is. Other configurations, functions and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the description will be omitted to avoid duplication.

The water supply means in the air purifier of the second embodiment may be configured as in this embodiment.

Embodiment 4 FIGS. 8 and 9 show an air purifier according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

In the case of this embodiment, the mist generating means is constituted by a boiler 42 provided below the stirring chamber 2. The boiler 42 generates water vapor (in other words, mist Mw) by heating the water W in the water container 44 and the water container 44 in which the bottom is communicated with the bottom via a communication pipe 43. And a heater 45 for causing the water vapor (ie, mist Mw) generated in the water container 44 to be guided to the vicinity of the discharge port 12 of the turbofan 11 in the stirring chamber 2 at the upper part of the water container 44. A passage 46 is provided.

When the water level of the water W in the water container 44 is lowered and the water container 44 is in an empty-fired state, the water container 44 detects this and turns off the float switch 65 for preventing empty-fired operation.
When the float switch 65 is turned off due to a decrease in the water level, the relay 66 is de-energized, the relay contact 67 of the relay 66 is opened, and the operation of the air purifier is stopped. It is to be done. The water container 44 is also provided with a thermostat 64 for controlling the water temperature, and the thermostat 64 can maintain the water temperature in a boiling state.

In the case of the present embodiment, the mist Mw is not generated by flipping the water W by the rotary blade 4 as in the first embodiment, but is guided from the water vapor outlet passage 46 into the stirring chamber 2. Since the generated steam is generated, it is not necessary to provide the baffle plate 10 at the lower end of the guide cylinder 6.

With the above configuration, the steam (ie, mist Mw) generated by the boiler 42 is
The water is led out of the outlet 46a of the water vapor outlet passage 46 into the stirring chamber 2 and is centrifugally stirred by the swirling air A fed from the turbo fan 11 to collide with the inner wall of the stirring chamber 2 to give high energy. At this time, a dipole orientation on the surface of the water droplet is obtained, and the air A in contact with the mist Mw in this state is obtained.
Is added to the negative ions. Other configurations, functions and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the description will be omitted to avoid duplication.

Fifth Embodiment FIGS. 10 and 11 show an air purifier according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

In the case of this embodiment, the mist generating means is constituted by an ultrasonic mist generating device 47 provided below the stirring chamber 2. The ultrasonic type fog generator 47 vibrates water W in the water container 48 and the water container 48, the bottom of which is in communication with the storage container 21 via a communication pipe 47, and in other words, the mist (in other words, the water container 48). , An ultrasonic oscillator 49 for generating mist Mw), and mist generated in the water container 48 (in other words, mist M).
w) in the stirring chamber 2 at the discharge port 1 of the turbo fan 11.
A fog discharge passage 50 that leads to the vicinity of 2 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 11, the ultrasonic oscillator 49 is controlled to oscillate by an oscillating circuit 68. Also, in the case of the present embodiment, when the water level of the water W in the water container 48 drops and becomes an empty firing state, the water container 48 detects this and turns off the float for preventing empty firing. A switch 65 (see FIG. 11) is provided, and when the float switch 65 is turned off due to a decrease in water level, the relay 66 is de-energized, the relay contact 67 of the relay 66 is opened, and the operation of the air purifier is performed. Is to be stopped.

In the case of this embodiment as well, the mist Mw
Is not generated by flipping off the water W by the rotating blades 4 as in the first embodiment, but is generated as steam guided from the steam outlet passage 46 into the stirring chamber 2. It is not necessary to provide the baffle plate 10 at the lower end of the guide cylinder 6.

With the above configuration, the fog generated by the ultrasonic fog generator 47 (ie, the mist M
w) is swirled air A which is led out of the outlet 50 a of the mist lead-out passage 50 into the stirring chamber 2 and is pressure-fed from the turbo fan 11.
, And is caused to collide with the inner wall of the stirring chamber 2 to apply high energy. At that time, dipole orientation toward the surface of the water droplet is obtained, and negative ions are added to the air A that is in contact with the mist Mw in this state. Other configurations, functions and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the description will be omitted to avoid duplication.

The present invention is not limited to the configuration of each of the above embodiments, and it is needless to say that the design may be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the invention.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an air purifier according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a connection diagram of electric elements in the air purifier according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of an air purifier according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a connection diagram of electrical elements in the air purifier according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of an air purifier according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a connection diagram of electrical elements in the air purifier according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view of an air purifier according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a connection diagram of electrical elements in the air purifier according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of an air purifier according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a connection diagram of electrical elements in an air purifier according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a mechanism in which ions are generated in air due to water splitting.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 is a stirring chamber, 3 is a motor, 4 is a mist generating means (rotating blade), 6 is a guide cylinder, 7 is an air discharge passage, 11 is an air pressure feeding means (turbo fan), 18 is a water collecting means (collecting tank), 19 is a water supply means, 42 is a mist generation means (boiler), 47 is a mist generation means (ultrasonic fog generator), A is air, A 'is negative ion added air, W is water, M
w is a mist.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A mist generating means for generating fine mist, and a water supply means for supplying water to the mist generating means,
A cylindrical agitating chamber above the mist generating means for centrifugally agitating the mist and air to add negative ions to the air, an air pumping means for forcing the air into the agitating chamber, and separating in the agitating chamber A water recovery means for recovering the water collected, wherein the stirring chamber has an air discharge passage therein for discharging air to which negative ions have been added by centrifugal stirring in the stirring chamber, and the centrifugal stirring includes An air purifier characterized in that a cylindrical guide tube serving as a guide is vertically provided. 2. The air purifier according to claim 1, wherein the mist generating means is a rotary blade that flies off water supplied from the water supply means to form a mist. 3. The air purifier according to claim 2, wherein said rotating blades also serve as said air pressure feeding means. 4. The air purifier according to claim 1, wherein the mist generating means is a boiler provided below the stirring chamber. 5. The air purifier according to claim 1, wherein the mist generating means is an ultrasonic type fog generating device provided below the stirring chamber.