JPH09313853A - Air cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an output of an exchange sign of a filter surely corresponding to the degree of actual contamination of a filter unit. SOLUTION: In the air cleaner provided with a blower 2 incorporated in a casing 1 and a filter unit 3 arranged at a suction side of a blower 2 and constituted to blow out the air deodorized and cleaned with the filter unit 3 from an air supply opening, a first air quantity sensor for detecting an air quantity passing through the filter unit 3 and a second air quantity sensor (a second thermistor 51) for detecting an air quantity not passing through the filter unit 3, and a control means for outputting the exchange sign of the filter for demanding an exchange of the filter unit 3 at a point of time when the difference between a difference of detection values by these air quantity sensors 50, 51 and an initial value is more than a specified value, are provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air cleaner used for deodorizing and purifying indoor air.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, air purifiers have been developed and used for the purpose of cleaning indoor air by deodorizing and removing offensive odor substances contained in indoor air.

As the above-mentioned air cleaner, a blower and a filter unit are built in a casing so that room air sucked from an air suction port is passed through the filter unit to be deodorized and then blown out into the room from an air outlet. The configured one is well known in the art.

[0004]

By the way, in the air cleaner having the above structure, if it is used for a long period of time,
Since the air purifying action decreases due to the adsorption of offensive odor substances etc. to the filter unit, it is necessary to select an appropriate time and replace the filter unit with a new one to maintain the air purifying action. I am trying to issue a filter exchange sign to inform the user.

However, the conventional filter replacement sign is output when the cumulative operating time of the air purifier reaches the time preset by the manufacturer, so depending on the usage environment of the air purifier. The filter replacement sign will be output after a certain cumulative operating time, even if the filter unit is not clean. There was a problem that it was too late or too late.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to obtain an output of a filter replacement sign that accurately corresponds to the actual degree of contamination of the filter unit.

[0007]

In the basic configuration of the present invention, as a means for solving the above problems, a blower built in a casing and a filter unit disposed on the suction side of the blower are provided. A first air volume sensor for detecting an air volume passing through the filter unit in an air purifier configured to blow out air deodorized and purified by the filter unit from an air outlet.
A second air volume sensor that detects an air volume that does not pass through the filter unit, and a filter replacement that prompts the replacement of the filter unit when the difference between the detection values of these air volume sensors and the initial value exceeds a predetermined value. When the difference between the detection values of both air flow sensors and the initial value exceeds a predetermined value by additionally providing a control unit that outputs a sign, the air purification function of the filter unit is limited due to clogging of the filter unit. It is presumed that the filter replacement sign has been reached, and the output of the filter replacement sign that accurately corresponds to the actual degree of contamination of the filter unit can be obtained.

In the basic structure of the present invention, when the second air flow sensor is arranged on the suction side of the filter unit, the degree of freedom in selecting the position of the air flow sensor is increased, so that the degree of freedom in design is improved. It is preferable in that it can be caused.

When the second air flow sensor is arranged in the flow path bypassing the filter unit,
This is preferable in that when the filter unit is clogged, a difference occurs in the air volume with the bypass flow path side and the output of the sensor is reliably generated.

When a thermistor is used as the first and second air flow sensors, the output of the filter replacement sign is obtained due to the output difference between the two thermistors, and the thermistor is easily affected by temperature. It is preferable that the influence of temperature can be canceled and the degree of contamination of the filter unit can be reliably detected at low cost.

[0011]

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 7 show block diagrams of an air cleaner according to a first embodiment of the present invention and a filter exchange sign output control system in the air cleaner. There is.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, this air purifier has a blower 2 and a suction side of the blower 2 in a casing 1 having a substantially rectangular box-like shape, which removes dust and odorous substances in the air. A filter unit 3 for adsorbing and collecting is disposed.

The casing 1 is a bowl-shaped front plate 4 made of a synthetic resin and located on the suction side of the blower 2, and the front plate 4
And a bowl-shaped back plate 5 made of a synthetic resin facing each other, and the front plate 4 is detachable from the back plate 5.

In the casing front plate 4, the central portion in the vertical direction on the front surface side of the front plate 4 is horizontally elongated, and the upper portion 6a is a horizontal surface and the lower portion 6b is an inclined surface having an upward slope in the concave direction. And a recess 6 extending to both left and right sides is formed,
The inner part of the recess 6 has a space for sucking the indoor air W.
A horizontally elongated strip-shaped air suction port 7 is formed (see FIG. 2). In other words, the air suction port 7 has a horizontally elongated strip shape with a limited opening area, which facilitates the cleaning of the air suction port 7 and makes it possible to efficiently generate air generated from a limited source such as cigarette smoke. You can inhale well. In addition, the air suction port 7 has an upper part 6a which is a horizontal surface and a lower part 6
Since b is formed in the inner depth of the concave portion 6 which is an inclined surface having an upward slope in the direction of the depression, dust and the like are less attached to the edge portion of the air suction port 7 and the air suction port 7 Is hard to see from the outside. No suction grill is provided at the air suction port 7. Reference numeral 13 denotes a pre-filter provided in the air inlet 7.

On the other hand, on one side of the upper surface of the casing back plate 5 (left rear surface portion in FIG. 2), an air outlet 8 for blowing out clean air is formed obliquely upward.

The blower 2 comprises a fan motor 9 as a drive source, a multi-blade impeller 10 which is rotationally driven by the fan motor 9, and a scroll type fan housing 11 which encloses the multi-blade impeller 10. The multi-blade centrifugal blower is arranged in the casing 1 with the suction port 11a of the fan housing 11 facing the front side and the discharge port 11b of the fan housing 11 facing the air outlet 8. ing.

The filter unit 3 comprises a filter cartridge 3a located on the windward side and an activated carbon cartridge 3b located on the leeward side, and is integrally formed with the fan housing 11 at the suction side of the blower 2. The filter support frame 12 is detachably supported.

In addition, on the upper front surface of the casing 1,
Various operation keys (for example, automatic operation key 15, cigarette key 16 operated in cigarette mode operation, pollen key 17 operated in pollen mode operation, timer key 18, air volume key 19 for setting air volume, operation switching key 20, Filter reset key 21), remote control light-receiving section 22 and various display lamps (dirt lamps 23a, 23b, 23c which are dirt display means for displaying the dirt level of the indoor air W, a cigarette display lamp 24 which is turned on during the cigarette mode operation, and a pollen mode. Pollen display lamp 25 that lights up during operation, timer lamps 26a, 26b, 26 that display the timer set time
c, air volume lamps 27a, 27b, 2 for displaying the set air volume
7c, an operation panel 14 having a filter exchange lamp 28 for displaying a filter exchange sign is provided, and a space 31 on the inner surface side of the operation panel 14 is contaminated with room air (in other words, suction air) W. A dirt sensor (for example, a gas sensor) 30 that detects the degree is provided. Reference numeral 30a denotes a suction port formed in the operation panel 14 for sucking indoor air, and the space 31 communicates with a suction passage in the casing 11 through a communication port 32. Reference numeral 35 is the various operation keys 15 to 2
1. A microcomputer board provided with a control circuit for receiving signals from the remote control light-receiving unit 22 and the dirt sensor 30, performing various calculations, and outputting control signals to the fan motor 9 and various display lamps 23 to 28 according to the results. Is.

The dirty lamps 23a, 23b, 23c
Are to be sequentially turned on according to the degree of contamination of the intake air. In other words, the degree of contamination of the indoor air W can be displayed step by step.
Since the stain display corresponding to the stain degree of the indoor air can be performed, the user can clearly know the stain degree of the indoor air.

On the operation panel 14, a cigarette picture display 33 simulating a cigarette is provided near the cigarette display lamp 24, and a pollen picture display 34 simulating a pollen is provided near the pollen display lamp 25. If the cigarette display lamp 24 or the pollen display lamp 25 is turned on when the cigarette operation mode or the pollen operation mode is selected, it can be displayed as if the cigarette was lit or the pollen was seen. It is like this. This makes it possible to strongly impress the driving mode display for the user.

As shown in FIG. 3, the gas sensor 30 includes a sensor detector 30a and a sensor detector 30a.
And a heater 30b for heating the same to a predetermined temperature, and the sensor detection unit 30a cannot detect unless the temperature reaches a predetermined temperature. Therefore, normally, even if the operation switch (for example, the automatic operation key 15) is turned on, the operation is not started unless the sensor detection unit 30a is heated to the predetermined temperature by the heater 30b. Therefore, the voltage applied to the heater 30b is made higher than the normal voltage at the same time when the automatic operation key 15 is turned on so that the operation can be started quickly after the automatic operation key 15 is turned on.

That is, two (for example, 8V and 5V) Zener diodes 38 and 39 for setting the voltage supplied to the heater 30b from the power source through the step-down transformer 36 and the rectifier circuit 37 are additionally provided. 38,
Any one of 39 is configured to be selectable by a control circuit built in the microcomputer board 35, and immediately after the automatic operation key 15 is turned on, the first Zener diode 38 for 8V is provided.
By selecting, the heater 30b is rapidly warmed with a voltage of 8V, the sensor detection unit 30a is quickly heated to a predetermined temperature, and the operation start is accelerated. After that, the second Zener diode 39 for 5V is selected. Reference numeral 40 is a transistor, and 41 is an additional resistance. In addition,
As a method for rapidly heating the heater 30b in the gas sensor 30, a constant current circuit using an operational amplifier 42 may be adopted as shown in FIG. Reference numerals 43 and 44
Is an additional resistance.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, on the side opposite to the filter unit 3 in the fan housing 11,
A micro switch 45 for controlling the operation of the blower 2 (specifically, the fan motor 9), and the micro switch 45.
Fixed end 4 of leaf spring 46 for actuating terminal 45a of
6a is attached to the free end 4 of the leaf spring 46.
6b is a through hole 47 penetrating the fan housing 11.
Through the fan housing 11 and the filter unit 3
Between the two.

With this structure, in the state where the filter unit 3 is attached to the filter support frame 12 formed integrally with the fan housing 11, as shown in FIG. The terminal 45a of the micro switch 45 is pressed by the switch to the ON state, but when the filter unit 3 is detached from the filter support frame 12, as shown in FIG.
The free end 46b of the leaf spring 46 is elastically deformed outward, and as a result, the leaf spring 46 causes the terminal 45 of the microswitch 45.
The pressing force on a is released and the state is turned off. Therefore, when the filter unit 3 is removed, the micro switch 45 is turned off and the operation of the fan motor 9 is stopped, so that the safety is improved.

As a mechanism for interlocking the attachment / detachment of the filter unit 3 with the operation / stop of the fan motor 9, in addition to the above, as shown in FIG. 6, the filter support frame 12 is provided inside the operation panel 14. The photo sensor 48 facing the opening 49 formed in the
The presence / absence of the filter unit 3 may be detected based on the presence / absence of the received light signal from the fan motor 9, and the fan motor 9 may be operated / stopped. By doing this, the photo sensor 4
Since 8 is installed in a place that is hard to be noticed, there is an advantage that an accident due to mischief is unlikely to occur.

Therefore, in the air cleaner having the above-described structure, the first air-conditioning device for detecting the amount of air passing through the filter unit 3 is detected.
First thermistor 50 acting as an air flow sensor for the
A second thermistor 51 that functions as a second air volume sensor that detects an air volume that does not pass through the filter unit 3.
And are attached. In the present embodiment, the first thermistor 50 is arranged on the leeward side of the filter unit 3, and the second thermistor 51 is arranged on the windward side of the filter unit 3 (see FIG. 1). ).

As shown in FIG. 7, the thermistors 50 and 51 constitute a bridge circuit 52 together with resistors 53 and 54, and the voltage V between the input side and the output side of the bridge circuit 52 (in other words, the voltage V). , The difference between the detected values by the air volume sensor) is input to the microcomputer board 35.

In addition to the control circuits having various control functions as described above, the microcomputer board 35 has a built-in control circuit having a function as a control means 55 for outputting a filter replacement sign indicating the replacement time of the filter unit 3. Has been done. Therefore, in the following, the control means 5
5 will be described.

That is, the control means 55 controls the voltage fluctuation from the bridge circuit 52 (that is, the two thermistors 5).
The difference between the detected values of 0 and 51) is input, and the voltage V is compared with the detected voltage (that is, the initial value) V ₀ when the new filter unit 3 is used. When it becomes equal to or more than a predetermined value), a filter replacement sign that prompts replacement of the filter unit is output, and the filter replacement lamp 28 is turned on.

The operation of the control means 55 will be described in detail with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG.

For example, when the air purifier is automatically started, the voltage V from the bridge circuit 52 is increased in step S ₁ .
Is input, the input voltage V is compared with the initial value V ₀ in step S ₂ , and if it is determined that V ₀ −V ≧ Vs, the process proceeds to step S ₃ and the filter exchange sign is output and the filter is After the replacement lamp 28 is turned on, the process returns to step S ₁ . On the other hand, if it is determined that V ₀ -V <Vs in step S _2, filter replacement sign is not output, and then returns to step S _1. Note that this control is not limited to the automatic operation, but the input voltage V and the initial value V ₀ in step S ₂ not only during the automatic operation.
By comparing the difference between and the set value Vs, the same control as described above is possible.

As described above, according to the present embodiment,
The state where the difference between the detected values of the first and second thermistors 50 and 51 is input to the control means 55 as the input voltage V and the difference between the input voltage V and the initial value V ₀ is the set value Vs or more, Since it is estimated that the air purifying function of the filter unit 3 has reached the limit due to the clogging of the filter unit 3, the output of the filter replacement sign that accurately corresponds to the actual dirt condition of the filter unit 3 can be obtained. is there. Moreover, the two thermistors 50,
Since the difference between the detected values of 51 is detected as the voltage V, the actual contamination of the filter unit 3 can be reliably detected despite the use of a thermistor that is low in cost but sensitive to temperature changes. There is an advantage. Further, since the second thermistor 51 can be arranged at an appropriate position on the windward side of the filter unit 3, the degree of freedom in design is improved.

Second Embodiment FIG. 9 shows an air cleaner according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

In this case, the opening 56 that connects the windward side and the leeward side of the filter unit 3 to the lower part of the fan housing 11 (that is, below the filter support frame 12).
To form a flow path 57 that bypasses the filter unit 3, and a second thermistor 51 that functions as a second air flow sensor is disposed in the flow path 57. With this configuration, when the filter unit 3 is clogged, a difference occurs in the air volume with the bypass flow path side, and the output of the sensor is reliably generated. Other configurations and effects are first
The description is omitted because it is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0036]

According to the present invention, the difference between the detection value by the first air volume sensor that detects the air volume that has passed through the filter unit and the second air volume sensor that detects the air volume that does not pass through the filter unit, and the initial value. When the difference exceeds a predetermined value, it is estimated that the air purification function of the filter unit has reached the limit due to the clogging of the filter unit, and the output of the filter replacement sign that accurately corresponds to the actual degree of contamination of the filter unit is output. Since the filter unit is obtained, there is an excellent effect that the replacement time of the filter unit can be accurately known according to the actual use environment.

Moreover, since the replacement time of the filter unit is determined by using the difference between the detection values from the two air flow sensors, the influence of temperature and the like is eliminated, and the accurate replacement time can be determined. There is also the effect.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an air cleaner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the air purifier according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an electric circuit diagram showing a circuit example of a dirt sensor (that is, a gas sensor) in the air cleaner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an electric circuit diagram showing another circuit example of the dirt sensor (that is, the gas sensor) in the air cleaner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a main-portion cross-sectional view showing an example of a safety mechanism at the time of attaching / detaching the filter unit in the air cleaner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing another example of the safety mechanism at the time of attachment / detachment of the filter unit in the air purifier according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a filter exchange sign output control system in the air cleaner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the filter exchange sign output control system in the air cleaner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an air cleaner according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 is a casing, 2 is a fan, 3 is a filter unit, 8 is an air outlet, 9 is a fan motor, 15 is an automatic operation key, 21 is a filter reset key, and 23a, 23a.
b and 23c are dirt display means (dirt lamp), 28 is a filter replacement lamp, 30 is a dirt sensor, 35 is a microcomputer board, 50 is a first air volume sensor (first thermistor), and 51 is a second air volume sensor (second). 2 thermistor),
55 is a control means and 57 is a flow path.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An air comprising a blower built into a casing and a filter unit arranged on the suction side of the blower, wherein air deodorized and purified by the filter unit is blown out from an air outlet. In the purifier, a first air volume sensor that detects an air volume that passes through the filter unit, a second air volume sensor that detects an air volume that does not pass through the filter unit, and a difference between detection values by the air volume sensors. An air purifier characterized by further comprising: a control means for outputting a filter replacement sign that prompts replacement of the filter unit when the difference from the initial value exceeds a predetermined value. 2. The air cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the second air volume sensor is arranged on the suction side of the filter unit. 3. The air purifier according to claim 1, wherein the second air volume sensor is arranged in a flow path that bypasses the filter unit. 4. The air purifier according to claim 1, wherein a thermistor is used as the first and second air volume sensors.