JPS62744A - Humidifier - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable to shorten water supply time to an overall perforated sheet and control humidifying capacity by controlling feedwater amount to blocks in such a manner that seal parts which divide hollow parts of a hollow structure composed of a perforated sheet of hydrophobic high polymer into a plurality of blocks. CONSTITUTION:Hollow parts of a hollow structure formed by a perforated sheet of hydrophobic high polymer are divided and further, dividing is made by heat fusion or adhesion and seal parts A are formed. As water drain-out holes 4 are closed at the humidifying operation time, feedwater which is supplied from a water tank 6 through solenoid valves 2 and water supply holes 3 into hollow parts of the hollow structure 5 is maintained to hole. By blasting dried air through air spaces of the hollow structure 5 from direction C, water vaporized through the perforat-sheet of hydrophobic high polymer is contained into dried air and then humidified air flows in the direction D and vaporized water is supplied from the tank 6 at any time. Thus, by controlling vaporizing area, humidifying capacity is controlled and also feedwater supply speed to the overall hollow structure is made higher by dividing hollow parts of the hollow structure.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a humidifier that uses an evaporation method using hot air or the like, but has greatly improved humidification ability.

[Prior art]

From the perspective of energy conservation, modern living spaces are becoming more insulated and airtight, and require even higher levels of air conditioning. Air conditioning elements include temperature control, humidity control, and control of harmful air components. Regarding temperature control, various heating and cooling methods have been put into practical use, and the situation is satisfactory. However, there is still nothing completely satisfactory in terms of humidity control and control of harmful air components.

Regarding humidifiers, there are natural evaporation methods, electric heating methods, one-way water spray methods, and ultrasonic methods. Natural evaporation methods have low humidifying capacity, electric heating methods have high running costs, and one-way water spray methods have low humidification efficiency. Become lower and larger. Furthermore, the ultrasonic method has drawbacks such as high initial cost and short life.

Therefore, we have repeatedly investigated ways to greatly improve the humidification capacity of natural evaporation type humidifiers, which are the most practical and have low initial and running costs. In the natural evaporation method, in order to maximize the area for water evaporation, a vat-shaped container with a large opening is used, and the lower end of a woven hydrophilic fiber is soaked in water to increase the surface area of water using capillary force. If we were to slice the water into several thicknesses and arrange them vertically in multiple layers, we could greatly increase the area for water evaporation. As a result of intensive research into a method for vertically retaining sliced water several times thick, we found that the hollow part of a hollow structure made of a porous sheet of hydrophobic polymer with an internal thickness of several times the thickness. It was previously discovered that water can be held in any space by storing the sliced water in a container, and that the water can evaporate freely.

A natural evaporation type humidifier using the above porous sheet of hydrophobic polymer is constructed as shown in the perspective views of FIGS. 4 and 5. That is, in the figure, 3 is a water supply port, 4 is a drain port, 5 is a hollow structure formed of the above-mentioned porous sheet, 6 is a water tank, and 7 is a corrugated spacer plate. The 42nd port represents the supply and drainage direction, c.

2 represents the air blowing direction □ Air was blown around the hollow structure 5 while water was being supplied to the hollow part of the humidifier to evaluate the humidification ability.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

As a result, since the porous sheet is a hollow body, water flow resistance is large, and water supply speed is slow, and it takes time for water to flow through the entire sheet.

In addition, it was found that there were problems such as the inability to control the amount of humidification step by step.◎ Therefore, the inventors of the present invention decided to change the thickness of the porous sheet in order to reduce the water flow resistance of the porous sheet. As a result of various studies, including ways to increase the thickness of the material, this invention was completed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a humidifier that does not require time to pass water through the entire porous sheet due to water flow resistance, and can control humidification capacity by changing the water supply area. shall be.

[Means for solving problems]

The humidifier of the present invention includes a seal portion that divides a hollow portion of a hollow structure formed of a porous sheet of a hydrophobic polymer capable of preventing water from passing through and allowing water vapor to pass therethrough into a plurality of blocks; ◇ [Function] In this invention, by dividing the hollow part of the hollow structure that holds water for humidification into a plurality of blocks, The humidification capacity is controlled by shortening the water flow time to the entire sheet and controlling the amount of water supplied to the blocks.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, this invention will be explained based on the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a hollow structure formed of a porous sheet of hydrophobic polymer according to the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a porous sheet, 2 is an electromagnetic valve for controlling water supply, 3 is a water supply pipe, and 4 is a drain port. In FIG. 1, the hollow part of the hollow structure is divided into five parts, but the number of divisions does not matter. Further, the hollow portion of the hollow structure is divided by heat fusion or adhesive to form a seal portion A.

Porous hydrophobic polymer materials include, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polycarbonate, polyester,
and fluororesin, etc. are used. In addition, the average pore diameter of the countless micropores that exist in this material is - Water vapor (gaseous water molecules) can freely pass through, but water (liquid water molecules) is prevented from passing through the hollow structure 5. In order to hold the material in the hollow part, if it is 0.1 μm or less, there will be resistance to water vapor, and if it is 10 μm or more, water will pass through easily, so it is desirable that the thickness is in the range of 0.1 μm to 10 μm.

In addition, when water is supplied under pressure, for example, if water is supplied by a pump, the pressure may be slightly increased and the water may seep out of the material, but this does not pose a practical problem. In this example,
Average pore diameter 1 μm.

A porous polyethylene sheet with a thickness of 100 μm was used.

The porous sheets are pasted together with adhesive or sealed by heat sealing. In this case, a hollow structure 5 as shown in FIG. 1 is formed by heat fusion.

Although not shown, a short cloth (woven fabric or non-woven fabric) with a thickness of several cranes is used as a spacer. 1 Both sides of this cloth are covered with a porous sheet of hydrophobic polymer, and a water supply port is used. The hollow structure may be constructed by gluing or heat-sealing the ends except for the discharge port.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a humidifier according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
In the figure, 6 is a water tank that is located above the hollow structure 5 and supplies evaporated water, arrow C indicates the direction in which air is introduced, and arrow 2 indicates the direction in which air is discharged. In this embodiment, the hollow structure 5 is folded and laminated to form a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a space for dry air passage, and although the volume is small,
This greatly increases the area for water evaporation. Although not shown in Figure 1, the hollow structure 5 is reinforced by an auxiliary member to maintain its shape.

During humidification operation, the water outlet 4 is closed, and water is supplied to the hollow part of the hollow structure 5 through the water tank 6, the stain magnetic valve 2, the water supply port 3, and is held there. Hollow structure 5
By blowing dry air into the space from a convex direction, water vapor passes through a porous sheet of hydrophobic polymer, evaporates and is contained in the air, and the humidified air exits in two directions. Evaporated water is replenished from the tank 6 as needed. In addition, the water outlet 4 should be opened to drain water when not in use for a long time.
It is used to circulate water and remove limescale.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing a humidifier according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
In the figure, 7 represents a wavy spacer made of plastic, for example, and the hollow structure 5 is rolled up through the wavy spacer 7 to form a cylindrical shape, similar to that shown in FIG. Although the volume is small, the area for water evaporation is greatly increased. Humidified air can be obtained by blowing dry air while supplying water from the water tank 6. The hollow structure 5 and the spacer 7 may be bonded together, but they do not need to be bonded. Although not shown in the figure, a water discharge port can be provided on the opposite side of the water supply port 30.

Next, the results of measuring the humidifying ability using the humidifiers of Examples 1 and 2 will be described. The total humidification area of the humidifier of Example 1 was about 5 mF, and the total humidification area of the humidifier of Example 2 was about 4 m''.

Water supply was controlled by dividing the hollow part of the hollow structure into five parts and opening and closing the five solenoid valves 2.

The air used was from a heater.The temperature was approximately 4.
θ℃, the relative humidity was about 20 0 solenoid valve 2 1 to 5
Table 1 shows the results of measuring the evaporation rate of water when the container was opened.

Table 1 As shown in Table 1, the humidifier of the present invention was able to control the humidifying capacity over a wide range by dividing the hollow section and controlling the water supply. Furthermore, by dividing the hollow part, the water supply speed to the entire porous sheet was increased, the porous sheet was utilized effectively, and stable humidification ability was demonstrated. Further, water did not seep out from this sheet at all under no pressure such as water head pressure, and only water vapor passed through and evaporated. Therefore, the hollow structure formed by this sheet can hold water in the hollow part, and it is an unprecedented and innovative humidifier that does not allow water to pass through and only water vapor is released to the outside to humidify dry air. can be constructed, and the area for water evaporation can also be increased. Furthermore, if the humidifier is constructed as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, it is possible to control the evaporation area of water, and thus the humidifying capacity.

The humidifier according to the present invention is used by housing the hollow structure shown in FIG. 2 or 3 in a casing and attaching it to the dry air outlet of an air conditioner or heater. However, when used independently as a humidifier, It can also be used in combination with a blower such as a fan or blower. Note that the drain port 4 is not necessarily required.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, the hollow part of a hollow structure formed of a porous sheet of hydrophobic polymer that can prevent the passage of water and allow the passage of water vapor is divided into a plurality of blocks. In addition, since the control section for controlling the amount of water supplied to the passageway to the block is provided, there is an effect that a humidifier can be obtained in which the humidification capacity can be controlled by controlling the evaporation area of water. In addition, by dividing the hollow portion of the hollow structure, there is an effect that the entire porous sheet, which has a long water supply speed to the entire hollow structure, can be effectively utilized.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of an embodiment of a hollow structure according to the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 are block diagrams showing humidifiers of different embodiments of the present invention, and FIG. 1 and 5 are configuration diagrams of a conventional humidifier. In the figure, 1 is a porous sheet made of hydrophobic polymer, 2 is a solenoid valve, 3 is a water reduction port, 4 is a water discharge port, and 5
Reference numeral 6 indicates an aerial structure, 6 indicates a water tank 17, and a wave-like spacing material. Arrows A indicate the water supply direction, the mouth indicates the water discharge direction, C indicates the air introduction direction, and 2 indicates the air discharge direction. A is a rounded seal part that forms multiple blocks. In addition, 1 same symbol in 1 figure indicates the same - or corresponding part.O Agent Masuo Oiwa (and 2 others) ＼Spear 5! ! ! Procedural amendment band (spontaneous) Showa year month Date of the Chief Licensing Office u in 1, Case description Patent Application No. 60-141029 2, Title of the invention Humidifier 3, Person making the amendment Relationship with the case Patent applicant residence Address 2-2-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Name (601) Mitsubishi Electric Co., Ltd. Representative Moriya Shiki 4, Agent 5 Subject of amendment (1) Brief description of drawings in the specification column 6, Contents of the amendment (1) Page 12, line 13 of the specification cylinder: “5+ aerial structure.”
The statement "5 is a hollow structure" is corrected.

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) Water is supplied to the hollow part of a hollow structure formed of a porous sheet of hydrophobic polymer that prevents the passage of water but allows the passage of water vapor, and the air blown around the hollow structure is supplied with water. In the humidifier that humidifies water vapor that has passed through the porous sheet, the hollow part of the hollow structure is divided into a plurality of blocks, and a control unit is provided for controlling the amount of water supplied to the blocks. A humidifier characterized by: (2) The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic polymer material is any one of polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polycarbonate, polyester, and fluororesin. (3) The average pore diameter of the porous sheet of hydrophobic polymer is 0.1
The humidifier according to claim 1 or 2, which has a thickness of 10 μm. (4) Hollow structures formed of porous sheets of hydrophobic polymer that can prevent water from passing through and allow water vapor to pass through are stacked with a space between them, and water is supplied to the hollow part of the hollow structure. and a humidifier that humidifies the air blown into the space between the hollow structures by impregnating it with water vapor that has passed through a porous sheet of hydrophobic polymer. (5) The humidifier according to claim 4, wherein a wavy spacer is disposed in the space between the hollow structures.