JPS63130152A - Air purifier - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To accurately determine the contamination degree of a filter without trouble, by controlling the current flowing to an electrochromic display element by allowing the same to depend on the number of rotations of a fan set on the basis of the quantity of fine particles detected by a detection part. CONSTITUTION:An electrochromic display element 14 displaying the contamination degree of a filter has such a character that a coloring degree gradually changes with the inflow of a current and the state of the newest coloring degree is kept even when a current is stopped. In an air purifier using this display element, a central control part 9 changes the number of rotations of a fan 5 according to the quantity of suspended fine particles in a space detected in a detection part 16 through a detector 6 and increases or decreases the injection quantity of the current to the electrochromic element 14 according to the number of rotations of the fan 5. As a result, since the display element 14 continues coloring dependently on the advance of the contamination of the filter, the contamination degree of the filter becomes obvious.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to an air purifier that collects particulates in a space to keep the air clean, and particularly relates to a mechanism that displays the degree of dirtiness of a filter that traps these particulates. It is something.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, this type of air cleaner has had a configuration as shown in FIG. In Fig. 3, 1 is a discharge electrode with a built-in discharge wire 2, which applies a high voltage to the dust collecting electrode 3, and generates a corona discharge during this time to charge particles floating in space with a positive charge. It functions to cause The filter 4 is located between the discharge electrode 1 and the dust collection electrode 3,
The charged fine particles are captured while maintaining the same negative potential as the dust collecting electrode 3.

A fan 6 is used to guide particulates floating in the space toward the filter 4 as shown by the arrow. Many of the fans 5 can change their rotation speed depending on the amount of particles floating in the space, and the detector 6 detects the amount of particles. The fan 6 can change not only the amount of suspended particles detected by the detector 6 but also its rotation speed according to the user's judgment.

The control circuit section of the conventional air purifier with the above configuration is shown in the fourth section.
This will be explained using figures. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 7 denotes a high voltage generating section that generates a high voltage to be applied to the discharge electrode 1. Reference numeral 8 denotes a power supply unit that creates a power supply for supplying power to the safety body of the control circuit unit. 9 is a central control unit that controls the operation of the air purifier, which will be described below, and uses a microcomputer or the like. The operation switch 1o is used to start or stop the cleaning operation, and when this switch 10 is turned on, the high voltage generator 7 is put into operation. The air volume switch 11 is used to change the rotation speed of the fan 5. For example, in the case of weak rotation, the weak winding of the fan 6 is selected via terminal A, and in the case of strong rotation, the strong winding is selected via terminal B. is now selected.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a time signal generation unit for measuring the time during which the fan 5 rotates and performs the cleaning operation.The duration of this cleaning operation is accumulated by the central control unit 9, and when a certain period of time is reached, the central The control unit 9 turns on the light emitting diode 13. That is, the display mechanism of the degree of dirt on the filter 4 in the conventional air purifier is such that when the cumulative time during which the fan 6 rotates at any rotation speed and performs the cleaning operation exceeds a certain period of time (for example, 6 months), It was determined that the filter 4 was clogged with floating particles in the space and its trapping performance was degraded, and a configuration was adopted in which the light emitting diode 13 was used to display the information. Note that in FIG. 4, the detector e for detecting the amount of suspended particles, which is not directly related to the structure of the display mechanism for indicating the degree of dirt on the filter 4, is omitted to simplify the explanation.

The operating state of the control circuit section configured as described above will be explained with reference to FIG. The timing diagram shown in FIG. 6 is based on the operating waveforms of a typical portion of the control circuit section, and the operating waveforms are all replaced with positive logic. Further, the rotation speed of the fan 5 can be switched to two levels: weak and strong. In FIG. 5, a signal S indicates a change in the amount of suspended particles in the space. The signal S1 is a signal indicating that the high voltage generator 7 is in operation, which is generated by turning on the operation switch 1°. The signal S2 is a signal indicating a period during which the fan 6 rotates at any number of rotations to perform a cleaning operation, and the signal S3 is a signal indicating the number of rotations of the fan 5 itself. Further, the signal S4 indicates a weak rotation period of the fan 5, and the signal S5 indicates a strong rotation period. Signal S
6 is a signal generated by the clock signal generator 120, and the signal S7
is a signal extracted from the signal S6 that is necessary to measure the duration of the cleaning operation because the fan 6 is rotating at a certain number of rotations. The signal S8 is a lighting signal for the light-emitting diode 13 that is output when the cleaning operation continuation time reaches a certain time.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention In such a conventional configuration, the amount of suspended particles in the space is omitted as a factor in the degree of clogging of the filter 4. There was a problem that the timing of performance deterioration due to contamination in No. 4 did not match. Furthermore, if the central control unit 9 were to store the duration of the cleaning operation in a non-volatile manner that would not be lost even if the power was turned off, there would be a problem in that the apparatus would become expensive.

The present invention is intended to solve these problems, and is an inexpensive method for detecting the degree of dirtiness of a filter that can accurately detect the point at which the filter's performance deteriorates and that will not lose the duration up to that point even if the power is cut off. The purpose is to realize a display mechanism.

Means for Solving the Problem In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides a high voltage generating section that generates a high voltage to be applied between a discharge electrode and a dust collection electrode, and a particulate matter that is charged by a discharge electric field caused by this high voltage. It consists of a filter that captures particles, a fan that guides particles floating in the space to the filter, a detection section that detects the amount of particles floating in the space, and an electrochromic display element. The degree of dirt on the filter is displayed by the electrochromic display element by controlling the current flowing to the electrochromic display element depending on the rotation speed of the fan, which is set in a large or small manner.

Function: With this configuration, it is possible to incorporate the amount of suspended particles in the space, which is a factor that influences the progress of filter clogging, into the measurement of the duration of the cleaning operation, making it possible to more accurately grasp the degree of contamination of the filter. become. In addition, the duration of the cleaning operation can be transmitted moment by moment to an electrochromic display element that has a memory function based on chemical reactions, so even if the power is cut off, the duration of the cleaning operation up to now, that is, the degree of dirt on the filter, can be changed. It will never be lost.

Embodiment Also in the embodiment of the present invention, the basic structure of the air cleaner is the same as that of the conventional example shown in FIG. 3, so a description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 1 is a control circuit diagram of an air cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is compared with FIG. 4 showing the conventional example, and the same parts are given the same reference numerals and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 1, numeral 14 is an electrochromic display element that displays the degree of contamination of the filter 4, and its color intensity gradually changes as current flows in, and even when the current is stopped, it continues to maintain the latest luminous intensity state. has. Since only a small amount of current is needed to cause the electrochromic display element 14 to develop color, a reference signal generating section 16 with a high oscillation frequency and good frequency stability is provided to control this injection amount. 16 is a detection unit for detecting the amount of particles floating in the space. Under the above configuration, filter 4
The degree of contamination can be displayed as follows. detector e
The central control unit 9 changes the rotation speed of the fan 5 according to the amount of suspended particles in the space detected by the detection unit 16 via the central control unit 9.

Furthermore, if the function for detecting the amount of suspended particles is not attached, the number of revolutions of the fan 6 will change because the user will judge the size of the particles and operate the air volume switch 11. When the fan 6 is rotating and the rotation speed is low, the central control unit 9 provides an electrochromic display element 14.
Reduce the amount of current injected into the current, or increase it if it is large.

As a result, the electrochromic display element 14 continues to develop color depending on the progress of dirt on the filter 4, so that when the degree of color development reaches a certain level or more, it is determined that the capture performance of the filter 4 has deteriorated. Note that the electrochromic display element 14
Since coloring and decoloring are reversible depending on the direction of the current flowing, the degree of contamination of the filter 4 may be displayed in the coloring process as described above, or in the reverse coloring process.

The operating state of the control circuit section according to this embodiment configured as described above is shown in FIG. 2 in the form of a timing diagram using the same procedure as in FIG. 6 of the conventional example. In FIG. 2, signals 81 to S6 are the same as those in FIG. 5, so their explanation will be omitted. The signal S6 is a signal generated by the reference signal generator 16. signal S7
is a signal for injecting current into the electrochromic display element 14 according to the rotation speed of the fan 6 based on the signal S6. Signal S8 is electrochromic display element 1
This figure shows the coloring process of No. 4.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the description of the embodiments above, according to the present invention, the amount of current flowing through the electrochromic display element is changed depending on the amount of fine particles, and the current is caused to flow during operation, so that the filter It is possible to realize a display mechanism that can display the degree of dirt more accurately and that can be continuously recognized even when the power is turned off without losing the display.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a control circuit configuration diagram of an air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a timing diagram of the same operating state, Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the basic configuration of a conventional air purifier, and Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the basic configuration of a conventional air purifier. FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the control circuit, and FIG. 6 is a timing chart of the same operating state. 1...discharge electrode, 3...dust collection electrode, 4
...Filter, 6...Fan, 7...
High voltage generation section, 14...electrochromic display element, 16...detection section. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and one other person
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Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A high voltage generator that generates a high voltage to be applied between the discharge electrode and the dust collection electrode, a filter that captures particles charged in the discharge electric field caused by this high voltage, and guides particles floating in space to the filter. It consists of a fan for detecting the amount of particles floating in the space, a detection section for detecting the amount of particles suspended in space, and an electrochromic display element, and the number of rotations of the fan is set depending on the amount of particles detected by the detection section. An air purifier that displays the degree of contamination of the filter using an electrochromic display element by controlling a current flowing to the chromic display element. (2) The air purifier according to claim (1), wherein the detecting section is not particularly provided, and the current flowing to the electrochromic display element is made to depend only on the magnitude of the rotation speed of the fan.