KR20210085452A - Humidifier and Controling Method Thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are a humidifier capable of minimizing the occurrence of pollution or viruses in a water tank and/or a humidification member, and a control method thereof. In accordance with the present invention, the humidifier includes: a housing including an inlet for introducing air therein and an outlet for discharging air; a water container including a water supply valve member opened and closed such that water stored therein can be discharged; a water tank unit including a water tank to receive water from the water container; a humidification member performing humidification by using water supplied to the water tank; an air blowing part providing an air blowing force such that the air introduced from the inlet flows to the outlet; a water supply control member opening and closing the water supply valve member such that the supply of water from the water container to the water tank is allowed or cut off; and a control part controlling the supply of water from the water container to the water tank and the operation of the air blowing part. When a humidification mode for performing humidification corresponds to a preset condition after being terminated, the control part performs forced humidification through the humidification member by supplying water from the water container to the water tank, thereby performing a water container emptying mode for emptying the water from the water container.

Description

Humidifier and Controlling Method Thereof

The present invention relates to a humidifier for increasing humidity in air, and more particularly, to a vaporization type (blow type) humidifier that performs humidification by vaporizing water through a humidifying member (humidifying filter).

In general, humidifiers that artificially generate and spray moisture to increase indoor humidity include a heating-type humidifier that sprays water vapor generated by heating water stored in a water tank to a predetermined temperature according to a moisture generation method into a room, and It is divided into an ultrasonic humidifier, which is a method of ultrasonically vibrating stored water to spray fine water particles into a room, and a combined humidifier equipped with both a heating humidification method and an ultrasonic humidification method.

Recently, after immersing a humidifying member (humidifying filter) in a water tank, a vaporization type (blowing type) humidifier is also used to vaporize the water absorbed in the humidifying member by blowing the water to perform humidification.

In general, in the case of an evaporative humidifier, when the blowing fan sucks outside air, the air sucked by the blowing fan is atomized while passing through the humidifying filter. Atomized air is discharged to the outside through the humidifier outlet to humidify the dry room.

This vaporization type humidifier uses a water tank accommodating the water supplied from the water tank, and performs humidification by immersing the humidifying filter in the water accommodated in the water tank or by contacting the rotating disk with the water contained in the water tank.

However, in the conventional evaporative humidifier, since water remains at a preset water level in the water tank even after humidification is completed, mold, scale, scale, odor, or bacteria may be generated not only in the humidifying member but also in the water tank.

In addition, the conventional vaporizing humidifier is configured to supply water from the water tank to the water tank by mounting a water tank in the water tank. Since the water contained in the water tank has a structure in which water is continuously supplied to maintain a constant water level, when humidification is not desired There is also a problem that humidification is performed by the water contained in the water tank. Furthermore, since the water level of the water tank is maintained at a constant level, there is a problem in that the water in the water tank is continuously consumed due to evaporation that occurs even while not performing humidification.

Moreover, since the conventional vaporizing humidifier does not perform humidification for a long time, the water inside the bucket remains for a long period of time, so there is a problem that mold, scale, scale, odor, or bacteria can grow inside the bucket. In addition, when humidification is performed in this state, there is a problem in that it is not good for hygiene because humidification is performed by contaminated water.

The present invention has been devised to solve at least some of the problems of the prior art as described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a humidifier capable of minimizing contamination of water contained in a water container, generation of bacteria, and the like, and a control method thereof.

And, as an aspect, an object of the present invention is to provide a humidifier capable of guiding a user that it is necessary to replace the water inside the bucket and a method for controlling the same.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a humidifier capable of minimizing contamination or generation of bacteria in a water tank and/or humidifying member and a method for controlling the same.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a humidifier capable of drying not only a humidifying member but also a water tank and a method for controlling the same.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a humidifier capable of controlling whether or not water is supplied from a water tank to a water tank, and a method for controlling the same.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a humidifier with improved hygiene and a method for controlling the same.

In addition, as an aspect, the present invention provides a humidifier and a method for controlling the same, wherein water is supplied to the water tank only in the humidification mode and the empty water tank mode, and water is not supplied to the water tank in the clean mode and the drying mode. do.

And, as an aspect, the present invention provides a humidifier capable of supplying water to a water tank or blocking water supply according to flow control inside the humidifier without using a separate driving means for supplying water to the water tank, and a method for controlling the same. intended to provide

Another object of the present invention is to provide a humidifier capable of increasing humidification efficiency and air cleaning efficiency, and a method for controlling the same.

As an aspect for achieving the above object, the present invention provides a housing having an inlet through which air is introduced and an outlet through which air is discharged; a water tank having a water supply valve member that opens and closes to enable the discharge of water contained therein; a water tank unit having a water tank receiving water from the water tank; a humidifying member for performing humidification using the water supplied to the water tank; a blower providing a blowing force so that the air introduced from the suction port flows to the discharge port; a water supply control member for opening and closing the water supply valve member so that water supply from the water tank to the water tank is made or blocked; and a control unit for controlling the supply of water from the bucket to the water tank and the driving of the blower, wherein the control unit supplies water from the bucket when a preset condition is met after the humidification mode for performing humidification ends. It provides a humidifier for performing a bucket emptying mode in which the water in the bucket is emptied by supplying to the water tank and performing forced humidification through the humidifying member.

The controller may control the movement of the water supply control member so that the water supply valve member is in an open state when the bucket emptying mode is performed, and drive the blower to force humidification through the humidifying member.

In addition, the preset condition may be configured such that a preset time for emptying the water tank has elapsed in a state in which separation of the water tank is not detected after the humidification mode is terminated.

The control unit performs a drying mode in which the humidification member is dried in a state in which the water supply from the water tank to the water tank is cut off after the humidification mode for performing humidification is finished, and the preset condition is that the drying mode is It may also be configured as a preset time for emptying the bucket in a state in which the separation of the bucket is not detected after the completion of the lapse.

In addition, the preset condition may be configured such that the amount of microorganisms measured inside the bucket after the humidification mode is terminated is equal to or greater than a preset microbial value.

And, when the preset alarm time has elapsed in a state in which the separation of the water tank is not detected after the humidification mode is terminated, the control unit performs a water replacement alarm to inform the user that the water tank needs to be empty or water replacement. can be In this case, the control unit may perform the water tank emptying mode when the separation of the water tank is not detected even in the water replacement alarm.

In addition, the controller may adjust the amount of air blown by the blower based on at least one of illuminance and relative humidity when the bucket emptying mode is performed. In this case, the controller may additionally perform the water tank emptying mode for a preset additional drying time after no water is detected in the water tank.

On the other hand, the water supply control member may be provided with a pressing portion that moves up and down to press the water supply valve member. Specifically, the water supply control member includes a body portion, the pressing portion formed on one side of the body portion to be able to pressurize the water supply valve member, an operation portion formed on the other side of the body portion, and the pressing portion; It has a rotating shaft positioned between the operating units, and the pressing unit can be raised and lowered by rotating with the rotating shaft as an axis according to the movement of the operating unit.

In addition, the humidifier according to an aspect of the present invention further includes a pressing unit for rotating the operating unit of the water supply control member around the rotating shaft, wherein the control unit controls the movement of the pressing unit to perform the humidification mode When the pressurizing part comes into contact with the operating part and pressurizes the operating part, the water supply valve member is in an open state, and when the drying mode is performed, the water supply valve member is closed by releasing the state in which the pressing part pressurizes the operating part can be made into a state of being.

In addition, the discharge port includes a humidified air discharge port through which air introduced from the suction port and filtered through the air purification filter is discharged through the humidifying member, and a clean air discharge port through which the air is discharged without passing through the humidifying member. Air blown from the abundance may be discharged through at least one of the humidified air discharge port and the clean air discharge port by the flow path switching of the flow path control member.

In addition, the pressing part may be configured to rotate integrally with the flow path adjusting member according to the rotation of the flow path adjusting member.

And, the water supply control member may open and close the water supply valve member by magnetic force.

As another aspect, the present invention provides a method for controlling a humidifier in which water supplied from a water tank to a water tank is provided to a humidifying member to perform humidification, the humidifying step of performing a humidification mode in which humidification is performed through the humidifying member; and a bucket emptying step of performing a forced humidification through the humidifying member by supplying the water from the bucket to the water tank when the preset condition is satisfied after the humidification mode is terminated to perform a bucket emptying mode for emptying the water of the bucket It includes, wherein the emptying of the bucket provides a control method of a humidifier that is performed in a state in which at least a portion of the air blown by the blower is blown by the humidifying member.

At this time, the preset condition may be configured such that a preset time for emptying the bucket has elapsed in a state in which the separation of the bucket is not detected after the humidification mode ends, and after the humidification mode ends, the inside of the bucket The amount of microorganisms measured may be configured to be greater than or equal to a preset microbial value.

And, in the control method of the humidifier according to an aspect of the present invention, after the humidification mode is terminated, the drying step of proceeding with a drying mode in which the humidification member is dried in a state in which the supply of water from the water tank to the water tank is blocked ; may be additionally included. At this time, the preset condition may be configured such that a preset time for emptying the water tank has elapsed in a state in which separation of the water tank is not detected after the drying mode ends, and after the drying mode ends, the inside of the water tank The amount of microorganisms measured may be configured to be greater than or equal to a preset microbial value.

In addition, in the control method of the humidifier according to an aspect of the present invention, after the humidification step is completed, when a preset alarm setting time elapses in a state in which the separation of the water tank is not detected, the user needs to empty the water tank or replace the water. It may further include a; water replacement alarm step to guide. In this case, the emptying of the water tank may be performed when the separation of the water tank is not detected even after the water replacement alarm step.

Further, the emptying of the water tank may be continued in a state in which the presence of water in the water tank is sensed, and may be additionally performed for a preset additional drying time even after the water tank is not detected.

Meanwhile, in the emptying of the bucket, an airflow amount may be adjusted based on at least one of illuminance and relative humidity. At this time, in the emptying of the bucket, when the measured illuminance is less than or equal to a preset reference illuminance value, the airflow amount can be reduced, and when the measured relative humidity is greater than or equal to the preset reference relative humidity value, the airflow amount is increased compared to the case where it is smaller than the reference relative humidity You may. In addition, in the emptying of the bucket, the amount of air blown is minimized when the measured illuminance is less than or equal to a preset reference illuminance value, and when the measured illuminance is greater than the preset reference illuminance value, the amount of air blown is determined by comparing the measured relative humidity with a preset reference relative humidity value. may be increased or decreased.

According to an embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration, it is possible to obtain the effect of minimizing the contamination of the water accommodated in the bucket or the generation of bacteria.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, since the user can easily confirm that the user needs to replace the water inside the bucket, there is an effect that can prevent the water from remaining in the bucket for a long time.

And, according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to obtain the effect that it is possible to minimize the contamination of the water tank and/or the humidifying member or the generation of bacteria.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to dry the water tank as well as the humidifying member.

And, according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to obtain the effect that it is possible to easily control whether the water supply from the water tank to the water tank. In particular, it is possible to configure so that water is supplied to the water tank in the humidification mode or the empty water tank mode, and water is not supplied to the water tank in the clean mode or the drying mode. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain the effect that the water in the bucket is continuously supplied to the water tank to prevent the water in the bucket from being wasted unnecessarily.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, there is an effect that the hygiene of the humidifier is improved.

And, according to an embodiment of the present invention, water supply and blocking to the water tank is possible only by the rotation of the flow path adjusting member rotating between the clean mode position and the humidification mode position, so that the water supply from the water tank to the water tank is made or water is supplied. It is possible to obtain the effect that a separate driving means for cutting off the supply is not required.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, there is an effect of increasing the humidification efficiency and the air cleaning efficiency.

1 is a perspective view of a humidifier according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a water tank and a water tank unit are separated from the humidifier shown in FIG. 1;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the water tank unit and the humidifying member shown in Figure 2;
Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the water tank unit and the humidifying member shown in Figure 3;
5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA' of FIG. 1 after removing the bucket body from the humidifier shown in FIG.
6 is a perspective view of a flow path adjusting member provided in a humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 7 is a perspective view of the water supply control member shown in Figure 4;
8 is a view showing the humidifier shown in FIG. 1, and the lower part is a longitudinal sectional view of the central part, and the upper part is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line AA' of FIG. 1 with the water tank removed.
9 is an enlarged view showing a state of the clean mode with respect to part B of FIG. 8;
10 is an enlarged view showing the state of the humidification mode and the empty water tank mode with respect to the part B of FIG.
11 is an enlarged view showing the state of the dry mode with respect to part B of FIG.
12 is a perspective view of a water tank and a water tank unit provided in the humidifier according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
13 is an exploded perspective view of the water tank unit shown in FIG. 12;
Fig. 14 is a plan view showing a portion of the water tank unit shown in Fig. 13;
15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC' of FIG. 14, showing a closed state of the water supply valve member;
16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC' of FIG. 14, showing an open state of the water supply valve member;
17 is a cross-sectional view showing the opening and closing structure of the water supply valve member according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
18 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of a control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
19 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a humidifier including a drying step according to an embodiment of the present invention;
20 to 24 are flowcharts showing various embodiments of the drying step in the control method shown in FIG. 19;
25 is a flowchart of a humidifier control method including emptying a water tank according to an embodiment of the present invention.
26 is a flowchart of a humidifier control method including the step of emptying the water tank according to another embodiment of the present invention.
27 to 29 are flowcharts illustrating various embodiments of the emptying step of the water tank in the control method shown in FIGS. 25 and/or 26;

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiment of the present invention may be modified in various other forms, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. Further, the embodiments of the present invention are provided in order to more completely explain the present invention to those of ordinary skill in the art. The shapes and sizes of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clearer description.

Also, in this specification, the singular expression includes a plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, and the same reference numerals refer to the same element or corresponding element throughout the specification.

Hereinafter, the humidifier 100 and its control methods ( S100 , S200 ) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, various embodiments of the humidifier 100 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 18 .

The humidifier 100 according to the present invention supplies water to the water tank 141 from the water tank 130 , and the water contained in the water tank 141 is provided to the humidifying member 160 to perform humidification, and from the water tank 130 . It is configured to control the water supply to the water tank 141 is made or blocked. The humidifier 100 according to the present invention is not limited to the humidifier having only the above-described humidifying function, and may include both a humidifier purifier with an air purifying function and a humidifier including other additional functions, as will be described later.

[Humidifier 100 according to the first embodiment]

First, the humidifier 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11 and 18 .

1 is a perspective view of a humidifier 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a state in which the water tank 130 and the water tank unit 140 are separated from the humidifier 100 shown in FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the water tank unit 140 and the humidifying member 160 shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the water tank unit 140 and the humidifying member 160 shown in FIG. 4 shows the water supply valve member 135 together for convenience of explanation. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA' of FIG. 1 after removing the barrel body 131 from the humidifier 100 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a humidifier 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. A perspective view of the provided flow path control member 180, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the water supply control member 150 shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 8 shows the humidifier 100 shown in FIG. Shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of, the upper portion shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along line AA' of FIG. 1 in a state in which the bucket 130 is removed. And, FIG. 9 is an enlarged view showing the state of the clean mode with respect to part B of FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 is an enlarged view showing the state of the humidification mode and the empty water tank mode with respect to part B of FIG. 8, FIG. is an enlarged view showing the state of the dry mode with respect to part B of FIG. 8 . 18 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the control unit (C) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 11 and 18 , the humidifier 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 110 that forms the exterior of the product, and a water supply valve member ( A water tank unit 140 having a water tank 130 having a water tank 135 and a water tank 141 receiving water from the water tank 130, a humidifying member 160 performing humidification, and providing a blowing power The blower 170, the water supply control member 150 for opening and closing the water supply valve member 135, and a control unit (C) for controlling the supply of water from the water tank 130 to the water tank 141 and the driving of the blower 170 ) may be included. In addition, the humidifier 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes an air purification filter 120 for filtering and purifying air, a flow path control member 180 for controlling air flow, and a water supply control member 150 . It may be configured to further include at least a portion of the pressing unit 190 to operate.

1 and 2 , the housing 110 includes a housing body 111 constituting an exterior, an inlet 115 through which external air flows into the housing body 111 , and a housing body. (111) It may be provided with a discharge port 116 through which the air that has passed through the interior is discharged to the outside of the housing body 111.

In addition, the discharge port 116 includes a humidified air discharge port 118 through which air introduced from the suction port 115 is discharged through an air purification filter 120 and a humidifying member 160 to be described later, and the intake port 115. After the air passes through the air purifying filter 120 , it may be separated into a clean air outlet 117 through which the air is discharged without passing through the humidifying member 160 .

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 1 , the inlet 115 is formed in the lower front of the housing 110 , the humidified air outlet 118 is formed in the upper front of the housing 110 , and the clean air outlet 117 is formed in the upper front of the housing 110 . may be formed on the upper surface of the housing 110 , the installation location and number of the inlet 115 and the outlet 116 ; 117 , 118 may be variously changed. For example, the suction port 115 may be installed on a plurality of surfaces among the front, rear, left, and right surfaces of the housing 110 so as to suck air in various directions, and a humidified air outlet 118 and a clean air outlet 117 . It is also possible to change the installation location and number of

Referring to FIG. 8 , the air purification filter 120 may be disposed in the air flow path at the rear end of the inlet 115 to filter (purify) the air introduced from the inlet 115 . In addition, the air purification filter 120 may be installed in the front end flow path of the blower 170 so that the air introduced from the inlet 115 is filtered by the air purification filter 120 and then flows into the blower 170 .

The air purifying filter 120 may be configured in a rectangular shape corresponding to the shape and cross-sectional area of the air flow path at the rear end of the inlet 115 , and thus the air introduced through the inlet 115 of the housing 110 purifies the entire amount of air. It may pass through the filter 120 . However, the shape of the air purifying filter 120 is not limited to the aforementioned rectangular shape, and various known filters may be used. For example, the air purifying filter 120 may be formed of a three-dimensional filter having a circular or square cross-section and having a space formed therein.

In addition, the air purifying filter 120 may be selected from known filters having various shapes and functions for air filtration, and the types, number, and shapes of filters used as the air purifying filter 120 are shown in FIG. 8 . It is not limited to the example shown in , and various changes are possible.

In addition, the bucket 130 may include a bucket body 131 for accommodating water for humidification therein, and a water supply valve member 135 that opens and closes to allow the water contained in the bucket body 131 to be discharged.

The bucket 130 may have a structure that is separated from the humidifier 100 so as to easily fill the inside of the bucket body 131 with water. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the bucket 130 may be configured to be detachable from the housing 110 . In addition, the barrel body 131 may be configured to form a part of the exterior of the housing 110, but is not limited thereto, and is configured separately from the exterior of the housing 110 as in the case of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 12 . It is also possible to be

And, the water supply valve member 135 may be installed in a cap structure screwed to the inlet (inlet) of the bucket body (131). The water supply valve member 135 may include an opening/closing part (136 of FIG. 9 ) elastically supported by an elastic member (spring).

The water supply valve member 135 is a configuration generally used in the water tank 130 of a conventional humidifier, and a schematic configuration of the water supply valve member 135 will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16 . The water supply valve member 135 may include a cap member 137 coupled to the inlet of the bucket body 131 , and an opening and closing part 136 that opens and closes to discharge the water contained in the bucket 130 . In addition, the opening/closing unit 136 includes a sealing member 136a for opening or sealing the discharge port formed in the cap member 137, a rod member 136b for lifting and lowering the sealing member 136a in the vertical direction, and a sealing member 136a. ) may include an elastic member 136c that provides an elastic force to seal the discharge port of the cap member 137 . Meanwhile, although the cap member 137 is illustrated as having a double structure including two caps 137a and 137b in FIGS. 15 and 16 , the cap member 137 may be formed of a single member.

As such, the water supply valve member 135 maintains a closed state by the elastic force of the elastic member in a state in which the opening/closing unit 136 is not pressurized, and maintains an open state in a state in which the opening/closing unit 136 is pressurized. can have

Next, the water tank unit 140 is installed inside the housing 110 and receives the water supplied from the water tank 130 according to the opening of the water supply valve member 135 .

3 and 4 , the water tank unit 140 is configured to cover at least a portion of the water tank 141 for accommodating the water supplied from the water tank 130 and the upper part of the water tank 141 and the water tank 130 . A water tank cover 148 on which this is seated may be provided.

In addition, the water tank cover 148 may be connected to a cover extension part 145 extending toward the humidifying member mounting part 146 on which the humidifying member 160 is mounted. On the other hand, inside the housing 110, a partition (112 in FIG. 2) that blocks the air flow passages (F1, F2, F3 in FIG. 8) formed in the housing 100 from the opening 113 in which the water tank 130 is installed. It is formed, on the upper side of the cover extension 145, the through hole (112b in FIG. 2) formed in the partition (112 in FIG. 2) when the water tank unit 140 is mounted in the opening 113 of the housing 110. An opening cover 143 may be installed.

In addition, an installation groove 147 in which a water supply control member 150 to be described later is installed may be formed in the water tank cover 148 . In addition, a water detection sensor (LS of FIG. 18 ) may be installed in the water tank unit 140 to detect the water level or the presence of water contained in the water tank 141 . Such a water sensor LS may include, but is not limited to, a water level sensor for detecting the height of the water contained in the water tank 141, and a sensor for detecting the presence of water on the bottom of the water tank 141. have. In addition, the water sensor LS may be installed inside the water tank unit 140 , but is installed outside the water tank unit 140 for easy cleaning of the water tank unit 140 when the water tank unit 140 is coupled. It may be configured to measure the water level or the presence of water using capacitance or the like.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2 , the water tank unit 140 may be installed so as to be detachably detachable from the housing 110 in a state in which the water tank 130 is separated from the housing 110 .

In addition, the humidifying member (humidifying filter) 160 performs humidification in a vaporization type (blowing type) using the water supplied to the water tank 141 of the water tank unit 140, and adjacent to the humidification air outlet 118. Thus, it may be installed in parallel with the front of the housing 110 . 8 to 11 , the humidifying member 160 is disposed at the rear end of the blower 170 on the air flow path, and accordingly, the air flowing by the operation of the blower 170 is the humidifying member 160 . After being humidified while passing through, it is discharged through the humidified air outlet 118 (see FIG. 10 ).

In this way, since the air purifying filter 120 is disposed at the front end of the blower 170 and the humidifying member 160 is disposed at the rear end of the blower 170, when performing only the air cleaning function (see FIG. 9), Since the air filtered by the air purification filter 120 is discharged through the clean air outlet 117 without passing through the humidifying member 160, the air cleaning efficiency can be increased. Accordingly, even if the blowing fan provided in the blowing unit 170 is driven even at a relatively low RPM and low power, a sufficient discharge amount can be secured and noise generation can be reduced. Moreover, when humidification is performed through the flow path switching of the flow path control member 180 to be described later (see FIG. 10 ), the air blown from the blower 170 flows toward the humidifying member 160 as a whole to increase the humidification efficiency. do.

The humidifying member 160 may be configured to have a material or shape having excellent hygroscopicity so as to sufficiently absorb the water contained in the water tank 141 of the water tank unit 140 . As an example, the humidifying member 160 may have a structure immersed in water accommodated in the water tank 141 as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 . However, the humidification member 160 is not limited to the above-described structure, and if vaporization-type humidification is possible, various known vaporization-type humidification structures such as a rotationally driven disk form may be used.

And, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the humidifying member 160 may be mounted and detached from the water tank unit 140 through the humidifying member mounting part 146 . In addition, the humidifying member 160 may be separated from the housing 110 in a sliding manner while being mounted on the water tank unit 140 after separating the water tank 130 from the housing 110 .

On the other hand, since the humidifying member 160 is disposed in the humidifying flow path F3 of the air flow path portions F1, F2, F3 corresponding to the inside of the partition 112, the humidifying member 160 is mounted water tank unit 140. In order to be disposed in the humidification passage F3, a through hole 112b through which the humidifying member 160 part is drawn in and out may be formed in the partition 112, and a water tank to close the through hole 112b. The unit 140 may be provided with an opening cover 143 .

And, as shown in FIG. 8 , the blower 170 has air flow passages F1 , F2 , F3 formed between the intake port 115 and the discharge ports 116 ; 117 , 118 through which the air introduced from the suction port 115 is formed. ) through the outlet (116; 117, 118) to provide a blowing force to flow.

Referring to FIG. 8 , the air flow passages F1, F2, and F3 include a blower passage F1 located on the outlet side of the blower 170, and a clean air outlet 117 through which air from the air passage F1 is discharged. It may include a clean flow path (F2) flowing through the flow path (F2), and a humidification flow path (F3) in which air from the blowing flow path (F1) flows to the humidified air outlet (118).

The specific air flow path of these air flow passages F1, F2, and F3 may be variously changed depending on the position of the suction port 115 and the discharge port 116; 117, 118, and the suction/discharge position and direction of the blower 170. It is possible.

In addition, the blower 170 may include a blowing fan (not shown) for flowing air and a fan motor (not shown) for driving the blowing fan, similar to a conventional blower used in an air purifier. In FIG. 8 , the blower 170 is disposed at the rear of the air purification filter 120 based on the air flow path and is shown to have a structure that is sucked from one side, but the installation location and the suction structure of the blower 170 . is not limited to the structure shown in FIG. 8 and various modifications are possible. For example, the blowing fan provided in the blowing unit 170 may have a double suction structure.

In addition, the flow path adjusting member 180 may be rotatably disposed on the air flow passages F1 , F2 , and F3 , and may be configured to adjust the air flow to the discharge ports 116 ; 117 , 118 .

Referring to FIG. 8 , the flow path adjusting member 180 is configured such that the air flowing through the air flow passages F1 , F2 , and F3 is discharged through at least one of the humidified air outlet 118 and the clean air outlet 117 . can be configured to switch

For example, the flow path control member 180 is a clean mode in which the air discharged from the blower 170 after being filtered by the air purification filter 120 flows to the clean air outlet 117 through the clean flow path F2. It can be configured to rotate between the position (see Fig. 9) and the humidification mode position (see Fig. 10) in which the air from the blower 170 flows to the humidification air outlet 118 through the humidification passage F3. . That is, the air purified through the air purification filter 120 is humidified through the humidifying air outlet 118 through the humidifying member 160 when the flow path adjusting member 180 is in the humidification mode position shown in FIG. 10 . is discharged through the clean air outlet 117 without passing through the humidifying member 160 when the flow path adjusting member 180 is in the clean mode position shown in FIG. 9 .

On the other hand, the flow path control member 180 can be located in a third position (dry mode position) located between the clean mode position and the humidification mode position (see FIG. 11 ), in this case, the Air may be branched into the clean flow path F2 and the humidification flow path F3 and flow to both the clean air outlet 117 and the humidified air outlet 118 .

6 and 8, the flow path adjusting member 180 is configured to cross the air flow path parts (F1, F2, F3) to open and close at least a part of the air flow path parts (F1, F2, F3) ( 181) and a rotating shaft 183 forming a rotation center of the body portion 181 may be provided.

In addition, the flow path adjusting member 180 may be configured to be rotated by a driving unit M made of a motor or the like. Accordingly, by controlling the driving unit M through the control unit C, the flow path adjusting member 180 is rotated between the clean mode position and the humidification mode position.

In addition, the water supply control member 150 operates to open and close the water supply valve member 135 , and as the water supply valve member 135 is opened and closed, the water supply from the water tank 130 to the water tank 141 is made or blocked.

The water supply control member 150 is installed on the water tank cover 148 of the water tank unit 140 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 to clean the water supply control member 150 and/or the water tank unit 140 . can be separated. That is, the water supply control member 150 is not installed on the bottom surface of the water tank unit 140 , but is installed on the water tank cover 148 detachable from the water tank 141 , so that it does not affect the cleaning of the water tank unit 140 .

3 to 5 and 7 , the water supply control member 150 may include a pressing part 157 that moves up and down to press the water supply valve member 135 .

Specifically, the water supply control member 150 includes a body portion 151 and a pressing portion formed on one side of the body portion 151 to pressurize the water supply valve member 135 of the water tank 130 . 157), an operation part 155 formed on the other side of the body part 151 and arranged to be pressurized by a pressing part 190 to be described later, and the pressing part 157 and the operation part 155. and a rotating shaft portion 153 coupled to the installation groove 147 formed in the water tank cover 148 may be provided.

Through this configuration, the water supply control member 150 may have a structure in which the pressing part 157 rotates about the rotation shaft part 153 as an axis according to the movement of the operation part 155 and ascends and descends. That is, when the operation unit 155 is pressed and moved by the pressing unit 190 , and the contact between the pressing unit 190 and the operation unit 155 is released, the operation unit 155 operates the water supply valve member 135 . When moving by the elastic force of the elastic member provided in the water supply control member 150, the pressing part 157 and the operating part 155 may be configured to be able to seesaw movement about the rotation shaft part 153 as a center. (See arrows in Figures 3 and 7).

In addition, since the water supply control member 150 is coupled to the installation groove 147 formed in the water tank cover 148 in which the rotating shaft part 153 is formed in the water tank cover 148 , the water tank 141 has a configuration for pressing the water supply valve member 135 or water supply control. Since the structure for the installation of the member 150 is not formed, there is an advantage that the bottom surface of the water tank 141 is easily cleaned.

And, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the installation groove 147 of the water tank cover 145 in which the water supply control member 150 is installed is operated in a state in which the water supply control member 150 is installed in the water tank cover 145 . (155) side (upper side) is opened and the pressing part 157 side (lower side) may be composed of a closed arc-shaped groove. Accordingly, the water supply control member 150 can maintain a stable position without departing from the installation groove 147 even if the pressing unit 190, which will be described later, presses the operation unit 155 of the water supply control member 150 .

On the other hand, the pressing part 190 is configured to press the operation part 155 of the water supply control member 150 so that the water supply control member 150 can rotate around the rotation shaft part 153 .

Referring to FIGS. 3, 5, 8 and 10 , when the pressing unit 190 presses the operating unit 155 of the water supply control member 150 downward, the pressing unit 157 rotates the rotating shaft unit 153 . As the center moves upward and downward, the water supply valve member 135 can be opened. That is, as shown in FIG. 10 , when the pressing part 157 moves upward, the opening/closing part 136 of the water supply valve member 135 elastically supported by the elastic member moves upward to move around the opening/closing part 136 . A space through which water can flow is formed, and accordingly, water is supplied from the water tank 130 to the water tank unit 140 . In addition, when the pressing unit 190 is rotated and the contact (pressurized state) between the pressing unit 190 and the operation unit 155 of the water supply control member 150 is released, the opening/closing part of the water supply valve member 135 ( The water supply valve member 135 is closed by the elastic force of the elastic member provided in the 136).

This pressing unit 190 may have a configuration that operates independently of other components to perform a function of pressing the operation unit 155 of the water supply control member 130, but according to the rotation of the flow path control member 180 It may be configured to rotate integrally with the flow path adjusting member 180 . For example, as shown in FIG. 6 , as the body 181 of the flow path adjusting member 180 rotates around the rotating shaft 183 by the driving of the driving unit M, the pressing unit 190 is To be able to rotate together with the flow path adjusting member 180 , the pressing part 190 may be integrally formed on one side of the flow path adjusting member 180 or may be coupled to one side.

Accordingly, the opening and closing of the water supply valve member 135 provided in the bucket 130 may be made by rotating the pressing unit 190 together with the flow path adjusting member 180 . For example, when humidification is performed through the humidifying member 160 (that is, when the flow path control member 180 is in the humidification mode position), the flow path control member 180 is in a position to open the humidification flow path F3. The pressurizing part 190 is positioned at a position for pressing the operating part 155 of the water supply control member 150, so that the water supply valve member 135 provided in the water tank 130 is opened and the water tank (130) from the water tank (130). 141) can be supplied with water. As such, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, since the opening and closing of the water supply valve member 135 provided in the water tank 130 is performed by the pressing unit 190 rotating together with the flow path adjusting member 180, the water tank ( The water supply from 130 ) to the water tank unit 140 can be efficiently blocked, and there is an advantage that a separate driving means for supplying water to the water tank unit 140 is not required.

On the other hand, referring to Figures 2 and 5, the housing 110 is a partition 112 that divides the opening 113 in which the bucket 130 is installed and the air flow passages F1, F2, and F3 through which air flows. It may be provided inside the housing 110 . At this time, the water supply control member 150 is located in the opening 113 corresponding to the outside of the partition 112, the flow control member 180 is the air flow passage parts F1, F2, It can be located in F3). However, the pressing unit 190 connected to the flow path control member 180 has a through hole 112a formed in the partition 112 to press the operating unit 155 of the water supply control member 150 positioned in the opening 113 . ) through the opening 113 may be configured to be exposed.

And, referring to FIGS. 3 and 7 , when the water tank unit 140 is installed in the housing 110, if the operation part 155 of the water supply control member 150 is lifted upward, the flow path control member 180 is It may interfere with the side surface of the connected pressing unit 190 . When such interference occurs, the complete installation of the water tank unit 140 is not made, so that water supply from the water tank 130 is not made.

In order to solve this problem, in order to have the operation part 155 side inclined downward with respect to the rotation shaft part 153 in a state in which the water supply control member 150 is installed on the water tank cover 148, FIG. As shown in 7, the water supply control member 150 may be configured such that a weight portion 159 for adding weight to the other side of the body portion 151, that is, the operation portion 155 side is disposed. Accordingly, when the water tank unit 140 is separated from the housing 110 , the operation unit 155 is inclined downward by the load of the weight portion 159 , and the water tank unit 140 is moved to the housing 110 . ), the operation part 155 of the water supply control member 150 is not interfered by the pressing part 190 connected to the flow path control member 180, so that the water tank unit 140 is stably mounted.

Finally, the controller C controls the supply of water from the water tank 130 to the water tank 141 and the driving of the blower 170 . That is, the controller C may control the supply of water to the water tank 141 and the driving of the blower 170 to perform a clean mode for air cleaning and a humidification mode for humidification, and in addition to this, the humidification mode ends. After drying, the drying mode in which the humidifying member 160 is dried may be performed. In addition, the controller (C) may perform a bucket emptying mode in which the water of the bucket 130 is emptied when a preset condition is satisfied after the humidification mode or the drying mode is terminated.

In addition, the controller (C) adjusts the rotational position of the flow path control member 180 in order to induce air flow according to the clean mode, humidification mode, drying mode, and bucket emptying mode by controlling the driving of the flow path control member 180 . can also

With reference to FIGS. 9 to 11 , a clean mode, a humidification mode, a drying mode, and a water tank emptying mode will be described.

[Clean Mode]

First, as shown in FIG. 9, in the clean mode, the control unit C controls the flow path adjusting member 180 in the vertical direction to open the clean flow path F2 of the air flow path units F1, F2, and F3. to control the position of the flow path adjusting member 180 and drive the blower 170 . In this way, when the body portion 181 of the flow path control member 180 is installed in parallel to the clean flow path F2, the air blown from the blower 170 is the humidification member 160 installed in the humidification flow path F3. It may be discharged through the clean air outlet 117 through the open clean flow path F2 due to the flow resistance.

In this case, since the pressing unit 190 connected to the flow path control member 180 is spaced apart from the operating unit 155 of the water supply control member 150 (not in contact), the pressing part of the water supply control member 150 is 157 does not pressurize the water supply valve member 135 . Therefore, the opening/closing part 136 provided in the water supply valve member 135 maintains a closed state by the elastic force of the elastic member (spring), and water supply from the water tank 130 to the water tank unit 140 is not made. .

When the blower 170 is driven in the flow path state in the clean mode, the air introduced from the inlet 115 is filtered through the air purification filter 120 and then through the clean flow path F2 without passing through the humidifying member 160 . It may be discharged through the clean air outlet 117 .

[Humidification Mode]

Next, as shown in FIG. 10 , in the humidification mode, the control unit C controls the flow path adjusting member 180 to close the clean flow path F2 of the air flow path units F1, F2, and F3 to the clean flow path F2. The position of the flow path adjusting member 180 may be controlled to be positioned in a direction transverse to the transverse cross-section of the , for example, in an inclined direction. That is, the flow path control member 180 may be positioned so that the upper end of the body portion 181 is inclined toward the humidified air cleaning outlet 118 . In this case, the upper end of the body portion 181 of the flow path control member 180 is adjacent to the partition wall W, and the lower end is adjacent to the opposite side of the partition wall W, so that the air flow to the clean flow path F2 is blocked and the air flow path portion The flowing air is introduced into the humidification passage F3 through the through hole WH formed in the partition wall W. Accordingly, the air blown by the blower 170 may be humidified through the humidifying member 160 and then discharged to the outside of the housing 110 through the humidifying air outlet 118 .

When the humidification mode is performed, the control unit C controls the movement of the water supply control member 150 so that the water supply valve member 135 is in an open state and drives the blower 170 . Specifically, when the humidification mode is performed, the control unit (C) causes the pressing unit 190 connected to the flow path control member 180 to contact the operating unit 155 of the water supply control member 150 to activate the operating unit 155 . In order to be in a pressurized state, the operation part 155 of the water supply control member 150 moves in the lower direction based on the rotation shaft part 153 and the pressing part 157 of the water supply control member 150 is the rotation shaft. It moves in an upward direction with respect to the part 153 . Then, the pressing part 157 of the water supply control member 150 presses the opening/closing part 136 of the water supply valve member 135 upward, so that the opening/closing part 136 moves upward. Accordingly, the opening/closing part 136 is in an open state, so that water is supplied from the water tank 130 to the water tank unit 140 .

When the blower 170 is driven in the flow path state of this humidification mode, the air introduced from the inlet 115 is filtered through the air purification filter 120 and then humidified while passing through the humidifying member 160 and the humidification flow path F3. It may be discharged to the humidified air outlet 118 after being in a state of

[Dry mode]

In addition, as shown in FIG. 11 , the controller C may perform the drying mode in order to dry the humidifying member 160 and/or the water tank 141 after the humidifying mode is terminated. When performing this drying mode, the control unit (C) makes the water supply from the water tank 130 to the water tank 141 to be in a blocked state, and water absorbed by the humidifying member 160 and/or the water tank 141 accommodated in the water tank 141 . The blower 170 is driven to dry the water.

In addition, the controller C controls the movement of the water supply control member 150 so that the water supply valve member 135 is in a closed state when the drying mode is performed. That is, when the flow path adjusting member 180 is rotated from the humidifying mode position to the dry mode position by the controller (C), the pressing unit 190 connected to the flow path adjusting member 180 and the operating unit of the water supply adjusting member 150 ( Since the contact between the 155) is released, the pressing part 155 of the water supply control member 150 moves downward by the elastic force of the elastic member (spring). By this elastic force, the opening/closing part 136 provided in the water supply valve member 135 is closed, so that water supply from the water tank 130 to the water tank unit 140 is blocked.

In addition, the control unit (C) controls the flow path control member (C) so that the flow path control member 180 has a third position (dry mode position) positioned between the clean mode position and the humidification mode position in order to perform the drying mode after humidification is completed. 180) can be controlled, and in this state, the blower 170 is driven to dry the water absorbed in the humidifying member 160 and/or the water accommodated in the water tank 141 .

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11 , the inclination angle of the flow path adjusting member 180 with respect to the vertical direction is smaller than the inclination angle with respect to the vertical direction in the humidification mode position of FIG. 10 . In this case, the upper end of the flow path control member 180 is in a state slightly spaced apart from the partition wall W, and the lower end is in a state slightly spaced apart from the opposite side of the partition wall W, so that some air flows into the clean flow passage F2 and some air is introduced into the humidification passage F3 through the through hole WH formed in the partition wall W. Accordingly, the air passing through the humidifying member 160 can dry the humidifying member 160 . In addition, the humidifying member 160 may have a structure capable of absorbing moisture of the water contained in the water tank unit 140, and in this case, according to the drying of the humidifying member 160, the water contained in the water tank 141 of the water tank unit 140. Drying may also take place.

In this case, in order to increase drying efficiency, the position of the flow path adjusting member 180 in the drying mode may be set to sufficiently secure the airflow to the humidifying flow path F3. For example, the position of the flow path control member 180 in the drying mode is such that the contact between the pressing unit 190 and the operation unit 155 of the water supply control member 150 is released so that the opening and closing unit 136 can be closed. It can be made to a degree that it is rotated slightly in the humidification mode position.

Meanwhile, when the drying mode is performed, the controller C may adjust the amount of air blown by the blower 170 based on at least one of illuminance and relative humidity.

For example, when the measured illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor (IS in FIG. 18) is less than or equal to a preset reference illuminance value, such as at night (bedtime), the control unit C controls the blower amount of the blower 170 for quiet operation. can be reduced

In addition, when the measured relative humidity is greater than or equal to a preset reference relative humidity value, the control unit C has a large amount of water vapor in the air, so drying of the humidifying member 160 and the water tank 141 is not smooth. It is possible to increase the amount of air blown compared to the case where it is smaller than the humidity value. In this case, the measured relative humidity may be acquired through various well-known sensors such as the temperature-humidity sensor HS shown in FIG. 18 .

In addition, the control unit C minimizes the amount of air blown when the measured illuminance is less than or equal to a preset reference illuminance value, and increases or decreases the amount of air blown by comparing the measured relative humidity with a preset reference relative humidity when the measured illuminance is greater than the preset reference illuminance value. can do it

The increase/decrease in the blowing amount may be performed by adjusting the driving RPM of the blower 170 . A case in which the air blowing step of the humidifier 100 is composed of five stages from the lowest RPM stage 1 to the highest RPM stage 5 will be described as an example. If the measured illuminance is less than or equal to a preset reference illuminance value, the blower 170 may be driven at the lowest RPM, 1st stage, in order not to disturb the user's rest (sleep) (ie, for quiet driving). And, if the measured illuminance is greater than a preset reference illuminance value, the blower 170 may be driven in two or more stages higher than the first stage. In addition, if the measured relative humidity is greater than or equal to the reference relative humidity value, since there is a large amount of water vapor in the air, the blower 170 can be driven in 4 or 5 stages to perform a quick drying operation. Conversely, the measured relative humidity is the reference relative humidity. When the humidity value is less than the reference relative humidity value, the blower 170 may be driven in three or two stages so that the amount of air blown is less than the reference relative humidity value.

Alternatively, on the basis of the blowing step corresponding to the current air condition (eg, the amount of dust), the blowing step may be increased or decreased according to the illuminance or relative humidity to be driven. For example, in the case where the set value of the blowing stage corresponding to the current air condition (eg, amount of dust) is 3 stages, if the measured illuminance is less than or equal to the preset reference illuminance value, than the current set blowing stage (3 stages) If the blower 170 is driven at a low blowing stage (for example, 1st stage or 2nd stage) and the measured illuminance is greater than a preset reference illuminance value, the current set blowing stage (3rd stage) is maintained or fast drying In order to perform the work, the blower 170 may be driven to the 4th or 5th stage higher than the current set blowing stage (3rd stage). In addition, if the measured relative humidity is greater than or equal to the reference relative humidity value, the blower 170 is driven to the 4th or 5th stage higher than the current set blowing stage (3rd stage) in order to perform a quick drying operation, and the measured relative humidity is the standard If it is less than the relative humidity value, it is possible to maintain the current set blowing step (3rd stage) or drive the blower 170 to the second or first stage lower than the current set blowing step (3rd stage).

Meanwhile, the preset reference illuminance value or reference relative humidity value described above may consist of one value, but may also consist of two or more. As described above, when there are two or more reference illuminance values or reference relative humidity values, the increase/decrease of the airflow amount may be controlled in response to a section corresponding to the measured illuminance or the measured relative humidity. As such, the method of controlling or increasing/decreasing the amount of air blown in consideration of illuminance or relative humidity is not limited to the above-described methods, and various changes are possible.

And, the control unit (C), the drying mode may be performed for a preset drying time. The drying setting time may be preset in consideration of the amount of water contained in the water tank 141 , the amount of water absorbed by the humidifying member 160 , and the like. On the other hand, as described above, the control unit (C) may increase or decrease the airflow amount of the blower unit 170 based on at least one of illuminance and relative humidity. can be set.

On the other hand, the control unit (C) in a state in which the supply of water from the water tank 130 to the water tank 141 is blocked by driving the blower 170 to the water absorbed in the humidifying member 160 and / or the water tank 141 accommodated in As the drying of the water proceeds, the water contained in the water tank 141 is gradually consumed. Accordingly, the water level of the water contained in the water tank 141 is gradually lowered, and finally, the water level of the water tank 141 becomes the floor water level through the water detection sensor LS, or a state in which there is no water at the bottom of the water tank 141 can be detected. have.

As described above, even after the absence of water in the water tank 141 is detected through the water sensor LS, the humidifying member 160 maintains the moisture absorption state for a predetermined time. Accordingly, in order to completely dry the water absorbed by the humidifying member 160 , the control unit C may additionally perform a drying mode for a preset additional drying time after no water is detected in the water tank 141 .

In this case, the additional drying time may be preset in consideration of the amount of water absorbed by the humidifying member 160 . On the other hand, as described above, the control unit (C) may increase or decrease the amount of air blown by the blower 170 based on at least one of illuminance and relative humidity. can be set.

In this way, when the blower 170 is driven in the flow path state of the dry mode, some of the air introduced from the suction port 115 is filtered through the air purification filter 120 and then the humidifying member 160 and the humidifying flow path F3. After drying the water absorbed in the humidifying member 160 and/or the water contained in the water tank 141 while passing through, it may be discharged to the humidified air outlet 118, and a portion of the air passes through the air purification filter 120. After being filtered, it may be discharged to the clean air outlet 117 through the clean flow path F2 without going through the humidifying member 160 .

However, in the case of performing the drying mode, the air flow path formed by the flow path adjusting member 180 is not limited to the configuration illustrated with reference to FIG. 11 . For example, when the driving of the pressing unit 190 for operating the water supply control member 150 is performed independently of the operation of the flow path control member 180 as in the second embodiment to be described later, the flow path control member 180 is also It is possible to control the flow path adjusting member 180 to be positioned at the humidification mode position of 10 and independently control the pressurizing unit 190 to close the water supply valve member 135 . Therefore, it is also possible to perform the drying mode in a state where the water supply valve member 135 is closed and the flow path adjusting member 180 is positioned in the humidification mode of FIG. It is also possible that the entire amount of air is discharged through the humidifying air outlet 118 through the humidifying passage F3.

[Water bottle empty mode]

On the other hand, if a long time elapses without the user draining the old water contained in the water tank 130 or replacing it with new water after the humidification mode and/or drying mode is terminated, the water contained in the water tank 130 is contaminated. There is a problem that occurs or bacteria multiply.

In order to solve this problem, the controller C supplies the water contained in the water tank 130 to the water tank 141 to perform forced humidification through the humidifying member 160 when the preset condition is satisfied after the humidification mode ends. By performing a bucket emptying mode to empty the water of the bucket 130 can be performed.

When performing this bucket emptying mode, the control unit (C) controls the movement of the water supply control member 150 so that the water supply valve member 135 is in an open state in order to perform forced humidification, and the blower 170 At least a portion of the air is blown to the humidifying member 160 to drive the blower 170 to force humidification through the humidifying member 160 .

That is, the control unit (C) controls the movement of the water supply control member 150 so that the water supply valve member 135 is in an open state when the bucket emptying mode is performed, similarly to the humidification mode shown in FIG. 10, and for forced humidification. The blower 170 is driven. Specifically, when performing forced humidification through the bucket emptying mode, the control unit (C) operates the pressing unit 190 connected to the flow path control member 180 in contact with the operating unit 155 of the water supply control member 150 . The operation part 155 of the water supply control member 150 is moved in a downward direction based on the rotation shaft part 153 so as to be in a state of pressing the part 155 , and thus the pressing part of the water supply control member 150 . Reference numeral 157 moves upward with respect to the rotation shaft portion 153 . Then, the pressing part 157 of the water supply control member 150 presses the opening/closing part 136 of the water supply valve member 135 upward, so that the opening/closing part 136 moves upward. Accordingly, the opening/closing part 136 is in an open state, so that water is supplied from the water tank 130 to the water tank unit 140 .

And, the control unit (C), like the humidification mode shown in Fig. 10, when performing the empty water tank mode, the flow path adjusting member 180 so that the clean flow path (F2) of the air flow path parts (F1, F2, F3) is closed to close the clean flow path The position of the flow path adjusting member 180 may be controlled to be positioned in a direction transverse to the cross section of (F2), for example, in an inclined direction. That is, the flow path control member 180 may be positioned so that the upper end of the body portion 181 is inclined toward the humidified air cleaning outlet 118 . In this case, the upper end of the body portion 181 of the flow path control member 180 is adjacent to the partition wall W, and the lower end is adjacent to the opposite side of the partition wall W, so that the air flow to the clean flow path F2 is blocked and the air flow path portion The flowing air is introduced into the humidification passage F3 through the through hole WH formed in the partition wall W. Accordingly, the air blown by the blower 170 may be humidified through the humidifying member 160 and then discharged to the outside of the housing 110 through the humidifying air outlet 118 .

When the blower 170 is driven in the flow path state of the bucket emptying mode, the air introduced from the suction port 115 is filtered through the air purification filter 120 and then passes through the humidifying member 160 and the humidifying flow path F3. After being in a humidified state, it may be discharged to the humidified air outlet 118 , and since water is supplied from the water tank 130 to the water tank 141 in the process of forced humidification, the water in the water tank 130 can be emptied.

However, in the case of performing such a bucket emptying mode, the air flow path formed by the flow path adjusting member 180 is not limited to the configuration illustrated in FIG. 10 . For example, when the driving of the pressing unit 190 for operating the water supply control member 150 is performed independently of the operation of the flow path control member 180 as in the second embodiment to be described later, the flow path control member 180 is also 11, it is possible to control the flow path adjusting member 180 to be positioned in the dry mode, and to independently control the pressing unit 190 so that the water supply valve member 135 is opened. Therefore, it is also possible to perform the water tank emptying mode in a state in which the water supply valve member 135 is opened and the flow path adjusting member 180 is positioned in the drying mode of FIG. 11 , and in this case, the blower 170 blows the air. Some of the air is discharged through the humidification air outlet 118 through the humidification flow path F3, and some of the air is discharged through the clean air outlet 117 through the clean flow path F2 is also possible.

In addition, the control unit (C) after the humidification mode or drying mode is performed, the user does not drain the old water contained in the bucket 130 or replace it with new water, and the preset alarm set time (first set time) is When elapsed, it can be configured to inform the user that the bucket 130 needs emptying or water replacement. That is, the bucket emptying mode may be configured so that the bucket emptying mode is not performed unnecessarily frequently by visually and/or audibly guiding the user that the bucket emptying or water replacement is required before performing the bucket emptying mode. The alarm setting time may be set to a fixed time (eg, 48 hours) calculated from the end of the humidification mode or drying mode, but it is also possible to configure it to be changed in consideration of the season, ambient temperature, humidity, and the like.

As such, whether the user emptys the water tank 130 or replaces the water can be determined by whether the user separates the water tank 130 from the housing 110 . In addition, the detection of the separation of the bucket 130 is a sensor (not shown) that detects the weight of the bucket 130 or a sensor (not shown) that determines whether the bucket 130 is mounted using a magnetic field, etc. method can be used.

And, if the separation of the water tank 130 is detected before the alarm set time, it is determined that the water contained in the water tank 130 is empty or the water is replaced, and the alarm set time (first set time) is reset to initialize.

On the other hand, the preset condition in which the bucket emptying mode is performed is that after the humidification mode is terminated, the water bucket 130 is not detected and the preset bucket emptying time (second set time) has elapsed. . In addition, the preset condition in which the bucket emptying mode is performed may be configured such that a preset time for emptying the bucket 130 has elapsed in a state in which the separation of the bucket 130 is not detected after the above-described drying mode is terminated. This set time for emptying the bucket has a larger value than the above-mentioned alarm set time and can be set as a fixed time (for example, 60 hours) calculated from the end of the humidification mode or drying mode, but the season, ambient temperature, humidity, etc. It is also possible to configure it to be changed in consideration.

Alternatively, the preset condition for performing the bucket emptying mode may be configured such that the amount of microorganisms measured from the water inside the bucket 130 is greater than or equal to a preset microbial value after the humidification mode or the drying mode is terminated. The measurement of the amount of microorganisms may be performed using a known microorganism detection sensor (MS of FIG. 18), such as a biosensor and a mold sensor. In addition, the set microorganism value may have a fixed value, but it is also possible to configure it to be changed in consideration of the season, ambient temperature, humidity, etc. so that the growth rate of microorganisms can be considered. In addition, the microorganism detection sensor (MS) for measuring the amount of microorganisms may be installed inside the bucket 130, but the installation location is not limited thereto. In addition, the type of microorganism is not limited as long as it can be detected by a known microorganism detection sensor, and may include mold, yeast, bacteria, virus, and the like.

And, when the separation of the water tank 130 is detected, it is determined that there is emptying of water or replacement of water contained in the water tank 130, and the above-described alarm set time (first set time) and water tank empty set time (second set time) ) to reset all

On the other hand, the control unit (C), even when performing the bucket emptying mode like the above-described drying mode, based on at least one of the illuminance and relative humidity can adjust the amount of air blown by the blower 170 .

For example, when the measured illuminance sensed by the illuminance sensor (IS of FIG. 18 ) is less than or equal to a preset reference illuminance value, such as at night (bedtime), the control unit C may reduce the amount of air blown by the blower 170 .

In addition, when the measured relative humidity is greater than or equal to a preset reference relative humidity value, the control unit (C) has a large amount of water vapor in the air, so drying (emptying the bucket) using the humidifying member 160 is not smooth. It is possible to increase the amount of air blown compared to the case where it is smaller than the relative humidity value. In this case, the measured relative humidity may be acquired through various well-known sensors such as the temperature-humidity sensor HS shown in FIG. 18 .

In addition, the control unit C minimizes the amount of air blown when the measured illuminance is less than or equal to a preset reference illuminance value, and increases or decreases the amount of air blown by comparing the measured relative humidity with a preset reference relative humidity when the measured illuminance is greater than the preset reference illuminance value. can do it

The increase/decrease in the blowing amount may be performed by adjusting the driving RPM of the blower 170 . A case in which the air blowing step of the humidifier 100 is composed of five stages from the lowest RPM stage 1 to the highest RPM stage 5 will be described as an example. If the measured illuminance is less than or equal to a preset reference illuminance value, the blower 170 may be driven at the lowest RPM, 1st stage, in order not to disturb the user's rest (sleep) (ie, for quiet driving). And, if the measured illuminance is greater than a preset reference illuminance value, the blower 170 may be driven in two or more stages higher than the first stage. In addition, if the measured relative humidity is greater than or equal to the reference relative humidity value, since there is a large amount of water vapor in the air, the blower 170 can be driven in 4 or 5 stages for quick emptying of the bucket, and vice versa. If it is less than the relative humidity value, the blower 170 may be driven in three or two stages so that the amount of air blown is smaller than that in the case where the relative humidity value is higher than the reference relative humidity value.

Alternatively, on the basis of the blowing step corresponding to the current air condition (eg, the amount of dust), the blowing step may be increased or decreased according to the illuminance or relative humidity to be driven. For example, in the case where the set value of the blowing stage corresponding to the current air condition (eg, amount of dust) is 3 stages, if the measured illuminance is less than or equal to the preset reference illuminance value, than the current set blowing stage (3 stages) If the blower 170 is driven at a low blowing stage (for example, 1st stage or 2nd stage), and the measured illuminance is greater than a preset reference illuminance value, the current set blowing stage (3rd stage) is maintained or a quick bucket In order to perform the emptying operation, the blower 170 may be driven to the 4th or 5th stage higher than the current set blowing stage (3rd stage). In addition, if the measured relative humidity is greater than or equal to the reference relative humidity value, the blower 170 is driven to the 4th or 5th stage higher than the current set blowing stage (3rd stage) in order to perform a quick emptying of the bucket, and the measured relative humidity is If it is less than the reference relative humidity value, it is possible to maintain the current set blowing stage (3 stages) or drive the blower 170 to the second stage or one stage lower than the current set blowing stage (3 stages).

Meanwhile, the preset reference illuminance value or reference relative humidity value described above may consist of one value, but may also consist of two or more. As described above, when there are two or more reference illuminance values or reference relative humidity values, the increase/decrease in the airflow amount may be controlled in response to a section corresponding to the measured illuminance or the measured relative humidity.

As described above, the method for controlling or increasing/decreasing the amount of air blown in consideration of illuminance or relative humidity is not limited to the above-described methods, and various changes are possible.

On the other hand, in the state in which the control unit (C) blocks the water supply from the water tank 130 to the water tank 141, the air blower 170 is driven to empty the water tank according to the drying of the water absorbed by the humidifying member 160. Accordingly, the water accommodated in the water tank 141 is gradually consumed. Accordingly, the water level of the water contained in the water tank 141 is gradually lowered, and finally, the water level of the water tank 141 becomes the floor water level through the water detection sensor LS, or a state in which there is no water at the bottom of the water tank 141 can be detected. have.

As described above, even after the absence of water in the water tank 141 is detected through the water sensor LS, the humidifying member 160 maintains the moisture absorption state for a predetermined time. Therefore, in order to completely dry the water absorbed by the humidifying member 160, the control unit C may additionally perform an empty water tank mode for a preset additional drying time after no water is detected in the water tank 141. .

In this case, the additional drying time may be preset in consideration of the amount of water absorbed by the humidifying member 160 . On the other hand, as described above, the control unit (C) may increase or decrease the amount of air blown by the blower 170 based on at least one of illuminance and relative humidity. can be set.

As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, since the pressing part 190 is connected to the flow path adjusting member 180 and rotates integrally with the flow path adjusting member 180 , it is simple to rotate the flow path adjusting member 180 . A humidifying mode/emptying mode in which water is supplied from the water tank 130 to the water tank 141 by operation and a clean mode/drying mode in which water is not supplied from the water tank 130 to the water tank 141 are easily implemented. can be

In addition, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, water is supplied to the water tank unit 140 only when the flow path adjusting member 180 is in the humidification mode and/or the water tank emptying mode position, and in the clean mode and/or the water tank emptying mode. In the dry mode position, water supply to the water tank unit 140 is blocked. Accordingly, by performing the drying mode after the end of the humidification mode, moisture present in the water tank unit 140 and/or the humidifying member 160 is removed, thereby contamination or bacteria of the water tank unit 140 and/or the humidifying member 160 occurrence can be minimized. In addition, by performing the bucket emptying mode, the water contained in the bucket 130 can be emptied, and accordingly, it is possible to minimize the contamination of the water accommodated in the bucket 130 or the generation of bacteria.

On the other hand, in the case of the first embodiment of the present invention, although the humidification member 160 has been described as having a state immersed in the water accommodated in the water tank 141, the water supplied from the water tank 130 to the water tank 141 is the humidifying member. If it is provided in 160 and can perform humidification, the shape, structure and/or operation method of the humidifying member 160 is not limited to the above-described submerged humidification structure, and various changes are possible. For example, the structure in which water is supplied to the humidifying member 160 is a structure in which water contained in the water tank 141 is sprayed to the humidifying member 160 or the water contained in the water tank 130 or the water tank 141 is a humidifying member. A structure in which a water tank 141 is installed in the lower part of the humidifying member 160 to flow along the surface of the humidifying member 160 and to receive water flowing down from the humidifying member 160, or a disk in which the humidifying member 160 is rotationally driven Various modifications, such as a structure having a shape, are possible. Even in this case, the water contained in the water tank 141 and/or the humidifying member 160 is dried by blowing air toward the humidifying member 160 in a state in which the water supply of the water tank 141 is blocked from the water tank 130. can be performed, and when the preset condition is satisfied after the humidification mode is terminated, the water from the water tank 130 is supplied to the water tank 141 to perform forced humidification through the humidifying member 160 of the water tank 130. It becomes possible to perform the water tank emptying mode to empty the water.

[Humidifier 100 according to the second embodiment]

Next, the humidifier 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 16 .

12 is a perspective view of the water tank 130 and the water tank unit 140 provided in the humidifier 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the water tank unit 140 shown in FIG. 14 is a plan view showing a portion of the water tank unit 140 shown in FIG. 13 , and FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC′ of FIG. 14 , showing a closed state of the water supply valve member 135 . and FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC′ of FIG. 14 , and is a view showing an open state of the water supply valve member 135 .

In the case of the humidifier 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, as in the case of the humidifier 100 according to the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11 and 18 , the housing 110 and the water tank 130 . , the water tank unit 140, the humidifying member 160, the blower 170, the water supply control member 150, and may be configured to include a control unit (C), the air purification filter 120, the flow path control member 180 ) and at least a portion of the pressing unit 190 may be further included.

The humidifier 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 110 , a bucket 130 , a humidification member 160 , a blower 170 , an air purification filter 120 , and a flow path control member 180 . The configuration has the same or similar configuration to that of the humidifier 100 according to the first embodiment. However, there are some differences in the configuration of the water tank unit 140 , the water supply control member 150 and the pressurizing unit 190 , and the opening and closing operation of the water supply valve member 135 through the control unit C and the flow path control member 190 . There is a difference in that the conversion to the euro is performed independently. Therefore, in order to avoid unnecessary duplication, detailed descriptions of the same or similar parts will be omitted.

First, the water tank unit 140 is installed inside the housing 110 and receives the water supplied from the water tank 130 according to the opening of the water supply valve member 135 .

12 and 13 , the water tank unit 140 includes a water tank 141 having a water receiving space 141a for accommodating the water supplied from the water tank 130 , and at least a portion of the upper portion of the water tank 141 . It is configured to cover and may include a water tank cover 148 on which the water tank 130 is seated. In addition, the water tank 141 may include a humidifying member mounting portion 146 to which the humidifying member 160 is mounted.

In addition, the water tank cover 148 is detachably installed on the upper portion of the water tank 141 , and the water tank 130 may be seated on the seating surface 148a of the water tank 141 . That is, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 , the lower surface of the water supply valve member 135 provided in the water tank 130 may be supported on the seating surface 148a of the water tank cover 148 . Since the water tank cover 148 is detachable from the upper part of the water tank 141, the cleaning operation of the water tank 141 can be easily performed.

In addition, the water tank cover 148 includes an installation groove 147 in which the rotation shaft 153 of the water supply control member 150 to be described later is installed, the rod member 136b of the water supply valve member 135 and the water supply control member 150 . ), a through hole 148c formed through for the operation of the pressing portion 157 and a mounting opening 148b formed through for operation of the pressing portion 190 may be formed.

In addition, a water detection sensor (LS of FIG. 18 ) may be installed in the water tank unit 140 to detect the water level or the presence of water contained in the water tank 141 . The water level sensor LS may be installed inside the water tank unit 140 , but it is installed outside the water tank unit 140 for easy cleaning of the water tank unit 140 , so that when the water tank unit 140 is coupled, the capacitance It may be configured to measure the water level using the like.

In addition, the water supply control member 150 operates to open and close the water supply valve member 135 , and as the water supply valve member 135 is opened and closed, the water supply from the water tank 130 to the water tank 141 is made or blocked.

This water supply control member 150 is installed on the water tank cover 148 of the water tank unit 140 as shown in FIGS. 13, 15 and 16 , the water supply control member 150 and/or the water tank unit 140 . Can be removed for cleaning. That is, the water supply control member 150 is not installed on the bottom surface of the water tank unit 140 , but is installed on the water tank cover 148 detachable from the water tank 141 , so that it does not affect the cleaning of the water tank unit 140 .

13 to 16 , the water supply control member 150 may include a pressing part 157 that moves up and down to press the water supply valve member 135 .

Specifically, the water supply control member 150 includes a body portion 151 and a pressing portion 157 formed on one side of the body portion 151 to pressurize the water supply valve member 135 of the water tank 130 . ) and the operating part 155 formed on the other side of the body part 151 and arranged so as to be pressurizable by the pressing part 190 to be described later, and the pressing part 157 and the operating part 155. A rotating shaft portion 153 coupled to the installation groove 147 formed in the water tank cover 148 may be provided.

Through this configuration, the water supply control member 150 may have a structure in which the pressing part 157 rotates about the rotation shaft part 153 as an axis according to the movement of the operation part 155 and ascends and descends. That is, when the operation unit 155 is pressed and moved by the pressing unit 190 , and the contact between the pressing unit 190 and the operation unit 155 is released, the operation unit 155 operates the water supply valve member 135 . When moving by the elastic force of the elastic member provided in the water supply control member 150, the pressing part 157 and the operating part 155 may be configured to be able to seesaw movement about the rotation shaft part 153 as a center. .

In addition, since the water supply control member 150 is coupled to the installation groove 147 formed in the water tank cover 148 in which the rotating shaft part 153 is formed in the water tank cover 148 , the water tank 141 has a configuration for pressing the water supply valve member 135 or water supply control. Since the structure for the installation of the member 150 is not formed, there is an advantage that the bottom surface of the water tank 141 is easily cleaned.

In addition, the pressing unit 190 is configured to press the operation unit 155 of the water supply control member 150 so that the water supply control member 150 can rotate around the rotating shaft portion 153 .

13 to 16 , unlike the first embodiment of the present invention, since the flow path adjusting member 180 and the pressing unit 190 are driven by separate power sources, the pressing unit through a separate driving unit M It is possible to control 190 independently.

The driving unit M may be disposed in the housing 110 because power supply is required to move the pressing unit 190 . That is, by installing the driving unit M on the base portion 114 of the housing 110 adjacent to the water tank unit 140, the separation operation of the water tank unit 140 for cleaning does not affect the drive unit M. .

An example of the operation of the driving unit M, the pressing unit 190 and the water supply control member 150 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 16 .

The water supply control member 150 is provided with an operation part 155 protruding upwardly on the other side of the body part 151 , and the pressing part 190 slides so as to be in contact with the operation part 155 .

Specifically, the pressing part 190 is configured to be exposed to the upper side of the water tank cover 148 through the mounting opening 148b formed in the water tank cover 148, and one side of the pressing part 190 has a rack gear part ( 191) is formed. In addition, the driving unit M includes a driving gear PG that is rotated by a motor (not shown), and the driving gear PG is engaged with the rack gear 191 of the pressing unit 190 and rotates while rotating. 190) may be configured to slide.

15 , in a state where the lower side of the pressing part 190 does not press the operation part 155 of the water supply control member 150 , the pressing part 157 is the rod member 136b of the water supply valve member 135 . Since the pressure is not pressed, the sealing member 136a closes the discharge port of the cap member 137 , and the water in the water tank 130 is not supplied to the water tank unit 140 .

Referring to FIG. 16 together with FIGS. 12 to 14 , when the driving unit M is operated in the closed state of the water supply valve member 135 of FIG. 15 , the driving gear PG is rotated, and accordingly, the driving gear ( PG) and the pressing part 190 having the rack gear part 191 engaged with it slides (downward direction in FIG. 14, arrow direction in FIG. 16). The sliding pressing part 190 comes into contact with the operation part 155 of the water supply control member 150 to move the operation part 155 in the downward direction, and accordingly, the pressing part 157 rotates the rotation shaft part 153 . The center moves upward to press the rod member 136b of the water supply valve member 135 . Through this, the sealing member 136a opens the discharge port of the cap member 137 , and water from the water tank 130 is supplied to the water tank unit 140 .

As described above, by performing opening and closing of the water supply valve member 135 through the configuration of the driving unit M and the water supply control member 150 , the water supply from the water tank 130 to the water tank unit 140 can be independently controlled.

Therefore, the humidifier 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention can independently control whether or not water is supplied to the water tank 141 through the flow path switching of the flow path control member 180 and the opening and closing of the water supply valve member 135 . be able to Therefore, even in the case of the humidifier 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the clean mode, humidification mode, drying mode, and bucket emptying mode described in the first embodiment can be performed through the control of the controller (C).

In particular, in the case of the second embodiment, it is possible to separately control the flow path switching of the flow path control member 180 and the supply of water to the water tank 141 through the control unit C, so that the drying mode and the bucket emptying mode are performed. It becomes possible to diversify the flow path composition of the case. That is, in order to dry the water contained in the humidifying member 160 and/or the water tank 141 when the drying mode is performed, the water supply from the water tank 130 to the water tank 141 is cut off as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11 , the air may be discharged only through the humidified air outlet 118 , or the air may be split and discharged to the humidified air outlet 118 and the clean air outlet 117 as shown in FIG. 11 . In addition, in order to perform forced humidification for emptying the water contained in the bucket 130 when performing the bucket emptying mode, humidification as shown in FIG. 10 is made in a state in which water is supplied from the bucket 130 to the water tank 141 . It may be configured such that air is discharged only through the air outlet 118 , or the air is branched and discharged to the humidified air outlet 118 and the clean air outlet 117 as shown in FIG. 11 .

[Humidifier 100 according to the third embodiment]

Next, the humidifier 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 17 .

17 is a cross-sectional view showing the opening and closing structure of the water supply valve member 135 according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

In the case of the humidifier 100 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, as in the case of the humidifier 100 according to the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11 and 18 , the housing 110 and the water tank 130 . , the water tank unit 140, the humidifying member 160, the blower 170, the water supply control member 150, and may be configured to include a control unit (C), the air purification filter 120, the flow path control member 180 ) and at least a portion of the pressing unit 190 may be further included.

The humidifier 100 according to the third embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 110 , a bucket 130 , a humidifying member 160 , a blower 170 , an air purification filter 120 and a flow path control member 180 . The configuration has the same or similar configuration to that of the humidifier 100 according to the first and second embodiments. However, in the humidifier 100 according to the third embodiment, in comparison with the configuration of the second embodiment, the water tank cover 148 of the water tank unit 140, the water supply control member 150 and the pressure part 190 in some configurations. There is a difference, there is a difference only in that the opening and closing operation of the water supply valve member 135 through the control unit (C) is made by magnetic force. Therefore, in order to avoid unnecessary duplication, detailed descriptions of the same or similar parts will be omitted.

In the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 17 , the water supply control member 150 is installed on the base part 114 of the housing 110 , and the water supply valve member by magnetic force so that water can be supplied from the water tank 130 to the water tank 141 . (135) is configured to open and close.

That is, a permanent magnet or a magnetic member 136d made of a material with strong magnetism may be mounted at the tip of the rod member 136b of the water supply valve member 135, and the base portion 114 of the housing 110 in response thereto. A magnetic force generating unit 195 to which magnetic force is applied by power supply may be provided.

Accordingly, when a magnetic force is applied to the magnetic force generating unit 195 constituting the water supply control member 150 by the driving unit M, the water supply valve member 135 may be opened and closed.

For example, as shown in FIG. 17, when a magnetic force is applied to the magnetic force generating unit 195 so that a repulsive force acts between the magnetic force generating unit 136d and the magnetic force generating unit 195, the magnetic force member 136d is formed by the repulsive force. As a result, the sealing member 136a opens the discharge port of the cap member 137 to supply water from the water tank 130 to the water tank unit 140 .

Accordingly, the humidifier 100 according to the third embodiment of the present invention can independently control whether or not water is supplied to the water tank 141 through the flow path switching of the flow path control member 180 and the opening and closing of the water supply valve member 135 . be able to Therefore, even in the case of the humidifier 100 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the clean mode, humidification mode, drying mode, and bucket emptying mode described in the first embodiment can be performed through the control of the controller (C).

In addition, in the case of the third embodiment, as in the case of the second embodiment, it is possible to separately control the flow path switching of the flow path adjustment member 180 and the supply of water to the water tank 141 through the control unit C, so that the drying mode and the emptying of the water tank are possible. It becomes possible to diversify the flow path configuration in the case of performing the mode.

Next, the humidifier control method ( S100 , S200 ) according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 to 29 .

The control method (S100, S200) of the humidifier according to the present invention is a control method (S100) of the humidifier including a drying step for drying the water contained in the water tank 141, and the water tank to enable emptying of the water contained in the water tank 130. It is configured to include a control method (S200) including an emptying step.

At this time, the humidifier control method ( S100 , S200 ) according to the present invention may be applied to the humidifier 100 in which the water supplied to the water tank 141 from the water tank 130 is provided to the humidifying member 160 to perform humidification. have.

Hereinafter, the humidifier control method (S100, S200) according to the present invention will be described based on the humidifier 100 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 18, but the humidifier control method (S100, S200) according to the present invention If the humidifier 100 to which this is applied can control whether or not water is supplied from the water tank 130 to the water tank 141, its specific configuration is not limited to the configuration of the humidifier 100 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 18 . In addition, the humidifier 100 to which the humidifier control method ( S100 , S200 ) according to the present invention is applied is not limited to a humidifier having only a humidifying function, and includes a humidifier purifier with an air purification function or other additional functions. All humidifiers may be included.

[Control method of humidifier including drying step (S100)]

With reference to FIGS. 19 to 24 , a control method ( S100 ) of the humidifier including the drying step of the water tank 141 will be described.

19 is a flowchart of a control method (S100) of a humidifier including a drying step according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 20 to 24 are for a drying step in the control method (S100) shown in FIG. It is a flowchart illustrating various embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 19 , in the control method S100 of a humidifier including a drying step according to an embodiment of the present invention, the water supplied from the water tank 130 to the water tank 141 is provided to the humidifying member 160 to humidify. It relates to a control method of the humidifier 100 for performing a humidification step (S110) and a drying step (S150 ~ 170) is configured to include, and may further include a subsequent step (S190) proceeding after the drying step have.

First, the humidification step ( S110 ) is configured to proceed with a humidification mode in which humidification is performed through the humidifying member 160 . This humidification step (S110) corresponds to the humidification mode described through the first to third embodiments of the humidifier 100, and the detailed description of the humidification step (S110) will be replaced with the description of the humidification mode described above. This humidification step (S100) is performed until a humidification end signal is input, and when the humidification end signal is input (S120), the humidification mode is terminated.

Such a humidification end signal may include an end signal for turning off the driving of the humidifier 100 and a third mode progress signal for performing a third mode other than the humidification mode and the drying mode. In this case, the third mode progress signal may include a standby signal for terminating the humidification step and waiting. The end signal and the third mode progress signal may be input by a user's selection or setting of the humidifier 100 .

Then, after the humidification mode is finished, the drying step (S150 to 170) of the drying mode in which the water tank 141 and/or the humidifying member 160 is dried is performed.

These drying steps (S150 to 170) are, as shown in FIG. 19, a drying mode performing step (S150) in which the drying mode is performed in a state in which the water supply from the water tank 130 to the water tank 141 is blocked, and the drying mode It may be configured to include a completion determination step (S160) of determining whether or not the drying mode is completed, and an end step (S170) of terminating the drying mode after the drying mode is completed.

First, the drying mode performing step ( S150 ) corresponds to the drying mode described through the first to third embodiments of the humidifier 100 . And, the drying mode performing step (S150) is performed in a state in which the water supply valve member 135 is closed, and the operation for closing the water supply valve member 135 in the drying mode performing step (S150) is the above-described drying mode. to be replaced by the material.

In addition, in the drying mode performing step ( S150 ), at least a portion of the air blown by the blower 170 may be configured to flow to the humidifying member 160 . For example, as described in the first embodiment of the humidifier 100 , the air blower 170 is driven in a state where the flow path adjusting member 180 is positioned at the position shown in FIG. 11 , so that a part of the air is transferred to the humidifying member 160 . ) and discharged through the humidified air outlet 118 and the remaining air may be discharged through the clean air outlet 117 . In addition, as described through the second and third embodiments of the humidifier 100 , when the driving of the flow path adjusting member 180 and the opening and closing of the water supply valve member 135 are made independently of each other, the flow path adjusting member 180 is Since it can be controlled to be the position of FIG. 10 as well as the position of FIG. 11 , the air blown from the blower 170 is discharged through the humidifying air outlet 118 through the humidifying member 160 . It is also possible

On the other hand, the drying mode performing step (S150) is performed in a state in which the humidifying member 160 is immersed in the water tank 141, so that the water contained in the water tank 141 can be removed through blowing to the humidifying member 160. can

20 to 24 , the drying mode performing step ( S150 ) may be configured to adjust the airflow amount based on at least one of illuminance and relative humidity.

For example, in the drying mode performing step (S150), as shown in FIGS. 20 and 23 , the airflow amount may be adjusted in consideration of both illuminance and relative humidity, and as shown in FIGS. 21 and 24 , It may be configured to adjust the amount of air blown in consideration of the illuminance, and may be configured to adjust the amount of air blown in consideration of relative humidity as shown in FIG. 22 .

And, in the drying mode performing step (S150), as shown in FIGS. 20, 21, 23 and 24, the measured illuminance is compared with a preset reference illuminance value (S151), and when the measured illuminance is less than or equal to the reference illuminance value, the amount of air blown may be configured to decrease (S155), and as shown in FIGS. 20, 22 and 23, by comparing the measured relative humidity with a preset reference relative humidity value (S153), the measured relative humidity is equal to or greater than the reference relative humidity value In this case, it may be configured to increase the blowing amount compared to the blowing amount (S156) when it is smaller than the reference relative humidity value (S157).

20 and 23 , in the drying mode performing step (S150), the measured illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor (IS in FIG. 18) is compared with the reference illuminance value (S151), and measured at night (bedtime). When the illuminance is less than the reference illuminance value, the blower 170 is driven at the lowest RPM to minimize the blowing volume (S155), and when the measured illuminance is greater than the reference illuminance value, the measured relative humidity and the reference relative humidity are compared (S153) , when the measured relative humidity is greater than or equal to the reference relative humidity value, the drying of the humidifying member 160 is not smooth due to the large amount of water vapor in the air. (S157), when the measured relative humidity is less than the reference relative humidity value, the blower 170 may be driven at a low RPM to reduce the amount of air blown (S156).

And, as shown in FIGS. 21 and 24, the drying mode performing step (S150) may have a configuration that considers the illuminance but does not consider the relative humidity. In this case, the measured illuminance and the reference illuminance value are compared ( S151), when the measured illuminance is less than the reference illuminance value, such as at night (bedtime), the blower 170 is driven at the lowest RPM to minimize the blowing volume (S155), and when the measured illuminance is greater than the reference illuminance value, the blower By driving 170 at a low RPM or a normal RPM selected according to air quality, it may be configured to adjust the airflow amount (S156).

In addition, as shown in FIG. 22 , the drying mode performing step ( S150 ) may have a configuration that considers relative humidity but does not consider illuminance. In this case, the measured relative humidity is compared with a reference relative humidity value ( S153 ). ), when the measured relative humidity is greater than or equal to the reference relative humidity value, the amount of water vapor in the air is large, so the drying of the humidifying member 160 is not smooth. and (S157), when the measured relative humidity is less than the reference relative humidity value, the blower 170 may be driven at a low RPM to reduce the amount of air blown (S156).

This increase/decrease in the blowing amount may be configured to simply increase the driving RPM of the blower 170 according to the illuminance and/or relative humidity, but based on the blowing step corresponding to the current air condition (eg, the amount of dust) At the same time, it can be driven by increasing or decreasing the blowing stage according to the illuminance or relative humidity. For example, the blowing stage of the humidifier 100 is composed of five stages from the lowest RPM stage 1 to the highest RPM stage 5, and the blowing stage setting value corresponding to the current air condition (eg, amount of dust) is 3 A single case is assumed and described. In this case, if the measured illuminance is less than or equal to the reference illuminance value, the blower 170 is set at a lower blowing stage (for example, 1st stage or 2nd stage) than the current set blowing stage (3rd stage) for quiet operation. drive (S155), and if the measured illuminance is greater than the reference illuminance value, the 4th or 5th stage higher than the current set blowing stage (3rd stage) in order to maintain the current set blowing stage (3rd stage) or perform a quick drying operation to drive the blower 170 (S157). In addition, if the measured relative humidity is greater than or equal to the reference relative humidity value, the blower 170 is driven to the 4th or 5th stage higher than the current set blowing stage (3rd stage) in order to perform a quick drying operation, and the measured relative humidity is the standard If it is less than the relative humidity value, it is possible to maintain the current set blowing step (3rd stage) or drive the blower 170 to the second or first stage lower than the current set blowing step (3rd stage).

On the other hand, the above-described reference illuminance value or reference relative humidity value may consist of one value, but it is also possible to consist of two or more. As described above, when there are two or more reference illuminance values or reference relative humidity values, the increase/decrease in the airflow amount may be controlled in response to a section corresponding to the measured illuminance or the measured relative humidity.

As described above, the method for controlling or increasing/decreasing the amount of air blown in consideration of illuminance or relative humidity is not limited to the above-described methods, and various changes are possible.

Further, the completion determination step (S160) of determining whether the drying mode is completed may be determined according to whether a preset drying time has elapsed as shown in FIGS. 20 to 22 (S161), and the drying setting time When this elapses, the drying mode is terminated (S170).

That is, the drying steps S150 to 170 may be performed for a preset drying time. The drying setting time may be preset in consideration of the amount of water contained in the water tank 141 , the amount of water absorbed by the humidifying member 160 , and the like. Meanwhile, as described above, in the drying mode performing step (S150), the airflow amount of the blower 170 may be increased or decreased based on at least one of illuminance and relative humidity. You can set the set time.

Contrary to this, the completion determination step (S160) of determining whether the drying mode is completed is a step of determining whether no water is detected in the water tank 141 as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24 (S165); It may be configured to include a step (S166) of determining whether an additional drying time has elapsed after detecting no water in the water tank 141, and may be configured to end the drying mode when the additional drying time has elapsed (S170) have.

That is, as the drying mode performing step (S150) proceeds in a state in which the water supply from the water tank 130 to the water tank 141 is cut off, the water contained in the water tank 141 is gradually consumed, and accordingly, the water contained in the water tank 141 is used up. The water level is gradually lowered and finally there is no water at the bottom of the water tank 141 . As described above, even after the absence of water in the water tank 141 is sensed, the humidifying member 160 maintains the moisture absorption state for a predetermined time. Therefore, in order to completely dry the water absorbed in the humidifying member 160, in the step of determining whether the drying mode is complete (S160), after the absence of water in the water tank 141 is detected, the drying mode is additionally performed for an additional drying time. can do.

In this case, the additional drying time may be preset in consideration of the amount of water absorbed by the humidifying member 160 . On the other hand, as described above, the drying mode performing step (S150) may increase or decrease the amount of air blown by the blower 170 based on at least one of illuminance and relative humidity. Drying time can be set.

And, after the drying mode ends (S170), the subsequent step proceeds (S190). As described above, the drying steps S150 to 170 are performed after the humidification end signal input S120, and the humidification end signal may include a humidifier driving end signal and a third mode progress signal.

Accordingly, in the subsequent step (S190), after the drying step is finished (S170), the driving of the humidifier 100 is turned off or the third mode is performed according to the humidifier end signal. In this case, the third mode progress signal may include a clean mode in which the air filtered through the air purification filter 120 is discharged without passing through the humidifying member 160 .

[Control method of the humidifier including the step of emptying the bucket (S200)]

Finally, with reference to FIGS. 25 to 29 , the control method ( S200 ) of the humidifier including a water tank emptying step capable of emptying the water contained in the water tank 130 will be described.

25 is a flowchart of a humidifier control method including a water tank emptying step according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 26 is a flowchart for a humidifier control method including a water tank emptying step, according to another embodiment of the present invention and FIGS. 27 to 29 are flowcharts illustrating various embodiments of the emptying step of the water tank in the control method shown in FIGS. 25 and/or 26 .

25 and 26, in the control method (S200) of the humidifier including the step of emptying the water tank according to an embodiment of the present invention, the water supplied from the water tank 130 to the water tank 141 is a humidifying member 160. It relates to a control method of the humidifier 100 for performing humidification provided in, a humidification/drying step (S210), a water tank emptying mode determining whether to perform a performance determination step (S240, S240a), and a water tank emptying step ( S250-270), and the water replacement alarm step (S230) performed before the water tank emptying step (S250-270), and the water tank separation detection step (S280) performed during each step. can

First, in the humidification/drying step ( S210 ), a humidification mode or a drying mode is performed. Among the humidifying/drying steps (S210), the humidifying step is configured to proceed with a humidification mode in which humidification is performed through the humidifying member 160 . Such a humidification mode corresponds to the humidification mode described through the first to third embodiments of the humidifier 100, and the detailed description of the humidification step will be replaced with the description of the humidification mode described above. In addition, the drying step of the humidification/drying step (S210) is a water tank 141 and/or a humidifying member ( 160) is configured to proceed with the drying mode in which the drying is made. Execution of this drying mode corresponds to the drying mode described through the first to third embodiments of the humidifier 100, and the detailed description of the drying step will be replaced with the description of the drying mode described above. On the other hand, the humidification/drying step S210 shown in FIGS. 25 and 25 may be configured not only in a configuration in which a drying step is performed after the humidifying step, but also in a configuration in which only the humidifying step is performed.

After the humidification/drying step (S210) is completed, it is determined whether or not it corresponds to a preset condition required for performing the bucket emptying mode through the performing determination steps (S240, S240a), and if it corresponds to the preset condition, the bucket 130 A bucket emptying step (S250 to 270) of supplying water from the water to the water tank 141 and performing forced humidification through the humidifying member 160 to perform a bucket emptying mode in which the water of the bucket 130 is emptied may be performed.

At this time, in the control method (S200) of the humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, in order to prevent the bucket emptying mode from being performed unnecessarily and frequently, the user has to empty the bucket or replace the water directly before the execution determination step (S240, S240a). A water replacement alarm step (S230) for visually and/or audibly guiding the necessity may be additionally performed.

That is, after the aforementioned humidification/drying step (S210) is finished, the user does not drain the old water contained in the bucket 130 or replace it with new water, and the preset alarm set time (first set time) elapses. It is determined whether or not (S220), and when the alarm set time (the first set time) has elapsed, it is possible to inform the user that the water tank 130 needs emptying or water replacement through the water replacement alarm step S230. The alarm setting time may be set to a fixed time (eg, 48 hours) calculated from the end of the humidification mode or drying mode, but it is also possible to configure it to be changed in consideration of the season, ambient temperature, humidity, and the like.

In addition, whether the user has performed the water tank 130 or water replacement may be determined by whether the user separates the water tank 130 from the housing 110 (S280). At this time, the detection of the separation of the bucket 130 is a sensor (not shown) that detects the weight of the bucket 130 or a sensor (not shown) that determines whether the bucket 130 is mounted using a magnetic field, etc. method can be used.

And, if the separation of the water tank 130 is detected before the alarm set time (first set time), it is determined that there is emptying of water or replacement of water accommodated in the water tank 130, and the alarm set time (first set time) is set. It is reset and initialized (S290), and then waits until the humidification mode or drying mode is performed and then ends (S210). In addition, if the separation of the bucket 130 is not detected, the process proceeds to the next step (S285), and it is determined again whether the alarm setting time (the first setting time) has elapsed (S220).

In addition, when the alarm set time (the first set time) has elapsed, the water replacement alarm step (S230) is performed to inform the user that the water tank 130 needs to be emptied or water needs to be replaced.

After the water replacement alarm step (S230), it is determined whether the user separates the water tank 130 from the housing 110 (S280), and when the separation of the water tank 130 is detected, the alarm set time (first set time) is set. It is reset and initialized (S290), and then waits until the humidification mode or drying mode is performed and then ends (S210). In addition, if the separation of the bucket 130 is not detected, the process proceeds to the next step (S285), and it is determined again whether the bucket empty mode is performed (S240, S240a).

In the performing determination step (S240, S240a) of determining whether to perform the bucket emptying mode, it is determined whether the bucket emptying step (S250 to 270) corresponds to a preset condition in which it is performed.

In this way, as shown in FIG. 25 , the preset condition under which the bucket emptying mode is performed is a water bucket preset in a state in which the separation of the bucket 130 is not detected after the humidification mode is terminated or the drying mode is terminated. It may be configured that the empty set time (second set time) has elapsed (S240). This bucket emptying set time has a larger value than the aforementioned alarm set time and can be set to a fixed time (for example, 60 hours) calculated from the end of the humidification mode or drying mode (S210), but the season or ambient temperature, It is also possible to configure it to be changed in consideration of humidity and the like. And, if the separation of the water tank 130 is detected during or after the performing determination step (S240) (S280), it is determined that there is emptying or replacement of water accommodated in the water tank 130, and the above-described alarm setting Both the time (the first set time) and the empty water bottle set time (the second set time) are reset to initialize (S285).

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 26 , the preset condition under which the bucket emptying mode is performed is the amount of measured microorganisms measured from the water inside the bucket 130 after the humidification mode is terminated or the drying mode is terminated in advance. It may be configured to be greater than or equal to the set microorganism value (S240a). The measurement of the amount of such microorganisms may be performed using a known microorganism detection sensor (MS of FIG. 18), such as a biosensor. In addition, the set microorganism value may also have a fixed value, but it is also possible to configure it to be changed in consideration of the season, ambient temperature, humidity, etc. so that the growth rate of microorganisms can be considered. And, if the separation of the water tank 130 is detected during or after the performing determination step (S240a) (S280), it is determined that there is emptying or replacement of water accommodated in the water tank 130, and the above-described alarm setting Both the time (the first set time) and the empty water bottle set time (the second set time) are reset to initialize (S285).

And, if the bucket emptying mode corresponds to a preset condition for performing (S240 in FIG. 25, S240a in FIG. 26), the bucket emptying steps (S250 to 270) are performed. In this case, the water tank emptying step (S250 to 270) may be performed when the separation of the water tank 130 is not detected even after the water replacement alarm step (S230). However, as described above, the control method (S200) of the humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention does not necessarily include the water replacement alarm step (S230) described above, and thus the water tank emptying step (S250-270) is It is also possible that the water replacement alarm step (S230) is performed when it corresponds to a preset condition in which the empty water tank mode is performed (S240, S240a).

This bucket emptying step (S250 to 270) is a bucket emptying mode performing step (S250) in which the bucket emptying mode is performed in a state where the water supply from the bucket 130 to the water tank 141 is made, as shown in FIGS. 25 and 26 . ), a completion determination step (S260) of determining whether the bucket emptying mode is completed, and an ending step (S270) of terminating the bucket emptying mode after the bucket emptying mode is completed.

First, the bucket emptying mode performing step ( S250 ) corresponds to the bucket emptying mode described through the first to third embodiments of the humidifier 100 . And, the bucket emptying mode performing step (S250) is performed in a state in which the water supply valve member 135 is opened and water is supplied to the water tank 141, and the water supply valve member 135 in the bucket emptying mode performing step (S250). The operation for opening the water tank will be replaced with the description of the above-described empty water tank mode.

And, in the bucket emptying mode performing step (S250), at least a portion of the air blown by the blower 170 may be configured to flow to the humidifying member 160 . For example, as described in the first embodiment of the humidifier 100 , the air blower 170 is driven in a state where the flow path adjusting member 180 is positioned at the position shown in FIG. 11 , so that a part of the air is transferred to the humidifying member 160 . ) and discharged through the humidified air outlet 118 and the remaining air may be discharged through the clean air outlet 117 . In addition, as described through the second and third embodiments of the humidifier 100 , when the driving of the flow path adjusting member 180 and the opening and closing of the water supply valve member 135 are made independently of each other, the flow path adjusting member 180 is Since it can be controlled to be the position of FIG. 10 as well as the position of FIG. 11 , the air blown from the blower 170 is discharged through the humidifying air outlet 118 through the humidifying member 160 . It is also possible

On the other hand, the bucket emptying mode performing step (S250) is performed in a state in which the humidifying member 160 is immersed in the water tank 141, so that the water tank 141 is supplied from the water tank 130 through blowing to the humidifying member 160. Can be configured to allow the removal of water

27 to 29 , the bucket emptying mode performing step S250 may be configured to adjust the airflow amount based on at least one of illuminance and relative humidity.

For example, the bucket emptying mode performing step (S250) may be configured to adjust the airflow amount in consideration of both the illuminance and relative humidity as shown in FIG. 27, and the airflow amount in consideration of the illuminance as shown in FIG. may be configured to adjust the air flow rate in consideration of relative humidity as shown in FIG. 29 .

Then, in the bucket emptying mode performing step (S250), as shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, the measured illuminance is compared with a preset reference illuminance value (S251), and when the measured illuminance is less than or equal to the reference illuminance value, the airflow amount is reduced. (S255), as shown in FIGS. 27 and 29, by comparing the measured relative humidity with a preset reference relative humidity value (S253), if the measured relative humidity is greater than or equal to the reference relative humidity value, smaller than the reference relative humidity value It may be configured to increase the amount of air blown compared to the amount of air blown in the case (S256) (S257).

Referring to FIG. 27, in the bucket emptying mode performing step (S250), by comparing the measured illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor (IS in FIG. 18) with the reference illuminance value (S251), the measured illuminance is When the illuminance value is less than the reference illuminance value, the blower 170 is driven at the lowest RPM to minimize the blowing volume (S255), and when the measured illuminance is greater than the reference illuminance value, the measured relative humidity and the reference relative humidity are compared (S253), and measured When the relative humidity is higher than the reference relative humidity value, since there is a large amount of water vapor in the air and the water emptying of the water tank 130 through the humidifying member 160 is not smooth, the blower 170 is set at high RPM to perform the water tank emptying operation quickly. Drive to increase the amount of air blown (S257), and when the measured relative humidity is less than the reference relative humidity value, the blower 170 may be driven at a low RPM to decrease the amount of air blown (S256).

And, as shown in Figure 28, the bucket emptying mode performing step (S250) may have a configuration that considers the illuminance but does not consider the relative humidity, in this case by comparing the measured illuminance and the reference illuminance value (S251) , when the measured illuminance is below the reference illuminance value, such as at night (bedtime), the blower 170 is driven at the lowest RPM to minimize the blowing volume (S255), and when the measured illuminance is greater than the reference illuminance value, the blower 170 ) may be configured to control the amount of air blown by driving at a low RPM or a normal RPM selected according to air quality (S256).

In addition, as shown in Figure 29, the bucket emptying mode performing step (S250) may have a configuration that considers the relative humidity but does not consider the illuminance, in this case by comparing the measured relative humidity and the reference relative humidity value ( S253), when the measured relative humidity is greater than or equal to the reference relative humidity value, the amount of water vapor in the air is large, so the water emptying operation of the water tank 130 through the humidifying member 160 is not smooth. ) is driven at a high RPM to increase the amount of air blown (S257), and when the measured relative humidity is less than the reference relative humidity value, the blower 170 may be driven at a low RPM to decrease the amount of air blown (S256).

This increase/decrease in the blowing amount may be configured to simply increase the driving RPM of the blower 170 according to the illuminance and/or relative humidity, but based on the blowing step corresponding to the current air condition (eg, the amount of dust) At the same time, it can be driven by increasing or decreasing the blowing stage according to the illuminance or relative humidity. For example, the blowing stage of the humidifier 100 is composed of five stages from the lowest RPM stage 1 to the highest RPM stage 5, and the blowing stage setting value corresponding to the current air condition (eg, amount of dust) is 3 A single case is assumed and described. In this case, if the measured illuminance is less than or equal to the reference illuminance value, the blower 170 is set at a lower blowing stage (for example, 1st stage or 2nd stage) than the current set blowing stage (3rd stage) for quiet operation. drive (S255), and if the measured illuminance is greater than the reference illuminance value, the 4th or 5th stage higher than the current set blowing stage (3rd stage) in order to maintain the current set blowing stage (3rd stage) or perform a quick emptying of the water tank It is possible to drive the blower 170 by the stage (S257). In addition, if the measured relative humidity is greater than or equal to the reference relative humidity value, the blower 170 is driven to the 4th or 5th stage higher than the current set blowing stage (3rd stage) in order to perform a quick emptying of the bucket, and the measured relative humidity is If it is less than the reference relative humidity value, it is possible to maintain the current set blowing stage (3 stages) or drive the blower 170 to the second stage or one stage lower than the current set blowing stage (3 stages).

On the other hand, the above-described reference illuminance value or reference relative humidity value may consist of one value, but it is also possible to consist of two or more. As described above, when there are two or more reference illuminance values or reference relative humidity values, the increase/decrease in the airflow amount may be controlled in response to a section corresponding to the measured illuminance or the measured relative humidity. As described above, the method for controlling or increasing/decreasing the amount of air blown in consideration of illuminance or relative humidity is not limited to the above-described methods, and various changes are possible.

And, the determination step (S260) of determining whether the bucket emptying mode is complete is a step (S265) of determining whether no water is detected in the water tank 141, as shown in FIGS. 27 to 28, and the water tank ( 141) may be configured to include a step (S266) of determining whether an additional drying time has elapsed after the absence of water is detected, and when the additional drying time has elapsed, the bucket emptying mode may be terminated (S270) .

That is, as the water tank emptying mode performing step (S250) proceeds in a state in which water is supplied from the water tank 130 to the water tank 141, the water contained in the water tank 141 is gradually consumed, and accordingly, the water tank 141 The water level of the water accommodated in the water is gradually lowered and finally there is no water at the bottom of the water tank 141 . As described above, even after the absence of water in the water tank 141 is sensed, the humidifying member 160 maintains the moisture absorption state for a predetermined time. Therefore, in order to completely dry the water absorbed by the humidifying member 160, in the determining whether the bucket emptying mode is complete (S260), after detecting no water in the water tank 141, the bucket emptying mode additionally for an additional drying time can be performed (S265).

In this case, the additional drying time may be preset in consideration of the amount of water absorbed by the humidifying member 160 . On the other hand, as described above, in the bucket emptying mode performing step (S250), the airflow amount of the blower 170 may be increased or decreased based on at least one of illuminance and relative humidity. Additional drying time can be set.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention described in the claims. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.

In particular, the present invention includes implementing some components that are not essential for the drying mode or the empty water tank mode in the various embodiments described above, by deleting them, replacing them with other components, or adding other components. In addition, the present invention may be configured to include the configurations of the above-described embodiments are implemented in a complex combination with each other.

100... Humidifier 110... housing
111... housing body 112... partition
112a, 112b... through hole 113... opening
115... intake 116... outlet
117... Clean air outlet 118... Humidified air outlet
120... Air purification filter 130... bucket
131... bucket body 135... Water supply valve member
136... switch 136a... sealing member
136b... rod member 136c... elastic member
136d... no magnetic force 137... Cap member
140... water tank unit 141... the tank
143... opening cover 145... cover extension
146... Humidifying member mounting part 147... installation home
148... water tank cover 148a... Seating surface
148b... mounting opening 148c... through hole
150... Water supply control member 151... body
153... Rotating shaft 155... actuation part
157... press 159... parts by weight
160... Humidification member 170... blower
180... flow adjustment member 181... body
183... rotary shaft 190... pressurized part
195... Magnetic force generating part C... control
F1... air flow path F2... Clean oil
F3... Humidifying oil HS... temperature and humidity sensor
IS,,, Illuminance sensor LS... water detection sensor
M... drive MS... Microbial detection sensor
PG... drive gear W... bulkhead
WH... through hole

Claims (28)

a housing having an inlet through which air is introduced and an outlet through which air is discharged;
a water tank having a water supply valve member that opens and closes to enable the discharge of water contained therein;
a water tank unit having a water tank receiving water from the water tank;
a humidifying member for performing humidification using the water supplied to the water tank;
a blower providing a blowing force so that the air introduced from the suction port flows to the discharge port;
a water supply control member for opening and closing the water supply valve member so that water supply from the water tank to the water tank is made or blocked; and
a control unit controlling the supply of water from the water tank to the water tank and driving of the blower;
includes,
The control unit, after the humidification mode for performing humidification is terminated, if a preset condition is met, the water from the water tank is supplied to the water tank to perform forced humidification through the humidifying member, thereby emptying the water of the water tank. Humidifier to do. According to claim 1,
The control unit controls the movement of the water supply control member so that the water supply valve member is in an open state when the bucket emptying mode is performed, and drives the blower to force humidification through the humidifier member. 3. The method of claim 2,
The preset condition is a humidifier configured to have a preset emptying time of the water tank elapses in a state in which separation of the water tank is not detected after the humidification mode is terminated. 3. The method of claim 2,
The control unit performs a drying mode in which the humidification member is dried in a state in which the supply of water from the water tank to the water tank is cut off after the humidification mode for performing humidification ends,
The preset condition is a humidifier configured to elapse of a preset time for emptying the water tank in a state in which separation of the water tank is not detected after the drying mode is terminated. 3. The method of claim 2,
The preset condition is a humidifier configured to be greater than or equal to a preset microbial value in the amount of microorganisms measured inside the bucket after the humidification mode is terminated. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The controller is configured to perform a water replacement alarm informing the user that the water tank needs to be emptied or water needs to be replaced when a preset alarm time has elapsed in a state in which the separation of the water tank is not detected after the humidification mode is terminated. . 7. The method of claim 6,
The control unit, the humidifier to perform the water tank empty mode when the separation of the water tank is not detected even in the water replacement alarm. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The control unit, the humidifier to adjust the airflow amount of the blower on the basis of at least one of illuminance and relative humidity when the bucket emptying mode is performed. 9. The method of claim 8,
The control unit, the humidifier to additionally perform the water tank emptying mode for a preset additional drying time after no water is detected in the water tank. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The water supply control member is a humidifier having a pressing part that moves up and down to press the water supply valve member. 11. The method of claim 10,
The water supply control member includes a body portion, the pressing portion formed on one side of the body portion to pressurize the water supply valve member, an operation portion formed on the other side of the body portion, and between the pressing portion and the operation portion It has a rotating shaft located in the
A humidifier in which the pressing part rotates about the rotation shaft part as an axis according to the movement of the operation part and moves up and down. 12. The method of claim 11,
a pressing unit for rotating the operating unit of the water supply control member around the rotating shaft;
further comprising,
The control unit controls the movement of the pressing unit, so that the water supply valve member is in an open state by pressing the operating unit by contacting the pressing unit with the operating unit when the humidification mode is performed, and the pressing unit is in an open state when the drying mode is performed. A humidifier that allows the water supply valve member to be in a closed state by releasing the state of pressing the operation unit. 13. The method of claim 12,
The discharge port includes a humidified air discharge port through which air introduced from the suction port and filtered through the air purification filter is discharged through the humidifying member, and a clean air discharge port through which the air is discharged without passing through the humidifying member.
The humidifier in which the air blown by the blower is discharged through at least one of the humidified air outlet and the clean air outlet by the flow path switching of the flow path control member. 14. The method of claim 13,
The pressurizer is configured to rotate integrally with the flow path adjusting member according to the rotation of the flow path adjusting member. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The water supply control member is a humidifier that opens and closes the water supply valve member by magnetic force.
In the control method of a humidifier in which water supplied from a water tank to a water tank is provided to a humidifying member to perform humidification,
a humidification step of performing a humidification mode in which humidification is performed through the humidifying member; and
A bucket emptying step of performing a forced humidification through the humidifying member by supplying the water of the water tank to the water tank when the preset condition is satisfied after the humidification mode is terminated, thereby performing a water tank emptying mode for emptying the water of the water tank;
includes,
The emptying of the bucket is a control method of a humidifier that is performed in a state in which at least a portion of the air blown by the blower is blown by the humidifying member. 17. The method of claim 16,
The preset condition is a control method of a humidifier configured to elapse of a preset time for emptying the water tank in a state in which separation of the water tank is not detected after the humidification mode is terminated. 17. The method of claim 16,
The preset condition is a control method of a humidifier configured to be greater than or equal to a preset microbial value in the amount of microorganisms measured inside the bucket after the humidification mode is terminated. 17. The method of claim 16,
a drying step of performing a drying mode in which the humidification member is dried in a state in which the water supply from the water tank to the water tank is blocked after the humidification mode is terminated;
Control method to the humidifier further comprising a. 20. The method of claim 19,
The preset condition is a control method of a humidifier configured to elapse of a preset time for emptying the water tank in a state in which separation of the water tank is not detected after the drying mode is terminated. 20. The method of claim 19,
The preset condition is a control method of a humidifier configured to be greater than or equal to a preset microbial value in the amount of microorganisms measured inside the bucket after the drying mode is terminated. 22. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 21,
a water replacement alarm step of notifying the user that the water tank needs to be emptied or water replacement is necessary when a preset alarm time has elapsed in a state in which the separation of the water tank is not detected after the humidification step is completed;
Control method of a humidifier further comprising a. 23. The method of claim 22,
The water tank emptying step is a control method of a humidifier that is performed when the separation of the water tank is not detected even after the water replacement alarm step. 22. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 21,
The emptying of the water tank is continued in a state in which the presence of water in the water tank is detected, and the humidifier control method is additionally performed for a preset additional drying time even after no water is detected in the water tank. 25. The method of claim 24,
In the emptying of the bucket, the control method of the humidifier is to adjust the amount of air blown based on at least one of illuminance and relative humidity. 26. The method of claim 25,
In the emptying of the bucket, when the measured illuminance is less than or equal to a preset reference illuminance value, the control method of the humidifier reduces the blowing amount. 26. The method of claim 25,
In the step of emptying the bucket, when the measured relative humidity is greater than or equal to a preset reference relative humidity value, the control method of the humidifier increases the amount of air blown compared to the case where the measured relative humidity is less than the reference relative humidity value. 26. The method of claim 25,
In the emptying of the bucket, the amount of air blown is minimized when the measured illuminance is less than or equal to a preset reference illuminance value, and when the measured illuminance is greater than the preset reference illuminance value, the airflow amount is increased or decreased by comparing the measured relative humidity with a preset reference relative humidity value. Humidifier control method.

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