JP2011174704A - Humidity control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a humidity control device using water stored in a tank and suppressing outflow of the water from the tank when a body falls. <P>SOLUTION: In a humidity control air cleaning device 1, a cover 401 is fitted to a side of a top face of a tank 40 stored in a body casing 10. The cover 401 includes a water supply/discharge port 402 and an opening 403. The water supply/discharge port 402 and the opening 403 are formed on a central line of the cover 401 extending in the longitudinal direction of the body casing 10 or near the central line. As a result, this structure can prevent the water in the tank 40 from completely flowing out from the water supply/discharge port 402 and the opening 403 when the body casing 10 falls in the direction of the front face or the back face. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a humidity control device, and more particularly to a humidity control device using water stored in a tank.

  As a typical example of a humidity control apparatus, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-221337), a dehumidifier that removes moisture from the air and stores the water in a tank is provided in the tank. There are humidifiers that vaporize stored water, and dehumidifiers that combine them.

  In such a humidity control device, the height dimension tends to be longer than the width and depth dimensions from the standpoint of installation location, portability, and design, which inevitably has the demerit that it easily falls over. And when the main body falls, water flows out of the tank.

  For this reason, a means for minimizing the outflow of water when the main body falls is necessary, but such a technique has not been disclosed yet.

  The subject of this invention is providing the humidity control apparatus which suppresses the water outflow from a tank, when a main body falls.

  A humidity control apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is a humidity control apparatus including a tank that stores moisture and a main body that stores the tank. Further, the tank has an opening and a wall extending in a substantially vertical direction around the opening on the upper surface side when stored in the main body. The opening is formed on or near the center line of the upper surface extending in the longitudinal direction of the main body. Further, a notch through which water is passed through the upper surface and the opening is formed in a part of the wall.

  In this humidity control device, when the main body falls in either the left or right direction with respect to the longitudinal direction, only the amount of water exceeding the opening height position flows out of the water in the tank. All of the water inside is prevented from flowing out. Further, when the water surface in the tank undulates due to shaking of the main body or the like, the progress of water that is about to jump out of the opening is hindered by the wall, so that the scattering of water is suppressed. Further, when the water scattered over the wall returns to the corner between the wall and the tank upper surface due to surface tension or the like, the water passes through the notch to the opening and enters the tank. As a result, water hardly stays on the upper surface of the tank, and sedimentation such as scale is suppressed.

  The humidity control apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention is the humidity control apparatus according to the first aspect, and is provided with a plurality of notches. In this humidity control apparatus, water does not easily stay on the upper surface of the tank, and accumulation of scale and the like is suppressed.

  The humidity control apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention is the humidity control apparatus according to the first aspect or the second aspect, wherein the opening is at the lowest position on the upper surface. An inclined surface that is inclined toward the opening is formed on the upper surface.

  In this humidity control apparatus, the water scattered over the wall surface flows through the inclined surface to the corner between the wall surface and the tank upper surface, and then proceeds to the opening through the notch and enters the tank. As a result, water hardly stays on the upper surface of the tank, and sedimentation such as scale is suppressed.

  A humidity control apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the humidity control apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the tank at least supplies water to the tank and drains the tank. It includes a water supply and drainage port. Except for the time of water supply and drainage, the water supply / drain port is closed by a shielding member.

  In this humidity control apparatus, at the time of falling, at least the outflow of water from the water supply / drainage port is prevented by the shielding member.

  A humidity control apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the humidity control apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, further comprising a humidification unit that vaporizes water supplied from the tank. . The opening includes a water intake for supplying water to at least the humidifying unit. A water supply member that supplies water in the tank to the humidification unit is disposed at the intake port.

  In this humidity control apparatus, since the water supply member is disposed in the water intake port that is a space, space is saved.

  A humidity control apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the humidity control apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the tank surrounds the upper surface in the vicinity of the edge of the upper surface, and is in the vertical direction. And a second wall extending to.

  In this humidity control apparatus, when the water surface in the tank undulates and water jumps out of the opening vigorously, the wall surface of the second wall blocks the water that is about to fall down along the upper surface. As a result, water scattering around the tank is prevented.

  A humidity control apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the humidity control apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the upper surface is a lid that is separable from the tank. In this humidity control apparatus, the tank can be easily cleaned.

  A humidity control apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the humidity control apparatus according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, and is a recess recessed into the interior of the second wall at a position opposite to the second wall of the lid. Grooves are formed. The open end of the tank covered with the lid is fitted in the concave groove.

  In this humidity control device, in addition to the function of holding the tank opening end by the concave groove, it also functions as a stealing meat when molding the second wall. Appearance defects due to are also prevented.

  In the humidity control apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, when the main body falls in either the left or right direction with respect to the longitudinal direction, all the water in the tank flows out from the opening. Is prevented. Further, when the water surface in the tank undulates due to shaking of the main body or the like, the progress of water that is about to jump out of the opening is hindered by the wall, so that the scattering of water is suppressed. Further, when the water scattered over the wall returns to the corner between the wall and the tank upper surface due to surface tension or the like, the water passes through the notch to the opening and enters the tank. As a result, water hardly stays on the upper surface of the tank, and sedimentation such as scale is suppressed.

  In the humidity control apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, at the time of falling, at least the outflow of water from the water supply / drainage port is prevented by the shielding member.

  In the humidity control apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the water supply member is disposed in the water intake port which is a space, and therefore, space is saved.

  In the humidity control apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, scattering of water around the tank is prevented.

  In the humidity control apparatus according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the tank can be easily cleaned.

  In the humidity control apparatus according to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the amount of material used at the time of lid molding is reduced, and appearance defects due to sink marks at the time of lid molding are also prevented.

The perspective view of the humidity control air cleaning apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view of the main body upper part of a humidity control air cleaning apparatus. The perspective view which removed the air purification unit from the humidity control air purification apparatus. The perspective view of a dehumidification unit and a humidification unit. The perspective view of a dehumidification unit. The front view which looked at the dehumidification unit from the heater side. The perspective view of a humidification unit. The perspective view of the humidification unit seen from the downstream of the air flow of FIG. The exploded perspective view of a water wheel. The perspective view of the state in which the dehumidification unit and the humidification unit were combined. The perspective view which shows the structure of the drain pan in the state in which the tank is inserted in insertion space, and its vicinity. The perspective view which shows the drain pan in the state in the middle of extracting the tank from insertion space, and the structure of the vicinity. The rear view which shows the inclination state of the drain pan in the state in which the tank is inserted in insertion space. The rear view which shows the inclination state of the drain pan in the state in the middle of the tank being extracted from insertion space. The perspective view which looked at the water tank from the upper part. The fragmentary sectional view in the AA line of FIG.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are specific examples of the present invention and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

<Configuration of humidity control air purifier>
A humidity control air purifying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention has a dehumidifying function, a humidifying function, and an air cleaning function, as a dehumidifier during a dehumidifying operation, as a humidifier during a humidifying operation, and during an air cleaning operation Works as an air purifier. Moreover, in the humidity control air cleaner of this embodiment, not only a single function but a several function can be operated simultaneously. For example, the humidity control air cleaning device 1 of the present embodiment can exhibit the air cleaning function and the dehumidifying function simultaneously, or can simultaneously exhibit the air cleaning function and the humidifying function. Hereinafter, the humidity control air cleaning device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a humidity control air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention. For convenience of explanation, the upstream side of the air flow path A shown in FIG. 1 is the front side, and the downstream side is the back side. In FIG. 1, the humidity control air cleaning device 1 includes a main body casing 10, an air cleaning unit 2, a dehumidifying unit 3, a humidifying unit 4, a blower 5, a control unit 6, and a tank 40. The air cleaning unit 2, the dehumidifying unit 3, the humidifying unit 4, the blower 5, and the control unit 6 are accommodated in the main body casing 10.

  The main body casing 10 is provided with a control unit 6 in the upper part and an insertion space S for inserting the tank 40 in the lower part. The dehumidifying unit 3 and the humidification unit are provided between the control unit 6 and the insertion space S. 4 is arranged.

  The blower 5 is located on the back side inside the main body casing 10. And the humidity control air purification apparatus 1 is arrange | positioned along with the order of the air purification unit 2, the dehumidification unit 3, the humidification unit 4, and the air blower 5 from the front side toward the back side. The air flow path A is formed by operating the blower 5, and the air sucked from the front side passes through the air purification unit 2, is purified, passes through the dehumidification unit 3, and then passes through the humidification unit 4. The air is blown out through the blower 5. The control part 6 is located in the upper part in the main body casing 10, and controls the air purification unit 2, the dehumidification unit 3, the humidification unit 4, and the air blower 5, respectively.

<Blowing out conditioned air>
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the upper part of the main body of the humidity control air cleaning device. In FIG. 2, an air outlet 111 is provided in the upper portion of the main body casing 10, and the air purified and conditioned through the air flow path A is blown out from the air outlet 111. The air blowing direction can be changed by the louver 112 installed at the opening of the air outlet 111.

  The louver 112 includes a partition blade 120, a first wind direction adjusting blade 121, and a second wind direction adjusting blade 122. The partition blade 120 partitions the air outlet 111 into a region through which the first blown air passes and a region through which the second blown air passes. The first wind direction adjusting blade 121 directs the first blown air in the first direction, and the second wind direction adjusting blade 122 directs the first blown air in the second direction. The first wind direction adjusting blade 121 and the second wind direction adjusting blade 122 intersect with the partition blade 120 and are supported by the partition blade 120 so as to be tiltable with respect to the vertical direction. The louver 112 is driven by a motor, and in FIG. 1, the louver 112 is in a closed state. However, when the operation is started, the louver 112 is automatically opened directly upward by the motor 15.

  Further, an operation panel 11 is provided on the upper portion of the main body casing 10 and is protected by a cover 113 (note that FIG. 1 shows a state where the cover 113 is removed). The control unit 6 is positioned below the operation panel 11, and the air cleaning unit 2, the dehumidifying unit 3, the humidifying unit 4, the blower 5, and the louver 112 are controlled based on a signal input from the operation panel 11. . The operation mode is switched by an operation switching button on the operation panel 11.

<Air purification unit>
FIG. 3 is a perspective view in which the air cleaning unit is removed from the humidity control air cleaning device. In FIG. 3, the air purification unit 2 includes a cover 21, a filter 22, a deodorizing catalyst 23, a dust sensor 24, and an odor sensor 25. The filter 22 and the deodorizing catalyst 23 are detachably accommodated in the accommodating portion 20 provided in the main body casing 10, and the deodorizing catalyst 23 is located on the downstream side of the air flow of the filter 22.

  Inside the filter 22, a prefilter, an ionization unit that charges dust positively, and a pleat filter charged negatively are arranged in order from the upstream side of the air flow. Dust in the air is removed by the prefilter, and small dust that cannot be completely removed by the prefilter is charged positively by the ionization unit and adsorbed by the negatively charged pleated filter.

  The deodorization catalyst 23 absorbs odors and harmful gases from the air that has passed through the filter 22 and decomposes them. The dust sensor 24 is provided on the upper side of the main body casing 10, and the odor sensor 25 is provided above the storage unit 20. Since the dust sensor 24 is isolated from the suction port 9 by being provided on the side surface of the main body casing 10, air that convects the detection target space is detected instead of detecting dirt in the air flow entering the suction port 9. As a result, the detection accuracy is improved.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the dehumidifying unit and the humidifying unit. In FIG. 4, the humidifying unit 4 is located on the back side with respect to the dehumidifying unit 3. 1 and 4 show a maintenance state in which the vaporizing element 41 which is a part of the humidifying unit 4 is popped out of the humidifying unit 4 and the tank 40 and the water wheel 42 are taken out, respectively, but the vaporizing element 41 is in an operating state. Is accommodated in a predetermined position of the humidifying unit 4, and the tank 40 and the water wheel 42 are accommodated in the insertion space S (see FIG. 1) of the main body casing 10.

<Dehumidification unit>
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the dehumidifying unit, and FIG. 6 is a front view of the dehumidifying unit viewed from the back side. 5 and 6, the dehumidifying unit 3 includes an adsorption element 31, a heater 32, a second blower 33, a blower pipe 34, and a heat exchange unit 35. The adsorbing element 31 is a honeycomb structure, and is formed into a disk shape from a porous material obtained by mixing and kneading zeolite powder, a binder, and an expansion agent. The binder is selected from thermoplastic resins such as modified PPE, polypropylene, polystyrene, and ABS resin, for example. The expansion agent expands when the honeycomb structure is formed, thereby forming innumerable bubbles. For this reason, the adsorption | suction element 31 has high adsorptivity with respect to a water | moisture content.

  The heater 32 is disposed to face a part of the back side of the adsorption element 31. The heater 32 has a substantially fan shape and is provided at a position covering about one-sixth of the back side of the adsorption element 31.

  The 2nd air blower 33 has a shape which protrudes toward the back side from the upper part of the adsorption | suction element 31. As shown in FIG. The heater 32 and the second blower 33 are connected by a first blower pipe 34a so that air can flow. By operating the second blower 33, an air flow is formed, and the air flows along the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 5 in the first blower pipe 34a. And the air which flowed to the heater 32 vicinity is heated there and turns into high temperature air.

  The air duct 34 has a first air duct 34a, a second air duct 34b, a third air duct 34c, and a fourth air duct 34d. The high-temperature air heated by the heater 32 travels from the back side of the opposing adsorption element 31 toward the front side in the thickness direction of the adsorption element 31 and flows out from the front side of the adsorption element 31. In the region where the high-temperature air passes in the region of the adsorption element 31, the retained moisture is released along the air flow by the second blower 33 by being warmed by the high-temperature air.

  The air that has passed through the adsorbing element 31 from the back side to the front side contains moisture released from the adsorbing element 31, becomes high-temperature and high-humidity air, and proceeds to the second blower pipe 34 b. The second air duct 34b is formed so as to cover a part of the adsorbing element 31 from the front side in order to direct almost all of the high-temperature and high-humidity air that has passed through the adsorbing element 31 to the third air duct 34c without resistance. Has been. The second blower pipe 34b has a substantially fan shape when viewed from the front, and is provided at a position sandwiching the same portion of the adsorption element 31 together with the heater 32 described above, and about 1/6 of the front side of the adsorption element 31 is provided. Covering.

  The third blower pipe 34c guides the high-temperature and high-humidity air flowing from the second blower pipe 34b to the right side when viewed from the front along the outer circumference of the adsorption element 31 in the radial direction. The third blower pipe 34c is provided with a plurality of long holes 35a penetrating in the thickness direction and is part of the air flow path A. The high-temperature and high-humidity air flowing through the third blower pipe 34c flows while being in contact with the wall surface forming the long hole 35a. For this reason, the air passing through the long hole 35a exchanges heat with the high-temperature and high-humidity air flowing through the third blower pipe 34c, and the heat quantity from the air flowing through the third blower pipe 34c is not mixed with each other. Take away. For this reason, the high-temperature and high-humidity air that has contacted the wall surface forming the long hole 35a is cooled, and dew condensation occurs inside the third blower pipe 34c on the wall surface forming the long hole 35a. The condensed water flows down in the third blower pipe 34c and flows into the tank 40 through the drain pan 50 through the drain port 38 (see FIG. 6) penetrating in the vertical direction.

  The fourth blower pipe 34 d communicates the third blower pipe 34 c and the second blower 33. The high-temperature and high-humidity air passing through the third blower pipe 34c is brought into contact with the wall surface forming the plurality of elongated holes 35a and deprived of heat and moisture, and then passes through the fourth blower pipe 34d to the second blower 33. Inhaled.

  The long hole 35a is provided so as to surround a part of the outer side of the adsorption element 31 in the radial direction, and the heat exchange part 35 is formed by the plurality of long holes 35a. The dehumidifying unit 3 is formed with a flat region 3a in which the dimension in the thickness direction is set to substantially the same value, and the third blower pipe 34c and the heat exchange unit 35 are included in the flat region 3a.

  In FIG. 6, the dehumidifying unit 3 further includes a drive motor 36. The drive motor 36 has a pinion gear 361. A driven gear 311 that meshes with the pinion gear 361 is provided on the outer periphery of the adsorption element 31. While the drive motor 36 is operating, power is transmitted to the driven gear 311 meshing with the pinion gear 361, and the adsorption element 31 rotates. When the adsorption element 31 is rotating, the air sucked into the main body casing 10 passes through the air flow path A, so that the air passes through a part of the adsorption element 31. When this air passes through the adsorbing element 31, the adsorbing element 31 adsorbs and holds moisture contained in the air to be passed, and reduces the moisture of the air after passing. Then, as the adsorption element 31 continues to rotate, the portion of the adsorption element 31 that retains moisture moves to a position facing the heater 32 and is heated. As a result, a part of the adsorbing element 31 that retains moisture releases the retained moisture on the spot, and hardly retains moisture. And the adsorption | suction element 31 contacts the new air which passes the air flow path A by continuing rotation, and adsorb | sucks and hold | maintains a water | moisture content from this new air. Thus, the adsorption | suction and discharge | release of a water | moisture content can be repeated because the adsorption | suction element 31 rotates.

  In FIG. 1, an operation panel 11 capable of selectively inputting an air cleaning operation, a dehumidifying operation, and a humidifying operation is provided on the uppermost surface of the main body casing 10. The operation panel 11 that receives the selection input is connected to the control unit 6 so as to be communicable. The operation panel 11 includes a selection button 37 that can select the rotation and stop of the adsorption element 31. When the selection button is switched to the OFF state during the dehumidifying operation, the rotation of the adsorption element 31 is stopped and positively performed. Dehumidification operation is stopped. At this time, since the heater 32 and the second blower 33 continue to operate, the high-temperature air circulates in the blower pipe 34. For this reason, since the air which flows through the air flow path A is warmed and blown off when passing the heat exchange part 35, small-scale heating can be performed. At this time, heating / humidifying operation can be performed by simultaneously operating the humidifying unit 4 described later. In the present embodiment, the heating / humidifying operation mode is set in advance in the control unit 6 so that the heating / humidifying operation can be selected from the operation panel 11.

<Humidification unit>
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the humidifying unit. In FIG. 7, the humidifying unit 4 is provided on the back side of the dehumidifying unit 3 inside the main body casing 10, and includes a vaporizing element 41, a water wheel 42, and a drive unit 43. The humidification unit 4 performs humidification using the water stored in the tank 40. The tank 40 is detachably accommodated in the insertion space S of the main body casing 10. When the water in the tank 40 is insufficient, in order to replenish the water for humidification, the user pulls out the tank 40 from the tank outlet 12 (see FIG. 1) of the main body casing 10 and replenishes the water. I do. In addition, since the humidity control air cleaning apparatus 1 of this embodiment stores the water captured by operating the dehumidification unit 3 in the tank 40, and the humidification unit 4 can utilize the water, it is only humidification. Compared with the conventional humidifier which performs, water replenishment frequency can be reduced.

  The vaporizing element 41 is a vaporizing member that is formed into a disk shape with a non-woven fabric and that evaporates water sent from the tank 40 by rotating. The vaporizing element 41 has a first gear 411 on the outer periphery, and the first gear 411 rotates when the drive unit 43 drives the drive gear 431. Since the vaporizing element 41 is disposed such that the lower end of the vaporizing element 41 is located above the water level in the full state of the tank 40, the vaporizing element 41 is not in direct contact with the water in the tank 40.

  A water amount sensor 144 is provided in the tank 40 (see FIG. 1). The water amount sensor 144 is a sensor that detects the amount of water in the tank 40, and is provided to prevent a drought state of the tank 40. The water amount sensor 144 can be replaced with a float switch.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the humidification unit and the tank as seen from the back side. In FIG. 8, the water wheel 42 is rotatably supported by a bearing 40 a provided in the tank 40. The water turbine 42 rotates to catch water in the tank 40 at a portion located below the water surface in the tank 40, pumps up to a portion on the water surface facing the vaporizing element 41, and pumps the pumped water up to the water wheel. Water is supplied to the vaporizing element 41 so as to be released from the vaporizing element 42.

  As a structural consideration, in order to reduce the dimension in the thickness direction of the humidifying unit 4 and make the thickness of the humidity control air cleaning device 1 itself compact, the vaporizing element 41 and the water turbine 42 have substantially the same axis of rotation. They are in a parallel positional relationship and are arranged adjacent to each other.

  The water wheel 42 is formed so as to be recessed in the axial direction in the vicinity of the outer periphery on the back side of the water wheel 42 in order to carry the water of the tank 40 to the vaporizing element 41 positioned further upward while rotating about the shaft. A plurality of substantially trapezoidal concave portions 421a are provided.

  FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the water wheel. In FIG. 9, the water wheel 42 is formed by combining a wheel 421, a wheel cover 422, a second gear 423, and the like.

  The wheel 421 is formed with a plurality of recesses 421a that are recessed toward the back side so as to be arranged along the circumference.

  The wheel cover 422 is formed with a plurality of substantially trapezoidal holes 422a penetrating in the axial direction. The wheel 421 and the wheel cover 422 are combined at positions where the plurality of recesses 421a of the wheel 421 face the plurality of holes 422a of the wheel cover 422, respectively. The size of the hole 422a is about half of the substantially trapezoidal shape that borders the vicinity of the upper portion of the recess of the recess 421a, and in the state where the wheel 421 and the wheel cover 422 are combined, the vicinity of the upper portion of the recess 421a is bordered. Approximately half of the approximately trapezoidal shape to be taken is covered, and approximately half is open. As a result, in a state where the wheel 421 and the wheel cover 422 are combined, a receiving groove is formed between the wheel 421 and the wheel cover 422 so as to be recessed in the vertical direction at a predetermined rotational position. It is possible to pump up.

  The second gear 423 is a gear that meshes with the first gear 411 (see FIG. 8) of the vaporizing element 41, and a rotation shaft 424 shared by the wheel 421, the wheel cover 422, and the second gear 423 is provided at the center of rotation. It has been. The second gear 423, the wheel cover 422, and the wheel 421 are sequentially stacked and combined with the rotation shaft 424 as the same axis.

  As the water wheel 42 rotates, the concave portion 421a sequentially passes through the water in the tank 40 and repeats the operation of leaving the water surface. When the recess 421a is submerged, water flows into the recess 421a through the hole 422a, and the receiving groove between the wheel 421 and the wheel cover 422 exits from the water in a state where the interior is filled with water.

  When the water wheel 42 further rotates and the receiving groove filled with water approaches the uppermost position, water in the receiving groove flows out downward through the hole 422a and passes through the uppermost position. Almost all water flows out. Since some momentum is added by gravity when water flows out, the water flows out so as to reach the front side of the vaporizing element 41 adjacent to the recess 421a.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the rotation shaft 424 is rotatably supported by the bearing 40 a of the tank 40. The height from the inner bottom surface of the tank 40 to the shaft core of the bearing 40a is such that the recess 421a at the lowest position of the water turbine 42 is submerged even when the water turbine 42 is disposed when the tank 40 is at the lowest water level. It is set to be the height to be.

  Further, since the upper half of the bearing 40 a is open, when the tank 40 is pulled out from the main body casing 10, the user can take out the water wheel 42 from the tank 40 and clean it.

<Positional relationship between dehumidification unit and humidification unit>
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a state where the dehumidifying unit and the humidifying unit are combined. In FIG. 10, the humidifying unit 4 is arranged below the second blower 33 of the dehumidifying unit 3 so as to overlap along the air flow direction. The vaporizing element 41 of the humidifying unit 4 faces the adsorbing element 31 and the heat exchange unit 35 (see FIG. 6) of the dehumidifying unit 3. The water turbine 42 is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the vaporizing element 41 and the heat exchange unit 35.

<Attachment / removal mechanism of vaporization element>
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the vaporizing element 41 is formed in a shape that does not project the rotating shaft in order to facilitate removal from the main body casing 10. The vaporizing element 41 is supported by the drive gear 431 and the second gear 423 when the first gear 411 meshes with the drive gear 431 and the second gear 423. In order for the first gear 411 to maintain a stable posture, the drive gear 431 and the second gear 423 are positioned below the rotation axis of the first gear 411 and are on the surface of the vertical center line of the vaporizing element 41. They are located on opposite sides of each other. For this reason, the vaporizing element 41 can rotate stably even if it is not supported by the shaft, and when it is taken out from the main body casing 10, there is no protruding shaft, so that it can be easily caught without being caught inside the main body casing 10. It is taken out.

  Similarly, when the vaporizing element 41 is housed in the main body casing 10, since there is no protruding shaft, the vaporizing element 41 is easily housed without being caught inside the main body casing 10. When the vaporizing element 41 is stored in the main body casing 10, the limit switch installed on the back side of the tank outlet 12 is turned on, so that the control unit 6 confirms the presence or absence of the vaporizing element 41 by this on signal. can do.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the main body casing 10, the outlet 13 is exposed by opening the rotary door 16. Thereby, the vaporizing element 41 can be taken out via the outlet 13 by opening the door 16. As a result, the user can take out the vaporizing element 41 and replace it.

(Drain pan)
FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a configuration of the drain pan and the vicinity thereof in a state where the tank is inserted into the insertion space, and FIG. 12 is a configuration of the drain pan and the vicinity thereof in a state where the tank is being extracted from the insertion space. FIG. FIG. 13 is a rear view showing the inclined state of the drain pan when the tank is inserted into the insertion space, and FIG. 14 shows the inclined state of the drain pan when the tank is being extracted from the insertion space. It is a rear view.

  11, 12, 13, and 14, the drain pan 50 includes a swing shaft 51, a spout 52, a preliminary container 53, a humidified water receiver 54, and an inclined rib 55. The swing shaft 51 is an axis extending from the front side toward the back side. The swing shaft 51 rotatably supports the drain pan 50.

  The spout 52 penetrates in the vertical direction in order to guide the water captured in the drain pan 50 to the tank 40 disposed below. The preliminary container 53 captures the condensed water generated in the dehumidifying unit 3. As shown in FIG. 14, the dehumidifying unit 3 can drop the condensed water generated in the heat exchanging unit 35 on the preliminary container 53 via the drain port 38 provided at the lower end of the dehumidifying unit 3. The humidified water receiver 54 captures water that the vaporizing element 41 cannot hold and drops when the water wheel 42 supplies water. The inclined rib 55 is a rib that protrudes further downward from the lower surface of the tank 40 on the insertion side, and is formed so that the degree of protrusion increases as it goes in the insertion direction.

  The drain pan 50 is larger and heavier on the side where the auxiliary container 53 and the inclined rib 55 are provided than on the side where the humidified water receiver 54 is provided with respect to the swing shaft 51. The swing shaft 51 is disposed closer to the humidified water receiver 54 than the center of gravity of the drain pan 50. For this reason, in a state where no force is applied to the drain pan 50, the drain pan 50 moves downward on the side where the preliminary container 53 and the inclined rib 55 are provided, and is lifted on the side where the humidified water receiver 54 is provided. .

(When the tank is inserted)
In the state where the tank 40 is inserted into the insertion space S, as shown in FIG. 13, at the point T, the upper surface portion of the tank 40 abuts against the inclined rib 55 of the drain pan 50 and lifts, and the drain pan 50 moves the swing shaft 51. It rotates as an axis and the inclined state of the drain pan 50 becomes a substantially horizontal state. As a result, in a state where the tank 40 is inserted, the drain pan 50 guides the water captured from the dehumidifying unit 3 and the humidifying unit 4 to the tank 40 existing below through the spout 52.

(When removing the tank)
In a state where the tank 40 is extracted from the insertion space S so as not to touch the inclined rib 55, the upper surface portion of the tank 40 is not in contact with the inclined rib 55 of the drain pan 50 at the point U as shown in FIG. For this reason, the drain pan 50 rotates about the swing shaft 51, and the drain pan 50 is tilted when the side on which the preliminary container 53 and the inclined rib 55 are provided moves downward and the humidified water receiver 54 is provided. The side is lifted.

  For example, when the tank 40 is full due to the condensed water from the dehumidifying unit 3 and the user pulls out the tank 40 and performs the drainage operation, the tank 40 is absent under the dehumidifying unit 3, but the heat exchange of the dehumidifying unit 3 is performed. Condensed water falling from the part 35 and the like can trap water temporarily until the water in the tank 40 is drained and the tank 40 is mounted again because the auxiliary container 53 is inclined and functions as a water receiver. it can. Further, since the humidifying water receiver 54 of the drain pan 50 is provided to extend vertically below the vaporizing element 41 of the humidifying unit 4, the vaporizing element 41 even when the tank 40 is extracted from the main body casing 10. Can capture the falling water from. Therefore, even when the tank 40 is extracted, it is possible to prevent the condensed water from the dehumidifying unit 3 and the falling water from the vaporizing element 41 from dropping on the bottom surface of the main body casing 10. When the tank 40 is inserted again, after the tank 40 is in the state of being present under the spout 52 of the drain pan 50, the water stored in the spare container 53 comes into contact with the inclined rib 55. Guide to tank 40.

  In the state where the tank 40 is extracted from the main casing 10, the vaporizing element 41 can be taken out from the outlet 13 by opening the door 16 as shown in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIG. 14, the humidified water receiver 54 of the drain pan 50 is in contact with the vaporizing element 41 in a state where the vaporizing element 41 is accommodated in the main body casing 10. When the vaporizing element 41 is taken out from the main body casing 10, the drain pan 50 is further inclined so that the position of the auxiliary container 53 is lowered, and more water can be held.

<Water outflow suppression measures when the main casing falls down>
In the present embodiment, measures are taken to minimize the outflow of water when the main casing 10 falls, and will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the tank as viewed from above. In FIG. 15, the lid 401 of the tank 40 is provided with a water supply / drain port 402 at the left center in the plan view of FIG. 15, and a water intake port 403 is provided from approximately the center to the right end center in the plan view of FIG.

  The water supply / drain port 402 is an opening for supplying water to the tank 40 and discharging water from the tank 40, and the water intake port 403 is an opening in which the water wheel 42 is disposed. As described above, the water supply / drain port 402 and the water intake port 403 are arranged at the substantially center, so that even when the main body casing 10 falls down and the tank 40 is inclined by approximately 90 °, water is kept in the tank 40 as much as possible. I am doing so.

  For example, when the main body casing 10 falls to the front, water can be retained from the lower end in the plan view of FIG. 15 to the line L1. Moreover, when the main body casing 10 falls back, water can be retained from the upper surface of FIG. 15 to the line L2. In the present embodiment, the water supply / drainage port 402 is closed by a stopper 49 (see FIG. 11) except during water supply and drainage, so that when the main body casing 10 falls down, water flows out of the water supply / drainage port 402. Is prevented.

  Further, when the fallen main body casing 10 is put in a normal posture or when the main body casing 10 is shaken, a flange 404 is provided around the water intake port 403 in order to prevent water from undulating and jumping out from the water intake port 403. Is provided. When the water intake port 403 is viewed from the side, the height position of the water intake port 403 is lower than the edge of the lid 401, and the surface connecting the water intake port 403 and the edge of the lid 401 is formed by a gently inclined surface 401a. ing. The water that jumps over the flange 404 flows on the inclined surface 401 a toward the flange 404. Since the notch 405 is formed in the flange 404, the water flowing on the inclined surface 401a reaches the corner between the flange 404 and the inclined surface 401a and further passes through the notch 405 from the corner. The process proceeds to 403 and is collected in the tank 40.

  Further, the edge of the lid 401 is surrounded by a rib 406 protruding in the vertical direction. Even when the water surface in the tank 40 undulates and water jumps out of the water intake port 403, jumps over the flange 404, and rises up the inclined surface 401a, the wall of the rib 406 is about to spill. Stop it. As a result, scattering of water around the tank 40 is prevented.

  16 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. In FIG. 16, a concave groove 407 that is recessed toward the inside of the rib 406 is formed at a position opposite to the rib 406 of the lid 401. The lid 401 comes into close contact with the tank 40 by fitting the concave groove 407 of the lid 401 and the opening end of the tank 40. Further, since the concave groove 407 is used as a stealing meat when the rib 406 is molded, sink marks at the time of molding the rib 406 are prevented.

<Features>
In the humidity control air cleaner 1, the lid 401 is mounted on the side that becomes the upper surface when the tank 40 is stored in the main body casing 10. The lid 401 has a water supply / drain port 402 and a water intake port 403. The water supply / drain port 402 and the water intake port 403 are formed on or near the center line of the lid 401 extending in the longitudinal direction of the main body casing 10. As a result, when the main body casing 10 falls down in either the front side or the back side, all the water in the tank 40 is prevented from flowing out from the water supply / drain port 402 and the water intake port 403.

  In addition, since a flange 404 extending in a substantially vertical direction is formed around the water intake port 403, when the water surface in the tank 40 undulates due to shaking of the main body casing 10, the flange 404 is moved from the water intake port 403. Since the progress of the water that is about to jump out is hindered, the scattering of water is suppressed.

  Further, since the water intake port 403 is at the lowest position of the lid 401 and the lid 401 is formed with an inclined surface 401a that is inclined toward the water intake port 403, the water splashed over the flange 404 is moved to the inclined surface 401a. It flows and returns to the corner between the flange 404 and the lid 401. Since a notch 405 is formed in a part of the flange 404, the water passes through the notch 405 to the water intake 403 and enters the tank 40. As a result, water does not stay on the upper surface of the tank, and accumulation of scale and the like is prevented.

  As described above, if the present invention is used, it is useful for a device using water stored in a tank, particularly for a floor-type humidity control device in which the tank is inserted and removed in a substantially horizontal direction with respect to the main body.

1 Humidity conditioning air cleaning device (humidity conditioning device)
4 Humidification unit (humidification part)
10 Main body casing (main body)
40 tank 49 stopper (shielding member)
401 Lid (top)
401a Inclined surface 402 Water supply / drain port (opening)
403 Water intake (opening)
404 Wall 405 Notch 406 Second wall 407 Concave groove

JP 2002-221337 A

Claims (8)

A humidity control device comprising a tank (40) for storing water and a main body (10) for storing the tank (40),
The tank (40) has an opening (403) and a wall (404) extending substantially vertically around the opening (403) on the side that becomes the upper surface (401) when stored in the main body (10). And
The opening (403) is formed on or near the center line of the upper surface (401) extending in the longitudinal direction of the main body (10),
A part of the wall (404) is formed with a notch (405) through which water passes through the upper surface (401) and the opening (403).
Humidity control device (1). A plurality of the notches (405) are provided,
The humidity control apparatus (1) according to claim 1. The opening (403) is at the lowest position of the upper surface (401);
An inclined surface (401a) that is inclined toward the opening (403) is formed on the upper surface (401).
The humidity control apparatus (1) according to claim 1 or 2. The tank (40) further includes a water supply / drain port (402) for performing at least water supply to the tank (40) and drainage from the tank (40),
Except for the time of the water supply and the drainage, the water supply / drain port (402) is closed by a shielding member (49).
The humidity control apparatus (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A humidifier (4) for vaporizing water supplied from the tank (40);
The opening (403) is a water intake for supplying water to at least the humidifying part (4),
A water supply member (42) for supplying water in the tank (40) to the humidification section (4) is disposed at the intake port.
The humidity control apparatus (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The tank (40) further includes a second wall (406) that surrounds the upper surface (401) and extends in the vertical direction in the vicinity of an edge of the upper surface (401).
The humidity control apparatus (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The upper surface (401) is a lid separable from the tank (40).
The humidity control apparatus (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A concave groove (407) recessed into the inside of the second wall (406) is formed at a position opposite to the second wall (406) of the lid (401),
An open end of the tank (40) covered with the lid (401) is fitted into the concave groove (407).
The humidity control apparatus (1) according to claim 7.

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