JP2012057859A - Humidifier - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a humidifier, which can suppress the breeding of mold and various bacteria or the like in a humidifying filter to prevent generation of malodor, and in which it is not necessary to make the humidifier itself large in size.SOLUTION: The humidifier includes: a humidifying filter 4, which is rotated in a state where a part thereof is immersed into water in a water tank part 3 to vaporize water in the water tank part; a blower 7, which blows air to the humidifying filter 4; a humidity detecting means 11, which detects indoor humidity; and a control part 9, which drives the humidifying filter 4 and the blower 7 to carry out control to become the preset humidity that is previously set by a user; wherein the control part 9 rotates the humidifying filter 4 at a fixed speed to carry out humidifying operation when the difference between the detected humidity by the humidity detecting means 11 and the preset humidity is equal to or above a predetermined value, and carries out the rotation control of the humidifying filter 4 to suppress humidifying amounts when the difference between the detected humidity and the preset humidity is within the predetermined value.

Description

  The present invention relates to a humidifier for preventing indoor drying.

  As a conventional humidifier, there is known a humidifier that dries a humidification filter after completion of a humidification operation (Patent Document 1).

  The indoor dry air sucked from the suction port by the blower is passed through a humidifying filter moistened with water in the water tank, and the humidified air is blown out from the outlet. The humidifying filter is rotatable, and the lower part of the humidifying filter is always arranged so as to be immersed in the water of the water tank. After the operation is stopped, the rotation of the humidifying filter is stopped, the fan is operated for a certain period of time, and the humidifying filter is dried to prevent the growth of molds and germs and the generation of malodor in the humidifying filter.

  Moreover, in order to promote the drying of a humidification filter after an operation stop, the humidifier which has a drive part which raises the lower end part of a humidification filter from the water surface of a water tank part is disclosed (patent document 2).

  Similarly, a humidifier having a mechanism for blocking a water supply path to the humidifying filter in order to promote drying of the humidifying filter after the operation is stopped is disclosed (Patent Document 3).

JP 2005-274097 A JP 2008-64429 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-233022

  In a humidifier like patent document 1, since the humidification filter at the time of a humidification operation stop contains a lot of moisture in the whole, it takes time for ventilation drying, and drying is insufficient in a filter part which is not immersed in a water tank part. However, there were many cases in which the so-called raw dry state was often obtained, and there was dissatisfaction that the growth of molds and germs could not be suppressed.

  Further, in the humidifiers such as Patent Documents 2 and 3, since various mechanisms are provided to stop the supply of water to the humidification filter after the humidification operation is stopped, the equipment is increased in size and the associated high cost. There is also a problem such as

  The present invention is for solving the above-described problems, and provides a humidifier that can suppress the growth of mold, germs, and the like on a humidifying filter, prevent the generation of malodors, and does not require an increase in the size of the device itself. The purpose is to do.

  The present invention is a water tank that is detachably attached to the main body, a water tank part that temporarily stores water supplied from the water tank, and a part of the water tank that is immersed in the water. Humidification filter for evaporating water in the water tank section, a blower for blowing air to the humidification filter, humidity detection means for detecting humidity in the room, driving the humidification filter and the blower, set humidity preset by the user A humidifier including a control unit that controls the humidification filter to rotate at a constant speed when a difference between the humidity detected by the humidity detection means and the set humidity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The humidifier is characterized in that when the difference between the detected humidity and the set humidity is within a predetermined value, the humidification filter is controlled to reduce the amount of humidification. A.

  Further, when the difference between the detected humidity and the set humidity falls within a predetermined value, the control unit measures the time from the start of rotation control of the humidifying filter until the instruction to stop the humidifying operation, and the humidifying filter After the humidification operation is stopped based on the rotation control time, an after-run time for driving the blower is set, and when a humidification operation stop instruction is given, the rotation of the humidification filter is stopped and the blower is driven for the after-run time. 2. The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein the humidifying filter is dried.

  Further, the control unit resets the measurement of the rotation control time of the humidifying filter when a difference between the detected humidity and the set humidity becomes a predetermined value or more after the rotation control of the humidifying filter is started. This relates to the humidifier according to Item 2.

  4. The humidifier according to claim 2, wherein the controller adjusts the after-run time based on the detected humidity when a humidification operation stop instruction is issued.

  5. The humidifier according to claim 2, wherein the control unit drives the blower at a maximum air volume from the start of the humidification operation until the after-run time ends. is there.

  Further, in the case where the humidifying filter is configured by a filter medium having a capillary action, the control unit continuously drives the blower with a minimum air volume after the end of the after-run time. The present invention relates to a humidifier according to any one of 2 to 5.

  In addition, when the difference between the detected humidity and the set humidity falls within a predetermined value, the control unit slows the rotation speed of the humidifying filter, or a portion where the humidifying filter is not immersed under the water surface of the water tank unit. 7. The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein the direction of rotation is reversed so as to produce the humidifier.

  By adopting the above-described configuration, drying of the humidifying filter is promoted even during the humidifying operation, so that the drying can be completed in a short time, and it is difficult for bacteria to propagate and suppress the generation of bad odor than before. be able to.

  Moreover, since it is sufficient to immerse in the water of a water tank part, it is not necessary to provide the mechanism which pulls up a humidification filter from water, and the mechanism which interrupts | blocks the water supply to a water tank part, and does not enlarge the apparatus and cost.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional block diagram of the humidifier of this invention. It is a block diagram of the control part of this invention. It is a control time chart of a humidification filter and an air blower. It is a control time chart of the humidification filter which has a capillary action, and an air blower. It is a figure which shows the time of (a) at the time of stationary of the humidification filter which has a capillary action, and the time of (b) forward / reverse inversion rotation.

  BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The best mode of the present invention, which is considered preferable, will be briefly described by showing the effects of the present invention.

  The present invention drives a humidifying filter that is rotated while being partially immersed in water in a water tank section and evaporates water so as to have a preset humidity set by a user, and a blower that blows air to the humidifying filter. In a humidifier equipped with a control unit, when the difference between the humidity detected by the humidity detection means and the set humidity is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the control unit rotates the humidification filter at a constant speed to perform the humidification operation. When the difference is within a predetermined value, the humidification filter is rotationally controlled to suppress the humidification amount.

  That is, if the difference between the detected humidity and the set humidity is wide, it is necessary to increase the humidification amount by rotating the humidification filter at a constant speed in order to raise the set humidity. On the other hand, when it approaches the set humidity due to humidification operation, it can reach the set humidity sufficiently even if the humidification amount is reduced compared with the case where the humidification filter is rotated at a constant speed. Shifts to control the rotation of the humidification filter to suppress the humidification amount.

  Thereby, since the time which the part which has come out on the water surface of the humidification filter is exposed to the ventilation from an air blower can be lengthened, drying of the filter part which has come out on the water surface can be promoted. Therefore, even during the humidification operation, it is possible to suppress the propagation of germs on the humidification filter and to suppress the generation of odor.

  In addition, when the difference between the detected temperature and the set temperature falls within a predetermined value, the control unit measures the time from the start of the humidification filter rotation control to the instruction to stop the humidification operation, and based on the humidification filter rotation control time. The after-run time of the blower that is performed after stopping the humidification operation is set, and when the humidification operation stop instruction is issued, the rotation of the humidification filter is stopped and the humidification filter is dried by driving the blower for the after-run time. It is.

  In such a humidifier, after the humidification operation is stopped, the humidifier filter is dried by driving the blower for the after-run time. However, the rotation speed of the humidifier filter is controlled during the humidification operation at a constant speed. Compared to the case of rotating the filter, the filter part coming out of the water surface is in a dry state. After the humidification operation is stopped, the humidification filter can be dried even if the after-run time is shortened by stopping the rotation of the humidification filter. be able to.

  Therefore, it is possible to shorten the after-run time by measuring the time during which the rotation control of the humidifying filter is being controlled during the humidifying operation and setting the after-run time based on this measurement time. Time can be shortened.

  The control unit adjusts the length of the set after-run time based on the detected humidity in the room when the humidification operation stop instruction is issued.

  In other words, by reflecting the ease of drying of the humidifying filter due to the difference in detected humidity during after-run operation in the after-run time set based on the rotation control time of the humidifying filter, the optimum drying time according to the situation Can be set.

  Further, the fan is driven at a constant maximum air volume from the start of the humidifying operation until the after-run time ends.

  As a result, the portion of the humidifying filter that is exposed to the water surface is always exposed to the maximum air flow, and the ability to vaporize the moisture contained in the humidifying filter is increased, which can further accelerate the drying of the humidifying filter. is there. In addition, by making the maximum air flow constant, the user is less likely to feel a change in the driving sound of the blower, and thus is not uncomfortable.

  In addition, when the humidifying filter is constituted by a filter medium having a capillary action, the control unit stops the rotation of the humidifying filter when the instruction to stop the humidifying operation is given, and drives the blower for the after-run time, and then the blower is minimized. It is continuously driven by the air volume.

  That is, when the humidifying filter has a capillary action, the humidifying filter sucks up the water in the water tank portion, so that when the air blowing is stopped, the entire humidifying filter becomes wet. Therefore, after the humidification operation is stopped, the filter portion exposed to the water surface is once dried by the after-run of the blower, and thereafter, the air is continuously blown with the minimum air flow of the blower.

  Accordingly, the moisture sucked up by the humidifying filter can be vaporized to maintain the dry state, and the air flow is set to the minimum air volume, so the user does not care about the driving sound of the blower.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a humidifier, wherein 1 is a humidifier body, 2 is a water tank that can be attached to and detached from the body 1, 3 is a water tank section that temporarily stores water supplied from the water tank 2, Reference numeral 7 denotes a humidifying filter formed by a filter medium 5 disposed in a state where the lower part is always immersed in water in the water tank 3 and a drive motor 6 for rotating the filter medium 5, and 7 is a blower. Reference numeral 8 denotes an air outlet for discharging the humidified air into the room.

  Here, as the filter medium 5 constituting the humidifying filter 4, a resin molding material having no capillary action and having a high porosity is used.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit. Reference numeral 9 denotes a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as a microcomputer) as a control unit. On the input side of the microcomputer 9, there are operations including operation switches and humidity setting switches. An operation unit 10 on which keys are arranged, a humidity sensor 11 and a temperature sensor 12 are connected. Further, the humidifying filter 4 and the blower 7 are connected to the output side of the microcomputer 9.

  Next, the operation in the above configuration will be described using the time chart of FIG.

  When performing the humidification operation, first, water is put into the water tank 2, and this is inserted into the main body 1 and installed at a designated position. As a result, a fixed amount of water flows from the water tank 2 into the water tank unit 3 to store water at a constant water level. As a result, the humidification filter 4 installed in the water tank unit 3 includes the water in the water tank unit 3 and gets wet.

  In this state, when the operation switch of the operation unit 10 is turned on and the target humidity is selected with the humidity setting switch, the blower 7 is driven, so that the indoor air is taken into the main body 1 from a suction port (not shown), and the humidifying filter 4 is turned on. When passing, it becomes humidified air and is discharged from the outlet 8. Then, according to the difference between the set humidity and the detected humidity detected by the humidity sensor 11, the rotation speed of the humidification filter 4 is controlled to automatically perform humidification control.

  Specifically, when the difference between the set humidity and the detected humidity is larger than a predetermined value programmed in advance, the humidification filter 4 is rotated at a constant maximum speed of the drive motor 6 to rapidly increase the humidification amount in the room. To increase. On the other hand, when the detected humidity rises and approaches the set humidity and the difference reaches within a predetermined value, the rotational speed of the humidifying filter 4 is slowed to suppress the humidification amount. From FIG. 3, since the difference between the set humidity and the detected humidity is large for a while after the start of the humidification operation, the humidification filter 4 is rotated at the maximum speed (section from point A to point B in FIG. 3), and then reaches a predetermined humidity. Then, the rotational speed of the humidifying filter 4 is controlled (section from point B to point C).

  In other words, by slowing the rotation speed of the humidifying filter 4, the time that the portion of the humidifying filter 4 that is exposed to the water surface is exposed to the air blown from the blower 7 becomes longer. It can be pre-dried.

  After the humidification operation is stopped, the microcomputer 9 stops the operation of the drive motor 6 to stop the rotation of the humidification filter 4, and the blower 7 performs the after-run operation for a set time while continuing the operation, so that the humidification filter 4 is dried. To be done.

  The after-run time (section from point C to point D) is measured by the microcomputer 9 from the start of rotation control of the humidifying filter 4 until the instruction to stop the humidification operation (section from point B to point C). Set from time-based coefficient calculations. That is, if the measurement time is long, the after-run time is shortened. Conversely, if the measurement time is short or not, the calculation is performed so that the after-run time is relatively long.

  In addition, the length of the after-run time (section from the C point to the D point) set by the rotation control time of the humidifying filter 4 is adjusted by a coefficient based on the detected humidity in the room when the humidification operation stop instruction is given. That is, when the humidification operation stop instruction is given, if the detected humidity is low, the drying of the humidifying filter 4 is further promoted, so the after-run time is shortened. Conversely, when the detected humidity is high, the humidifying filter 4 is dried. The after-run time is longer.

  Further, the length of the after-run time may be adjusted based on the detected indoor temperature detected by the temperature sensor 12. For example, if the detected temperature is high, the after-run time is shortened. Conversely, if the detected temperature is low, the after-run time is long.

  As described above, the humidifying filter 4 is preliminarily dried even during the humidifying operation, so that the humidifying filter 4 can be surely dried after the humidifying operation is stopped, and the drying time by the after-run operation can be shortened. It becomes possible.

  Further, even during the humidification operation, the filter portion on the water surface is urged to be dried in a short time by the rotation control of the humidification filter 4, so that the humidification operation is stopped, for example, the humidification operation is continuously performed for 24 hours. Even if it is a severe use condition that does not allow time for drying the humidifying filter later, it is possible to suppress the growth of mold and germs and to produce a further effect that malodor is less likely to occur.

  Note that the blower 7 is driven at the maximum air volume and blows air to the humidifying filter 4 from the start of the humidifying operation to the end of the after-run time (section from point A to point D). Thereby, since the driving drive sound of the blower 7 becomes substantially constant, the user is less likely to feel a change in the drive sound of the blower 7 and does not bother him.

  If the humidity in the room decreases during the rotation control of the humidifying filter 4 and the difference between the detected humidity of the humidity sensor 11 and the set humidity becomes larger than a predetermined value, the microcomputer 9 stops the rotation control of the humidifying filter 4. Increase the amount of humidification by maximizing the rotation speed. At this time, since the entire humidification filter 4 is immersed again and becomes wet, the microcomputer 9 once resets the measurement of the rotation control time of the humidification filter 4 that has been performed so far, and the next rotation control of the humidification filter 4 is performed. The time measurement is restarted from the beginning.

  In Example 2, the case where the filter medium 5 is made of a material having a capillary action will be described with reference to the time chart of FIG.

  When the filter medium 5 constituting the humidifying filter 4 has a capillary action, for example, when a non-woven fabric is used as the filtering medium, the humidifying filter 4 sucks and moistens the water in the water tank unit 3, so that the fan 7 is driven after the humidification operation is stopped. When the operation is stopped, the whole humidification filter 4 contains moisture with the passage of time, so that a so-called live-dry state is maintained, which becomes a factor for mold and bacteria to propagate.

  In such a case, as shown in FIG. 4, after the humidification operation is stopped, the rotation of the humidification filter 4 is stopped, the blower 7 performs the after-run operation for a set time, and after the after-run operation (section after the point D), the blower. 7 is controlled by the microcomputer 9 so that the air flow is continuously performed with the minimum air volume of 7.

  Thereby, since the water sucked up to the filter portion that is exposed to the water surface with the passage of time is continuously vaporized, it is possible to maintain the dry state of the humidifying filter 4 even after the humidifying operation is stopped.

  The blower 7 is driven with a minimum air volume, and the driving sound at this time is a noise level that is hardly audible to the user, so the user does not care about the driving sound.

  In Example 3, another rotation control method of the humidifying filter 4 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The microcomputer 9 performs forward / reverse rotation control so that the humidifying filter 4 is rotated by θ ° in one direction and is also rotated in the reverse direction by θ °.

  That is, when the humidifying filter 4 that sucks water from the water surface to the height h as shown in FIG. 5 (a) is used, the water tank 3 is rotated by rotating it in the forward and reverse directions by θ ° as shown in FIG. 5 (b). A part that continues to be immersed in water (wet surface) is formed, while a part that is not immersed in water (dry surface) is formed.

  By this rotation control, a part of the humidifying filter 4 is not immersed in the water even during the humidifying operation and is always kept in a dry state, so that problems such as generation of bad odor due to mold and bacteria contamination are less likely to occur.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 2 Water tank 3 Water tank part 4 Humidification filter 7 Blower 9 Microcomputer (control part)
11 Humidity sensor (humidity detection means)

Claims (7)

  A water tank that is detachably attached to the main body, a water tank part that temporarily stores water supplied from the water tank, a water tank part that is rotated while being partially immersed in the water in the water tank part, A humidifying filter that evaporates water, a blower that blows air to the humidifying filter, a humidity detecting means that detects indoor humidity, and the humidifying filter and the blower are driven so as to have a preset humidity set by the user. In the humidifier comprising a control unit for controlling, when the difference between the humidity detected by the humidity detecting means and the set humidity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the humidifying operation is performed by rotating the humidification filter at a constant speed. The humidifier is characterized in that when the difference between the detected humidity and the set humidity is within a predetermined value, the humidification filter is rotationally controlled to suppress the humidification amount.   When the difference between the detected humidity and the set humidity falls within a predetermined value, the control unit measures the time from the start of rotation control of the humidification filter until the instruction to stop the humidification operation, and the rotation control of the humidification filter After the humidification operation is stopped based on the time, an after-run time for driving the blower is set, and when a humidification operation stop instruction is given, the rotation of the humidification filter is stopped and the blower is driven for the after-run time to perform the humidification operation. The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein the filter is dried.   The said control part resets the measurement of the rotation control time of the said humidification filter, if the difference of the said detection humidity and the said setting humidity becomes more than predetermined value after the rotation control start of the said humidification filter. The humidifier described.   The humidifier according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the controller adjusts the after-run time based on the detected humidity when a humidification operation stop instruction is issued.   The humidifier according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the control unit drives the blower at a maximum air volume from the start of a humidification operation until the after-run time ends.   3. When the humidifying filter is constituted by a filter medium having a capillary action, the control unit continuously drives the blower with a minimum air volume after the end of the after-run time. The humidifier according to any one of 5.   When the difference between the detected humidity and the set humidity falls within a predetermined value, the control unit slows the rotation speed of the humidifying filter, or creates a portion where the humidifying filter is not immersed under the water surface of the water tank unit. The humidifier according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the direction of rotation is reversed reversely.

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