JP4776595B2 - Humidifier and filter - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vaporizing humidifier equipped with a disk-shaped filter, and a filter provided in the humidifier.

The vaporization type humidifier is provided with a filter having water absorption and air permeability, and is absorbed by the filter by blowing air outside the device (for example, the room where the humidifier is installed) to the absorbed filter. The water containing the evaporated water (that is, humidified air) is blown to the outside of the apparatus (see Patent Documents 1 to 4).
In general, a filter uses a filter main body having water absorption and air permeability and a frame body that holds the filter main body, and is formed in a rectangular shape, a cylindrical shape, a disc shape, etc., and the filter itself is submerged. Absorb water or absorb water by spraying the filter. Further, the filter may be rotatably provided in order to efficiently absorb water in the entire filter and / or to switch between a flooded state and a non-flooded state.

  First, a humidifier (specifically, a humidifier as disclosed in Patent Document 1) that rotates a disk-shaped filter arranged in a vertical posture in order to efficiently absorb water in the entire filter will be described.

Such a humidifier includes a water tank for storing water, and the filter of the humidifier is orthogonal to the center position of the filter in a state in which a part of the circumferential direction is immersed in the water tank in a vertical posture. It is configured to be rotatable in the circumferential direction around the rotation shaft portion in the horizontal posture. By rotating in the circumferential direction, the filter is continuously submerged in the circumferential direction, and water is drawn up from the submerged part to the non-submerged part, so that the water is spread throughout the filter. As a result, the filter absorbs water efficiently throughout the filter.
Furthermore, when the blower blows air to one side of the filter that has absorbed water, the air that has passed through the filter absorbs moisture, and the absorbed air is blown to the outside of the apparatus.

Next, a humidifier (specifically a humidifier as disclosed in Patent Document 3) that rotates a rectangular filter arranged in a vertical posture to switch between a flooded state and a non-flooded state will be described. .
Such a humidifier includes a rotation mechanism that rotates the filter around a rotation shaft portion in a horizontal posture in a direction along the filter. When humidifying, the filter is placed in a vertical position with the lower end immersed in the water tank. When humidification is not performed, the filter is removed from the water by rotating the rotating mechanism until the filter is in the horizontal position. Pull up. By pulling up from the water, the filter dries and does not absorb fresh water, so that the air in contact with the filter does not absorb moisture.

In particular, when the filter is used for a long time, water-soluble impurities (that is, scales) such as calcium and magnesium contained in the water absorbed by the filter are deposited and adhered to the filter, and the water absorption of the filter is reduced. There's a problem. However, when the humidification is not performed, that is, when the filter is not used, the adhesion of the scale is suppressed to a minimum by keeping the filter in a non-immersed state.
Moreover, since it will become easy to dry a filter when a filter is made into a non-immersed state, generation | occurrence | production of mold | fungi is suppressed in a filter.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 54-172568 JP 2000-74429 A JP 2003-302077 A JP 2005-37076 A

  By the way, when switching the water immersion / non-water immersion of the disk-shaped filter as provided in the humidifying device of Patent Document 1 in the same manner as the rectangular filter as included in the humidifying device of Patent Document 3, It is necessary to provide a rotation shaft portion for switching between the immersion and non-water immersion of the filter and a rotation shaft portion for rotating the disk-shaped filter in the circumferential direction. In other words, it is necessary to provide both the rotation shaft portion in the direction along the filter and the rotation shaft portion orthogonal to the filter. For this reason, the structure for rotating a filter in each direction becomes very complicated.

  Even if two rotation shafts are provided for the filter and both the rotation for absorbing water and the rotation for switching between submersion / non-submersion are made compatible, When arranged in a posture, it is necessary to make the dimensions (for example, the length in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction) of the water tank larger than the diameter of the filter so that water dripping from the filter does not leak to the outside. Furthermore, in order to accommodate the filter arranged in the horizontal position, it is necessary to make the dimension of the housing of the humidifying device in plan view larger than the diameter of the filter. As a result, there arises a disadvantage that the humidifier becomes large.

In order to switch between submersion / non-submersion of the filter without rotating the filter, it is conceivable to switch the submersion / non-submersion of the filter by moving the filter in the vertical direction. However, in this case, since it is necessary to provide a space in which the filter can move, the vertical dimension of the humidifier tends to be large, and a moving mechanism for moving the filter in the vertical direction needs to be newly added. .
If the filter is left immersed in water without switching between water immersion / non-water immersion of the filter, there is an inconvenience that adhesion of scale to the filter, generation of mold, and the like are promoted.

  In addition, when it is desired to simply perform ventilation without humidification, even if the filter rotation is stopped, the submerged filter continues to absorb water, so the blown air passes through the filter and absorbs moisture. The problem arises that is discharged from the humidifier.

  In order to solve this problem, it is conceivable to separately provide a ventilation path through which the blown air passes through the filter and a ventilation path through which the air does not pass, and switch between the two ventilation paths depending on whether or not humidification is performed. . However, for this purpose, the humidifier needs to include two different ventilation paths and a means for switching between the ventilation paths, which complicates the apparatus configuration. Furthermore, in order to provide two ventilation paths without increasing the size of the humidifier, each ventilation path tends to be formed in a complicated shape, and as a result, noise due to air passing through the ventilation path tends to increase.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its main purpose is to provide a flooded area and a non-immersed area adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral portion, and the circumferential length of the flooded area is not By configuring the disk-shaped filter using the filter body longer than the circumferential length of the flooded area in the circumferential direction with the rotation drive mechanism, the entire filter remains in the vertical position while the disk-shaped filter is arranged in the vertical position. It is an object of the present invention to provide a humidifier and a filter for a humidifier having a simple configuration capable of sufficiently absorbing water or preventing water absorption of a filter.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a filter body having a shape in which a part of a circle is cut out, because a part of the outer peripheral portion of the filter body is an arc-shaped flooded region having a central angle exceeding two right angles. It is providing the humidification apparatus which can form a filter using.

  Another object of the present invention is that the remaining part of the outer periphery of the filter body is a polygonal line shape or an arc-shaped non-immersed area having a radius larger than that of the flooded area, thereby reducing the area of the filter body from the area of the circle. It is an object of the present invention to provide a humidifier capable of forming a filter using a filter body having a shape in which a part of a circle is cut out without greatly reducing.

  Another object of the present invention is that the motor rotates the roller, and the roller rotates in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the annular frame along the outer peripheral surface of the submerged area. An object of the present invention is to provide a humidifying device capable of rotating a filter without hindrance even if it is not disk-shaped.

  Another object of the present invention is to prevent water absorption of the filter body by providing a waterproof part formed on the frame body holding the filter body to prevent water from entering the inside of the frame body. An object of the present invention is to provide a humidifier capable of providing an attachment allowance when attaching an article to a frame.

  Another object of the present invention is to stop the operation of the rotary drive mechanism based on the result of detecting the approach / separation of the detected portion arranged in the filter with respect to the detector, so that the filter body is submerged. An object of the present invention is to provide a humidifying device having a simple configuration capable of stopping the rotation of the filter in a state where it is not performed.

  Another object of the present invention is a result of detecting the approach / separation of the magnet arranged in the filter with respect to the reed switch by stopping the operation of the rotary drive mechanism based on the on / off of the reed switch. The present invention is to provide a humidifier capable of stopping the rotation of the filter in a state where the filter main body is not submerged.

  Still another object of the present invention is to provide a structure in which one end and the other end of the rotating shaft portion having different thicknesses are rotatably supported by bearings formed in accordance with the dimensions of each end portion. Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a humidifier that can prevent a filter from being attached in the wrong direction.

A humidifier according to the present invention includes a disc-shaped filter using a filter main body having water absorption and air permeability and a frame body that holds the filter main body, a rotation drive mechanism that rotates the filter in the circumferential direction, A water tank for storing water; and a blower for blowing air in a direction intersecting the filter with respect to the filter, wherein the filter is arranged in a vertical posture, and a part of the circumferential direction of the filter is submerged in the water tank. In the humidifying device, the filter main body has a submerged area in which the filter main body is submerged by water that has entered the inside of the frame body and a non-submersible area that is not submerged in the outer periphery of the filter main body. It is provided adjacent to the circumferential direction, and the circumferential length of the flooded area is longer than the circumferential length of the non-flooded area .

  In the humidifying device according to the present invention, the submerged area and the non-submerged area are provided in a part and the remaining part of the outer periphery of the filter body, respectively, and the outer edge of the submerged area is a circle whose central angle exceeds two right angles. It is arc-shaped.

  The humidifier according to the present invention is characterized in that the outer edge of the non-immersed area has a polygonal line shape that is convex in the radial direction of the filter body.

  The humidifier according to the present invention is characterized in that an outer edge of the non-immersed area has an arc shape having a larger radius than an outer edge of the flooded area.

  In the humidifying device according to the present invention, the frame is an annular shape along the outer peripheral surface of the submerged area, and the rotation driving mechanism is a roller that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the frame and rotates the filter; And a motor for rotating the roller.

  In the humidifying device according to the present invention, the frame body is non-water-absorbing, and a waterproof portion that prevents water from entering the inside of the frame body is formed on the frame body, corresponding to the non-water-immersed region. It is characterized by that.

  The humidifying device according to the present invention stops the operation of the rotational drive mechanism based on the detection result of the detector so as to stop the filter in a state where the detector and the detected portion and the filter body are not submerged. A rotation control means, wherein the detected part is disposed on the filter, and the detector is fixed facing the rotational position of the detected part, and the approach / separation of the detected part is Is detected.

  In the humidifying device according to the present invention, the detector uses a reed switch, the detected portion uses a magnet, and the rotation control means drives the rotation based on on / off of the reed switch. The operation of the mechanism is stopped.

  In the humidifying device according to the present invention, the filter is configured to rotate around a rotating shaft portion that protrudes from both sides of the filter and is disposed in a horizontal posture, and one end portion and the other end of the rotating shaft portion. The first and second end portions are different in thickness from each other, are formed in accordance with the dimensions of the one end portion and the other end portion, and further include two bearings that rotatably support the one end portion and the other end portion. Features.

A filter according to the present invention is a filter main body having water absorption and air permeability, and a disc-shaped humidifier filter using a frame body that holds the filter main body, and the filter main body includes the frame. A submerged area where the filter main body is submerged by water that has entered the inside of the body and a non-submerged area that is not submerged are provided adjacent to the outer periphery of the filter main body in the circumferential direction, and the length of the submerged area in the circumferential direction is It is longer than the circumferential length of the non-immersed area .

In the present invention, a filter, a rotation drive mechanism, a water tank, and a blower are provided. The filter is disk-shaped, and uses a filter body having water absorption and air permeability, and a frame body that holds the filter body. It becomes.
The filter is arranged in a vertical posture, and a part of the filter in the circumferential direction can be submerged in a water tank for storing water. The rotation drive mechanism rotates a filter arranged in a vertical posture in the circumferential direction, and the blower blows air to the filter in a direction crossing the filter.

However, in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral portion of the filter main body , a water immersion region where the filter main body is submerged by water that has entered the inside of the frame body and a non-water immersion region where the filter main body is not submerged are provided adjacent to each other. For this reason, with the rotation of the filter in the circumferential direction by the rotation drive mechanism, a part of the outer peripheral part of the filter body in the circumferential direction is submerged (that is, a state where the submerged area is disposed opposite to the water tank bottom surface), and the filter The state where the main body is not submerged (that is, the state where the non-submerged area is disposed opposite to the bottom of the water tank) is continuously switched.

  Since the filter body in which a part of the circumferential direction is submerged absorbs water from the submerged area to the part that is not submerged, water spreads over the entire filter body. That is, the filter of the present invention absorbs water efficiently in the entire filter body. For this reason, by sending air to the filter with a blower, the air that has passed through the filter sufficiently absorbs moisture, and the absorbed air is blown to the outside of the apparatus.

On the other hand, the filter main body that is not submerged does not absorb new water. In addition, the filter main body which is not submerged is dried by dripping or evaporating water absorbed by the filter main body.
Even if the filter body is blown by a blower with respect to the dried filter, the air that has passed through the filter does not absorb moisture, and therefore the absorbed air is not blown outside the apparatus. In addition, since the filter body does not absorb water unnecessarily, scale adhesion to the filter body, generation of mold, and the like are suppressed.

In the humidifier as described above, since the water absorption / non-water absorption of the filter is switched by switching the water immersion / non-water absorption of the filter body, it is possible to prevent the filter from continuing to absorb water unnecessarily, and to prevent problems caused by unnecessary water absorption. Occurrence is prevented.
Further, the filter main body is switched between water immersion and non-water immersion by rotating the filter in the circumferential direction. As a result, the rotation mechanism for promoting water absorption of the filter main body and the rotation mechanism for switching between water immersion and non-water immersion are common. Accordingly, it is not necessary to provide a rotation mechanism for switching between submersion / non-submergence of the filter (that is, both the filter main body and the frame body), a vertical movement mechanism, etc. separately from the rotation mechanism for promoting water absorption, and the apparatus configuration is simple. It is.

  Furthermore, the filter remains arranged in a vertical position, and it is not necessary to rotate or move the filter upward in a horizontal position in order to switch the water absorption / non-water absorption of the filter. For this reason, regarding the dimensions of the water tank in plan view and the dimensions of the housing of the humidification device in plan view, for example, the length in the left-right direction needs to be larger than the diameter of the filter, but the length in the front-rear direction is the thickness of the filter. Just make it bigger. Further, it is not necessary to provide a space for the filter to move in the vertical direction. As a result, the humidifier is configured in a compact manner.

Furthermore, since it is not necessary to switch between a ventilation path through which the blown air passes through the filter and a ventilation path through which the blown air does not pass depending on whether humidification is performed, the ventilation path through which the blown air passes through the filter. It is not necessary to provide a means for switching the ventilation path. Furthermore, since the shape of the ventilation path is simple compared to the case where two ventilation paths are provided, noise generated by air passing through the ventilation path is reduced.
By the way, since the non-water-immersion area | region is provided in the circumferential direction part of the outer peripheral part of a filter main body, water absorption is inhibited in the condition where a filter main body does not submerge while a filter rotates. However, since the remainder in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral portion of the filter body is a flooded area, the non-flooded area is provided in a minimum range so that the circumferential length of the flooded area is longer than the circumferential length of the non-flooded area. Also, by continuing to rotate the filter, the entire filter can be sufficiently filled with water.

  In the present invention, a part of the outer periphery of the filter body and the remaining part are surrounded by a submerged area where the filter body is submerged by the water that has entered the inside of the frame and a non-submerged area where the filter body is not submerged. It is provided adjacent to the direction. The flooded region has an arcuate outer edge with a central angle exceeding two right angles. That is, the filter body has a shape in which a part of a circle is missing. Such a filter body can be easily manufactured, for example, by cutting out a part of a disk-shaped filter material or punching a rectangular plate-shaped filter material into a required shape.

  In addition, since the submerged area has an arc-shaped outer edge, the depth at which the filter body is submerged is equal and the amount of water absorbed is equal even if any part of the submerged area is submerged. Accordingly, there is no occurrence of unevenness in the amount of water absorbed in the flooded area. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of unevenness in the moisture absorption amount of the air that has passed through the filter as much as possible.

FIG. 12 is a front view schematically showing the shape of the filter body included in the humidifier according to the present invention.
In the figure, reference numeral 91 denotes a filter body. The filter body 91 is obtained by D-cutting a disk-shaped filter material, and a part of the outer peripheral portion of the filter body 91 has an arc-shaped outer edge whose central angle B91 exceeds two right angles. The remaining portion of the outer peripheral portion of the filter main body 91 is a non-immersed region 91b having a straight outer edge connecting both circumferential ends of the outer edge of the submerged region 91a. Here, a central angle _{B91 = θ 91 ° (θ 91} > 180).
The rotation center position 91o of the filter body 91 is equal to the center position of the disk-shaped filter material. The filter main body 91 has a line-symmetric shape with a virtual line that connects the rotation center position 91o and the center position in the circumferential direction of the non-water-immersed region 91b in a straight line as a symmetry axis.

Since the filter using the filter main body 91 is arranged in a vertical posture, the filter main body 91 is also arranged in a vertical posture. That is, it is arranged perpendicular to the still water surface WS of the water stored in the water tank.
Further, the separation distance between the rotation center position 91o of the filter main body 91 and the still water surface WS is shorter than the separation distance between the rotation center position 91o and the submerged area 91a and longer than the separation distance between the rotation center position 91o and the non-submerged area 91b. . For this reason, when the rotating filter stops in a state where the circumferential center position of the non-immersed area 91b is located directly below the rotation center position 91o (hereinafter simply referred to as just below), as shown in FIG. The filter main body 91 is not submerged. Since the non-water-immersed filter body 91 does not absorb water, the filter body 91 is dried, and moisture absorption of air passing through the filter body 91 is suppressed.

However, it is difficult to accurately stop the rotating filter in a state in which the circumferential center position of the non-immersed area 91b is located directly below, for example, the circumferential center position of the non-immersed area 91b is in the forward rotation direction than directly below. It is conceivable to stop in a state in which the positional deviation occurs in (or the reverse rotation direction).
FIG. 12B shows a state in which the filter stop position is displaced in the forward rotation direction when the filter using the filter body 91 is rotating in the direction of arrow C in FIG. Is shown. At this time, the leading portion of the submerged area 91a in the forward rotation direction is submerged. That is, a part of the filter body 91 in the circumferential direction is submerged. Since the submerged filter body 91 absorbs water, the air passing through the filter body 91 absorbs moisture.

Even if the filter is stopped accurately, for example, when the humidifier is installed in an inclined posture, the water stored in the water tank may be inclined relative to the filter, and the filter body is inclined by the inclined water surface. 91 may be submerged.
Hereinafter, the positional deviation of the stop position of the filter will be mainly described.

In order to prevent unnecessary water immersion of the filter main body due to the displacement of the stop position of the filter, it is necessary to change the shape of the filter main body.
FIG. 13 is a front view schematically showing another shape of the filter main body included in the humidifier according to the present invention.
In the figure, reference numeral 92 denotes a filter main body, and the filter main body 92 is formed by D-cutting a disk-shaped filter material in the same manner as the filter main body 91 shown in FIG. Here, it is assumed that disk-shaped filter materials having the same radius and thickness are used to form the filter main bodies 91 and 92, respectively.

  The filter main body 92 shown by a solid line in FIG. 13 is the center of rotation in the circumferential center position of a non-immersed area 92b described later after the filter using the filter main body 92 rotates in the direction of arrow C in FIG. The case where it stops in the state located just under the position 92o (henceforth just below) is shown, and the filter main body 92 will be in a non-immersed state at this time. On the other hand, the filter main body 92 indicated by a broken line in FIG. 13 is stopped in a state where the filter using the filter main body 92 is displaced in the forward rotation direction in the circumferential center position of the non-immersed area 92b from directly below. Shows the case.

A part of the outer periphery of the filter body 92 is a submerged area 92a having an arcuate outer edge with a central angle B92 exceeding two right angles, and the remaining part of the outer periphery of the filter body 92 is both ends in the circumferential direction of the outer edge of the submerged area 92a. Is a non-immersed area 92b having a straight outer edge connecting the two. Here, a central angle _{B92 = θ 92 ° (180 <} θ 91 <θ 92).
For this reason, the separation distance between the rotation center position 92o and the non-immersed area 92b is shorter than the separation distance between the rotation center position 91o of the filter body 91 and the non-immersed area 91b, and accordingly, the non-immersed area 92b and the hydrostatic surface WS Is longer than the separation distance between the non-immersed area 91b and the still water surface WS.

As a result, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 13, the filter main body 92 is useless even if the filter stops in a state where the center position in the circumferential direction of the non-immersed area 92 b is displaced in the forward rotation direction from directly below. It is suppressed that it is flooded.
Further, when the filter is stopped accurately, for example, even if the humidifier is installed in an inclined posture and the water stored in the water tank is inclined relative to the filter, the filter main body is inclined by the inclined water surface. There is no inconvenience that 92 is unnecessarily flooded.

However, the filter main body 92 has a smaller area than the filter main body 91, and the circumferential length of the submerged area 92a (or non-submerged area 92b) of the filter main body 92 is equal to the submerged area 91a (or non-submerged area 91b) of the filter main body 91. ) Is shorter (or longer) than the circumferential length.
As a result, when the filter using the filter body 92 and the filter using the filter body 91 are rotated at the same speed, the water absorption amount of the filter body 92 is smaller than the water absorption amount of the filter body 91. Therefore, the filter main body 92 is inferior in humidification efficiency with respect to air as compared with the filter main body 91.

  In the present invention, the flooded area has an arcuate outer edge with a central angle exceeding two right angles, and the non-immersed area has a bent line shape that is convex in the radial direction of the filter body, or has a radius that is greater than that of the flooded area. It has an arcuate outer edge that is large (ie, has a small curvature). Such a filter body has a generally D-shaped shape, for example, the outer edge of the non-water-immersed area is linear, or compared to a case where the filter body is concavely bent or arcuate in the radial direction of the filter body. It is possible to maximize the area of the filter body while maintaining the non-water-impregnation property.

14 and 15 are front views schematically showing the shape of another filter main body and the shape of still another filter main body included in the humidifying device according to the present invention.
In the figure, 93 and 94 are filter bodies, and the filter bodies 93 and 94 are disk-shaped filter materials having the same radius and thickness as the disk-shaped filter materials used to form the filter bodies 91 and 92, respectively. A part in the circumferential direction is cut and processed, and the shape in front view is approximately D-shaped.

The filter using the filter main body 91 shown in FIG. 12 has a shape and an area for obtaining a sufficient amount of water absorption. However, when the position of the filter stop position is misaligned, the filter main body 91 is obtained. There is a problem that cannot be kept in a non-immersed state. On the other hand, the filter using the filter main body 92 shown in FIG. 13 holds the filter main body 92 in a non-water-immersed state even when the stop position of the filter occurs, but the filter main body 92 has a sufficient water absorption amount. There is a problem that it does not have a shape and an area for obtaining.
In order to solve these problems, it is necessary to devise the shape like the filter main bodies 93 and 94.

  The filter main body 93 (or filter main body 94) indicated by a solid line in FIG. 14 (or FIG. 15) is a non-water-immersion area 93b (or non-water-immersion area) described later. 94b) shows a case in which the center position in the circumferential direction is stopped just below the rotation center position 93o (or just below the rotation center position 94o) (hereinafter simply referred to as just below). The main body 94) becomes non-immersed.

  On the other hand, the filter main body 93 (or filter main body 94) indicated by a broken line in FIG. 14 (or FIG. 15) is a non-water-immersed area 93b (or non-water-immersed area). 94b) shows a case where the center position in the circumferential direction is stopped in a state in which the position is shifted in the forward rotation direction (or reverse rotation direction) from directly below. Here, the arrow C direction in FIG. 14 (or FIG. 15) is the rotation direction of the filter.

A part of the outer periphery of the filter main body 93 (or the filter main body 94) is a submerged area 93a (or a submerged area 94a) having an arcuate outer edge whose central angle B93 (or central angle B94) exceeds two right angles. The remaining part of the outer periphery of the main body 93 (or the filter main body 94) is a non-water-immersed area 93b (or a non-water-immersed area 94b) that connects both ends of the water-immersed area 93a (or the water-immersed area 94a) in the circumferential direction. Here, the central angles B93, B94 = θ ₉₂ °. Further, the non-water-immersed area 93b has an outer edge of a bent line shape (valley shape shown in FIG. 14) convex in the radial direction of the filter body 93, and the non-water-immersed area 94b has an arc shape having a larger radius than the water-immersed area 94a. (See FIG. 15). That is, the non-immersed areas 93b and 94b are V-shaped or U-shaped.

The filter main body 93 (or the filter main body 94) is a virtual line that connects the rotation center position 93o and the center position in the circumferential direction of the non-immersed area 93b (or the rotation center position 94o and the center position in the circumferential direction of the non-immersed area 94b) in a straight line. Is a line-symmetrical shape with the axis of symmetry as the axis of symmetry.
Therefore, the circumferential length of each of the submerged areas 93a and 94a of the filter main bodies 93 and 94 is equal to the circumferential length of the submerged area 92a of the filter main body 92, but each of the filter main bodies 93 and 94 is more than the filter main body 92. Is also large.
As a result, when the filter using the filter main bodies 93 and 94 and the filter using the filter main body 92 are rotated at the same speed, the water absorption amount of the filter main bodies 93 and 94 is larger than the water absorption amount of the filter main body 92. The humidification efficiency for air is improved.

  Further, with respect to the filter main bodies 93 and 94, the separation distance between the center position in the circumferential direction of the non-water immersion areas 93b and 94b and the still water surface WS is equal to the separation distance between the non-water immersion area 91b and the still water surface WS of the filter main body 91. The separation distance between each of the circumferential ends 93b and 94b in the circumferential direction and the static water surface WS is equal to the separation distance between the non-water immersion region 92b of the filter main body 92 and the static water surface WS. As a result, as shown by the broken lines in FIGS. 14 and 15, the filter is operated in a state in which the center position in the circumferential direction of the non-immersed areas 93b and 94b is displaced in the forward rotation direction (or the reverse rotation direction) from directly below. Even if the operation stops, the filter main bodies 93 and 94 are prevented from being unnecessarily submerged.

  In addition, when the filter is stopped accurately, for example, the humidifier is installed in an inclined posture, and even if the water stored in the water tank is inclined relative to the filter, it is not covered by the inclined water surface. The flooded areas 93b and 94b are suppressed from being flooded.

In the present invention, the filter includes a frame body that is an annular shape along the outer peripheral surface of the submerged area having an arcuate outer edge, and a filter body that is held by the frame body. The rotation drive mechanism includes a roller and a motor. The motor rotates the roller, and the roller contacts the outer peripheral surface of the frame body to rotate the filter.
If the shape of the frame conforms to the outer peripheral surface of both the submerged area and the non-submerged area of the filter body, the shape of the frame is not circular, so the roller that contacts the outer peripheral surface corresponding to the submerged area of the frame is The outer peripheral surface corresponding to the non-immersed area of the frame cannot be contacted, and therefore the filter cannot be rotated.
That is, by providing the annular frame, the rotation drive mechanism can rotate the filter without any problem regardless of the shape of the filter body.

In the present invention, the disc-shaped humidifier filter uses a filter body and a frame body that holds the filter body, the filter body has water absorption and air permeability, and the frame body is non- Has water absorption. In addition, a waterproof part that prevents water from entering the inside of the frame body is formed in the frame body, corresponding to the non-immersed area of the filter body. On the contrary, the part of the frame body where the waterproof part is not formed does not hinder the infiltration of water into the inside of the frame body.
The filter body is submerged and absorbs water when the submerged area of the filter body is opposed to the bottom of the water tank, and the filter body does not submerge when the non-submerged area is disposed opposite to the bottom of the water tank. This prevents water from entering the inside of the frame, thereby further suppressing unnecessary water absorption of the filter body.

  In addition, the waterproof part can be used as, for example, an attachment allowance for attaching a detected part to be described later, and further, the part of the filter body that is not completely disc-shaped does not directly touch the user of the humidifier. Thus, a waterproof part can be arranged and the aesthetics of a filter and a humidifier can be improved.

In the present invention, a detection unit disposed on the filter, and a detector that is fixed facing the rotation position of the detection unit and detects the approach / separation of the detection unit; Rotation control means.
Since the detected portion is arranged in the filter, the detected portion rotates in the circumferential direction as the filter rotates in the circumferential direction. Further, as the filter rotates in the circumferential direction, the detected part approaches the detector fixed facing the rotational position of the detected part, and is separated from the detector. The detector detects the approach / separation of the detected portion.

  The rotation control means stops the operation of the rotation drive mechanism based on the detection result of the detector. Specifically, according to the positional relationship between the detector and the detected portion and the positional relationship between the non-immersed area of the filter body and the water tank, the rotation control means detects, for example, that the detector is closest to the detected portion. In this case, or when a predetermined time elapses after the detector detects the approach of the detected part, the operation of the rotation drive mechanism is stopped. As a result, the filter is stopped in a state in which the filter main body is not submerged and the filter does not absorb water (that is, a state in which the non-submerged area is disposed facing the bottom surface of the water tank).

  That is, with a simple configuration using the detector, the detected portion, and the rotation control means, the rotation of the filter can be stopped in a state where the filter main body is not submerged but not submerged. For this reason, the rotation of the filter can be appropriately controlled so as to stop the rotation of the filter when the humidification is performed and the filter main body is not submerged when the humidification is not performed.

In the present invention, a detector using a reed switch, a detected part using a magnet, and a rotation control means for stopping the operation of the rotation drive mechanism based on on / off of the reed switch. Prepare.
The magnet is arranged on the filter. For this reason, the magnet moves in the circumferential direction as the filter rotates in the circumferential direction. Therefore, the magnet may be submerged. However, no problem occurs even if a strong magnet is submerged.

The reed switch is fixed so as to face the rotational position of the detected portion, and the magnet approaches and separates from the reed switch as the filter rotates in the circumferential direction. The reed switch is switched from off to on and from on to off by the approach / separation of the magnet.
Since the on / off of the reed switch by the approach / separation of the magnet can be performed in a non-contact manner, it is not necessary to arrange a reed switch weak against water, for example, inside a water tank that is easily wetted.

The rotation control means stops the operation of the rotation drive mechanism, for example, when the reed switch is switched from off to on, or when a predetermined time has elapsed after the reed switch is switched from on to off. As a result, the filter stops in a state where the filter main body is not submerged.
That is, with a simple configuration using the reed switch, the magnet, and the rotation control means, the rotation of the filter can be stopped in a state where the filter main body is not submerged but not submerged.

In this invention, it is further provided with a rotating shaft part and two bearings which support each one end part and other end part of a rotating shaft part rotatably.
The rotation driving mechanism rotates the filter in the circumferential direction around a rotating shaft portion that protrudes from both sides of the filter and is disposed in a horizontal posture.
The one end portion and the other end portion of the rotating shaft portion are different in thickness from each other, and the two bearings are formed in accordance with the dimensions of the one end portion and the other end portion. That is, the two bearings have different dimensions. For this reason, at least the thick end will not be supported by the bearing that should support the thin end without any problem (specifically, it will not enter the bearing in the first place, or it will be smooth even if forced) Does not rotate etc.).

In general, the filter is removed and attached by the user of the humidifying device in order to replace or clean the filter. However, the detected portion is arranged in the filter of the present invention, so that the detected portion that rotates as the filter rotates passes through the detectable range of the detected portion of the detector. Must be attached to the bearing.
If the thicknesses of both ends of the rotating shaft portion are equal, the user must attach the filter in the correct orientation after confirming the positional relationship between the detector and the detected portion. For this reason, the user may attach the filter in the wrong direction, which may cause a problem that the detector cannot detect the detected part.

  On the other hand, when the filter of the present invention is used, the user only needs to attach both end portions of the rotating shaft portions having different thicknesses to the bearings having a size corresponding to each end portion. There is no need to confirm the positional relationship with the detection unit. That is, the user can easily and accurately attach the filter, and the detector can reliably detect the detected portion.

In the humidifying device of the present invention and the filter of the present invention, in the submerged area and the non-submerged area provided adjacent to the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral portion of the filter body, the circumferential length of the submerged area is the circumference of the non-submerged area. Because it is longer than the length of the direction , even if the filter for the humidifier is placed in a vertical position and the filter is submerged, the filter body can be switched between submerged / non-submersible only by rotating the filter in the circumferential direction. The water absorption / non-water absorption of the filter can be switched. That is, it is possible to prevent a problem caused by unnecessary absorption of water by the filter with a simple configuration while allowing the entire filter to sufficiently absorb water .

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings illustrating embodiments thereof.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a schematic rear view showing one side of a filter provided in the humidifying device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the other side of the filter. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing the internal configuration of the humidifier, and FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of the humidifier. Further, FIG. 5 is a front view showing a filter main body included in the filter.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a humidifier. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the humidifier 1 includes a housing 100, a CPU 10, a ROM 11, a RAM 12, an EEPROM 13, a display unit 14, an operation unit 15, a humidity sensor 16, and an air purifier. A filter 17, a water tank 18, a water-absorbing and breathable filter 2, a rotation drive mechanism 4, a blower 5, a reed switch 61 and a magnet 62 are provided. The filter 2 has a disc shape with an appropriate thickness, and includes a filter main body 21 having a water-absorbing and air-permeable honeycomb structure and a non-water-absorbing frame body 3 that holds the filter main body 21. Further, the filter 2 is provided with a rotating shaft portion 7, and the rotating shaft portion 7 is supported by bearings 81 and 82.

The CPU 10 is a control center of the humidifying device 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the ROM 11, the RAM 12, the EEPROM 13, the display unit 14, the operation unit 15, the humidity sensor 16, and the rotation drive mechanism 4 are connected via an internal bus and signal lines. The filter motor control unit 40, the fan motor control unit 50 of the blower 5, and the reed switch 61. The CPU 10 uses the RAM 12 as a work area, controls each part of the apparatus according to the control program and data stored in the ROM 11 and the data stored in the EEPROM 13, and executes various processes.
A time storage unit 131 is provided in a part of the storage area of the EEPROM 13.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the casing 100 has a vertical rectangular parallelepiped shape standing on the floor surface, and has an intake port 101 on the back surface and an exhaust port 102 on the top surface. Furthermore, it has the ventilation path 103 which connects the inlet port 101 and the exhaust port 102, and the air purification | cleaning filter 17, the filter 2, the rotational drive mechanism 4, the water tank 18, and the air blower 5 are in the middle of the ventilation path 103. They are arranged in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side of the air flow.

The air purification filter 17 uses a filter body that is both air-permeable for dust collection and deodorization, and a synthetic resin frame that holds the filter body, and has a rectangular shape that covers the entire intake port 101. Then, the air passing through the air purification filter 17 itself is filtered to filter out fine floating dust, sand dust and the like in the air and deodorize.
The air purification filter 17 is configured such that a manufacturing worker or a user of the humidifying device 1 can easily attach and remove the filter body to and from the frame body by hand.

  The water tank 18 is provided on the bottom surface of the housing 100, has a rectangular tray shape with an open top, and stores water W supplied from a water supply tank (not shown). The water tank is configured to automatically supply water to the water tank 18 so as to maintain a predetermined water level in the water tank 18.

  The water tank 18 has two side walls 18a and 18b facing each other in a direction along the back and front of the humidifier 1, and the shape of the water tank 18 in a plan view is a rectangular shape elongated in the left-right direction. More specifically, the inner method of the water tank 18 in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 3) is sufficiently longer than the thickness of the filter 2, but is significantly shorter than the outer diameter of the filter 2. On the other hand, the inner method of the water tank 18 in the left-right direction (left-right direction in FIGS. 1 and 2) is sufficiently longer than the outer diameter of the filter 2. For this reason, it is prevented that the water W dripped from the filter 2 leaks out of the water tank 18.

  The filter 2 is arranged in a vertical posture so that a part of the filter 2 in the circumferential direction can be submerged in the water tank 18. As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, the filter body 21 of the filter 2 has a shape in which a part of a disk 210 having an appropriate thickness is missing, and corresponds to the center position of the disk 210. In addition, a circular through hole 21o is formed. The filter main body 21 is provided with a water immersion area 21a in which the filter main body 21 is submerged by the water W that has entered the inside of the frame 3 holding the filter main body 21 and a non-submersible area 21b that is not submerged in the circumferential direction. ing.

  1, 3, and 5, in the filter 2 using the filter body 21, the center position in the circumferential direction of the non-immersed area 21 b is the center position of the through hole 21 o (hereinafter referred to as the center position of the filter body 21). This shows a case where the vehicle stops in a state of being directly below (hereinafter, simply referred to as “below”).

  The submerged area 21a and the non-submerged area 21b are provided in a part of the outer periphery of the filter main body 21 and the remaining part, respectively, and the outer edge of the submerged area 21a has an arc shape whose central angle exceeds two right angles. Therefore, the portion of the filter body 21 that includes the submerged area 21a in the outer periphery has a fan shape with a central angle exceeding two right angles. On the other hand, the outer edge of the non-immersed area 21 b has a bent line shape that is convex in the radial direction of the filter body 21. Accordingly, the portion of the filter body 21 that includes the non-immersed area 21b in the outer peripheral portion has a polygonal shape (a pentagonal shape in the present embodiment) whose central angle is less than two right angles. The filter body 21 has a line-symmetric shape with a virtual line that connects the center position of the filter body 21 and the center position in the circumferential direction of the non-immersed area 21b in a straight line as a symmetry axis.

Such a filter main body 21 is formed by cutting a part of the outer peripheral portion of the disk-shaped filter material in the circumferential direction or punching a rectangular filter material into a desired shape, and the shape in front view is approximately D-shaped. It is.
The separation distance between the center position of the filter body 21 and the hydrostatic surface WS of the water tank 18 is shorter than the separation distance between the center position of the filter body 21 and the submerged area 21a, and the center position of the filter body 21 and the non-submerged area 21b. Longer than separation distance. For this reason, when it stops in the state where the circumferential direction center position of the non-immersed area 21b is located directly below, the filter main body 21 will be in the non-immersed state. Since the non-immersed filter main body 21 does not absorb water, the filter main body 21 is dried, and moisture absorption of air passing through the filter main body 21 is suppressed.

Moreover, when it stops in the state where the circumferential direction center position of the non-immersed area 21b is located directly below, although the central part separation distance of the circumferential direction center position and the still water surface WS is short, each circumferential direction both ends of the non-immersed area 21b And the end part separation distance of the still water surface WS are long.
If the outer edge of the non-immersed area 21b is not a polygonal line but a straight line (see FIG. 12A), the distance between the central part separation distance and the end part separation distance is equal. In such a case, if the central part separation distance is too short, when the circumferential center position of the non-immersed area 21b is shifted from directly below to the forward rotation direction side (or the reverse rotation direction side), the rotation direction head of the flooded area 21a There is a possibility that the portion (or the tail portion in the rotation direction) will be submerged in the water tank 18 (see FIG. 12B). However, in order to increase the central separation distance, the size of the filter body 21 must be reduced (see FIG. 13).

  That is, by providing a sufficient gap between each circumferential end of the non-immersed area 21b and the static water surface WS, unnecessary water immersion of the filter body 21 is prevented and unnecessary water absorption is prevented, and the filter body The amount of water W that can be absorbed by the water 21 is improved.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the frame body 3 is made of a synthetic resin and has an annular shape along the outer peripheral surface of the submerged area 21 a of the filter body 21. The frame body 3 that holds the filter body 21 is configured so that it can be easily assembled and dismantled manually by a builder or user. Thus, the filter main body 21 can be easily attached to or removed from the frame 3.

  More specifically, the frame 3 is composed of a first frame 31 and a second frame 32, and the first frame 31 and the second frame 32 are each formed with substantially D-shaped water passage holes 3b and 3b on the bottom surface. The side surface and the bottom surface of the first frame 31 cover the outer peripheral surface of the filter body 21 and the vicinity of the outer peripheral surface on the one surface side of the filter body 21, and the side surface and the bottom surface of the second frame 32 are the first. The filter main body 21 is held by covering the outer peripheral surface of the outer side surface of the frame 31 and the other surface side of the filter main body 21. Water W and air that have passed through the water passage holes 3b and 3b reach the filter main body 21 held inside the frame 3.

At the center position of the filter 2, a cylindrical rotation shaft portion 7 orthogonal to the filter main body 21 is provided. Since the filter 2 is arranged in a vertical posture so that a part of the filter 2 in the circumferential direction can be submerged in the water tank 18, the rotary shaft portion 7 is arranged in a horizontal posture.
Here, the rotary shaft portion 7 is rotatably supported by bearings 81 and 82 provided on support portions 181 and 182 extending upward from the side walls 18a and 18b of the water tank 18, respectively. As a result, the filter 2 Is supported so as to be rotatable in the circumferential direction around the rotating shaft 7. The rotation shaft portion 7 is fixed by a frictional force with the central portion of the rotation shaft portion 7 fitted in the through hole 21o of the filter body 21.

The rotating shaft part 7 penetrates the center part of the water flow holes 3b, 3b, and the one end part 71 and the other end part 72 having an outer diameter larger than the one end part 71 sandwich the center part of the rotating shaft part 7. Is provided. The outer diameter of the one end portion 71 is equal to the outer diameter of the central portion of the rotary shaft portion 7, and the rotary shaft portion 7 is inserted into the through hole 21 o of the filter main body 21, so In this case, one end 71 is arranged on one side of the filter 2) and the other end 72 is arranged on the other side.
The dimension of the bearing 81 provided in the support portion 181 is a U shape formed in accordance with the outer diameter of the one end portion 71, and rotatably supports the one end portion 71 inserted from the upper portion of the U shape. Similarly, the dimension of the bearing 82 provided in the support part 182 is formed according to the outer diameter of the other end part 72, and supports the other end part 72 rotatably.

  The filter 2 in which the filter main body 21 is attached to the frame 3 can be easily attached to or detached from the support portions 181 and 182 by a manufacturing operator or user manually.

  A reed switch 61 is disposed on the side wall 18 a of the water tank 18, and a magnet 62 is disposed on one surface side of the filter 2 (that is, the one end 71 projecting side), so that the reed switch 61 detects the approach / separation of the magnet 62. The user needs to attach the filter 2 with the surface of the filter 2 on which the magnet 62 is disposed facing the side wall 18a. For this reason, if one end 71 is supported by a bearing 81 corresponding to the thickness of one end 71 and the other end 72 is supported by a bearing 82 corresponding to the thickness of the other end 72, the user However, the filter 2 can be easily and accurately attached without worrying about the positional relationship between the reed switch 61 and the magnet 62.

  Even if the user tries to support the one end 71 on the bearing 82 and the other end 72 on the bearing 81, the other end 72 cannot be inserted into the bearing 81, so the filter 2 is in the wrong direction. It is never attached.

By the way, the magnet 62 is fixed to the first frame 31 and rotates in a circular orbit along with the rotation of the filter 2. More specifically, the magnet 62 is arranged on the non-immersed area 21b side on the imaginary line connecting the center position of the filter body 21 and the circumferential center position of the non-immersed area 21b. For this reason, when the magnet 62 is located directly below, the circumferential center position of the non-immersed area 21b is also arranged directly below.
The reed switch 61 is fixed so as to face the lowermost part of the rotational position of the magnet 62. Specifically, a printed circuit board 65 is fixed to the side wall 18a of the water tank 18, and this printed circuit board 65 (more specifically, A reed switch 61 is mounted on the side wall 18a of the printed board 65 in the left-right direction center position).

  The reed switch 61 is connected to the CPU 10 via a signal line formed on the printed circuit board 65. The reed switch 61 is turned on when the magnet 62 enters within a predetermined range in the vicinity of the reed switch 61. When the magnet 62 retreats, it turns off. In other words, the reed switch 61 is turned on when the magnet 62 approaches the reed switch 61, and turned off when separated. As a result, the reed switch 61 functions as a detector that detects the approach / separation of the magnet 62 with respect to the reed switch 61. Further, the magnet 62 is arranged in the filter 2 and functions as a detected part that is detected by the reed switch 61 that is a detector.

The reed switch 61 that is turned on outputs an on signal indicating that it is turned on to the CPU 10, and the reed switch 61 that is turned off stops outputting the on signal. On the other hand, the CPU 10 determines that the reed switch 61 is on when the on signal is input from the reed switch 61, and determines that the reed switch 61 is off when the on signal is not input.
The reed switch 61 remains on while the magnet 62 is positioned within a certain range in the circumferential direction of the filter 2. This fixed range is hereinafter referred to as a switch-on region.

When the magnet 62 is arranged at the center position in the circumferential direction of the switch-on area, the magnet 62, and thus the center position in the circumferential direction of the non-immersed area 21b is arranged directly below. In this state, the filter body 21 is not submerged. On the other hand, when the magnet 62 is greatly deviated from the center position in the circumferential direction of the switch-on area, at least a part of the flooded area 21a is submerged and the filter body 21 is flooded.
When the air is not humidified, it is necessary to stop the rotation of the filter 2 while the filter main body 21 is not submerged. Therefore, the reed switch 61 and the magnet 62 are used to measure the timing for stopping the rotation.

  In the time storage unit 131 of the EEPROM 13, half the time from when the magnet 62 moves to the inside of the switch-on area until it moves to the outside of the switch-on area (that is, the magnet 62 goes to the inside of the switch-on area). The time from the movement until reaching the center position in the circumferential direction of the switch-on region is stored as a predetermined time. This predetermined time is calculated based on the result of measurement by actually rotating the filter 2 by the rotation drive mechanism 4 at the time of factory shipment of the humidifier 1, for example, and is stored in the time storage unit 131. Therefore, for example, if the filter 2 rotates once in 60 seconds and the magnet 62 passes through the switch-on region in 1 second due to the rotation of the filter 2, the time storage unit 131 stores 0.5 seconds as the predetermined time. .

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the rotation drive mechanism 4 includes a filter motor control unit 40, an electric filter motor (motor) 41, and a rotating roller (roller that rotates the filter 2 in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the frame 3. ) 42 and a connecting shaft 43. Although the filter main body 21 is not disk-shaped, the frame 3 is annular, so that the rotation roller 42 can contact the outer peripheral surface of the frame 3 to rotate the filter 2.
The filter motor control unit 40 is controlled by the CPU 10 to give a control signal indicating the rotation speed [rpm] to the filter motor 41. The filter motor 41 uses an AC motor, and operates at a required number of revolutions in accordance with a control signal given from the filter motor control unit 40.

  The output shaft portion of the filter motor 41 and the rotation shaft portion of the rotating roller 42 are connected via a connecting shaft portion 43. When the filter motor 41 is operated, the rotating roller 42 is moved in the direction of arrow A4 in FIGS. Rotate (clockwise in FIG. 1). That is, the filter motor 41 rotates the rotating roller 42.

The rotating roller 42 is disposed so that the peripheral surface of the rotating roller 42 contacts the topmost portion of the outer peripheral surface of the filter 2, and the rotating shaft portion 7 and the rotating shaft portion of the rotating roller 42 are disposed in parallel to each other. ing.
For this reason, when the rotation roller 42 rotates by the operation of the filter motor 41, the filter 2 rotates in the direction of arrow A2 in FIG. 1 (counterclockwise in FIG. 1) as the rotation roller 42 rotates.
That is, the rotation drive mechanism 4 rotates the filter 2 in the circumferential direction.

The blower 5 uses a sirocco fan, and includes a fan motor control unit 50, an electric fan motor 51, and blades 52, as shown in FIG. The fan motor control unit 50 is controlled by the CPU 10 to give a control signal indicating the rotation speed [rpm] to the fan motor 51. The fan motor 51 is an AC motor and operates according to a control signal given from the fan motor control unit 50.
When the fan motor 51 is operated, the blades 52 are rotated, and air with low humidity is sucked from the intake port 101 and passes through the air purification filter 17 and the filter 2 in this order. At this time, the air is blown in a direction orthogonal to the air purification filter 17 and the filter 2 with respect to the air purification filter 17 and the filter 2, respectively. That is, the blower 5 blows air in the direction intersecting the filter 2 with respect to the filter 2.

  The air sucked from the air inlet 101 by the blower 5 passes through the ventilation path 103 in the direction of the white arrow in FIG. More specifically, the air sucked from the intake port 101 is first purified by passing through the air purification filter 17. Next, the purified air passes through the filter 2 to vaporize the water W absorbed by the filter 2, and the vaporized water W is included in the air that has passed through the filter 2 (that is, the air is humidified by water vapor). ) The air whose humidity has been increased in this manner is discharged from the exhaust port 102 into the room where the humidifier 1 is installed. However, when the filter 2 is dry, the air that has passed through the filter 2 is not humidified.

The humidity sensor 16 shown in FIG. 4 detects the humidity in the room where the humidifying device 1 is installed, and gives the detection result to the CPU 10. In the present embodiment, the CPU 10 notifies the user of the indoor humidity by causing the display unit 14 to display the detection result of the humidity sensor 16.
The display unit 14 is controlled by the CPU 10 to display, for example, the operating state of the humidifying device 1, the indoor humidity, and the like, and the operation unit 15 includes various function keys using hard keys. In the present embodiment, the user of the humidifying device 1 gives various operation commands to the humidifying device 1 by operating the operation unit 15 while looking at the display unit 14. Note that, for example, the CPU 10 may automatically set the humidification amount and the blowing amount according to the detection result of the humidity sensor 16.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure of humidification / non-humidification switching processing executed by the CPU of the humidifying device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
The user operates the operation unit 15 to cause the humidifier 1 to start humidification and to end humidification.
CPU10 determines whether the operation part 15 corresponding to the start of humidification was operated (S11), and when not operated (it is NO at S11), repeatedly performs the process of S11.

  When the operation unit 15 corresponding to the start of humidification is operated (YES in S11), the CPU 10 operates the filter motor 41 by controlling the filter motor control unit 40 (S12). When the fan motor 51 is stopped at the time when the process of S12 is executed, the CPU 10 controls the fan motor control unit 50 to operate the fan motor 51 and to the filter 2 by the rotation of the blades 52 of the blower 5. Start blowing.

  When the process of S12 is executed and the filter motor 41 is operated, the filter 2 rotates in the circumferential direction, and the water W passes through the water passage holes 3b and 3b and enters the inside of the frame 3. In addition, as the filter 2 rotates in the circumferential direction, a part of the filter body 21 in the circumferential direction is submerged (that is, the submerged area 21a is submerged in the water W that has entered the inside of the frame 3). The state in which the filter main body 21 is not submerged (that is, the state in which the submerged area 21a is not submerged with respect to the water W that has entered the inside of the frame 3) is continuously switched.

When the submerged area 21a moves downward and is submerged, the filter body 21 is submerged and absorbs the water W. On the other hand, when both the flooded area 21a and the non-flooded area 21b are not submerged, the filter main body 21 is not submerged and does not absorb water. Here, even if the filter main body 21 temporarily becomes non-water-immersed during the rotation of the filter 2, the time for the filter main body 21 to be in the non-water-immersed state is 1 second within 60 seconds per rotation of the filter 2. Since the filter main body 21 is submerged for the remaining 59 seconds, the water absorption amount of the filter main body 21 is not significantly reduced.
Since the water W absorbed from the submerged submerged area 21a is sucked up by the non-submerged portion of the filter main body 21, the water W spreads over the entire filter main body 21. That is, the filter 2 absorbs water efficiently in the entire filter body 21.

  When the blower 5 blows air to the filter 2 that has efficiently absorbed water in the entire filter main body 21, the blown air passes through the water passing holes 3 b and 3 b and passes through the absorbed filter main body 21 to sufficiently absorb moisture. For this reason, the humidifier 1 discharges the sufficiently humidified air from the exhaust port 102.

Next, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the operation unit 15 corresponding to the stop of humidification has been operated (S13). When the operation unit 15 has not been operated (NO in S13), the process of S13 is repeatedly executed.
When the operation unit 15 corresponding to the stop of humidification is operated (YES in S13), the CPU 10 determines whether or not the reed switch 61 is on (S14), and when it is on (YES in S14), Since the magnet 62 is already located in the switch-on region, it is determined whether or not the reed switch 61 is turned off (S15). If the reed switch 61 remains on (NO in S15), the process proceeds to S15. Repeat the process.

On the other hand, when the reed switch 61 is turned off (YES in S15), since the magnet 62 located in the switch-on area is out of the switch-on area, the CPU 10 moves the process to the next S16. If the reed switch 61 is off (NO in S14), the magnet 62 is out of the switch-on region, and the CPU 10 moves the process to the next S16.
After the processing of S14 or S15 is completed, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the reed switch 61 is turned on (S16). If it is off (NO in S16), the magnet 62 is still out of the switch-on region. Therefore, the process of S16 is repeatedly executed.

When the reed switch 61 is turned on (YES in S16), since the magnet 62 has moved to the inside of the switch-on region, the CPU 10 starts measuring the elapsed time since the reed switch 61 is turned on (S17). . The elapsed time is measured, for example, by counting clocks.
Next, the CPU 10 determines whether or not a predetermined time stored in the time storage unit 131 has elapsed based on the elapsed time measurement result (S18). If not (NO in S18), the switch is turned on. Since the magnet 62 that has moved to the region has not yet reached the center position in the circumferential direction of the switch-on region, the process of S18 is repeatedly executed.

When the predetermined time stored in the time storage unit 131 has elapsed (YES in S18), the magnet 62 that has moved to the switch-on region has reached the center position in the circumferential direction of the switch-on region (that is, the circumferential direction of the non-immersed region 21b). Therefore, the CPU 10 controls the filter motor control unit 40 to stop the filter motor 41 (S19), ends the time measurement started in S17 (S20), and performs the process. Return to S11.
The CPU 10 in such humidification / non-humidification switching processing functions as a rotation control means.

By performing the humidification / non-humidification switching process as described above, when the user does not desire humidification, in the humidifier 1, the rotation of the filter 2 is stopped while the filter main body 21 is not submerged. For this reason, the filter main body 21 does not absorb water, and the filter main body 21 is naturally dried by dripping or evaporating water W contained in the filter main body 21.
If only the air blow by the blower 5 is executed in this state, only the air purification using the air purification filter 17 is executed without performing the humidification using the filter 2.

  The humidity of the air discharged from the exhaust port 102 after the filter body 21 is dried is substantially equal to the humidity in the room where the humidifier 1 is installed. Precisely, the air discharged from the exhaust port 102 contains a slight amount of moisture evaporated from the water tank 18, but is negligible compared to the case where the stopped filter body 21 continues to absorb water. Is humidification.

  By the way, in the state where the magnet 62 is slightly deviated from the center position in the circumferential direction of the switch-on region due to the detection error of the magnet 62 by the reed switch 61 and the fluctuation of the rotation speed of the filter 2 by the rotation drive mechanism 4, the filter 2. May stop. That is, in S19, the filter 2 cannot be stopped in a state where the circumferential center position of the non-immersed area 21b is located directly below, and may be stopped in a state where a positional deviation occurs in the circumferential direction.

  Even if such a deviation occurs, there is a sufficient separation distance between the circumferential end of the non-water-immersed area 21b and the hydrostatic surface WS, so that the problem that the filter main body 21 is submerged unnecessarily occurs. Absent. Similarly, even if the filter 2 stops in a state where the non-immersed area 21b and the still water surface WS are relatively inclined by installing the humidifying device 1 at an incline, there is a problem that the filter main body 21 is submerged. There is no.

In addition, the structure of the humidification apparatus 1 is not limited to the structure of this Embodiment. For example, further transpiration in the filter 2 may be promoted by heating the air blown by the blower 5 on the upstream side of the filter 2, and an ion generating element is disposed in the vicinity of the exhaust port 102, The generated positive ions and negative ions may be added to the exhausted air.
Moreover, when humidification is not performed, the structure in which the blower 5 blows air to the stopped filter 2 with an air blowing amount equal to or higher than the normal air blowing amount, and the filter body 21 that has already absorbed water may be forcibly dried. . In this case, since the state in which the filter body 21 absorbs water unnecessarily is not continued for a long time, generation of mold in the filter 2 is further suppressed.

  Further, the magnet 62 may be disposed on the submerged area 21a side on the imaginary line connecting the center position of the filter body 21 of the frame 3 and the circumferential center position of the non-submerged area 21b, for example. 65 may be arranged other than the water tank 18. Even in this case, if the predetermined time to be stored in the time storage unit 131 is changed, the CPU 10 executes the same process as the humidification / non-humidification switching process described above, and performs the humidification of the humidifier 1 and the stop of the humidification. Can be switched.

Furthermore, the shape of the filter body included in the filter 2 is not limited to a symmetrical shape.
FIG. 7 is a front view showing another filter main body included in the filter according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
In the figure, reference numeral 22 denotes a filter body. The filter body 22 has substantially the same configuration as the filter body 21, and includes a water immersion area 22a corresponding to the water immersion area 21a and a non-water immersion area 22b corresponding to the non-water immersion area 21b. It is provided adjacent to the direction.

The outer edge of the non-immersed area 22b is a polygonal line like the outer edge of the non-immersed area 21b. However, as shown in FIG. 5, the non-immersed area 21 b has a horizontal central portion and both ends are inclined, but as shown in FIG. 7, the non-immersed area 22 b has a forward rotation direction (in the direction of arrow A <b> 2). ) The leading side is horizontal and the trailing side is inclined.
When the filter 2 using the non-immersed area 22b is stopped, if there is a possibility that a positional deviation occurs in the forward rotation direction and no positional deviation occurs in the reverse rotation direction, the forward rotation of the non-immersed area 22b. There is no need to tilt the direction head. For this reason, the size of the filter body 22 is increased.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 8 is a front view showing a filter main body included in the filter according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
In the figure, reference numeral 23 denotes a filter body. The filter body 23 has substantially the same configuration as that of the filter body 21. The filter body 23 includes a water immersion area 23a corresponding to the water immersion area 21a and a non-water immersion area 23b corresponding to the non-water immersion area 21b. It is provided adjacent to the direction. Other parts corresponding to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

The outer edge of the non-immersed area 23b has an arc shape having a larger radius (that is, a smaller curvature) than the outer edge of the flooded area 23a. Similarly to the filter body 21, the filter body 23 is formed by cutting a part of the outer periphery of the disk-shaped filter material in the circumferential direction or punching a rectangular filter material into a desired shape. It is roughly D-type.
By forming the filter 2 using such a filter main body 23, the same effect as the case where the filter 2 is formed using the filter main body 21 can be obtained.

Embodiment 3. FIG.
FIG. 9 is a schematic rear view showing one side of the filter provided in the humidifying device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a schematic front view showing the other side of the filter. FIG. 11 is a schematic side view showing the internal configuration of the humidifier.
The humidifying device 1 of the third embodiment has substantially the same configuration as the humidifying device 1 of the first embodiment, but the non-water-absorbing synthetic resin frame 3 corresponds to the non-immersed area 21b. Waterproof portions 3a, 3a having a generally bow shape in front view that prevent water from entering the inside of the frame 3 are formed.
Other parts corresponding to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  Each waterproof part 3a is integrally provided in a portion that covers one side (or the other side) of the filter body 21 of the first frame 31 (or the second frame 32), and one side (or the other side) of the filter body 21. It is plate shape along. The outer edge of the waterproof part 3a has an arc shape, and the inner edge has a polygonal line shape similar to the shape of the outer edge of the non-immersed region 21b. For this reason, when stopping in a state where the circumferential center position of the non-water-immersed region 21b is located directly below, the central part separation distance between the circumferential center position of the waterproof part 3a and the still water surface WS is short, but the periphery of the waterproof part 3a The end separation distance between each of both ends in the direction and the hydrostatic surface WS is long. In addition, the inner edge of the waterproof part 3a is not limited to a polygonal line shape, and may be an arc shape similar to the outer edge shape of the non-immersed area 22b.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the filter 2 stops in a state where the circumferential center position of the non-immersed area 21 b is located directly below, the inside of the frame body 3 is covered by the waterproof portions 3 a and 3 a and the outer peripheral surface of the frame body 3. Since a waterproof container for waterproofing is formed, even if the outer surface of the frame body 3 is submerged, the water W does not enter the inside of the frame body 3.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 10, the filter 2 cannot be stopped in a state where the circumferential center position of the non-immersed area 21b is located directly below, and the filter 2 is stopped in a state in which the positional deviation occurs in the circumferential direction. However, since the separation distance between the circumferential direction end part of the waterproof part 3a and the still water surface WS is sufficiently provided, the water W does not enter the inside of the frame 3.
Here, although the water W dripped from the filter main body 21 may accumulate in the inside of the waterproof container, the non-immersed area 21b is not so submerged.

A magnet 62 is fixed to the center position in the circumferential direction of the waterproof portion 3a of the first frame 31. Temporarily, when the waterproof part 3a does not exist like Embodiment 1, the attachment cost of the magnet 62 with respect to the frame 3 is narrow, but when fixing the magnet 62 to the waterproof part 3a like this Embodiment, Since the mounting allowance of the magnet 62 is wide, the magnet 62 is prevented from falling off.
Furthermore, since the filter main body 21 is not a perfect disk shape, the aesthetic appearance of the humidifying device 1 may be impaired if the non-water-immersed area 21b is conspicuous, but the waterproof portions 3a and 3a cover the non-water-immersed area 21b. The design of the device 1 is improved.

It is a schematic rear view which shows the one surface side of the filter with which the humidification apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention is provided. It is a schematic front view which shows the other surface side of the filter with which the humidification apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention is provided. It is a schematic side view which shows the internal structure of the humidification apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the humidification apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a front view which shows the filter main body with which the filter which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention is provided. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the humidification / non-humidification switching process which CPU of the humidification apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention performs. It is a front view which shows the other filter main body with which the filter which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention is provided. It is a front view which shows the filter main body with which the filter which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention is provided. It is a schematic back view which shows the one surface side of the filter with which the humidification apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention is provided. It is a schematic front view which shows the other surface side of the filter with which the humidification apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention is provided. It is a schematic side view which shows the internal structure of the humidification apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a front view which shows schematically the shape of the filter main body with which the humidification apparatus which concerns on this invention is provided. It is a front view which shows schematically the other shape of the filter main body with which the humidification apparatus which concerns on this invention is provided. It is a front view which shows schematically the shape of the other filter main body with which the humidification apparatus which concerns on this invention is provided. It is a front view which shows schematically the shape of the further another filter main body with which the humidification apparatus which concerns on this invention is provided.

Explanation of symbols

1 Humidifier 10 CPU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 18 Water tank 2 Filter 21, 22, 23 Filter main body 21a, 22a, 23a Submerged area 21b, 22b, 23b Non-submerged area 3 Frame 3a Waterproof part 4 Rotation drive mechanism 41 Filter motor (motor)
42 Rotating roller (roller)
5 Blower 61 Reed switch (detector)
62 Magnet (Detected part)
7 Rotating shaft portion 71 One end portion 72 The other end portion 81, 82 Bearing W Water

Claims (10)

A disk-shaped filter using a filter body having water absorption and air permeability and a frame body that holds the filter body;
A rotation drive mechanism for rotating the filter in the circumferential direction;
A water tank for storing water;
A fan that blows air in a direction crossing the filter with respect to the filter,
The humidifier is arranged in a vertical posture, and a part of a circumferential direction of the filter is capable of being submerged in the water tank,
The filter main body is provided with a water immersion area where the filter main body is submerged by water that has entered the inside of the frame body, and a non-submersible area where water is not submerged adjacent to the outer peripheral portion of the filter main body in the circumferential direction .
The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein the circumferential length of the flooded area is longer than the circumferential length of the non-flooded area . The flooded area and the non-flooded area are provided in a part of the outer periphery of the filter body and the remaining part, respectively.
2. The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein an outer edge of the flooded area has an arc shape with a central angle exceeding two right angles.   The humidifier according to claim 2, wherein an outer edge of the non-water-immersed region has a bent line shape that is convex in the radial direction of the filter body.   The humidifier according to claim 2, wherein an outer edge of the non-immersed area has an arc shape having a radius larger than that of the outer edge of the flooded area. The frame is an annular shape along the outer peripheral surface of the flooded area,
The said rotation drive mechanism has a roller which contacts the outer peripheral surface of the said frame, and rotates the said filter, and a motor which rotates this roller, It is any one of Claim 2 to 4 characterized by the above-mentioned. Humidifier. The frame has non-water absorption,
The humidifying device according to claim 5, wherein a waterproof portion that prevents water from entering the inside of the frame body is formed in the frame body so as to correspond to the non-immersed area. A detector and a detected part;
Rotation control means for stopping the operation of the rotation drive mechanism based on the detection result of the detector to stop the filter in a state where the filter body is not submerged,
The detected part is arranged in the filter,
7. The detector according to claim 1, wherein the detector is fixed so as to face a rotational position of the detected part, and detects the approach / separation of the detected part. The humidifier described in 1. The detector uses a reed switch,
The detected part uses a magnet,
The humidification device according to claim 7, wherein the rotation control unit is configured to stop the operation of the rotation drive mechanism based on on / off of the reed switch. The filter is configured to rotate around a rotation shaft portion that protrudes from both sides of the filter and is disposed in a horizontal posture,
One end and the other end of the rotating shaft are different in thickness from each other,
9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising two bearings that are formed according to dimensions of the one end and the other end, and that rotatably support the one end and the other end. The humidifier as described in any one. A filter main body having water absorption and breathability, and a disc-shaped humidifier filter using a frame body that holds the filter main body,
The filter body is provided with a water-immersed area in which the filter body is submerged by water that has entered the inside of the frame body and a non-water-immersed area that is not submerged, adjacent to the outer periphery of the filter body in the circumferential direction ,
The filter according to claim 1, wherein the circumferential length of the flooded area is longer than the circumferential length of the non-flooded area .

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