JP5328546B2 - Air purifier with humidification function - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An air cleaner with a humidification function is provided to maintain the wet state of a humidification unit by rotating the humidification unit at short intervals. CONSTITUTION: An air cleaner(1) with a humidification function comprises a housing, a fan(17), an air purification unit, a water storage(22), a humidification unit(20), a detection unit(28), and a dry preventing unit. The fan sends air from the inlet(6) to the outlet(7) of the housing The air purification unit purifies the air flowing through the inlet. The humidification unit is submerged under water of a water tank and is rotatably arranged in an air passage. The humidification unit is exposed to the air in the air passage and humidifies the air. The detection unit detects the state of the fan. The dry preventing unit rotates the humidification unit one or more times depending on the operation of the fan.

Description

  The present invention relates to an air cleaner with a humidifying function.

  There is known a humidifier that takes in air, cleans and humidifies the air, and then releases the air outside the apparatus (see Patent Document 1). In the humidifying device described in Patent Document 1, an air flow channel communicating with the suction port and the air outlet is formed in the main body having the air inlet and the air outlet, and a blower (the air blowing means of the present invention is provided in the air flow channel. And heating means are provided. The lower part of the main body is provided with a water tank, and the water tank is provided with a humidifying filter (corresponding to the humidifying unit of the present invention) so that the lower part is immersed in water in the water tank. Yes.

  When the humidifier described in Patent Document 1 is in an operating state, air outside the apparatus is sucked from the suction port into the air flow path by the blower and then sent to the heating means, and is heated by the heating means to become hot air. . And this warm air contacts the humidification filter rotating while being immersed in the water of a water tank. At this time, the hot air is cleaned by trapping the foreign matter contained in the hot air by the humidifying filter, and further, the hot air is humidified by the water adhering to the humidifying filter, and then the air is discharged from the outlet. Released outside and contributes to humidification of indoor air.

JP 2006-200762 A

In the humidifying device described in Patent Document 1, the rotation of the humidifying filter (humidifying operation) is stopped for the reason that it is not necessary to humidify the indoor air, and the blowing unit may be continuously driven. .
In this case, the portion of the humidifying filter that is not immersed in the water of the water tank is gradually dried by being exposed to the warm air sent by the blower. Here, when the humidification filter (the part not immersed in the water in the aquarium) becomes dry with drying, an unpleasant odor is generated from the humidification filter, and this odor is warm air flowing through the air flow path. There is a risk that it will be released to the outside of the aircraft and float inside the room, making the user feel uncomfortable.

  The present invention has been made based on such a background, and provides an air cleaner with a humidifying function capable of preventing an unpleasant odor due to fresh drying from the humidifying unit in a state where the humidifying operation is stopped. For the purpose.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a housing in which an inlet for taking in air, an air flow path through which air taken in from the inlet flows, and an outlet for discharging the air flowing through the air flow path are formed. And a blower means that is provided in the housing and takes air from the inlet into the air flow path and sends it to the outlet; and air that cleans the air taken in from the inlet and flows to the downstream side of the air flow path A cleaning means, a water storage tank disposed in the housing and storing water, a part of which is rotatably disposed in the air flow path in a state of being immersed in the water of the water storage tank, and rotated during a humidifying operation. In the air purifier with a humidifying function, a humidifying unit that humidifies this portion of the water tank that is immersed in water by being exposed to air in the air flow path as it rotates. Not in a state A detecting means for detecting the driving state of the blower means, and drying for rotating the humidifying unit at least once at an interval of a predetermined time determined corresponding to the driving state according to the driving state detected by the detecting means. And an air purifier with a humidifying function.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the detection means detects a plurality of states including a strong, medium, and weak air flow rate for the drive state, and the dry prevention means is relatively relative to the detected air flow rate. 2. The air purifier with a humidifying function according to claim 1, wherein the humidifying unit is rotated at intervals of a short time.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the humidifying unit is a support that is rotatably supported by the casing, and a cloth that is wound around the support. The air cleaner with a humidifying function according to claim 1, further comprising a humidifying member that humidifies air in the flow path.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in this air cleaner with a humidifying function, the air blowing means takes in external air from the inlet to the air flow path and sends it to the outlet in the housing, and in the middle of the air purification Means clean this air.
Here, the water storage tank is arrange | positioned in the housing | casing, and a part of humidification unit is immersed in the water of a water storage tank. In this state, the humidification unit is rotatably arranged in the air flow path, and is rotated during the humidification operation so that a portion immersed in the water in the water storage tank is exposed to the air flow path air as it rotates. This humidifies the air.

And in this air cleaner with a humidification function, in a state where the humidification operation is not performed (a state where the rotation of the humidification unit is stopped), the detection means detects the drive state of the blower means, and according to the detected drive state The dry prevention means rotates the humidification unit at least once at a predetermined time interval determined in accordance with the driving state.
Thereby, even in a state where the humidification operation is not performed, the entire humidification unit is always wet with the water in the water storage tank (so wet that the water drops), so the humidification unit does not become dry.

As a result, in a state where the humidification operation is stopped, it is possible to prevent an unpleasant odor due to fresh drying from the humidification unit.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the detection means detects a plurality of states including a strong, medium, and weak air flow rate for the driving state, and the dry prevention means detects that the detected air flow volume is stronger (humidification). Rotate the humidification unit at relatively short time intervals as the unit tends to start drying quickly). Thereby, the whole humidification unit can always be kept wet with the water in the water storage tank regardless of the strength of the blown air volume, and it is possible to reliably prevent the humidification unit from becoming dry.

  According to invention of Claim 3, in the humidification unit, the humidification member wound around the support body rotatably supported by a housing | casing humidifies the air of an air flow path in the part wetted with the water of the water storage tank. Here, since the humidifying member is a cloth, water drainage is poor, and it tends to be freshly dried, but the dry prevention means rotates the humidifying unit at least once at a predetermined time interval. It can prevent reliably that a humidification member becomes freshly dried.

It is a right view of the air cleaner 1 with a humidification function, and has shown one part in the cross section. It is the graph which showed the time-dependent change of the odor level of the odor which generate | occur | produces in the humidification unit 20 after rotation of the humidification unit 20 stops. It is a flowchart for demonstrating dry prevention control. (A) is a disassembled perspective view of the humidification member 32, (b) is a perspective view of the completed humidification member 32. FIG. FIG. 4 is a front view of the humidifying unit 20 and is a diagram for explaining a procedure for attaching the humidifying member 32 to the support 34. It is a BB arrow sectional view of Drawing 5A. It is a perspective view of the humidification unit 20 which concerns on a 1st modification. It is a perspective view of the humidification unit 20 which concerns on a 2nd modification. It is AA arrow sectional drawing in FIG. It is CC sectional view taken on the line in FIG. A plan view of the transpiration plate 72 and a table relating to the transpiration performance of the transpiration plate 72 are shown in FIG. 10 (a) of the transpiration plate 72 according to the first comparative example, and the transpiration plate 72 according to the second comparative example (FIG. 10 ( b)) and the transpiration plate 72 (FIG. 10C) according to the present embodiment.

Below, with reference to drawings, the air cleaner 1 with a humidification function (it abbreviates as "the air cleaner 1" hereafter) as one Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated concretely.
<Overall configuration of the air purifier>
FIG. 1 is a right side view of the air purifier 1 and a part thereof is shown in cross section.
As shown in FIG. 1, the main body case 2 as a housing of the air purifier 1 has a hollow, substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is vertically long and thin in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1). The main body case 2 has an outer case formed by a front case 3 forming a substantially front half and a rear case 4 forming a substantially rear half. Here, the front side and the front side are synonymous, the rear side and the back side are synonymous, and the front-rear direction and the substantially horizontal direction are synonymous. In FIG. 1, the near side is the right side and the far side is the left side.

An operation panel 5 is provided on the top surface of the front case 3. The operation of the air cleaner 1 can be controlled by operating an operation key (not shown) provided on the operation panel 5, and the operating conditions and state of the air cleaner 1 are provided on the operation panel 5. It is displayed on a display unit (not shown).
An entrance 6 is formed at a position slightly above the front surface of the front case 3. The inlet 6 communicates with the inside of the front case 3. An outlet 7 is formed on each of the top, left, and right sides of the rear case 4. These outlets 7 communicate with the inside of the rear case 4. Each outlet 7 is provided with a grid 8. The air purifier 1 takes in air from the inlet 6 and cleans it, and discharges the cleaned air from the outlet 7 (see thick solid arrows).

A partition wall 9 extending in the vertical direction is provided between the front case 3 and the rear case 4, and the interior of the front case 3 and the interior of the rear case 4 are partitioned by the partition wall 9. A communication hole 10 is formed in the lower portion of the partition wall 9, and the interior of the front case 3 and the interior of the rear case 4 communicate with each other through the communication hole 10.
Specifically, the interior of the front case 3 is partitioned by a partition wall 11 into an upper first space 12 that communicates with the inlet 6 and a lower second space 13 that does not communicate with the inlet 6. The partition wall 11 is connected to the front wall of the front case 3 and extends diagonally forward and upward (inclined leftward in FIG. 1) continuously to the portion of the partition wall 9 that borders the lower end of the communication hole 10. 12 and the second space 13 are blocked. The communication hole 10 allows the first space 12 and the interior of the rear case 4 (the third space 14) to communicate with each other, but does not allow the second space 13 and the third space 14 to communicate with each other.

An air flow path 15 (see a thick solid line arrow) that connects the inlet 6 and the outlet 7 is formed inside the main body case 2. The communication hole 10 described above is located in the middle of the air flow path 15.
In the main body case 2, a filter 16 as an air cleaning means is provided at a position facing the inlet 6 from the rear side (right side in FIG. 1) in the middle of the first space 12 inside the front case 3, specifically the air flow path 15. The fan 17 is provided on the rear side of the filter 16 in the first space 12 as air blowing means.

The filter 16 has a rectangular shape that is long in the vertical direction and thin in the front-rear direction, and is configured by stacking a plurality of types of filter films. The filter 16 is not only relatively large dust contained in the air but also very fine. Dust such as pollen and tobacco smoke particles can be captured.
The fan 17 is, for example, a sirocco fan, and generates a suction force by being rotationally driven by a motor (not shown), sucks air on the front side from the inside and discharges it to the outside (here, the outside downward).

  In the air cleaner 1, when the fan 17 is driven, the air outside the air cleaner 1 is taken into the first space 12 of the front case 3 from the inlet 6 by the suction force generated by the fan 17. Air flow. The air (air flow) flows through the air flow path 15 as indicated by a thick solid line arrow, and passes through the filter 16 in the middle of the air, so that dust and odor components are removed and cleaned. In other words, the filter 16 cleans the air taken in from the inlet 6 and flows it downstream of the air flow path 15. Cleaned air (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “air”) is discharged downward by the fan 17 and continues to flow through the air flow path 15 from the communication hole 10 of the partition wall 9 to the inside (third). It is sent to the space 14) and finally to the outlet 7.

Thus, the air that has flowed through the air flow path 15 is discharged from each outlet 7 to the outside of the air purifier 1. The air exhausted (purified) outside the apparatus reaches every corner of the outside of the air cleaner 1 (for example, indoors) and purifies the entire room uniformly.
Since the air cleaner 1 has a humidifying function as described above, the humidifier unit 20 is provided in the third space 14 of the rear case 4 in order to humidify the air flowing through the air flow path 15.
<Overall configuration of humidification unit>
The humidification unit 20 humidifies the air that has passed through the filter 16 and has been purified. As a result, moisture-containing air is discharged from the outlet 7 into the room, and the humidity in the room is compensated.

In relation to the humidification unit 20, a main body case 2 is mainly provided with a water supply tank 21 and a receiving tray 22 as a water storage tank.
The water supply tank 21 is a hollow body that is long in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1) in which water can be stored, and is disposed in the second space 13 in the front case 3.
A drain hole 23 that is opened and closed by a valve body (not shown) is formed in the bottom of the water supply tank 21. The water supply tank 21 is fixed to a portion below the inlet 6 (referred to as a front cover 24) on the front wall of the front case 3 by screws or the like. Here, the front cover 24 is separable from the front case 3. Therefore, the water supply tank 21 and the front cover 24 are integrally attached to and detached from the front case 3 (main body case 2) from the front side. Thereby, water can be replenished to the water supply tank 21.

  The tray 22 is housed in the bottom of the main body case 2 and has a size (depth) that can accommodate the lower portions of the humidifying unit 20 and the water supply tank 21. Specifically, a partition plate 25 is erected on the bottom of the tray 22, and the interior of the tray 22 is divided into two parts by the partition plate 25. Inside the tray 22, the lower part of the water supply tank 21 is arranged in a region (front region 22 </ b> A) on the front side (left side in FIG. 1) from the partition plate 25, and a region on the rear side (right side in FIG. 1) ( The lower part of the humidification unit 20 is arranged in the rear region 22B). That is, in the tray 22, the front area 22 </ b> A that accommodates the lower part of the water supply tank 21 is disposed in the second space 13 of the front case 3, and the rear area 22 </ b> B that accommodates the lower part of the humidifying unit 20 is the third area of the rear case 4. Arranged in the space 14.

  Here, in the partition wall 9, a through hole 26 is formed below the communication hole 10 so that the partition plate 25 is just plugged. The through hole 26 allows the second space 13 of the front case 3 and the third space 14 of the rear case 4 to communicate with each other. In a normal state, the through hole 26 coincides with the partition plate 25 in the front-rear direction, and is closed by the partition plate 25 from the back side without a gap.

A communication hole 27 penetrating the partition plate 25 in the front-rear direction is formed at the lower end portion of the partition plate 25, and the front region 22 </ b> A and the rear region 22 </ b> B communicate with each other through the communication hole 27.
When the water supply tank 21 is accommodated in the front region 22A of the saucer 22, the above-described valve element (not shown) at the bottom of the water supply tank 21 is pushed up by a protrusion 28 protruding upward from the bottom of the saucer 22 to supply water. Open the drain hole 23 of the tank 21. Thereby, the water in the water supply tank 21 is discharged from the drain hole 23 to the front region 22A, flows into the rear region 22B from the communication hole 27, and accumulates in the rear region 22B.

  In addition, when water accumulates to the specified water level in the rear region 22B, water flows back and forth between the front region 22A and the rear region 22B through the communication hole 27 in the middle thereof, so that the front region 22A and the rear region The water level of 22B results in equal water levels (see the water surface S shown). At this time, the communication hole 27 is located below the water surface S and is completely immersed in water. Further, as described above, the through hole 26 of the partition wall 9 is closed by the partition plate 25 of the tray 22. Therefore, air does not go back and forth between the front region 22A and the rear region 22B via the communication hole 27. Accordingly, air in the first space 12 of the front case 3 and the inside of the rear case 4 (third space 14) does not leak into the second space 13, so that air flowing through the air flow path 15 leaks into the second space 13. There is nothing.

The humidifying unit 20 is disposed in the middle of an air flow path 15 (see a thick solid arrow) that is an air flow path that passes through the filter 16 and the fan 17 toward the outlets 7. Therefore, the air flow (air flow) cleaned by the filter 16 always passes through the humidification unit 20.
The humidification unit 20 has a substantially disk shape having a central axis extending in the front-rear direction. The humidification unit 20 mainly includes a front plate 30 and a rear plate 31 that are arranged side by side at a distance from each other and a humidification member 32. The front plate 30 is an annular plate having an outer peripheral edge and an inner peripheral edge (see FIG. 6 described later). The rear plate 31 has a disk shape. The central axes of the front plate 30 and the rear plate 31 extend along the front-rear direction, and these central axes coincide with each other when viewed from the front-rear direction. The outer diameter of the front plate 30 and the outer diameter of the rear plate 31 are substantially the same.

  Here, the humidification unit 20 includes a plurality of beam members 33. Each beam member 33 has a rod shape extending in the front-rear direction. These beam members 33 are arranged at substantially equal intervals in the circumferential direction centering on the central axis of the humidifying unit 20, and form a ring shape as a whole (see FIG. 6). Each beam member 33 is constructed between the outer peripheral edge of the front plate 30 and the outer peripheral edge of the rear plate 31. Thereby, the front plate 30 and the rear plate 31 are integrated with the beam member 33 in a state where the front plate 30 and the rear plate 31 are spaced apart from each other as described above.

  Here, the integrated front plate 30, rear plate 31 and beam member 33 are collectively referred to as a support 34. A portion of the support 34 on the front side of the rear plate 31 has an annular shape by the front plate 30 that is an annular plate and a plurality of beam members 33 that form an annular shape as a whole (see FIG. 6). In the support 34, a portion defined by the inner periphery (specifically, the inner periphery of the front plate 30 and the plurality of beam members 33) is referred to as an inner space 35.

  Then, the humidifying member 32 described above is wound around the support body 34 along the outer peripheral edge of the support body 34 (specifically, the outer peripheral edge of the front plate 30 and the rear plate 31 and the plurality of beam members 33). Yes. As will be described later, the humidifying member 32 is in the form of a band formed of a water-absorbing and stretchable fabric (see FIG. 4B described later), but in the state of being wound around the support 34, the humidifying member 32 has an annular shape. (See FIG. 5A described later).

  Such a humidifying unit 20 is formed by a shaft 37 extending forward in a substantially horizontal direction from a part of the rear wall of the rear case 4 (referred to as a rear cover 36) and passing through the center of the circle of the front plate 30 and the rear plate 31. The shaft 37 is supported so as to be rotatable. In this state, the lower part of the humidifying unit 20 (the outer peripheral edge of the support 34 and the lower part of the humidifying member 32 wound around the support 34) is accumulated in the rear region 22B of the tray 22 to a predetermined water level (see the water surface S). )

  As described above, when the air cleaned by the filter 16 continues to flow through the air flow path 15 and passes through the humidifying unit 20, the humidifying unit 20 is rotated by receiving a driving force from a motor (not shown) or the like ( (See the dashed-dotted arrow in FIG. 1). When the humidifying unit 20 is rotated, the humidifying member 32 rotates together with the support body 34, and moves between the state where the humidifying unit 20 is immersed in the water in the rear region 22B and the state where the humidifying member is raised from the water. To do. And the humidification member 32 is exposed to the flow of the cleaned air (refer to the thick solid line arrow in FIG. 1) when it is raised from the water. Specifically, the portion of the humidifying member 32 that has been immersed in the water in the rear region 22B is exposed to the flow of purified air in the air flow path 15 until the humidifying unit 20 completes one rotation. As a result, the moisture adhering to the humidifying member 32 humidifies the purified air and is released together with the air from the outlet 7 in a predetermined direction, thereby contributing to indoor humidification. The water adhering to the support 34 also humidifies the air.

  Here, since at least a portion of the beam member 33 is hollow (not shown), the hollow beam member 33 passes through the water in the rear region 22B as the humidification unit 20 rotates. The water in the rear region 22B can be pumped out by accumulating inside. The water pumped out to the beam member 33 contributes to the humidification of the air, like the water adhering to the humidifying member 32. The water pumped out to the beam member 33 humidifies the air accumulated in the beam member 33, or humidifies the air when it spills from the beam member 33 and adheres to the surface of the support 34. At the same time, the humidifying member 32 which has been dried is moistened again, and the humidifying ability of the humidifying member 32 is restored.

The humidifying unit 20 includes a shaft 37 that holds the humidifying unit 20 rotatably, a rear cover 36, and a tray 22 mainly for periodic maintenance such as cleaning (removal of dirt such as scale) and replacement of the humidifying member 32. It can be attached to and detached from the main body case 2 from the back side.
<Drying prevention control>
In the air purifier 1, as described above, the humidifying member 32 moves between the state where the humidifying unit 20 is immersed in the water in the rear region 22 </ b> B and the state where the humidified member is raised from the water. The air is humidified by being exposed to the air flow in the air flow path 15 in the portion of the rear region 22B that has been immersed in the water when rising from the water. The operation in which the air is humidified by the air cleaner 1 is referred to as a humidification operation.

In the air cleaner 1, if the rotation of the humidifying unit 20 is stopped, the portion of the humidifying member 32 that is immersed in the water in the rear region 22 </ b> B is not exposed to the air flow in the air flow path 15, so the humidifying operation is stopped. be able to.
Here, in the air purifier 1, the humidification operation is stopped (for example, the humidification operation is not performed) because the indoor humidity is at a desired value or the like, while the fan 17 is rotated to filter the external air to the filter 16. In some cases, only the operation of cleaning and discharging outside the machine (air cleaning operation) is performed. In this case, since the purified air flows through the air flow path 15 with the rotation of the humidifying unit 20 stopped, the portion of the humidifying member 32 that is not immersed in the water in the rear region 22B (water surface S By being bathed in the upper part), this part begins to dry gradually from a state where it is wet enough to dripping water.

When the humidifying member 32 starts to dry, various germs may be generated from the scale in the water adhering to the humidifying member 32, and this germ may generate an unpleasant odor. In particular, since the humidifying member 32 is formed of cloth as described above, the water drainage is poor compared to the case where the humidifying member 32 is formed of resin, and various germs are likely to be generated inside.
Then, if the odor generated from the humidifying member 32 is exhausted outside the machine on the air flowing through the air flow path 15 by the air cleaning operation, there is a possibility that the user drifts in the room and makes the user feel uncomfortable.

  Here, in the air cleaner 1, the rotational speed of the fan 17 is changed by operating the operation key (not shown) of the operation panel 5 described above, and the air flow rate in the air flow path 15 (the air flow rate at the inlet 6 is changed). It is the amount of suction and the amount of air discharged at the outlet 7.) 3 (strong (about 3 cubic meters / minute), medium (about 1.5 cubic meters / minute), weak (about 0.6 cubic meters / minute) Can be adjusted in stages.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing a change with time of the odor level of the odor generated in the humidifying unit 20 after the rotation of the humidifying unit 20 is stopped.
Then, the rotation (humidification operation) of the humidification unit 20 is stopped in a state where the fan 17 is rotationally driven and air is flowing through the air flow path 15 (a state where the air cleaning operation is performed). Then, as shown in FIG. 2, when the air flow rate in the air flow path 15 is strong, the humidifying member 32 of the humidifying unit 20 is dried after about two and a half minutes have passed since the rotation of the humidifying unit 20 stopped. At the same time, the odor level of the odor generated from the humidifying member 32 starts to increase as indicated by the thick solid line (the odor becomes tight). When about 5 minutes have passed after the rotation of the humidifying unit 20 is stopped, the humidifying member 32 is in a dry state, and the odor level becomes the maximum value (the odor becomes the strongest). Thereafter, in the humidifying member 32, further drying progresses from the raw drying, so that the activity of germs becomes dull. As a result, the odor level gradually decreases, and about 7 minutes elapse after the rotation of the humidifying unit 20 stops. The humidifying member 32 is completely dried, and the odor level returns to the value before the humidifying member 32 starts to dry, and the humidifying member 32 does not smell unpleasant.

  On the other hand, when the air flow rate in the air flow path 15 is medium, the odor level starts to rise after about 5 minutes have passed since the rotation of the humidifying unit 20 is stopped, as indicated by a thick broken line (the humidifying unit 20 An unpleasant odor begins to develop.) Moreover, when the air flow rate in the air flow path 15 is weak, the odor level starts to increase after about 8 minutes have elapsed since the rotation of the humidifying unit 20 is stopped, as indicated by a thick dotted line.

Note that the change over time in the odor level shown in FIG. 2 is in a severe environment where the surrounding humidity is about 30% and the humidification member 32 is most likely to dry quickly, and the humidity exceeds 30%. Under the environment, the above-described increase in odor level starts somewhat later than in the case shown in FIG.
Thus, in the air cleaner 1, when the humidifying operation is stopped (OFF) and the air cleaning operation is performed (ON), an unpleasant odor may be discharged after a while after the humidifying operation is turned off. is there. In particular, an unpleasant odor is discharged at an early stage as the air flow becomes stronger.

  Therefore, a control unit 38 (detection means and dry prevention means) including a microcomputer is provided in the main body case 2 (see FIG. 1). The control unit 38 rotates the fan 17 (strictly, driving a motor (not shown) that rotates the fan 17) and rotates the humidifying unit 20 (strictly, drives a motor (not shown) that rotates the humidifying unit 20). By controlling, drying prevention control of the humidification unit 20 (especially the humidification member 32) is performed.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the dry prevention control.
Specifically, referring to FIG. 3, first, when the above-described air cleaning operation is ON (when fan 17 is rotating) (YES in step S1), control unit 38 determines that humidification operation is ON. It is confirmed whether or not there is (step S2).
If the humidification operation is ON (YES in step S2), the control unit 38 turns on the humidification unit 20 and rotates the humidification unit 20 (step S3). Thereby, humidification operation is performed.

  Here, the air cleaner 1 is provided with a humidity sensor (not shown) that measures the humidity outside the machine (indoor), and the control unit 38 is a humidity sensor (not shown) during the humidifying operation. Based on the detection result, it is confirmed whether the indoor humidity has reached the set humidity (step S4). When the indoor humidity reaches the set humidity (YES in step S4), the control unit 38 turns off (stops) the rotation of the humidifying unit 20 and turns off the humidifying operation (step S5).

  On the other hand, if the humidifying operation is not ON (NO in step S2), the control unit 38 detects the driving state of the fan 17 from the rotational speed of the fan 17 in a state where the humidifying operation is not performed, and based on this driving state, The amount of air blown through the air flow path 15 is confirmed (detected) (step S6). Specifically, the control unit 38 detects a plurality of states including the above-described strong, medium, and weak airflow rates for the driving state of the fan 17.

  When the air flow rate is strong (see FIG. 2), the control unit 38 turns off the humidifying operation when the air cleaning operation is started when the humidifying operation is OFF (or when the air cleaning operation is ON). The humidifying unit 20 is rotated once every two minutes from the time point (step S7). Thus, as described above, about two and a half minutes have passed since the rotation of the humidifying unit 20 was stopped in a state where the air flow rate is strong, and the humidifying member 32 of the humidifying unit 20 (the water in the rear region 22B of the receiving tray 22). The portion of the humidifying member 32 of the humidifying unit 20 that is not immersed in the water in the rear region 22B (see FIG. 1) of the receiving tray 22 is the water in the rear region 22B of the receiving tray 22 before the portion that is not soaked begins to dry. So that the entire humidifying member 32 gets wet enough to dripping water.

Here, since the control unit 38 rotates the humidification unit 20 once every two minutes, every time the humidification member 32 starts to dry, the entire humidification member 32 is wetted, and as a result, the entire humidification member 32 Is always maintained in a state where the air flow rate is strong.
On the other hand, when the air volume is medium (see FIG. 2), the control unit 38 rotates the humidification unit 20 once every 4 minutes from the reference time (step S8). As a result, as described above, the humidification unit 20 is humidified before about 5 minutes have passed since the rotation of the humidification unit 20 was stopped with the air flow rate being medium, and before the humidification member 32 of the humidification unit 20 began to dry. The portion of the member 32 that is not immersed in the water in the rear region 22B of the tray 22 is immersed in the water in the rear region 22B of the tray 22 and the entire humidifying member 32 gets wet enough to dripping. Thereby, the state where the humidification member 32 whole is wet is always maintained in the state where the air flow rate is medium.

  On the other hand, when the air flow rate is weak (see FIG. 2), the control unit 38 rotates the humidification unit 20 once every 7 minutes from the reference time (step S9). Thus, as described above, the humidification unit 20 is humidified before about 8 minutes have passed since the rotation of the humidification unit 20 stopped in a state where the air flow rate is weak, and before the humidification member 32 of the humidification unit 20 begins to dry. The portion of the member 32 that is not immersed in the water in the rear region 22B of the tray 22 is immersed in the water in the rear region 22B of the tray 22 and the entire humidifying member 32 gets wet enough to dripping. Thereby, the state where the humidification member 32 whole was wet is always maintained in the state where the air flow rate is weak.

  As described above, the control unit 38 rotates the humidification unit 20 once at an interval of a predetermined time corresponding to the driving state in accordance with the driving state of the fan 17 (in other words, the above-described air flow rate). . Thereby, even in a state where the humidification operation is not performed, the entire humidification unit 20 is always wet with the water in the tray 22 (so wet that the water is dripped), so the humidification unit 20 does not dry out. As a result, in the state where the humidifying operation is stopped, it is possible to prevent an unpleasant odor from being generated from the humidifying unit 20 due to the fresh drying. Note that the controller 38 may rotate the humidifying unit 20 a plurality of times as long as the humidifying unit 20 is rotated at least once per interval. Then, the entire humidification unit 20 can be surely wetted by immersing it in the water in the rear region 22B of the tray 22 many times.

Moreover, the control part 38 rotates the humidification unit 20 by the relatively short time interval, so that the detected ventilation volume is strong. Thereby, the whole humidification unit 20 can always be kept wet with the water of the saucer 22 irrespective of the strength of the blowing volume, and it is possible to reliably prevent the humidification unit 20 from being dried.
When the air cleaning operation is OFF (NO in step S1), air does not flow through the air flow path 15. Therefore, the portion of the humidifying member 32 that is not immersed in the water in the rear region 22B is difficult to dry. Odor is not generated, and even if an abnormal odor is generated, it is not discharged to the outside of the machine, so that it is not necessary to perform dry prevention control (specifically, processing from steps S6 to S9). Further, when the humidifying operation is ON (YES in step S2), the humidifying unit 20 is always rotating (step S3). Therefore, it is necessary to perform the anti-drying control by rotating the humidifying unit 20 every predetermined time. Absent.

  On the other hand, when the air cleaning operation is ON and the humidification operation is OFF (NO in step S2), the air cleaning operation is stopped by performing the above-described dry prevention control (processing from steps S6 to S9). In addition, it is possible to prevent an unpleasant odor from being discharged to the outside of the apparatus without deliberately reducing the air flow rate in order to delay the timing at which the odor is discharged outside the apparatus. That is, it is possible to prevent an unpleasant odor from being discharged outside the apparatus while continuing the air cleaning operation with a desired air flow rate.

In addition, since the humidifying member 32 is a cloth, the water drainage is poor and it tends to dry quickly. However, since the humidifying member 32 is not dried due to the above-described dry prevention control, the above-mentioned various bacteria in the humidifying member 32 are not. Since the frequency of maintenance of the humidifying member 32 is reduced, the usability can be improved.
The fan 17 is driven by three levels of air flow: strong, medium, and weak. However, when the air flow is not switched, the humidifying unit 20 is rotated at intervals suitable for the air flow. You can do it.
<Assembly of humidification unit>
4A is an exploded perspective view of the humidifying member 32, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the completed humidifying member 32. FIG. FIG. 5A is a front view of the humidifying unit 20 and is a view for explaining a procedure for attaching the humidifying member 32 to the support 34. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 5A.

Next, assembly of the humidifying unit 20 (specifically, attachment of the humidifying member 32 to the support body 34) will be described with reference to FIG.
First, with reference to Fig.4 (a), the humidification member 32 is the strip | belt shape formed with the cloth which has a water absorption and a stretching property as mentioned above. As the cloth of the humidifying member 32, for example, a fiber such as polyester is used.

In the humidifying member 32, one end in the longitudinal direction (the left end in FIG. 4A and referred to as winding start 32A) and the other end (the right end in FIG. 4A and referred to as winding end 32B) are provided. Both have a loop shape. Here, the dimension in the longitudinal direction of the humidifying member 32 is smaller than the peripheral length of the outer peripheral edge of the support 34 (see FIG. 5A).
In each of the loop-shaped winding start 32A and winding end 32B, an elongate pin 40 is inserted along the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the humidifying member 32 (the front-rear direction of the air cleaner 1, see FIG. 1). Has been.

The pin 40 includes a cylindrical portion 41 and a shaft portion 42 in the longitudinal direction. With reference to the posture of FIG. 4A, the cylinder portion 41 is disposed on the front side of the shaft portion 42. Below, each of the cylinder part 41 and the axial part 42 is demonstrated on the basis of the attitude | position of Fig.4 (a).
The cylindrical portion 41 has a cylindrical shape having a central axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the pin 40, and an annular flange portion 43 is externally fitted to the front end portion thereof. A fitting portion 44 that is smaller in diameter than the collar portion 43 and that has an annular center around the circle center of the collar portion 43 and projects toward the near side is integrally provided on the end surface on the near side of the collar portion 43. ing. The fitting portion 44 is externally fitted to the end portion on the near side of the cylindrical portion 41. In this state, the end portion on the near side of the cylinder portion 41 protrudes toward the near side from the fitting portion 44. In the cylinder part 41, the inside is open | released in the edge part of a back | inner side.

  The shaft portion 42 is long in the longitudinal direction of the pin 40, and the above-described flange portion 43 is externally fitted to the back end portion thereof. The fitting portion 44 described above is integrally provided on an end surface (a position that cannot be seen in FIG. 4) of the flange portion 43 of the shaft portion 42, and the fitting portion 44 is provided at the back of the shaft portion 42. It protrudes to the back side while being externally fitted to the side end. In this state, the back side end of the shaft part 42 protrudes to the back side (rear side) from the fitting part 44 (see FIG. 5B).

The flange portion 43 and the fitting portion 44 are integrally formed with the corresponding cylinder portion 41 or shaft portion 42.
The shaft portion 42 is inserted into the inside of the tube portion 41 from the back side. In this state, the shaft portion 42 slides with respect to the tube portion 41 (in other words, the tube portion 41 is pivoted). By sliding with respect to the part 42), the total length of the pin 40 can be changed. Here, a coil spring 45 is externally fitted to the shaft portion 42 in a state compressed between the end face on the back side of the tube portion 41 and the flange portion 43 of the shaft portion 42, thereby 42 is about to be separated from the cylinder portion 41 (in other words, the total length of the pin 40 is about to increase). In addition, since the nail | claw 46 provided in the cylinder part 41 is hooked on the axial part 42 in the state which separated from the cylindrical part 41 to the maximum, the axial part 42 is prevented from removing from the cylindrical part 41. Has been.

  Then, in the state where the pin 40 is inserted through each of the winding start 32A and the winding end 32B, both longitudinal ends of each pin 40 (particularly, the flange portions 43 of the tube portion 41 and the shaft portion 42) are shown in FIG. As shown in b), it is exposed from the corresponding one of the winding start 32A and the winding end 32B. In this state, since the cylindrical portion 41 of each pin 40 and the flange portion 43 of the shaft portion 42 sandwich the corresponding winding start 32A and winding end 32B, each pin 40 starts from the corresponding winding start 32A and winding end 32B. It is prevented from coming off.

  And as shown to FIG. 5A, the 1st latching | locking part 47 exists in one place on the periphery of the outer periphery (specifically, each outer periphery of the front plate 30 and the rear plate 31) of the support body 34 of the humidification unit 20. Is formed. Further, the outer periphery of the support 34 (the outer periphery of each of the front plate 30 and the rear plate 31) is located at a position different from the first locking portion 47 (in FIG. 5A, clockwise with respect to the first locking portion 47). A plurality of (here, three) second locking portions 48 are provided at substantially equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral edge of the support 34. The three second locking portions 48 are formed as a second locking portion 48A, a second locking portion 48B, and a second locking portion 48C in order from the side closer to the first locking portion 47.

In the support 34, the first locking portion 47 on the front plate 30 side and the first locking portion 47 on the rear plate 31 side coincide with each other when viewed from the front-rear direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 5A). The second locking portions 48 on the front plate 30 side and the corresponding second locking portions 48 on the rear plate 31 side coincide with each other when viewed from the front-rear direction.
Here, both the 1st latching | locking part 47 and the 2nd latching | locking part 48 exist in the position remove | deviated from any beam member 33 (refer FIG. 6) in the circumferential direction of the outer periphery of the support body 34. FIG.

With reference to the state in FIG. 5A, the first locking portion 47 and each second locking portion 48 are separated from the outer peripheral edge of the support 34 (the outer peripheral edges of the front plate 30 and the rear plate 31). It is a substantially U-shaped notch that is linearly recessed along the radial direction of the support 34 toward the center of the circle (the shaft 37 side).
Further, in each of the rear surface of the front plate 30 and the front surface of the rear plate 31, it corresponds to the deepest portion (the portion closest to the circle center of the support 34) of the corresponding first locking portion 47 or each second locking portion 48. In the portion to be viewed, a substantially C-shaped rib (referred to as a locking rib 49) that is open on the outer peripheral edge side of the support 34 while surrounding the deepest portion of the corresponding locking portion when viewed from the front-rear direction is integrally formed. (See also FIG. 7 described later). The locking rib 49 on the rear surface of the front plate 30 protrudes rearward, and the locking rib 49 on the front surface of the rear plate 31 protrudes frontward (see FIG. 7).

The humidifying member 32 is wound around the support 34 by about one turn from the outside in the radial direction of the support 34.
Specifically, first, in the humidifying member 32, the winding start 32A (in other words, the pin 40 inserted through the winding start 32A) is supported with respect to the first locking portion 47 as shown in FIG. (See also the uppermost pin 40A in FIG. 5B).

  Next, the winding start 32A (the pin 40 inserted through the winding start 32A) is moved along the radial direction of the support body 34 (see the thick solid line arrow) and is brought close to the first locking portion 47, while in FIG. As shown in the second pin 40B from the top, the pin 40 of the winding start 32A is sandwiched and contracted from both outsides in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction). At this time, in the pin 40B, the interval between the fitting portion 44 of the cylinder portion 41 and the fitting portion 44 of the shaft portion 42 is such that the locking rib 49 in the first locking portion 47 of the front plate 30 and the rear plate 31 The interval between the locking ribs 49 in the one locking portion 47 is substantially the same as or shorter than the interval between the locking ribs 49.

Then, the winding start 32A continues to approach the first locking portion 47, and the front end of the pin 40 at the winding start 32A (the left end in FIG. 5B) is received by the first locking portion 47 of the front plate 30, and the winding starts. The rear end (right end in FIG. 5B) of the pin 40 of 32A is received by the first locking portion 47 of the rear plate 31.
Thereafter, the fitting portions 44 of the cylindrical portion 41 and the shaft portion 42 in the pin 40 of the winding start 32A are connected to the locking rib 49 in the first locking portion 47 of the front plate 30 and the first locking portion of the rear plate 31, respectively. As shown in the third pin 40C from the top in FIG. 5B, the force pinching the pin 40 is loosened and the pin 40 that has been shrunk until now is extended to the original length. .

  Then, in the pin 40 </ b> C of the winding start 32 </ b> A, the fitting portion 44 of the cylindrical portion 41 is located inside the above-described substantially C-shaped portion (see FIG. 7) of the locking rib 49 in the first locking portion 47 of the front plate 30. On the other hand, it snaps in from the rear side (right side in FIG. 5B), and the fitting portion 44 of the shaft portion 42 is on the front side (see FIG. 5) with respect to the inside of the locking rib 49 in the first locking portion 47 of the rear plate 31. It snaps into from the left side in 5B. Accordingly, the locking of the winding start 32A (the pin 40 inserted through the winding start 32A) to the first locking portion 47 is completed.

In this state, each fitting portion 44 cannot be detached from the corresponding locking rib 49 unless the pin 40 (pin 40C) is contracted again. Further, the front end of the pin 40 (tube portion 41) is locked to the deepest portion of the first locking portion 47 of the front plate 30 (see also FIG. 5A), and the rear end of the pin 40 (shaft portion 42) is The first locking portion 47 of the plate 31 is locked at the deepest portion.
After the winding start 32 </ b> A is locked to the first locking portion 47 in this way, the humidifying member 32 is wound around the support 34 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 5A between the front plate 30 and the rear plate 31. At this time, the humidifying member 32 is wound around the plurality of beam members 33 (see also FIG. 7) arranged in an annular shape as described above. As a result, the humidifying member 32 wound around the support 34 has a shape close to an annular shape (perfect circle).

Here, as described above, since the dimension (natural length) in the longitudinal direction of the humidifying member 32 is smaller than the peripheral length of the outer peripheral edge of the support 34, when the humidifying member 32 is wound around the support 34 without pulling, In the humidifying member 32, the winding end 32B does not reach the winding start 32A.
Therefore, next, the winding end 32B is pulled clockwise in FIG. 5A to extend the humidifying member 32. Thereby, the dimension in the longitudinal direction of the humidifying member 32 is larger than the peripheral length of the outer peripheral edge of the support 34.

  Thereafter, the winding end 32B (strictly speaking, both ends in the longitudinal direction of the pin 40 inserted through the winding end 32B) is placed on any one of the plurality of second locking portions 48 (in FIG. 5A, from the first locking portion 47). Lock to the second locking portion 48A). The procedure of locking the winding end 32B with respect to the second locking portion 48 has been described above in order to lock the winding start 32A (the pin 40 inserted through the winding start 32A) with respect to the first locking portion 47. The procedure is the same.

Thereby, the assembly of the humidification unit 20 is completed.
In this state, referring to the lowermost view in FIG. 5B, the front end and the rear end of each of the pins 40 of the winding start 32A and the winding end 32B are exposed from the front surface of the corresponding front plate 30 or the rear surface of the rear plate 31. Has been. Here, the periphery of a portion that coincides with the first locking portion 47 and the second locking portion 48 on the front surface of the front plate 30 and the rear surface of the rear plate 31 is recessed (this portion is referred to as a recessed portion 51). The front end and the rear end of each pin 40 are located in the recessed portion 51 on the front surface of the front plate 30 or the rear surface of the rear plate 31, and do not protrude outward from the front surface of the front plate 30 or the rear surface of the rear plate 31. . Therefore, when the humidifying unit 20 rotates as described above, the humidifying member 32 is not unexpectedly detached from the support 34 by the front end and the rear end of each pin 40 being caught by the components around the humidifying unit 20.

  In addition, when removing the humidification member 32 from the support body 34 in order to disassemble the humidification unit 20, referring to FIG. 5A, first, at the winding end 32B, the pin 40 is sandwiched and contracted as described above. The respective fitting portions 44 of the cylindrical portion 41 and the shaft portion 42 are removed from the corresponding locking ribs 49, and then the winding end 32B is moved outward in the radial direction of the support body 34, so that the second locking portions 48 are moved. Remove from. Then, after removing the winding start 32A from the first locking portion 47 in the same procedure as the winding end 32B and then removing the portions other than the winding start 32A and the winding end 32B from the support 34 in the humidifying member 32, the humidifying member 32 is removed. The whole is removed from the support 34.

  And in the state which the assembly of the humidification unit 20 was completed, the humidification member 32 is wound around the support body 34 (specifically several beam member 33) in the state to which appropriate tension | tensile_strength was provided. The winding start 32 </ b> A locked to the first locking portion 47 and the winding end 32 </ b> B locked to the second locking portion 48 overlap in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral edge of the support 34. . Therefore, there is no gap between the winding start 32A and the winding end 32B in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral edge of the support 34. Thus, the air in the air flow path 15 (see FIG. 1) passes through the gap between the winding start 32A and the winding end 32B, and is discharged from the outlet 7 (see FIG. 1) without being humidified by the humidifying member 32. Since it can prevent, the fall of humidification efficiency can be suppressed.

  As described above, the humidifying member 32 is wound around the support body 34 along the outer peripheral edge of the support body 34. That is, since the humidifying unit 20 is completed by winding the humidifying member 32 around the support 34 from the outside, the humidifying member 32 can be removed and attached without disassembling the support 34 during maintenance of the humidifying member 32. It becomes possible. Therefore, the usability of the humidifying unit 20 can be improved. Further, with the humidifying unit 20 having such a configuration, the number of parts (in other words, cost) is compared with a humidifying unit having a configuration in which a plurality of humidified disks stacked instead of the humidifying member 32 are assembled to the support 34. Can be reduced.

Here, as shown in FIG. 5A, assuming that the winding end 32B of the humidifying member 32 is locked to the second locking portion 48A, in this case, the humidifying member 32 extends in the longitudinal direction with use. Sometimes.
In this case, the winding end 32B of the humidifying member 32 is removed from the second locking portion 48A (the second locking portion 48 close to the first locking portion 47), and the second locking portions 48B and C (first engagement) are removed. By re-engagement with the second engagement portion 48) on the side away from the stop portion 47, the humidifying member 32 can be wound around the support body 34 without slack. Thereby, even if the humidification member 32 is extended, the humidification unit 20 can be assembled so that the extended humidification member 32 does not loosen.

  And since there is no slack in the humidification member 32 wound around the support body 34, when the humidification member 32 is pinched | interposed into the front plate 30 and the rear plate 31, for example, when the humidification unit 20 rotates, the surroundings of the humidification unit 20 It can be prevented from being caught on the parts. Further, similarly to the new humidifying member 32 before extending, the extended humidifying member 32 can be wound around the support body 34 in a state where an appropriate tension is applied, so that the humidifying member 32 is new. The same humidification performance can be stably maintained. Incidentally, when the humidifying member 32 is loosened, a gap is formed between the loosened portion of the humidifying member 32 and the support 34, and the air flowing through the air flow path 15 passes through this gap so that the humidifying member 32. Therefore, there is a concern that the humidification efficiency may be lowered.

Thus, if the humidifying unit 20 is completed by simply winding the humidifying member 32 around the support 34 and locking each of the winding start 32A and the winding end 32B to the support 34, the assembly of the humidifying unit 20 and Easy to disassemble.
Here, three second locking portions 48 are provided, but the number of the second locking portions 48 is appropriately changed according to the degree of extension of the humidifying member 32. Further, when the humidifying member 32 is contracted or when the humidifying member 32 is wound around the support body 34 with a tension greater than necessary, the winding end 32B of the humidifying member 32 is connected to the first locking portion. If the second locking portion 48 on the side close to 47 is locked, the appropriate tension described above can be applied to the humidifying member 32 wound around the support 34.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the humidifying unit 20 according to the first modification.
Here, in the above-described embodiment, the three second locking portions 48 are provided independently in each of the front plate 30 and the rear plate 31, but may be connected as shown in FIG. Good.
Specifically, in each of the front plate 30 and the rear plate 31, a substantially L-shaped notch 50 is formed at the same position in the circumferential direction when viewed from the front. In the corresponding front plate 30 or rear plate 31, the notch 50 linearly extends from the outer peripheral edge of the plate toward the center of the circle of the plate, then bends, and turns clockwise (first direction). It extends along the circumferential direction of the plate (in the direction away from the locking portion 47) and penetrates the corresponding plate in the front-rear direction.

In such a notch 50, the second locking portion 48A is provided at the bent portion, and the second locking portion 48A is shifted to the position away from the first locking portion 47 with respect to the second locking portion 48A. The second locking portion 48B is provided, and the second locking portion 48C is provided at a position shifted in a direction away from the first locking portion 47 with respect to the second locking portion 48B.
In this case, in order to lock the winding end 32B of the humidifying member 32 to the second locking portion 48, the pin 40 is moved closer to the second locking portion 48A as shown by the pin 40A at the winding end 32B. On the other hand, after being contracted as shown by the pin 40B, the pin 40C is referred to, fitted into the notches 50 of the front plate 30 and the rear plate 31, and locked to the second locking portion 48A. In FIG. 6, for convenience of explanation, the pin 40 and the second locking portion 48 are shown separately.

  Here, when the humidifying member 32 (see FIG. 4B) is extended as described above, the winding end 32B is removed from the second locking portion 48A by shrinking the pin 40 as shown by the pin 40D, In the notch 50, it shifts to the 2nd locking part 48B and the 2nd locking part 48C side. Then, of the second locking portion 48B and the second locking portion 48C, the pin 40 is extended (see the pin 40E) at the position of the second locking portion 48 that is desired to be locked, and the winding end 32B is corresponding. The second locking portion 48B or C is locked. The locking rib 49 corresponding to each of the second locking portions 48A to 48C is not substantially C-shaped as described above, but the winding end 32B is locked to one of the second locking portions 48A to 48C. In the state where it was done, each fitting part 44 of the pin 40 of the winding end 32B is hold | maintained so that it cannot remove.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the humidifying unit 20 according to the second modification.
When the humidifying member 32 does not have the stretchability as described above, it is not necessary to extend the humidifying member 32 and change its length. Therefore, as shown in FIG. It is only necessary to provide one for each of the plate 30 and the rear plate 31.
<Electrolytic water unit>
As shown in FIG. 1, the air cleaner 1 is provided with an electrolyzed water unit 70 in the inner space 35 of the support 34 in the humidifying unit 20. Specifically, the electrolyzed water unit 70 is disposed in the space above the shaft 37 in the inner space 35. Thereby, the electrolyzed water unit 70 and the humidification unit 20 are in the same position in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1), and the electrolyzed water unit 70 is located directly below the upper end portion of the humidification unit 20. The electrolyzed water unit 70 is supported by the partition wall 9 of the main body case 2.

  The electrolyzed water unit 70 is for placing electrolyzed water on the air flowing through the air flow path 15 after being purified by passing through the filter 16. Therefore, the air cleaner 1 not only cleans and humidifies the outside air taken in as described above with the filter 16, but also dissipates the electrolyzed water in the electrolyzed water unit 70, and the outside (indoors) ) Can be sterilized and deodorized.

Specifically, the electrolyzed water unit 70 includes a water receiving container 71 having an open upper surface, a transpiration plate 72, a gear 73, and an electrode unit 90 (see FIG. 8 described later).
The transpiration plate 72 has a disk shape in which a large number of through holes 74 (see also FIG. 10 described later) are formed. These through holes 74 are arranged radially with the circular center of the transpiration plate 72 as a reference, and are long along the circumferential direction of the transpiration plate 72 (see FIG. 10). The transpiration plate 72 is held in the water receiving container 71 in a state of being inclined obliquely forward and downward (inclined to the left in FIG. 1).

  The gear 73 has a disk shape having a central axis extending in the vertical direction, and gear teeth 75 are formed on the outer peripheral portion thereof. Further, an upper end portion of a gear shaft 76 extending vertically is connected to a circular center position of the bottom surface of the gear 73. The lower end portion of the gear shaft 76 is connected from above to the circular center portion of the transpiration plate 72 that is inclined as described above, whereby the transpiration plate 72 and the gear 73 are integrated. In this state, the transpiration plate 72 and the gear 73 are rotatable together with the gear shaft 76. In addition, the transpiration | evaporation board 72 always maintains the state inclined to the diagonally front side downward, even during rotation.

The electrode unit 90 is accommodated in the water receiving container 71 (see FIG. 8), and includes a pair of electrodes (not shown) connected to a main body power source (not shown) outside the electrolyzed water unit 70. . In the electrolyzed water unit 70, the water stored in the water receiving container 71 is electrolyzed by the action of the electrode unit 90 (see FIG. 8), thereby generating electrolyzed water.
Here, gear teeth 77 are formed on the inner periphery of the support 34 (specifically, the front plate 30) of the humidification unit 20 over the entire circumference (see FIG. 7), and the gear teeth on the electrolyzed water unit 70 side. 75 and the gear teeth 77 on the humidifying unit 20 side mesh with each other. In the electrolyzed water unit 70, portions other than the gear teeth 75 are not in contact with the humidifying unit 20.

  As described above, when the humidifying unit 20 rotates, the outer peripheral portion of the humidifying unit 20 (that is, the humidifying member 32 wound around the support 34 in the humidifying unit 20) rotates around the electrolyzed water unit 70. At this time, the water absorbed when the lower end portion of the humidifying member 32 is immersed in the tray 22 is exposed to the air flowing through the air flow path 15 when the lower end portion is raised by the rotation of the humidifying member 32, as described above. The air is humidified.

  Here, there is water that spills from the humidifying member 32 without contributing to the humidification of the air. In addition, the water adhering to the support 34 that supports the humidifying member 32 may spill down along the surface of the support 34 as the humidification unit 20 rotates. When these waters are located directly above the electrolyzed water unit 70, these waters fall from the humidifying unit 20 and accumulate in the water receiving container 71. Based on the water accumulated in the water receiving container 71, the electrolyzed water unit 70 generates electrolyzed water.

The generation of electrolyzed water will be described in detail. When the water level stored in the water receiving container 71 rises to a predetermined water level (see the water surface T), a pair of electrodes (not shown) of the electrode unit 90 (see FIG. 8) described above. ) Is immersed in water stored in the water receiving container 71.
And the voltage in the main body power supply (not shown) mentioned above is applied to a pair of electrodes (not shown) of the electrode unit 90, whereby the water in the water receiving container 71 is electrolyzed to become electrolyzed water. . Since tap water is usually used as the water and chlorine is contained in the tap water, the electrolyzed water unit 70 is hypochlorous acid having a bactericidal action and a deodorizing action by electrolysis in the electrode unit 90. Electrolyzed water containing (HClO) and active oxygen can be generated.

  Here, when water has accumulated in the water receiving container 71 up to the predetermined water level described above, the transpiration plate 72 is inclined obliquely forward and downward with respect to the water surface T of the water receiving container 71, and the front side of the transpiration plate 72. The portion (substantially the front half) is immersed in water (electrolyzed water) stored in the water receiving container 71. As described above, in the electrolyzed water unit 70, the gear teeth 75 of the gear 73 mesh with the gear teeth 77 of the humidifying unit 20, so that when the humidifying unit 20 rotates, the gear 73 is connected to the humidifying unit 20. Rotates by receiving rotational force.

As the gear 73 rotates, the transpiration plate 72 integrated with the gear 73 via the gear shaft 76 is inclined obliquely forward and downward by the gear shaft 76 as described above, and the front portion is the water receiving container. It rotates so that it may synchronize with rotation of the humidification unit 20, being maintained in the state immersed in 71 water.
In the front portion of the transpiration plate 72 immersed in the water (electrolyzed water) stored in the water receiving container 71, a film of electrolysis water is formed in the above-described through hole 74 of the transpiration plate 72 due to surface tension. By rotating the plate 72, the through hole 74 in which the electrolytic water film is stretched moves to the rear side of the evaporation plate 72, and the electrolytic water in the water receiving container 71 is continuously taken out. Then, the through-hole 74 with the electrolyzed water film stretched is exposed to the air flowing through the air flow path 15 (see the thick solid line arrow in FIG. 1) in order at the rear portion of the evaporation plate 72, and the electrolyzed water The membrane is broken like a mist by the air flowing through the air flow path 15 and peeled off from the through hole 74, and the electrolyzed water is continuously evaporated.

Thereafter, the mist-like electrolyzed water (electrolyzed water mist) rises on the air flowing through the air flow path 15 and sequentially passes between the front plate 30 and the rear plate 31 and the humidifying member 32 in the humidifying unit 20. The purified air is discharged into the room from the outlet 7 (see the thick solid arrow in FIG. 1).
In this way, the transpiration plate 72 places the generated electrolyzed water on the air flowing through the air flow path 15. As a result, the electrolyzed water becomes mist and is diffused from the outlet 7 to the outside of the apparatus (for example, indoors) and spreads indoors, thereby sterilizing and deodorizing the indoor air.

Here, the humidifying member 32 is preferably made of polyamide. Polyamide has good compatibility with electrolyzed water, and it is difficult to lower the concentration of electrolyzed water that passes through the humidifying member 32 (specifically, the concentration of hypochlorous acid or active oxygen described above). Therefore, the indoor air can be effectively sterilized and deodorized by diffusing the electrolyzed water having a concentration almost the same as that at the time of generation to the outside of the apparatus.
In addition, the electrolyzed water mist also has a function of preventing the propagation of various bacteria with respect to the humidifying member 32, and the humidifying member 32 can be kept clean.

  Here, in the humidification unit 20, when the water droplet W located immediately above the electrolyzed water unit 70 falls from the humidification unit 20 to the water receiving container 71, or the water overflowing from the water receiving container 71 becomes the water droplet W and becomes a receiving tray. When the water drops W fall on the water 22, there is a possibility that a loud dripping sound may be generated when the water drops W falling directly fall on the water surface S or T of the corresponding water receiving container 71 or the receiving tray 22.

Therefore, in this air cleaner 1, the following measures are taken to prevent the generation of dripping sound.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 9, the water receiving container 71 is integrally provided with an inclined wall 79 extending inclined from the front wall 78 to the rear upper side. A slit X penetrating up and down the inclined wall 79 is formed at a position adjacent to the front wall 78 of the water receiving container 71 at the lower end of the inclined wall 79. The inclined wall 79 is located between the upper end portion of the humidifying unit 20 and the water surface T in the water receiving container 71. On the other hand, since the inclined wall 79 is shifted to the front side in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 9) with respect to the rear side portion of the transpiration plate 72, the air in the rear side portion of the transpiration plate 72 as described above. It does not hinder the air flowing through the flow path 15 (see the thick arrow in FIG. 9).

  If such an inclined wall 79 is provided, even if the water droplet W falls from the upper end of the humidifying unit 20, there is an inclined wall 79 at the tip, and the water droplet W falls directly onto the water surface T of the water receiving container 71. Without falling, it is received by the inclined wall 79 as soon as it falls, and flows to the front lower side along the upper surface of the inclined wall 79. Then, the water droplet W passes through the slit X at the lower end of the inclined wall 79 and travels along the front wall 78 of the water receiving container 71, and then flows into the water receiving container 71 without making noise. Accumulate. Thereby, since the water drop W from the upper end part of the humidification unit 20 does not fall directly on the water surface T of the water receiving container 71, generation | occurrence | production of the dripping sound by the water drop W falling toward the water receiving container 71 can be prevented.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the upper end edge of the partition wall 80 (see also FIG. 9) that partitions the water collecting portion in the water receiving container 71 is slightly shifted from the center in the width direction to the left side in the rear view. At the position, a notch 81 is formed by notching the upper end edge of the partition wall 80 downward in a substantially V shape. Further, on the rear surface of the partition wall 80, a first guide rib 82 that protrudes rearward is integrally provided at a position adjacent to the notch 81 from the left in the rear view. The first guide rib 82 has a thin plate shape in the width direction, and extends vertically so as to connect the upper end edge and the lower end edge of the partition wall 80. Further, the rear end edge 82A of the second guide rib 82 extends while inclining toward the front lower side (see FIG. 9).

  A second guide rib 83 extending downward is integrally provided at a position adjacent to the lower end of the second guide rib 82 at the lower end of the partition wall 80. The second guide rib 83 has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the back, and the left end edge 83 </ b> A extends while inclining to the lower right. Here, an annular flange 84 is fitted on the front end of the shaft 37 described above, and the flange 84 is continuous from the lower side with respect to the lower end of the second guide rib 83 (see FIG. 9).

  The partition wall 9 described above is integrally provided with a third guide rib 85 extending vertically so as to divide the communication hole 10 into left and right. The third guide rib 85 has a thin plate shape in the width direction, and the rear end edge 85 </ b> A extends inclining toward the front lower side in a state of being continuous from below with respect to the flange 84, and is connected to the partition wall 9 ( (See FIG. 9). A fourth guide rib 86 is integrally provided in the middle of the third guide rib 85 in the vertical direction (specifically, a position near the upper end of the third guide rib 85). The fourth guide rib 86 extends obliquely from the third guide rib 85 to the upper left side in the rear view.

  The water overflowing from the water receiving container 71 becomes a water droplet W and flows downward from the notch 81 of the partition wall 80 along the rear surface of the partition wall 80. At this time, the water droplet W is received by the left first guide rib 82 in the rear view and is guided by the first guide rib 82 so that it does not shift further to the left side. It flows downward through (see FIG. 9).

Then, the water droplet W that has reached the lower end of the first guide rib 82 is received by the second guide rib 83, flows to the lower right side along the left edge 83 </ b> A of the second guide rib 83 in the rear view, and then the flange 84. (See FIG. 9).
The water droplets W transferred to the flange 84 flow downward along the flange 84, and are then transferred to the third guide rib 85. At this time, the water droplet W from the flange 84 may be directly delivered to the third guide rib 85, or once delivered to the fourth guide rib 86 and combined with other water droplets, the water droplet W may be transferred to the third guide rib 85. Sometimes it is handed over.

Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the water droplets W transferred to the third guide rib 85 flow to the front lower side through the rear end edge 85A of the third guide rib 85, and then are transferred to the partition wall 9 to be transferred to the partition wall. 9 and the rear surface of the partition plate 25 of the saucer 22 flow downward in this order, and finally flow into and accumulate in the rear region 22B of the saucer 22 without making noise.
Thereby, since the water droplet W from the water receiving container 71 does not fall directly on the water surface S of the receiving tray 22, it is possible to prevent the generation of dripping sound due to the water droplet W overflowing from the water receiving container 71 and falling toward the receiving tray 22.

Next, the transpiration plate 72 will be described in detail.
FIG. 10 shows a plan view of the transpiration plate 72 and a table relating to the transpiration performance of the transpiration plate 72, the transpiration plate 72 according to the first comparative example (FIG. 10A), and the transpiration plate 72 according to the second comparative example. (FIG. 10B) and the transpiration plate 72 (FIG. 10C) according to the present embodiment are shown. In addition, in FIG.10 (b) and FIG.10 (c), the principal part sectional drawing of the transpiration | evaporation board 72 is also shown in the right end position.

Regarding the dimensions of the transpiration plate 72, the outer diameter of the transpiration plate 72 according to the first comparative example shown in FIG. 10A is 71 mm, and the longitudinal direction of each through hole 74 (strictly speaking, the transpiration plate 72). The dimension (longitudinal dimension) Y in the tangential direction to the circumferential direction is 23 mm. Moreover, the surface of the transpiration | evaporation board 72 which concerns on a 1st comparative example is smooth (the surface does not have an unevenness | corrugation).
Moreover, in the transpiration | evaporation board 72 which concerns on the 2nd comparative example shown in FIG.10 (b), an outer diameter is 67 mm and the longitudinal direction dimension Y of each through-hole 74 is 21.5 mm. That is, the transpiration plate 72 according to the second comparative example is slightly smaller in both the outer diameter and the longitudinal dimension Y of each through hole 74 than the transpiration plate 72 according to the first comparative example. In particular, the longitudinal dimension Y of the through hole 74 is about 10% smaller in the case of the second comparative example than in the case of the first comparative example. On the other hand, the surface of the transpiration plate 72 according to the second comparative example is smooth like the transpiration plate 72 according to the first comparative example. The number of through holes 74 is the same as that of the transpiration plate 72 according to the first comparative example.

  Here, the electrolyzed water film formed in each through hole 74 of the transpiration plate 72 is broken into a mist and peeled off from the through hole 74 per unit time or per one rotation of the transpiration plate 72. The amount (amount of transpiration) that rides on the air of 15 (see FIG. 1) is referred to as the transpiration amount. The unit of the transpiration amount here is (cc / hour). In the transpiration plate 72 according to the first comparative example, the transpiration rate is 13 if the blast volume is as described above, and the transpiration rate is 6 if the blast volume is as described above, and the blast volume is as described above. If it is weak, the transpiration amount is 4 (see the table in FIG. 10A).

  On the other hand, in the transpiration plate 72 according to the second comparative example, the transpiration rate is 8 if the blowing rate is strong, and the transpiration rate is 3 if the blowing rate is medium, and the blowing rate is weak. If so, the amount of transpiration is 1, and the amount of transpiration is less than that of the first comparative example at any airflow rate (see the table in FIG. 10B). This is because, in the transpiration plate 72 according to the second comparative example, the through holes 74 are smaller than in the transpiration plate 72 according to the first comparative example, and thus the electrolytic water film formed in each through hole 74. (Refer to the film M in the cross-sectional view at the right end of FIG. 10B) is less likely to break and less likely to evaporate. Conversely, if the size of the through hole 74 is made the same as in the case of the first comparative example, the number of through holes 74 is reduced by that amount, so that the transpiration amount is eventually greater than in the case of the first comparative example. Less.

  Therefore, the dimensions of the transpiration plate 72 remain the same as those of the second comparative example, and as shown in FIG. 10C, the surface of the transpiration plate 72 (at least the portion 72A bordering each through hole 74). (Refer to the cross-sectional view at the right end of c)), it is preferable to apply a texture to form fine irregularities (see the portion filled with dots). Here, regarding the unevenness, unevenness having an unevenness height of about 0.4 mm is formed on the mold surface for forming the evaporation plate 72, and the surface of the evaporation plate 72 is 6 Concavities and convexities with a height of about 30% are formed. The unevenness on the mold surface is formed by immersing the mold in a special chemical.

  Thereby, in the present embodiment shown in FIG. 10C, even if the through hole 74 is smaller than the transpiration plate 72 according to the first comparative example, the electrolytic water film formed in each through hole 74 is It becomes more fragile than in the case of the transpiration plate 72 according to the first comparative example. Therefore, when the graining is performed as in the present embodiment, the transpiration rate is 14 if the blast volume is strong even if the size of the transpiration plate 72 is the same as that of the second comparative example and is small. Yes, if the blowing rate is medium, the transpiration rate is 7, and if the blowing rate is weak, the transpiration rate is 5, and in any blowing rate, the transpiration rate is compared to the first comparative example. Increased (see table in FIG. 10C).

As described above, the surface of the transpiration plate 72 is subjected to texturing, so that the transpiration plate 72 can be reduced in size while suppressing a decrease in the transpiration amount. The entire cleaner 1 can be efficiently reduced in size.
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

1 (with humidification function) Air purifier 2 Body case (housing)
6 Inlet 7 Outlet 15 Air flow path 16 Filter (Air cleaning means)
17 Fan (Blowing means)
20 Humidification unit 22 Saucepan (water tank)
32 Humidifying member 34 Support 38 Control unit (detection means, dry prevention means)

Claims (3)

A housing formed with an inlet for taking in air, an air flow path through which air taken in from the inlet flows, and an outlet for discharging the air that has flowed through the air flow path;
Blower means provided in the housing, for sending air from the inlet to the air flow path and sending it to the outlet;
An air cleaning means for cleaning the air taken in from the inlet and flowing it to the downstream side of the air flow path;
A water storage tank disposed in the housing for storing water;
A part of the water tank is rotatably disposed in the water flow path in a state of being immersed in the water in the water tank, and is rotated during the humidification operation so that the part of the water tank in the water tank is rotated with the air flow. In an air purifier with a humidifying function having a humidifying unit that humidifies the air by being exposed to the air of the road,
In a state where the humidifying operation is not performed, a detecting unit that detects a driving state of the blowing unit;
A humidification function comprising: a dry prevention means for rotating the humidification unit at least once at an interval of a predetermined time determined corresponding to the drive state according to the drive state detected by the detection means. With air purifier. The detection means detects a plurality of states including a strong, medium, and weak airflow amount for the drive state,
2. The air cleaner with a humidifying function according to claim 1, wherein the drying prevention unit rotates the humidifying unit at a relatively short time interval as the detected air blowing amount is stronger. The humidifying unit is
A support that is rotatably supported by the housing;
A cloth that is wound around the support, and a humidifying member that humidifies air in the air flow path in a portion wetted with water in the water storage tank,
The air cleaner with a humidifying function according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by comprising:

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