JP5347173B2 - Mist generator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a mist generating apparatus suitable for misting a liquid such as water and using the mist for humidification, cooling, liquid spraying, a mist shower bath, or other applications.

  Conventionally, as a mist generator, there exist some which were described in patent documents 1-5, for example. The mist generator described in these documents 1 to 5 has a configuration in which a rotor driven by a motor is accommodated in a housing, and when water is supplied into the housing, the water is rotated by the rotor. It is scattered around the rotor by the centrifugal force generated along with it, and is made mist by colliding with a plurality of collision walls provided in the housing, and this mist is ejected to the outside of the housing. . The mist generating device described in Patent Document 1 is used by being installed on a bathroom floor, for example, and the mist rises toward the upper side of the housing. On the other hand, in the mist generator described in Patent Documents 2 to 5, for example, the mist that is installed and used at a relatively high place in the vicinity of the ceiling of the bathroom or the vicinity thereof, To descend.

  However, the prior art has room for improvement as described below.

  That is, since the mist generating device described in Patent Document 1 causes the mist generated in the housing arranged on the floor to be ejected toward the upper side of the housing against gravity, a wide space space It is difficult to efficiently supply many mists. On the other hand, since the mist generating device described in Patent Documents 2 to 5 is installed at a relatively high place and mist is ejected toward the periphery of the housing, a wide space in a lower region of the housing. It is possible to efficiently supply a lot of mist. However, the mist generator described in these Patent Documents 2 to 5 is suitable for use by being attached to the ceiling of the bathroom, or the downward surface of the bathroom heating device installed on the ceiling or side wall of the bathroom. In order to use this mist generating apparatus suitably, a member or a part for supporting the upper part of the housing is required. Therefore, when the mist generating device is installed in an outdoor high place and used for the purpose of causing mist jetting for cooling, for example, there is no appropriate member or part for supporting the upper portion of the housing. It may be difficult to install the generator. Moreover, even if a member or a part for supporting the housing is present, if a part of such a member or part is located in a large volume around the housing, a large amount of mist directly hits this part to form water droplets. To do. This causes a problem that many water droplets flow downward from the portion. Further, the mist generator must be provided with a water supply pipe for supplying water in the housing and an electric wiring of a motor for rotating the rotor. These water supply pipe and electric wiring have a large volume in the mist ejection area. If it is present, too many water droplets are generated on the surfaces, and this causes the water droplets to flow downward. Therefore, it is also desired to eliminate such problems.

Japanese Patent No. 3259559 JP 2008-259774 A JP 2008-261607 A JP 2008-261608 A JP 2008-261610 A

  The present invention has been conceived under the circumstances as described above, and the mist ejected to the outside of the housing hits other members and parts located around the housing to generate many water droplets and It is an object of the present invention to provide a mist generator that can be conveniently installed and used in a desired place indoors or outdoors while preventing problems such as falling down.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention takes the following technical means.

A mist generating device provided by the present invention includes a housing having a plurality of mist ejection ports provided in a peripheral wall portion, liquid supply means capable of supplying liquid into the housing, and a motor housed in the housing. A rotor for rotating the liquid supplied from the liquid supply means into the housing by a centrifugal force to form a mist, and having a vertical height It can be installed at a desired location in a posture extending in a vertical direction or a vertically inclined direction, and an upper portion is connected to a portion below the plurality of mist outlets of the housing to support the housing from the lower side A support member, and the liquid supply means and the electric wiring of the motor are all or part of the support member along the support member. Provided inside or outside than the plurality of mist spray port are disposed below the motor is mounted on top of the housing, the electrical wiring of the motor, the peripheral wall of the housing from below of the housing It is characterized in that the motor is routed so as to pass through a portion of the portion where the plurality of mist ejection ports are not formed .

According to such a configuration, the following effects can be obtained.
That is, firstly, since the housing is supported by a support member extending in the vertical height direction or the diagonal direction, a member or a portion for supporting the upper portion of the housing is not required unlike Patent Documents 2 to 5. In addition, the housing can be easily arranged at a predetermined height by installing or attaching the support member at a desired location. Therefore, it is excellent in flexibility when the housing is used at a certain height. Of course, if the mist is jetted by arranging the housing at a certain height in this way, unlike in Patent Document 1, a large amount of mist can be efficiently supplied to the space in the lower region of the housing.
Second, since the upper part of the support member is connected to a portion below the mist jet port of the housing and supports the housing from the lower side, the mist ejected from the mist jet port becomes the support member. It is adequately prevented that many mists form droplets on the surface of the support member when directly hit.
Thirdly, since all or part of the electrical wiring of the liquid supply means and the motor is also arranged below the mist outlet, it is also possible to prevent many mists from directly hitting these liquid supply means and electrical wiring. Is done. Therefore, it is also appropriately prevented that many water droplets are generated in the liquid supply means and the electric wiring and the water droplets flow downward.
Further, mist is not directly ejected toward the electric wiring of the motor, and it is appropriately prevented that many water droplets adhere to the electric wiring.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a hole is provided in the bottom wall portion of the housing, the hole is provided so as to extend downward from the hole along the support member, and is formed at a lower portion. A liquid having a liquid discharge port and capable of switching between a state in which the liquid supplied into the housing is discharged from the hole to the liquid discharge port and a state in which the discharge is blocked It has a flow passage.

  According to such a configuration, when mist is not generated, the liquid remaining in the housing or the liquid that has entered the housing from the outside is appropriately transferred to the outside via the hole in the bottom wall portion of the housing and the liquid flow passage. It becomes possible to discharge, which is preferable for maintaining the inside of the housing in a hygienic state. Since the entire liquid flow path can be arranged below the bottom wall portion of the housing, the mist ejected from the mist ejection port directly hits a member constituting the liquid flow path to form water droplets. Is also prevented appropriately.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the liquid flow passage has a liquid supply port for receiving a liquid supply from the outside, so that it also serves as the liquid supply means and rotates the rotor. In some cases, the liquid supplied to the liquid supply port can be supplied into the housing from the hole.

  According to such a configuration, since the liquid flow path for discharging the liquid in the housing to the outside also serves as the liquid supply means, the overall configuration is simple compared to the case where these are provided separately. Can be achieved. As a further important effect, it is not necessary to arrange the liquid supply means or a part of the liquid supply means around the mist outlet, so that the mist ejected from the mist outlet directly hits the liquid supply means to form water droplets. It can be lost.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the support member includes a pedestal portion for installation on the floor surface or the ground, and a support column portion standing upward from the pedestal portion. The housing is supported on the upper portion of the support column.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to more easily install the mist generator at a desired location, and the versatility of the mist generator can be enhanced.

  Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is a schematic explanatory drawing which shows an example of the mist generator which concerns on this invention. It is principal part sectional drawing of the mist generator shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1. It is a top view of the housing which comprises the mist generator shown in FIG. It is a principal part schematic sectional drawing which shows the other example of this invention. It is a principal part schematic sectional drawing which shows the other example of this invention.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 4 show an example of a mist generating apparatus according to the present invention. As clearly shown in FIG. 1, the mist generator MG of the present embodiment includes a housing 1, a rotor 2, a motor M for driving the rotor 2, a support member 3 that supports the housing 1, and the support member 3. The liquid flow path 4 provided in the inside and the controller 5 are provided. About this embodiment, the case where water, such as a tap water, is used as a mist-ized liquid is demonstrated.

  The housing 1 is made of synthetic resin, and has a substantially cup-shaped bottom wall portion 11, a plurality of collision wall portions 12 erected upward from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion 11, and downward from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion 11. It has a skirt portion 18 that falls. The skirt portion 18 has a substantially cylindrical shape that surrounds the periphery of the bottom wall portion 11, and plays a role of improving the overall appearance by concealing a part of an electric wiring 9 (described later) of the motor M. A hole 16 is provided in the bottom wall portion 11, and the upper portion of the liquid flow passage 4 is connected to the hole 16. As a result, as will be described later, the operation of supplying water from the liquid flow passage 4 into the housing 1 through the hole 16 and the water in the housing 1 to flow into the liquid flow passage 4 through the hole 16 to the outside. It is possible to perform the operation of discharging the battery. Therefore, the liquid flow path 4 corresponds to an example of the liquid supply means in the present invention. A lower region in the housing 1 serves as a water storage unit 14 capable of storing an appropriate amount of water supplied from the liquid flow passage 4.

  The motor M is mounted on the upper wall portion 17 of the housing 1. The rotor 2 is made of synthetic resin like the housing 1 and is supported by the drive shaft 30 of the motor M and accommodated in the housing 1. The rotor 2 includes a disk-shaped rotating plate 20 and a shaft-shaped portion 21 for pumping liquid that protrudes downward from the central portion of the rotating plate 20. The shaft-like portion 21 has a conical shape or a truncated cone shape having a larger diameter toward the upper part. When the shaft-shaped portion 21 has such a shape, when the shaft-shaped portion 21 is rotated at a high speed, the water stored in the water storage portion 14 is in a film shape along the outer peripheral surface of the shaft-shaped portion 21. It is possible to generate a lifting force. When the water rises along the shaft-like portion 21 and is pumped up to the lower surface of the rotating plate 20, the water is accelerated from the central region of the rotating plate 20 toward the outer periphery by centrifugal force, Spatter around.

  The plurality of collision wall portions 12 are portions for colliding water scattered from the rotating plate 20 of the rotor 2 to achieve a fine mist, and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the circumferential direction of the housing 1. It is a rib shape arranged at intervals. The plurality of collision wall portions 12 constitute the peripheral wall portion 10 of the housing 1, and a portion of the gap between the collision wall portions 12 that opens toward the periphery of the housing 1 is a mist outlet 13. is there. However, as shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, each collision wall portion 12 is L-shaped in a side view with an upper portion bent in the center direction of the housing 1, and a part of each mist ejection port 13 is a housing 1 is also open upward. According to such a configuration, since the opening area of each mist ejection port 13 can be increased, the mist ejection from the inside of the housing 1 to the outside is promoted, which is preferable for increasing the amount of mist ejection. .

  The lower portion of the shaft-like portion 21 of the rotor 2 is inserted into the hole portion 16 of the housing 1. Between the inner peripheral surface of the hole portion 16 and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft-like portion 21, for example, about 1 to 3 mm. The gap is formed. The water present in the gap is always pumped upward by the force that raises the water along the outer peripheral surface of the shaft-like portion 21, and therefore does not leak below the hole portion 16. Thus, when the rotor 2 rotates, a fixed amount of water can be appropriately stored in the water storage unit 14. Of course, when the rotation of the rotor 2 is stopped, the water present in the housing 1 can be discharged from the hole 16 into the liquid flow passage 4.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the bottom wall portion 11 of the housing 1 is provided with a plurality of cylindrical portions 15 a erected upward that form the air inlet 15. If external air is allowed to flow into the housing 1 from the air inlet 15 during high-speed rotation of the rotor 2, turbulence associated with the rotation of the rotor 2 is less likely to occur in the housing 1, and the mist generation operation is stabilized. Is possible.

  The support member 3 includes a pedestal portion 30 and a support column portion 31 formed separately from the pedestal portion 30. The pedestal 30 is configured in a form that can be stably placed on the floor surface or the ground. The support column 31 is made of, for example, a round pipe material made of a metal such as stainless steel or a synthetic resin, and the lower end portion is supported by the pedestal portion 30 so that the pedestal portion 30 is located above the pedestal portion 30. It extends toward. The upper end portion 31 b of the column portion 31 is connected to the bottom wall portion 11 of the housing 1 by using means such as adhesion or screwing, whereby the housing 1 is supported on the upper portion of the column portion 31.

  The liquid flow passage 4 is configured by using a plurality of piping members such as a soft flexible tube or a relatively hard pipe material and pipe joints. It is arranged inside the support member 3. The lower part of the liquid flow path 4 is branched into a first flow path 4 a connected to the liquid supply port 40 and a second flow path 4 b connected to the liquid discharge port 41. Both the liquid supply port 40 and the liquid discharge port 41 are provided to be opened on the side surface of the pedestal portion 30, and the liquid supply port 40 has, for example, a tap water supply hose and a water storage tank (both not shown). It is connected and water can be supplied from the liquid supply port 40 into the liquid flow passage 4. The first and second flow paths 4a and 4b are provided with on-off valves V1 and V2, and when the on-off valve V1 is opened and the on-off valve V2 is closed, the liquid flow passage 4 Water is supplied into the housing 1. The first flow path 4a is provided with an orifice 49 so that the amount of water supplied into the housing 1 is reduced and excessive. On the other hand, when the on-off valve V1 is closed and the on-off valve V2 is opened, the water in the housing 1 can be guided to the liquid discharge port 41 and discharged to the outside. is there.

  The controller 5 includes an operation unit 50 having an operation switch that can be operated from the outside of the support member 3, and a power supply circuit 51. The controller 5 controls opening / closing of the on-off valves V 1 and V 2 in response to operations performed in the operation unit 50. Or, drive control of the motor M is executed. The power supply circuit 51 has a function of receiving power supply from the outside and distributing it to drive the motor M and the on-off valves V1 and V2. One end of the electrical wiring 9 of the motor M is connected to the controller 5. The electrical wiring 9 is disposed and protected in the support member 3 except for a part on the upper side. As clearly shown in FIG. 2, the upper side of the electric wiring 9 is pulled out of the column 31 so as to pass through a notch 31 a formed in the upper portion of the column 31, and is pulled out. This portion is passed through a through hole 11 a formed in the bottom wall portion 11 of the housing 1, reaches above the housing 1 and is connected to the motor M. As shown in the enlarged view of the A part in FIG. 3, among the plurality of collision wall portions 12, between the two collision wall portions 12, a wall portion 18 that connects them to each other is provided. The mist ejection port 13 is configured not to be formed between the two collision wall portions 12, and the electrical wiring 9 that has passed through the through-hole 11a passes through that portion so that the mist does not directly hit. Has been.

  Next, the operation of the mist generator MG will be described.

  First, this mist generating device MG can be used with the pedestal 30 of the support member 3 placed on the floor or on the ground. As a so-called stand system, it can be used indoors or outdoors. It can be easily installed and used at the position. For example, when installed indoors, it can be used as a humidifier using mist or a negative ion generator accompanying mist generation. When installed in a bathroom, it can be used for a mist shower bath or a mist sauna. Furthermore, when installed outdoors, it can be used to obtain a cooling effect by a cold water mist shower in summer and the like. The height of the housing 1 from the floor surface or the ground can be defined by the vertical height dimension of the support member 3. For example, a height of about 2 to 2.5 m from the floor surface or the ground can be used for a pedestrian or the like. The height can be set to an arbitrary height, such as setting so that a mist shower is supplied from above. Preferably, the support member 3 is configured to have elasticity in the vertical direction so that the height of the housing 1 can be easily changed.

  Next, when mist is generated, the on-off valve V1 is opened and the on-off valve V2 is closed to supply water into the housing 1, and the motor M is driven to rotate the rotor 2. Accordingly, as described above, the water stored in the water storage portion 14 in the housing 1 is pumped up by the shaft-like portion 21 of the rotor 2 and then scatters around the rotating plate 20 to form a plurality of collision walls. It collides with the part 12 and becomes mist. The mist generated in this manner is ejected from the plurality of mist ejection ports 13 toward the periphery of the housing 1 and obliquely upward, and thereafter gradually descends due to gravity. Therefore, a large amount of mist can be supplied to a wide space area below the housing 1.

  On the other hand, the mist generator MG has a configuration in which no obstacles are provided around the housing 1 to which the mist ejected from the mist ejection port 13 directly hits. More specifically, the support member 3 supports the bottom wall portion 11 of the housing 1 from below, and mist is not directly ejected toward the support member 3. Since the entire liquid flow passage 4 is disposed below the bottom wall portion 11 of the housing 1 and is provided in the support member 3, the mist is directly ejected into the liquid flow passage 4. Absent. Further, as described with reference to FIG. 3, the electric wiring 9 of the motor M is arranged at a position avoiding the mist ejection port 13, so that the mist is directly ejected toward the electric wiring 9. There is nothing. Unlike the present embodiment, when there is an obstacle directly hitting the mist around the housing 1, many water droplets are generated on the surface of the obstacle, and this causes a problem that it flows downward. In the embodiment, such a problem can be preferably avoided.

  When the generation of mist is stopped, the rotation of the rotor 2 is stopped, and accordingly, the on-off valve V1 is closed and the on-off valve V2 is opened. Thus, water remaining in the housing 1 is discharged to the outside from the liquid discharge port 41, and the inside of the housing 1 can be put in a sanitary state. When the mist generator MG is installed outdoors, for example, rainwater may enter the housing 1, and such rainwater is also discharged through the hole 16 and the liquid flow passage 4. It is possible to guide to the outlet 41 and discharge appropriately to the outside.

  As described above, since the liquid flow passage 4 serves as both the water supply flow path into the housing 1 and the drain flow path from the housing 1, the water supply flow path and the drain flow path are used. Compared with the case where these are provided individually, it is preferable to simplify the configuration and reduce the manufacturing cost. Further, unlike the present embodiment, when a water supply pipe is provided separately from the liquid flow passage 4 and a part of this pipe is drawn into the housing 1 from one side or the upper side of the housing 1, There is a possibility that mist may be directly ejected toward the pipe, but in this embodiment, such a fear can be eliminated.

  5 and 6 show another embodiment of the present invention. In these drawings, elements that are the same as or similar to those in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals as in the above embodiment.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a branch channel 43 is provided in the upper part of the liquid flow passage 4, and this branch channel 43 passes through the through hole 11 b provided in the bottom wall portion 11 of the housing 1. The leading end 43 a of the branch channel 43 is drawn into the housing 1. Thus, it is possible to supply water that has flowed into the liquid flow passage 4 from the liquid supply port 40 into the housing 1 via the branch flow path 43. Preferably, the distal end portion 43a of the branch flow path 43 and the vicinity thereof do not block the mist outlet 13 by being disposed in a notch (not shown) formed in the collision wall portion 12, for example. (This also applies to the liquid supply channel 45 of FIG. 6 described later). In the liquid flow path 4, a check valve 44 that prevents direct flow of water toward the hole 16 is provided above the branch portion of the branch flow path 43. In the case of discharging, water that has passed through the hole 16 from the inside of the housing 1 flows into the liquid flow passage 4.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the liquid flow path (liquid supply path) 45 having the liquid supply port 40 and the liquid flow path (liquid discharge path) 46 having the liquid discharge port 41 are completely independent and separately. The liquid flow path 45 is provided and passes through the through-hole 11b and the leading end 45a thereof is drawn into the housing 1 in the same manner as the branch flow path 43 of the embodiment shown in FIG. On the other hand, the liquid flow passage 46 is configured as a flow path that connects the hole 16 and the liquid discharge port 41.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 as well, water supply / drainage into the housing 1 can be appropriately performed, and a liquid supply or discharge channel is greatly bulky around the housing 1. It is possible not to be arranged so as not to disturb the mist ejection.

  The present invention is not limited to the contents of the above-described embodiment. The specific configuration of each part of the mist generator according to the present invention can be varied in design in various ways.

  The support member referred to in the present invention is not limited to one extending in the vertical height direction (substantially vertical direction), and may be one extending in an oblique direction, for example. Moreover, the support member should just exhibit the function which supports a housing from the downward side, and the specific shape, dimension, material, etc. are not ask | required. From the viewpoint of facilitating the installation on the floor or on the ground, it is preferable to have a configuration including a pedestal portion, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the housing is formed by a simple pole-shaped member (supporting member). It can also be set as the structure which supported.

  The liquid supply means and the electric wiring of the motor have the advantage that they can be protected by arranging them inside the support member and can be made compact as a whole. It can also be set as the structure provided outside. Although it is preferable to provide a means for discharging the liquid in the housing to the outside when mist generation is stopped, the present invention does not provide such means (for example, the bottom wall portion 11 of the housing 1). It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which no hole 16 is provided.

  As a rotor, instead of the one shown in the above-described embodiment, a pipe-like shaft-like portion having a through hole is formed in the lower part of the rotating plate, for example, similarly to the configuration shown in FIG. What protruded can also be used. Further, in order to generate a large amount of fine mist, it is preferable to provide a plurality of collision wall portions around the rotor, but it is not limited to this. Even if the rotor is rotated at a high speed and the liquid is merely scattered around the rotor at a high speed, it is possible to generate a mist (in this case, the mist is a coarse mist having a large particle diameter).

  The skirt portion 18 of the above embodiment plays a role of concealing the electric wiring 9, but the electric wiring 9 can be concealed or protected using means different from the skirt portion. In the configuration of the A portion enlarged view shown in FIG. 3, the electric wiring 9 is arranged along the outer surface side of the wall portion 18, but the wall portion 18 is formed in a rectangular tube shape (planar cross-sectional view B shape) or other tubular shapes. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the electric wiring 9 is formed and passed through the inside thereof so that the electric wiring 9 cannot be seen from the outside. In the above embodiment, after the rotor 2 is stopped, the on-off valve V1 is closed and the on-off valve V2 is set to open. Instead, for example, after the on-off valve V1 is closed and the on-off valve V2 is set to open. The rotor 2 can also be stopped.

  In the mist generating apparatus according to the present invention, heated hot water can be used as the mist-forming liquid instead of non-heated water. Further, as a liquid other than water, for example, a chemical solution can be used, and the mist generating device can be used as a medicine spraying device. The specific usage of the mist generator is not limited.

Claims (4)

A housing provided with a plurality of mist outlets on the peripheral wall portion;
Liquid supply means capable of supplying liquid into the housing;
A rotor accommodated in the housing and rotated by a motor, and the liquid supplied from the liquid supply means into the housing is scattered around by a centrifugal force to form a mist;
A mist generating device comprising:
The housing can be installed at a desired position in a posture extending in the vertical height direction or the diagonal direction, and the upper portion is connected to a portion below the plurality of mist outlets of the housing, and the housing is A supporting member for supporting,
All or a part of each of the liquid supply means and the electric wiring of the motor is provided inside or outside the support member along the support member, and is disposed below the plurality of mist ejection ports. ,
The motor is attached to an upper portion of the housing, and the electric wiring of the motor passes from a lower portion of the housing through a portion of the peripheral wall portion of the housing where the plurality of mist ejection ports are not formed. A mist generator, wherein the mist generator is routed to a motor . A hole is provided in the bottom wall of the housing,
It is provided so as to extend downward from the hole along the support member, and has a liquid discharge port in the lower part, and the liquid supplied into the housing is supplied from the hole to the liquid discharge port. The mist generating device according to claim 1, further comprising a liquid flow passage that is switchable between a state in which the liquid is guided and discharged and a state in which the discharge is blocked.   The liquid flow passage further has a liquid supply port for receiving a liquid supply from the outside, thereby also serving as the liquid supply means. When the rotor is rotated, the liquid flow passage is supplied to the liquid supply port. The mist generating device according to claim 2, wherein the liquid can be supplied into the housing from the hole. The support member includes a pedestal portion for installation on the floor surface or the ground, and a support column portion standing upward from the pedestal unit, and the housing is supported on an upper portion of the support column portion.
And has, mist generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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