JP7155570B2 - Air cleaner and ventilation system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air cleaning device and a ventilation system .

An electric dust collector using corona discharge is known as one of dust collectors for removing dust in the air. An electric dust collector includes a charge section that charges dust by generating an electric discharge between opposing electrodes, and a dust collection section that captures the charged dust by Coulomb force. Dust in the air is removed by capturing the dust charged by the charging section by the dust collecting section. In this specification, particulate matter that can be removed by a dust collector is referred to as "dust". Dust includes various particulate matter such as microparticulate matter (so-called PM2.5) and pollen (eg, cedar and cypress).

Here, in recent years, in buildings, there is an increasing need for ventilation due to improved airtightness. In particular, in houses, installation of a 24-hour ventilation system is obligatory. However, the outdoor air may contain particulate matter that can affect the human body, such as PM2.5 and pollen. Removal of such substances is required when supplying outdoor air indoors by ventilation.

Therefore, it has been proposed to use a combination of a ventilator and an electrostatic precipitator. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a heat exchange ventilator having a function of exchanging heat between air supplied from the outdoors to the indoors and air exhausted from the indoors to the outdoors. An arrangement for providing a dusting device is disclosed. By providing the electric dust collector, dust contained in the outdoor air can be removed and clean air can be introduced indoors.

Here, operating the electrostatic precipitator at high output even when the amount of dust contained in the air is small leads to wasted energy. Therefore, a technique has been proposed to operate the electrostatic precipitator more efficiently by using a detection means for detecting the concentration of dust. For example, Patent Literature 2 describes an electrostatic precipitator provided in an air supply passage for taking in outdoor air indoors, a current detection circuit for detecting current flowing through a charging section of the electrostatic precipitator, and an upstream side of the charging section. and a detection means for detecting the concentration of dust in the air in the air conditioner. In this air conditioner, a value called "dust collection efficiency" is used as an index indicating the output of the electrostatic precipitator. The "dust collection efficiency" is determined according to the current value flowing through the charge section.

Specifically, the operation of the air conditioner described in Patent Document 2 is as follows. First, the current "dust collection efficiency" is obtained based on the current value detected by the current detection circuit. Next, the target "dust collection efficiency" is determined according to the detection result of the dust concentration by the detection means. Then, the current flowing through the charge section is controlled so that the "dust collection efficiency" determined based on the current value matches the target "dust collection efficiency." By performing such control, the electrostatic precipitator can be operated with an appropriate output according to the concentration of dust, so energy can be saved.

JP 2016-169920 A Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-290577

In the electrostatic precipitator, charged dust and discharge products may adhere to the electrodes in the charging section and to the members supporting the electrodes. When such deposits are generated, current flows through the deposits, which affects discharge characteristics, makes it difficult for dust to be charged, and may reduce the ability to remove dust ( In this case, maintenance (cleaning) of the device is required to restore the ability to remove dust).

For example, when installed with a ventilation system, if the electrostatic precipitator continues to be used with a reduced ability to remove dust, unclean air with insufficient dust removal may be supplied indoors. becomes. Therefore, an electrostatic precipitator is required to accurately detect the ability to remove dust.

Here, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, a mechanism for detecting the ability to remove dust is not provided. Further, in the technique described in Patent Document 2, the "dust collection efficiency" of the electrostatic precipitator is required, but the "dust collection efficiency" cannot be said to be an appropriate indicator of the ability to remove dust. . Specifically, in the technique described in Patent Document 2, the relationship between the current value flowing through the charging section and the "dust collection efficiency" is acquired in advance, and based on the current value detected by the current detection circuit, the "Dust collection efficiency" is obtained using the relationship. In this method of determining the "dust collection efficiency", even if the ability to remove dust is reduced due to the formation of deposits as described above, this fact can be detected from the value of the current flowing through the charge section. This is because the reduction in the capacity is not appropriately reflected in the "dust collection efficiency."

As described above, until now, sufficient studies have not been made on a technique for accurately detecting the dust removing ability of an electrostatic precipitator installed in an air cleaner. Although the electrostatic precipitator has been described above as an example, there may be a demand for accurately detecting the ability to remove dust in other types of dust collectors as well.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an air purifying device capable of detecting the ability to remove dust more accurately, and a ventilation system equipped with the air purifying device. and

In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, a dust charging device is provided in a housing in the middle of an air flow path from the outdoors to the indoors, and generates an electric discharge between opposing electrodes to charge dust. and an electrostatic precipitator for removing dust contained in the air by adsorbing the charged dust, and an electrostatic precipitator disposed upstream and downstream of the electrostatic precipitator in a flow path in the housing and contained in the air. The dust in the electrostatic precipitator is removed based on the detection results of the amount of dust by the upstream dust detection unit and the downstream dust detection unit that detect the amount of dust collected by the upstream dust detection unit and the downstream dust detection unit. a control device having a dust collection rate calculation unit that calculates a dust collection rate, which is an index indicating the ability to When the dust collection rate calculated by the dust collection rate calculator is equal to or less than the threshold value, the dust collector output controller increases the output of the electrostatic precipitator so that a notification unit that notifies the cleaning time of the electrode when the dust collection rate is equal to or less than the threshold ; the notification unit is configured by a communication device capable of communicating with an external device; By doing so, an air cleaning device is provided that notifies the cleaning time .

In order to achieve the above object, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air purifying device for removing dust contained in air flowing from outdoors to indoors; a ventilator for supplying air that has passed through the air purifier into the room and for exhausting indoor air to the outside, wherein the air purifier is arranged in the air flow path from the outdoors to the inside of the housing. an electrostatic precipitator that charges dust by generating an electric discharge between opposing electrodes and removes dust contained in the air by adsorbing the charged dust; An upstream dust detection unit and a downstream dust detection unit are provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the device, respectively, and detect the amount of dust contained in the air. a control device having a dust collection rate calculation unit that calculates a dust collection rate, which is an index indicating the ability of the electrostatic precipitator to remove dust, based on the detection result of the amount of dust, the control device comprising: a dust collector output controller for controlling the output of the device, the dust collector output controller controlling the electric dust collector when the dust collection rate calculated by the dust collection rate calculator is equal to or less than a threshold value; increasing the output of the device, the air purifying device further comprising a notification unit for notifying the electrode cleaning time when the dust collection rate calculated by the dust collection rate calculation unit is equal to or less than a threshold ; The notification unit is configured by a communication device capable of communicating with an external device, and the communication device communicates with the external device to provide a ventilation system that notifies the cleaning time .

According to the present invention, an upstream dust detector and a downstream dust detector are provided on the upstream and downstream sides of the dust collector, respectively. Then, a dust collection rate, which is an index indicating the ability of the dust collector to remove dust, is calculated based on the detection results of the amount of dust by the upstream dust detection unit and the downstream dust detection unit. Therefore, it becomes possible to detect the ability of the dust collector to remove dust with higher accuracy.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a ventilation system according to Embodiment 1; FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a maintenance method of the air cleaner shown in FIG. 1; It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the dust collector mounted in the air cleaner shown in FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a control device for the air cleaning device according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of a processing procedure of a method for controlling the air purifying device by the control device according to Embodiment 1; FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a control device for an air purifying device according to Embodiment 2; FIG. 10 is a flow diagram showing an example of a processing procedure of a control method for an air purifying device according to Embodiment 2; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a control device for an air purifying device according to Embodiment 3; FIG. 10 is a flow diagram showing an example of a processing procedure of a control method for an air purifying device according to Embodiment 3; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a control device for an air purifying device according to Embodiment 4; FIG. 10 is a flow diagram showing an example of a processing procedure of a control method for an air purifying device according to Embodiment 4; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a control device for an air purifying device according to Embodiment 5; FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing an example of a processing procedure of a control method for an air purifying device according to Embodiment 5;

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and drawings, constituent elements having substantially the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, thereby omitting redundant description. In addition, in the drawings, the diagram showing the configuration of the device is only a diagram showing the schematic configuration of the device. The relative size and relative position of each member illustrated in each drawing do not necessarily accurately represent the actual size relationship and positional relationship between the members.

Embodiment 1.
(Ventilation system)
1 to 3, configurations of a ventilation system 1 according to Embodiment 1, and an air cleaning device 10 and a ventilation device 20 included in the ventilation system 1 will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a ventilation system 1 according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a maintenance method for the air cleaner 10 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the dust collector 110 mounted on the air cleaner 10 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. For the sake of explanation, FIG. 2 shows only the configuration related to the maintenance of the air cleaner 10 among the configurations shown in FIG. 1, and the illustration of other configurations is omitted.

Referring to FIG. 1, a ventilation system 1 according to Embodiment 1 includes an air cleaning device 10 and a ventilation device 20. As shown in FIG. FIG. 1 shows, as an example, the device configuration when the ventilation system 1 is installed in the attic of a house. As shown in FIG. 1, the air cleaning device 10 and the ventilation device 20 are installed on the ceiling 161. As shown in FIG. Although not shown, the air cleaner 10 and the ventilator 20 are installed by being suspended by support members such as anchor bolts. Although the details will be described later, an inspection opening 162 for maintenance of the air cleaning device 10 is provided in a portion of the ceiling 161 corresponding to directly below the air cleaning device 10 . Normally, the inspection opening 162 is closed by the inspection cover 163 .

An outdoor air supply port 172 is provided in the outer wall 164 of the house. Also, an indoor air supply port 173 is provided in the ceiling 161 . The outdoor air supply port 172 and the air cleaning device 10, the air cleaning device 10 and the ventilation device 20, and the ventilation device 20 and the indoor air supply port 173 are connected by ducts 171, respectively. That is, in the ventilation system 1 , the air cleaning device 10 and the ventilation device 20 are arranged in this order in the flow path from the outdoor air supply port 172 to the indoor air supply port 173 . Hereinafter, the channel from the outdoor air supply port 172 to the indoor air supply port 173 is also referred to as an air supply channel. Further, hereinafter, in the air supply channel, the outdoor air supply port 172 side (that is, the outdoor side) is also referred to as the upstream side, and the indoor air supply port 173 side (that is, the indoor side) is also referred to as the downstream side.

When the ventilator 20 is driven, air flows from the outdoor air supply port 172 toward the indoor air supply port 173 . That is, outdoor air is supplied indoors. At this time, the outdoor air may be polluted air 181 containing particulate matter such as PM2.5 and pollen that may affect the human body. In the ventilation system 1, the air purifier 10 and the ventilator 20 are arranged in this order in the flow path from the outdoor air supply port 172 to the indoor air supply port 173, so that the air purifier 10 removes the contaminated air 181 from the above dust containing particulate matter can be removed, and clean air 182 can be supplied indoors.

The order in which the air cleaning device 10 and the ventilation device 20 are arranged in the air supply passage may be reversed. That is, in the above example, the air cleaning device 10 is arranged on the upstream side and the ventilation device 20 is arranged on the downstream side in the air supply passage, but the present embodiment is not limited to such an example, and the ventilation device 20 may be arranged on the upstream side, and the air cleaning device 10 may be arranged on the downstream side.

(ventilator)
The ventilator 20 is, for example, a total heat exchange ventilator including a total heat exchanger (not shown). When the ventilator 20 is a total heat exchange ventilator, the ventilation system 1 is provided with an exhaust passage (not shown). In the ventilation device 20, the air that flows through the air supply flow path and is taken into the room from the outdoors and the air that flows through the exhaust flow path and is discharged from the indoor to the outside flow through the total heat exchanger. It may be configured to pass through and exchange heat between the two. However, the present embodiment is not limited to such an example, and various known devices may be used as the ventilator 20 . For example, the ventilator 20 may simply supply and exhaust air without having a heat exchange function. Alternatively, the ventilator 20 may only supply air.

(air purifier)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the air purifier 10 includes a dust collector 110, an upstream dust detection unit 120a, and a downstream dust detection unit 120b installed in a housing 130 made of metal or resin. Configured. Furthermore, the air purifier 10 includes a notification unit 140 that notifies maintenance timing, and a controller 150 that controls the operation of the air purifier 10 . In order to avoid complicating the drawing, FIG. 1 omits illustration of the detailed structures of the control device 150 and the housing 130, which will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 2, a polluted air side connection portion 131 is provided on a part of the wall surface of the housing 130 of the air cleaner 10 on the outdoor air supply port 172 side to which the duct 171 is connected and the polluted air 181 is taken in. . A duct 171 is connected to a part of the wall surface of the housing 130 of the air purifier 10 on the indoor air supply port 173 side, and clean air side connection through which the clean air 182 cleaned by the air purifier 10 is delivered. A section 132 is provided. That is, inside the housing 130 of the air cleaner 10, from the contaminated air side connection portion 131 provided on the outdoor air supply port 172 side toward the clean air side connection portion 132 provided on the indoor air supply port 173 side, Air channels are provided.

The dust collector 110 is arranged in the middle of the flow path and removes dust contained in the air flowing through the flow path. In this embodiment, the dust collector 110 is an electric dust collector.

Here, the configuration of the dust collector 110 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3 . Referring to FIG. 3, the dust collector 110 includes a charging unit 111 that charges the dust contained in the polluted air 181 by causing corona discharge, and a dust collecting unit that captures the charged dust by Coulomb force due to an electrostatic field. 112 and . The charging section 111 and the dust collecting section 112 are arranged in this order from the upstream side toward the downstream side in the supply air passage. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the dust collector 110 actually has an outer shell functioning as a case, and the charging unit 111 and the dust collector 112 are installed in the outer shell. be.

The charging section 111 has a high-voltage power supply 113 , a charging section discharge electrode 114 , and a charging section counter electrode 115 . The high-voltage power supply 113 is electrically connected to the charging section discharge electrode 114 and gives a potential difference between the charging section discharge electrode 114 and the charging section counter electrode 115 . As a result, a discharge occurs between the charging section discharge electrode 114 and the charging section counter electrode 115, and the dust contained in the contaminated air 181 passing between them is charged.

The form of the voltage applied by the high-voltage power supply 113 is not limited, and the high-voltage power supply 113 can apply DC voltage, AC voltage, or pulsed voltage. Also, the polarity of the voltage applied by the high-voltage power supply 113 is not limited, and the polarity may be appropriately selected according to the application of the dust collector 110 . In this embodiment, for example, the high-voltage power supply 113 applies a positive voltage.

The charge part discharge electrode 114 is composed of, for example, a wire wire, a ribbon wire, or a metal flat plate provided with projections at regular intervals. The charge part discharge electrode 114 is fixed to the outer shell via a supporting member (not shown) such as a metal plate or an elastic metal spring. The material of the base material of the charge part discharge electrode 114 is, for example, tungsten. A substrate plated with gold, silver, platinum, or the like, or surface-treated with a clad can be used as the charge-portion discharge electrode 114 . However, in consideration of maintenance, which will be described later, the charge-portion discharge electrode 114 must be made of a material that can be washed with water.

The charging portion counter electrode 115 is composed of, for example, a metal flat plate made of stainless steel. The charging section counter electrode 115 is grounded and forms a potential difference with the charging section discharge electrode 114 . Note that the charging unit counter electrode 115 may be formed by plating the surface of a resin with a metal. Alternatively, as the charging portion counter electrode 115, a conductive resin to which carbon or the like is added may be used. Even when these resin materials are used, the same function as when using a stainless metal flat plate can be realized.

As shown in FIG. 3, the charged-portion discharge electrode 114 and the charged-portion counter electrode 115 are positioned so that they face each other in a direction perpendicular to the airflow direction in the supply air passage (that is, the contaminated air 181 faces and the charging section counter electrode 115). In addition, a plurality of configurations in which the charge section discharge electrode 114 and the charge section counter electrode 115 are arranged to face each other are stacked.

The distance between the charging section discharge electrode 114 and the charging section counter electrode 115 facing each other is, for example, 5 mm to 10 mm. If the distance is shorter than 5 mm, a desired discharge cannot be achieved between the charging section discharge electrode 114 and the charging section counter electrode 115, and spark discharge may occur. On the other hand, if the distance is longer than 10 mm, the applied voltage required to pass the current for generating the desired discharge is increased, so the size of the high-voltage power supply 113 is increased. In addition, each member of the dust collector 110 is required to have a high dielectric strength so that it can withstand a high electrical load. Therefore, as a result, the dust collector 110 will be enlarged.

The dust collecting portion 112 has a dust collecting portion high-voltage electrode 116 and a dust collecting portion counter electrode 117 . The dust collection section high voltage electrode 116 and the dust collection section counter electrode 117 are electrically connected to the high voltage power source 113 . Thus, in the present embodiment, the high-voltage power supply 113 serves both as the power supply for the charging section 111 and the power supply for the dust collection section 112 . However, the present embodiment is not limited to such an example, and charging section 111 and dust collecting section 112 may each have a power source.

A uniform electric field is formed between the dust collecting portion high voltage electrode 116 and the dust collecting portion counter electrode 117 by appropriately applying a voltage from the high voltage power supply 113 . Air containing dust charged by charging unit 111 passes through the uniform electric field, and the dust is attracted to dust collecting unit counter electrode 117 by Coulomb force. This can remove dust from the polluted air 181 and produce clean air 182 . In order to form such a uniform electric field, it is preferable that the dust collecting portion high-voltage electrode 116 and the dust collecting portion counter electrode 117 have flat plate shapes.

The material of the base material of the dust collecting high-voltage electrode 116 may be any conductive material such as metal. However, if the conductivity is too good, abnormal discharge may occur. Therefore, as the base material of the dust collection high-voltage electrode 116, a semi-conductive resin having a surface resistance of 10 ⁵ to 10 ¹³ Ω, for example, should be used. is desirable.

As the base material of the dust collecting portion counter electrode 117, a conductive resin to which metal, carbon, or the like is added, or a resin whose surface is plated with a metal can be used.

As shown in FIG. 3, the dust collection high-voltage electrode 116 and the dust collection counter electrode 117 are arranged so that they face each other in a direction perpendicular to the airflow direction in the supply air passage (that is, the contaminated air 181 is , so as to pass between the dust collecting portion high-voltage electrode 116 and the dust collecting portion counter electrode 117 facing each other. In addition, a structure in which the dust collecting section high-voltage electrode 116 and the dust collecting section counter electrode 117 are arranged to face each other is laminated.

The distance between the dust collecting section high-voltage electrode 116 and the dust collecting section counter electrode 117 facing each other is, for example, 2 mm to 5 mm. If the distance is shorter than 2 mm, the pressure loss during ventilation increases, so there is a risk that the load on the blower of the ventilator 20 will increase in order to achieve the target air volume. On the other hand, if the distance is longer than 5 mm, the size of the dust collector 110 becomes large, and there is a concern that it cannot be incorporated into the air cleaner 10 . In addition, the electric field strength between the dust collecting section high-voltage electrode 116 and the dust collecting section counter electrode 117 decreases, making it difficult to trap dust. Furthermore, since the applied voltage required to achieve a constant electric field strength increases, it becomes necessary to provide a configuration for ensuring insulation and safety, which leads to an increase in cost and size of the device.

Here, maintenance of the dust collector 110 will be described. As described above, in the dust collector 110 , dust can be adsorbed to the dust collector counter electrode 117 of the dust collector 112 . In addition, charged dust and discharge products may also adhere to each part of the charging section 111 (for example, the charging section discharge electrode 114, the charging section counter electrode 115, and the parts holding them). In particular, when dust or the like adheres to each part of the charging section 111, the electric current flows through the adhered matter, which affects the discharge characteristics, and the ability to remove dust decreases due to insufficient charging of the dust. It is feared that In a state where the ability to remove dust is reduced, particulate matter such as PM2.5 and pollen contained in the air taken in from the outdoors cannot be sufficiently captured, and may enter indoors.

Therefore, the dust collector 110 is required to be periodically maintained in order to recover the ability to remove dust. Specifically, the dust collector 110 is configured such that its interior can be washed with water. By removing the dust adhering to the charging unit 111 and the dust collection unit 112 and the product of discharge by washing with water, the dust collection device 110 can be restored to the initial state, and the dust collection device 110 can be used repeatedly with desired performance. It becomes possible to

Maintenance of the dust collector 110 is performed through an inspection opening 162 provided in the ceiling 161 . As shown in FIG. 2, the inspection opening 162 is sized to expose the lower surface of the housing 130 of the dust collector 110 (the surface facing the ceiling 161). A panel 133 that can be opened and closed is provided on the lower surface of the housing 130 , and the inside of the housing 130 is opened by opening the panel 133 . During maintenance, an operator opens the inspection lid portion 163 to expose the panel 133 of the housing 130 through the inspection opening portion 162 and then opens the panel 133 . By removing the dust collector 110 from the inside of the housing 130, the inside of the dust collector 110 can be cleaned.

(Upstream dust detector 120a and downstream dust detector 120b)
The description of another configuration of the air cleaning device 10 will be continued with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. The upstream dust detection unit 120a and the downstream dust detection unit 120b (hereinafter also collectively referred to as the dust detection units 120a and 120b) are located upstream and downstream of the dust collector 110 in the flow path inside the housing 130. , respectively. The dust detectors 120a and 120b detect the amount of dust in the air passing through the channel. Information about the amount of dust detected by dust detectors 120 a and 120 b is provided to control device 150 . Here, the "amount" of dust in this specification means an index indicating the amount of dust, such as the number of dust in a predetermined space, the ratio (concentration) of dust in a predetermined space, and the like.

In the present embodiment, for example, the dust detection units 120a and 120b include a light emitting unit that emits light to the air containing dust and a light receiving unit that detects light reflected by the dust. can be configured by an optical particle number detector that detects the number of dust particles in a predetermined space based on the detection result of . However, this embodiment is not limited to such an example. The dust detectors 120a and 120b are not particularly limited as long as they can detect the amount of dust. Various known detection devices may be used as the dust detection units 120a and 120b.

Here, when an optical particle number detector is used as the dust detectors 120a and 120b, a lens is generally installed in front of the light emitter and light receiver. If dust adheres to the lens, the detection of the dust is hampered, making it impossible to accurately detect the number of particles. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically clean the lens, for example with a clean cloth or swab. Here, as an example, a case where an optical particle number detection device is used as the dust detection units 120a and 120b has been described. Periodic cleaning is similarly required if the detection accuracy can be lowered by adhesion of dust.

In this embodiment, similarly to the maintenance of the dust collector 110, by opening the panel 133 of the housing 130 through the inspection opening 162, the dust detectors 120a and 120b can be cleaned. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the dust detectors 120a and 120b are arranged inside the housing 130 on the same wall surface on which the panel 133 is provided. By disposing the dust detectors 120a and 120b at such positions, both the dust detectors 120a and 120b can be cleaned at the same time by opening the panel 133, thereby improving the cleaning efficiency.

Here, suppose that the dust detectors 120a and 120b are installed in the air supply channel as a device separate from the air cleaning device 10, not inside the housing 130 of the air cleaning device 10. FIG. In this case, the ceiling 161 has an inspection opening 162 provided at a position facing the inside of the housing 130 of the air cleaner 10 for maintenance of the dust collector 110, and maintenance of the dust detectors 120a and 120b. It is necessary to provide an inspection opening 162 provided at a position where the dust detection units 120a and 120b are installed for performing inspection. That is, it is necessary to provide a plurality of inspection openings 162 at different locations on the ceiling 161 . If a plurality of inspection openings 162 are provided, the appearance of the house may be spoiled. In addition, since the operator performs maintenance of the dust collector 110 and the dust detectors 120a and 120b while moving directly under each inspection opening 162, the efficiency of maintenance work deteriorates.

On the other hand, as described above, in the air cleaner 10 according to the present embodiment, the dust collector 110 and the dust detectors 120a and 120b are mounted in the housing 130, and the panel 133 is further mounted. These components (that is, the parts that require maintenance) are concentrated in the open area. Therefore, one inspection opening 162 may be provided in the ceiling 161 at a position facing the housing 130 of the air cleaner 10 . Therefore, the appearance is not spoiled more than necessary. In addition, the operator can perform maintenance on the dust collector 110 and the dust detectors 120a and 120b by opening the inspection opening 162 and further opening the panel 133 without moving while remaining in one place. can. Therefore, maintenance can be performed more efficiently.

(notification section)
The notification unit 140 is driven under the control of the control device 150 and notifies the maintenance timing of the dust collector 110 . In this embodiment, the notification unit 140 is configured by a lamp, for example. The notification unit 140 is arranged on the lower surface of the housing 130, that is, at a position where it can be visually recognized through the inspection opening 162 when the inspection cover 163 is opened. A resident of the room in which the ventilation system 1 is installed (that is, a user of the ventilation system 1) or a maintenance worker opens the inspection cover 163 and confirms the state of the notification unit 140, thereby performing maintenance of the dust collector 110. You can recognize the time. For example, the lamp that constitutes the notification unit 140 may be normally turned off, and may emit light in a predetermined color when the maintenance time is notified. Alternatively, the lamp that constitutes the notification unit 140 normally emits light in a first color, and may emit light in a second color different from the first color when notifying the maintenance timing.

Note that the specific device configuration of notification unit 140 in the present embodiment is not limited to the above example. For example, the notification unit 140 may be configured by a display and may visually notify the maintenance time by means other than light emission from a lamp, such as displaying characters. In addition, the notification unit 140 may be composed of, for example, a speaker, and may notify the maintenance time audibly by issuing an alarm, sound, or the like. In addition, the notification unit 140 is configured by, for example, a communication device, and transmits a message to a terminal such as a smart phone or a tablet PC (Personal Computer), or to another device such as a display device installed in a living room, so that maintenance can be performed. You can notify me of the time. Note that when the notification unit 140 is configured by a communication device, the notification destination of the maintenance time may be set as appropriate. For example, the maintenance time may be notified to the user or to the maintenance worker. As the notification unit 140, for example, various devices as described above may be used singly or in combination.

(Control device)
The control device 150 controls various operations of the air cleaner 10 . The control device 150 drives the high-voltage power supply 113 provided in the dust collector 110 of the air cleaner 10 to operate the charging section 111 and the dust collector 112 . The control device 150 also calculates a dust collection rate, which is an index indicating the ability of the dust collector 110 to remove dust, based on the detection results of the amount of dust provided by the dust detectors 120a and 120b.

Further, the control device 150 operates the notification unit 140 based on the calculated dust collection rate of the dust collector 110 to notify the timing of maintenance. Specifically, the controller 150 determines the magnitude of the calculated value of the dust collection rate of the dust collector 110 by comparing with the threshold value. If the value of the dust collection rate is equal to or less than the threshold value, it is estimated that the ability of the dust collector 110 to remove dust is reduced due to the attached matter. Therefore, in this case, the control device 150 operates the notification unit 140 to notify the maintenance timing.

The control device 150 may also have various other functions that control devices of general air cleaners have.

Here, referring to FIG. 4, the above-described dust collection rate calculation function and the maintenance timing notification function using the calculated dust collection rate are characteristic functions of the control device 150 according to the present embodiment. The functions related to are explained in detail. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device 150. As shown in FIG. For the sake of explanation, FIG. 4 illustrates a functional configuration relating to the above-described dust collection rate calculation function and a maintenance timing notification function using the calculated dust collection rate. The control device 150 can have various functions, such as those described above, that are possessed by the control device of a general air cleaner, in addition to the functions shown in the figure. 4 also shows the dust detectors 120a and 120b and the notification unit 140 in addition to the functions of the control device 150 for the sake of explanation.

Referring to FIG. 4, the control device 150 has a dust collection rate calculator 201, a dust collection rate determiner 203, and a notification controller 205 as its functions.

The dust collection rate calculator 201 calculates the dust collection rate based on the detection results of the amount of dust on the upstream side and the downstream side of the dust collector 110 provided from the dust detectors 120a and 120b. For example, the dust collection rate calculation unit 201 calculates the dust collection rate as "((amount of dust on the upstream side of the dust collector 110) - (amount of dust on the downstream side of the dust collector 110))/(amount of dust on the downstream side of the dust collector 110). The amount of dust on the upstream side of 110)” is calculated. However, this embodiment is not limited to such an example. As the dust collection rate, a value that can serve as an index indicating the ability of the dust collector 110 to remove dust may be calculated, and any specific calculation method may be used.

The dust collection rate calculation unit 201 provides information on the calculated value of the dust collection rate to the dust collection rate determination unit 203 .

Based on the dust collection rate calculated by the dust collection rate calculator 201, the dust collection rate determination unit 203 compares the normal state (that is, the state where there is almost no deposit on each part of the charging unit 111), Determine whether the dust collection rate has decreased. For example, in the present embodiment, the value of the dust collection rate in a normal state is acquired in advance, and the threshold corresponding to that value is set in control device 150 in advance. The dust collection rate determination unit 203 compares the dust collection rate calculated by the dust collection rate calculation unit 201 with the threshold, and determines the magnitude relationship.

The threshold is, for example, 90% of the value of the dust collection rate under normal conditions. However, this embodiment is not limited to such an example. As will be described later, in the present embodiment, the timing for maintenance of air cleaner 10 can be notified according to the magnitude relationship between the calculated dust collection rate and the threshold value. Therefore, the threshold may be appropriately set by the designer or user of the ventilation system 1 as a reference value for determining that maintenance is required.

The dust collection rate determination unit 203 provides information on the determination result to the notification control unit 205 .

The notification control section 205 controls the operation of the notification section 140 according to the determination result of the dust collection rate determination section 203 . Specifically, when the dust collection rate determination unit 203 determines that the dust collection rate of the dust collector 110 is equal to or less than the threshold value, it means that there is an adherent substance inside the dust collector 110 and maintenance is required. It is considered to be a preferable state. Therefore, in this case, the notification control unit 205 operates the notification unit 140 to notify that the maintenance time for the dust collector 110 has come.

On the other hand, when the dust collection rate determination unit 203 determines that the dust collection rate of the dust collector 110 is greater than the threshold value, although there is a possibility that deposits are generated inside the dust collector 110, , it is considered that a certain dust collection rate is still maintained without maintenance. Therefore, in this case, the notification control unit 205 stops the operation of the notification unit 140 (when the notification unit 140 is operating, it is stopped, and when the notification unit 140 is stopped, the operation is stopped). maintain).

The functions of the control device 150, in particular, the dust collection rate calculation function and the maintenance time notification function using the calculated dust collection rate have been described in detail above.

Here, the control device 150 may be various processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). Alternatively, the control device 150 may be a control board on which a processor and storage elements such as memory are mounted. Each function of the control device 150 described above can be realized by the processor constituting the control device 150 executing arithmetic processing according to a predetermined program. It should be noted that the control device 150 may be configured so that each function thereof can be realized, and the specific configuration of the device is not limited to the above example, and may be arbitrary.

(Control method)
With reference to FIG. 5, a processing procedure of a control method for air cleaning device 10 by control device 150 according to the present embodiment will be described. Each process shown in FIG. 5 corresponds to the process executed by the control device 150 shown in FIG. 4 described above. Since the details of each of these processes have already been described with reference to FIG. 4, detailed description of each process will be omitted in the following description of the processing procedure of the control method.

Referring to FIG. 5, in the control method according to the present embodiment, first, the dust collection rate is calculated (step S101). The process shown in step S101 corresponds to the process executed by the dust collection rate calculator 201 shown in FIG.

Next, it is determined whether the calculated dust collection rate is equal to or less than a threshold value (step S103). The process shown in step S103 corresponds to the process executed by the dust collection rate determination unit 203 shown in FIG.

If it is determined in step S103 that the dust collection rate is equal to or less than the threshold value, the notification unit 140 is operated to notify the maintenance timing of the dust collector 110 (step S105). On the other hand, if it is determined that the dust collection rate is not equal to or lower than the threshold value in step S103 (that is, if it is determined that the dust collection rate is greater than the threshold value), the operation of the notification unit 140 is stopped. (step S107). The processing shown in steps S105 and S107 corresponds to the processing executed by the notification control unit 205 shown in FIG.

In the above, the processing procedure of the control method of the air cleaning device 10 by the control device 150 according to Embodiment 1 has been described.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the upstream dust detection unit 120a and the downstream dust detection unit 120b are arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side of the dust collector 110, respectively. A dust collection rate, which is an index indicating the ability of the dust collector 110 to remove dust, is calculated based on the detection result of . The amount of dust detected by the upstream dust detection unit 120 a can be an index indicating the amount of dust flowing into the dust collector 110 . The amount of dust detected by the downstream dust detection unit 120b can be an index indicating the amount of dust that has not been removed by the dust collector 110. FIG. Therefore, by calculating the dust collection rate based on the detection result of the amount of dust by these, it is possible to detect the ability of the dust collector 110 to remove dust with higher accuracy.

Here, as described above, in an electric dust collector such as the dust collector 110, periodic maintenance is performed in order to restore the reduced ability to remove dust and prevent dust from entering the room. is required. However, conventionally, a technique for accurately detecting the ability to remove dust has not been sufficiently studied, and it has been difficult to appropriately notify the timing of this maintenance. On the other hand, as described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to accurately detect that the dust removing ability of the dust collector 110 has deteriorated. Then, the maintenance time is notified according to the detection result. Therefore, since it is possible to notify the maintenance time at an appropriate timing, it is possible to appropriately prevent dust from entering the room by performing maintenance accordingly.

Embodiment 2.
Another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, in Embodiments 2 to 5 described below, the control of the air purifying device 10 performed by the control device 150 is partially changed with respect to the above-described Embodiment 1. The configuration of the cleaning device 10 also corresponds to a partially modified configuration. In the following description of Embodiments 2 to 5, detailed descriptions of matters overlapping with Embodiment 1 are omitted, and matters different from Embodiment 1 are mainly described.

(Control device)
Functions of the control device 150a according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device 150a according to the second embodiment. Note that FIG. 6 illustrates the functional configuration of the characteristic functions of the control device 150a according to the present embodiment. The control device 150a may have various functions of a control device of a general air purifying device in addition to the functions shown in the figure. 6 also shows the dust detectors 120a and 120b and the dust collector 110 in addition to the functions of the control device 150a for the sake of explanation. Note that the control device 150a may be a processor, or a control board or the like on which a processor and a memory element are mounted, like the control device 150 according to the first embodiment. Each function of control device 150a including the functions shown in FIG. 6 can be realized by the processor of control device 150a executing arithmetic processing according to a predetermined program.

Referring to FIG. 6, the control device 150a has a dust collection rate calculator 201, a dust collection rate determiner 203, and a dust collector output controller 207 as its functions. The air purifying device 10 according to Embodiment 2 corresponds to the air purifying device 10 according to Embodiment 1 in which the control device 150 is replaced with a control device 150a. Note that the functions of the dust collection rate calculation unit 201 and the dust collection rate determination unit 203 are the same as those functions in the first embodiment, so detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The dust collector output control unit 207 controls the output of the dust collector 110 according to the determination result of the dust collection rate determination unit 203 . Specifically, when the dust collection rate determination unit 203 determines that the dust collection rate of the dust collector 110 is equal to or less than the threshold value, there is concern that the dust may not be sufficiently captured and may enter the room. state. Therefore, in this case, the dust collector output control unit 207 increases the output of the dust collector 110 . More specifically, the dust collector output control unit 207 increases the output of the high voltage power supply 113 . As a result, even if the dust collection rate drops due to the generation of deposits, the drop can be compensated for, and dust can be prevented from entering the room. For example, a table indicating the relationship between the rate of decrease in the dust collection rate and the rate of increase in the output of the high-voltage power supply 113 for compensating for it may be acquired in advance, and the dust collector output control unit 207 stores the table. By referring to it, the output of the high-voltage power supply 113 can be increased at a rate corresponding to the decrease in the dust collection rate.

On the other hand, when the dust collection rate determination unit 203 determines that the dust collection rate of the dust collector 110 is higher than the threshold value, the dust collection rate is lower than that in the normal state due to deposits. However, it is considered that it is still in a state in which it is possible to fully demonstrate the ability to remove dust. Therefore, in this case, the dust collector output control unit 207 maintains the output of the dust collector 110 as it is. More specifically, the dust collector output control unit 207 maintains the output of the high voltage power supply 113 as it is.

(Control method)
Referring to FIG. 7, a processing procedure of a control method for air cleaning device 10 by control device 150a according to the present embodiment will be described. Each process shown in FIG. 7 corresponds to the process executed by the control device 150a shown in FIG. 6 described above. Since details of each of these processes have already been described with reference to FIG. 6, detailed description of each process will be omitted in the following description of the processing procedure of the control method. Further, the process of calculating the dust collection rate shown in FIG. 7 (step S201) and the process of determining whether the calculated dust collection rate is equal to or less than the threshold value (step S203) have been described with reference to FIG. This is the same as the processing shown in steps S101 and S103 in the first embodiment. Therefore, detailed description of the processing shown in steps S201 and S203 is omitted here.

In this embodiment, when the dust collection rate is determined to be equal to or less than the threshold value in step S203, the output of dust collector 110 is increased (step S205). Specifically, in step S205, the output of the high voltage power supply 113 is increased. On the other hand, if the dust collection rate is not determined to be equal to or less than the threshold value in step S203 (that is, if it is determined that the dust collection rate is greater than the threshold value), the output of the dust collector 110 is maintained as it is. be done. The process shown in step S205 corresponds to the process executed by the dust collector output control section 207 shown in FIG.

The processing procedure of the method for controlling the air cleaning device 10 by the control device 150a according to the second embodiment has been described above.

As described above, in the present embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the dust collection rate is calculated based on the detection result of the amount of dust by the upstream dust detection unit 120a and the downstream dust detection unit 120b. Therefore, the ability of the dust collector 110 to remove dust can be detected with higher accuracy. By controlling the output of the dust collector 110 based on the detected dust collection rate, it is possible to operate the dust collector 110 with an appropriate output according to the current ability to remove dust. Therefore, it is possible to preferably prevent dust from entering the room.

Embodiment 3.
(Control device)
Functions of the control device 150b according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device 150b according to the third embodiment. Note that FIG. 8 illustrates the functional configuration of the characteristic functions of the control device 150b according to the present embodiment. The control device 150b may have various functions of a control device of a general air purifying device in addition to the functions shown in the figure. 8 also shows the dust detectors 120a and 120b and the blower 211 in addition to the functions of the control device 150b for the sake of explanation. The blower 211 is provided in the ventilator 20 shown in FIG. By controlling the output of the blower 211, the ventilation flow rate by the ventilation device 20, that is, the air flow rate passing through the air cleaning device 10 can be adjusted.

Note that the control device 150b may be a processor, or a control board or the like on which a processor and a memory element are mounted, like the control device 150 according to the first embodiment. Each function of control device 150b including the functions shown in FIG. 8 can be realized by the processor of control device 150b executing arithmetic processing according to a predetermined program.

Referring to FIG. 8, the control device 150b has a dust collection rate calculation section 201, a dust collection rate determination section 203, and an air flow rate control section 209 as its functions. The air purifying device 10 according to Embodiment 3 corresponds to the air purifying device 10 according to Embodiment 1 in which the control device 150 is replaced with a control device 150b. Note that the functions of the dust collection rate calculation unit 201 and the dust collection rate determination unit 203 are the same as those functions in the first embodiment, so detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the air purifier 10 and the ventilator 20 are configured to be interlocked and controllable. Specifically, the control device 150b of the air cleaner 10 has an air flow rate control section 209 as its function, and the operation of the blower 211 of the ventilation device 20 is controlled according to instructions from the air flow rate control section 209. obtain.

Specifically, the air flow control unit 209 controls the operation of the blower 211 according to the determination result of the dust collection rate determination unit 203 . More specifically, when the dust collection rate determination unit 203 determines that the dust collection rate of the dust collector 110 is equal to or less than the threshold value, there is a concern that the dust may not be sufficiently captured and may enter the room. It is considered to be in a state where Therefore, in this case, the air flow rate control unit 209 controls the operation of the blower 211 to reduce the air flow rate passing through the dust collector 110 . As a result, the dust contained in the air passes through the dust collector 110 at a slower speed, so that the capture of the dust by the dust collector 110 is further promoted, and it is possible to suppress the dust from entering the room. becomes. For example, a table showing the relationship between the rate of decrease in the dust collection rate and the rate of decrease in the air flow rate for compensating for it may be acquired in advance. The air flow rate can be reduced at a rate corresponding to the reduction in dust collection rate.

On the other hand, when the dust collection rate determination unit 203 determines that the dust collection rate of the dust collector 110 is higher than the threshold value, the dust collection rate is lower than that in the normal state due to deposits. However, it is considered that it is still in a state in which it is possible to fully demonstrate the ability to remove dust. Therefore, in this case, the air flow rate control unit 209 controls the operation of the blower 211 so as to maintain the air flow rate passing through the dust collector 110 as it is.

(Control method)
With reference to FIG. 9, a processing procedure of a method for controlling air cleaning device 10 by control device 150b according to the present embodiment will be described. Each process shown in FIG. 9 corresponds to the process executed by the control device 150b shown in FIG. 8 described above. Details of each of these processes have already been described with reference to FIG. 8, and thus detailed description of each process will be omitted in the following description of the processing procedure of the control method. Further, the process of calculating the dust collection rate shown in FIG. 9 (step S301) and the process of determining whether the calculated dust collection rate is equal to or less than the threshold value (step S303) have been described with reference to FIG. This is the same as the processing shown in steps S101 and S103 in the first embodiment. Therefore, detailed descriptions of the processes shown in steps S301 and S303 are omitted here.

In this embodiment, when the dust collection rate is determined to be equal to or less than the threshold value in step S303, the air flow rate passing through the dust collector 110 is reduced (step S305). On the other hand, if the dust collection rate is not determined to be equal to or less than the threshold value in step S303 (that is, if the dust collection rate is determined to be greater than the threshold value), the air flow rate passing through the dust collector 110 is is maintained as is. The processing shown in step S305 corresponds to the processing executed by the air flow control section 209 shown in FIG.

The processing procedure of the method for controlling the air cleaning device 10 by the control device 150b according to the third embodiment has been described above.

As described above, in the present embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the dust collection rate is calculated based on the detection result of the amount of dust by the upstream dust detection unit 120a and the downstream dust detection unit 120b. Therefore, the ability of the dust collector 110 to remove dust can be detected with higher accuracy. Then, by controlling the flow rate of air passing through the dust collector 110 based on the detected dust collection rate, the air passes through the dust collector 110 at an appropriate flow rate according to the current ability to remove dust. can be made Therefore, it is possible to preferably prevent dust from entering the room.

Embodiment 4.
(Control device)
Functions of the control device 150c according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a control device 150c according to the fourth embodiment. Note that FIG. 10 illustrates the functional configuration of the characteristic functions of the control device 150c according to the present embodiment. The control device 150c may have various functions of a control device of a general air purifying device in addition to the functions shown in the figure. 10 also illustrates dust detectors 120a and 120b and an instruction transmitter 215 (details of which will be described later) in addition to the functions of the control device 150c.

Note that the control device 150c may be a processor, or a control board or the like on which a processor and a memory element are mounted, like the control device 150 according to the first embodiment. Each function of control device 150c including the functions shown in FIG. 10 can be implemented by the processor of control device 150c executing arithmetic processing according to a predetermined program.

Referring to FIG. 10, the control device 150c has a dust collection rate calculation unit 201, a dust collection rate determination unit 203, and an instruction transmission control unit 213 as its functions. The air purifying device 10 according to Embodiment 4 corresponds to the air purifying device 10 according to Embodiment 1 in which the control device 150 is replaced with a control device 150c. Note that the functions of the dust collection rate calculation unit 201 and the dust collection rate determination unit 203 are the same as those functions in the first embodiment, so detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the present embodiment, another device having an air cleaning function (for example, other air cleaning equipment, air conditioners, etc.) are installed. Then, the air cleaning device 10 and the other device are configured to be interlockingly controllable. In this specification, a device that is installed indoors in a house where the ventilation system 1 is installed and has an air cleaning function configured to be interlockable with the air cleaning device 10 is also referred to as an interlocking device.

In the present embodiment, air purifier 10 includes instruction transmitter 215 . The instruction transmission unit 215 is configured by, for example, a communication device capable of communicating with the interlocking device by wire or wirelessly. Then, the air cleaning device 10 can send an instruction regarding its operation (in particular, an operation related to the air cleaning function) to the interlocking device via the instruction transmission unit 215 .

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the controller 150c of the air cleaner 10 has an instruction transmission control section 213 that controls the operation of the instruction transmission section 215 as its function. The instruction transmission control unit 213 transmits an operation-related instruction to the interlocked device via the instruction transmission unit 215 according to the determination result of the dust collection rate determination unit 203 . More specifically, when the dust collection rate determination unit 203 determines that the dust collection rate of the dust collector 110 is equal to or less than the threshold value, there is a concern that the dust may not be sufficiently captured and may enter the room. It is considered to be in a state where Therefore, in this case, the instruction transmission control unit 213 transmits an instruction to the interlocked device via the instruction transmission unit 215 to increase the capacity of the air cleaning function. Accordingly, even if dust is not sufficiently captured by the air cleaner 10 and enters the room, the dust can be captured by the interlocking device. As a result, the indoor air can be kept clean. For example, a table indicating the relationship between the rate of decrease in the dust collection rate and the rate of increase in the ability of the air cleaning function of the interlocked device to compensate for the decrease may be acquired in advance. By referring to , it is possible to increase the capacity of the air cleaning function of the interlocking device at a rate corresponding to the decrease in the dust collection rate.

On the other hand, when the dust collection rate determination unit 203 determines that the dust collection rate of the dust collector 110 is higher than the threshold value, the dust collection rate is lower than that in the normal state due to deposits. However, it is considered that it is still in a state in which it is possible to fully demonstrate the ability to remove dust. Therefore, in this case, the instruction transmission control unit 213 does not transmit any particular instruction to the interlocked device.

(Control method)
With reference to FIG. 11, the processing procedure of the method for controlling air cleaning device 10 by control device 150c according to the present embodiment will be described. Each process shown in FIG. 11 corresponds to the process executed by the control device 150c shown in FIG. 10 described above. Since details of each of these processes have already been described with reference to FIG. 10, detailed description of each process will be omitted in the following description of the processing procedure of the control method. Further, the process of calculating the dust collection rate shown in FIG. 11 (step S401) and the process of determining whether the calculated dust collection rate is equal to or less than the threshold value (step S403) have been described with reference to FIG. This is the same as the processing shown in steps S101 and S103 in the first embodiment. Therefore, detailed descriptions of the processes shown in steps S401 and S403 are omitted here.

In this embodiment, when it is determined that the dust collection rate is equal to or lower than the threshold in step S403, an instruction to increase the capacity of the air cleaning function is transmitted to the interlocked device (step S405). ). The process shown in step S405 corresponds to the process executed by instruction transmission control section 213 shown in FIG. On the other hand, if it is determined that the dust collection rate is not equal to or lower than the threshold value in step S403 (that is, if it is determined that the dust collection rate is greater than the threshold value), no special instruction is given to the interlocking device. Not sent.

The processing procedure of the method for controlling the air cleaning device 10 by the control device 150c according to the fourth embodiment has been described above.

As described above, in the present embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the dust collection rate is calculated based on the detection result of the amount of dust by the upstream dust detection unit 120a and the downstream dust detection unit 120b. Therefore, the ability of the dust collector 110 to remove dust can be detected with higher accuracy. By controlling the operation of the interlocking device based on the detected dust collection rate, the ability of the air cleaning function of the interlocking device can be appropriately controlled according to the current ability to remove dust. . Therefore, even if the dust is not sufficiently removed by the dust collector 110 and enters the room, the dust can be removed by the interlocking device, and the indoor air can be kept clean. Become.

Embodiment 5.
(Control device)
Functions of the control device 150d according to the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a control device 150d according to the fifth embodiment. Note that FIG. 12 illustrates characteristic functions of the control device 150d according to the present embodiment. The control device 150d may have various functions of a control device of a general air purifying device in addition to the functions shown in the figure. For the sake of explanation, FIG. 12 also shows the upstream dust detector 120a and the dust collector 110 in addition to the functions of the control device 150d.

Note that the control device 150d may be a processor, a control board on which a processor and a memory element are mounted, or the like, like the control device 150 according to the first embodiment. Each function of control device 150d including the functions shown in FIG. 12 can be implemented by the processor of control device 150d executing arithmetic processing according to a predetermined program.

Referring to FIG. 12, the control device 150d has a dust amount determination section 217 and a dust collector output control section 207 as its functions. The air purifying device 10 according to Embodiment 5 corresponds to the air purifying device 10 according to Embodiment 1 in which the control device 150 is replaced with a control device 150d.

The dust amount determination unit 217 determines the amount of dust in the air flowing into the dust collector 110 based on the detection result of the amount of dust by the upstream dust detection unit 120a. Specifically, considering the relationship between the amount of dust in the air and the effect that the dust may have on the human body, the amount of dust that is thought to have the potential to affect the human body is set as the threshold value. is set in the control device 150d in advance. The dust amount determination unit 217 compares the dust amount detection result by the upstream dust detection unit 120a with the threshold value, and determines the magnitude relationship. The threshold is, for example, 35 μg/m ³ . This value is based on the environmental standard value for PM2.5 concentration stipulated by the Ministry of the Environment, which is "35 μg/m ³ or less per day average". However, the present embodiment is not limited to such an example, and the specific value of the threshold may be appropriately set by the designer, user, or the like of the ventilation system 1 .

The dust amount determination unit 217 provides information on the determination result to the dust collector output control unit 207 .

The dust collector output control unit 207 controls the operation of the dust collector 110 in the same manner as the function in the second embodiment. However, in the second embodiment, the dust collector output control unit 207 controls the operation of the dust collector 110 according to the determination result of the dust collection rate determination unit 203. The device output control unit 207 determines the amount of dust on the upstream side of the dust collector 110 by the dust amount determination unit 217 (that is, based on the detection result of the amount of dust by the upstream dust detection unit 120a). ), which controls the operation of the dust collector 110 .

Specifically, when the dust amount determination unit 217 determines that the amount of dust detected by the upstream dust detection unit 120a is equal to or less than the threshold value, the amount of dust contained in the air is extremely small. , even if the dust enters indoors, it is assumed that it does not affect the human body. Therefore, in this case, the dust collector output control unit 207 stops the operation of the dust collector 110 .

On the other hand, when the dust amount determination unit 217 determines that the amount of dust measured by the upstream dust detection unit 120a is greater than the threshold value, the amount of dust contained in the air does not affect the human body. It is assumed that there are as many as possible. Therefore, in this case, the dust collector output control unit 207 operates the dust collector 110 .

As described above, by controlling the operation of the dust collector 110 according to the amount of dust on the upstream side of the dust collector 110, for example, when the amount of dust is sufficiently small, the operation of the dust collector 110 can be stopped. That is, the dust collector 110 can be operated only when necessary according to the amount of dust in the air. Therefore, it becomes possible to operate the air cleaner 10 more efficiently.

(Control method)
With reference to FIG. 13, a processing procedure of a method for controlling air cleaning device 10 by control device 150d according to the present embodiment will be described. Each process shown in FIG. 13 corresponds to the process executed by the control device 150d shown in FIG. 12 described above. Since the details of each of these processes have already been described with reference to FIG. 12, a detailed description of each process will be omitted in the following description of the processing procedure of the control method.

Referring to FIG. 13, in the control method according to the present embodiment, first, the dust amount detection result by the upstream dust detection unit 120a is obtained (step S501). The process shown in step S501 corresponds to the process of transmitting information about the dust amount detection result from the upstream dust detection unit 120a shown in FIG. there is

Next, it is determined whether the amount of dust detected is equal to or less than a threshold value (step S503). The processing shown in step S503 corresponds to the processing executed by the dust amount determination unit 217 shown in FIG.

If it is determined in step S503 that the amount of dust is equal to or less than the threshold value, the operation of dust collector 110 is stopped (step S505). This is because, in this case, the amount of dust contained in the air is extremely small, and even if the dust enters the room, it would not affect the human body.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S503 that the amount of dust is not equal to or less than the threshold value (that is, if it is determined that the amount of dust is greater than the threshold value), the operation of dust collector 110 is started. (step S507). As a result, when the air contains an amount of dust that can affect the human body, the dust can be captured by the dust collector 110 and prevented from entering the room.

The processing procedure of the control method of the air cleaner 10 by the control device 150d according to the fifth embodiment has been described above.

(Modified example, etc.)
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs can conceive of various modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention can take the following forms other than the embodiments described above.

For example, the control of the air purifying device 10 according to the first to fifth embodiments described above may be executed independently, or may be executed in combination within a possible range. When the controls according to Embodiments 1 to 5 are executed independently, the user may be able to select which control to execute. For example, when the dust collection rate decreases, the user executes control to increase the output of the dust collector 110 (that is, the control according to Embodiment 2), or the driving force of the blower 211 of the ventilation device 20 It is possible to appropriately select whether to execute the control for decreasing the (that is, the control according to the third embodiment). Alternatively, when any one of the controls according to Embodiments 1 to 5 is executed in combination, the user may be able to select which of the controls to execute in combination. .

For example, the control according to Embodiment 5 can be suitably combined with the control according to Embodiments 1 to 4 and executed. In this case, the control according to the fifth embodiment (that is, the control of the operation of the dust collector 110 based on the amount of dust) is performed, and as a result, when the dust collector 110 is operating, the Control according to Embodiment 4 (that is, various controls according to the dust collection rate) can be preferably performed. As a result, control according to the dust collection rate is performed only when there is more than a certain amount of dust in the air and the dust collector 110 is in operation. can be performed, and more efficient control of the air cleaner 10 can be realized.

Moreover, in the embodiment described above, the ventilation system 1 is installed on the ceiling 161, but the present invention is not limited to this example. The ventilation system 1 may be installed, for example, on the wall of the house.

Moreover, although the ventilation system 1 including the air cleaning device 10 and the ventilation device 20 is provided in the embodiment described above, the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, the air cleaning device 10 and the ventilation device 20 may be configured integrally. In this case, for example, the upstream dust detection unit 120a, the dust collector 110, and the downstream dust detection unit 120b are arranged in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the middle of the air supply passage in the housing. In addition, a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the air that passes through the air supply passage and is supplied indoors and the air that is exhausted from the indoors to the outdoors, and the ventilation flow rate is controlled. An air cleaning device may be provided further comprising a blower for cooling.

Moreover, in the embodiment described above, the dust collector 110 is an electric dust collector, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. In the present invention, the same effect can be obtained even if another type of dust collector is used as the dust collector 110 . Various known devices may be used as the dust collector 110 .

1 Ventilation System 10 Air Cleaner 20 Ventilator 110 Dust Collector 111 Charging Unit 112 Dust Collecting Unit 113 High Voltage Power Supply 114 Charging Unit Discharge Electrode 115 Charging Unit Counter Electrode 116 Dust Collecting Unit High Voltage Electrode 117 dust collecting unit counter electrode, 120a upstream dust detection unit, 120b downstream dust detection unit, 130 housing, 131 contaminated air side connection unit, 132 clean air side connection unit, 133 panel, 140 notification unit, 150 control device, 150a control device, 150b control device, 150c control device, 150d control device, 161 ceiling, 162 inspection opening, 163 inspection lid, 164 outer wall, 171 duct, 172 outdoor air supply port, 173 indoor air supply port, 181 contaminated air , 182 clean air, 201 dust collection rate calculation unit, 203 dust collection rate determination unit, 205 notification control unit, 207 dust collector output control unit, 209 air flow rate control unit, 211 blower, 213 instruction transmission control unit, 215 instruction transmission section, 217 dust amount determination section;

Claims (4)

It is arranged in the middle of the air flow path from the outdoors to the inside in the housing, and the dust contained in the air is removed by charging the dust by generating an electric discharge between the facing electrodes and adsorbing the charged dust. an electrostatic precipitator to remove;
an upstream dust detection unit and a downstream dust detection unit that are respectively arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side of the electric dust collector in the flow path in the housing and detect the amount of dust contained in the air;
Dust collection rate calculation for calculating a dust collection rate, which is an index indicating the ability of the electrostatic precipitator to remove dust, based on the detection results of the amount of dust by the upstream dust detection unit and the downstream dust detection unit. a control device having a part;
The control device further includes a dust collector output control section for controlling the output of the electrostatic precipitator, and the dust collector output control section controls the dust collection rate calculated by the dust collection rate calculation section. if below the threshold, increase the output of the electrostatic precipitator;
a notification unit that notifies the cleaning time of the electrode when the dust collection rate calculated by the dust collection rate calculation unit is equal to or less than a threshold ;
The notification unit is configured by a communication device capable of communicating with an external device, and the communication device communicates with the external device to notify the cleaning time.
air purifier. The notification unit notifies the maintenance worker of the cleaning time via the external device.
The air cleaning device according to claim 1. a blower that circulates air through the flow path and the electrostatic precipitator;
Further comprising a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the air that is supplied indoors through the electrostatic precipitator and the air that is exhausted from the indoors to the outdoors,
The air cleaner according to claim 1 or 2. an air purifier that removes dust contained in the air going from outdoors to indoors;
a ventilation device installed upstream or downstream of the air purifying device, supplying air that has passed through the air purifying device indoors, and exhausting indoor air to the outdoors;
The air purifying device is disposed in the housing in the middle of an air flow path from the outdoors to the indoors, and generates an electric discharge between opposing electrodes to charge dust, thereby adsorbing the charged dust. an electrostatic precipitator for removing dust contained in the air;
an upstream dust detection unit and a downstream dust detection unit that are respectively arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side of the electric dust collector in the flow path in the housing and detect the amount of dust contained in the air;
Dust collection rate calculation for calculating a dust collection rate, which is an index indicating the ability of the electrostatic precipitator to remove dust, based on the detection results of the amount of dust by the upstream dust detection unit and the downstream dust detection unit. a control device having a part;
The control device further has a dust collector output control unit that controls the output of the electrostatic precipitator,
The dust collector output control unit increases the output of the electrostatic precipitator when the dust collection rate calculated by the dust collection rate calculation unit is equal to or less than a threshold value,
The air purifying device further comprises a notification unit that notifies a cleaning time for the electrodes when the dust collection rate calculated by the dust collection rate calculation unit is equal to or less than a threshold value ,
The notification unit is configured by a communication device capable of communicating with an external device, and the communication device communicates with the external device to notify the cleaning time.
ventilation system.

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