JP7546900B2 - Dehumidifier - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a dehumidifier that removes moisture from the air.

Conventionally, there have been dehumidifiers that have a dehumidifying rotor for adsorbing and desorbing moisture from the air and a heat generating unit for heating the dehumidifying rotor, the heat generating unit being equipped with a heater (for example, Patent Document 1).

Patent No. 4442062

However, the dehumidifier described in Patent Document 1 has a drawback in that the surface temperature of the heater is not uniform, which reduces the moisture desorption performance of the dehumidifying rotor.
An object of the present invention is to provide a dehumidifier having a heater with a uniform surface temperature.

The dehumidifier according to the present invention is an embodiment of a dehumidifier that includes a rotatably supported dehumidifying rotor, a heater that heats the dehumidifying rotor, a cooler that cools the air that has been heated by the heater and passed through the dehumidifying rotor, and a blower that sends air to the heater, and the heater includes a straightening member that straightens the air sent by the blower and supplies it to the heater.

The above configuration has a straightening member, which makes it possible to make the surface temperature uniform.

1A is a perspective view of a dehumidifier according to an embodiment, as viewed from above on the front side, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a state in which a dehumidifying section and a blowing section are separated, as viewed from above on the rear side. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the dehumidifier in a disassembled state, seen from above on the front side. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the dehumidifier in a disassembled state, seen from above on the rear side. 11 is a perspective view of the dehumidifying function unit in a disassembled state, seen from below and rearward; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the dehumidifying function unit in a disassembled state, seen from above on the front side. FIG. 1A is a front view of the dehumidifying rotor unit and the heating unit, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the BB section of FIG. 1A as viewed from the direction of the arrow. 4 is a perspective view of the dehumidification rotor in an exploded state, seen from above and rearward. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the dehumidification rotor in an exploded state, seen from above the front side. FIG. 1A is a rear view of the heater, and FIG. 1B is a rear view of the airflow straightening member. 4 is a perspective view of a cross section of the rear part of the dehumidifying function section as viewed from above on the rear side. FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of the dehumidifying function section, and FIG. 1B and FIG. 1C are enlarged perspective views of the upper periphery of the dehumidifying rotor. 4A and 4B are exploded perspective views of the flow path body, in which FIG. 4A is a view from above the front side, and FIG. 4B is a view from above the rear side. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a receiver is attached to a frame, as viewed from above on the front side. 1A is a front view of the dehumidifying function section, and FIG. 1B is a front view of a cross section of the rear part of the dehumidifying function section. 4A and 4B are exploded perspective views of the air blowing function section, in which FIG. 4A is a view from above the front side, and FIG. 4B is a view from below the rear side. 1 is a perspective view of the base portion in an exploded state as viewed from above the front side. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the base portion in an exploded state, as viewed from above on the rear side. 10A and 10B are cross-sectional views of a blower unit according to a modified example, in which FIG. 10A is a side view seen from the side, and FIG. 11A and 11B are diagrams of a second member of a blower unit according to a modified example, where (a) is an oblique view from the rear, (b) is an enlarged oblique view of the upper part, and (c) is an enlarged oblique view from the rear.

＜Overview＞
A dehumidifier of one aspect of this embodiment comprises a rotatably supported dehumidifying rotor, a heater that heats the dehumidifying rotor, a cooler that cools air heated by the heater and passed through the dehumidifying rotor, and a blower that sends air to the heater, and the heater comprises a straightening member that straightens the air sent by the blower and supplies it to the heater.
In a dehumidifier according to another aspect of this embodiment, the straightening member is in the form of a plate having a plurality of through holes, and in the flow path through which the air sent from the blower flows, the opening area of the through holes is larger in an upstream region than in a downstream region, thereby making it possible to uniform the temperature of the air supplied to the dehumidifying rotor.
In a dehumidifier according to another aspect of this embodiment, there are two heaters, one located closer to the dehumidifying rotor, and the watt density per unit area of the heater closer to the dehumidifying rotor is set to 6 to 8 W/cm ^2. This makes it possible to suppress accumulation of organic matter on the dehumidifying rotor.
In a dehumidifier according to another aspect of the present embodiment, a receiver is provided on the opposite side of the dehumidifying rotor from the heater, and the receiver has a built-in reflective member that is perpendicular to the thickness direction of the dehumidifying rotor, thereby improving the heating efficiency of the heater.
In a dehumidifier according to another aspect of this embodiment, the blower has a flow path body having an internal guide flow path that guides the air sent out by the blower fan to the heater, and the flow path body has a separation portion that is separated from the dehumidifying rotor, thereby enabling the temperature of the dehumidifying rotor to be quickly reduced.
In a dehumidifier according to another aspect of the present invention, a flow path through which air is sent to the heater by the blower is provided with a standing wall, thereby making it possible to uniformize the temperature of the air supplied to the dehumidifying rotor.
In a dehumidifier according to another aspect of the present embodiment, the cooler includes a plurality of resin pipes for heat exchange, and the resin pipes include a heat exchange promoting component made of a material having a higher thermal conductivity than the resin material constituting the resin pipes, thereby improving the dehumidification performance.

<Embodiment>
1. Overall In the embodiment, a so-called desiccant type dehumidifier that removes moisture using a moisture absorbent or the like will be described.
1, the dehumidifier X includes a dehumidifying section A that dehumidifies air drawn in through an air inlet 55a of a housing 55 and discharges the air from an air outlet 55b, and a blower section B that circulates the air discharged from the dehumidifying section A or the air in the room. For example, the blower section B is provided above the dehumidifying section A.
Here, for the sake of convenience, the side where the air intake port 55a is located is defined as the rear side in the front-to-rear direction, the side where the air blower B is located is defined as the upper side in the up-down direction, and the direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction and the up-down direction is defined as the left-to-right direction.
The blower B is provided so as to be rotatable about a left-right axis and a top-down axis, and faces upward while facing forward in FIG.

2. Dehumidification Unit As shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 , the dehumidification unit A includes a dehumidification function unit 1, a housing 55 that houses the dehumidification function unit 1, and a drainage tank 6 that is detachably provided in the housing 55.
The dehumidifying function section 1 adsorbs moisture in the air sucked in from the air intake 55a of the housing 55 with the dehumidifying rotor 11, releases the adsorbed moisture when the dehumidifying rotor 11 is heated, collects the released moisture with the heat exchange unit 20, and exhausts the dry air to the outside of the housing 55 (here, the blower section B) with a fan. The heat exchange unit corresponds to an example of a cooler of the present invention.
Each part will be explained below.

(1) Dehumidifying Function Unit In order to perform the above-mentioned functions, the dehumidifying function unit 1 has, on a frame 50, a dehumidifying rotor unit 10 that adsorbs moisture, a heating unit 15 that heats the dehumidifying rotor unit 10, a heat exchange unit 20 that extracts moisture from the heated air, an air blower unit 25 that sends air to the heating unit 15, and an intake/exhaust unit 40 that draws air into the housing 55 and expels it to the outside of the housing 55, as shown in Figures 5 and 6.
Each unit will be explained.

(1-1) Dehumidifying Rotor Unit As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the dehumidifying rotor unit 10 includes a disk-shaped dehumidifying rotor 11 made of a water-absorbing material (moisture-absorbing material) such as zeolite, a dehumidifying frame 12 that holds the dehumidifying rotor 11, and a drive motor 13 that rotates the dehumidifying frame 12.
The dehumidifying rotor 11 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 51 of a frame 50 .
The dehumidifying rotor 11 is rotated by a pinion 13a of the drive motor 13 shown in FIG. 5 screwing into a gear portion 123 on the outer periphery of the dehumidifying frame 12 and rotating.
5 and 6, the dehumidifying frame 12 includes an annular body 120, a cylindrical body 125, and a frame body 126 that connects the annular body 120 and the cylindrical body 125. The annular body 120 has a cylindrical portion 121, an inner flange portion 122 (see FIGS. 12(b) and (c)), and a gear portion 123.
The frame 126 has an L-shaped annular portion 126a having an "L"-shaped cross section, a disk portion 126b fixed to the cylindrical body 125, and radial portions 126c radially connecting the L-shaped annular portion 126a and the disk portion 126b.

5 and 6, the heating unit 15 includes a heater 16 and a receiver 17 on both sides of the dehumidifying rotor 11. The heater 16 and the receiver 17 are fan-shaped to cover a part of the dehumidifying rotor 11, and are attached to the frame 50 from the front side.

8 and 9, the heater 16 includes a heater 160, a heater case main body 161 that houses the heater 160 and has an inlet 161d, a heater case lid 162 that is provided on the opening side (rear side) of the heater case main body 161 and has an outlet 162b, and a straightening member 163 that is disposed inside the heater case main body 161. The heater 16 uses the heater 160 to heat air that flows from the inlet 161d to the outlet 162b.
As shown in FIGS. 8, 9 and 15B, the heater 16 here includes a heat insulating member 165 disposed within a heater case main body 161 and a heater holder 166 that holds the heater 160.

(1-2-1-1) Heater Here, the heater 160 has two heaters, an upper heater 160a and a lower heater 160b, arranged along the air flow direction. When there is no need to distinguish between the upper heater 160a and the lower heater 160b, they will simply be referred to as heater 160.
The upper heater 160a is located upstream and the lower heater 160b is located downstream of the flow path of air flowing through the heater 16. In other words, the upper heater 160a and the lower heater 160b are arranged at a distance from each other in a direction toward and away from the dehumidifying rotor 11 (here, this is also the thickness direction and the front-to-rear direction of the dehumidifying rotor 11) as shown in Fig. 7(b), with the upper heater 160a located on the front side and the lower heater 160b located on the rear side.
The heater 160 is, for example, a coil of nickel-chrome (so-called nichrome) wire or iron-chrome wire, which is wire-shaped as a whole and extends along the circumferential direction of the dehumidifying rotor 11 and then turns back in the opposite direction to form a zigzag shape as shown in Fig. 15(b). Note that iron-chrome wire has higher heat resistance than nickel-chrome wire, and can improve durability.

The output (heating temperature) of the lower heater 160b is greater than the output (heating temperature) of the upper heater 160a. More specifically, the current value flowing through the lower heater 160b is set to be greater than the current value flowing through the upper heater 160a. In other words, the watt density per unit area of the lower heater 160b is set to 6 to 8 W/ ^cm2 . The lower heater 160b is set so that the temperature of the dehumidifying rotor 11 becomes 300°C or higher by heating, although this varies depending on the distance from the dehumidifying rotor 11. The distance between the lower heater 160b and the dehumidifying rotor 11 is preferably in the range of 3 to 6 mm. If it is less than 3 mm, the dehumidifying rotor 11 will be overheated, and if it exceeds 6 mm, the dehumidifying rotor 11 cannot be heated sufficiently, and organic matter cannot be removed.
As a result, even in operation with the upper heater 160a turned off and the lower heater 160b turned on (for example, in the "dehumidifying mode" described below), the temperature of the dehumidifying rotor 11 reaches 300° C. or higher, making it possible to volatilize flammable organic matter adsorbed in the pores of the dehumidifying rotor 11 and prevent flammable organic matter from accumulating on the dehumidifying rotor 11. This makes it possible to prevent the adsorption of moisture by the dehumidifying rotor 11 from being hindered by organic matter, and also to reduce the risk of fire caused by a large accumulation of organic matter.
A dehumidifier that restricts the accumulation of organic matter is described in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 5522289. This dehumidifier is not preferable from the viewpoint of energy saving because the heater located near the dehumidifying rotor is always on.

(1-2-1-2) Heater Case Body The heater case body 161 has a heater accommodating section 161a that has a partial ring shape when viewed from the front side, and a flange section 161b that protrudes in the radial direction from the open end (rear end) of the heater accommodating section 161a. The partial ring shape is a shape in which two arcs with different radii are separated in the circumferential direction and connected by two straight lines that extend in the radial direction.
8, when the heater housing portion 161a is viewed from the rear side, the heater case body 161 has an inlet 161d in one of the first wall portions 161c extending in the radial direction. The inlet 161d has a rectangular shape with its short sides extending in the front-rear direction and its long sides extending in the radial direction.

8 and 9, the heater case cover 162 has a fan-shaped plate-like portion 162a, in which an outlet 162b is provided, and a peripheral portion of the outlet 162b in the plate-like portion 162a is formed as a raised portion 162c that is raised toward the rear. The raised portion 162c reinforces the plate-like portion 162a.
The outlet 162b has a partial ring shape corresponding to the shape of the heater accommodating portion 161a when viewed from the rear side. The heater case lid 162 is coupled to the heater case main body 161 with the outer portion of the raised portion 162c of the plate-shaped portion 162a abutting against the flange portion 161b of the heater case main body 161.

(1-2-1-4) Straightening Member Here, the straightening member 163 is plate-shaped, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. Here, the straightening member 163 is one sheet. This reduces the number of steps for assembling into the heater case main body 161 (heater accommodating section 161a). The shape is a partial ring shape or a similar shape corresponding to the heater accommodating section 161a. There are no particular limitations on the material, so long as it is a material that can withstand the heat during operation of the heater 160, and metal materials, high heat resistant resin materials, mica materials, glass materials, ceramic materials, etc. can be used. From the viewpoint of thermal insulation, mica materials are preferable.
7B, the flow straightening member 163 is provided parallel to the bottom wall portion 161e of the heater housing portion 161a and spaced apart from the bottom wall portion 161e. The position of the flow straightening member 163 in the front-rear direction is near the center in the front-rear direction of the inlet 161d, which has a width in the front-rear direction. In other words, the flow straightening member 163 is located rearward from the front end of the inlet 161d by 1/3 to 2/3 of the dimension of the inlet 161d in the front-rear direction. This improves the flow rate balance between the air passing in front of the flow straightening member 163 and the air passing behind the flow straightening member 163.

The flow regulating member 163 has a plurality of through holes in a plate-like portion 163a.
The plate-shaped flow straightening member 163 is disposed parallel to the heater 160 and has through holes. This allows air passing through the through holes to flow in the front-rear direction, reducing the resistance of the heater holder 166 that holds the heater 160. In other words, the flow straightening member 163 functions as a course changer for directing air that has flowed in parallel to the bottom wall portion 161e of the heater accommodating portion 161a or the flow straightening member 163 toward the heater 160. In particular, the flow of air is changed to a flow parallel to the heater holder 166 (a flow in the front-rear direction).
10, the flow straightening member 163 has an area of 60 to 80% of the opening area of the flow outlet 162b when viewed from the rear side of the flow outlet 162b of the heater 16. The flow straightening member 163 is disposed so as to be exposed in the flow outlet 162b, except for a region close to the inlet 161d side and corresponding to an area of 20 to 40% of the opening area when viewed from the rear side of the flow outlet 162b of the heater 16. This makes it possible to increase the amount of air passing through the through holes of the flow straightening member 163, thereby improving the flow straightening effect.
The straightening member 163 is disposed so as to overlap with 60 to 80% of the area of the heater 160 when the outlet 162b of the heater 16 is viewed from the rear. This allows uniform air to be sent over a wide area of the heater 160, and reduces the variation in temperature of the air heated by the heater 160.

The through holes of the straightening member 163 are at least of two types, large and small. Of the two types of different sizes, the through holes with the smaller opening area are provided on the side farther from the inlet 161d in the heater case main body 161. In other words, in the flow path through which the air flows, the through holes with the smaller opening area are provided in the region (downstream region) on the second wall portion 161f side between the inlet 161d and the other second wall portion 161f facing the inlet 161d. In other words, the total opening area of the through holes formed in the region (downstream region) close to the second wall portion 161f between the inlet 161d and the second wall portion 161f is smaller than the total opening area of the through holes formed in the region (upstream region) close to the inlet 161d.
As a result, part of the air that flows into the heater accommodating section 161a from the inlet 161d flows through the through holes of the rectifying member 163 toward the outlet 162b, and the rest is bounced back by the second wall portion 161f. At this time, part of the air also flows through the through holes of the rectifying member 163 toward the outlet 162b. However, because the total opening area of the through holes formed on the second wall portion 161f side of the rectifying member 163 is small, the bounced back air passes through the through holes of the rectifying member 163 while flowing toward the inlet 161d side and toward the outlet 162b. In this way, the air that flows in from the inlet 161d flows out uniformly from the entire range of the outlet 162b of the heater case lid 162.

The at least two types of through holes include, for example, a first small through hole 163c and a second small through hole 163d as small through holes, and a first large through hole 163e and a second large through hole 163f as large through holes. The opening areas of the first small through hole 163c are largest, followed by the second small through hole 163d, the first large through hole 163e, and the second large through hole 163f.
As shown in Fig. 10B, the small through holes 163c, 163d are provided on the side farther from the inlet 161d and in the center. Although the inlet 161d is not shown in Fig. 10B, the inlet 161d is located on the edge side located on the right side of the flow straightening member 163.
The flow straightening member 163 is divided into three in the circumferential direction, and from the inlet 161d side, it is a near region C1, a middle region C2, and a far region C3, and the flow straightening member 163 is divided into three in the radial direction, and from the inner circumferential side, it is an inner region r1, a middle region r2, and an outer region r3, and when expressing a predetermined region of the flow straightening member 163, the circumferential region name and the radial region name are combined one after the other. For example, the region close to the inlet 161d and on the inner circumferential side is the "near-inner region C1r1," and the middle region in the circumferential direction and the middle region in the radial direction is the "middle-middle region C2r2."

As shown in (b) of Figure 10, the first small through hole 163c is provided in the far-middle region C3r2, the second small through hole 163d is provided in the middle-middle region C2r2, the far-inner region C3r1, and the far-outer region C3r3, the first large through hole 163e is provided in the near-middle region C1r2 and the near-outer region C1r3, and the second large through hole 163f is provided in the near-inner region C1r1, the middle-inner region C2r1, and the middle-outer region C2r3.
This allows the air flowing in from the inlet 161d to pass through the heater 160 evenly, making the temperature at the outlet 162b uniform.
By making the temperature of the air flowing out from the outlet 162b uniform, the temperature of the dehumidifying rotor 11 can be easily controlled to 300° C. or higher by heating with the lower heater 160b.

(1-2-1-5) Heat Insulation Member The heat insulation member 165 is in the form of a plate made of, for example, mica material, as shown in Figures 8 and 9. Here, the heat insulation member 165 includes three members: a bottom wall material 165a arranged opposite the bottom wall portion 161e of the heater accommodating portion 161a, an end wall material 165b arranged opposite the second wall portion 161f of the heater accommodating portion 161a, and an outer peripheral wall material 165c arranged opposite the outer peripheral wall portion 161g of the heater accommodating portion 161a.
8, the heat insulating member 165 has a groove 165e for fitting with the protruding portion 163g of the flow rectifying member 163 and the protruding portion of the heater holder 166. This allows the flow rectifying member 163 and the heater 160 to be disposed at predetermined positions.

(1-2-1-6) Heater Holder As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the heater holder 166 is composed of multiple plate-shaped members, and is composed of a radial plate-shaped member 166a extending radially in the front-to-rear direction, and a peripheral plate-shaped member 166b extending circumferentially in the front-to-rear direction.
7B, the radial plate member 166a has a plurality of grooves 166c, 166d in which the heater 160 is disposed. The peripheral plate member 166b holds the plurality of radial plate members 166a at intervals in the circumferential direction. The holding is achieved by fitting the peripheral plate member 166b or the groove of the peripheral plate member 166b into the groove of the radial plate member 166a or the groove of the radial plate member 166a.
With this configuration, friction (resistance) when air passes through the heater 16 can be reduced.

(1-2-2) Receiver This will be explained with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG.
The receiver 17 is attached to the frame 50 in a state facing the heater 16. The receiver 17 has a function of guiding air containing moisture evaporated when the dehumidifying rotor 11 is heated by the heater 16 to the heat exchange unit 20.
The receiver 17 has a receiver body 171 and a reflecting member 173 disposed inside the receiver body 171 .

(1-2-2-1) Receiver Body The receiver body 171 has a sectorial portion 171a having a shape similar to the external shape of the heater case lid 162 of the heater 16 and facing the heater case lid 162, an extension portion 171b extending forward from the arc portion of the sectorial portion 171a and then extending radially outward, a recessed portion 171c formed in a portion of the sectorial portion 171a facing the outlet 162b of the heater 16 and recessed in a partially annular shape toward the rear, an opening 171e formed in a bottom portion 171d of the recessed portion 171c, and a protruding portion 171f protruding rearward from the periphery of the opening 171e. The protruding portion 171f has a front extension portion 171j and an outward extension portion 171g.
An outer extending portion 171g extending radially outward of the extending portion 171b of the receiver body 171 abuts against the plate-shaped portion 162a of the heater case lid 162, as shown in FIG. 7B.
The central angle side of the sector portion 171a of the receiver body 171 is fixed to the frame 50 together with the heater case body 161 and the heater case lid 162 by using a support shaft 51 (see FIGS. 5 and 6).
14, the receiver body 171 is attached to the frame 50 so that the lower corner of the central corner of the partially annular recessed portion 171c is the lowest point. The receiver body 171 has a groove portion 171h at the corner of the recessed portion 171c, which is recessed downward and opens at the opening side (front side) of the recessed portion 171c. This allows condensed water that has condensed inside the receiver body 171 to flow toward the dehumidifying rotor 11, preventing condensed water from accumulating inside the receiver 17.

(1-2-2-2) Reflective Member The reflecting member 173 is disposed and fixed in the recessed portion 171c of the receiver body 171, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The reflecting member 173 is made of a metal material, a ceramic material, or the like, and has a plate shape. As shown in Fig. 7(b), the reflecting member 173 is provided at a position where the distance D1 from the opening of the recessed portion 171c is 10 to 15 mm. The reflecting member 173 may be made of stainless steel (SUS). In particular, the reflecting member 173 may be made of a glossy BA material. In this case, the thermal efficiency can be improved by reflecting the thermal energy from the red-hot heater 160 leaking from the dehumidifying rotor 11 to the dehumidifying rotor 11 side.
The reflecting member 173 is provided in a state spaced apart from the bottom portion 171d of the recessed portion 171c of the receiver body 171. This makes it possible to prevent an excessive temperature rise at the bottom portion 171d, and allows the receiver body 171 to be made of a heat-resistant resin.

(1-3) Heat Exchange Unit The heat exchange unit will be described mainly with reference to FIGS.
The heat exchange unit 20 comprises a heat exchange section 22 consisting of a number of resin pipes 21 , an upper support section 23 that supports an upper end section of the heat exchange section 22 , and a lower support section 24 that supports a lower end section of the heat exchange section 22 .
The following description will be given mainly with reference to FIG. 11 and FIG.

(1-3-1) Heat Exchange Section The resin pipes 21 have a rectangular or square cross section and are supported so that their cylindrical axes are parallel to each other.
The heat exchange section 22 is composed of a group of pipes including a plurality of (for example, six) resin pipes 21 arranged in close contact with each other in the front-rear direction and spaced apart (here, equally spaced apart) in the left-right direction.
The heat exchange section 22 is located behind the intake port 55 a of the housing 55 (in this example, the front side).

(1-3-2) Upper Support Section The upper support section 23 comprises an upper communication passage 231 that communicates with the heating unit 15 and is open downward, and an upper support body 233 that is provided on the opening side of the upper communication passage 231 and supports the upper part of the heat exchange section 22.
The upper communication passage 231 has a box shape that is long in the left-right direction, and has an inlet 231a that fits into a protruding portion 171f around an opening 171e of the heating unit 15, as shown in FIG.
As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 11, the upper support 233 has a plurality of fitting grooves 233 a in the left-right direction that fit with the upper ends of the pipes, and fits into the openings of the upper communication passages 231 .
As a result, the air received in the upper communication passage 231 is guided to the multiple plastic pipes 21 that make up the pipe group.

(1-3-3) Lower Support Section As shown in FIG. 12 , the lower support section 24 comprises a lower communicating passage 241 that communicates with the blower unit 25 and is open at the top, and a lower support body 243 that is provided on the opening side of the lower communicating passage 241 and supports the lower part of the heat exchange section 22.
The lower communication passage 241 has a box shape that is long in the left-right direction, and has a discharge port 241a in a front wall portion 241b that fits with the connection port 52 of the frame 50, as shown in Figures 6 and 12. As shown in Figure 11, the bottom wall portion 241c of the lower communication passage 241 forms an inclined surface that guides the water cooled in the heat exchange section 22 to the drain tank 6 (see Figures 1 to 4). Here, the approximate center in the left-right direction is the lowest, and a through hole 241d is provided in the lowered portion.
The lower support 243 has a plurality of fitting grooves 243 a in the left-right direction into which the lower ends of the pipes are fitted, and the fitting grooves 243 a are fitted into the openings of the lower communication passages 241 .
As a result, the air that has passed through the multiple plastic pipes 21 is sent out from the lower communication passage 241 to the blower unit 25.
The lower communication passage 241 is located below the upper communication passage 231, and is configured to be larger than the upper communication passage 231 when viewed from above. That is, as shown in Fig. 12, the lower communication passage 241 has a protruding portion 241g that protrudes upward from the upper end of the side wall portion 241f into which the lower support body 243 is fitted. This allows water to be received by the protruding portion 241g of the lower support portion 24 even if it drips or flows down from the upper support portion 23. In other words, the protruding portion 241g can also be called a water receiving portion, and is provided around the entire periphery of the side wall portion 241f.

(1-3-4) Sealing section The upper support section 23 may have an upper sealing material (not shown) between the upper communication passage 231 and the upper support body 233. This can prevent water leakage and air leakage. The lower support section 24 may have a lower sealing material (not shown) between the lower communication passage 241 and the lower support body 243. This can prevent water leakage and air leakage. For example, a foamable material can be used as the upper sealing material and the lower sealing material.
In particular, the foaming material of the upper sealant may be a closed-cell or open-cell material. Note that the use of a closed-cell material as the upper sealant can improve the sealing performance. Note that even if water leaks from the sealed portion, it can be received in the lower communication passage 241 as described above.
On the other hand, the foaming material of the lower sealant may be a closed-cell or open-cell material, and a open-cell material is preferable. By using a open-cell material, the water flowing down from the upper support portion 23 can be permeated into the lower communication passage 241. The compression ratio of the lower sealant is preferably within a range of 30 to 50%.

(1-4) Blower unit As shown in Figures 6 and 7(a), the blower unit 25 includes a flow path body 27 having a flow path 26 connecting the exhaust outlet 241a of the heat exchange unit 20 and the inlet 161d of the heating unit 15 (heater), and a blower 28 that sends the air in the flow path 26 to the heating unit 15 side.
The flow path body 27 has an internal guide flow path that guides the air sent out by the blower 28 to the heater 16. As shown in Fig. 13, the flow path body 27 includes a first member 271 along the front surface of the dehumidifying rotor 11, and a second member 273 that covers the first member 271 from the front side and forms the flow path 26 therein. As shown in Fig. 12, the blower 28 includes a fan 281 disposed in the flow path 26, and a drive motor 283 that drives the fan 281. A spacer 275 is provided in the flow path body 27.

(1-4-1) First Member The first member 271, as shown in FIG. 13, has a first plate-shaped portion 271a that is L-shaped when viewed from the front, and a through hole 271b formed in the first plate-shaped portion 271a.
The first member 271 has a separation portion 271c for separating the first member 271 from the dehumidifying rotor 11 at a portion corresponding to the long side of the "L" shape of the first plate-shaped portion 271a. The separation portion 271c is formed by a recessed portion recessed on the side (front side) away from the dehumidifying rotor 11. As shown in FIG. 12(d), the distance D3 between the separation portion 271c and the dehumidifying rotor 11 is set so that air can flow between the separation portion 271c and the dehumidifying rotor 11 and the temperature of the dehumidifying rotor 11 can be reduced. Specifically, the distance D3 is about 10 to 18 mm, and is preferably 16 mm or less in consideration of the dimensions of the dehumidifier X in the front-rear direction. The through hole 271b is an inlet of the flow path 26 and faces the connection port 52 of the frame 50.

(1-4-2) Second member The second member 273 has a second plate-shaped portion 273a that abuts against the end portions of the first plate-shaped portion 271a except for the upper end, and a recessed portion 273b that recesses from the second plate-shaped portion 273a toward the opposite side to the first member 271, and an upper end portion 273c of the recessed portion 273b is open.
The recessed portion 273b has an accommodation portion 273d that accommodates the fan 281 (see FIG. 12) of the blower 28, and a flow path portion 273e through which air passes that is blown out by the rotation of the fan 281. The second plate-shaped portion 273a has a recessed portion 273f that recesses in toward the front side in accordance with the spaced portion 271c of the first member 271.
A cover portion 273 g for protecting the drive motor 283 is provided on the surface (front surface) of the bottom portion of the housing portion 273 d of the second member 273 .
(1-4-3) Spacer The spacer 275 has a thin plate shape. The spacer 275 is provided at the upper end of the flow path body 27, i.e., close to the outlet of the flow path 26. Here, the spacer 275 is provided on the first member 271, and is curved or bent in response to the recess of the spaced portion 271c. When the blower unit 25 is attached to the frame 50, the spacer 275 reduces the gap with the dehumidifying rotor 11, thereby suppressing air leakage.

(1-5) Suction and Exhaust Unit As shown in FIG. 2, the suction and exhaust unit 40 takes in air through an intake port 55a on the rear side of the housing 55 and exhausts air through an exhaust port 55b on the upper side.
As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the suction and exhaust unit 40 has an suction and exhaust frame 41, a fan 42 rotatably supported on the front side of the suction and exhaust frame 41, a drive motor 43 provided on the rear side of the suction and exhaust frame 41 and driving the fan 42, a guide wall 44 that guides the air blown out from the fan 42 toward the upper side, and a guide hood 45 that guides the guided air toward the exhaust port 55b of the housing 55.
15B, the drive motor 43 is provided so that the distance D2 from the heater case main body 161 is 10 mm or more. The drive motor 43 is provided at a position separated in the left-right direction from the lower part of the heating unit 15. This makes it possible to prevent air leaking from the heater 160 of the heating unit 15 from coming into contact with the drive motor 43. Note that, in consideration of the increase in size of the dehumidifier X, a distance of 30 mm or less is preferable.
Specifically, when viewed from the front side, the motor 43 is provided in a direction away from the flow path body 27 (to the right in the left-right direction) from the region 46 (hatched region in the figure) adjacent to the overlapping portion of the heating unit 15 and the flow path body 27 of the blower unit 25. As a result, even if the heated air leaks into the region 46, which is a gap between the heating unit 15 and the dehumidification rotor 11 and does not have the flow path body 27 when viewed from the front side, the driving motor 43 is provided at a position away from the path of the air leaking to the region 46, so that the motor 43 is less susceptible to the influence of heat. The path of the exposed air is perpendicular to the lower end of the heating unit 15, which is downward in this case. When the driving motor 43 is heated, the grease of the motor cannot withstand the heat, and the grease dries up. The grease dries up and causes the driving motor 43 to rotate poorly, resulting in temperature abnormalities and abnormal noise.

(1-6) Circuit Unit The circuit unit 35 has a power supply unit that generates drive power for driving the dehumidifying function unit 1 and the air blowing function unit 8 from a commercial power source received via an outlet, and a control unit that controls the dehumidifying function unit 1 and the air blowing function unit 8 according to instructions from a user. As shown in Fig. 11, the power supply unit and the control unit are configured by mounting a plurality of electronic components 36 on a circuit board 37 configured as a circuit, and are housed in a circuit case 38.
The control unit controls the dehumidification operation selected by operating the operation unit 92 (see FIG. 17 ). The control unit includes a CPU, a memory, a timer, etc., and controls the operation based on a computer program and various setting data stored in the memory.
There are five types of dehumidification operation, for example, a strong dehumidification mode, a medium dehumidification mode, a weak dehumidification mode, a dehumidification fan mode, and a cooling mode.
In terms of turning the heater 210 on and off, there are five types: a strong dehumidification mode in which the upper heater 160a and the lower heater 160b are on; a medium dehumidification mode in which the upper heater 160a is off and the lower heater 160b is on; a weak dehumidification mode in which the upper heater 160a is on and the lower heater 160b is off; and a dehumidification air blowing mode and a cooling mode in which the upper heater 160a and the lower heater 160b are off.
When the weak dehumidification mode is selected, the control unit drives the drive motors 13, 43, 283, turns on the upper heater 160a, and turns on the lower heater 160b for a time period during which the dehumidification rotor 11 rotates at least once every predetermined time period (e.g., one hour). As a result, during operation in the weak dehumidification mode, the temperature of the dehumidification rotor 11 becomes lower than the temperature at which organic matter accumulated or attached to the dehumidification rotor 11 can volatilize, but turning on the lower heater 160b can prevent organic matter from accumulating on the dehumidification rotor 11.

(1-7) Frame As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the frame 50 has a horizontal plate portion 501 extending horizontally, a main upright portion 502 erected from a portion spanning left and right at the central portion of the horizontal plate portion 501 in the fore-aft direction, side upright portions 503 erected from portions spanning front and rear at both left and right sides of the horizontal plate portion 501 and connected to the main upright portion 502, and a box-shaped portion 504 at the upper end of the main upright portion 502 which extends in the left-right and front-to-rear directions and is open at the top.

The following description will be given mainly with reference to FIG.
5, the horizontal plate portion 501 has a through hole 501a at a portion facing the through hole 241d (see FIG. 11) of the lower support portion 24 of the heat exchange unit 20. Moisture generated in the heat exchange unit 20 passes from the lower support portion 24 through the through hole 501a and is collected in the drainage tank 6.
14, the horizontal plate portion 501 has a through groove 501b below the blower unit 25. The through groove 501b is provided on the base side and in front of the main erected portion 502. The through groove 501b is provided in the left-right direction along the main erected portion 502. The through groove 501b is for guiding moisture generated within the blower unit 25 to the drainage tank 6.

The main standing portion 502 has a plate-shaped portion 502a and a through hole 502b for the dehumidifying rotor 11 formed in the plate-shaped portion 502a. As shown in Fig. 5, the through hole 502b is generally circular and penetrates the entire area except for a center portion 502c and a plurality of connecting portions 502d that connect the peripheral portion of the through hole 502b to the center portion 502c in the radial direction. As shown in Fig. 14, the through hole 502b is provided in a bottom portion 502k of the bottomed tubular portion 502e, and the dehumidifying rotor 11 is disposed in a cylindrical portion 502f of the bottomed tubular portion 502e.
The main erected portion 502 has a pair of vertical ribs 502m for positioning the blower unit 25 on the front surface of the plate-like portion 502a, at a portion located below the receiver 17 between the cylindrical portion 502f and the horizontal plate portion 501. A through groove 501b is provided in a portion of the horizontal plate portion 501 corresponding to the lower end between the pair of vertical ribs 502m.
The cylindrical portion 502f of the main upright portion 502 is located below the open end (front end) of the groove portion 171h of the receiver body 171. This allows condensation water dripping or flowing down from the receiver 17 to be received by the bottomed tubular portion 502e.

The main upright portion 502 has a guide groove 502g extending downward from the front end at the lowest point of the cylindrical portion 502f or its periphery, and the horizontal plate portion 501 has a through hole 501d at a portion corresponding to the lower end of the guide groove 502g. As a result, condensation from the receiver 17 passes through the cylindrical portion 502f and the guide groove 502g, as shown by the arrows in Figure 14, and is collected from the through hole 501d into the drain tank 6. The guide groove 502g is composed of a pair of vertical ribs 502m, 502n, and the vertical rib 502m also serves as the vertical rib 502m for positioning the blower unit 25.
The position of the through groove 501b of the horizontal plate portion 501 corresponds to a portion 502j (hatched portion in the figure) located below the receiver 17 in the cylindrical portion 502f of the main upright portion 502. As a result, the condensed water that drips or flows down from the receiver 17 into the bottomed tubular portion 502e is collected into the drain tank 6 from the through groove 501b even when the condensed water flows down from the cylindrical portion 502f along the plate portion 502a on its way to the lowest point of the cylindrical portion 502f.

The air blower unit 25, the heat exchange unit 20, the intake/exhaust unit 40, etc. are attached to the plate-like portion 502a. The support shaft 51 that supports the dehumidification rotor 11, etc. is attached to the central portion 502c. The heating unit 15 is attached to the connecting portion 502d.
The side upright portions 503 reinforce the frame 50. The box-shaped portion 504 accommodates the circuit unit 35 that houses a power supply circuit, a control circuit, and the like.

(1-8) Dehumidification Effect As shown in the enlarged views of (b) and (c) of FIG. 12, the dehumidifier X has a mechanism for suppressing air leakage between the heater 16 and the dehumidifying rotor 11 and between the dehumidifying rotor 11 and the receiver 17.
12(b) and (c), the dehumidifying rotor 11 fits into the cylindrical portion 121 of the dehumidifying frame 12 and is supported from the front by an inner flange portion 122 at the front end of the cylindrical portion 121. In other words, a step is generated between the front surface of the dehumidifying rotor 11 and the front surface of the inner flange portion 122 of the dehumidifying frame 12.
On the other hand, although the gap between the heater 16 (heater case lid body 162) and the inner flange portion 122 of the dehumidifying frame 12 is made small, since the dehumidifying frame 12 rotates, it is not preferable to bring the heater 16 (heater case lid body 162) into contact with the inner flange portion 122 of the dehumidifying frame 12.
The outlet 162b of the heater case lid 162 is located on the inner circumferential side (closer to the central axis) than the inner flange 122 of the dehumidifying frame 12. As shown in Fig. 12(b) , the raised portion 162c provided on the periphery of the outlet 162b is raised so as to extend from the inner circumferential edge of the inner flange 122 of the dehumidifying frame 12 toward the dehumidifying rotor 11 (rear side). This makes it possible to lengthen the leakage path through which air leaks from the gap between the heater 16 and the dehumidifying rotor 11, thereby suppressing air leakage.
In other words, the heater 16 has an outlet 162b facing the dehumidifier rotor 11, and a raised portion 162c around the outlet 162b that protrudes toward the dehumidifier rotor 11 along the step between the inner flange portion 122 of the dehumidifier frame 12 and the dehumidifier rotor 11.

(1-8-2) Dehumidifying Rotor and Receiver The dehumidifying rotor 11 is disposed opposite the fan-shaped portion 171a of the receiver 17, as shown in FIG. 12(c).
12B and 12C, the L-shaped annular portion 126a of the dehumidifying frame 12 abuts against the outer circumferential surface and rear end face of the cylindrical portion 121 and the outer circumferential edge of the rear surface of the dehumidifying rotor 11. This means that the outer circumferential edge of the dehumidifying rotor 11 is supported from the front and rear by the dehumidifying frame 12, reducing the fluctuation range of the front and rear surfaces of the dehumidifying rotor 11 during rotation. This allows the gap between the dehumidifying rotor 11 and the heater 16 and the gap between the dehumidifying rotor 11 and the receiver 17 to be reduced, reducing air leakage.
12B and 12C, the L-shaped annular portion 126a of the frame 126 faces the inner portion of the step 171k of the fan-shaped portion 171a of the receiver 17. This makes it possible to lengthen the leakage path through which air leaks from the gap between the receiver 17 and the dehumidifying rotor 11, thereby suppressing air leakage.
In other words, the receiver 17 has a step 171k that protrudes from the opposing portion (fan-shaped portion 171a) that faces the dehumidifying rotor 11 toward the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 121 of the annular body 120 of the dehumidifying frame 12, and the dehumidifying frame 12 has an L-shaped annular portion 126a that covers the outer periphery and end face of the cylindrical portion 121 of the annular body 120, and the L-shaped annular portion 126a is arranged so as to fit into the inner portion of the step 171k of the opposing portion of the receiver 17.

(2) Housing The housing 55 is generally box-shaped as shown in FIG. 1, and includes a rear housing 551 and a front housing 552 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and includes a handle 553 at a position spanning the rear housing 551 and the front housing 552.
The rear housing 551 has an opening 551a for a water tank on the lower side and a plurality of through holes 551b on the upper side, which are covered by a front cover 554 with a filter. The intake port 55a visible in Fig. 4 is a through hole in the front cover 554. The front housing 552 has an exhaust port 55b in an upper wall portion 552a.
The housing 55 has a support portion 555 therein that supports the dehumidifying function portion 1 above the drainage tank 6. An upper wall 556 (see FIG. 1B) of the housing 55 supports the blower B. An upper wall portion 55c of the housing 55 is composed of an upper wall 551c of the rear housing 551 and an upper wall portion 552a of the front housing 552.

3. Blowing Section The blowing section B includes a blowing function section 8 and a base section 9 that supports the blowing function section 8, as shown in FIGS.
(1) Blower Function Unit As shown in FIG. 16 , the blower function unit 8 includes a blower fan 81, a drive motor 82 that drives the blower fan 81, and a blower housing 83 that houses the blower fan 81 and the drive motor 82.
The blower housing 83 is composed of a lower housing 84 , a middle housing 85 and an upper housing 86 , and the drive motor 82 and the blower fan 81 are attached to the lower housing 84 .
The air blower housing 83 is supported by the base portion 9 so as to be rotatable about a left-right axis. The surface of the lower housing 84 opposite to the upper housing 86 has a semi-cylindrical shape with the left-right axis as its central axis and a constant radius. As a result, as shown in Fig. 2, the distance between the bulging portion 931a of the base portion 9 and the lower housing 84 remains constant even if the air blowing function unit 8 rotates about the left-right axis, that is, regardless of the orientation of the air blowing function unit 8, and the variation in air blowing efficiency due to the orientation of the air blowing function unit 8 can be reduced.
The lower housing 84 is provided with a through hole 84a for intake, and the upper housing 86 is provided with a through hole 86a for exhaust.

(2) Base Portion This will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 17 and 18. FIG.
The base portion 9 has an overall box-like shape having a recessed portion spanning the top wall and front wall, and the air blowing function portion 8 is disposed in the recessed portion.
The base unit 9 has a rotation mechanism unit 91 that rotates about a vertical axis relative to the dehumidifying unit A, and an operation unit 92 that enables a user to operate the dehumidifying unit A and the blowing unit B, on a base main body unit 90 (see Figure 2).

The base main body 90 has a base frame 93 , a lower base 94 , an upper cover 95 , a front cover 96 , a rear cover 97 , and a side cover 98 .
The base frame 93 has a lower horizontal portion 931, a pair of standing portions 932 standing on both the left and right sides of the lower horizontal portion 931, an upper horizontal portion 933 extending outward in the left-right direction from the upper side of the standing portion 932 in parallel with the lower horizontal portion 931, and a connecting portion 934 connecting the rear sides of the pair of standing portions 932. The air blowing function portion 8 is disposed between the pair of standing portions 932.

The lower horizontal section 931 houses the drive motor 912 (see FIG. 2) of the rotation mechanism section 91 in a bulging section 931a formed on the rear side and bulging upward, and a pinion 913 is provided on a rotation drive shaft extending from a housing lid 936. The portion of the lower horizontal section 931 forward of the bulging section 931a is located above the exhaust port 55b of the dehumidifying function section 1, and a through hole 931b communicating with the exhaust port 55b is provided in the lower horizontal section 931.
The upper surface of the lower horizontal portion 931 (including the bulging portion 931a) is an inclined surface that slopes upward toward the rear as shown in Fig. 2. In other words, the upper surface of the lower horizontal portion 931 slopes along the lower surface of the air blowing function portion 8. This brings the lower horizontal portion 931 and the air blowing function portion 8 into close proximity, allowing the dehumidified air to be blown efficiently.
The inclination angle of the upper surface of the bulging portion 931a is larger than the inclination angle of the front portion of the bulging portion 931a, thereby making it possible to prevent the dehumidified air from escaping rearward.

The lower base 94 has a fixed plate portion 941 fixed to the upper wall portion 55c of the housing 55 of the dehumidification section A, a fixed gear 942 provided on the upper surface of the fixed plate portion 941 and meshing with the pinion 913 of the rotation mechanism section 91, a through groove 943 for a boss portion 931c extending from the base frame 93 and connecting to the lower base 94, and a through hole 944 connecting the exhaust port 55b of the housing 55 to the through hole 931b of the lower horizontal portion 931 of the base frame 93.
The through groove 943 has an arc shape to match the rotatable air blowing function unit 8. The boss portion 931c of the base frame 93 passes through the through groove 943 from above and fixes the base frame 93 in a rotatable state below the lower base 94. As a result, the base frame 93 is rotatably supported by the lower base 94 and rotated by the rotation mechanism unit 91.

The upper cover 95 covers the operating unit 92 arranged on the upper surface of the upper horizontal portion 933. The front cover 96 covers the front side of the pair of standing portions 932 and the outer side in the left-right direction. The rear cover 97 covers the rear side between the pair of standing portions 932. The rear cover 97 has a through hole 971 for supplying air to the ventilation function portion 8 side. The side cover 98 covers the space between the lower horizontal portion 931 and the upper horizontal portion 933 from both the left and right sides.

<Modification>
Although the embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and may be modified as follows, for example. In addition, the embodiment and the modified examples may be combined, or the modified examples may be combined.
Furthermore, examples not described in the embodiments and modified examples, and design changes that do not depart from the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention.

1. Air Blowing Function Unit In the embodiment, the dehumidifier is provided with the air blowing unit B, but the dehumidifier may not be provided with an air blowing unit. When the air blowing unit B is provided, the control unit may operate the air blowing unit 8 in accordance with the operation of the dehumidifying unit 1, or may operate only the air blowing unit 8 even if the dehumidifying unit 1 is not operating.

2. Position of the Flow Straightening Member (1) In the embodiment, the flow straightening member 163 is provided inside the heater case, but it may be provided outside the heater case. The heater case in the embodiment is a case that houses the heater 160, and is composed of a heater case main body 161 and a heater case lid 162.
(1-1) Example 1
For example, a heater case may be provided with a case that receives air (air from a blower unit) to be sent to the heater case, and a heater case having an inlet downstream of the case facing the outlet of the case, and a straightening member may be provided at the outlet of the upstream case. In other words, this is a configuration in which independent cases are provided upstream and downstream of the straightening member 163 of the embodiment, a straightening member is disposed at the outlet of the upstream case, and a heater is housed in the downstream case.
(1-2) Example 2
For example, a heater case that receives air (air from a blower unit) to be sent to the heater case and houses a heater, and a case downstream of the heater case that receives heated air may be provided, with a straightening member provided in the downstream case. In this case, the straightening member may be provided in one location near the inlet, near the outlet, or between the inlet and the outlet of the downstream case, or may be provided in at least two locations near the inlet, near the outlet, and in between.
(1-3) Example 3
By combining the above examples 1 and 2, it is also possible to have three cases, a central case housing a heater, an upper case disposed upstream of the case housing the heater, and a lower case disposed downstream of the case housing the heater, and to provide a straightening member in the upper case and the lower case. In this case, the straightening members may have the same configuration or different configurations.

(2) Structure In the embodiment, the straightening member 163 housed in the heater case body 161 is arranged parallel to the direction of travel of the air flowing in from the inlet 161d of the heater case body 161. However, the straightening member may be plate-shaped and arranged perpendicular to the direction of travel of the air flowing into the heater case body 161, or may be arranged intersecting the direction of travel.

(3) Shape The through hole in the embodiment has a circular shape, but it may have other shapes, such as a rectangular shape, a square shape, a polygonal shape such as a triangle, an ellipse, an oval shape, a star shape, or a combination of these shapes.
The through holes in the embodiments are all circular, but they may be two or more shapes selected from a circle and the other shapes listed above (for example, two types: a circle and a square), or two or more shapes selected from the other shapes listed above (for example, three types: a square, a triangle, and a pentagon).

(4) Opening area (opening ratio)
In the embodiment, the opening area of the upstream region of the flow straightening member is made larger than the opening area of the downstream region by using the through holes 163c to 163f of different sizes. You may do so.
For example, the through holes may all be of the same shape and size, and the density at which the through holes are provided may be varied. Alternatively, the density may be made the same by utilizing the difference in area due to the difference in the shape of the through holes. This may be achieved by changing the shape of the through holes depending on the location.

3. Heater (1) Structure In the embodiment, a wire type heater using nickel-chrome wire or iron-chrome wire is used, and both ends in the circumferential direction are folded back in a zigzag shape, but it may be, for example, a zigzag shape folded back at both ends in the radial direction, or a spiral shape.
(2) In the embodiment, the two heaters 160a and 160b are provided, but if the two heaters are not important, one heater may be used. In this case, for example, the applied power setting may be changed depending on the dehumidification mode.
(3) In the embodiment, the output of the heater closer to the dehumidifying rotor 11 (lower heater 160b) is greater than the output of the heater farther from the dehumidifying rotor 11 (upper heater 160a). However, depending on the heater settings for dehumidification operation, the output of the heater closer to the rotor 11 may be less than the output of the heater farther from the rotor 11, or may be the same.

4. Control Unit (1) In the embodiment, when the weak dehumidification mode is selected, the control unit turns on the lower heater 160b for a time period during which the dehumidification rotor 11 rotates at least once every hour, but for example, the control unit may turn on the lower heater 160b for a predetermined time period (e.g., about one hour) in accordance with the end of the weak dehumidification mode, or may automatically turn on the lower heater 160b for at least one to two hours every day or several days (two or three days) regardless of the operation of the dehumidification mode. This allows the organic matter adsorbed by the dehumidification rotor to volatilize.
(2) In the embodiment, the lower heater 160b is turned on in the weak dehumidification mode, but for example, the user may volatilize organic matter by operating the operation unit 92. In other words, the dehumidifier may be provided with a volatilization mode in which organic matter is volatilized in addition to the dehumidification mode and the cooling mode.
(3) In the embodiment, when the weak dehumidification mode is selected, the control unit turns on the lower heater 160b for a predetermined time, but for example, the power applied to the upper heater 160a may be increased to a temperature equal to or higher than the temperature at which the organic matter volatilizes for only a predetermined time. Also, when a volatilization mode is provided, the lower heater 160b may be turned on or the power applied to the upper heater 160a may be increased.

5. Heat Exchange Unit The resin pipe 21 in the embodiment is made of, for example, PP (polypropylene) resin, but a heat exchange promoting component may be added to the resin material. The resin pipe 21 is manufactured by, for example, extrusion molding. In other words, the resin pipe 21 is an extrusion molded product.
The heat exchange promoting component is made of a material having a higher thermal conductivity than the resin material (PP resin) constituting the resin pipe. For example, metal particles such as aluminum, iron, copper, magnesium, etc., or a combination of multiple types of these can be used as the heat exchange promoting component, and aluminum particles are preferred from the viewpoint of weight reduction. The heat exchange promoting component may contain multiple types of metal particles or metal oxides.
The addition rate of the heat exchange promoting component is preferably in the range of 30 to 50% (weight %), more preferably in the range of 35 to 45% (weight %). The particle diameter may be 1/100 times the plate thickness of the resin pipe 21, but is not limited to this embodiment.
This improves the thermal conductivity of the resin pipe, improving the heat exchange rate, and as a result, the amount of dehumidification can be increased.

6. Flow Path Body The flow path body 27 in the embodiment has the flow path 26 connecting the heat exchange unit 20 and the heater 16, but may have a flow adjustment portion that adjusts the flow of air flowing into the heater 16.
The flow path body having the adjustment portion will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20. FIG.

The flow path body 1027 is composed of a plurality of members, and here includes a first member 271 and a second member 1273. The first member 271 is as described in the embodiment. That is, here, the flow adjustment portion is provided in the second member 1273.
In addition, when the same names and symbols as those in the embodiment are used for the second member 1273, the configuration is the same as the configuration described in the embodiment, and the description thereof may be omitted.
20, the second member 1273 has a second plate-like portion 273a that abuts against the peripheral portion excluding the upper end of the first plate-like portion 271a (see FIG. 13) of the first member 271, and a recessed portion 1273b that recesses from the second plate-like portion 273a to the opposite side to the first member 271, and a flow adjustment portion 1273h is provided in the recessed portion 1273b. Note that the first member 271 and the second member 273 of the embodiment may be reversed front to back so that the flow adjustment portion is provided on the plate-like first member.
The second member 1273 is the second member 273 described in the embodiment, except that a flow adjustment portion 1273h is provided. The recessed portion 1273b has a storage portion 273d and a flow path portion 273e. The second plate-shaped portion 273a has a recessed portion 273f corresponding to the spaced portion 271c of the first plate-shaped portion 271a.

20, the recess 1273b has a bottom wall portion 1273j and a pair of side wall portions 1273k. The bottom wall portion 1273j is provided substantially parallel to the first member 271. In other words, the bottom wall portion 1273j faces the first member 271.
The flow adjustment portion 1273h is provided on the bottom wall portion 1273j side of the recessed portion 1273b. The bottom wall portion 1273j is the side on which the flow straightening member 163 in the heater 16 is disposed, as shown in FIG.
The flow adjustment portion 1273h is composed of an upright wall extending in a plate shape from the bottom wall portion 1273j toward the first member 271. The end of the flow adjustment portion 1273h on the side wall portion 1273k side may or may not be connected to the side wall portion 1273k. Here, the end on the side wall portion 1273k side is connected to the side wall portion 1273k. This allows the air in the flow path 1026 to flow in a stable state in the width direction (the direction perpendicular to the pair of side wall portions 1273k). In addition, by connecting, the flow adjustment portion 1273h can be reinforced.
The second member 1273 is made of a resin material, and the flow adjustment portion 1273h is provided integrally with the recessed portion 1273b, so that it can be easily realized as an integrally molded product. The flow adjustment portion may be attached to the first member 271 or the second member 273 as a separate body.

As shown in FIG. 19A, the extension tip of the flow adjustment portion 1273h reaches the vicinity of the imaginary line L1 extending from the rectifying member 163 to the blower 28 side (the lower side in the figure). Here, the vicinity includes the case where it exceeds the imaginary line L1, the case where it coincides with the imaginary line L1, and the case where it does not exceed the imaginary line L1. This makes it possible to suppress the air flowing through the flow path 1026 from flowing directly between the rectifying member 163 and the bottom wall portion 161e of the heater accommodating portion 161a (more precisely, the heat insulating member 165). As a result, it is possible to prevent the air flowing into the heater accommodating portion 161a from being biased toward the inflow rear side of the outer peripheral wall portion 161g, and the amount of air passing through the through holes 163c to 163f of the rectifying member 163 is equalized in the entire region, thereby reducing the variation in the heating temperature.
Furthermore, by providing the flow adjustment portion 1273h, the flow speed of the air supplied from the flow straightening member 163 and passing through the heater 160 is slowed down, resulting in efficient heating.

The flow adjustment section 1273h is located on the downstream side of the flow path 1026, that is, on the opening (outlet) side of the heater 16. This allows the flow to be adjusted effectively. The flow path 1026 has an intermediate portion 1026a separated from the dehumidifying rotor 11, and its downstream (heater 16) portion again close to the dehumidifying rotor 11. The flow adjustment section 1273h is provided downstream of the intermediate portion 1026a on the intermediate portion 1026a side. This allows the distance between the extension end of the flow adjustment section 1273h and the first member 271 facing the extension direction to be reduced, and the force (speed) of the air flowing through the intermediate portion 1026a of the flow path 1026 can be efficiently weakened.
The plate-like flow adjustment portion 1273h preferably has a thickness in the range of 1 to 10 mm, and an extension amount from the bottom wall portion 1273j (main body portion 1273m) in the range of 3 to 15 mm. By setting it in this range, the air flow can be effectively changed.
19A, a distance D4 from a bottom wall portion 1273j of a second member 1273 constituting an intermediate portion 1026a of a flow path 1026 to an extended end of a flow adjustment portion 1273h is approximately half a distance D5 between the bottom wall portion 1273j of the intermediate portion 1026a of the flow path 1026 and the first member 271. Here, approximately half means that the distance is within a range of 0.7 to 1.3 times the half value.
A distance D4 from the bottom wall portion 1273j of the second member 1273 constituting the intermediate portion 1026a of the flow path 1026 to the extended end of the flow adjustment portion 1273h is approximately equal to a distance D6 between the heat insulating member 165 and the flow straightening member 163 in the heater 16. Here, "approximately equal" means that the distance is within a range of 0.7 to 1.3 times the same value.

As shown in FIG. 19(b), the distance D7 between the flow adjustment portion 1273h and the inlet-side edge 163h of the flow straightening member 163 is approximately 70% of the distance D8 in the direction perpendicular to the extension direction from the bottom wall portion 1273j of the flow adjustment portion 1273h. In this case, approximately 70% means that the value is within the range of 0.7 to 1.3 times the value of 70%. This makes it possible for the flow adjustment by the flow adjustment portion 1273h to be performed over approximately the entire range of the inlet of the heater 16.

The flow adjustment section 1273h has a main body portion 1273m that extends from the bottom wall portion 1273j of the recessed portion 1273b at a substantially constant amount as shown in (b) and (c) of FIG. 20, and an extension portion 1273n that extends from at least one end of the side wall portion 1273k relative to the main body portion 1273m toward the first member 271. This allows the flow adjustment section 1273h to be reinforced.

6. Others The dehumidifier of the embodiment includes features related to the straightening member, features related to the heater arrangement and output capable of regulating the accumulation of organic matter on the dehumidifying rotor more than conventional products, features related to a control unit that volatilizes organic matter on the dehumidifying rotor, features related to a receiver reflecting member that can increase thermal efficiency more than conventional products, features related to a dehumidifying rotor and a blower unit that can quickly lower the temperature of the dehumidifying rotor and increase the adsorption efficiency more than conventional products, features related to a receiver and a drainage channel that can reduce condensation water accumulated in the receiver more than conventional products, features related to a drive motor that can reduce the temperature rise of the drive motor of the suction and exhaust unit more than conventional products, features related to a blower function unit that can keep the blower efficiency constant regardless of the orientation of the blower function unit, features related to a heat exchange unit that can increase the sealing property more than conventional products and suppress air leakage and water leakage more than conventional products, and other features not listed in this section.
A dehumidifier that focuses on at least one of these features may or may not have features other than the feature of interest.

X Dehumidifier 1 Dehumidification function part 11 Dehumidification rotor 16 Heater 17 Receiver 20 Heat exchange unit (cooler)
25 Blower unit (blower)
163 Flow straightening member

Claims (6)

a rotatably supported dehumidifying rotor;
a heater for heating the dehumidifying rotor;
a cooler that cools the air that has been heated by the heater and passed through the dehumidifying rotor;
A blower that blows air into the heater,
the heater includes a fan-shaped heater case main body that covers a portion of the dehumidifying rotor, and a fan- shaped straightening member that straightens the air sent by the blower and supplies the air to the heater ,
the heater case body has an inlet for air sent from the blower in one wall portion extending in a radial direction,
the straightening member is in the form of a plate having a plurality of through holes, and in a flow path through which the air sent from the blower flows, an opening area of the through holes is larger in an upstream region than in a downstream region,
When the straightening member is divided into three in the circumferential direction, into a near region, a middle region, and a far region from the inlet side, and when the straightening member is divided into three in the radial direction, into an inner region, a middle region, and an outer region from the inner circumferential side, an opening area of each of the through holes in the near region in the circumferential direction, the middle region in the circumferential direction which is the inner region in the radial direction, and the middle region in the circumferential direction which is the outer region in the radial direction is larger than an opening area of each of the through holes in the far region in the circumferential direction, and the middle region in the circumferential direction which is the middle region in the radial direction.
Dehumidifier. The heater is provided in two positions, one toward and one away from the dehumidifying rotor.
2. The dehumidifier according to claim 1 , wherein the watt density per unit area of the heater closer to the dehumidifying rotor is set to 6 to 8 W/ ^cm2 . a receiver is provided on the opposite side of the dehumidifying rotor from the heater;
The dehumidifier according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the receiver has a built-in reflective member that is perpendicular to a thickness direction of the dehumidifying rotor. The dehumidifier according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the blower has a flow path body having an internal guide flow path that guides air sent out by a blower fan to the heater, and the flow path body has a separation portion that is separated from the dehumidifying rotor. a flow path through which air is sent to the heater by the blower is provided with an upright wall ,
The upright wall is a plate-like member perpendicular to the flow of air sent to the heater, and prevents the air sent to the heater by the blower from flowing between the airflow straightening member and the bottom wall portion of the heater case body.
The dehumidifier according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . The cooler includes a plurality of resin pipes for heat exchange,
The dehumidifier according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the resin pipe includes a heat exchange promoting component made of a material having a higher thermal conductivity than a resin material constituting the resin pipe.

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