JP7566171B2 - Air purifiers - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to an air purifier intended to purify indoor air.

In air purifiers, the dust collection section requires regular cleaning due to its function of removing dust contained in the air. Furthermore, electrical components such as control circuits and motors are inevitably subject to failure or wear. For this reason, air purifiers require service maintenance of electrical components. From the perspective of service maintenance, if users or service personnel can easily access electrical components, the product will be easy to use and serviceable.

Patent Document 1 discloses an air purifier having a main body having an air purification mechanism and placed inside the ceiling, and a front panel that is removably attached to the main body and placed on the ceiling surface.

JP 2000-171091 A

However, in the case of air purifiers with a structure in which the front panel can be opened and closed, such as the air purifier described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to provide a clearance between the main body and the front panel to allow for opening and closing of the front panel. In this case, the degree of airtightness inside the main body is reduced, resulting in a large amount of air leakage. In addition, if elastic parts such as packing are used to increase the degree of airtightness inside the main body, there is a problem in that the number of parts increases and the structure and assembly become complicated.

The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide an air purifier that has an openable and closable front panel, has a simple structure and is highly airtight without increasing the number of parts.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the air purifier according to the present disclosure comprises a blower, a dust collecting section that collects impurities in the air, and a rectangular parallelepiped housing having a first side with an intake port for sucking in air and a second side opposite the first side, and housing the dust collecting section and the blower in this order in the direction from the first side to the second side. The housing comprises a front panel that covers the front side of the housing. The blower comprises a bell mouth that guides the intake of airflow that is sucked in from the intake port and flows in the direction from the first side to the second side into the blower. An air passage wall that defines the outer edge in the in-plane direction of the front panel of the intake air passage, which is the air passage from the intake port to the bell mouth of the blower, is composed of a double layer of a panel rib that is fixed to the front panel and protrudes toward the inside of the housing, and a casing rib that is fixed to the housing and protrudes toward the front panel.

The present disclosure has the effect of providing an air purifier that has an openable front panel, is simple in structure, and has a high degree of sealing without increasing the number of parts.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an external appearance of the air purifier according to the first embodiment, and is a perspective view of the air purifier seen from below. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the external appearance of the air purifier according to the first embodiment, and is a perspective view of the air purifier seen from above. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the air purifier according to the first embodiment, and corresponds to a cross section taken along line III-III in FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a flow of air in a blower of an air purifier according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a circuit unit of an air purifier according to a first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view for explaining the configuration of a circuit unit of the air purifier according to the first embodiment, showing a state in which a resin case for a low-voltage circuit board is removed from the state shown in FIG. 5 . FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the air purifier according to the first embodiment, showing a state in which covers of a blower and an odor sensor are removed from the state shown in FIG. 6 . FIG. 8 is a perspective view for explaining the configuration of the circuit unit of the air purifier according to the first embodiment, showing a state in which a low-voltage circuit board, an operation switch circuit board, and a resin case for a high-voltage circuit board are removed from the state shown in FIG. 7; FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of a circuit unit of the air purifier according to the first embodiment, showing a state in which a sheet metal case is removed from the state shown in FIG. 8 . FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an outline of the configuration of a circuit unit of the air purifier according to the first embodiment, taken along line IX-IX in FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a sheet metal case of an air purifier according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a casing rib of an air passage wall in the air purifier according to the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a panel rib of an air passage wall in the air purifier according to the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a first diagram for explaining the concept of the positional relationship between the panel ribs of the air passage wall and the casing ribs in the air purifier according to the first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a second diagram for explaining the concept of the positional relationship between the panel ribs of the air passage wall and the casing ribs in the air purifier according to the first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a third diagram for explaining the concept of the positional relationship between the panel ribs of the air passage wall and the casing ribs in the air purifier according to the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the concept of the positional relationship between a panel rib and a casing rib in a case where the air passage wall in the air purifier according to the first embodiment is not divided; FIG. 1 is a first diagram showing an example of a positional relationship between a panel rib of an air passage wall and a casing rib in the air purifier according to the first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a second diagram showing an example of a positional relationship between a panel rib of an air passage wall and a casing rib in the air purifier according to the first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a third diagram showing an example of a positional relationship between a panel rib of an air passage wall and a casing rib in the air purifier according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a fourth diagram showing an example of a positional relationship between a panel rib of an air passage wall and a casing rib in the air purifier according to the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is an enlarged view showing an overlapping region of panel ribs in the air purifier according to the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is an enlarged view showing the periphery of a hook hole, which is a panel rib-side hook structure portion formed in a panel rib in the air purifier according to the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is an enlarged view of the periphery of a hooking claw portion, which is a casing rib side hooking structure portion formed on a casing rib in the air purifier according to the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram conceptually illustrating a hooking structure between a hooking hole of a panel rib and a hooking claw portion of a casing rib in the air purifier according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a first perspective view showing a deodorizing filter of an air purifier according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is an enlarged perspective view showing a deodorizing filter incorporated in a housing of an air purifier according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a knob-shaped portion, a claw portion, and a hook portion in a protective case for a deodorizing filter of an air purifier according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a protective case for a deodorizing filter of an air purifier according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a rear view showing a protective case for a deodorizing filter of an air purifier according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a first diagram showing a hook structure between a deodorizing filter and a housing of an air purifier according to a first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a second diagram showing a hook structure between the deodorizing filter and the housing of the air purifier according to the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a first diagram showing a structure of a mounting bracket according to a first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a second diagram showing the structure of the mounting bracket according to the first embodiment; FIG. 34 is a front view showing the shape of the housing hook portion of the mounting bracket shown in FIG. FIG. 34 is a cross-sectional view showing the shape of the housing hook portion of the mounting bracket shown in FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an air purifier showing a housing surface marking rib provided on a housing of the air purifier according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an air purifier showing a housing back surface mark rib provided on a housing of the air purifier according to a first embodiment; FIG. 39 is an enlarged view of the housing back surface mark rib shown in FIG. 38 . FIG. 1 is a first schematic diagram showing an installation method of the air purifier according to the first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a second schematic diagram showing an installation method of the air purifier according to the first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a third schematic diagram showing an installation method of the air purifier according to the first embodiment; 1 is a first flowchart showing a procedure of an installation method for an air purifier according to a first embodiment. 2 is a second flowchart showing the procedure of the installation method of the air purifier according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state of a power connection operation for connecting a power cable to a housing in the installation of the air purifier according to the first embodiment; 1 is a flowchart showing a procedure for connecting a power cable to a housing in the installation of the air purifier according to the first embodiment;

Below, the air purifier according to the embodiment is described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1.
(Overall configuration of the air purifier)
Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of an air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment, and is a perspective view of the air purifier 1 as viewed from below. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the appearance of an air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment, and is a perspective view of the air purifier 1 as viewed from above. Fig. 3 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment, and is a diagram corresponding to a cross section taken along line III-III in Fig. 1. Note that some hatching has been omitted in Fig. 3 for ease of understanding.

The air purifier 1 can be installed on a wall surface 500 and a ceiling surface, and is an air purifier that removes contaminants from indoor air to purify the indoor air environment. The air purifier 1 has a housing 10 that forms the outer shell of the air purifier 1. The housing 10 is made up of a housing main body 11 and a front panel 12 and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The housing 10 is made of resin, and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with the depth dimension being smaller than the width dimension and height dimension.

The width direction of the air purifier 1 corresponds to the width direction of the housing 10, and corresponds to the X-axis direction in Figures 1 to 3. The width direction of the air purifier 1 can be said as the left-right direction. The depth direction of the air purifier 1 corresponds to the depth direction of the housing 10, and corresponds to the Y-axis direction in Figures 1 to 3. The depth direction of the air purifier 1 can be said as the thickness direction of the air purifier 1 or the thickness direction of the housing 10. The height direction of the air purifier 1 corresponds to the height direction of the housing 10, and corresponds to the Z-axis direction in Figures 1 to 3. When the air purifier 1 is installed on a wall surface 500, the height direction of the air purifier 1 is the up-down direction, which is a direction parallel to the vertical direction. When the air purifier 1 is installed on a ceiling surface, the height direction of the air purifier 1 corresponds to a direction parallel to the horizontal direction. In addition, in the air purifier 1, the side on which the front panel 12 is located in the depth direction is the front side, and the side opposite the side on which the front panel 12 is located in the depth direction is the rear side. The left-right direction is the left-right direction when the air purifier 1 is viewed from the front side.

The housing body 11 is the first component constituting the housing 10, having a rectangular parallelepiped shape with one side open. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the housing 10 has an upper surface 10a, a lower surface 10b, a first side surface 10c, a second side surface 10d, a front surface 10e, and a rear surface 10f. The first side surface 10c is the left side surface when viewed from the front side. The second side surface 10d is the right side surface when viewed from the front side. The first side surface 10c and the second side surface 10d are a pair of side surfaces facing each other in the width direction of the housing 10. The front surface 10e is formed by the front panel 12. The housing body 11 has one side on the front side, i.e., the side surface corresponding to the front surface 10e in the housing 10, open. In addition, the top surface 10a, the bottom surface 10b, the first side surface 10c, the second side surface 10d and the back surface 10f can also be considered as the top surface of the housing body 11, the bottom surface of the housing body 11, the first side surface of the housing body 11, the second side surface of the housing body 11 and the back surface of the housing body 11, respectively.

The air purifier 1 is installed on the wall surface 500 with the back surface 10f facing the wall surface 500. Specifically, the air purifier 1 is installed on the wall surface 500 with the upper surface 10a facing vertically upward, the lower surface 10b facing vertically downward, the front surface 10e and the back surface 10f being parallel to the vertical direction, and the back surface 10f facing the wall surface 500. Therefore, when the air purifier 1 is installed on the wall surface 500, the back surface 10f facing the front panel 12 of the housing 10 becomes the facing surface facing the wall surface 500.

The housing 10 has an intake port 13 formed on the first side surface 10c, which is an opening for taking in indoor air into the housing 10. That is, the housing main body 11 has the intake port 13 formed on the first side surface of the housing main body 11, which is the side surface adjacent to the open side on the left side. The housing 10 also has an outlet port 14 formed on the bottom surface 10b, which is an opening for blowing air inside the housing 10 to the outside of the housing 10. That is, the housing main body 1 ... is mounted on the wall surface 500 and has an outlet port 14 that opens vertically downward.

The front panel 12 is a lid that covers one open side of the housing body 11, and is the second component that constitutes the housing 10. That is, the front face of the air purifier 1 and the front face 10e of the housing 10 are constituted by the front panel 12. When the front panel 12 opens to the front side, the air purifier 1 allows access to each component housed inside the housing 10.

The air purifier 1 is mounted on the wall surface 500 via the mounting bracket 400 described below. The mounting bracket 400 is necessary to mount the air purifier 1 on the wall surface 500 for the following reasons. The first reason is to strengthen the screw fixing between the air purifier 1 and the wall surface 500 by widening the fixing range between the air purifier 1 and the wall surface 500. The second reason is that in order to mount the air purifier 1 on the wall surface 500 in the correct position without tilting, the air purifier 1 needs to be screwed in with high precision. However, it is difficult to determine the screw fixing position while supporting the mass of the air purifier 1 during the installation work, so the fixing position of the air purifier 1 needs to be determined with high precision using lightweight parts. In other words, the reason why the mounting bracket 400 is necessary for mounting the air purifier 1 on the wall surface 500 is to facilitate safe and precise installation of the air purifier 1 without concerns about rattling or coming off, and without deviation from the mounting position or angle.

The air purifier 1 includes a dust collection unit 100, a blower 200, and a circuit unit 300 inside the housing 10. The dust collection unit 100, the blower 200, and the circuit unit 300 are stored in this order in the width direction of the housing 10, from the first side surface 10c side on which the suction port 13 is formed. In other words, the dust collection unit 100, the blower 200, and the circuit unit 300 are stored in this order in the direction from the first side surface 10c toward the second side surface 10d.

The air purifier 1 includes a number of electrical components, such as a display light-emitting diode (LED), an operation switch, a remote control light receiver, a sensor, and an electric dust collector power supply, inside the housing 10. Each of the electrical components is connected by electrical wiring to the low-current circuit board 332 or the operation switch circuit board 333 of the circuit unit 300, which will be described later.

The display LED functions as a display unit that displays various information related to the operation of the air purifier 1, such as the operating air volume of the air purifier 1 and the state of the pollution level of the indoor air. The operation switch is an operation unit for performing operations such as turning the power of the air purifier 1 on or off, the operating air volume of the air purifier 1, and switching between the automatic operation mode and the manual operation mode of the air purifier 1. The sensor is a detection unit that detects the air quality of the indoor air, such as dust in the indoor air, odor in the indoor air, and the pollution level of carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) in the indoor air. The electric dust collector power supply is a power supply unit that supplies high-voltage power for discharging to the electric dust collector 120 of the dust collection unit 100, which will be described later.

The dust collection unit 100 is disposed on the first side surface 10c side in the width direction of the housing 10 inside the housing 10. That is, the dust collection unit 100 is stored inside the housing 10 on the suction port 13 side in the width direction of the housing 10. The dust collection unit 100 includes a mesh filter 110, an electric dust collector 120, and a deodorizing filter 130. The mesh filter 110, the electric dust collector 120, and the deodorizing filter 130 are stored in this order from the first side surface 10c side where the suction port 13 is formed in the width direction of the housing 10. That is, the mesh filter 110, the electric dust collector 120, and the deodorizing filter 130 are stored in this order in the direction from the first side surface 10c toward the second side surface 10d. And, it can be said that the mesh filter 110, the electric dust collector 120, and the deodorizing filter 130 are stored in this order from the windward side of the airflow sucked into the inside of the air purifier 1.

The mesh filter 110 removes impurities such as dust or dirt from the air drawn into the air purifier 1, and filters and purifies the air drawn into the air purifier 1. When considering the pressure loss of the mesh filter 110, it is preferable that a material with a coarse mesh is used for the mesh filter 110. On the other hand, when considering the regular maintenance of the downstream electrostatic precipitator 120, the mesh filter 110 preferably has an opening size of about 0.5 mm to prevent electrical short circuits caused by dust bridging between the opposite electrodes of the electrostatic precipitator 120.

The electric dust collector 120 removes impurities such as dust particles or dirt from the air being drawn into the air purifier 1, and purifies the air being drawn into the air purifier 1. The electric dust collector 120 applies an electric charge to various fine particles contained in the air being drawn into the air purifier 1, and collects the fine particles by attracting them to the dust collecting electrode.

The electric dust collector 120 has a discharge section positive electrode 121 which is a discharge electrode, a discharge section negative electrode 122 which is a dust collecting electrode, and an electric dust collector power supply section 123 shown in Fig. 5 which will be described later. In the electric dust collector 120, when a high voltage is applied between the discharge section positive electrode 121 and the discharge section negative electrode 122, positively (+) charged ions are generated by corona discharge. Fine particles floating in the vicinity combine with the positively (+) charged ions and become positively (+) charged, and are attracted to the negatively (-) charged discharge section negative electrode 122, where they adhere and accumulate, thereby purifying the air.

The deodorizing filter 130 adsorbs and decomposes odors in the air drawn into the air purifier 1, and deodorizes the air by reducing the concentration of odorous components in the air and chemically changing the odorous components in the air into low-odor substances.

The blower 200 generates an airflow that is sucked into the housing 10 from the suction port 13, passes through the dust collection section 100, and is blown out of the housing 10 from the blower port 14. A centrifugal blower is used for the blower 200. The blower 200 has a fan 202 and a motor 203 housed inside the fan casing 201. The blower 200 sucks in air from an suction port provided on the fan 202 side of the fan casing 201. The surface of the fan casing 201 facing the front panel 12 is provided with a bell mouth 204 that constitutes the suction port of the blower 200 and guides the airflow through the dust collection section 100 toward the fan 202 of the blower 200. An air passage wall 150 that guides the airflow from the dust collecting unit 100 side toward the bell mouth 204 is provided on the blower 200 side of the dust collecting unit 100 and is connected to the surface of the fan casing 201 facing the dust collecting unit 100. The bell mouth 204 can be said to be an air guide passage that guides the airflow that is sucked in through the suction port 13 and flows through the dust collecting unit 100 for sucking into the blower 200.

Figure 4 is a perspective view explaining the flow of air in the blower 200 of the air purifier 1 according to embodiment 1. Figure 4 shows the state in which the front panel 12 is removed from the air purifier 1. When the fan 202 of the blower 200 is driven by the motor 203, air flows into the interior of the housing 10 from the suction port 13, as in the working fluid flow whose direction is indicated by the arrows in Figures 3 and 4. The air that has flowed into the interior of the housing 10 is sucked into the fan 202 from the suction port of the blower 200 and blown out towards the air outlet 14.

Figure 5 is a perspective view explaining the configuration of the circuit section 300 of the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 6 is a perspective view explaining the configuration of the circuit section 300 of the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment, and is a perspective view showing a state in which the resin case 342 for the low-voltage circuit board is removed from the state shown in Figure 5. Figure 7 is a perspective view of the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment, and is a perspective view showing a state in which the blower 200 and the cover 344 of the odor sensor 334 are removed from the state shown in Figure 6. Figure 7 also shows wiring 351 for the operation switch circuit, wiring 352 for the motor, wiring 353 for the electric dust collector power supply section, and wiring 354 for the odor sensor.

Figure 8 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the circuit section 300 of the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment, and is a perspective view showing a state in which the low-voltage circuit board 332, the operation switch circuit board 333, and the resin case 341 for the high-voltage circuit board are removed from the state shown in Figure 7. Figure 9 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the circuit section 300 of the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment, and is a perspective view showing a state in which the sheet metal case 343 is removed from the state shown in Figure 8. Figure 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an outline of the configuration of the circuit section 300 of the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in Figure 5. Note that Figure 10 also shows the front panel 12 and the panel rotation shaft 15. Figure 11 is a perspective view showing the sheet metal case 343 of the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment. In Figures 8 and 9, the operation switch circuit wiring 351, the motor wiring 352, the electric dust collector power supply wiring 353, and the odor sensor wiring 354 are not shown. 5 to 9 show a state in which the front panel 12 is removed from the air purifier 1.

The circuit unit 300 is a component for controlling the operation of the air purifier 1. The circuit unit 300 is arranged inside the housing 10 on the second side 10d side in the width direction of the housing 10. In other words, the circuit unit 300 is stored inside the housing 10 on the opposite side of the intake port 13 in the width direction of the housing 10, sandwiching the blower 200 therebetween. The circuit unit 300 controls the operation of the electrical components mounted in the air purifier 1. The circuit unit 300 has a power supply connection unit 310 and a control circuit unit 320.

The power connection unit 310 is a connection unit to which a power cable 511, which is the power cord of the air purifier 1, is connected to take in power for the air purifier 1 from an external power source (not shown) of the air purifier 1. The power connection unit 310 is connected to the external power source using a cable such as a vinyl insulated vinyl sheathed flat-type (VVF) cable.

The control circuit unit 320 includes a control circuit for controlling the operation of the air purifier 1, i.e., a control circuit for controlling the motor 203 of the blower 200 and other electrical components described below, which are electrical components mounted in the air purifier 1. The control circuit unit 320 includes a high-voltage circuit board 331, a low-voltage circuit board 332, an operation switch circuit board 333, a resin case 341 for the high-voltage circuit board, a resin case 342 for the low-voltage circuit board, and a sheet metal case 343.

The high-voltage circuit board 331 is a board on which a high-voltage circuit is mounted. The high-voltage circuit board 331 according to the first embodiment is connected to the power supply connection unit 310, and is supplied with power from an external power supply. The high-voltage circuit board 331 functions as a power supply generating device that generates a drive power supply for driving the motor 203 of the blower 200, which has a relatively large current value of the drive current among the electrical components mounted in the air purifier 1, using power supplied from the external power supply. The high-voltage circuit board 331 supplies the generated drive power supply to the motor 203.

The low-voltage circuit board 332 is a board on which a low-voltage circuit is mounted. The low-voltage circuit board 332 according to the first embodiment is connected to the power supply connection unit 310 via a transformer (not shown) and is supplied with power from an external power supply. The low-voltage circuit board 332 has a function as a power supply generating device that generates a drive power supply for driving electrical components such as the display LED, the operation switch, the sensor, and the electric dust collector 120, which have a relatively small current value of the drive current among the electrical components mounted on the air purifier 1, using a power supply supplied from an external power supply. In other words, the low-voltage circuit board 332 has a function as a power supply generating device that generates a drive power supply for driving electrical components with a smaller drive current than the motor 203, using a power supply supplied from an external power supply. The low-voltage circuit board 332 supplies the generated drive power supply to electronic components such as the display LED, the operation switch, the sensor, and the electric dust collector 120.

A high-voltage circuit is a circuit with a voltage exceeding 42.4 V as defined in the IEC-60335 standard of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). A low-voltage circuit is a circuit with a voltage of 42.4 V or less as defined in the IEC-60335 standard.

The operation switch circuit board 333 is a board that includes an LED that functions as a display unit that displays information such as the operation of the air purifier 1, and an operation switch for operating the air purifier 1, and controls the display LED and the operation switch. The operation switch circuit board 333 is a low-current circuit board on which a low-current circuit is implemented.

The resin case 341 for the high-voltage circuit board is made of resin and covers the front and side sides of the high-voltage circuit board 331 from above the sheet metal case 343, thereby insulating and protecting the high-voltage circuit board 331 from the outside.

The resin case 342 for the low-voltage circuit board is made of resin and covers the front and side surfaces of the low-voltage circuit board 332 and the operation switch circuit board 333, thereby insulating and protecting the low-voltage circuit board 332 and the operation switch circuit board 333 from the outside.

The sheet metal case 343 is made of a metal plate and covers the front and side of the high-voltage circuit board 331 to protect the high-voltage circuit board 331. The sheet metal case 343 is grounded by connecting it to a ground wire 512. It is also possible to cover the sheet metal case 343 from the front, back, and side.

The operation switch circuit wiring 351 is wiring that individually connects the operation switch circuit board 333 and the low-voltage circuit board 332. The motor wiring 352 is wiring that individually connects the motor 203 of the blower 200 and the low-voltage circuit board 332. The electric dust collector power supply wiring 353 is wiring that individually connects the electric dust collector power supply unit 123 of the electric dust collector 120 and the low-voltage circuit board 332. The odor sensor wiring 354 is wiring that individually connects the odor sensor 334 and the low-voltage circuit board 332.

Next, we will explain the features of the air purifier 1 of embodiment 1 configured as described above.

(Air passage configuration)
First, the air passage configuration in the air purifier 1 will be described. As described above, in the air purifier 1, the suction port 13 is formed on the first side surface 10c, and the dust collection unit 100, the blower 200, and the circuit unit 300 are stored in this order from the first side surface 10c side in the width direction of the housing 10. That is, in the air purifier 1, in the width direction of the housing 10, the suction port 13 is disposed on the side of the housing 10, the blower 200 is disposed in the center, the dust collection unit 100 is disposed between the suction port 13 and the blower 200, and the circuit unit 300 is disposed on the opposite side of the dust collection unit 100 with the blower 200 in between.

Therefore, in the air purifier 1, when viewed from the front side, the dust collection unit 100, the blower 200, and the circuit unit 300 do not overlap each other in the in-plane direction of the front panel 12. As a result, in the air purifier 1, the dimension in the depth direction of the housing 10 can be reduced, and the thickness dimension in the depth direction of the housing 10 can be reduced, and the protrusion dimension from the wall surface 500, which is the installation surface on which the air purifier 1 is installed, can be reduced. Therefore, in the air purifier 1, the amount of protrusion from the wall surface 500 when installed on the wall surface 500 in the room can be reduced, and the protrusion dimension from the installation surface can be reduced without giving a sense of oppression to the people in the room. In other words, in the air purifier 1, the protrusion dimension from the installation surface on which the air purifier 1 is installed is small, and an air purifier 1 that does not give a sense of oppression to the people in the room can be realized.

For example, consider a general air purifier in which, unlike the air purifier 1, the blower 200 and the dust collection unit 100 are arranged to overlap in the in-plane direction of the wall surface 500. In this case, the thickness dimension in the depth direction of the housing 10 is larger than in the configuration of the air purifier 1 described above.

That is, the general air purifier requires a housing 10 capable of storing the blower 200 and dust collection unit 100 in a stacked arrangement in the depth direction of the housing 10. The depth dimension of the housing 10 is at least the dimension in which the blower 200 and dust collection unit 100 are stacked in the depth direction of the housing 10 plus the plate thickness of the front panel 12 and the plate thickness of the back panel 10f of the housing 10. For this reason, when the general air purifier is installed on a wall surface 500 in a room, the amount of projection from the wall surface 500 cannot be reduced compared to the air purifier 1, which gives a feeling of oppression to people in the room, and the projection dimension from the installation surface cannot be reduced.

On the other hand, the dimensions of the air purifier 1 in the depth direction of the housing 10 are only the dimensions of the blower 200, the dimensions of the air passage in front of the blower, the plate thickness of the front panel 12 of the housing 10, and the plate thickness of the rear panel 10f. Therefore, the dimensions of the air purifier 1 in the depth direction can be made smaller than those of a typical air purifier.

The air passage dimension in front of the blower in the depth direction of the housing 10 is the dimension of the air passage boundary opening 31a in the depth direction of the housing 10. The air passage boundary opening 31a is the boundary between the dust collection section 100 and the blower 200 in the air flow direction from the suction port 13 to the blower 200 in the suction air passage 31, which is the air passage from the suction port 13 to the bell mouth 204 of the blower 200. In other words, the air passage dimension in front of the blower in the depth direction of the housing 10 can be said to be the dimension between the upper surface 201u of the fan casing 201 of the blower 200 and the inner surface 12a of the front panel 12.

In the air purifier 1, the total dimension of the depth dimension of the blower 200 and the air passage dimension in front of the blower is determined as the depth dimension of the area in which the blower 200 is arranged. In addition, the dust collection section 100 of the air purifier 1 has a required area calculated from the wind speed required for dust collection performance, and the vertical dimension, i.e., the height dimension, is determined. The dust collection performance of the dust collection section 100 generally depends on the wind speed, and the dust collection performance and air volume values are determined from the application space of the air purifier. For this reason, the vertical dimension, i.e., the height dimension of the dust collection section 100 is determined by the above calculation method. In the case where the general air purifier described above requires, for example, 180 mm, the actual depth dimension of the housing 10 can be 130 mm for the air purifier 1.

Therefore, by reducing the depth dimension of the housing 10, the air purifier 1 reduces the space it occupies in the room and can purify the air in the room without causing a feeling of oppression to the people in the room, thereby providing a comfortable air environment space.

Also, assume that the air purifier has an indoor air intake on the underside of the housing. In a room, a floor covering made of fiber material such as carpet may be placed below the air purifier installed on the wall surface 500. If the indoor air intake is located below the air purifier installed on the wall surface 500, the air purifier will suck in the fibers of the floor covering along with the indoor air, requiring extra regular maintenance of the dust collection section. A large amount of fiber material is generated from the floor covering. For this reason, an air purifier with an indoor air intake on the underside of the housing will suck in a lot of fiber material, which is much more than the amount of dust in the air that is the original target of dust collection, causing clogging of the dust collection section, and requiring extra regular maintenance.

On the other hand, in the air purifier 1, the suction port 13 is disposed on the side of the housing 10, specifically, the suction port 13 is disposed on the first side surface 10c of the housing 10. In the air purifier 1 having such a configuration, it is more difficult to suck in carpet fibers from the suction port 13 compared to an air purifier having an indoor air suction port on the underside of the housing, and therefore unnecessary regular maintenance of the dust collection unit 100 caused by the suction of carpet fibers is not required.

The effect of the air purifier 1 configured as described above is that, particularly when it is installed on a wall surface 500, no floor space is required for installation, and since the air purifier 1 has a thin thickness and therefore a small protrusion dimension from the wall surface 500, it is highly effective in reducing the sense of oppression felt by people in the room. In addition, since the air purifier 1 installed on the wall surface 500 is separated from the floor covering by a certain distance, it is highly effective in preventing clogging of the dust collection section 100 caused by the fiber material of the floor covering.

(Layout of components)
Next, a description will be given of the arrangement of the components in the air purifier 1. As described above, in the air purifier 1, the circuit section 300 is arranged on the second side surface 10d opposite the air inlet 13 across the blower 200, so that the power supply connection section 310 and the control circuit section 320, through which a current with a large current value flows, can be separated from the air path in the air purifier 1, ensuring high safety.

The current flowing through an electrical appliance is directly related to the amount of heat generated, so the greater the current flowing through the appliance, the more likely it is that smoke or fire will occur. In addition, if an electrical component is in the air passage of an electrical appliance, at least one of dust, ionized substances, and moisture contained in the air being blown in will adhere to the electrical component, causing a gradual decrease in insulation between different poles, known as tracking, which may eventually lead to heat generation. In air purifier 1, the electrical components through which a large current flows are power supply connection unit 310, control circuit unit 320, and motor 203 of blower 200.

In the air purifier 1, appropriate safety measures are taken, and the circuit section 300 including the power connection section 310 and the control circuit section 320 is disposed on the second side 10d opposite the suction port 13 across the blower 200, so that electrical components through which a large current flows can be separated from the air path beginning with the suction port 13. The motor 203 of the blower 200 is housed inside the fan casing 201 and is located outside the suction air path 31, which is the air path from the suction port 13 to the blower 200, and is therefore separated from the air path. As described above, in the air purifier 1, electrical components through which a large current flows are separated from the air path, so that high safety can be obtained.

(Dust collection section)
Next, the dust collection section 100 in the air purifier 1 will be described. As described above, the air purifier 1 includes the electric dust collector 120 as the dust collection section 100. By using the electric dust collector 120 in the dust collection section 100, the air purifier 1 can achieve an air purifier 1 with low power consumption, low noise, and good operating characteristics. The electric dust collector 120 uses the Coulomb force of electricity as the principle of dust collection.

Nonwoven fabric filters generally used in air purifiers have a large pressure loss. For this reason, air purifiers that use nonwoven fabric filters need to reduce the speed at which the air passes through the nonwoven fabric filter to reduce pressure loss in order to obtain the required air volume, which means that the nonwoven fabric filter needs to be large in size. In air purifiers that use nonwoven fabric filters, the nonwoven fabric filter may be pleated or an electrostatically charged material may be used in the nonwoven fabric filter to obtain the required air volume, but no air purifiers have been found at present that have achieved a significant improvement.

In air purifiers where the size of the nonwoven fabric filter is smaller than the size required to obtain the required air volume, the blower motor must rotate at high speed to ensure sufficient air volume, resulting in high power consumption and noise. This is because the nonwoven fabric filter collects dust by inertial collision with the dust.

On the other hand, the electric dust collector 120 uses the Coulomb force of electricity as the principle of dust collection to collect dust, and therefore can realize an air purifier 1 with good operating characteristics, such as low pressure loss, small size, low power consumption and low noise, compared to a nonwoven fabric filter. As a result, by using the electric dust collector 120 as the dust collection section 100 in the air purifier 1, an air purifier 1 with good operating characteristics, such as low pressure loss, small size, low power consumption and low noise, compared to a nonwoven fabric filter, is realized.

In addition, the air purifier 1 is equipped with a deodorizing filter 130 as the dust collection section 100, which removes odorous components contained in the air by adsorbing and decomposing the odors in the air, making it possible to provide a deodorizing function.

In addition, the mesh filter 110, which is a dust collection filter that uses inertial collision with dust as the principle of dust collection, requires regular maintenance due to an increase in pressure loss due to clogging. In the electric dust collector 120, which uses electrical Coulomb force as the principle of dust collection, regular maintenance is required due to an electrical short circuit caused by dust bridging between the discharge section positive electrode 121 and the discharge section negative electrode 122, which are opposite electrodes, or electrical insulation caused by an insulating material covering the discharge electrodes. In the deodorizing filter 130, regular maintenance is required due to an increase in pressure loss due to clogging similar to that of the mesh filter 110 described above, and the filling up of fine gaps for absorbing odors.

The mesh filter 110 and the electric dust collector 120 for collecting dust, and the deodorizing filter 130 for removing odors from gas, are arranged in the following order from the windward side of the airflow flowing through the dust collection section 100: mesh filter 110, electric dust collector 120, deodorizing filter 130. With this arrangement, the air from which dust has been collected by the mesh filter 110 flows into the electric dust collector 120. The electric dust collector 120 collects fine dust that could not be collected by the mesh filter 110. Then, the air from which dust has been collected by the mesh filter 110 and the electric dust collector 120 flows into the deodorizing filter 130.

This makes it possible to suppress an increase in pressure loss caused by clogging of the deodorizing filter 130 with dust, and suppress a decrease in the deodorizing function of the deodorizing filter 130. As a result, in the air purifier 1, the occurrence of maintenance of the deodorizing filter 130 caused by clogging of the deodorizing filter 130 with dust can be suppressed, so that the intervals between regular maintenance of the deodorizing filter 130 and the intervals between regular maintenance of the dust collection unit 100 can be lengthened.

Dust is particulate matter suspended in the air, and includes smoke, the skin and hair of living organisms, fine particulate matter such as PM (Particulate Matter) 2.5, pollen, dust mites, mold, viruses, bacteria, and the crushed or ejected matter of these particles.

The mesh filter 110 also includes a large particle mesh filter having the property of collecting relatively large particles, and a small particle mesh filter having the property of collecting relatively small particles. In this case, the large particle mesh filter and the small particle mesh filter are arranged in this order from the windward side of the airflow flowing through the dust collection unit 100, so that the small particle mesh filter having the property of collecting relatively small particles can be prevented from increasing in pressure loss due to clogging caused by relatively large particles that are not the original target for dust collection. As a result, in the air purifier 1, the occurrence of maintenance due to clogging of the mesh filter 110 by relatively large particles can be prevented, so that the interval between regular maintenance of the mesh filter 110 can be extended.

The above-mentioned arrangement of the mesh filter 110, electrostatic dust collector 120 and deodorizing filter 130 is one of the arrangements suitable for extending the interval between regular maintenance when the dust collection performance and product size are set to practical values for the air purifier 1.

Furthermore, by using an oxidation catalyst type filter for the deodorizing filter 130, it is possible to obtain the advantage of arranging the deodorizing filter 130 in the rear stage of the electrostatic precipitator 120. Between the opposite electrodes of the electrostatic precipitator 120, corona discharge acts on the oxygen in the air to generate ozone, which then travels along with the air flow to reach the rear deodorizing filter 130.

One advantage of placing the deodorizing filter 130 after the electric dust collector 120 is that the deodorizing performance of the deodorizing filter 130 is maintained by utilizing the oxidizing effect of the ozone generated from the electric dust collector 120, and the interval between regular maintenance of the deodorizing filter 130 is extended. Another advantage of placing the deodorizing filter 130 after the electric dust collector 120 is that, although the ozone generated from the electric dust collector 120 is toxic to the human body, the concentration of ozone blown out from the air purifier 1 is reduced, thereby ensuring the safety of the air blown out from the air purifier 1 to the human body.

The deodorizing filter 130 adsorbs and decomposes odors, reducing the concentration of odorous components in the air and chemically converting the odorous components in the air into low-odor substances, thereby deodorizing the air. The chemical conversion of odorous components in the air into low-odor substances is generally carried out by oxidation with oxygen in the air. Oxidation catalyst-based deodorizing filters have a catalyst component on the surface of the deodorizing filter that assists oxidation, promoting the chemical conversion of the odorous components in the air into oxidation.

Here, as an example of chemical changes in the decomposition of odorous components contained in the air, the oxidation of ammonia, a typical odorous component contained in the air, will be described. Ammonia is decomposed into nitrogen and water by oxygen in the air, as shown in the chemical formula "4NH ₃ + 3O ₂ → 2N ₂ + 6H ₂ O". Ammonia is also decomposed into nitrogen and water by ozone, as shown in the chemical formula "2NH ₃ + O ₃ → N ₂ + 3H ₂ O". Therefore, in the air purifier 1, by disposing the deodorizing filter 130 at the rear stage of the electric dust collector 120, the deodorizing performance of the deodorizing filter 130 can be maintained by utilizing the oxidizing effect of the ozone generated from the electric dust collector 120, and the interval for performing regular maintenance of the deodorizing filter 130 can be extended.

On the other hand, ozone can have adverse effects on the human body when its concentration becomes high. However, in the deodorizing filter 130 of the oxidation catalyst system, ozone is rapidly decomposed into oxygen as shown in the chemical formula " _2O3 → _3O2 ", so the concentration of ozone blown out from the air purifier 1 can be reduced and safety for the human body can be ensured.

(Front Panel)
Next, the front panel 12 of the air purifier 1 will be described. As described above, the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 has the front panel 12. As shown in Fig. 10, the housing 10 is provided at its upper part with a panel rotation shaft 15 supported by a bearing 16, and the lower part of the front panel 12 can be rotated and opened upward on the front side around the panel rotation shaft 15. When the front panel 12 of the air purifier 1 opens to the front side, one side of the housing main body 11 is opened, allowing an operator to access each component housed inside the housing 10.

The front panel 12 has a retention mechanism 17 that holds the front panel 12 when the front panel 12 is open, making maintenance work easier for workers. The retention mechanism 17 holds the front panel 12 in a position above the housing 10 when the front panel 12 is open. An example of the retention mechanism 17 is a hinge lock mechanism.

The dust collection unit 100 has the function of removing dust contained in the air, and therefore requires maintenance such as periodic cleaning. In addition, electrical components such as the control circuit unit 320 and the motor 203 inevitably break down and wear out, and therefore require service maintenance. If users or service personnel can easily access these components that require maintenance, an air purifier 1 that is easy to use and serviceable can be realized. The most preferable method of accessing these components that require maintenance is to be able to directly access each component from outside the housing 10. However, in this case, the handle or screw head is exposed on the outer casing of the housing 10, which deteriorates the product's appearance.

The next best way to access these parts requiring maintenance is to make them accessible through a single opening in the part. Providing multiple openings would increase the number of parts, raising the cost of the parts and creating part separation lines on the exterior, which would deteriorate the appearance of the air purifier 1 or make it harder to clean the parts. For this reason, by limiting the number of parts that open to a single part, it is possible to achieve an air purifier 1 that is low cost and has a good appearance.

The parts requiring maintenance include the dust collection unit 100, which is regularly maintained by the user, and the blower 200, circuit unit 300, and electrical parts, which are repaired or replaced by a service technician when they break down. By making the parts that open onto the front panel 12 on the front side, both the user and the service technician can easily access the desired parts. At this time, parts that should not be touched by the user from a safety standpoint or parts that could lead to a breakdown if touched by the user need to be further protected, but these parts are protected separately and not by the front panel.

In addition, the air purifier 1 has a front panel 12 whose lower part can be rotated open toward the upper front side around a panel rotation axis 15 provided at the top, and a holding mechanism 17 is provided so that the front panel 12 is held at the upper position of the housing 10 when the front panel 12 is opened, facilitating maintenance work for both users and service personnel. By holding the front panel 12 in an open state with the holding mechanism 17 when the front panel 12 is open, it is possible to prevent the front panel 12 from sagging under its own weight and closing, and there is no need for the user or service personnel to support the front panel 12.

When the panel rotation shaft 15 is provided at the bottom of the front panel 12, after the front panel 12 is opened, the front panel 12 protrudes from below toward the front between the user or serviceman and the housing 10. This limits the working space of the user or serviceman. Even when the panel rotation shaft 15 is provided at the top of the front panel 12, if there is no holding mechanism 17 when the front panel 12 is opened, the front panel 12 will sag under its own weight and close, so the user or serviceman will need to support the front panel 12.

In particular, when the air purifier 1 is installed on a wall surface 500, the air purifier 1 is often installed on the wall surface 500 near the ceiling, far from the indoor area of human activity. In such a wall installation, the front panel 12 is held at the top of the housing 10 when the front panel 12 is opened as described above, which makes maintenance work much easier than when the air purifier 1 is installed on the floor.

(Air outlet)
Next, the position of the air outlet 14 in the air purifier 1 will be described. As described above, the air outlet 14, which is an opening for blowing air inside the housing 10 to the outside of the housing 10, is formed on the bottom surface 10b of the housing 10. Since the air outlet 14 is opened vertically downward, the air purifier 1 can blow clean air into the activity space of the occupants without soiling the ceiling surface with the blown air from the housing 10. Furthermore, since the air outlet 14 is opened vertically downward, the air purifier 1 can realize a clean air purifier 1 in which foreign matter such as dust that settles from above the air purifier 1 does not flow into the inside of the housing 10 when the air purifier 1 is stopped.

The air blown out from the air purifier 1 is purified, but since it draws in surrounding air after being blown out, if the blown out air continues to hit the wall surface 500 or ceiling for a long period of time, it may soil the wall surface 500 or ceiling. The air purifier 1 is configured such that the air outlet 14 is formed on the underside 10b and the blown out air is blown out downward from the housing 10, so that the blown out air does not hit the wall surface 500 or ceiling, and purified air can be blown out into the activity space of the occupants.

Furthermore, if the air outlet 14 is formed on the top surface 10a of the housing 10, foreign matter such as dust that settles from above the air purifier 1 may flow into the inside of the housing 10 when the air purifier 1 is stopped, contaminating the inside of the housing 10, i.e., the inside of the air purifier 1. If an openable lid or the like is provided on the top surface 10a to prevent such foreign matter from flowing into the inside of the housing 10, this would increase manufacturing costs, require the user to take the trouble of opening and closing the lid, and would make cleaning more difficult due to the complex shape of the air purifier 1.

On the other hand, in the air purifier 1, because the air outlet 14 is open vertically downward, foreign matter such as dust that settles from above the air purifier 1 does not flow into the inside of the housing 10 when the air purifier 1 is stopped. Foreign matter that settles from above the air purifier 1 accumulates on the upper surface 10a of the housing 10. In the air purifier 1, because the upper surface 10a of the housing 10 has a flat shape, the upper surface 10a can be easily wiped clean.

In particular, when air purifier 1 is installed on a wall, the air blown out from air outlet 14 in a vertically downward direction is blown into the space of the occupant's activity area, so the purified air blown out can directly clean the occupant's activity area. In addition, when air purifier 1 is installed on a wall, air purifier 1 is also separated from the floor surface, so the blown air does not hit the floor surface, does not contaminate the floor surface by drawing in contaminated air from the surroundings, and does not stir up dust on the floor surface.

Furthermore, in the air purifier 1, the air outlet 14 is formed in the center in the width direction of the air purifier 1, i.e., in the center of the underside 10b in the width direction of the housing 10. Since the air outlet 14 is formed in the center of the underside 10b in the width direction of the housing 10, the air purifier 1 can prevent the wall surfaces on the sides of the air purifier 1 from becoming dirty due to the blown air.

The air blown out from the housing 10 flows, drawing in surrounding air after being blown out. When the air purifier 1 is installed on a wall with its side close to the wall surface 500, if the air outlet 14 extends to the side of the housing 10, the blown air continues to hit the wall surface 500 for a long period of time, which may cause the wall surface 500 on the side of the air purifier 1 to become dirty. That is, when the air outlet 14 extends to the first side surface 10c or the second side surface 10d, which is the side surface of the housing 10, if the air purifier 1 is installed on a wall in a position where the blown air reaches the wall surface 500 on the side of the air purifier 1, the blown air continues to hit the wall surface 500 on the side of the air purifier 1 for a long period of time, which may cause the wall surface 500 on the side of the air purifier 1 to become dirty.

On the other hand, the air purifier 1 has the air outlet 14 formed in the center of the underside 10b, so that the blown air does not reach the wall surface 500 on the side of the air purifier 1, and dirt on the wall surface 500 on the side of the air purifier 1 caused by the blown air continuously hitting the wall surface 500 on the side of the air purifier 1 can be prevented. If the air outlet 14 is located in the center of the underside 10b, it is possible to prevent dirt on the wall surface 500 on either the left or right side of the air purifier 1. Furthermore, when the air purifier 1 is installed on a wall, the blowing direction of the blown air can be tilted downward and forward to prevent the blown air from hitting the wall surface 500 on which the air purifier 1 is installed, and therefore dirt on the wall surface 500 on which the air purifier 1 is installed can be prevented.

(Blower)
Next, the blower 200 in the air purifier 1 will be described. As described above, a centrifugal blower is used for the blower 200 of the air purifier 1. In the centrifugal blower, the air blowing direction is at an angle of 90 degrees with respect to the air intake direction. In other words, the blower 200 made of a centrifugal blower can blow air sucked in from the side of the air purifier 1 toward the lower surface 10b.

For this reason, in the air purifier 1, there is no need to provide an air duct for changing the blowing direction in order to guide the air blown out from the blower 200 toward the underside 10b. As a result, in the air purifier 1, noise caused by a curved air duct for changing the blowing direction does not occur, and pressure loss of the blown air caused by a curved air duct for changing the blowing direction does not occur, so it is possible to realize a wall-mounted air purifier 1 that operates quietly and consumes little power.

In an axial blower, the air blowing direction is the same as the air intake direction, and there is no change in the direction of the air flow between the air blowing direction and the air intake direction. For this reason, when an axial blower is used for the blower 200, it is necessary to provide a curved air duct for changing the blowing direction in order to guide the air blown out from the axial blower to the lower surface 10b side. A considerable pressure loss occurs in the curved air duct. For this reason, when an axial blower is used for the blower 200 and a curved air duct for changing the blowing direction is provided, noise is generated due to the curved air duct for changing the blowing direction, and power consumption increases due to the curved air duct for changing the blowing direction, and the blowing performance of the air purifier 1 is deteriorated.

On the other hand, the air purifier 1 uses a centrifugal blower for the blower 200, and the direction of the rotation axis 200C of the blower 200 is a direction intersecting the in-plane direction of the front panel 12, and the direction of the outlet of the fan casing 201 is the lower surface 10b side, that is, the vertically downward side when installed on a wall, so that the air sucked into the blower 200 from the first side surface 10c side can be blown out to the lower surface 10b side. Therefore, in the air purifier 1, no extra pressure loss occurs due to the air passage for changing the blowing direction, and a wall-mounted air purifier 1 with good blowing characteristics can be realized without noise or increased power consumption due to the air passage for changing the blowing direction. In the first embodiment, the direction of the rotation axis 200C of the blower 200 is a direction perpendicular to the in-plane direction of the front panel 12.

(Air passage area in front of the blower)
Next, the area of the air passage 31b in front of the blower in the air purifier 1 will be described. In the air purifier 1, it is preferable that the air passage area in front of the blower, which is the area of the air passage 31b in front of the blower, is 0.2 times or more and 1 times or less than the bellmouth opening area. This makes it possible to minimize the air passage dimension in front of the blower, and to realize an air purifier 1 that achieves both the air blowing performance of the air purifier 1 and a reduction in the thickness dimension of the air purifier 1. The thickness dimension of the air purifier 1 is the dimension in the depth direction of the air purifier 1, and is the same as the thickness dimension of the housing 10, i.e., the dimension in the depth direction of the housing 10.

The air passage in front of the blower is the air passage between the dust collection unit 100 and the blower 200 in the suction air passage 31, which is the air passage from the suction port 13 to the bell mouth 204 of the blower 200. In other words, the air passage in front of the blower is the air passage of the air passage boundary opening 31a, which is the boundary between the dust collection unit 100 and the blower 200 in the direction of the air flow from the suction port 13 to the blower 200.

The air passage area in front of the blower is the cross-sectional area of the air passage between the dust collection unit 100 and the blower 200 in the suction air passage 31, which is the air passage from the suction port 13 to the bell mouth 204 of the blower 200. The air passage area in front of the blower can be said to be the air passage area of the air passage boundary opening 31a, which is the boundary between the dust collection unit 100 and the blower 200 in the air flow direction from the suction port 13 to the blower 200, in the suction air passage 31, which is the air passage from the suction port 13 to the bell mouth 204 of the blower 200. The air passage area in front of the blower is calculated by the formula "air passage dimension in front of the blower in the depth direction of the housing 10 x dimension of the air passage in front of the blower in the height direction of the housing 10".

The air duct dimension in front of the blower in the depth direction of the housing 10 is the dimension of the air duct boundary opening 31a in the depth direction of the housing 10. The air duct dimension in front of the blower in the height direction of the housing 10 is the dimension of the air duct boundary opening 31a in the height direction of the housing 10.

Generally, when the area of the air passage is constant, the air flows smoothly at a constant speed. However, when the area of the air passage expands or contracts along the way, the air speed fluctuates, making it difficult to flow smoothly and resulting in pressure loss in the air passage. In the air purifier 1, the opening area of the bell mouth 204 of the blower 200 is what regulates the area of the air passage. Therefore, in order to allow the air to flow smoothly through the blower 200, one guideline is to ensure that the air passage area in front of the blower, i.e., the air passage area of the air passage boundary opening 31a, is equal to the opening area of the bell mouth 204. The opening of the bell mouth 204 here is the opening of the small diameter portion 204a of the bell mouth. The opening area of the bell mouth 204 is the opening area of the small diameter portion 204a of the bell mouth.

However, in the air purifier 1, because wind flows from the suction port 13 on one side of the bellmouth 204 in the width direction of the housing 10, it is difficult to predict that wind will flow at a uniform speed through the entire area of the opening of the bellmouth 204. For example, if wind is flowing through half of the area of the opening of the bellmouth 204 on the suction port 13 side, the air passage area will be half the opening area of the bellmouth 204.

The inventors conducted actual tests to confirm how much the air duct area could be reduced from the viewpoint of practicality of the air purifier 1, and as a result, it was confirmed that the air duct area in front of the blower could be reduced to 0.2 times the bellmouth opening area. The viewpoint of practicality of the air purifier 1 is the viewpoint of pressure loss in the intake air duct 31, increased noise, and power consumption of the blower 200, which occur when air cannot flow smoothly to the blower 200.

For example, when the opening of bellmouth 204 has a diameter of 145 mm, the opening area of bellmouth 204 is 16,513 ^mm2 . In this case, the air passage area in front of the blower can be reduced to 3,303 ^mm2 , which is 0.2 times the opening area of bellmouth 204. When the total height of air purifier 1 is 300 mm and a dimension of 227 mm in the height direction of suction air passage 31, which is the air passage from suction port 13 to blower 200, can be secured, the air passage dimension in front of the blower can be reduced to a maximum of 16,513/227 = 72.7 mm, which is equivalent to the opening area of bellmouth 204, and to a minimum of 3,303/227 = 14.5 mm. Therefore, the air duct dimension in front of the blower should be between 14.5 mm and 72.7 mm, both inclusive, and should be determined based on whether to prioritize air blowing performance such as noise and power consumption, or to prioritize reducing the thickness of air purifier 1 to reduce the feeling of oppression felt by occupants due to air purifier 1 protruding from the installation surface.

In this way, in the air purifier 1, it is possible to reduce the thickness dimension of the air purifier 1 by reducing the air duct area in front of the blower to a range that ensures the practicality of the air blowing performance of the air purifier 1. Therefore, in the air purifier 1, it is possible to realize an air purifier 1 that achieves both the air blowing performance of the air purifier 1 and a reduced thickness dimension of the air purifier 1 by reducing the air duct area in front of the blower to a range that ensures the practicality of the air blowing performance of the air purifier 1.

(Air duct wall of intake air duct)
Next, the air duct wall 32 of the intake air duct 31, which is an air duct from the intake port 13 in the air purifier 1 to the bell mouth 204 of the blower 200, will be described. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the casing rib 34 of the air duct wall 32 in the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of the air purifier 1 from above with the front panel 12 removed. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the panel rib 33 of the air duct wall 32 in the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of the inner surface 12a side of the front panel 12 from above. The inner surface of the front panel 12 is the surface of the front panel 12 facing the inside of the housing 10. Although not shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, a panel rotation shaft 15 is provided on the upper part of the housing 10, that is, on the upper part of the housing main body 11 and the front panel 12, as shown in FIG. 10.

Figure 14 is a first diagram explaining the concept of the positional relationship between the panel ribs 33 and the casing ribs 34 of the air duct wall 32 in the air purifier 1 according to embodiment 1. Figure 15 is a second diagram explaining the concept of the positional relationship between the panel ribs 33 and the casing ribs 34 of the air duct wall 32 in the air purifier 1 according to embodiment 1. Figure 16 is a third diagram explaining the concept of the positional relationship between the panel ribs 33 and the casing ribs 34 of the air duct wall 32 in the air purifier 1 according to embodiment 1. Figure 17 is a diagram explaining the concept of the positional relationship between the panel ribs 33 and the casing ribs 34 when the air duct wall 32 in the air purifier 1 according to embodiment 1 is not divided.

Figure 18 is a first diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the panel rib 33 of the air duct wall 32 and the casing rib 34 in the air purifier 1 according to embodiment 1. Figure 19 is a second diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the panel rib 33 of the air duct wall 32 and the casing rib 34 in the air purifier 1 according to embodiment 1. Figure 20 is a third diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the panel rib 33 of the air duct wall 32 and the casing rib 34 in the air purifier 1 according to embodiment 1. Figure 21 is a fourth diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the panel rib 33 of the air duct wall 32 and the casing rib 34 in the air purifier 1 according to embodiment 1.

Figure 22 is an enlarged view of the overlapping area 35 of the panel rib 33 in the air purifier 1 of embodiment 1.

3, 14, 18 to 21, in air purifier 1, air duct wall 32 that defines the outer edge in the in-plane direction of front panel 12 of suction air duct 31, which is the air duct from suction port 13 to bellmouth 204 of blower 200, is composed of a double layer of casing rib 34 and panel rib 33. By configuring air duct wall 32 that defines the outer edge in the in-plane direction of front panel 12 of suction air duct 31 from suction port 13 to bellmouth 204 of blower 200 with a double layer of casing rib 34 and panel rib 33, it is possible to realize air purifier 1 that is highly airtight at low cost, easy to use, and has good serviceability without using elastic parts such as gaskets.

The panel rib 33 is a first air passage wall that is fixed to the front panel 12 and constitutes the air passage wall 32 that defines the outer edge of the intake air passage 31 in the in-plane direction of the front panel 12. Specifically, the panel rib 33 is provided inside the housing 10, protruding from the inner surface 12a of the front panel 12 to the blower 200 side, that is, protruding to the rear surface 10f side of the housing 10, as shown in FIG. That is, the front panel 12 is provided with a panel rib 33 that protrudes from the inner surface 12a of the front panel 12 to the inside of the housing 10. The panel rib 33 is formed in a shape that defines the outer edge of the intake air passage 31 in the in-plane direction of the front panel 12.

The height and thickness of the panel rib 33 are not limited as long as they can properly configure the air duct wall 32 together with the casing rib 34 and can suppress or reduce air leakage from the internal area of the intake air duct 31 surrounded by the casing rib 34 and the panel rib 33 to the external area of the intake air duct 31.

For example, from the viewpoint of the occurrence of dimensional errors during manufacturing of the housing body 11, the front panel 12, or the fan casing 201, it is preferable that the panel rib 33 is set to a height that leaves a gap between it and the upper surface 201u of the fan casing 201 of the blower 200 inside the housing 10. This prevents the housing body 11 and the front panel 12 from being unable to be assembled in the appropriate positional relationship due to the panel rib 33 pressing against the upper surface 201u of the fan casing 201 caused by dimensional errors during manufacturing of the housing body 11, the front panel 12, or the fan casing 201.

The casing rib 34 is a second air passage wall that is fixed inside the housing 10 and constitutes the air passage wall 32 that defines the outer edge of the intake air passage 31 in the in-plane direction of the front panel 12. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the casing rib 34 is provided inside the housing 10, protruding from the upper surface 201u of the fan casing 201 of the blower 200 toward the front panel 12. That is, the fan casing 201 of the blower 200 has a casing rib 34 on the upper surface 201u that protrudes toward the front panel 12. The casing rib 34 is formed in a shape that defines the outer edge of the intake air passage 31 in the in-plane direction of the front panel 12.

The height and thickness of the casing rib 34 are not limited as long as they can properly configure the air passage wall 32 together with the panel rib 33 and can suppress or reduce air leakage from the internal area of the intake air passage 31 surrounded by the casing rib 34 and the panel rib 33 to the external area of the intake air passage 31.

For example, from the viewpoint of the occurrence of dimensional errors during the manufacture of the housing body 11, the front panel 12, or the fan casing 201, it is preferable that the casing rib 34 is set to a height that leaves a gap between it and the inner surface 12a of the front panel 12 inside the housing 10. This prevents the housing body 11 and the front panel 12 from being unable to be assembled in the appropriate positional relationship due to the casing rib 34 pressing against the inner surface 12a of the front panel 12 caused by dimensional errors during the manufacture of the housing body 11, the front panel 12, or the fan casing 201.

As described above, opening and closing the front panel 12 makes it easier to carry out regular maintenance and service maintenance. However, in order to open and close the front panel 12, it is necessary to provide a clearance in the air passage wall, and the amount of air leaking from inside the housing 10 to the outside of the housing 10 may increase due to a decrease in the degree of airtightness. In addition, elastic parts such as packing are used on the contact surface between the front panel 12 and the housing body 11 to improve the degree of airtightness of the housing 10, which increases the manufacturing cost.

On the other hand, in the air purifier 1, the panel ribs 33 are formed on the front panel 12 in a shape that forms the air passage wall 32, and the casing ribs 34 are formed on the housing body 11 in a shape that forms the air passage wall 32. The panel ribs 33 and the casing ribs 34 are formed in a shape that is an enlarged or reduced version of the other in the in-plane direction of the front panel 12. The panel ribs 33 and the casing ribs 34 are arranged parallel to each other inside the housing 10 with a predetermined clearance so that they do not come into contact with each other and interfere with each other in the in-plane direction of the front panel 12, forming a double-layered air passage wall 32.

As a result, the leakage air duct in which air leaks from inside the intake air duct 31 from the intake port 13 to the bell mouth 204 of the blower 200 to the outside of the intake air duct 31 becomes a complex path. Therefore, in the air purifier 1, the amount of air leaking to the outside of the intake air duct 31 is reduced compared to when only one layer of air duct wall is provided, the airtightness of the intake air duct 31 and the housing 10 is improved, and elastic parts such as packing are not required. Note that if an elastic part such as a packing is used on the contact surface between the front panel 12 and the housing body 11, the amount of air leaking to the outside of the intake air duct 31 is further reduced, so an elastic part such as a packing may be used as necessary. Therefore, the air purifier 1 has an openable front panel 12, and an air purifier 1 with a high degree of airtightness can be realized with a simple structure without increasing the number of individual parts such as packing.

(Rib division structure)
At least one of the above-mentioned panel rib 33 and casing rib 34 is divided into two divided ribs as shown in Figures 14, 18 to 21. Each of the two divided ribs of one rib is disposed only at one of the positions closer to the panel rotation shaft 15 and the position farther from the panel rotation shaft 15 with respect to the other rib of the panel rib 33 and the casing rib 34 in the in-plane direction of the front panel 12.

Because the panel ribs 33 and the casing ribs 34 are configured in this way, the casing ribs 34 and the panel ribs 33 do not interfere with each other even when the front panel 12 rotates to open and close, so the clearance between the casing ribs 34 and the panel ribs 33 in the in-plane direction of the front panel 12 can be reduced, and the amount of air leaking from inside the intake air duct 31 to outside the intake air duct 31 can be minimized. This suppresses the increase in noise or power consumption caused by air leaking from inside the intake air duct 31 to outside the intake air duct 31, and realizes an air purifier 1 with low power consumption or noise and good operating characteristics.

As described above, when the air passage wall 32 is constructed of a double layer of the casing rib 34 and the panel rib 33, in order to avoid interference between the panel rib 33 and the casing rib 34 when the front panel 12 is rotated around the panel rotation axis 15, a certain amount of clearance is required between the casing rib 34 and the panel rib 33 in the in-plane direction of the front panel 12.

The reason why a clearance is required between the casing rib 34 and the panel rib 33 in the in-plane direction of the front panel 12 is as follows. In the in-plane direction of the front panel 12, one rib located closer to the panel rotation axis 15 than the other rib in the height direction of the front panel 12 needs to be moved to the side closer to the panel rotation axis 15, i.e., it needs to be moved upward, when the front panel 12 is rotated open. In the in-plane direction of the front panel 12, a rib located farther from the panel rotation axis 15 than the other rib in the height direction needs to be moved to the side farther from the panel rotation axis 15, i.e., it needs to be moved downward, when the front panel 12 is rotated open. When one rib is the panel rib 33, the other rib is the casing rib 34. When one rib is the casing rib 34, the other rib is the panel rib 33.

Therefore, in the in-plane direction of the front panel 12, a rib located closer to the panel rotation axis 15 in the height direction than the other rib and a rib located farther from the panel rotation axis 15 in the height direction than the other rib have different directions that need to be avoided to avoid interference when the front panel 12 is rotated open, and therefore cannot be avoided.

Consider a state in which the panel rib 33 is divided into the first panel rib 33a and the second panel rib 33b, and the front panel 12 is attached to the housing body 11 to form the housing 10, as shown in Figure 15. In this state, the panel rotation shaft 15 is disposed at the top of the housing 10. In the in-plane direction of the front panel 12, the first panel rib 33a and the second panel rib 33b are disposed at a position closer to the panel rotation shaft 15 than the casing rib 34. In this state, when the front panel 12 is opened around the panel rotation shaft 15 as the rotation shaft, the first panel rib 33a and the second panel rib 33b can be avoided to the side closer to the panel rotation shaft 15, i.e., upward, by the panel rotation shaft 15 moving upward inside the bearing 16 as shown in Figure 16.

On the other hand, if the panel rib 33 is not divided into the first panel rib 33a and the second panel rib 33b, when the front panel 12 is opened around the panel rotation shaft 15 as shown in Fig. 17, the upper end of the panel rib 33 needs to be avoided to the side closer to the panel rotation shaft 15, i.e., needs to be avoided upward. Also, the lower end of the panel rib 33 needs to be avoided to the side farther from the panel rotation shaft 15, i.e., needs to be avoided downward. In this way, the upper end of the panel rib 33 and the lower end of the panel rib 33 need to be avoided in different directions to avoid interference when the front panel 12 is rotated open, and interference cannot be avoided.

Therefore, in the first embodiment, at least one of the panel rib 33 and the casing rib 34 is divided into two. Each of the two divided ribs of one of the divided ribs is arranged in the in-plane direction of the front panel 12 so as to be present only in one of the positions closer to the panel rotation axis 15 and the position farther from the panel rotation axis 15 than the other rib, either the panel rib 33 or the casing rib 34. In other words, in the height direction of the front panel 12, both of the divided ribs are arranged in a position closer to the panel rotation axis 15 than the other rib, or both are arranged in a position farther from the panel rotation axis 15 than the other rib.

As a result, when the front panel 12 is rotated open, the directions that need to be avoided to avoid interference are the same, making it possible to avoid interference with the other rib. The rib that divides the panel into two may be either the panel rib 33 or the casing rib 34.

Next, the division of the panel rib 33 or the casing rib 34 will be specifically described. FIG. 18 shows a first example of the positional relationship between the first panel rib 33a and the second panel rib 33b and the casing rib 34. FIG. 19 shows a second example of the positional relationship between the first panel rib 33a and the second panel rib 33b and the casing rib 34. FIG. 20 shows a first example of the positional relationship between the first casing rib 34a and the second casing rib 34b and the panel rib 33. FIG. 21 shows a second example of the positional relationship between the first casing rib 34a and the second casing rib 34b and the panel rib 33.

The panel rib 33 is divided into a first panel rib 33a and a second panel rib 33b. The casing rib 34 is divided into a first casing rib 34a and a second casing rib 34b.

18, the first panel rib 33a and the second panel rib 33b are arranged in the in-plane direction of the front panel 12 at a position closer to the panel rotation axis 15 than the casing rib 34 in the height direction of the front panel 12. As a result, when the front panel 12 is rotated open, the first panel rib 33a and the second panel rib 33b need to be avoided in the same direction, making it possible to avoid interference between the first panel rib 33a and the second panel rib 33b and the casing rib 34.

The rib arrangement shown in Figure 18 can be said to be a configuration in which, in the in-plane direction of the front panel 12, the second panel rib 33b, the casing rib 34, and the first panel rib 33a are arranged in this order from the center of the intake air duct 31, whose outer edge in the in-plane direction of the front panel 12 is defined by the air duct wall 32, toward the outside of the intake air duct 31.

19, the first panel rib 33a and the second panel rib 33b are arranged in the in-plane direction of the front panel 12 at a position farther from the panel rotation axis 15 than the casing rib 34 in the height direction of the front panel 12. As a result, when the front panel 12 is rotated open, the first panel rib 33a and the second panel rib 33b need to be avoided in the same direction, making it possible to avoid interference between the first panel rib 33a and the second panel rib 33b and the casing rib 34.

The rib arrangement shown in Figure 19 can be said to be a configuration in which the first panel rib 33a, the casing rib 34, and the second panel rib 33b are arranged in the in-plane direction of the front panel 12, from the center of the intake air duct 31 toward the outside of the intake air duct 31, in that order.

20, the first casing rib 34a and the second casing rib 34b are arranged in the in-plane direction of the front panel 12 at a position closer to the panel rotation axis 15 than the panel rib 33 in the height direction of the front panel 12. As a result, when the front panel 12 is rotated open, the first casing rib 34a and the second casing rib 34b need to be avoided in the same direction, making it possible to avoid interference between the first casing rib 34a and the second casing rib 34b and the panel rib 33.

The rib arrangement shown in Figure 20 can be said to be a configuration in which the second casing rib 34b, the panel rib 33, and the first casing rib 34a are arranged in the in-plane direction of the front panel 12, from the center of the intake air duct 31 toward the outside of the intake air duct 31, in that order.

21, the first casing rib 34a and the second casing rib 34b are arranged in the in-plane direction of the front panel 12 at a position farther from the panel rotation axis 15 than the panel rib 33 in the height direction of the front panel 12. As a result, when the front panel 12 is rotated open, the first casing rib 34a and the second casing rib 34b need to be avoided in the same direction, making it possible to avoid interference between the first casing rib 34a and the second casing rib 34b and the panel rib 33.

The rib arrangement shown in Figure 21 can be said to be a configuration in which the first casing rib 34a, the panel rib 33, and the second casing rib 34b are arranged in the in-plane direction of the front panel 12, from the center of the intake air duct 31 toward the outside of the intake air duct 31.

(Rib overlap area)
Of the above-mentioned panel rib 33 and casing rib 34, the one divided into two is arranged so that the two divided ribs have an overlapping region 35 in the extending direction of the divided portion of each divided rib in the in-plane direction of the inner surface 12a of the front panel 12. The overlapping region 35 is a region where a region on the end side opposite the suction port 13 of each of the two divided ribs overlaps with a region on the end side opposite the suction port 13 of the other of the two divided ribs. Figure 22 shows the overlapping region 35 between the first panel rib 33a and the second panel rib 33b.

By configuring the two divided ribs of the panel rib 33 and the casing rib 34 described above in this way, it is possible to suppress air leakage from the inside of the intake air duct 31 to the outside of the intake air duct 31 from the divided part where the rib is divided. This suppresses an increase in noise or power consumption caused by air leaking from the inside of the intake air duct 31 to the outside of the intake air duct 31, and realizes an air purifier 1 with low power consumption or noise and good operating characteristics.

When the rib is divided into two as described above, the divided portion where the rib is divided becomes a location where air leakage from inside the intake air duct 31 to outside the intake air duct 31 is likely to occur. Therefore, by providing an overlapping region 35 in the air duct wall 32 of the divided portion where the divided portions of the respective dividing ribs overlap each other in the in-plane direction of the inner surface 12a of the front panel 12, the air leakage path where air leaks from inside the intake air duct 31 to outside the intake air duct 31 becomes a complex path. As a result, in the air purifier 1, it is possible to suppress air leakage from inside the intake air duct 31 to outside the intake air duct 31 from the divided portion where the rib is divided.

Specifically, the air leakage path when air leaks from the division is an S-shaped path from the inside of the intake air duct 31 surrounded by the air duct walls 32 to the outside of the intake air duct 31. This suppresses air leakage from the inside of the intake air duct 31 surrounded by the air duct walls 32 to the outside of the intake air duct 31, compared to when the two divided ribs do not have an overlapping region 35.

(Rib hook structure)
The panel rib 33 and the casing rib 34 described above have a rib hook structure. The air purifier 1 can also be installed on a ceiling. Even when the air purifier 1 is installed on a ceiling, the panel rib 33 and the casing rib 34 have a hook structure, so that the air purifier 1 can prevent a gap from being generated between the housing body 11 and the front panel 12 caused by the front panel 12 hanging down vertically, thereby suppressing an increase in noise or power consumption caused by air leaking from the inside of the intake air duct 31 to the outside of the intake air duct 31, thereby realizing an air purifier 1 that can be installed on a ceiling, has low power consumption or noise, and has good operating characteristics.

Figure 23 is an enlarged view of the periphery of the hook hole 36a, which is a panel rib-side hook structure formed in the panel rib 33 in the air purifier 1 according to embodiment 1. Figure 24 is an enlarged view of the periphery of the hook claw portion 36b, which is a casing rib-side hook structure formed in the casing rib 34 in the air purifier 1 according to embodiment 1. Figure 25 is a conceptual view of the hook structure between the hook hole 36a of the panel rib 33 and the hook claw portion 36b of the casing rib 34 in the air purifier 1 according to embodiment 1.

25, when the air purifier 1 is installed on the ceiling surface so that the front panel 12 faces downward in the vertical direction, the gravity acting on the front panel 12 is generated in a direction that causes the front panel 12 to hang down downward in the vertical direction. In this case, compared to when the air purifier 1 is installed on the wall surface 500, the gap between the upper surface 201u of the fan casing 201 of the blower 200 and the panel rib 33 is wider, so that the amount of air leakage from the inside of the intake air duct 31 surrounded by the casing rib 34 and the panel rib 33 to the outside of the intake air duct 31 increases. Also, in this case, compared to when the air purifier 1 is installed on the wall surface 500, the gap between the contact surface between the front panel 12 and the housing body 11 becomes larger. As a result, when the air purifier 1 is installed on the ceiling surface, the amount of air leakage from the air purifier 1 to the outside becomes larger compared to when the air purifier 1 is installed on the wall surface 500.

As shown in Fig. 23, in the air purifier 1, the panel rib 33 is provided with a hook hole 36a, which is a panel rib-side hook structure. As shown in Fig. 24, in the air purifier 1, the casing rib 34 is provided with a convex hook claw 36b, which is a casing rib-side hook structure. When the front panel 12 is closed, the hook claw 36b of the casing rib 34 fits into the hook hole 36a of the panel rib 33, so that the hook claw 36b hooks into the hook hole 36a, and the front panel 12 is held in the housing body 11. As a result, even if gravity occurs in the vertical downward direction with respect to the front panel 12, the front panel 12 of the air purifier 1 is held by the hook structure provided on the panel rib 33 and the casing rib 34, so that the front panel 12 does not sag vertically downward.

Therefore, even if gravity occurs in the vertically downward direction relative to the front panel 12, the gap between the upper surface 201u of the fan casing 201 of the blower 200 and the panel rib 33 does not widen, compared to when the air purifier 1 is installed on the wall surface 500. Also, even if gravity occurs in the vertically downward direction relative to the front panel 12, the gap between the contact surface between the front panel 12 and the housing main body 11 does not become larger, compared to when the air purifier 1 is installed on the wall surface 500. As a result, even when the air purifier 1 is installed on the ceiling surface so that the front panel 12 faces vertically downward, the air purifier 1 can suppress an increase in the amount of air leaking to the outside from the air purifier 1.

In addition, the convex hook claw portion 36b of the casing rib 34 has a tapered shape, and when a force is applied to open or close the front panel 12 by a person, it is easily removed from the hook hole 36a of the panel rib 33 when the front panel 12 is opened, and is easily inserted into the hook hole 36a of the panel rib 33 when the front panel 12 is closed.

(Structure of deodorizing filter)
Next, the structure of the deodorizing filter 130 will be described. The deodorizing filters used in air purifiers generally have a versatile rectangular parallelepiped shape. The user must periodically clean or replace the deodorizing filter, but the body of the deodorizing filter is made of a brittle material such as ceramic. For this reason, the body of the deodorizing filter is stored in a protective case made of resin or the like that has a higher mechanical strength than the body of the deodorizing filter in order to provide a complex shape such as a knob and to prevent damage in the event of a collision.

Figure 26 is a first perspective view showing the deodorizing filter 130 of the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 27 is an enlarged perspective view showing the deodorizing filter 130 assembled in the housing 10 in the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 28 is a view explaining the knob-shaped portion, the claw portion, and the hook portion in the protective case 132 of the deodorizing filter 130 of the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 29 is a perspective view showing the protective case 132 of the deodorizing filter 130 of the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 30 is a rear view showing the protective case 132 of the deodorizing filter 130 of the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 31 is a first view showing the hook structure between the deodorizing filter 130 and the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 32 is a second view showing the hook structure between the deodorizing filter 130 and the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment. 26 and 30 corresponds to the up-down direction of the deodorizing filter 130. As shown in FIG.

26 and 28, the deodorizing filter 130 has a rectangular parallelepiped filter body 131 and a protective case 132 that has a rectangular frame shape and holds the filter body 131. The protective case 132 is composed of two parts of the same shape that have a hook structure.

The protective case 132 is constructed by combining two divided split protective cases 133. That is, the protective case 132 is constructed by combining a first protective case 1331, which is a split protective case 133, and a second protective case 1332, which is a split protective case 133.

The first protective case 1331 holds the filter body 131 from the first surface 131a side of the filter body 131. The second protective case 1332 holds the filter body 131 from the second surface 131b side opposite the first surface 131a of the filter body 131. The first protective case 1331 and the second protective case 1332 are two identical parts having the same shape. In other words, the first protective case 1331 and the second protective case 1332 are two identical split protective cases 133 that are used with their orientations reversed.

The split protective case 133 has a hook structure including a first claw portion 133c and a first hook portion 133d at positions symmetrical to the center C1 of the first side 133a of a pair of opposing long sides of the rectangular shape. The split protective case 133 also has a hook structure including a second claw portion 133e and a second hook portion 133f at positions symmetrical to the center C2 of the second side 133b of a pair of opposing long sides of the rectangular shape that faces the first side 133a. The line connecting the center C1 of the first side 133a and the center C2 of the second side 133b is parallel to the pair of opposing short sides of the rectangular shape of the split protective case 133. The first claw portion 133c and the second claw portion 133e are claw portions in the hook structure of the split protective case 133. The first hook portion 133d and the second hook portion 133f are hook portions in the hook structure of the split protective case 133.

When the deodorizing filter 130 is constructed, the first claw portion 133c and the first hook portion 133d, and the second claw portion 133e and the second hook portion 133f are arranged in rotational symmetry around the center in the plane of the first surface 131a of the filter body 131, and are arranged in rotational symmetry around the center in the plane of the second surface 131b of the filter body 131. That is, the first claw portion 133c and the first hook portion 133d, and the second claw portion 133e and the second hook portion 133f are arranged in rotational symmetry around a central axis that is perpendicular to the planes of the first surface 131a and the second surface 131b and passes through the centers of the planes of the first surface 131a and the second surface 131b.

The first protective case 1331 and the second protective case 1332 are arranged upside down with their first edges 133a facing each other, and the opposing claw portions of the first protective case 1331 and the hook portions of the second protective case 1332 are fixed to each other, and the filter body 131 is held by fixing the opposing hook portions of the first protective case 1331 and the claw portions of the second protective case 1332.

Specifically, the first hook portion 133c of the first protective case 1331 and the first hook portion 133d of the second protective case 1332 are fixed, the first hook portion 133d of the first protective case 1331 and the first hook portion 133c of the second protective case 1332 are fixed, the second hook portion 133e of the first protective case 1331 and the second hook portion 133f of the second protective case 1332 are fixed, and the second hook portion 133f of the first protective case 1331 and the second hook portion 133e of the second protective case 1332 are fixed to form the protective case 132. The protective case 132 holds the filter body 131 in a state in which the filter body 131 is sandwiched between the first protective case 1331 and the second protective case 1332. This forms the deodorizing filter 130.

As described above, the protective case 132 of the deodorizing filter 130 is composed of two parts of the same shape that have a hook structure, so that the protective case 132 can be composed of two parts of the same shape. This reduces the number of molds used to form the protective case 132, and therefore the cost of the protective case 132 can be reduced. In addition, it is possible to realize an air purifier 1 that is symmetrical and does not cause incorrect installation in the left-right direction, making it low-cost and easy to use. In other words, it is possible to realize an air purifier 1 that is easy to manufacture and easy to install.

The protective case 132 needs to have a grippable portion for removal during regular maintenance. Also, a fixing portion to the housing body 11 is needed so that the deodorizing filter 130 does not fall off the housing body 11 when the air purifier 1 is attached to the ceiling. The split protective case 133 has a knob portion 133h in the center of the upper surface 133j, and a hook portion 133i in the center of the lower surface 133k. The knob portion 133h and the hook portion 133i are knob-shaped portions having the same knob shape. Therefore, the split protective case 133 has a vertically symmetrical shape. Therefore, the deodorizing filter 130 also has a vertically symmetrical shape. The knob shape is a shape that can be gripped with the fingers of a worker performing maintenance work on the deodorizing filter 130.

In the air purifier 1, the deodorizing filter 130 has a top-bottom symmetrical shape, so that there is no need to specify a direction for attaching the deodorizing filter 130 when attaching it to the housing body 11, eliminating the possibility of incorrect insertion of the deodorizing filter 130 and resulting in an easy-to-use air purifier 1. Since there is no need to consider the attachment direction of the deodorizing filter 130 when assembling the air purifier 1 in the factory or when the user performs regular maintenance of the deodorizing filter 130, the assembly time and maintenance time for the deodorizing filter 130 are shortened.

In addition, the protective case 132 and the divided protective case 133 are hollow, i.e., frame-shaped, to realize the function of ventilating the deodorizing filter 130. For this reason, the divided protective case 133 is provided with a stopper 133g for retaining the deodorizing filter 130 within the protective case 132. The smaller the stopper 133g, the less likely it is to impede the ventilation of the deodorizing filter 130. In addition, the wind speed passing through the protective case 132 is slower at the end of the ventilation air passage in the protective case 132. For this reason, in order to reduce pressure loss in the protective case 132, the stopper 133g is provided at the four corners of the divided protective case 133 with the minimum size required to retain the deodorizing filter 130 within the protective case 132.

In addition, the protective case 132 and the divided protective case 133 need to withstand the pulling force applied when the knob portion 133h is pinched to remove the deodorizing filter 130 from the housing main body 11. To withstand the pulling force applied to the knob portion 133h, a rod-shaped reinforcing portion 133l is provided that connects the inside of the protective case 132 in the pulling direction at the same position as the knob position. This allows the pulling force applied when the knob portion 133h is pinched to be removed to be transmitted from the upper surface 133j side, on which the knob portion 133h of the protective case 132 is formed, to the lower surface 133k side, preventing deformation of the protective case 132.

As shown in Figures 31 and 32, the housing body 11 is provided with a filter protection guide 18 that holds the deodorizing filter 130 inside the housing 10 and restricts the movement of the deodorizing filter 130. Figure 31 shows a schematic diagram of the deodorizing filter 130 stored in the housing 10 as viewed from the top surface 133j side of the deodorizing filter 130. The top surface 133j of the deodorizing filter 130 is the surface on which the knob portion 133h of the deodorizing filter 130 is provided. Figure 32 shows a schematic diagram of the deodorizing filter 130 stored in the housing 10 as viewed from the side of the deodorizing filter 130. The deodorizing filter 130 is stored inside the housing 10 while being surrounded by the filter protection guide 18.

In addition, the housing body 11 is provided with a hook claw portion 36b that hooks onto the hook portion 133i of the split protective case 133. When the deodorizing filter 130 is stored in the housing 10, the hook claw portion 36b hooks onto the hook portion 133i of the split protective case 133, thereby fixing the split protective case 133 to the housing body 11 and fixing the deodorizing filter 130 to the housing body 11. In other words, the hook portion 133i, which is a case-side hook structure provided on the split protective case 133, and the hook claw portion 36b, which is a housing-side hook structure provided on the housing body 11, form a hook structure for the deodorizing filter 130.

As described above, the knob portion 133h and the hook portion 133i are formed in the same knob shape. Therefore, the hook claw portion 36b can be hooked onto the knob portion 133h, so that the divided protective case 133 can be fixed to the housing body 11. This allows the deodorizing filter 130 to be attached to the housing body 11 in an upside- down state.

An example of the hook portion 133i is a configuration in which a concave shape is provided on the side surface. An example of the hook claw portion 36b is a claw portion that is convex from the side of the hook portion 133i toward the side surface of the hook portion 133i. These configurations allow the split protective case 133 to be fixed to the housing body 11 by a snap fit.

(Mounting bracket)
The reason for using the mounting bracket 400 is as described above, but the mounting part for installing the air purifier is usually located on the back of the housing. This can lead to poor installation workability when installing the air purifier on a wall. That is, when installing the air purifier, the mounting part on the air purifier is sandwiched between the wall and the air purifier, so the installer cannot visually confirm the mounting part on the air purifier, and has no choice but to align the mounting part on the air purifier by guessing the position of the mounting part, which can lead to poor installation workability.

Figure 33 is a first diagram showing the structure of the mounting bracket 400 according to the first embodiment. Figure 34 is a second diagram showing the structure of the mounting bracket 400 according to the first embodiment. Figure 35 is a front view showing the shape of the housing hook portion 402 of the mounting bracket 400 shown in Figure 33. Figure 36 is a cross-sectional view showing the shape of the housing hook portion 402 of the mounting bracket 400 shown in Figure 33. Figure 37 is a perspective view of the air purifier 1 showing the housing surface marker rib 10h provided on the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 38 is a perspective view of the air purifier 1 showing the housing back surface marker rib 10i provided on the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 39 is a view showing an enlarged view of the housing back surface marker rib 10i shown in Figure 38. In Figure 37, the fastening hole 10j provided on the back surface 10f of the housing 10 is shown by a dashed line.

The air purifier 1 is installed on a wall surface 500 via a mounting bracket 400. In this case, the air purifier 1 and the mounting bracket 400 can be considered to be an air purifier in a broad sense.

33 and 34, the mounting bracket 400 is a plate-shaped metal part having a rectangular shape smaller than the outer shape of the rear surface 10f of the housing 10. When the air purifier 1 is mounted on the wall surface 500 via the mounting bracket 400, the width, depth, height, front side, and rear side of the mounting bracket 400 correspond to the width, depth, height, front side, and rear side of the air purifier 1.

The mounting bracket 400 includes a flat portion 401 that serves as an attachment portion to the wall surface 500, and a plurality of housing hook portions 402 provided on the flat portion 401. In addition, a screw fixing portion 403 having a screw fixing hole 404 formed in the center is provided on both ends in the width direction at the upper end of the flat portion 401.

The housing hook 402 is a hook that is hooked to the hook hole 19 of the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 when the air purifier 1 is installed on the wall surface 500 via the mounting bracket 400. As shown in Figs. 33 and 34, the housing hook 402 has a first housing hook 402a provided on the upper part of the flat part 401 and a second housing hook 402b provided on the lower part of the flat part 401. As shown in Fig. 35, the housing hook 402 has a trapezoidal tapered shape that narrows from the base side connected to the flat part 401 toward the tip side, and the corners of the upper base surface of the trapezoidal shape are rounded. This makes it easier for the housing hook 402 to be inserted into the hook hole 19 of the housing 10.

The screw fixing hole 404 is a through hole used when the air purifier 1 is screwed to the wall surface 500 via the mounting bracket 400 and installed, and when the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 and the mounting bracket 400 are fastened together by the screw 411 described later.

A plurality of wall fixing holes 405 are formed in the plane of the flat portion 401 of the mounting bracket 400. The wall fixing holes 405 are through holes used to screw the mounting bracket 400 to the wall surface 500. By forming a plurality of wall fixing holes 405 in the plane of the mounting bracket 400, the mounting bracket 400 can be screwed to the stud 501 using the wall fixing holes 405 that match the position of the stud 501 inside the wall. As a result, even if the wall material is thin and the mechanical strength of the wall is weak, the mounting bracket 400 can be firmly fixed to the wall by screwing the mounting bracket 400 to the stud 501.

On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 38, a hook hole 19 is provided on the back surface 10f of the housing 10, i.e., the back surface of the housing main body 11. The hook hole 19 is a hook hole into which the housing hook portion 402 of the mounting bracket 400 is fitted and hung when the air purifier 1 is installed on the wall surface 500 via the mounting bracket 400. As shown in Fig. 38, the hook hole 19 has a first hook hole 19a provided in the upper part of the back surface 10f of the housing 10 and a second hook hole 19b provided in the lower part of the back surface 10f of the housing 10.

33, in the mounting bracket 400, the distance in the height direction between the bracket lower end 406, which is the lower end of the mounting bracket 400, and the housing hook portion 402 is distance L1. Specifically, in the mounting bracket 400, the distance in the height direction between the bracket lower end 406 and the first housing hook portion 402a is distance L1a, which is distance L1. The distance between the bracket lower end 406 and the second housing hook portion 402b is distance L1b, which is distance L1.

38, in the housing 10 of the air purifier 1, the distance in the height direction between the bottom edge 10g of the housing 10 and the hook hole 19 is also distance L1. Specifically, in the housing 10 of the air purifier 1, the distance in the height direction between the bottom edge 10g of the housing 10 and the first hook hole 19a is also distance L1a, which is distance L1. The distance between the bottom edge 10g of the housing 10 and the second hook hole 19b is also distance L1b, which is distance L1.

In this way, in the height direction, the distance between the lower end 406 of the mounting bracket 400 and the housing hook 402 and the distance between the lower end edge 10g of the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 and the hook hole 19 are both the same dimension, L1. That is, in the height direction, the distance between the lower end 406 of the mounting bracket 400 and the first housing hook 402a and the distance between the lower end edge 10g of the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 and the first hook hole 19a are both the same dimension, L1a. In addition, in the height direction, the distance between the lower end 406 of the mounting bracket 400 and the second housing hook 402b and the distance between the lower end edge 10g of the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 and the second hook hole 19b are both the same dimension, L1b.

The above dimensional conditions can also be said in other words that in the height direction, the distance between the bracket lower end 406 of the mounting bracket 400 and the housing hook portion 402 is the same vertical distance as the distance between the bottom edge 10g of the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 and the hook hole 19. The above dimensional conditions can also be said in other words that in the height direction, the distance from the bottom end of the mounting bracket 400 to the housing hook portion 402 is the same as the distance from the bottom end of the inner wall, which is the back surface of the housing 10 of the air purifier 1, to the hook hole 19.

Because the housing hook portion 402 of the mounting bracket 400 and the hook hole 19 of the housing 10 are configured under the above-mentioned dimensional conditions, when the lower edge 10g of the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 is butted against the lower end 406 of the mounting bracket 400 and the rear surface 10f of the housing 10 is rotated so as to approach the wall surface 500, the positions of the housing hook portion 402 of the mounting bracket 400 and the hook hole 19 of the housing 10 coincide. This is because, as described above, the distance between the lower end 406 of the mounting bracket 400 and the housing hook portion 402 is the same vertical distance as the distance between the lower edge 10g and the hook hole 19.

As a result, even if the installer cannot visually confirm the positions of the housing hook portion 402 of the mounting bracket 400 and the hook hole 19 of the housing 10, the installer can align the positions of the housing hook portion 402 and the hook hole 19 in the height direction, and without relying on guesswork, hook the housing hook portion 402 into the hook hole 19 to hook the housing 10 to the mounting bracket 400. This makes it possible to provide an air purifier that is easy to install and can be installed in a short time.

After the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 is hooked onto the mounting bracket 400, the installer can release the housing 10, facilitating the tightening of the screws 411 into the housing 10 and the mounting bracket 400. The screws are tightened onto the mounting bracket 400 to prevent the housing 10 from falling even if an external force such as an earthquake occurs that would cause the housing 10 to become dislodged from the mounting bracket 400.

In this case, it is essential that the screw fastening positions of the housing 10 and the mounting bracket 400 match when the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 is hung on the mounting bracket 400 at an appropriate position. In other words, it is essential that the screw fastening holes 404 provided in the screw fastening portion 403 of the mounting bracket 400 and the fastening holes 10j provided on the back surface 10f of the housing 10 match when the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 is hung on the mounting bracket 400 at an appropriate position. The fastening holes 10j are through holes used to fasten the air purifier 1 and the mounting bracket 400 together with the screws 411 to fix them to the wall surface 500.

On the other hand, in order to absorb the misalignment of the housing 10 when aligning it with the mounting bracket 400 and to hook the housing hooking portion 402 to the hooking hole 19, a clearance is required between the housing hooking portion 402 and the hooking hole 19. By making the fastening hole 10j of the housing 10 a larger size or a wide oval shape in the width direction, even if the housing hooking portion 402 is hooked to the hooking hole 19 with a misalignment of the clearance between the housing hooking portion 402 and the hooking hole 19, the screw fixing hole 404 of the mounting bracket 400 can be seen through the fastening hole 10j. As a result, if the screw fixing hole 404 and the fastening hole 10j can be aligned, the position of the housing 10 relative to the mounting bracket 400 will be in the correct position, so that it is not necessary to adjust the position of the housing 10 after the housing hooking portion 402 is hooked to the hooking hole 19.

In the installation work of the air purifier 1, the positions of the hook hole 19 of the housing 10 and the housing hook part 402 of the mounting bracket 400 in the height direction of the air purifier 1 and the mounting bracket 400, i.e., in the vertical direction, can be aligned as described above. On the other hand, if the positions of the hook hole 19 of the housing 10 and the housing hook part 402 of the mounting bracket 400 can be aligned in the width direction of the air purifier 1 and the mounting bracket 400, i.e., in the horizontal direction, the installation workability of the air purifier 1 is further improved. In this case, it is possible to match the width dimensions of the mounting bracket 400 and the housing 10 in the horizontal direction. However, if the width dimension of the mounting bracket 400 is large, the material cost of the mounting bracket 400 and the entire air purifier will increase, and the mass of the mounting bracket 400 will increase, which will deteriorate the workability of transporting and carrying the mounting bracket 400 and the entire air purifier.

Below, we will explain the structure that makes it easy to align the hook hole 19 of the housing 10 with the housing hook portion 402 of the mounting bracket 400 in the width direction, i.e., the horizontal direction, of the air purifier 1 and the mounting bracket 400.

As shown in Figure 37, two housing surface marking ribs 10h are provided on the rear side of the underside 10b of the housing 10 of the air purifier 1. Also, as shown in Figures 38 and 39, two housing rear surface marking ribs 10i are provided on the lower side of the rear surface 10f of the housing 10 of the air purifier 1.

The housing surface marking rib 10h is a first mark provided on the surface side of the housing 10, used for aligning the hook hole 19 of the housing 10 with the housing hook portion 402 of the mounting bracket 400 in the width direction of the air purifier 1 and the mounting bracket 400. In other words, the housing surface marking rib 10h is a mark provided on the surface side of the air purifier 1 that is visible even when the air purifier 1 is installed, and is used for aligning the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 with the mounting bracket 400 in the horizontal direction.

The housing backside marking rib 10i is a second mark provided on the backside of the housing 10, used for aligning the hooking hole 19 of the housing 10 with the housing hook portion 402 of the mounting bracket 400 in the width direction of the air purifier 1 and the mounting bracket 400. In other words, the housing backside marking rib 10i is a mark provided on the backside of the air purifier 1 that is not visible when the air purifier 1 is installed, and is used for aligning the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 with the mounting bracket 400 in the horizontal direction.

The housing surface marker rib 10h and the housing back surface marker rib 10i are arranged at corresponding positions in the width direction.

34, in the mounting bracket 400, the distance in the width direction between the side surface of the mounting bracket 400 and the screw fixing hole 404 of the screw fixing portion 403 is distance L11. Specifically, in the mounting bracket 400, the distance in the width direction between the left side surface 401a, which is the left side surface of the mounting bracket 400, and the center of the screw fixing hole 404 of the left screw fixing portion 403a, which is the left screw fixing portion 403, is distance L11. The distance between the right side surface 401b, which is the right side surface of the mounting bracket 400, and the center of the screw fixing hole 404 of the right screw fixing portion 403b, which is the right screw fixing portion 403, is distance L11.

On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 37, in the housing 10 of the air purifier 1, the distance in the width direction between the housing surface marking rib 10h and the fastening hole 10j is also distance L11. Specifically, in the housing 10 of the air purifier 1, the distance in the width direction between the left housing surface marking rib 10ha, which is the left housing surface marking rib 10h, and the center of the left fastening hole 10ja, which is the left fastening hole 10j, is also distance L11. Similarly, the distance between the right housing surface marking rib 10hb, which is the right housing surface marking rib 10h, and the center of the right fastening hole 10jb, which is the right fastening hole 10j, is also distance L11.

Similarly, in the housing 10 of the air purifier 1, the distance in the width direction between the housing back surface marker rib 10i and the fastening hole 10j is also distance L11. Specifically, in the housing 10 of the air purifier 1, the distance in the width direction between the left housing back surface marker rib 10ia, which is the left housing back surface marker rib 10i, and the center of the left fastening hole 10ja, which is the left fastening hole 10j, is also distance L11. The distance between the right housing back surface marker rib 10ib, which is the right housing back surface marker rib 10i, and the center of the right fastening hole 10jb, which is the right fastening hole 10j, is also distance L11.

Also, as shown in FIG. 34, in the mounting bracket 400, the distance in the width direction between the side surface of the mounting bracket 400 and the center of the housing hook portion 402 is distance L12. Specifically, in the mounting bracket 400, the distance in the width direction between the left side surface 401a, which is the left side surface of the mounting bracket 400, and the center of the first housing hook portion 402a is distance L12. The distance between the right side surface 401b, which is the right side surface of the mounting bracket 400, and the center of the first housing hook portion 402a is distance L12. The distance between the left side surface 401a, which is the left side surface of the mounting bracket 400, and the center of the second housing hook portion 402b is distance L12. The distance between the right side surface 401b, which is the right side surface of the mounting bracket 400, and the center of the second housing hook portion 402b is distance L12.

In the width direction, the center position of the first housing hook portion 402a and the center position of the second housing hook portion 402b are the center positions between the left side surface 401a and the right side surface 401b .

On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 37, in the housing 10 of the air purifier 1, the distance in the width direction between one housing surface marking rib 10h and the center HC between two housing surface marking ribs 10h is also distance L12. Specifically, in the housing 10 of the air purifier 1, the distance in the width direction between the left housing surface marking rib 10ha, which is the left housing surface marking rib 10h, and the center HC between the two housing surface marking ribs 10h is also distance L12. Similarly, the distance in the width direction between the right housing surface marking rib 10h, which is the right housing surface marking rib 10h, and the center HC between the two housing surface marking ribs 10h is also distance L12.

Similarly, in the housing 10 of the air purifier 1, the distance in the width direction between one housing back surface marking rib 10i and the center between the two housing back surface marking ribs 10i is also distance L12. Specifically, in the housing 10 of the air purifier 1, the distance in the width direction between the left housing back surface marking rib 10ia, which is the left housing back surface marking rib 10i, and the center between the two housing back surface marking ribs 10i is also distance L12. Similarly, the distance in the width direction between the right housing back surface marking rib 10ib, which is the right housing back surface marking rib 10i, and the center between the two housing back surface marking ribs 10i is also distance L12.

In addition, the distance between the left side surface 401a and the right side surface 401b of the mounting bracket 400 is set to distance L13. The distance between the left side surface 401a and the right side surface 401b can be said to be the width dimension of the mounting bracket 400. In the air purifier 1, the width dimension of the mounting bracket 400 is set to the minimum width dimension required to firmly fix the mounting bracket 400 to the wall surface 500.

On the other hand, in the housing 10 of the air purifier 1, the distance in the width direction between the two housing back surface marker ribs 10i and the distance between the two housing front surface marker ribs 10h are also distance L13.

In this way, in the width direction, the distance between the side surface of the mounting bracket 400 and the screw fixing hole 404 of the screw fixing portion 403, the distance between the housing surface marker rib 10h and the fastening hole 10j in the housing 10 of the air purifier 1, and the distance between the housing back surface marker rib 10i and the fastening hole 10j in the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 are all the same dimension, distance L11.

In addition, in the width direction, the distance between the side surface of the mounting bracket 400 and the center of the housing hook portion 402, the distance between one housing surface marker rib 10h and the center HC between two housing surface marker ribs 10h in the housing 10 of the air purifier 1, and the distance between one housing back surface marker rib 10i and the center between two housing back surface marker ribs 10i in the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 are all the same dimension, distance L12.

In addition, in the width direction, the width of the mounting bracket 400 and the distance between the two rear housing marker ribs 10i and the distance between the two front housing marker ribs 10h in the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 are both set to the same dimension, distance L13.

In other words, the above dimensional conditions are such that the distance from the side of the mounting bracket 400 to the screw fixing portion 403 of the mounting bracket 400, the distance from the housing surface marking rib 10h to the fastening hole 10j, and the distance from the housing back surface marking rib 10i to the fastening hole 10j are the same horizontal distance in the width direction. In other words, the above dimensional conditions are such that the side of the mounting bracket 400 and the mark are positioned such that the distance from the side of the mounting bracket 400 to the center of the housing hook portion 402 is the same as the distance from the mark to the center of the hook hole 19 in the width direction of the air purifier 1.

By configuring the screw fixing portion 403 of the mounting bracket 400 and the fastening hole 10j of the housing 10 under the above-mentioned dimensional conditions, when the housing surface marking rib 10h or the housing back surface marking rib 10i of the housing 10 is aligned with both sides of the mounting bracket 400, the positions of the screw fixing portion 403 and the fastening hole 10j in the width direction coincide. This is because the distances L11 and L13 are specified as described above. Also, when the housing surface marking rib 10h or the housing back surface marking rib 10i of the housing 10 is aligned with both sides of the mounting bracket 400, the positions of the housing hook portion 402 of the mounting bracket 400 and the hook hole 19 of the housing 10 in the width direction coincide. This is because the distances L12 and L13 are specified as described above.

Then, as described above, the lower edge 10g of the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 is pressed against the lower end 406 of the mounting bracket 400, and the rear surface 10f of the housing 10 is rotated so as to approach the wall surface 500, so that the positions of the housing hook portion 402 of the mounting bracket 400 and the hook hole 19 of the housing 10 are aligned.

As a result, even if the installer cannot visually confirm the positions of the housing hook portion 402 of the mounting bracket 400 and the hook hole 19 of the housing 10, the positions of the housing hook portion 402 and the hook hole 19 match in the height and width directions, so the housing 10 can be hooked to the mounting bracket 400 without needing to adjust the position of the housing 10. This allows the installer to hook the housing hook portion 402 into the hook hole 19 and hook the housing 10 to the mounting bracket 400 without relying on guesswork. This makes it possible to provide an air purifier that is easy to install and can be installed in a short time.

Furthermore, depending on the installation height of the housing 10 or the height of the installer, the installer's line of sight may be higher or lower than the butting position between the mounting bracket 400 and the housing 10. By providing marks on both the front and back surfaces of the housing 10 for use in aligning the hook holes 19 of the housing 10 and the housing hook parts 402 of the mounting bracket 400 in the width direction of the air purifier 1 and the mounting bracket 400, visual confirmation is made easier regardless of whether the installer's line of sight is higher or lower than the butting position between the mounting bracket 400 and the housing 10.

The marking rib 10h on the surface of the housing 10 may be a thin line that is not very noticeable because it is provided on the surface of the housing 10, or may be part of a design with an acute angle shape that is intentionally noticeable. In addition, if the housing surface marking rib 10h provided on the surface of the housing 10 is a temporary fixing part that can be removed after the installation of the housing 10, such as tape, it is possible to make the design part on the surface of the housing 10 completely flat after the installation of the housing 10 by peeling it off after the installation of the housing 10.

Next, the installation method of the air purifier 1 will be specifically described. Figure 40 is a first schematic diagram showing the installation method of the air purifier 1 according to embodiment 1. Figure 41 is a second schematic diagram showing the installation method of the air purifier 1 according to embodiment 1. Figure 42 is a third schematic diagram showing the installation method of the air purifier 1 according to embodiment 1.

First, as shown in Figure 40, a method of installing the air purifier 1 in a case where the eye position of the installer 520 during the installation work of the air purifier 1 is higher than the lower end 406 of the mounting bracket 400 will be described. Figure 43 is a first flowchart showing the steps of the installation method of the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 43 shows a method of installing the air purifier 1 in a case where the eye position of the installer 520 during the installation work of the air purifier 1 is higher than the lower end edge of the mounting bracket 400.

First, in step S110, as shown in Fig. 40, the installation worker 520 aligns the lower end 406 of the mounting bracket 400 with the inner wall of the outer hull of the housing 10 of the air purifier 1, and aligns the side of the mounting bracket 400 with the housing backside marker rib 10i in the horizontal direction. Specifically, the installation worker 520 aligns the lower end 406 of the bracket with the lower end of the backside 10f of the housing 10 of the air purifier 1, and aligns the position of the side of the flat portion 401, which is the side of the mounting bracket 400, with the position of the housing backside marker rib 10i in the horizontal direction.

Next, in step S120, the installer 520 rotates the housing 10 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 40, using the lower edge of the mounting bracket 400 as the axis of rotation, so as to bring the back surface 10f of the housing 10 closer to the wall surface 500. This allows the positions of the housing hook portion 402 of the mounting bracket 400 and the hook hole 19 of the housing 10 to match, and the installer 520 can hook the housing hook portion 402 into the hook hole 19 to hook the housing 10 to the mounting bracket 400, without visually checking the positions of the housing hook portion 402 and the hook hole 19 of the housing 10.

Next, in step S130, as shown in Fig. 42, the installer 520 fastens the housing 10 and the mounting bracket 400 together using the screws 411, thereby fixing the housing 10 to the wall surface 500. At this time, the installer 520 can release his/her hands from the housing 10, which makes it easier to tighten the screws 411.

By carrying out the above procedure, the installation worker 520 can align the positions of the housing hook portion 402 and the hook hole 19 in the vertical and horizontal directions without visually checking the positions of the housing hook portion 402 of the installation bracket 400 and the hook hole 19 of the housing 10, and hook the housing hook portion 402 into the hook hole 19 to hook the housing 10 to the installation bracket 400.

Next, as shown in Figure 41, a method for installing the air purifier 1 in a case where the eye position of the installer 520 during installation of the air purifier 1 is lower than the lower end edge of the mounting bracket 400 will be described. Figure 44 is a second flowchart showing the procedure of the installation method for the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 44 shows a method for installing the air purifier 1 in a case where the eye position of the installer 520 during installation of the air purifier 1 is lower than the lower end edge of the mounting bracket 400.

First, in step S210, as shown in Fig. 41, the installation worker 520 aligns the lower end 406 of the mounting bracket 400 with the inner wall of the outer hull of the housing 10 of the air purifier 1, and aligns the side of the mounting bracket 400 with the housing surface marker rib 10h in the horizontal direction. Specifically, the installation worker 520 aligns the lower end 406 of the bracket with the lower end of the back surface 10f of the housing 10 of the air purifier 1, and aligns the position of the side of the flat portion 401, which is the side of the mounting bracket 400, with the position of the housing surface marker rib 10h in the horizontal direction.

Next, in step S220, the installer 520 rotates the housing 10 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 41 around the lower edge of the mounting bracket 400 as the rotation axis so as to bring the back surface 10f of the housing 10 closer to the wall surface 500. This allows the positions of the housing hook portion 402 of the mounting bracket 400 and the hook hole 19 of the housing 10 to match, and the installer 520 can hook the housing hook portion 402 into the hook hole 19 to hook the housing 10 to the mounting bracket 400 without visually checking the positions of the housing hook portion 402 and the hook hole 19 of the housing 10.

Next, in step S230, as shown in Fig. 42, the installer 520 fastens the housing 10 and the mounting bracket 400 together using the screws 411, thereby fixing the housing 10 to the wall surface 500. At this time, the installer 520 can release his/her hands from the housing 10, which makes it easier to tighten the screws 411.

By carrying out the above procedure, the installation worker 520 can align the positions of the housing hook portion 402 and the hook hole 19 in the vertical and horizontal directions without visually checking the positions of the housing hook portion 402 of the installation bracket 400 and the hook hole 19 of the housing 10, and hook the housing hook portion 402 into the hook hole 19 to hook the housing 10 to the installation bracket 400.

In addition, the rear surface 10f side of the housing 10 may be recessed slightly toward the front panel 12 in the area corresponding to the mounting bracket 400, so that the mounting bracket 400 can be stored when the air purifier 1 is attached to the mounting bracket 400. This prevents the mounting bracket 400 from being exposed, and does not cause a deterioration in appearance due to the mounting bracket 400 being exposed.

(Wire hanging part)
In addition, by providing wire hanging portions on both the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 and the mounting bracket 400, and positioning the wire hanging portion of the housing 10 in the height direction of the housing 10 at a position lower than the center of gravity G of the housing 10 in the height direction of the housing 10, it is possible to perform power connection work on the back side 10f of the housing 10 without needing a support to support the housing 10 to prevent it from falling.

As mentioned above, the power connection part 310 is connected to a power cable 511 that draws power for the air purifier 1 from an external power source. The power cable 511 runs from the building's breaker or the like through the ceiling and inside the wall, and is then pulled into the room through a wall opening 502 formed in the wall surface 500 on which the air purifier 1 is installed.

Therefore, by arranging the power connection part 310 on the back surface 10f of the housing 10 facing the wall opening 502, it becomes easier to connect the power connection part 310 and the power cable 511. In addition, by arranging the power connection part 310 on the back surface 10f of the housing 10, the power cable 511 including the wall opening 502 can be covered by the housing 10 after the air purifier 1 is installed, and the wall opening 502 and the power cable 511 are not exposed, improving the appearance of the air purifier 1.

However, the timing when the power cable 511 is connected to the power connection part 310 provided on the back surface 10f of the housing 10 is immediately before the housing 10 is hung on the mounting bracket 400, and the housing 10 is not yet fixed to the mounting bracket 400. Therefore, the work of connecting the power cable 511 to the power connection part 310 requires someone to support the housing 10, and in order to work on the floor, it is necessary to pull the power cable 511 out of the wall opening 502, and then insert the power cable 511 back into the wall opening 502 after the connection work, which is a labor-intensive task requiring many workers.

Figure 45 is a diagram showing the state of the power connection work of connecting the power cable 511 to the housing 10 in the installation of the air purifier 1 according to embodiment 1. In embodiment 1, a housing hanging part 10k which is a wire hanging part of the housing 10 is provided on the back surface 10f of the housing 10 of the air purifier 1. In addition, a metal hanging part 407 which is a wire hanging part of the mounting bracket 400 is provided on the flat surface part 401 of the mounting bracket 400. The housing hanging part 10k which is the wire hanging part of the housing 10 is disposed at a position lower than the center of gravity position G of the housing 10 in the height direction of the housing 10.

The housing suspending part 10k and the metal fitting suspending part 407 are tied together with a suspending wire 420 when connecting the power connection part 310 and the power cable 511. This temporarily fixes the housing 10 to the installation metal fitting 400. This allows the installation worker 520 to perform the power connection work on the rear side of the housing 10 without using a person or a support jig to support the housing 10 so that the housing 10 does not fall. In addition, by arranging the housing suspending part 10k at a position lower than the center of gravity G of the housing 10 in the height direction of the housing 10, the housing 10 can be temporarily fixed to the installation metal fitting 400 in a stable state.

When the housing 10 is temporarily fixed to the mounting bracket 400, the housing suspending part 10k, which is the wire suspending part of the housing 10, is located below the center of gravity G of the housing 10, so a torque acts in a direction that causes the upper surface 10a of the housing 10 to drop downward. This allows the housing 10 to be temporarily fixed stably to the mounting bracket 400 by the suspending wire 420 that connects the housing suspending part 10k of the housing 10 and the bracket suspending part 407 of the mounting bracket 400. In other words, a torque acts on the lower surface 10b of the housing 10 in an upward direction, but because the lower end of the housing 10 is butted against the mounting bracket 400, the housing 10 stops without rotating.

In addition, the length of the suspension wire 420 is set so that the angle α between the rear surface 10f of the housing 10 and the wall surface 500 is not greater than 90 degrees, that is, the angle α between the rear surface 10f of the housing 10 and the wall surface 500 is 90 degrees or less, so that the lower end of the mounting bracket 400 and the inner wall of the lower end of the housing 10 do not come off. In other words, the suspension wire 420 has a length that can hold the housing 10 in a state where the angle α between the rear surface 10f of the housing 10 and the wall surface 500 is 90 degrees or less when the upper part of the housing 10 is opened forward with the lower end of the rear surface 10f of the housing 10 pressed against the lower end of the mounting bracket 400.

In addition, it is preferable that the power connection part 310 is provided at an upper position in the height direction of the housing 10 on the back surface 10f of the housing 10. When the power connection part 310 is provided at an upper position in the height direction of the housing 10 on the back surface 10f of the housing 10, in a temporary fixed state in which the metal fitting suspending part 407 of the installation fitting 400 and the housing suspending part 10k of the housing 10 are wire-fixed with the suspending wire 420, the power connection part 310 is located on the near side of the back surface 10f. In this case, the power connection part 310 is located near the installation worker and is separated from the wall surface 500, so that the working space is widened and the work of connecting the power cable 511 to the power connection part 310 is facilitated.

Next, the procedure for the power connection work of connecting the power cable 511 to the housing 10 when installing the air purifier 1 will be specifically described. Figure 46 is a flowchart showing the procedure for the power connection work of connecting the power cable 511 to the housing 10 when installing the air purifier 1 according to embodiment 1.

First, in step S310, the installer 520 attaches the mounting bracket 400 to the wall. Specifically, the installer 520 screws the mounting bracket 400 to the wall surface 500 using the wall fixing holes 405.

Next, in step S320, the installation worker 520 ties the wire hanging parts of the mounting bracket 400 and the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 together with a hanging wire to temporarily fix the housing 10. Specifically, the installation worker 520 connects the metal hanging part 407, which is the wire hanging part of the mounting bracket 400, to the housing hanging part 10k, which is the wire hanging part of the housing 10, with the hanging wire 420, and wire-fixes the housing 10 to the mounting bracket 400, thereby temporarily fixing the housing 10 to the mounting bracket 400.

Next, in step S330, the installer 520 opens the upper part of the housing 10 forward while pressing the inner wall surface of the lower end of the housing 10 against the lower end of the mounting bracket 400. Specifically, the installer 520 presses the inner wall surface of the lower end of the housing 10 temporarily fixed to the mounting bracket 400 against the lower end of the mounting bracket 400, and opens the upper part of the housing 10 forward so as to move the rear surface 10f of the housing 10 away from the wall surface, with the lower end edge of the mounting bracket 400 as the axis of rotation. The inner wall surface of the lower end of the housing 10 temporarily fixed to the mounting bracket 400 can be said to be the lower end of the rear surface of the housing 10.

Next, in step S340, the installer 520 connects the power cable 511 to the power connection unit 310. Specifically, the installer 520 connects the power cable 511, which is the power cord of the air purifier 1 that has been pulled out into the room from the wall opening 502 formed in the wall 500, to the power connection unit 310 arranged on the rear surface 10f of the housing 10 from the rear side of the housing 10.

Next, in step S350, the installer 520 rotates the housing 10 to hook it onto the mounting bracket 400. Specifically, the installer 520 rotates the housing 10 around the lower edge of the mounting bracket 400 as the axis of rotation so that the rear surface 10f of the housing 10 approaches the wall surface 500, and hooks the hook hole 19 of the housing 10 onto the housing hook portion 402 of the mounting bracket 400.

Next, in step S360, the installer 520 screws the housing 10 to the mounting bracket 400. Specifically, the installer 520 screws the housing 10 to the wall surface 500 by fastening the housing 10 and the mounting bracket 400 together using the screw 411.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the housing 10 is provided on the rear surface 10f of the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 at a position lower than the center of gravity G of the housing 10 in the height direction of the housing 10, and the metal hanging portion 407 is provided on the flat surface 401 of the mounting bracket 400. Then, the lower end of the housing 10 is abutted against the lower end of the mounting bracket 400, and the housing 10 is temporarily fixed to the mounting bracket 400 by connecting the housing 10 hanging portion 10k of the housing 10 and the metal hanging portion 407 of the mounting bracket 400 with the hanging wire 420.

This allows the installer 520 to connect to the power source on the back side of the housing 10 without using a person or a support tool to support the housing 10 to prevent it from falling. Also, there is no need to pull the power cable 511 out of the wall opening 502 in order to connect the power cable 511 to the power connection unit 310 on the floor. This allows the installer 520 to easily connect the power cable 511 to the power connection unit 310. In other words, the air purifier 1 is easy to install and can be installed in a short time.

(Control circuit section)
Next, a description will be given of the control circuit section 320. As described above, the control circuit section 320 includes the high-voltage circuit board 331, the sheet metal case 343, and the low-voltage circuit board 332.

The high-voltage circuit board 331 is connected to an external power source via the power connection part 310, and is connected to a high-current wiring, which is a wiring with a relatively large current value, in order to supply power to the motor 203 of the blower 200. The high-current wiring in the air purifier 1 corresponds to the motor wiring 352. It can be said that the high-voltage circuit board 331 functions as a first power supply circuit board that supplies power to electrical components that require a relatively large current value among the electrical components used in the air purifier 1.

The low-current circuit board 332 is connected to an external power source via a transformer (not shown) and power connection section 310, and is connected to low-current wiring, which is wiring with a relatively small current value, in order to supply power to the display LED, operation switch, sensor, and electric dust collector 120. The low-current wiring in the air purifier 1 corresponds to the operation switch circuit wiring 351, the electric dust collector power supply section wiring 353, and the odor sensor wiring 354. It can be said that the low-current circuit board 332 functions as a second power supply circuit board that supplies power to electrical components that require a relatively small current value among the electrical components used in the air purifier 1.

In the control circuit unit 320, the high-current circuit board 331 is covered by a sheet metal case 343. As a result, in the control circuit unit 320, the high-current wiring connected to the high-current circuit board 331 and having a relatively large current value flowing therethrough and the low-current wiring connected to the low-current circuit board 332 and having a relatively small current value flowing therethrough are separated and arranged by the sheet metal case 343 covering the high-current circuit board 331. In other words, in the control circuit unit 320, the high-current wiring and the low-current wiring are not arranged intermixed, but are arranged in a state isolated from each other. As a result, in the air purifier 1, the occurrence of malfunctions of electrical components such as the display LED, operation switch, sensor, and electrostatic precipitator 120 due to noise generated by the current flowing through the high-current wiring can be suppressed, and a highly reliable air purifier 1 is realized.

In addition, in the air purifier 1, as shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 10, only the high-current circuit board 331, which has a large current value and may cause smoke or fire in the event of an emergency, is covered with the sheet metal case 343. Therefore, the air purifier 1 is realized as a low-cost and highly safe air purifier 1 while suppressing an increase in the weight of the air purifier 1 without covering all the circuit boards with the sheet metal case 343. In addition, the low-current circuit board 332, which has a small current value and is extremely unlikely to cause smoke or fire, is not covered with the sheet metal case 343, so that the air purifier 1 has good workability during service maintenance work on the low-current circuit board 332. In other words, the air purifier 1 can be realized as an air purifier 1 that has good workability during maintenance work while suppressing noise between the wiring connected to the mounted circuit board.

In a typical air purifier, high-current wiring, which is connected to the motor 203 of the blower 200 and has a relatively large current value, and low-current wiring, which is connected to the display LED, operation switch, sensor, and electrostatic precipitator 120 and has a relatively small current value, are arranged in a mixed manner. In this case, there is a problem that the low-current wiring receives electromagnetic waves generated from the high-current wiring as noise, causing malfunction of electrical components connected to the low-current wiring. In addition, when the entire circuit board is covered with a sheet metal case to prevent the spread of fire when smoke or fire occurs from the circuit board in order to increase safety, the sheet metal case is expensive, so the cost of the air purifier increases, and service and maintenance work when the circuit board breaks down becomes troublesome.

On the other hand, in air purifier 1, the control circuit of control circuit section 320 is made up of high-voltage circuit board 331, through which a relatively large current flows, and low-voltage circuit board 332, through which a relatively small current flows. In air purifier 1, only high-voltage circuit board 331, through which a relatively large current flows, is covered by sheet metal case 343. As a result, air purifier 1 is realized that is low cost, highly safe, and easy to service and maintain.

(Exposed part of sheet metal case)
As shown in FIG. 3, the high-power circuit board 331 is covered with a sheet metal case 343 that is grounded by connecting a ground wire 512. The low-power circuit board 332 is arranged in a stacked state on the high-power circuit board 331 via the resin case 341 for the high-power circuit board between the sheet metal case 343 and the sheet metal case 343. An opening 341a is formed in a part of the resin case 341 for the high-power circuit board. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the sheet metal case 343 has an exposed portion 343a in which a part of the sheet metal case 343 is exposed to the front side from the opening 341a when viewed from the front side with the resin case 341 for the high-power circuit board arranged. That is, when the air purifier 1 is in use and when the front panel 12 is removed, the exposed portion 343a is exposed from the resin case 341 for the high-power circuit board when viewed from the front side.

In the air purifier 1, the exposed portion 343a is provided so that a service technician can remove static electricity by touching the exposed portion 343a when performing service maintenance, resulting in a highly reliable air purifier 1 in which the control circuit of the control circuit section 320 will not break down due to static electricity caused by the service technician.

The high-voltage circuit board 331 has a large current value and may smoke or catch fire in the event of an accident, so it is covered with a metal case 343 to prevent the fire from spreading in the unlikely event of a fire in the high-voltage circuit board 331. Similarly, the metal case 343 is connected to a ground wire 512 and grounded, to prevent electric shock from the metal case 343 in the unlikely event of an electrical leak.

In addition, when a service technician repairs a circuit board when it malfunctions, the service technician may become charged with electricity, especially in dry environments such as winter. When the service technician touches the circuit board, the charge may discharge, causing the circuit board to malfunction.

In the air purifier 1, an exposed portion 343a is provided that exposes the grounded sheet metal case 343. Therefore, when a service technician repairs the circuit board, the service technician can be de-ionized by touching the exposed portion 343a in advance, thereby preventing damage to the circuit board caused by static electricity build-up by the service technician.

Circuit board failures caused by a service technician touching a circuit board in an electrically charged state can occur in both the high-voltage circuit board 331 and the low-voltage circuit board 332. For this reason, when performing service maintenance on either the high-voltage circuit board 331 or the low-voltage circuit board 332, the service technician should remove static electricity by touching the exposed portion 343a. For this reason, it is preferable that the low-voltage circuit board 332 is placed near the sheet metal case 343 of the high-voltage circuit board 331. However, if the low-voltage circuit board 332 is placed directly above the sheet metal case 343, an electrical short will occur between the low-voltage circuit board 332 and the sheet metal case 343.

For this reason, in the air purifier 1, the resin case 341 for the strong current circuit board is disposed between the weak current circuit board 332 and the sheet metal case 343, thereby electrically insulating the weak current circuit board 332 from the sheet metal case 343 via the resin case 341 for the strong current circuit board. Also, in the air purifier 1, an opening 341a is provided in a part of the resin case 341 for the strong current circuit board at a position separated from the weak current circuit board 332 in the in-plane direction of the weak current circuit board 332, thereby forming an exposed part 343a in which a part of the sheet metal case 343 is exposed in a position easily accessible to a service person.

Furthermore, if the portion of the sheet metal case 343 on which the exposed portion 343a is formed is a flat portion, even if a portion of the sheet metal case 343 is exposed to form the exposed portion 343a, a safe air purifier 1 can be realized that will not cause fire to spread from the exposed portion 343a or injury to occur due to the exposed portion 343a in the unlikely event that the high-voltage circuit board 331 catches fire.

In the air purifier 1, the top surface 343b, which is one surface of the sheet metal case 343 on which the exposed portion 343a is formed, is a flat surface, and the exposed portion 343a is formed on the flat surface of the sheet metal case 343. This realizes a safe air purifier 1 in which, in the unlikely event that the high-voltage circuit board 331 catches fire, the fire will not spread from the exposed portion 343a or injuries will occur due to the exposed portion 343a.

As shown in Figure 11, a notch 343c is formed on the side of sheet metal case 343 to allow high current wiring to pass through. Notch 343c has burrs, which are metal protrusions that occur on the cut surface during manufacturing and processing of sheet metal case 343. In addition, bent metal joint 343d also has burrs, which are metal protrusions that occur on the cut surface during manufacturing and processing of sheet metal case 343. In addition, bent metal joint 343d is prone to flames leaking through gaps in the unlikely event that high-voltage circuit board 331 catches fire.

The purpose of using the sheet metal case 343 is to prevent the spread of fire in the event of a fire on the high-voltage circuit board 331. The top surface 343b, which is the flat surface of the sheet metal case 343 on which the exposed portion 343a is formed, is less likely to leak flames in the event of a fire on the high-voltage circuit board 331 compared to the end surface of the sheet metal case 343, and is also free of burrs that may occur during manufacturing and cause cuts when touched. For this reason, even if the top surface 343b, which is the flat surface of the sheet metal case 343, is exposed as a place that a serviceman can touch to eliminate static electricity, it is a safe place where flames are less likely to leak in the event of a fire on the high-voltage circuit board 331, and is a safe place where the serviceman will not be cut even if he touches it. Therefore, in the air purifier 1, the serviceman can eliminate static electricity by touching the exposed portion 343a, thereby preventing the circuit board from breaking down due to the charge of the serviceman.

(Engraving on resin case for high-power circuit board)
6, in the air purifier 1, the upper surface of the resin case 341 for the high-power circuit board, i.e., the surface of the resin case 341 for the high-power circuit board facing the front panel 12, is provided with an engraving 341b with the word "Request" as a message urging the service person to touch the exposed portion 343a before performing a service and maintenance work. This allows the service person to reliably remove static electricity before performing a service and maintenance work.

In the air purifier 1, when a service technician performs service maintenance work, a part of the resin case 341 for the high-voltage circuit board that is visible when the front panel 12 is removed is engraved with the word "Request" 341b to prompt the service technician to touch the exposed portion 343a before performing service maintenance work. Therefore, when the service technician removes the front panel 12, he or she can remember to touch the exposed portion 343a to perform the static elimination work reliably. In addition, since the engraving 341b is formed directly on the resin case 341 for the high-voltage circuit board, it will not peel off when cleaning the inside of the air purifier 1 like a sticker, and there is no need to add a new part, so it is reliable in the long term and can alert the service technician at low cost.

As described above, according to embodiment 1, it is possible to obtain an air purifier 1 that has a small protruding dimension from the installation surface on which the air purifier 1 is installed, and does not give a feeling of oppression to people in the room.

Furthermore, according to embodiment 1, there is obtained an air purifier 1 having an openable and closable front panel 12, and capable of improving the degree of airtightness with a simple structure without increasing the number of individual parts such as gaskets for improving the degree of airtightness.

Furthermore, according to embodiment 1, an air purifier 1 that is easy to manufacture and easy to install is obtained.

Furthermore, according to embodiment 1, it is possible to obtain an air purifier 1 that is easy to install and can be installed in a short period of time.

Furthermore, according to embodiment 1, it is possible to obtain an air purifier 1 that has good workability during maintenance work while suppressing noise between wiring connected to the circuit board to which it is mounted.

The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and may be combined with other known technologies, and parts of the configurations may be omitted or modified without departing from the spirit of the invention.

1 air purifier, 10 housing, 10a, 133j, 201u, 343b top surface, 10b, 133k bottom surface, 10c first side surface, 10d second side surface, 10e front surface, 10f back surface, 10g bottom edge, 10h housing surface marker rib, 10ha left housing surface marker rib, 10hb right housing surface marker rib, 10i housing back surface marker rib, 10ia left housing back surface marker rib, 10ib right housing back surface marker rib, 10j fastening hole, 10ja left fastening hole, 10jb right fastening hole, 10k housing hanging part, 11 housing body, 12 front panel, 12a inner surface, 13 intake port, 14 exhaust port, 15 panel rotation axis, 16 bearing, 17 retention mechanism, 18 Filter protection guide, 19, 36a, hook hole, 19a, first hook hole, 19b, second hook hole, 31, intake air passage, 31a, air passage boundary opening, 31b, air passage in front of blower, 32, air passage wall, 33, panel rib, 33a, first panel rib, 33b, second panel rib, 34, casing rib, 34a, first casing rib, 34b, second casing rib, 35, overlapping area, 36b, hook claw portion, 100, dust collection portion, 110, mesh filter, 120, electric dust collector, 121, discharge portion positive electrode, 122, discharge portion negative electrode, 123, electric dust collector power supply portion, 130, deodorizing filter, 131, filter body, 131a, first surface, 131b, second surface, 132, protective case, 133, divided protective case, 133a, first side, 133b second side, 133c first claw portion, 133d first hook portion, 133e second claw portion, 133f second hook portion, 133g stopper, 133h knob portion, 133i hook portion, 133l reinforcement portion, 150 air passage wall, 200 blower, 200C rotating shaft, 201 fan casing, 202 fan, 203 motor, 204 bell mouth, 204a small diameter portion of bell mouth, 300 circuit portion, 310 power supply connection portion, 320 control circuit portion, 331 high-power circuit board, 332 low-power circuit board, 333 operation switch circuit board, 334 odor sensor, 341 resin case for high-power circuit board, 341a opening, 341b marking, 342 resin case for low-power circuit board, 343 Sheet metal case, 343a exposed portion, 343c notch portion, 343d bent portion of sheet metal, 344 cover, 351 operation switch circuit wiring, 352 motor wiring, 353 electric dust collector power supply wiring, 354 odor sensor wiring, 400 mounting bracket, 401 flat portion, 401a left side surface, 401b right side surface, 402 housing hook portion, 402a first housing hook portion, 402b second housing hook portion, 403 screw fixing portion, 403a left screw fixing portion, 403b right screw fixing portion, 404 screw fixing hole, 405 wall fixing hole, 406 lower end of bracket, 407 bracket hanging portion, 411 screw, 420 hanging wire, 500 wall surface, 501 stud, 502 wall opening, 511 Power cable, 512 ground wire, 520 installation worker, 1331 first protective case, 1332 second protective case, C1, C2 centers, G center of gravity position.

Claims (6)

A blower;
A dust collecting unit that collects impurities in the air;
a rectangular parallelepiped housing having a first side surface provided with an inlet port for sucking in air and a second side surface opposed to the first side surface, the housing housing the dust collecting unit and the blower in this order in a direction from the first side surface toward the second side surface;
Equipped with
The housing includes a front panel that covers a front side of the housing,
the blower includes a bell mouth that guides the airflow, which is sucked in through the suction port and flows in a direction from the first side surface to the second side surface, into the blower;
an air passage wall that defines an outer edge of an intake air passage, which is an air passage from the intake port to the bell mouth of the blower, in an in-plane direction of the front panel, is configured with a double layer of a panel rib that is fixed to the front panel and protrudes toward the inside of the housing, and a casing rib that is fixed to the housing and protrudes toward the front panel;
An air purifier that features: the housing has a panel rotation axis at an upper portion thereof, the panel rotation axis being a rotation axis for rotating and opening the front panel;
the panel rib is divided into two parts, a first panel rib on a side closer to the panel rotation shaft in the height direction of the housing, and a second panel rib on a side farther from the panel rotation shaft in the height direction of the housing,
the first panel rib, the casing rib, and the second panel rib are arranged in this order from the center of the air intake passage toward the outside of the air intake passage, or the second panel rib, the casing rib, and the first panel rib are arranged in this order;
The air purifier according to claim 1 . the first panel rib and the second panel rib have overlapping regions in end regions on the divided end sides thereof that overlap each other in an in-plane direction of the front panel;
The air purifier according to claim 2 . the housing has a panel rotation axis at an upper portion thereof, the panel rotation axis being a rotation axis for rotating and opening the front panel;
the casing rib is divided into two, a first casing rib on a side closer to the panel rotation shaft in a height direction of the housing, and a second casing rib on a side farther from the panel rotation shaft in the height direction of the housing,
the first casing rib, the panel rib, and the second casing rib are arranged in this order from the center of the air intake passage toward the outside of the air intake passage, or the second casing rib, the panel rib, and the first casing rib are arranged in this order;
The air purifier according to claim 1 . the first casing rib and the second casing rib have overlapping regions in end regions on the divided end sides thereof that overlap each other in an in-plane direction of the front panel;
The air purifier according to claim 4 . the panel rib and the casing rib have a hooking structure for hooking the panel rib and the casing rib together;
6. The air purifier according to claim 1,

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