JP7601688B2 - Air filter mounting structure and air purifier - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an attachment structure for attaching an air filter to a casing and an air purifier.

An air filter for purifying the air is placed inside the air purifier. The air filter comprises a filter medium that captures fine particles such as dust in the air, and an outer frame that surrounds the filter medium. The air purifier takes in outside air, passes it through the filter medium, and discharges the purified air to the outside. Therefore, it is preferable that the air filter is placed airtightly at a predetermined position on the air flow path inside the air purifier so that the taken-in air can reliably pass through the filter medium.

Conventionally, there are known mounting structures for mounting an air filter to a casing that houses the air filter (Patent Documents 1 and 2). In the mounting structure of Patent Document 1, mounting is performed by screwing a bolt into a fixing bracket and a bolt receiver that are arranged in the space between the side wall of the casing that faces the outer frame of the air filter housed in the casing and the outer frame of the air filter. In the mounting structure of Patent Document 2, a retaining plate and a bolt receiver are arranged in adjacent spaces of a plurality of spaces separated by horizontal and vertical plates so that multiple air filters can be stored in a lattice pattern along a plane perpendicular to the airflow direction, and mounting is performed by screwing in a bolt.

JP 2009-95811 A JP 2010-149092 A

In order to reduce the space required for placing the air purifier, it is desirable for the air purifier to be compact, while it is also desirable for the air purifier to have a large processing air volume. However, in order to increase the processing air volume, a large air filter equipped with a filter material with a large filtering area is generally used, so there are conflicting demands for making the air purifier compact and increasing the processing air volume. In the mounting structure described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, bolts and metal fittings are placed around the outer frame of the air filter, and work space is required to tighten the bolts with tools or by hand, so there are limitations to designing a compact air purifier using a large air filter.

The present invention aims to provide an air filter mounting structure and an air purifier that can reduce the space around the outer frame of the air filter housed in the casing.

One aspect of the present invention is an air filter mounting structure.
A mounting structure for mounting an air filter having a filter medium surrounded by an outer frame to a casing,
A bolt that presses the outer frame of the air filter accommodated in an accommodation section of the casing, which is configured to move and accommodate the air filter to a first side in an air flow direction in which gas passes through the filter medium, against the first side in the air flow direction;
a first engaging member disposed on a second side in the air flow direction opposite to the first side with respect to the air filter accommodated in the accommodating section, the first engaging member having a bolt receiving portion into which the bolt is screwed, and an engaging portion extending from the bolt receiving portion to a side of a wall portion of the accommodating section surrounding the outer frame so as to face the outer frame, and further extending to the first side in the air flow direction and having a tip portion;
a second locking member provided at a position of the wall portion opposite to a position on the circumference of the outer frame at which the first locking member is arranged, the second locking member having an opening for receiving the locking portion so as to be inserted through the locking portion, and a support portion for supporting the tip end of the locking portion inserted through the opening, on a first side of the opening in the air flow direction;
The opening is characterized in that it is open so that the locking portion inserted into the opening is prevented from slipping out of the opening to the second side in the air flow direction, while the bolt is screwed into the bolt receiving portion to press the outer frame in the air flow direction, thereby separating the air filter from the bolt receiving portion to the first side in the air flow direction.

the engaging portion has a first portion extending from the bolt receiving portion toward the wall portion, and a second portion bending from an end portion of the first portion toward the wall portion and extending toward a first side in the air flow direction,
It is preferable that the length of the opening in the air flow direction is shorter than the length of the second portion in the air flow direction.

the engaging portion has a first portion extending from the bolt receiving portion toward the wall portion, and a second portion bending from an end portion of the first portion toward the wall portion and extending toward a first side in the air flow direction,
It is preferable that the distance between the opening and the wall portion is three times or less the length of the second portion along the extension direction of the first portion.

It is preferable that the second locking member further includes an abutment portion on the first side of the support portion in the airflow direction, the abutment portion having a narrower distance from the wall portion so as to prevent the tip portion from moving toward the first side in the airflow direction.

It is preferable that the abutment portion extends at an angle to the air flow direction so that the distance between the second locking member and the wall portion narrows toward the first side in the air flow direction.

It is preferable that the length of the opening in a direction parallel to the circumferential extension of the outer frame is longer than the length in that direction of the portion of the engaging portion inserted into the opening, and is 110% or less of that length.

Another aspect of the present invention is an air purifier. The air purifier comprises:
an air filter having a filter medium surrounded by an outer frame;
A casing having a storage section configured to move and store the air filter in an airflow direction in which gas passes through the filter material;
The mounting structure is characterized by comprising:

According to the above aspect, the space around the outer frame of the air filter housed inside the casing can be reduced.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of an air purifier. FIG. 2 is an internal configuration diagram showing an air filter mounting structure with a part of the air purifier removed. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the mounting structure in an attached state. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the mounting structure in an attached state. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the mounting structure in an attached state.

The air filter mounting structure and air purifier of this embodiment are described below.

Figure 1 is a front view showing an example of an air purifier 1 according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is an internal configuration diagram showing the mounting structure 10 for the air filter 2 with the upper rear cover (not shown) of the air purifier 1 removed.

The air purifier 1 includes an air filter 2, a casing 3, and a mounting structure 10. In FIG. 2, the air filter 2 is not shown.

(Air filter)
The air filter 2 includes an outer frame 2b (see FIGS. 4 to 6) and a filter medium 2a (see FIGS. 4 and 5) surrounded by the outer frame 2b.

The outer frame 2b has a rectangular shape when viewed in the airflow direction X (hereinafter also simply referred to as the airflow direction) in which air passes through the filter material 2a of the air filter 2, and surrounds the filter material 2a. The outer frame 2b is made by combining multiple plate materials so that they are positioned in positions corresponding to each of the four sides. The plate materials are, for example, aluminum or aluminum alloy, stainless steel, or ceramic.

The filter material 2a is a member that collects fine particles such as dust particles in the gas. The filter material 2a is, for example, a fibrous body made of glass fiber, silica fiber, or a mixture of these fibers, and has the form of, for example, nonwoven fabric, paper, cotton, or a mat. Specific examples of the filter material 2a include glass nonwoven fabric, glass filter paper, glass wool, etc., which are made of glass fiber. The filter material 2a may further contain a binder that bonds the fibers together. In order to ensure the filtration area, the filter material 2a is preferably pleated and has a zigzag shape with alternating mountain folds and valley folds. This increases the amount of air that can be processed and extends the life of the filter material 2a.

The air filter 2 has the performance of, for example, a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter. A HEPA filter has a collection efficiency of 99.97% or more for particles with a particle diameter of 0.3 μm at the rated air volume, and has an initial pressure loss of 245 Pa or less.

(Casing)
1 and 2, an exhaust port 2c is formed in an upper part of the front side portion of the casing 3, and an intake port 2d is formed in a lower part of the rear side portion of the casing 3. A punching metal 6 is provided on the front side of the casing 3 so as to close the exhaust port 2c from the inside of the casing 3. A pre-filter 8 is provided on the rear side of the casing 3 so as to cover the intake port 2d from the outside of the casing 3.

When the rear upper cover (not shown) is attached to the casing 3, a flow path for flowing the air taken in from the intake port 2d toward the exhaust port 2c is formed in the air purifier 1. The casing 3 has a storage section 4 that constitutes a part of the flow path. The storage section 4 shown in FIG. 2 is formed in a position adjacent to the upstream side (second side) of the exhaust port 2c in the airflow direction X. The storage section 4 is a section that stores the air filter 2. The storage section 4 is configured so that the air filter 2 can be moved in the airflow direction X and stored. Specifically, the storage section 4 has a rectangular wall section 4a that circumferentially surrounds the outer frame 2b so as to face the end face of the outer frame 2b of the air filter 2 stored in the storage section 4.

A gasket (not shown) is preferably disposed upstream in the airflow direction X of the edge of the casing 3 surrounding the exhaust port 2c. When the air filter 2 is attached to the casing 3 in an attached state (hereinafter also simply referred to as the attached state), the gasket is sandwiched between the air filter 2 and the edge, ensuring that the air discharged from the exhaust port 2c passes through the air filter 2.

(Mounting structure)
Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the mounting structure 10. Figures 4 to 6 are views showing the mounting structure in an installed state.
The mounting structure 10 is a structure for airtightly mounting the air filter 2 housed in the housing portion 4 to the casing 3. As shown in Fig. 2, the air purifier 1 has the mounting structures 10 arranged in a total of six locations along the wall portion 4a of the housing portion 4. In the following explanation, the mounting structure 10 surrounded by the dashed circle in Fig. 2 will be used as an example among these six mounting structures 10, but the mounting structures 10 are configured similarly to one another except for the arrangement positions and the facing direction of the first and second locking members described below. Figs. 4 to 6 show the mounting structure 10 surrounded by the dashed circle in Fig. 2.

The mounting structure 10 includes a bolt 13, a first locking member 11, and a second locking member 12.

The bolt 13 is a member that presses the outer frame 2b of the air filter 2 housed in the housing portion 4 of the casing 3 in the airflow direction X. The bolt 13 is arranged to extend in a direction parallel to the airflow direction X. For example, the bolt 13 has a thread size (JIS B1180:2014) of M8 or M10.

The first locking member 11 is disposed upstream of the airflow direction X relative to the air filter 2 housed in the housing 4. The first locking member 11 has a bolt receiving portion 11a and a locking portion 11b.

The bolt receiving portion 11a is a portion in which a screw hole is formed into which the bolt 13 is screwed.

The locking portion 11b extends from the bolt receiving portion 11a toward the wall portion 4a of the storage portion 4 (the lower right side in the Y direction in FIG. 3), and further extends toward the downstream side (first side) in the airflow direction X, and has a tip portion 11e. The locking portion 11b has a first portion 11c and a second portion 11d. The first portion 11c is a portion that extends from the bolt receiving portion 11a toward the wall portion 4a (the lower right side in the Y direction in FIG. 3). The second portion 11d is a portion that extends from the end of the first portion 11c on the wall portion 4a side toward the downstream side in the airflow direction X, bending relative to the first portion 11c.

In the example shown in Figure 3, this first locking member 11 has an L-shape in a cross section perpendicular to the Z direction.

The second locking member 12 is a member provided at a position on the wall portion 4a that faces the position on the circumference of the outer frame 2b where the first locking member 11 is arranged. The second locking member 12 has an opening, a support portion 12b, and an attachment base portion 12d.

The opening is a portion in which an opening 12a is formed to receive the locking portion 11b so that it can be inserted into the locking portion 11b. Therefore, the Z-direction length W12a of the opening 12a is longer than the Z-direction length W11c of the locking portion 11b of the first locking member 11.

The support portion 12b is a portion that supports the tip portion 11e of the locking portion 11b that is inserted into the opening downstream of the opening in the airflow direction X. In the attached state, the tip portion 11e is supported by the support portion 12b from the left side in the Y direction, for example, as shown in FIG. 4.

The mounting base 12d is a portion that is fixed to the wall portion 4a in order to mount the second locking member 12 to the wall portion 4a. Specifically, the mounting base 12d is fixed to the wall surface facing the inner circumference of the wall portion 4a by welding or fastening with screws or the like.

From the viewpoint of reducing the space between the outer frame 2b of the air filter 2 and the wall portion 4a of the storage portion 4, it is preferable that the first locking member 11 and the second locking member 12 are obtained by bending a plate-shaped member having a certain thickness as shown in FIG. 3.

The opening is opened so that the locking portion 11b inserted in the opening is prevented from slipping out from the opening to the upstream side in the airflow direction X, while the bolt 13 is screwed into the bolt receiving portion 11a to press the outer frame 2b in the airflow direction X, thereby separating the air filter 2 from the bolt receiving portion 11a to the downstream side in the airflow direction X. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the opening has an opening 12a closed on the upstream side in the airflow direction X in order to prevent the locking portion 11b from slipping out. On the other hand, the length L12a of the opening 12a in the airflow direction X is greater than the length (thickness) of the first portion 11c of the locking portion 11b in the airflow direction X so that the locking portion 11b can move in the airflow direction X during the installation work.

When mounting the air filter 2 using such a mounting structure 10, first, as shown in FIG. 2, with the rear upper cover (not shown) removed from the air purifier 1, the air filter 2 is moved downstream in the airflow direction X and accommodated in the accommodation section 4. Next, the engaging portion 11b of the first engaging member 11 is inserted from the tip 11e through the opening 12a of the second engaging member 12, and the first engaging member 11 is positioned so that the extension direction of the second portion 11d of the engaging portion 11b is parallel to the opening and support portion 12b of the second engaging member 12. In this state, when the bolt 13 is screwed (tightened) into the screw hole of the bolt receiving portion 11a, the first portion 11c of the engaging portion 11b moves, for example, from the downstream side to the upstream side in the airflow direction X within the opening 12a, and the first portion 11c is separated from the outer frame 2b of the air filter 2. Next, when the bolt 13 is tightened, the first portion 11c comes into contact with the upstream edge that defines the opening 12a, and the first locking member 11 exerts a force to press the air filter 2 downstream while restricting movement upstream. In this state, by further tightening the bolt 13, the air filter 2 is strongly pressed toward the exhaust port 2c, and is attached to the casing 3 (hereinafter also referred to as the attached state). As a result, the air filter 2 is airtightly arranged at a predetermined position on the air flow path in the air purifier 1 so that the air taken into the casing 3 and exhausted from the exhaust port 2c passes through the air filter 2 reliably.

On the other hand, when removing the installed air filter 2 from the casing 3, the force applied to the air filter 2 by the first locking member 11 is weakened by loosening the bolt 13, and the first part 11c located in the opening 12a is allowed to move freely in the airflow direction X, so that the locking part 11b can be pulled out of the opening 12a and the first locking member 11 can be removed from the second locking member 12. By removing the first locking member 11 in this way, the air filter 2 can be removed by moving it so as to be pulled out to the upstream side of the airflow direction X from the storage section 4, and the air filter 2 can be replaced.

According to the mounting structure 10 of this embodiment, the air filter 2 is attached using the bolts 13, so that the air filter 2 appears tightly fastened when the rear upper cover (not shown) is removed as shown in FIG. 2. On the other hand, the bolts 13 are arranged to press the outer frame 2b of the air filter 2, and no bolts are arranged in the space between the outer frame 2b and the wall 4a. Therefore, no space is required between the outer frame 2b and the wall 4a to arrange the bolts or to perform the work of fastening the bolts, and the space around the outer frame 2b of the air filter 2 housed in the casing 3 can be reduced. This allows the arrangement space of the air filter 2 in the casing 3 to be reduced, and the air purifier 1 to be made compact. In addition, as described above, the space around the outer frame 2b of the air filter 2 can be reduced, so that a large air filter 2 with a large filtration area can be arranged. In other words, it is possible to achieve both a compact air purifier 1 and an improved processing air volume.

According to one embodiment, the length L12a (see FIG. 3) of the opening 12a in the airflow direction X is preferably shorter than the length L11d (see FIG. 3) of the second portion 11d in the airflow direction X. This allows the tip 11e of the first locking member 11 to be reliably supported by the support portion 12b of the second locking member 12, as shown in FIG. 4. Furthermore, if the length L12a of the opening 12a is short, the tip 11e of the second portion 11d of the first locking member 11 comes into contact with the second locking member 12, making it easier to fix the first locking member 11, and improving the work efficiency of installing the air filter 2. From this point of view, it is preferable that the length L12a is 60 to 90% of the length L11d.

In one embodiment, the gap G (see FIG. 3) between the opening and the wall 4a is preferably three times or less than the length (thickness) T11d (see FIG. 3) of the second portion 11d along the extension direction Y of the first portion 11c. This configuration contributes to reducing the space between the outer frame 2b of the air filter 2 and the wall 4a of the storage portion 4. In addition, the narrow gap G makes it easier for the tip 11e of the first locking member 11 to be supported not only by the support portion 12b of the second locking member 12 but also by the wall 3a of the casing 3, making it easier to stabilize the posture of the first locking member 11. From this point of view, the gap G is preferably 1.8 to 2.2 times the length (thickness) T11d.

According to one embodiment, the second locking member 12 preferably further includes an abutment portion 12c further downstream in the airflow direction X from the support portion 12b, the distance between which is narrowed from the wall portion 4a so as to prevent the tip portion 11e from moving downstream in the airflow direction X. According to this embodiment, when performing the installation work, the tip portion 11e of the first locking member 11 can be abutted against the abutment portion 12c, and the first portion 11c of the locking portion 11b can be positioned to a certain extent away from the outer frame 2b of the air filter 2. Therefore, the first locking member 11 into which the bolt 13 has been screwed in beforehand can be used for tightening, and the bolt 13 can be screwed in only a small amount.

In this embodiment, it is further preferable that the abutment portion 12c extends at an angle with respect to the airflow direction X so that the distance between the second locking member 12 and the wall portion 4a narrows toward the downstream side of the airflow direction X. This makes it easier for the tip portion 11e to be restrained from both sides of the second locking member 12 and the wall portion 4a, making it easier to stabilize the posture of the first locking member 11 during installation work.

According to one embodiment, the length W12a (see FIG. 3) of the opening 12a in a direction parallel to the circumferential extension of the outer frame 2b (direction Z in FIGS. 4 to 6) is longer than the length W11c (see FIG. 3) of the portion of the locking portion 11b inserted into the opening in that direction, and is preferably 110% or less of the length W11c. According to this embodiment, the locking portion 11b is restrained from both sides in the parallel direction (Z direction), so that the wobbling of the first locking member 11 during the installation work is suppressed, making the installation work easier. In addition, by combining the above-mentioned embodiment in which the abutment portion 12c narrows toward the downstream side of the airflow direction X, the first locking member 11 is supported from various directions, and the wobbling of the first locking member 11 during the installation work is effectively suppressed. This greatly improves the efficiency of the installation work of the air filter 2.

The air purifier 1 further includes an operating unit 7 (see FIG. 1), a fan (not shown), a power plug (not shown), and legs (see FIG. 1).

The operation unit 7 is disposed on the surface (front surface) facing the front side of the casing 3. The operation unit 7 is provided with buttons for instructing the air purifier 1 to operate and stop operating.

The fan is disposed at the bottom inside the casing 3, downstream of the airflow direction X of the air intake 2d. When the operation of the air purifier 1 is commanded by operating the above-mentioned button on the operation unit 7, the fan rotates, thereby taking in air from the air intake 2d and forming an airflow that flows toward the exhaust 2c.

The power plug is for supplying external power to the air purifier 1.

The legs are configured to allow the air purifier 1 to stand upright. Specifically, the legs extend linearly toward the rear and front of the page of FIG. 1 of the casing 3, and are attached to both ends of the lower end of the casing 3 in the left-right direction of FIG. 1. In the example shown in FIG. 1, casters are provided at both ends of the legs in the extension direction. The legs are not shown in FIG. 2.

The application of the mounting structure 10 is not limited to the air purifier 1. The mounting structure 10 may be for mounting the air filter 2 to a casing 3 having a housing portion 4 that is installed in the middle of a duct that constitutes an air conditioning system of a building such as a building or factory.

The air filter mounting structure and air purifier of the present invention have been described in detail above, but the air filter mounting structure and air purifier of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiment, and various improvements and modifications may of course be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the first side is the downstream side and the second side is the upstream side with respect to the second side and the first side in the airflow direction. However, in one embodiment, the first side may be the upstream side and the second side may be the downstream side. In this case, the air purifier 1 is configured such that the exhaust port 2c is the intake port and the intake port 2d is the intake port, and an airflow is formed from the intake port to the exhaust port. In the air purifier 1 configured in this manner, the above-mentioned prefilter may be omitted, and instead, a prefilter may be provided between the punching metal 6 and the air filter 2 housed in the housing 4.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Air purifier 2 Air filter 2a Filter material 2b Outer frame 2c Exhaust port 2d Intake port 3 Casing 4 Storage section 4a Wall section 6 Punching metal 7 Operation section 8 Pre-filter 10 Mounting structure 11 First locking member 11a Bolt receiving section 11b Locking section 11c First section 11d Second section 11e Tip section 12 Second locking member 12a Opening 12b Support section 12c Contact section 12d Mounting base 13 Bolt

Claims (6)

A mounting structure for mounting an air filter having a filter medium surrounded by an outer frame to a casing,
A bolt that presses the outer frame of the air filter accommodated in an accommodation section of the casing, which is configured to move and accommodate the air filter to a first side in an air flow direction in which gas passes through the filter medium, against the first side in the air flow direction;
a first engaging member disposed on a second side in the air flow direction opposite to the first side with respect to the air filter accommodated in the accommodating section, the first engaging member having a bolt receiving portion into which the bolt is screwed, and an engaging portion extending from the bolt receiving portion to a side of a wall portion of the accommodating section surrounding the outer frame so as to face the outer frame, and further extending to the first side in the air flow direction and having a tip portion;
a second locking member provided at a position of the wall portion opposite to a position on the circumference of the outer frame at which the first locking member is arranged, the second locking member having an opening for receiving the locking portion so as to be inserted through the locking portion, and a support portion for supporting the tip end of the locking portion inserted through the opening, on a first side of the opening in the air flow direction;
the opening is opened so that the locking portion inserted into the opening is prevented from slipping out of the opening to a second side in the air flow direction, while the bolt is screwed into the bolt receiving portion to press the outer frame in the air flow direction, thereby separating the air filter from the bolt receiving portion to a first side in the air flow direction,
the engaging portion has a first portion extending from the bolt receiving portion toward the wall portion, and a second portion bending from an end portion of the first portion toward the wall portion and extending toward a first side in the air flow direction,
An air filter mounting structure, comprising : a length of the opening in the air flow direction that is shorter than a length of the second portion in the air flow direction . the engaging portion has a first portion extending from the bolt receiving portion toward the wall portion, and a second portion bending from an end portion of the first portion toward the wall portion and extending toward a first side in the air flow direction,
2. The air filter mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein a distance between the opening and the wall portion is equal to or less than three times a length of the second portion along an extension direction of the first portion. 3. An air filter mounting structure as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the second engaging member further comprises an abutment portion on a first side of the support portion in the air flow direction, the abutment portion having a narrower distance from the wall portion so as to prevent the tip portion from moving toward the first side in the air flow direction. 4. The air filter mounting structure according to claim 3 , wherein the abutting portion extends at an angle with respect to the air flow direction such that a distance between the second engaging member and the wall portion becomes narrower toward a first side in the air flow direction. The air filter mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the length of the opening in a direction parallel to the circumferential extension of the outer frame is longer than the length of the portion of the engaging part inserted into the opening in that direction, and is 110% or less of that length. an air filter having a filter medium surrounded by an outer frame;
A casing having a storage section configured to move and store the air filter in an airflow direction in which gas passes through the filter material;
An air purifier comprising: the mounting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5 .

Images