JP7629160B2 - Deodorizing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a deodorizing device that uses ozone to eliminate odors.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes an ozone spray that generates ozone by electrolyzing water stored in a container and sprays ozone water containing the generated ozone.

Patent No. 6249200

The above-mentioned ozone sprays spray ozone water onto objects such as toilet bowls and kitchen sinks to disinfect and sterilize them, so they need to release an amount of ozone water that is enough to thoroughly wet the object. As a result, it is difficult to make the ozone water into a mist with very small particle sizes, and it is difficult to diffuse it widely throughout a room, so it is difficult to deodorize a room using the above-mentioned ozone spray.

Instead of using ozone water as described above, it is possible to deodorize the room by releasing air containing ozone into the room. Unlike ozone water, air containing ozone tends to diffuse widely throughout the room.

However, when deodorizing by releasing gaseous ozone from a deodorizing device, the released ozone can easily spread the ozone odor that people can detect depending on the concentration, and when someone comes near the deodorizing device, for example, when they enter a small room such as a restroom, there is a risk that the ozone odor will make the person feel uncomfortable.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and aims to provide a deodorizing device that can effectively deodorize using ozone without causing discomfort to people.

A first aspect of the present invention relates to a deodorizing device. The deodorizing device according to this aspect includes a first emission unit that emits ozone, a second emission unit that emits mist, a control unit that controls the first emission unit and the second emission unit, a human detection unit that detects whether or not a person is present within a predetermined range from the deodorizing device, and a temperature detection unit that detects the ambient temperature of the deodorizing device . The human detection unit includes a human sensor that outputs a detection signal that changes depending on the magnitude of temperature change caused by infrared rays emitted from a person, and a determination unit that determines whether or not a person is present by comparing the detection signal with a predetermined threshold value.
The control unit controls the first emission unit to emit ozone when the presence of a person is not detected by the human detection unit, and when the presence of a person is detected by the human detection unit during ozone emission, controls the first emission unit to stop ozone emission and controls the second emission unit to emit mist. Furthermore, the control unit adjusts the threshold value so that the lower the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit, the greater the temperature change that determines the presence of a person.

According to the above configuration, when a person comes near the deodorizing device while ozone is being released by the first release unit, the ozone remaining in the vicinity is decomposed by the mist released from the second release unit, and the concentration of the ozone quickly decreases, quickly reducing the ozone odor. This makes it less likely that people will feel uncomfortable.

The above configuration can suppress fluctuations in the detection range of human presence caused by changes in the ambient temperature, making it less likely that room temperature or other factors will cause the deodorizing device to not stop ozone emission even when a person is near the device, or to not emit ozone even when no person is near the device.

The second aspect of the present invention relates to a deodorizing device. The deodorizing device according to this aspect includes a first release section that releases ozone, a second release section that releases mist, a control section that controls the first release section and the second release section, a human detection section that detects whether or not a person is present within a predetermined range from the deodorizing device, and a temperature detection section that detects the ambient temperature of the deodorizing device . The first release section includes an ozone generation section that generates ozone from oxygen in the air. The control section causes the first release section to release ozone when the human detection section does not detect the presence of a person, and when the human detection section detects the presence of a person during the release of ozone, causes the first release section to stop releasing ozone and causes the second release section to release mist. Furthermore, the control section increases the amount of mist released by the second release section per unit time as the temperature detected by the temperature detection section decreases .

According to the above configuration, when a person comes near the deodorizing device while the first releaser is releasing ozone, the ozone remaining in the vicinity is decomposed by the mist released from the second releaser, and the concentration of the ozone is quickly reduced, and the ozone odor is quickly reduced, making it difficult for people to feel uncomfortable.
According to the above configuration, the lower the ambient temperature of the deodorizing device and the higher the concentration of ozone released from the first release section, the greater the amount of mist released per unit time from the second release section. Therefore, while suppressing wasteful consumption of mist, the ozone concentration can be quickly reduced to an appropriate level regardless of the ambient temperature, and the ozone odor can be quickly reduced to an appropriate state.

In the deodorizing device according to the first or second aspect, the first emitting section may be configured to include an ozone generating section that generates ozone from oxygen in the air, and an air blowing section that sends the ozone generated by the ozone generating section to the outside of the first emitting section. In this case, the control section may be configured to operate the ozone generating section and the air blowing section when the presence of a person is not detected by the human detection section, and to stop the operation of the ozone generating section and operate the air blowing section when the presence of a person is detected by the human detection section during ozone emission.

According to the above configuration, when a person comes near the deodorizing device while ozone is being released, the ozone generation unit stops releasing ozone, while the air blowing unit operates to release air. This causes the mist released from the second release unit to be diffused by the released air, preventing the area around the deodorizing device from becoming wet with the mist.

The present invention provides a deodorizing device that uses ozone to effectively eliminate odors without causing discomfort to people.

The effects and significance of the present invention will become clearer from the description of the embodiments shown below. However, the following embodiment is merely an example of how the present invention can be put into practice, and the present invention is in no way limited to the embodiments described below.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ozone deodorizing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the ozone deodorizing device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a water supply section, a shower discharge section, and a mist discharge section according to the embodiment. FIG. 4(a) is a cross-sectional view of a shower discharge portion according to the embodiment, and FIG. 4(b) is a cross-sectional view of a mist discharge portion according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ozone sprayer according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a charger according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control process of ozone spray by the control unit in the ozone gas mode according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the control process of the charger by the control unit in the ozone gas mode according to the present embodiment.

Below, an ozone deodorizing device, which is one embodiment of the deodorizing device of the present invention, will be described with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the ozone deodorizing device 1. Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the ozone deodorizing device 1. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the water supply section 30, the shower discharge section 40, and the mist discharge section 50. Figure 4(a) is a cross-sectional view of the shower discharge section 40, and Figure 4(b) is a cross-sectional view of the mist discharge section 50.

In the following description, the shower discharge section 40 side will be referred to as the front side of the ozone deodorizing device 1.

The ozone deodorizing device 1 is composed of an ozone sprayer 2 and a charger 3.

The ozone spray 2 includes a generation unit 20, a water supply unit 30, a shower discharge unit 40, a mist discharge unit 50, and an operation unit 60 within a housing 10.

The ozone spray 2 sends the ozone water generated by the generation unit 20 to the shower discharge unit 40 through the water supply unit 30, and releases it from the shower discharge unit 40 to the outside in a shower-like form. The ozone spray 2 also sends the ozone water generated by the generation unit 20 to the mist discharge unit 50 through the water supply unit 30, generates a mist containing ozone from the ozone water, and releases the mist from the mist discharge unit 50 to the outside.

The ozone spray 2 further includes a power supply unit 70 including a rechargeable battery 710 within the housing 10. The ozone spray 2 is detachably installed in the charger 3 for charging the rechargeable battery 710.

The charger 3 includes a power supply unit 110 in a housing 100, and supplies power to charge the rechargeable battery 710 with the ozone spray 2 installed from the power supply unit 110. The charger 3 also includes an ozone generator 120 and a fan 130 in the housing 100, and the ozone generated from oxygen in the air by the ozone generator 120 is absorbed into the air by the operation of the fan 130 and released to the outside. The ozone released from the charger 3 is a gas, and can also be called ozone gas.

The configuration of the ozone sprayer 2 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 1 to 4(b).

The housing 10 is composed of a body 10a, a neck 10b, and a head 10c. The body 10a is formed in a generally bottomed cylindrical shape with a taper at its upper part that narrows toward the neck 10b. A long and narrow display window 11 is formed in the body 10a. The body 10a is also provided with a mode switching button 12 and a mode display unit 13. Each time the mode switching button 12 is pressed, the operation mode is switched between an ozone shower mode in which ozone water is released in a shower from the shower release unit 40, and an ozone mist mode in which mist containing ozone is released from the mist release unit 50. The mode display unit 13 includes an LED that can be lit in multiple colors, and lights up in a color corresponding to the operation mode.

The neck portion 10b is generally cylindrical and extends in the vertical direction. The head portion 10c is generally rectangular and extends in the front-to-back direction.

The generation unit 20 includes a container 210 for storing water, an electrolysis unit 220 for taking in the water from the container 210 and generating ozone from the taken-in water by electrolysis, and a pump 230 for sending the ozone water containing the ozone generated in the electrolysis unit 220 through the water supply unit 30 to the shower discharge unit 40 and the mist discharge unit 50.

The container 210 is translucent and formed into a shape corresponding to the housing 10. The container 210 stores water such as pure water or tap water. The height of the top surface of the container 210 is lower than the height of the neck portion 10b of the housing 10. This forms a space above the neck portion 10b in which components such as the pump 230, the switching unit 360, and the operating unit 60 are placed.

The container 210 has a protrusion 211 formed on the front side that has a shape corresponding to the display window 11. The protrusion 211 is exposed to the outside through the display window 11. The user can check the amount of water in the container 210 through the display window 11. The container 210 also has a water inlet 212 on the rear side for adding water to the container 210. The water inlet 212 protrudes slightly outward from an opening 14 provided in the housing 10. A cap 15 that covers the water inlet 212 fits into the opening 14.

The electrolysis unit 220 includes an anode, a cathode, and an ion exchange membrane, and is disposed at the bottom of the container 210. The electrolysis unit 220 is provided with a water inlet 221 and a water outlet 222.

The pump 230 is, for example, a small pump of a diaphragm drive type. A water intake pipe 240 is connected to the suction port 231 of the pump 230. The water intake port 241 at the tip of the water intake pipe 240 is located at the bottom of the container 210. One end of a discharge pipe 250 is connected to the discharge port 232 of the pump 230. The other end of the discharge pipe 250 is connected to the inlet 221 of the electrolysis unit 220.

When the pump 230 operates, water in the container 210 is sucked in through the water intake 241 and sent to the electrolysis unit 220 through the water intake pipe 240, the pump 230, and the discharge pipe 250. When water passes through the electrolysis unit 220 with electricity flowing between the anode and cathode, the water is electrolyzed to generate ozone. The generated ozone dissolves in the water to produce ozone water.

The water supply section 30 includes a water supply pipe 310, a shower pipe 320, a mist pipe 330, a shower valve 340, and a mist valve 350.

The water supply pipe 310 is connected to the outlet 222 of the electrolysis unit 220. The shower pipe 320 and the mist pipe 330 branch off from the water supply pipe 310 and are connected to the shower discharge unit 40 and the mist discharge unit 50, respectively. The shower pipe 320 and the mist pipe 330 are composed of two pipes, and a shower valve 340 and a mist valve 350 are disposed between the two pipes, respectively. The shower valve 340 and the mist valve 350 are electromagnetic valves, and constitute a switching unit 360 that switches whether the ozone water flowing out of the generation unit 20 is to flow to the shower pipe 320 or the mist pipe 330.

When the pump 230 is not operating, the shower valve 340 and the mist valve 350 are closed, and when the pump 230 is operating, one of the valves is opened.

The ozone water discharged from the pump 230 flows through the water supply pipe 310. If the shower valve 340 is open, the ozone water sent to the water supply pipe 310 is sent through the shower pipe 320 to the shower discharge section 40, and if the mist valve 350 is open, it is sent through the mist pipe 330 to the mist discharge section 50.

The shower discharge part 40 is disposed at the front end of the head 10c of the housing 10. A circular discharge port 41 with a tapered outer periphery is provided on the front surface of the shower discharge part 40. The discharge port 41 is exposed to the outside from the front end surface of the head 10c. A circular discharge plate 42 is attached to the discharge port 41. A plurality of holes 42a are formed in a dispersed manner on the discharge plate 42. A connection port 43 is provided at the rear of the shower discharge part 40, and the shower pipe 320 is connected to this connection port 43. Inside the shower discharge part 40, a flow path 44 is formed from the connection port 43 to the discharge port 41. As shown by the dashed arrow in FIG. 4(a), the ozone water sent to the shower discharge part 40 by the shower pipe 320 is forcefully discharged in a shower-like manner from the plurality of holes 42a of the discharge plate 42, that is, sprayed.

The mist emission section 50 is disposed at the rear end of the head 10c of the housing 10. The front surface of the mist emission section 50 is exposed to the outside from the rear end surface of the head 10c. The mist emission section 50 includes a housing 510, an ultrasonic vibrator 520, and a water tank 530. The mist emission section 50 corresponds to the second emission section of the present invention.

A circular recess 511 is formed on the front surface of the housing 510, and a disk-shaped ultrasonic transducer 520 is attached to this recess 511. The ultrasonic transducer 520 has a vibration surface 521 that has many micropores and vibrates ultrasonically.

The water tank 530 is disposed at the top of the housing 510. The volume of the water tank 530 is significantly smaller than the volume of the container 210. An inlet pipe 531 is formed on the top surface of the water tank 530. The inlet pipe 531 protrudes rearward from the rear surface of the housing 510. The mist pipe 330 is connected to the inlet pipe 531. An overflow port 532 is formed at the top of the rear surface of the water tank 530. The overflow port 532 protrudes rearward from the rear surface of the housing 510. An overflow pipe 540 is connected to the overflow port 532. The tip of the overflow pipe 540 is inserted into the container 210.

The water tank 530 has a portion that extends diagonally downward toward the recess 511 of the housing 510, and an outlet 533 is provided at the tip of the portion. The outlet 533 is connected to the vibration surface 521 of the ultrasonic transducer 520 within the recess 511.

The water tank 530 stores ozone water sent to the mist emission section 50 by the mist pipe 330. When the ultrasonic vibrator 520 operates, the vibration surface 521 vibrates ultrasonically. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the ozone water that comes into contact with the vibration surface 521 at the outlet 533 of the water tank 530 is atomized into mist containing ozone. The mist is emitted from the numerous micropores in the vibration surface 521, which serve as the emission outlet.

The operation unit 60 is provided on the front side of the neck portion 10b of the housing 10. The operation unit 60 includes an operation button 61, and when the operation button 61 is pressed, an internal contact opening and closing switch is turned on.

The power supply unit 70 includes a rechargeable battery 710 and a charging device 720. The rechargeable battery 710 is, for example, a lithium ion battery, and outputs power to drive electrical components such as the electrolysis unit 220, the pump 230, and the switching unit 360. The charging device 720 includes a receiving coil 721 and a charging circuit board 722, and charges the rechargeable battery 710. The receiving coil 721 is made of a conductor wound in a spiral shape, and is arranged close to the bottom surface of the housing 10. The rechargeable battery 710 and the charging circuit board 722 are arranged at the rear lower part of the container 210 inside the housing 10.

A proximity switch 16 is disposed on the bottom of the housing 10. The proximity switch 16 is configured as a reed switch or the like, and turns on in response to the magnetic force of a magnet 140 provided on the charger 3 when the ozone sprayer 2 is placed on the mounting surface 102 of the charger 3.

Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ozone sprayer 2.

In addition to the above-mentioned configuration, the ozone sprayer 2 includes a control unit 81, a memory unit 82, an operation detection unit 83, a display drive unit 84, an electrode current supply unit 85, a pump drive unit 86, a valve drive unit 87, a vibrator drive unit 88, and a communication unit 89.

When the operation button 61 or the mode switching button 12 of the operation unit 60 is pressed, the operation detection unit 83 outputs an operation signal corresponding to the pressed button to the control unit 81. When the proximity switch 16 is turned on, an on signal is output from the proximity switch 16 to the control unit 81.

The display drive unit 84 lights up the mode display unit 13 in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 81. The electrode current supply unit 85 applies a voltage for electrolysis between the anode and cathode of the electrolysis unit 220 in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 81. The pump drive unit 86 drives the pump 230 in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 81.

The valve driver 87 drives the shower valve 340 and the mist valve 350, i.e., the switching unit 360, in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 81. The transducer driver 88 drives the ultrasonic transducer 520 in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 81.

The communication unit 89 communicates with the communication unit 186 of the charger 3 via a short-range wireless communication method such as infrared communication.

The storage unit 82 includes a ROM, a RAM, etc. The storage unit 82 stores a program for causing the control unit 81 to execute a predetermined process. The storage unit 82 also stores various parameters and various control flags used in executing the program.

The control unit 81 controls the display drive unit 84, electrode current supply unit 85, pump drive unit 86, valve drive unit 87, transducer drive unit 88, communication unit 89, etc., in accordance with the program stored in the memory unit 82, based on each signal from the operation detection unit 83, the proximity switch 16, etc.

Referring again to Figures 1 and 2, the configuration of the charger 3 will be described in detail.

The charger 3 has a housing 100 that is generally cylindrical and flat from top to bottom. A slightly concave recess 101 is formed on the top surface of the housing 100. The bottom surface of the recess 101 serves as a mounting surface 102 for mounting the ozone spray 2, and is parallel to the bottom surface of the housing 100. An outlet 103 is formed on the upper rear surface of the circumferential surface of the housing 100. The outlet 103 is composed of a number of slit holes aligned in the circumferential direction. When the ozone spray 2 is installed on the charger 3, the outlet 103 faces in the same direction as the vibration surface 521, which is the outlet of the mist emission section 50 of the ozone spray 2.

A power supply unit 110 and a magnet 140 are provided within the housing 100. The power supply unit 110 includes a power supply unit 111 and a power transmission coil 112. A plug (not shown) is connected to the power supply unit 111. When the plug is connected to an outlet, power is supplied from a commercial power source to the power supply unit 111. The power transmission coil 112 is made of a conductor wound in a spiral shape, and is arranged close to the mounting surface 102 in a position facing the power receiving coil 721 when the ozone spray 2 is placed on the charger 3. The magnet 140 is arranged close to the mounting surface 102 in a position facing the proximity switch 16 when the ozone spray 2 is placed on the charger 3.

Furthermore, an air passage 104 extending in the front-rear direction is provided in the housing 100. The front side of the air passage 104 is parallel to the bottom surface of the housing 100, and the rear side is inclined diagonally upward with respect to the bottom surface. The housing 100 has a storage chamber 105 formed by recessing the front side of the side surface inward, and the inlet 104a of the air passage 104 is connected to the storage chamber 105. The outlet 104b of the air passage 104 is connected to the discharge port 103. An ozone generator 120 is disposed in the air passage 104, and a fan 130 is disposed in the storage chamber 105. The ozone generator 120, the fan 130, and the air passage 104 constitute an ozone discharge section 150 that discharges ozone. The ozone discharge section 150 corresponds to the first discharge section of the present invention. The ozone generator 120 corresponds to the ozone generation section of the present invention, and the fan 130 corresponds to the air blowing section of the present invention.

The ozone generator 120 is a discharge type ozone generator that generates a discharge such as a corona discharge or a silent discharge between a pair of electrodes, and generates ozone from the oxygen in the air that is passed between the pair of electrodes.

The fan 130 is an axial fan that takes in air from outside the housing 100 and sends the air to the ozone generator 120 in the air passage 104. The fan 130 also absorbs ozone generated by the ozone generator 120 into the air and sends it out through the outlet 103. The fan 130 may be a centrifugal fan.

A human presence sensor 160 is disposed at the rear of the housing 100 to detect whether or not a person is present within a predetermined range of the ozone deodorizing device 1. A temperature sensor 170 is also disposed at the rear of the housing 100 to detect the ambient temperature of the ozone deodorizing device 1.

Between the ozone spray 2 and the charger 3, a positioning structure is provided consisting of a protrusion 106 formed on the housing 100 of the charger 3 and a recess 17 formed on the housing 10 of the ozone spray 2 in which the protrusion 106 is housed. This positioning structure prevents the ozone spray 2 from being placed on the charger 3 with the front and back facing backwards.

Figure 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the charger 3.

In addition to the above-mentioned configuration, the charger 3 includes a control unit 181, a memory unit 182, an inverter 183, a generator drive unit 184, a fan drive unit 185, and a communication unit 186.

The inverter 183 generates an AC voltage from the voltage supplied from the power supply device 111 in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 181, and applies the AC voltage to the power transmission coil 112. The inverter 183, together with the power supply device 111 and the power transmission coil 112, constitutes the power supply unit 110.

The generator drive unit 184 drives the ozone generator 120 in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 181. The fan drive unit 185 drives the fan 130 in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 181. The communication unit 186 communicates with the communication unit 89 of the ozone sprayer 2 by a short-range wireless communication method.

The human sensor 160 is a thermal infrared sensor such as a pyroelectric or thermoelectromotive type, and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 181 that changes according to the magnitude of the temperature change caused by infrared rays emitted from a person. The control unit 151 compares the input detection signal with a predetermined threshold value to determine whether or not a person is present within a predetermined range from the ozone deodorizing device 1. For example, the detection signal has a waveform in which the peak voltage increases as the temperature change upon receiving infrared rays emitted from a person, i.e., the temperature difference from the surrounding temperature, increases. The control unit 181 compares the peak voltage with a predetermined voltage that serves as a threshold value, and determines that a person is present when the peak voltage is higher than the predetermined voltage. The control unit 181 corresponds to the determination unit of the present invention, and the human sensor 160 and the control unit 181 constitute the human detection unit of the present invention.

The temperature sensor 170 is, for example, a thermistor, and outputs a temperature signal corresponding to the detected temperature to the control unit 181. The temperature sensor 170 corresponds to the temperature detection unit of the present invention.

The storage unit 182 includes a ROM, a RAM, etc. The storage unit 182 stores a program for causing the control unit 181 to execute a predetermined process. The storage unit 182 also stores various parameters and various control flags used in executing the program.

The control unit 181 controls the inverter 183, generator drive unit 184, fan drive unit 185, communication unit 186, etc. according to the program stored in the memory unit 182.

Now, in the ozone deodorizing device 1, when the ozone spray 2 is away from the charger 3, the ozone spray 2 can perform operation in the ozone shower mode and the ozone mist mode. The processing for operation in these two modes is executed by the control unit 81 of the ozone spray 2.

When the operation button 61 is pressed while the ozone shower mode is selected, the control unit 81 opens the shower valve 340 and then operates the pump 230 and electrolysis unit 220 for a predetermined time (e.g., 3 seconds). As a result, the ozone water generated in the electrolysis unit 220, i.e., the generation unit 20, is sent to the shower discharge unit 40, and a shower of ozone water is sprayed from the discharge port 41 of the shower discharge unit 40 for a predetermined time. The user can clean an object, such as a toilet bowl or a kitchen sink, by spraying the ozone water onto the object.

On the other hand, when the operation button 61 is pressed while the device is set to the ozone mist mode, the control unit 81 opens the mist valve 350 and then operates the pump 230 and the electrolysis unit 220. As a result, ozone water accumulates in the water tank 530. The control unit 81 then operates the ultrasonic vibrator 520. As a result, mist containing ozone is released from the vibration surface 521, which is the release port of the mist release unit 50. The ultrasonic vibrator 520 operates until almost all of the ozone water stored in the water tank 530 has been released. The user can deodorize the room by diffusing the mist containing ozone throughout the room. The user can also deodorize an object such as clothing by contacting the mist containing ozone with the object.

In the ozone deodorizing device 1, when the ozone spray 2 is placed on the charger 3, the ozone spray 2 is charged. When the control unit 81 of the ozone spray 2 detects that the ozone spray 2 has been placed on the charger 3 by the proximity switch 16, it uses short-range wireless communication to instruct the control unit 181 of the charger 3 to start charging. The control unit 181 operates the inverter 183 to pass an AC current through the power transmission coil 112. Due to electromagnetic induction, an AC current flows through the power receiving coil 721 on the ozone spray 2 side, generating an AC voltage. The AC voltage is converted to a DC voltage by the charging circuit board 722 and supplied to the rechargeable battery 710. This charges the rechargeable battery 710.

When the ozone spray 2 is installed on the charger 3, the ozone deodorizing device 1 operates in ozone gas mode, and air containing ozone is released from the outlet 103 of the charger 3. The ozone concentration in the released air is higher than the ozone concentration in the mist released from the ozone spray 2 in the ozone mist mode. In addition, the water in the mist does not break down the ozone. This makes it highly effective at deodorizing the room.

On the other hand, the ozone gas mode is more likely to produce an ozone odor than the ozone mist mode. Many users find the ozone odor unpleasant. Therefore, in the ozone gas mode, ozone is released from the charger 3 when no one is present in the vicinity of the ozone deodorizing device 1. Furthermore, if a person comes near the ozone deodorizing device 1 while ozone is being released, the release of ozone is stopped and mist is released from the ozone spray 2 so that the ozone is quickly decomposed and the ozone odor is reduced.

The process for operation in the ozone gas mode is executed by the control unit 81 of the ozone sprayer 2 and the control unit 181 of the charger 3 in cooperation with each other. The control unit 81 of the ozone sprayer 2 and the control unit 181 of the charger 3 constitute the control unit of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the control process of the ozone sprayer 2 by the control unit 81 in the ozone gas mode. Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the control process of the charger 3 by the control unit 181 in the ozone gas mode.

Referring to FIG. 7, in the ozone sprayer 2, the control unit 81 determines whether the ozone sprayer 2 is installed on the charger 3 based on whether the proximity switch 16 is on or off (S101).

When the user has finished using the ozone spray 2, they place it on the charger 3.

When the ozone spray 2 is placed on the charger 3 (S101: YES), the control unit 81 uses short-range wireless communication to send a notification of the placement to the control unit 181 of the charger 3 (S102). Thereafter, the control unit 81 monitors the distance of the ozone spray 2 from the charger 3 (S107) and waits for an instruction to generate mist from the control unit 181 (S103).

Referring to FIG. 8, in the charger 3, the control unit 181 determines whether the ozone spray 2 has been installed on the charger 3 (S201). When the control unit 81 receives a notification of installation from the control unit 81 of the ozone spray 2, it determines that the ozone spray 2 has been installed on the charger 3.

When the ozone spray 2 is placed on the charger 3 (S201: YES), the control unit 181 first sets a threshold value to be compared with the detection signal from the human presence sensor 160 according to the ambient temperature of the ozone deodorizing device 1, and sets the output of the ultrasonic vibrator 520 of the mist emission unit 50 of the ozone spray 2 (S202 to S207).

That is, the control unit 181 detects the ambient temperature using the temperature sensor 170 (S202) and determines whether the ambient temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature (S203).

In the human presence sensor 160, when the distance from the sensor to a person is the same, the lower the ambient temperature, the greater the temperature change caused by the infrared rays emitted from the person, and the higher the peak voltage of the detection signal. Therefore, when the ambient temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature (S203: YES), the control unit 181 sets the threshold value compared to the detection signal from the human presence sensor 160 to a relatively high value (S204) so that the presence of a person is determined by a relatively large temperature change. On the other hand, when the ambient temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature (S203: NO), the control unit 181 sets the threshold value to a relatively low value (S206) so that the presence of a person is determined by a relatively small temperature change. By adjusting the threshold value in this way, fluctuations in the detection range of the presence of a person using the human presence sensor 160 due to changes in the ambient temperature are suppressed.

In addition, in the ozone release unit 150, when the same voltage is applied to the ozone generator 120, the lower the ambient temperature, the more ozone is generated by the ozone generator 120, so the amount of ozone released increases and the ozone concentration increases. If the ozone concentration increases, the amount of water required to decompose the ozone and reduce the ozone concentration to a predetermined level increases. Therefore, if the ambient temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature (S203: YES), the control unit 181 sets the output of the ultrasonic vibrator 520 to a relatively high value so that the amount of mist released per unit time from the mist release unit 50 becomes relatively large (S205). On the other hand, if the ambient temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature (S203: NO), the control unit 181 sets the output of the ultrasonic vibrator 520 to a relatively low value so that the amount of mist released per unit time from the mist release unit 50 becomes relatively small (S207). To change the output of the ultrasonic vibrator 520, for example, the amplitude or period of the ultrasonic vibration is changed. By adjusting the amount of mist emitted from the mist emission unit 50 in this way, when the processes S104 to S106 are performed in the ozone sprayer 2 described below, it is possible to quickly reduce the ozone concentration to a predetermined level while suppressing wasteful consumption of mist, regardless of the ambient temperature.

Next, the control unit 181 determines whether or not a person is present within a predetermined range of the ozone deodorizing device 1 by comparing the detection signal from the human presence sensor 160 with the threshold value set in S204 or S206 (S208). If no person is present (S208: NO) and ozone is not being released (S209: YES), the control unit 181 operates the ozone generator 120 and the fan 130 (S210). This causes ozone to be released together with air from the release port 103 of the charger 3.

Thereafter, if a person approaches within a predetermined range of the ozone deodorizing device 1 while ozone is being released, the control unit 181 determines that a person is present (S208: YES) and that ozone is being released (S211: YES). In this case, the control unit 181 stops the ozone generator 120 (S212). At this time, the fan 130 is not stopped and continues to operate. This stops the release of ozone from the outlet 103 of the charger 3, and only air is released from the outlet 103.

The control unit 181 further instructs the control unit 81 of the ozone spray 2 to generate mist using short-range wireless communication (S213), and notifies the control unit 181 of the output value of the ultrasonic vibrator 520 set in S205 or S207 (S214). After that, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the ozone generator 120 stopped (S215: YES), the control unit 181 stops the fan 130 (S216).

Returning to FIG. 7, in the ozone spray 2, when the control unit 81 receives an instruction to generate mist (S103: YES), it opens the mist valve 350 (S104) and then operates the pump 230 (S105). As a result, the water in the container 210 is sent to the mist release unit 50 and accumulates in the water tank 530. The control unit 81 operates the ultrasonic vibrator 520 with the output notified by the control unit 181 (S106). As a result, mist is released from the mist release unit 50. The released mist comes into contact with ozone remaining around the ozone deodorizing device 1. The remaining ozone is decomposed by the mist, i.e., water. As a result, the ozone concentration around the ozone deodorizing device 1 is quickly reduced, and the ozone odor is quickly reduced.

At this time, the fan 130 operates to send air, i.e. wind, from the charger outlet 103 to the area around the ozone deodorizing device 1, which disperses the mist and prevents the area around the ozone deodorizing device 1 from getting wet with the mist.

When the user removes the ozone spray 2 from the charger 3 to use it for cleaning or the like, the control unit 81 determines that the ozone spray 2 has been separated from the charger 3 (S107: YES). The control unit 81 transmits a notification of the separation to the control unit 181 of the charger 3 (S108) and ends the control process of the ozone mode.

Returning to FIG. 8, in the charger 3, after the fan 130 has stopped, if there is no longer a person within the specified range with the ozone spray 2 still installed on the charger 3, the control unit 181 operates the ozone generator 120 and the fan 130 to release ozone using the ozone release unit 150. On the other hand, when the control unit 81 receives a detachment notification from the control unit 81 of the ozone spray 2 and determines that the ozone spray 2 has been detached from the charger 3 (S217), it ends the control process for the ozone mode.

In addition, the ozone mode control process by the control units 81 and 181 is executed from the beginning immediately after completion.

<Effects of the embodiment>
According to this embodiment, when a person comes near the ozone deodorizing device 1 while the ozone releasing unit 150 is releasing ozone, the ozone remaining in the vicinity is decomposed by the mist released from the mist releasing unit 50, and the ozone concentration is quickly reduced, and the ozone odor is quickly reduced. This makes it possible to make people less likely to feel uncomfortable.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, a human presence sensor 160 is provided that outputs a detection signal that changes according to the magnitude of the temperature change caused by infrared rays emitted from a person, and the presence or absence of a person is determined by comparing the detection signal with a predetermined threshold. The threshold is adjusted so that the lower the ambient temperature of the ozone deodorizing device 1, the greater the temperature change that determines the presence of a person. This makes it possible to suppress fluctuations in the detection range for the presence of a person due to changes in the ambient temperature, making it less likely that, depending on the room temperature, etc., ozone emission will not be stopped even though a person is present near the ozone deodorizing device 1, or ozone will not be emitted even though no person is present near the ozone deodorizing device 1.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the lower the ambient temperature of the ozone deodorizing device 1 is and the higher the concentration of ozone released from the ozone release section 150 becomes, the greater the amount of mist released per unit time from the mist release section 50 becomes. This makes it possible to quickly reduce the ozone concentration to an appropriate level regardless of the ambient temperature while suppressing wasteful consumption of mist, and quickly reduce the ozone odor to an appropriate state.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when a person comes near the ozone deodorizing device 1 while ozone is being released, the ozone generator 120 is stopped to stop the release of ozone, while the fan 130 operates to release air. This causes the mist released from the mist release section 50 to be diffused by the released air, preventing the area around the ozone deodorizing device 1 from getting wet with the mist.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited in any way to the above embodiment, and various modifications to the embodiment of the present invention are possible.

For example, in the above embodiment, the human presence sensor 160, which is a thermal infrared sensor, is used to detect whether or not a person is present within a predetermined range from the ozone deodorizing device 1. However, a human presence sensor that is a non-thermal infrared sensor or a human presence sensor other than an infrared sensor may also be used. When a human presence sensor other than a thermal infrared sensor is used in this manner, the processes of S204 and S206 in FIG. 8, i.e., adjustment of the threshold based on the ambient temperature, is not performed during operation in the ozone gas mode.

In addition, in the above embodiment, in operation in the ozone gas mode, the amount of mist emitted from the mist emission section 50 per unit time is adjusted according to the ambient temperature. However, the amount of mist emitted per unit time may be constant regardless of the ambient temperature. In this case, it is preferable to determine the amount of mist emitted according to when the ambient temperature is low and the ozone concentration is high.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, in the ozone gas mode operation, when the presence of a person is detected during the release of ozone and the ozone generator 120 is stopped, the fan 130 continues to operate. However, the fan 130 may be controlled to be temporarily stopped together with the ozone generator 120 and then resume operation. Furthermore, if there is little concern that the area around the ozone deodorizing device 1 will become wet due to the amount of mist released, etc., the fan 130 may be stopped together with the ozone generator 120 and not operated thereafter.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the mist emission section 50 is configured to atomize and emit the water stored in the water tank 530 by ultrasonic vibration of the ultrasonic vibrator 520. However, the mist emission section 50 is not limited to the above configuration, and may be configured, for example, to have a nozzle with a hole diameter that emits water in the form of a mist.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the mist is emitted horizontally from the mist emission section 50 of the ozone spray 2 when the ozone spray 2 is in a horizontal position. However, the mist may be emitted diagonally downward from the ozone spray 2 by tilting the mist emission section 50, for example. In this way, the emitted mist is more likely to intersect with the ozone emitted diagonally upward from the charger 3 and mix with the ozone, making it easier for the mist to decompose the ozone.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the ozone deodorizing device 1 is composed of the ozone spray 2 and the charger 3. However, the configuration of the ozone deodorizing device 1 is not limited to this configuration. For example, the ozone deodorizing device 1 may be composed of only the ozone spray 2, and the ozone release section 150 provided in the charger 3 may be provided at the bottom of the housing 10. In this case, it is preferable to adopt a configuration in which an AC adapter is connected to the ozone spray 2, and charging power is supplied from the AC adapter to the ozone spray 2.

Furthermore, the ozone deodorizing device 1 may be configured with a mist release section that releases only mist that does not contain ozone, and a release section that releases ozone, for example, an ozone release section that releases ozone may be provided at the bottom of a spray that does not have an ozone generating function and can only release mist.

In addition, various modifications of the embodiment of the present invention are possible within the scope of the technical ideas set forth in the claims.

1. Ozone deodorizer (deodorizer)
2. Ozone spray
3. Charger
50 Mist emission section (second emission section)
81 Control unit
104 Wind Path
120 Ozone generator (ozone generation unit)
130 Fan (blower)
150 Ozone release section (first release section)
160 Human Sensor
170 Temperature sensor (temperature detection unit)
181 Control unit (determination unit)

Claims (3)

In the deodorizing device,
A first emission section that emits ozone;
A second emission section that emits mist;
A control unit that controls the first emission unit and the second emission unit;
a human detection unit that detects whether or not a human is present within a predetermined range from the deodorization device;
A temperature detection unit that detects the ambient temperature of the deodorization device ,
The human detection unit includes a human presence sensor that outputs a detection signal that changes in response to a temperature change caused by infrared rays emitted from a human, and a determination unit that determines whether or not a human is present by comparing the detection signal with a predetermined threshold value;
The control unit is
When the presence of a person is not detected by the human detection unit, the first emission unit is caused to emit ozone.
When the presence of a person is detected by the human detection unit during ozone emission, the first emission unit stops ozone emission and the second emission unit emits mist.
Furthermore, the control unit adjusts the threshold value such that the lower the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit, the greater the temperature change that determines that a person is present.
A deodorizing device characterized by the above. In the deodorizing device,
A first emission section that emits ozone;
A second emission section that emits mist;
A control unit that controls the first emission unit and the second emission unit;
a human detection unit that detects whether or not a human is present within a predetermined range from the deodorization device;
A temperature detection unit that detects the ambient temperature of the deodorization device,
The first emission unit includes an ozone generation unit that generates ozone from oxygen in the air,
The control unit is
When the presence of a person is not detected by the human detection unit, the first emission unit is caused to emit ozone.
When the presence of a person is detected by the human detection unit during ozone emission, the first emission unit stops ozone emission and the second emission unit emits mist.
Further, the control unit increases the amount of mist emitted by the second emission unit per unit time as the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit becomes lower.
A deodorizing device characterized by the above. The deodorizing device according to claim 1 or 2,
The first release unit includes an ozone generating unit that generates ozone from oxygen in the air, and a blower that sends the ozone generated by the ozone generating unit to an outside of the first release unit,
The control unit is
When the presence of a person is not detected by the human detection unit, the ozone generation unit and the blowing unit are operated,
When the presence of a person is detected by the human detection unit during ozone release, the operation of the ozone generation unit is stopped and the blowing unit is operated.
A deodorizing device characterized by the above.

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