JP7630653B2 - Air purifiers - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to an air purifier that purifies indoor air.

Air purifiers are usually placed on the floor of a room, so it is necessary to provide a space on the floor of the room for the air purifier to be installed. This causes the floor of the room to be occupied by the air purifier, which is a nuisance to people in the room. This has led to the idea of a wall-mounted air purifier. Patent Document 1 discloses a wall-mounted water heater in which the power cable is pulled out to the outside from the bottom wall facing the floor of the water heater casing.

JP 2000-292005 A

In a wall-mounted air purifier, the power cable that supplies power from an external power source is pulled out through the ceiling and out of an opening in the wall where the air purifier is installed, and then routed from the opening in the wall to the side or front of the air purifier body and connected. Even if the technology described in Patent Document 1 is applied, the power cable will end up being routed from the opening in the wall to the underside of the air purifier body and connected. In this way, connecting from the side, front or underside of the air purifier body leaves the power cable exposed, which not only looks bad but could also be damaged.

The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide an air purifier that, when installed on a wall, reduces the exposure of the power cable, which is routed and connected through an opening in the wall, between the wall and the air purifier compared to conventional cases.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the present disclosure provides an air purifier that is installed on a wall surface in a room and purifies the air in the room, the air purifier comprising: a rectangular parallelepiped housing; a blower housed in the housing and generating an air flow that draws in air from an inlet and blows out air from an outlet; a control circuit unit that controls electrical components including the blower; and a power cable connection unit to which a power cable drawn from a third surface facing the wall surface inside the housing is connected. The housing has a first surface on which an inlet for drawing in air is provided, and a second surface on which an outlet for blowing out air different from the first surface is provided. The power cable connection unit has a power line connection terminal block, a power line insertion unit, and a terminal block cover. The power line connection terminal block electrically connects a power line drawn out from the control circuit block to a power cable. The power line insertion unit is connected to a first opening that penetrates the third surface, protrudes toward a fourth surface opposite the third surface of the housing, and has a second opening through which the power cable is drawn out to the power line connection terminal block. The terminal block cover covers the power line connection terminal block and the second opening. The terminal block cover has a flat terminal block cover portion that covers an area including the power line connection terminal block, and an insertion portion cover portion that covers the second opening of the power line insertion portion. The insertion portion cover portion has a convex shape that protrudes outward beyond the outline of the terminal block cover portion in the in-plane direction of the terminal block cover portion.

The air purifier disclosed herein has the effect of reducing, when installed on a wall, the amount of exposure of the power cable, which is routed through an opening in the wall and connected to the air purifier, between the wall and the air purifier compared to conventional cases.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an appearance of an air purifier according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an internal configuration of an air purifier according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an internal configuration of an air purifier according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an external configuration of an air purifier; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic example of a configuration of an air passage forming area of an air purifier according to a first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic arrangement of an air inlet and a discharge dust collecting device in the air purifier according to the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a top view showing an example of a fan casing of an air purifier according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an internal configuration of an air purifier according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a power supply wire connection section in an air purifier according to a first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a terminal block cover is placed on a power supply wire connection portion of the air purifier according to the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a top view showing a schematic state of the vicinity of a power line insertion portion in a state where a terminal block cover is placed over the power line connection portion of the air purifier according to the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a side view showing a schematic state of the vicinity of a power line insertion portion in a state where a terminal block cover is placed over the power line connection portion of the air purifier according to the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a configuration of an air filter of an air purifier according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a structure of a filter fixing portion of an air purifier according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a structure of a filter fixing portion of an air purifier according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which an air filter is removed from a housing body in the air purifier according to the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which an air filter is removed from a housing body in the air purifier according to the first embodiment;

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

Embodiment 1.
<Housing configuration>
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of an air purifier according to embodiment 1. Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of air purifier 1 seen from above. Air purifier 1 can be installed on a wall surface 501, 502 or a ceiling surface, and is a device that removes contaminants from indoor air to purify the air in the room.

The air purifier 1 has a housing 10 that forms the outer shell of the air purifier 1. The housing 10 is rectangular. The surface on which the housing 10 is installed on the wall surface 501 is the rear surface 11a, and the surface opposite the rear surface 11a is the front surface 11b. The surface facing the ceiling surface provided vertically above in the room is the upper surface 11c, and the surface facing the floor surface provided vertically below in the room is the lower surface 11d. The surfaces that perpendicularly intersect the rear surface 11a, the front surface 11b, the upper surface 11c, and the lower surface 11d are the side surfaces 11e and 11f. The side surface 11e corresponds to the first surface, and the upper surface 11c corresponds to the second surface. The rear surface 11a corresponds to the third surface, and the front surface 11b corresponds to the fourth surface.

Of the sides that make up the contour of the rectangular rear surface 11a of the housing 10, the direction parallel to the floor surface of the room is the X direction, the direction perpendicular to the floor surface of the room is the Z direction, and the direction perpendicular to the wall surface 501 is the Y direction. The X, Y, and Z directions are mutually orthogonal. The Y direction corresponds to the first direction, the Z direction corresponds to the second direction, and the X direction corresponds to the third direction. In the example of FIG. 1, the housing 10 is a rectangular parallelepiped whose dimension in the Y direction is smaller than the dimensions in the X and Z directions. In one example, the housing 10 is made of resin.

In the following description, the X direction is also referred to as the width direction of the air purifier 1 and the housing 10, the Y direction is also referred to as the depth direction of the air purifier 1 and the housing 10, and the Z direction is also referred to as the height direction of the air purifier 1 and the housing 10. In the following description, the two relative positional relationships in the Y direction are expressed using "front" or "rear", and the two relative positional relationships in the Z direction are expressed using "top" or "bottom".

The housing 10 has a housing body 11 and a front panel 12. The housing body 11 is a hollow rectangular parallelepiped with an opening on the front surface 11b. Inside the housing body 11, the components constituting the air purifier 1 described later are arranged. The housing body 11 has an intake port 13 on the side surface 11e, which is an opening that draws indoor air into the inside of the housing 10. The housing body 11 has an outlet port 14 on the top surface 11c, which is an opening that blows the air purified inside the housing 10 to the outside of the housing 10. The example of FIG. 1 shows a case where the top surface 11c is adjacent to the side surface 11e. In the following, the rear surface 11a, top surface 11c, bottom surface 11d, and side surfaces 11e and 11f of the housing 10 are described as being the same as the rear surface 11a, top surface 11c, bottom surface 11d, and side surfaces 11e and 11f of the housing body 11.

The front panel 12 is a member that covers an opening provided on the front surface 11b of the housing body 11. By removing the front panel 12 from the housing body 11, it becomes possible to access each component housed inside the housing body 11.

The air purifier 1 is installed on the wall surface 501 via a mounting bracket (not shown) with the rear surface 11a of the housing 10 facing the wall surface 501 and the air outlet 14 facing the ceiling surface. The reasons why mounting brackets are necessary to install the air purifier 1 on the wall surface 501 include the following. The first reason is to strengthen the screw fixing between the air purifier 1 and the wall surface 501 by widening the fixing range between the air purifier 1 and the wall surface 501. The second reason is that in order to install the air purifier 1 on the wall surface 501 in the correct position without tilting, the air purifier 1 needs to be screwed with high precision, but 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 is determined with high precision using the mounting bracket, which is a lightweight part. In other words, the reason why mounting brackets are necessary to install air purifier 1 on wall surface 501 is to facilitate accurate installation of air purifier 1 without concerns about rattling or coming off, and without deviation in the installation position or angle.

<Overview of the internal configuration of air purifier 1>
Next, an outline of the internal configuration of the air purifier 1 will be described. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the internal configuration of the air purifier according to the first embodiment, and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic example of the internal configuration of the air purifier according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 shows a state in which the front panel 12 of the air purifier 1 shown in Fig. 1 has been removed. Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view taken along a plane passing through line III-III in Fig. 1 and parallel to the XY plane. Note that some hatching has been omitted in Fig. 3 for ease of understanding.

The interior of the housing 10 is mainly divided into two areas in the X direction. The two areas are an air passage configuration area R1 and a circuit arrangement area R2. The housing 10 has an air passage wall 111 that separates the air passage configuration area R1 from the circuit arrangement area R2.

The air purifier 1 comprises a blower 21, a dust filter 22, a discharge-type dust collection device 23, and an air filter 24 in an air passage configuration area R1 inside the housing 10.

The blower 21 is housed in the housing 10, and generates an air flow 45 that draws in air from the intake port 13 and blows out air from the exhaust port 14. The blower 21 is disposed in the center of the X direction inside the housing body 11. The blower 21 has a fan 211, an electric motor 212 that rotates the fan 211, and a fan casing 213 that houses the fan 211 and the electric motor 212. The blower 21 is a centrifugal blower in which the air intake direction and the air blowing direction are perpendicular to each other. The blower 21 is disposed so that the rotation axis of the electric motor 212 is perpendicular to the rear surface 11a of the housing body 11.

The fan casing 213 has an intake port 213a on the front surface 11b side of the housing body 11, and an exhaust port (not shown) on the top surface 11c side of the housing body 11. The fan casing 213 is arranged inside the housing body 11 so that the position of the exhaust port (not shown) coincides with the position of the exhaust port 14 of the housing body 11. In this example, the fan casing 213 is arranged in the center on the rear surface 11a inside the housing body 11 in the X direction.

The size of the fan casing 213 in the Z direction is approximately the same as the size of the inside of the housing body 11 in the Z direction. The size of the fan casing 213 in the Y direction is smaller than the size of the inside of the housing 10 in the Y direction. That is, a space 41 is formed between the front panel 12 of the housing 10 and the suction port 213a of the fan casing 213. This space 41 and a space 42 between the suction port 13 of the housing body 11 and the side of the fan casing 213 on the suction port 13 side form an air passage 40. The air passage 40 is an air passage for intake, and forms part of the air passage from the suction port 13 to the air outlet 14.

By rotating the fan 211 with the electric motor 212, air outside the housing 10 is sucked in through the suction port 13. Inside the housing 10, the sucked air passes through the air passage 40, is sucked into the inside of the blower 21 through the suction port 213a of the fan casing 213, and is then blown out to the outside of the housing 10 through the outlet of the fan casing 213 and the outlet 14 of the housing 10. In this way, the blower 21 generates an air flow 45 that sucks in air through the suction port 13 and blows out air through the outlet 14.

The housing body 11 has an air passage wall 112 on the air intake 13 side of the housing 10 in the fan casing 213, which guides the air sucked in from the air intake 13 to the space 41 between the blower 21 and the front panel 12. The air passage wall 112 forms a slope that is not perpendicular to the rear surface 11a so that the air from the air intake 13 is guided to the space 41. The air flow 45 flowing through the air passage 40 is blocked by the air passage wall 111 so as not to flow into the circuit arrangement region R2.

The dust filter 22 removes impurities such as dust from the air flow 45 sucked in from the suction port 13. The dust filter 22 filters and purifies the air flow 45 sucked into the inside of the housing 10. The dust filter 22 is provided on the upstream side of the air passage 40 and downstream of the suction port 13 of the housing body 11.

The discharge-type dust collection device 23 removes impurities such as dust particles in the air flow 45 that is drawn into the housing 10. The discharge-type dust collection device 23 applies an electric charge to various fine particles contained in the air that is drawn into the air purifier 1, and collects the fine particles by attracting them to the dust collection electrode, thereby purifying the air flow 45 that is drawn into the housing 10.

The discharge-type dust collecting device 23 has a discharge part positive electrode 231 which is a discharge electrode, a discharge part negative electrode 232 which is a dust collecting electrode, and a discharge-type dust collecting device power supply (not shown). In one example, the discharge-type dust collecting device power supply is arranged in the circuit arrangement region R2 of the housing main body 11, and is connected to the discharge part positive electrode 231 and the discharge part negative electrode 232 via wiring. In the discharge-type dust collecting device 23, when a high voltage is applied between the discharge part positive electrode 231 and the discharge part negative electrode 232 from the discharge-type dust collecting device power supply, positively charged ions are generated by corona discharge. The fine particles floating around the vicinity that have bonded with the positively charged ions and become positively charged are attracted to the negatively charged discharge part negative electrode 232, where they adhere and accumulate, thereby purifying the air.

The air filter 24 removes impurities such as dust from the air flow 45 sucked in from the suction port 13. The air filter 24 filters and purifies the air flow 45 sucked into the inside of the housing 10. The air filter 24 is arranged downstream of the discharge type dust collection device 23. In this example, the air filter 24 is arranged adjacent to the suction port 13 of the blower 21 and overlaps with the blower 21 in the Y direction. Specifically, the air filter 24 is arranged so that the filter surface, which is the surface through which the air of the air filter 24 passes, perpendicularly intersects with the Y direction, which is the rotation axis of the blower 21. In this specification, perpendicular includes not only the case where it is strictly 90 degrees, but also the case where it is 90 degrees within the margin of error. As a result, the filter surface of the dust filter 22 and the filter surface of the air filter 24 are arranged perpendicular to each other. The air filter 24 is supported by the housing body 11. The structure in which the air filter 24 is supported by the housing body 11 will be described later. An example of the air filter 24 is a nonwoven fabric filter using a nonwoven fabric material. Another example of the nonwoven fabric filter is a high efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA filter).

The air purifier 1 includes a power supply wire connection section 31 and a control circuit section 32 in a circuit arrangement area R2 inside the housing 10. The power supply wire connection section 31 is a connection section to which a power cable 51 is connected, which draws power for the air purifier 1 from an external power source (not shown) of the air purifier 1. An example of the power cable 51 is a vinyl insulated vinyl sheathed flat-type (VVF) cable.

The control circuit section 32 includes a control circuit that controls the operation of the air purifier 1, i.e., a control circuit that controls the operation of the electrical components mounted in the air purifier 1. The electrical components mounted in the air purifier 1 include the motor 212 of the blower 21 and other electrical components.

Examples of electrical components include a light emitting diode (LED), an operation switch, a remote control light receiver, a sensor, and a discharge-type dust collection device power supply. Each of the above electrical components is connected to the control circuit unit 32 by electrical wiring.

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 indoor air pollution level. 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 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 the pollution level of dust, odor, carbon dioxide ( _CO2 ), etc. in the indoor air. The discharge type dust collecting device power supply is a power supply unit that supplies high voltage power for discharging to the discharge type dust collecting device 23.

Below, the configuration of the air duct 40, the configuration of the power supply wire connection portion 31, and the configuration of the air filter 24 of the air purifier 1 in embodiment 1 are described in detail in sequence.

<Configuration of Air Channel 40 of Air Purifier 1>
1. Configuration of the air passage forming region R1 As shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the blower 21 is disposed approximately in the center in the X direction inside the housing 10. When viewed from the blower 21, the suction port 13 is provided on the side surface 11e of the housing body 11 on one side in the X direction. The dust filter 22 and the discharge type dust collecting device 23 are disposed between the suction port 13 and the blower 21 in the X direction. Specifically, the dust filter 22 and the discharge type dust collecting device 23 are disposed in a space 42 between the suction port 13 inside the housing body 11 and the side surface of the blower 21 on the suction port 13 side. In this example, the discharge type dust collecting device 23 is disposed downstream compared to the dust filter 22. The air filter 24 is disposed between the dust filter 22 and the discharge type dust collecting device 23 and the blower 21. Specifically, air filter 24 is disposed in space 41 between blower 21 and front panel 12 , adjacent to the front side of suction port 213 a of blower 21 .

In some air purifiers, the discharge dust collecting device and the air filter are stacked in the depth direction of the body of the air purifier, which is the Y direction, between the inlet of the blower and the front panel. If an air purifier with such a configuration is used as a comparative example, the thickness dimension of the body of the comparative air purifier is the sum of the thicknesses of the blower, the discharge dust collecting device, the air filter, the rear surface of the housing body, and the front panel. On the other hand, in the air purifier 1 according to embodiment 1, the discharge dust collecting device 23 is not arranged in the depth direction of the body of the air purifier 1, so the thickness dimension of the body of the air purifier 1 is the sum of the thicknesses of the blower 21, the air filter 24, the space 41 that becomes the air passage 40, the rear surface 11a of the housing body 11, and the front panel 12. Since the size of the space 41 that becomes the air passage 40 in the depth direction can be made smaller than that of the discharge dust collecting device 23, the dimension of the body of the air purifier 1 in the depth direction according to embodiment 1 can be made smaller than that of the air purifier of the comparative example. As an example, the thickness dimension of the main body of the air purifier 1 is 180 mm in the comparative example, but can be reduced to 170 mm in the first embodiment.

Therefore, the air purifier 1 can reduce the depth dimension of the housing 10. This reduces the space that the air purifier 1 occupies in the room and purifies the air in the room while reducing the sense of oppression felt by the people in the room, making it possible to provide a comfortable air environment space.

Also, assume that the air purifier has an indoor air intake port 13 on the underside 11d of the housing 10 facing the floor surface. In a room, a rug using a fiber material such as a carpet may be placed on the floor surface below the air purifier 1 installed on the wall surface 501. Since a large amount of fiber material is generated from the rug during use, the air purifier 1 having the indoor air intake port 13 on the underside 11d of the housing 10 facing the floor surface will suck in a lot of fiber material along with the air in the room. For this reason, the dust filter 22 and the discharge type dust collection device 23 are clogged with fiber material that is much more than the amount of dust in the air that is the original target of dust collection. As a result, unnecessary regular maintenance of the dust filter 22 and the discharge type dust collection device 23 is required.

On the other hand, in the air purifier 1 according to embodiment 1, the suction port 13 is disposed on the side surface 11e of the housing 10, not on the bottom surface 11d that faces the floor surface. In an 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 bottom surface 11d of the housing 10. This eliminates the need for unnecessary regular maintenance of the dust filter 22 and the discharge-type dust collection device 23 due to the suction of carpet fibers.

As described above, the air purifier 1 is installed on the wall surface 501, so no floor space is required for installing the air purifier 1. In addition, since the air purifier 1 does not have the discharge dust collecting device 23 stacked in the depth direction of the housing 10, the thickness of the air purifier 1 can be made thinner and the protruding dimension from the wall surface 501 is also smaller than when the discharge dust collecting device 23 is stacked in the depth direction of the housing 10. This can increase the effect of reducing the sense of oppression given to the people in the room. In addition, the air purifier 1 installed on the wall surface 501 is also separated from the carpet on the floor surface. Furthermore, the air purifier 1 in which the suction port 13 is provided on the side surface 11e of the housing 10 instead of the bottom surface 11d facing the floor surface can suppress clogging of the dust filter 22 and the discharge dust collecting device 23 caused by the fiber material of the carpet compared to an air purifier in which the suction port is provided on the bottom surface 11d of the housing 10 facing the floor surface.

2. Arrangement of the circuit arrangement region R2 Next, the arrangement of the circuit arrangement region R2 in the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 will be described. As described above, inside the housing 10 of the air purifier 1, the air passage configuration region R1 and the circuit arrangement region R2 are separated by the air passage wall 111. In addition, the circuit arrangement region R2 is arranged inside the housing 10 on the opposite side of the blower 21 from the air inlet 13 in the X direction, that is, on the side of the side 11f. Therefore, the power supply wire connection unit 31 and the control circuit unit 32, which flow a large current value, can be separated from the air passage 40.

The greater the current value flowing through an electrical appliance, the greater the amount of heat generated. In addition, when electrical components are installed in the air passage 40 of an electrical appliance, dust, ionized substances, moisture, etc. contained in the blown air flow 45 may adhere to the electrical components, causing a gradual decrease in insulation between different poles, known as tracking.

In the air purifier 1, the electrical components through which a large current flows are the power supply wire connection unit 31, the control circuit unit 32, and the motor 212 of the blower 21. In the first embodiment, the power supply wire connection unit 31 and the control circuit unit 32 are arranged in the circuit arrangement region R2, which is an area inside the housing 10 on the opposite side of the blower 21 from the suction port 13 in the X direction. The circuit arrangement region R2 is also partitioned from the air passage configuration region R1 by the air passage wall 111. Therefore, inside the housing 10, the electrical components through which a large current flows are separated from the air passage 40 starting from the suction port 13. The motor 212 of the blower 21 is housed inside the fan casing 213 and is separated from the air passage 40 from the suction port 13 to the suction port 213a of the blower 21. As described above, in air purifier 1, electrical components through which a large current flows are separated from air passage 40, so that deterioration of insulation in the electrical components can be significantly suppressed.

3. Positions of the discharge dust collecting device 23 and the air filter 24 Next, the positions of the discharge dust collecting device 23 and the air filter 24 will be described. As described above, in the air purifier 1 according to embodiment 1, the discharge dust collecting device 23 is positioned on the upwind side of the air duct 40 relative to the air filter 24. This allows the replacement maintenance of the air filter 24 to be performed for a long period of time.

The air filter 24 generally used in the air purifier 1 is often a HEPA filter made of nonwoven fabric material. Nonwoven fabric filters collect dust using the principle of inertial collision with dust, resulting in a large pressure loss. Furthermore, dust and other particles adhere to the air filter 24 during use, blocking the air passage, further increasing the pressure loss, and the air filter 24 must be replaced at regular intervals.

On the other hand, the discharge dust collecting device 23 uses the Coulomb force of electricity to collect dust, so the air passage is large and the pressure loss is small. In addition, the adhesion of dust and other particles during use is limited to the surface of the electrode plate that constitutes the discharge section negative electrode 232. Therefore, the increase in pressure loss due to the adhesion of dust and other particles is extremely small compared to the air filter 24, and does not affect the air blowing performance. By arranging such a discharge dust collecting device 23 on the upwind side of the air filter 24, dust and other particles in the air flow 45 are removed by the discharge dust collecting device 23, and the amount of dust and other particles that reach the air filter 24 can be reduced. As a result, clogging of the air filter 24 is suppressed, and the increase in pressure loss of the air filter 24 due to clogging can be suppressed.

In addition, ionized matter is also emitted from the discharge dust collecting device 23, and it is known that these ionized matter have the effect of breaking down odorous components and suppressing the proliferation of viruses, microorganisms, etc. Therefore, by arranging the discharge dust collecting device 23 on the upwind side of the air filter 24, the ionized matter emitted from the discharge dust collecting device 23 reaches the air filter 24 on the downwind side, making it possible to break down odorous components attached to the air filter 24 and suppress the proliferation of viruses, microorganisms, etc.

As described above, by arranging the discharge dust collecting device 23 upwind of the air filter 24, the discharge dust collecting device 23 can remove much of the dust and other particles in the air flow 45. Furthermore, when the ionized matter emitted from the discharge dust collecting device 23 reaches the air filter 24, the decomposition of odorous components attached to the air filter 24 and the proliferation of viruses, microorganisms, and the like are suppressed. As a result, the period between replacement maintenance of the air filter 24 can be made longer compared to when the discharge dust collecting device 23 is not provided or when the discharge dust collecting device 23 is not arranged upwind of the air filter 24.

Maintenance of the discharge type dust collection device 23, specifically cleaning, is performed by washing the electrode plate that constitutes the discharge section negative electrode 232 with water. Washing the electrode plate with water removes dust and other particles adhering to the surface of the electrode plate. Since the electrode plate that has been washed with water can be used repeatedly, in the discharge type dust collection device 23, there is no need to replace the electrode plate that constitutes the discharge section negative electrode 232.

4. Arrangement of the blower 21 As described above, the blower 21 used in the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment is a centrifugal blower in which the blowing direction is at a 90 degree angle with respect to the suction direction. If the blowing outlet of the blower 21 is arranged on the upper surface 11c or the lower surface 11d of the housing 10, the air purifier 1 can be a wall-mounted type with low noise and power consumption without providing a bend in the air path. In the example shown in Figures 1 to 3, the centrifugal blower draws in air from the suction port 13 on the side surface 11e perpendicular to the X direction and blows out air from the blowing outlet 14 on the upper surface 11c perpendicular to the Z direction.

In the example shown in Figures 1 to 3, an intake port 13 is provided on a side surface 11e perpendicular to the width direction, which is the X direction, and an exhaust port 14 is provided on a top surface 11c perpendicular to the height direction, which is the Z direction.

When an axial flow fan is used as the blower 21, the air flows from the front of the blower 21 to the rear, so there is no change in the direction of the air flow. In order to change the direction of the air flow, it is necessary to form an air duct that bends at a right angle. In other words, when an axial flow fan is applied to a housing 10 having an intake port 13 and an exhaust port 14 as shown in Figures 1 to 3, it is necessary to provide a curved air duct that changes the flow along the X direction from the front side of the blower 21 in the air duct 40 to a flow heading upward in the Z direction. In such a curved air duct, a significant pressure loss occurs at the bend where the flow is changed, which deteriorates the air blowing performance, such as noise and power consumption.

On the other hand, when a centrifugal blower is used as the blower 21, the direction of the air outlet of the fan casing 213 is set upward, so that the air flow by the blower 21 can be made to flow toward the upper surface 11c in the Z direction. This makes it possible to obtain a wall-mounted air purifier 1 that does not generate unnecessary pressure loss and has improved blowing performance such as noise and power consumption compared to when an axial blower is used.

5. Position of air outlet 14 in housing 10 As shown in Figures 1 and 2, by providing air outlet 14 in the center of top surface 11c of housing 10 in the X direction, it is possible to prevent wall soiling of another wall surface 502 perpendicular to the X direction orthogonal to wall surface 501 on which air purifier 1 is attached.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a schematic example of the external configuration of an air purifier. The same components as those in the above figures are given the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted. The air purifier 100 shown in Figure 4 has an air outlet 14 on the upper surface 11c of the housing 10, and the X-direction end of the air outlet 14 is located near the X-direction end of the upper surface 11c. The air blown out from the air outlet 14 flows after blowing out, drawing in the surrounding air. As shown in Figure 4, if the air outlet 14 extends to the end in the X direction, that is, near the end in the width direction of the housing 10, the blown air continues to hit the wall surface 502 for a long time, and the side wall surface 502 of the air purifier 1 may become dirty. In particular, when the side surface 11f of the housing 10 is installed in a location close to the wall surface 502, the dirt on the side wall surface 502 becomes noticeable.

1 and 2, when the air outlet 14 is provided in the center of the upper surface 11c of the housing 10 in the X direction and the end of the air outlet 14 in the X direction is farther away than the end of the upper surface 11c in the X direction, the distance between the end of the air outlet 14 in the X direction and the side wall surface 502 is longer than in the case of FIG. 4. In other words, by arranging the air outlet 14 in the center of the upper surface 11c in the X direction, the end of the air outlet 14 in the X direction is farther away from the side wall surface 502, so that even if the distance between the housing 10 and the side wall surface 502 is short, the blown wind is less likely to reach the side wall surface 502 of the air purifier 1. Therefore, it is possible to suppress dirt on the side wall surface 502 of the air purifier 1 caused by the blown wind continuously hitting the side wall surface 502 of the air purifier 1.

The length from the end of the housing 10 in the X direction to the end of the air outlet 14 varies depending on the dimensions of the housing 10 in the X direction, the wind speed of the air blown out from the air outlet 14, etc., but it is desirable for the length to be such that the air blown out from the air outlet 14 does not reach the position corresponding to the end of the housing 10 in the X direction.

Also, by locating the air outlet 14 in the center of the top surface 11c of the housing 10 in the X direction, it is possible to suppress wall dirt on either side of the air purifier 1 in the X direction. Furthermore, when the air purifier 1 is installed on a wall surface 501, the blowing direction of the blown air is tilted forward from the Z direction to prevent the blown air from hitting the wall surface 501 on which the air purifier 1 is installed. This makes it possible to suppress dirt on the wall surface 501 on which the air purifier 1 is installed.

In the above description, the air outlet 14 is provided on the upper surface 11c of the housing 10, but it may be provided on the lower surface 11d. By providing the air outlet 14 on the lower surface 11d of the housing 10, the ceiling surface will not be soiled by the air blown out from the housing 10. Also, by providing the air outlet 14 on the lower surface 11d of the housing 10, it is possible to prevent foreign matter such as dust that settles from above the air purifier 1 from flowing into the inside of the housing 10 when the air purifier 1 is stopped, compared to when the air outlet 14 is provided on the upper surface 11c.

6. Positions of the discharge dust collecting device 23, the air filter 24, and the suction port 213a of the blower 21 Next, the relationship between the positions of the discharge dust collecting device 23, the air filter 24, and the suction port 213a of the blower 21 inside the housing 10 will be described. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the air path forming area of the air purifier according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a view showing the positional relationship between the suction port and the discharge dust collecting device in the air purifier according to the first embodiment. The same components as those in the above figures are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. For the sake of explanation, the dust filter 22 is not shown in FIG. 5.

The discharge dust collecting device 23 is not arranged to overlap the entire surface of the suction port 13 provided on the side surface 11e of the housing 10, but is arranged to overlap a portion of the suction port 13. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the discharge dust collecting device 23 is arranged so that it does not overlap the first region R11 above the suction port 13 in the Z direction, but overlaps the suction port 13 in the remaining second region R12 excluding the first region R11. Therefore, in the Y direction, which is the depth direction, the size of the discharge dust collecting device 23 is equal to or larger than the size of the suction port 13, and in the Z direction, the size of the discharge dust collecting device 23 is smaller than the size of the suction port 13. As a result, the first region R11 above the suction port 13 in the Z direction does not overlap the discharge dust collecting device 23. In this way, by positioning the discharge dust collecting device 23 so that the area perpendicular to the X direction of the discharge dust collecting device 23 overlaps with part of the area of the suction port 13, specifically so that the first region R11 above the suction port 13 in the Z direction does not overlap and the remaining second region R12 overlaps, it is possible to achieve an air purifier 1 with low pressure loss, low clogging of the air filter 24, low noise, and long maintenance intervals.

In general, a uniform wind speed over the entire surface of the air filter 24 reduces pressure loss and extends the maintenance period due to clogging of the air filter 24. On the other hand, when a centrifugal blower is used as the blower 21, a fan casing 213 having a tongue portion 2134 is required. FIG. 7 is a top view showing an example of a fan casing of an air purifier according to embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. 7, the fan casing 213 has a scroll portion 2131 and a diffuser portion 2132. The scroll portion 2131 is disposed around the fan 211 and is a portion that constitutes a spiral flow path whose radial width increases toward the downstream side of the air flow. The diffuser portion 2132 is a portion downstream of the scroll portion 2131 and constitutes a flow path between the scroll portion 2131 and the blower port 14 of the housing body 11. The suction port 213a is provided on the front surface of the scroll portion 2131. Although not shown, the blowing port is provided at the downstream end of the diffuser section 2132. The fan casing 213 has an outer circumferential wall 2133 that forms the scroll section 2131 and the diffuser section 2132. In Figures 5 and 7, the position of the outer circumferential wall 2133 is indicated by a dashed line.

The opening near the boundary between the scroll section 2131 and the diffuse section 2132 is narrower than the air outlet. That is, the outer peripheral wall 2133 of the fan casing 213 has a tongue portion 2134 in which one outer peripheral wall 2133a protrudes toward the other outer peripheral wall 2133b near the boundary between the scroll section 2131 and the diffuse section 2132. The tongue portion 2134 guides the air flow swirling inside the fan casing 213 to the air outlet. As shown in FIG. 7, when the air flow is blown upward in the Z direction, the tongue portion 2134 is disposed on the upper side of the fan casing 213 in the Z direction. Therefore, in the Z direction, which is the height direction, the center C1 of the intake port 213a of the blower 21 is located lower than the center C2 of the housing 10.

Since a larger area of the air filter 24 results in lower pressure loss, it is desirable that the Z-direction dimension of the air filter 24 be approximately the same as the depth of the housing 10. Therefore, in the Z direction, the center C2 of the air filter 24 is located at approximately the same position as the center C2 of the housing 10. Therefore, in the Z direction, the center C1 of the intake port 213a of the blower 21 is located lower than the center C2 of the air filter 24.

Thus, in the air purifier 1 according to embodiment 1, the center C1 of the intake port 213a of the blower 21 in the Z direction is biased downward relative to the center C2 of the air filter 24. For this reason, the wind speed is faster below the air filter 24 in the Z direction than above it. As a result, it is difficult to achieve a uniform wind speed across the entire surface of the air filter 24, resulting in large pressure loss. Furthermore, clogging of the air filter 24 is biased toward the lower part of the air filter 24 where the wind speed is faster, resulting in shorter maintenance periods.

On the other hand, the discharge dust collection device 23 has a pressure loss even though it has a small area. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, when the discharge dust collection device 23 is arranged so as to overlap the second region R12 of the suction port 13 of the housing 10, a bias occurs in the suction air volume, which is the amount of air sucked in from the suction port 13, depending on the position in the Z direction. In Figure 5, the suction air volume in the air flow 45-11 passing through the first region R11 of the suction port 13 is larger than the suction air volume in the air flow 45-12 passing through the second region R12. This is because the amount of sucked air tends to be larger in the first region R11 of the suction port 13 that does not overlap with the discharge dust collection device 23, and the amount of sucked air tends to be smaller in the second region R12 of the suction port 13 that overlaps with the discharge dust collection device 23.

By combining the above-mentioned offset between the center C1 of the suction port 213a of the blower 21 and the center C2 of the air filter 24 in the Z direction and the position of the second region R12 where the discharge dust collecting device 23 overlaps with the suction port 13 of the housing 10, the wind speed passing through the air filter 24 can be made uniform. That is, the wind speed can be made uniform over the entire surface of the air filter 24. In one example, in the space 41 between the blower 21 and the front panel 12, the wind speed is high at a position corresponding to the formation position of the scroll section 2131, and the wind speed is low at a position corresponding to the diffuse section 2132, so it is desirable to provide the discharge dust collecting device 23 at a position corresponding to the formation position of the scroll section 2131 at the suction port 13 of the housing 10. That is, in the Z direction, it is desirable to make the first region R11 correspond to the formation position of the diffuse section 2132 or the tongue section 2134, and the second region R12 correspond to the formation position of the scroll section 2131. Corresponding the second region R12 to the formation position of the scroll portion 2131 is equivalent to the center of the discharge dust collecting device 23 being approximately coincident with the center C1 of the suction port 213a of the blower 21 in the Z direction.

As a result, when the air passes through the discharge dust collecting device 23 in the second region R12, the amount of air sucked in at the suction port 13 of the housing 10 is reduced due to pressure loss in the discharge dust collecting device 23, but the air flow 45-12 flows into a position corresponding to the position where the scroll section 2131 of the air filter 24 is formed. On the other hand, when the air passes through the first region R11 where the discharge dust collecting device 23 is not present, the amount of air sucked in at the suction port 13 of the housing 10 is increased, but the air flow 45-11 flows into a position corresponding to the position where the diffuse section 2132 of the air filter 24 is formed. The wind speed is slower at the position corresponding to the position where the diffuse section 2132 of the air filter 24 is formed than at the position corresponding to the position where the scroll section 2131 is formed. As a result, the wind speed of the air flow 45-11 flowing into a position corresponding to the position where the diffuse section 2132 of the air filter 24 is formed and the wind speed of the air flow 45-12 flowing into a position corresponding to the position where the scroll section 2131 is formed become approximately equal and uniform.

For the above reasons, it is desirable to avoid placing the discharge dust collecting device 23 in a position corresponding to the formation position of the tongue 2134 of the fan casing 213. Alternatively, it is desirable to place the discharge dust collecting device 23 in an area excluding the area corresponding to the tongue 2134 of the fan casing 213 from the suction port 13 of the housing 10. Alternatively, it is desirable to determine the size and position of the discharge dust collecting device 23 so that the center C1 of the suction port 213a of the blower 21 and the center of the discharge dust collecting device 23 coincide in the Z direction.

Specifically, in the Z direction, when the height of the housing 10 is 380 mm, the diameter of the fan 211 of the blower 21 is 186 mm, and the height of the tongue 2134 of the fan casing 213 is 106 mm, the height of the discharge dust collection device 23 can be 238 mm. With these dimensions, the wind speed is uniform across the entire surface of the air filter 24, so the air filter 24 has low pressure loss and is less likely to become clogged. In addition, noise can be suppressed, and the air purifier 1 can be designed with a longer maintenance period compared to when the discharge dust collection device 23 is disposed across the entire surface of the intake port 13 of the housing 10.

<Configuration of power supply wire connection portion 31>
Next, the configuration of the power supply wire connection part 31 will be described. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of the internal configuration of the air purifier according to the first embodiment. The same components as those in the above figures are given the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted. In FIG. 8, the air filter 24 is not shown. The air purifier 1 has a power supply wire connection part 31 and a control circuit part 32 in the circuit arrangement region R2 of the housing main body 11. In the example of FIG. 8, the power supply wire connection part 31 is arranged in the lower region of the circuit arrangement region R2 in the Z direction, and the control circuit part 32 is arranged in the upper region.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the power supply wire connection part in the air purifier according to the first embodiment. In Fig. 9, the position of the power supply cable 51 is shown by a two-dot chain line, and the power supply cable 51 is actually arranged at the position shown by the two-dot chain line. The power supply wire connection part 31 is connected to the power supply cable 51 routed from the rear surface 11a facing the inner wall surface 501 of the housing 10. As shown in Figs. 3 and 9, the power supply wire connection part 31 has a power supply line insertion part 311, a power supply line connection terminal block 312, and a terminal block housing part 313.

The power line insertion portion 311 is disposed adjacent to the terminal block accommodating portion 313 inside the housing body 11. The power line insertion portion 311 is a member that protrudes from the rear surface 11a of the housing body 11 toward the front surface 11b inside the housing body 11 and allows the power cable 51 to be inserted inside. The power line insertion portion 311 has an opening 115 at one end, which is a connection portion with the rear surface 11a of the housing 10, and has an opening 335 for pulling out the power cable 51 at the other end. The opening 115 penetrates the rear surface 11a of the housing body 11. In other words, the power line insertion portion 311 is connected to the opening 115 that penetrates the rear surface 11a of the housing 10, protrudes toward the front surface 11b of the housing 10, and has an opening 335 for pulling out the power cable 51 to the power line connection terminal block 312. The opening 115 corresponds to the first opening, and the opening 335 corresponds to the second opening. In the Y direction, the length of the power line insertion portion 311 is set to be equal to or greater than the length of the terminal block accommodating portion 313 .

In one example, the power line insertion portion 311 is a concave member with an opening on the surface facing the terminal block housing portion 313. The power line insertion portion 311 has a function of guiding the power cable 51 inserted from the opening 115 on the rear surface 11a of the housing 10 to the terminal block housing portion 313. In the example of FIG. 9, a pair of walls 331 are formed on both ends in the Z direction of the wall portion 333 provided on the side surface 11f side so as to protrude from the wall portion 333 in the X direction. Also, as shown in FIG. 9, the power line insertion portion 311 has a support portion 332 on the inside of the walls 331 and 333 that supports a terminal block cover 342 of the power line connection terminal block 312 described later. The position of the front end of the support portion 332 is set so that when the terminal block cover 342 is placed, the terminal block cover 342 is positioned below the front end of the power line insertion portion 311. The power line insertion portion 311 is made of resin, for example.

The power line connection terminal block 312 is a member that electrically connects the power cable 51 drawn from the external power source to the power line 321 drawn from the control circuit unit 32. The power line connection terminal block 312 is fixed inside the terminal block housing 313.

The terminal block housing 313 covers the periphery of the power line connection terminal block 312, houses the power line connection terminal block 312, and is fixed to the housing 10. In one example, the terminal block housing 313 has a housing body 341 having an opening at least on the front side in the Y direction, and a terminal block cover 342 that covers the opening on the front side of the housing body 341. In one example, the terminal block housing 313 is made of sheet metal. In the example of FIG. 9, the housing body 341 has a rectangular rear surface 341a, two side surfaces 341b and 341c perpendicular to the X direction, and a side surface 341d perpendicular to the Z direction and opposite the control circuit unit 32 in the Z direction, and is box-shaped with an open top and front surface. The power line connection terminal block 312 is disposed on the rear surface 341a of the housing main body 341 so as to secure a circuit side power line arrangement region R21, which is an area for routing the power line 321 from the control circuit section 32, and a power cable arrangement region R22, which is an area for routing the power cable 51 from the power line insertion portion 311. In FIG. 9, an L-shaped power cable arrangement region R22 is provided from the power line insertion portion 311 to the power line connection terminal block 312.

The terminal block housing 313 has a power line fixing portion 345 that fixes the power cable 51 in the power cable arrangement region R22. The power line fixing portion 345 is positioned so that the power cable 51 is arranged horizontally from the power line insertion portion 311 to the power line fixing portion 345, and is arranged vertically from the power line fixing portion 345 to the power line connection terminal block 312.

3 and 9, the power cable 51 is inserted from the outside into the opening 115 on the rear surface 11a of the housing 10 and pulled out from the opening 335 of the power line insertion portion 311 to the storage main body 341. In the storage main body 341, it is pulled out to the power cable arrangement region R22 and connected to the power line connection terminal block 312. In the power cable arrangement region R22, the power cable 51 is arranged by the power line fixing portion 345 in an L shape having a portion arranged in the X direction and a portion arranged in the Z direction.

The terminal block cover 342 is a member that covers the opening 335 of the power line insertion portion 311 and the power line connection terminal block 312. In the example of FIG. 9, the terminal block cover 342 covers the power line insertion portion 311 and the storage portion main body 341. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the terminal block cover is placed on the power line connection portion of the air purifier according to embodiment 1. The terminal block cover 342 has a flat terminal block cover portion 342a that covers an area including the power line connection terminal block 312, and an insertion portion cover portion 342b that covers the opening 335 of the power line insertion portion 311. The insertion portion cover portion 342b has a convex shape that protrudes outward from the outline of the terminal block cover portion 342a in the in-plane direction of the terminal block cover portion 342a. In the example of FIG. 10, the terminal block cover portion 342a is provided to cover the opening on the front surface of the storage portion main body 341 that accommodates the power line connection terminal block 312. The terminal block cover 342a covers the opening on the front surface of the accommodating body 341, and the insertion portion cover 342b is fitted into the opening 335 of the power line insertion portion 311, thereby covering the accommodating body 341 and the power line insertion portion 311. The terminal block cover 342 is, in one example, made of sheet metal.

11 is a top view showing a state near the power line insertion part when the terminal block cover of the power line connection part of the air purifier according to the first embodiment is covered. FIG. 12 is a side view showing a state near the power line insertion part when the terminal block cover of the power line connection part of the air purifier according to the first embodiment is covered. In FIG. 12, the internal state of the power line insertion part 311 is shown by a dotted line. When the terminal block cover 342 is pushed into the rear surface 11a of the housing 10, the insertion part cover part 342b comes into contact with the upper end of the support part 332 provided on the inside of the wall parts 331 and 333 of the power line insertion part 311. As a result, the insertion part cover part 342b is not pushed further into the rear surface 11a of the housing 10. In addition, the terminal block cover part 342a comes into contact with the upper end of the side surfaces 341b, 341c, and 341d of the housing main body 341. In this manner, the terminal block cover 342 is structured to be supported by the accommodating section main body 341 and the power line insertion section 311. The terminal block cover 342 only needs to cover the opening 335 of the power line insertion section 311 and the power line connection terminal block 312, and the terminal block accommodating section 313 does not need to have the accommodating section main body 341. In this case, the power line fixing section 345 is provided on the rear surface 11a of the housing 10, and the power cable 51 is fixed inside the housing 10.

11, the shape of the opening 335 of the power line insertion part 311 is a concave shape surrounded by a wall part 333 perpendicular to the X direction and a wall part 331 perpendicular to the Z direction when viewed from the Y direction, which is the extension direction of the power line insertion part 311. The convex-shaped insertion part cover part 342b is sandwiched in the opening 335 of the power line insertion part 311 of such a concave shape, so that the insertion part cover part 342b is held. Therefore, when the air purifier 1 is installed on the wall surface 501, the terminal block cover 342 is arranged perpendicular to the floor surface, but does not easily come off the terminal block accommodating part 313. In addition, by surrounding the periphery of the convex-shaped insertion part cover part 342b with the opening 335 of the concave-shaped power line insertion part 311, the side of the insertion part cover part 342b can be kept in a state where it is not exposed.

As described above, the power cable 51 is inserted from the wall surface 501 facing the rear surface 11a of the housing 10 through the opening 115 provided on the rear surface 11a, and is pulled out from the opening 335 via the power line insertion portion 311 and connected to the power line connection terminal block 312. This allows the power cable 51 to be led to the power line connection terminal block 312 without protruding from the rear surface 11a of the housing 10. In other words, the appearance of the air purifier 1 can be improved when installed on the wall surface 501.

In addition, the power line insertion portion 311 is provided so that the opening 335 of the power line insertion portion 311 penetrates the opening 115 provided on the rear surface 11a of the housing 10, thereby improving the workability of laying the power cable 51. Furthermore, since the terminal block cover 342 has a simple structure in which the power line connection terminal block 312 and the power line insertion portion 311 are covered after the connection of the power cable 51 to the power line connection terminal block 312 is completed, it is possible to prevent workers from accidentally touching the power cable 51 at low cost.

Generally, the power cable 51 is routed through the ceiling and pulled out from an opening in the wall surface 501 facing the rear surface 11a of the housing 10 of the air purifier 1. If the power cable 51 pulled out in this way is routed from the opening in the wall surface 501 to the side surface 11f or front surface 11b of the housing 10 of the air purifier 1 and connected inside the main body of the air purifier 1, not only will the exposed power cable 51 look bad, but it may also be damaged.

In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, a power line insertion section 311 is provided that is connected to the opening 115 on the rear surface 11a of the housing 10 and protrudes forward from the rear surface 11a, and the power cable 51 drawn out from the wall surface 501 is inserted through the opening 115 and drawn out to the power line connection terminal block 312 through the opening 335 of the power line insertion section 311. With this structure, it is possible to minimize the portion of the power cable 51 exposed between the wall surface 501 and the air purifier 1. In addition, the power line insertion section 311 is a concave member that protrudes in the depth direction, and is in a state equivalent to an opening penetrating from the rear surface 11a of the housing 10 to a position adjacent to the power line connection terminal block 312. Therefore, the visibility of the power cable 51 is good, and there is no resistance between the power cable 51 and the housing 10 when the power cable 51 is laid out, so that the workability is very good.

However, if the power cable 51 is left pulled out from the opening 335 in front of the power line insertion part 311, the worker or the user of the air purifier 1 may touch the power cable 51 when opening the front panel 12. In addition, the worker or the user may touch the power cable 51 and pull or push it in. In the first embodiment, the terminal block cover 342 is provided with a terminal block cover part 342a that covers the area where the power line connection terminal block 312 is installed and a protruding insertion part cover part 342b that covers the power line insertion part 311, and the terminal block accommodating part 313 and the power line insertion part 311 are covered by using the terminal block cover 342. This makes it possible to obtain an air purifier 1 that prevents the worker or the user from touching the power cable 51 at low cost without adding any parts.

In addition, in the terminal block cover 342, the insertion part cover part 342b corresponding to the power line insertion part 311 is provided in a form that protrudes in the in-plane direction from the terminal block cover part 342a. The terminal block cover 342 is usually made of sheet metal. In the first embodiment, when the power line connection terminal block 312 and the power line insertion part 311 are covered with the terminal block cover 342, the periphery of the insertion part cover part 342b is covered by the wall parts 331 and 333 of the concave-shaped power line insertion part 311. In this state, it is possible to prevent the worker or user from touching the end face of the insertion part cover part 342b, which is a protruding part. Furthermore, by making the terminal block cover 342 out of sheet metal, it is possible to provide a function of preventing the spread of fire even if a fire breaks out at the power wire connection part 31.

Here, we will explain the effect in comparison with the case where the power cable 51 is not arranged in an L-shape in the power cable arrangement region R22. Assume that the power cable 51 is arranged in a straight line from the power line insertion portion 311 to the power line connection terminal block 312. In such a case, even if the power cable 51 is fixed with a fixing member such as a clip, when tension is applied that pulls the power cable 51 or pushes the power cable 51, a load is transmitted to the power wire connection portion 31, causing the power wire connection portion 31 fixed to the housing 10 to loosen. If the power wire connection portion 31 loosens, there is a possibility of poor contact.

On the other hand, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the terminal block housing 313 is provided with the power line fixing portion 345 so that the power cable 51 is arranged in the X direction, i.e., horizontally, and in the Z direction, i.e., vertically, between the power line insertion portion 311 and the power line connection terminal block 312 in the power cable arrangement region R22. In other words, the power cable 51 is arranged at a substantially right angle in the power cable connection portion 31. In this arrangement of the power cable 51, even if tension is applied to pull the power cable 51 or to push the power cable 51, no load is transmitted to the power cable connection portion 31. In other words, even if tension is applied to the power cable 51, it does not cause the power cable connection portion 31 to loosen.

In this state, the power line connection terminal block 312 is positioned above the power line insertion portion 311 in the Z direction. If water were to get on the air purifier 1, it is possible that the water would travel down the power cable 51 and into the inside of the housing 10. However, the section from the power line insertion portion 311 to the power line fixing portion 345 is horizontal, and the section from the power line fixing portion 345 to the power line connection terminal block 312 is vertical, so that the water will not travel upwards along the vertical portion. In other words, even if water gets on the air purifier 1, it is possible to prevent the water from traveling up to the power line connection terminal block 312.

<Configuration of Air Filter 24>
Next, the configuration of the air filter 24 will be described. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a schematic example of the configuration of the air filter of the air purifier according to the first embodiment. The same components as those in the above figures are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. As described above, the air filter 24 is disposed on the front side of the blower 21. Therefore, the housing 10 has an inner wall shaped to match the outer shape of the air filter 24. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the air filter 24 is rectangular and has approximately the same size as the fan casing 213 of the blower 21 in a plane parallel to the ZX plane. The side of the air filter 24 perpendicular to the Z direction is inscribed in the upper surface 11c and the lower surface 11d of the housing 10. In addition, the side of the air filter 24 perpendicular to the X direction on the circuit arrangement region R2 side contacts the air passage wall 111. The side of the air filter 24 perpendicular to the X direction facing the suction port 13 of the housing 10 becomes the air passage 40, and does not contact the housing 10. However, in a region of air-path forming region R1 where blower 21 is not disposed, housing 10 has inner wall 117 that protrudes inward in the Z direction compared to the region where blower 21 is disposed. Part of the side surface of air filter 24 on the suction port 13 side comes into contact with wall surface 117x perpendicular to the X direction of inner wall 117. In other words, air filter 24 comes into contact with wall surface 117x at both ends in the Z direction of the side surface on the suction port 13 side.

The housing body 11 has a filter fixing part 120 on the air passage wall 111 side and a filter hooking part 131 on the wall surface 117x on the suction port 13 side so that the air filter 24 does not come off when supported on the blower 21. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the air filter 24 is also supported by a filter support part 2137 provided on the fan casing 213. The filter hooking part 131 is provided on the inner wall of the housing 10 that contacts one side of the air filter 24 in the X direction, and fixes the position of the air filter 24. The filter fixing part 120 is provided in contact with the inner wall of the housing 10 that contacts the other side of the air filter 24 in the X direction, and fixes the air filter 24.

14 and 15 are perspective views showing an example of the structure of the filter fixing part of the air purifier according to embodiment 1. FIG. 14 shows the state in which the air filter 24 is attached, and FIG. 15 shows the state in which the air filter 24 is removed. The filter fixing part 120 is supported by a support base part 125 provided on the circuit arrangement region R2 side. The support base part 125 is provided in contact with the air passage wall 111, which is the inner wall of the housing 10, and has a surface perpendicular to the Y direction. The filter fixing part 120 has a pressing member 121 that is arranged in front of the air filter 24 to suppress movement of the air filter 24 in the thickness direction, i.e., in the Y direction, and a fixing member 122 that rotatably fixes the pressing member 121 to the support base part 125.

In one example, the pressing member 121 is composed of a rod-shaped member extending in one direction. The shape of the cross section perpendicular to the extension direction of the pressing member 121 is not particularly limited, and may be rectangular, circular, or polygonal. The fixing member 122 is a member that fixes one end of the pressing member 121 to the support base 125 so that the pressing member 121 can rotate in a plane perpendicular to the Y direction. By fixing one end of the pressing member 121 to the support base 125 by the fixing member 122, the pressing member 121 can rotate in the ZX plane around the fixing member 122. In one example, a screw hole is formed at the fixing position of the pressing member 121 on the support base 125, and the fixing member 122 is a male screw that is screwed into this screw hole. In this way, the filter fixing part 120 is composed of a lever-shaped member.

As shown in FIG. 14, the support base 125 is formed so that when the air filter 24 is placed in front of the blower 21, the front surface of the support base 125 is flush with the front surface of the air filter 24.

The housing body 11 has a filter finger hook portion 127 consisting of a recess arranged adjacent to the filter fixing portion 120 in the Z direction. The recess of the filter finger hook portion 127 is open on the surface facing the side surface of the air passage wall 111 side of the air filter 24. In other words, the filter finger hook portion 127 is adjacent to the support base portion 125 in the Z direction and consists of a recess facing the rear surface 11a side. It is desirable that the recess constituting the filter finger hook portion 127 has a size that allows a normal adult's finger to be inserted. In one example, the size of the filter finger hook portion 127 in the Z direction is 20 mm, and the size in the X direction is 25 mm. In addition, the depth of the recess constituting the filter finger hook portion 127 is within a range in which a finger inserted in the recess can touch the side surface of the air filter 24 and does not exceed the thickness dimension of the air filter 24. In one example, when the thickness of the air filter 24 is 35 mm, the depth of the recess can be 20 mm. In other words, the depth of the recess constituting filter finger hook portion 127 is deep enough to touch the side of air filter 24, and the position of bottom surface 127a of the recess is closer to the front than the position of the rear surface of air filter 24. The reason why the depth of the recess is set not to exceed the thickness dimension of air filter 24 is to prevent air flow 45 from passing through filter finger hook portion 127 and flowing into blower 21 without passing through air filter 24. By inserting a finger into filter finger hook portion 127 configured in this manner, it becomes possible to hook the side of air filter 24 onto the finger.

Returning to FIG. 13, the support base 125 and the filter finger hook 127 are provided to protrude toward the circuit arrangement region R2. Therefore, the air passage wall 111 provided at the boundary with the circuit arrangement region R2 protrudes toward the circuit arrangement region R2 by the amount where the support base 125 and the filter finger hook 127 are arranged. In this example, the air passage wall 111 has a wall 111a below the support base 125 and the filter finger hook 127, walls 111b, 111c, and 111d surrounding the support base 125 and the filter finger hook 127, and a wall 111e above the support base 125 and the filter finger hook 127. Of these, the wall 111a and the wall 111b are perpendicular to each other below the filter fixing portion 120. The air filter 24 is attached parallel to the wall surface 501, that is, perpendicular to the floor surface. Therefore, the pressing member 121 can rotate in a plane perpendicular to the floor surface. If the fixing member 122 of the pressing member 121 is not firmly fixed, the end of the pressing member 121 that is not fixed to the fixing member 122 may be subjected to gravity and rotate downward. However, the lower wall 111b surrounding the support base 125 and the filter finger hook 127 receives the pressing member 121, and therefore the pressing member 121 is prevented from moving to a position where it does not overlap with the front side of the air filter 24.

The filter hooking portion 131 is a protrusion provided on the wall surface 117x of the inner wall 117 on the suction port 13 side of the housing 10. When the air filter 24 is placed in front of the blower 21, the filter hooking portion 131 is provided at a position where the side of the air filter 24 is sandwiched between the filter hooking portion 131 and the front surface of the blower 21. The filter hooking portion 131 protrudes from the wall surface 117x toward the air passage wall 111, and therefore has the function of suppressing movement of the air filter 24 in the Y direction.

The installation of the air filter 24 to the housing body 11 will be described. One side of the air filter 24 is hooked onto the filter hooking portion 131 of the wall surface 117x, and the air filter 24 is pushed in so as to cover the front surface of the fan casing 213. As a result, the side surface of the air filter 24 on the intake port 13 side is fixed by the filter hooking portion 131. Then, the pressing member 121 of the filter fixing portion 120 is rotated so as to be positioned on the front surface of the air filter 24. As a result, the side surface of the air filter 24 on the air passage wall 111 side is fixed by the fixing member 122. The air filter 24 can be easily installed to the housing body 11 with just the fingers of one hand.

The removal of the air filter 24 from the housing body 11 will be described. Figures 16 and 17 are diagrams showing an example of the state of removing the air filter from the housing body in the air purifier according to embodiment 1. When removing the air filter 24, as shown in Figures 16 and 17, the pressing member 121 of the filter fixing part 120 is rotated from the position on the front side of the air filter 24 to the support base part 125. Also, insert your finger into the filter finger hook part 127 adjacent to the support base part 125, hook your finger on the side of the air filter 24, and pull it toward you, i.e., forward. This causes the air filter 24 to be removed from the filter hook part 131 on the suction port 13 side of the housing 10. This series of operations can be performed with just the fingers of one hand. In other words, the air filter 24 can be easily removed with just the movement of the fingers of one hand.

Next, the effect of the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment will be described in comparison with an air purifier of the type in which the air filter is fixed to the filter frame. A method of using a filter frame is known when attaching and detaching an air filter in an air purifier. In this method, a filter group including an air filter and a prefilter arranged on the front side of the air filter is fixed to the filter frame, and the filter is attached together with the filter frame by fitting a protrusion provided on the filter frame with a groove provided on the housing body and guiding the filter by sliding. However, this method requires a separate filter frame, which incurs part costs and mold costs. In addition, when removing the prefilter, it was necessary to pull out the knobs provided on the prefilter evenly with both hands, or to pull out the prefilter by sliding both ends in the width direction little by little. In particular, if an impact or vibration is applied to a used air filter with dust or the like attached thereto, the dust or the like will fall off or scatter. For this reason, the air filter must be handled carefully so as not to be subjected to impact or vibration when pulled out or slid, which was a stressful task for the worker. In addition, since the worker must hold the filter frame with both hands during the work, if the worker loses balance, the loss of balance between the left and right hands can cause stress to be generated in the air filter.

Furthermore, when removing an air filter using a filter frame, the removal is done by holding a knob on the pre-filter. Because the knob is located in the ventilation section, dust and other particles inevitably adhere to the knob as the air filter is used. As a result, when removing the air filter, the worker must hold a dirty knob, which can get their hands dirty.

On the other hand, in the air purifier 1 according to embodiment 1, the filter fixing part 120 and the filter finger hook part 127 are provided on the housing body 11 facing one side in the width direction of the air filter 24, and the filter hook part 131 consisting of a protrusion is provided on the wall surface 117x of the inner wall 117 of the housing body 11 facing the other side. This allows the air filter 24 to be attached and removed without the need for a filter frame. Because a filter frame is not required, the air purifier 1 can be manufactured at a lower cost than a method that uses a filter frame.

In the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment, the air filter 24 can be removed from the housing body 11 by rotating the pressing member 121 of the filter fixing part 120 to the support base part 125, inserting a finger into the filter finger hook part 127, and gently lifting the air filter 24. During the installation of the air filter 24 in the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment, the protrusion and groove are not engaged or slid between the air filter 24 and the housing 10. Therefore, when removing the air filter 24, the operation of disengaging the engaged protrusion and groove, and the operation of pulling out the air filter 24 while sliding the air filter 24 do not occur. In other words, no impact or vibration is applied to the air filter 24. This allows the air filter 24 to be attached and detached without dropping or scattering dust and the like. As a result, an air purifier 1 that allows the air filter 24 to be easily attached and detached and has good maintainability can be realized at low cost.

In addition, because the air filter 24 can be removed with one hand, the other hand can be used to maintain the worker's own stability, allowing the worker to work in a stable position. In this way, the worker holds the air filter 24 in one hand while performing the installation and removal work, so even if the worker loses balance, the loss of balance between the left and right hands is not transmitted to the air filter 24 because the air filter 24 is being held in one hand. In other words, no stress is generated in the air filter 24.

Furthermore, in the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment, in the X direction, the filter fixing part 120 and the filter finger hook part 127 are provided on the side of the air filter 24 opposite the suction port 13 on the side surface 11c. Specifically, the air purifier 1 according to the first embodiment has the filter fixing part 120 and the filter finger hook part 127 adjacent to the side of the air filter 24 downstream of the air flow 45 opposite the suction port 13 of the housing 10. In other words, the filter fixing part 120 and the filter finger hook part 127 are provided on the opposite side of the suction port 13 of the housing 10, sandwiching the suction port 213a of the blower 21. As a result, the amount of air reaching the filter fixing part 120 and the filter finger hook part 127 is smaller than the amount of air sucked from the suction port 213a of the blower 21, and the filter fixing part 120 and the filter finger hook part 127 are less likely to become dirty with dust. Therefore, when attaching or detaching the air filter 24 , the hands do not become dirty with dust or the like adhering to the filter fixing portion 120 and the filter finger hook portion 127 , and the air filter 24 can be attached or detached.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, since the air purifier 1 is installed on the wall surface 501, the work space on the floor surface of the room occupants is not occupied as the installation space of the air purifier 1. In addition, the discharge type dust collection device 23 inside the housing 10 is not arranged so as to overlap with the blower 21 in the depth direction, but is arranged in the space 42 between the suction port 13 of the housing 10 and the side of the suction port 13 side of the blower 21. This allows the main body of the air purifier 1 to be made thinner than before, so that even when the air purifier 1 is installed on the wall surface 501, the air purifier 1 does not unnecessarily occupy the indoor space or give the room occupants a feeling of oppression. In this way, the air in the room is purified, and the impact of the air purifier 1 on the room occupants can be reduced compared to before, making it possible to provide a comfortable air environment space.

According to the first embodiment, the power cable 51 exposed between the wall surface 501 and the air purifier 1 can be made inconspicuous, so that the appearance of the air purifier 1 when installed on the wall surface 501 can be improved. In addition, the power line insertion section 311 that is connected to the opening 115 on the rear surface 11a of the housing 10 and can lead the power cable 51 to the power line connection terminal block 312 is provided, so that the visibility of the power cable 51 inserted from the wall surface 501 to the opening 115 is improved, and the workability of running the power cable 51 can be improved. Furthermore, since the terminal block cover 342 covers the power line connection terminal block 312 and the opening 335 of the power line insertion section 311, it is possible to provide an air purifier 1 at low cost that prevents the worker or user from touching the power cable 51.

Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, since a filter frame is not required to fix the air filter 24 to the housing body 11, the air purifier 1 can be provided at a lower cost than when a filter frame is used. Furthermore, by providing the filter fixing part 120, the filter finger hook part 127, and the filter hook part 131, the air filter 24 can be easily attached and detached with one hand without subjecting the air filter 24 to shock or vibration. This makes it possible to provide an air purifier 1 that allows the air filter 24 to be attached and detached without causing dust and the like to fall off or scatter.

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.

1,100 air purifier, 10 housing, 11 housing body, 11a, 341a rear surface, 11b front surface, 11c top surface, 11d bottom surface, 11e, 11f, 341b, 341c, 341d side surface, 12 front panel, 13, 213a intake port, 14 outlet port, 21 blower, 22 dust filter, 23 discharge type dust collecting device, 24 air filter, 31 power supply wire connection portion, 32 control circuit portion, 40 air passage, 41, 42 space, 45 air flow, 51 power cable, 111, 112 air passage wall, 111a, 111b, 111c, 111d, 111e, 331, 333 wall portion, 115, 335 opening, 117 Inner wall, 117x, 501, 502 Wall surface, 120 Filter fixing portion, 121 Pressing member, 122 Fixing member, 125 Support base portion, 127 Filter finger hook portion, 127a Bottom surface, 131 Filter hook portion, 211 Fan, 212 Motor, 213 Fan casing, 231 Discharge portion positive electrode, 232 Discharge portion negative electrode, 311 Power line insertion portion, 312 Power line connection terminal block, 313 Terminal block housing portion, 321 Power line, 332 Support portion, 341 Housing body, 342 Terminal block cover, 342a Terminal block cover portion, 342b Insertion portion cover portion, 345 Power line fixing portion, 2131 Scroll portion, 2132 Diffuse portion, 2133, 2133a, 2133b Outer circumferential wall, 2134 Tongue portion, 2137 filter support portion, R1 air passage configuration area, R2 circuit arrangement area, R11 first area, R12 second area, R21 circuit side power line arrangement area, R22 power cable arrangement area.

Claims (5)

An air purifier that is installed on a wall surface in a room and purifies the air in the room,
a rectangular parallelepiped housing having a first surface provided with an inlet for sucking in air and a second surface provided with an outlet for blowing out air different from the first surface;
a blower housed in the housing, sucking in the air through the inlet and blowing out the air through the outlet;
A control circuit unit for controlling electrical components including the blower;
a power supply wire connection portion to which a power supply cable is connected, the power supply cable being routed from a third surface of the housing that faces the wall surface;
Equipped with
The power supply wire connection portion is
a power line connection terminal block that electrically connects a power line drawn from the control circuit unit to the power cable;
a power line insertion portion having a second opening that is connected to a first opening penetrating the third surface, protrudes toward a fourth surface of the housing opposite the third surface, and leads the power cable to the power line connection terminal block;
a terminal block cover that covers the power line connection terminal block and the second opening;
having
the terminal block cover has a flat terminal block cover portion that covers an area including the power line connection terminal block, and an insertion portion cover portion that covers the second opening of the power line insertion portion,
The air purifier , wherein the insertion portion cover portion has a convex shape that protrudes outward beyond the contour of the terminal block cover portion in an in-plane direction of the terminal block cover portion . The air purifier described in claim 1, characterized in that, when viewed from the extension direction, the power line insertion portion has a concave shape that opens toward the area where the power line connection terminal block is installed, and when the terminal block cover is attached, it surrounds the convex-shaped insertion portion cover portion. An air purifier that is installed on a wall surface in a room and purifies the air in the room,
a rectangular parallelepiped housing having a first surface provided with an inlet for sucking in air and a second surface provided with an outlet for blowing out air different from the first surface;
a blower housed in the housing, sucking in the air through the inlet and blowing out the air through the outlet;
A control circuit unit for controlling electrical components including the blower;
a power supply wire connection portion to which a power supply cable is connected, the power supply cable being routed from a third surface of the housing that faces the wall surface;
Equipped with
The power supply wire connection portion is
a power line connection terminal block that electrically connects a power line drawn from the control circuit unit to the power cable;
a power line insertion portion having a second opening that is connected to a first opening penetrating the third surface, protrudes toward a fourth surface of the housing opposite the third surface, and leads the power cable to the power line connection terminal block;
a power line fixing portion that fixes the power cable inside the housing ;
a terminal block cover that covers the power line connection terminal block and the second opening;
having
This air purifier is characterized in that the power line fixing portion is positioned so that the power cable is arranged horizontally from the power line insertion portion to the power line fixing portion, and so that the power cable is arranged vertically from the power line fixing portion to the power line connection terminal block. the power supply wire connection portion has a power supply wire fixing portion that fixes the power supply cable inside the housing,
The air purifier according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the power line fixing portion is positioned such that the power cable is arranged horizontally from the power line insertion portion to the power line fixing portion, and such that the power cable is arranged vertically from the power line fixing portion to the power line connection terminal block. 5. The air purifier according to claim 3 , wherein the power line connection terminal block is disposed above the power line insertion portion.

Images