JP7640082B2 - Air Purification Device and Method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air purification device and method, and more specifically to an air purification device and method that sterilizes and purifies air by irradiating it with ultraviolet light.

For purposes such as purifying indoor air, it has been common to sterilize the air by irradiating it with ultraviolet light while circulating it. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioning system that purifies the circulating air by irradiating ultraviolet light into ducts or chambers made of materials with high ultraviolet reflectivity.

JP 2017-146013 A

However, conventional air purification methods that irradiate the inside of a duct or chamber with ultraviolet light have the problem that it is difficult to irradiate the entire air passing through with ultraviolet light, making it difficult to obtain a sufficient sterilization effect. The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 also discloses placing a light guide plate or the like inside the ultraviolet sterilization chamber to emit ultraviolet light as diffused light, but this has the problem of high manufacturing costs.

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide an air purification device and method that can sterilize air by irradiating it with ultraviolet light inexpensively and efficiently.

The object of the present invention is achieved by an air purifier comprising a casing having an intake port and an exhaust port, a fan provided within the casing for sucking air in through the intake port and exhausting it out of the exhaust port, and an ultraviolet light source for irradiating ultraviolet light onto the air within the casing , the ultraviolet light source being provided in the casing so as to irradiate ultraviolet light toward the fan, the casing being provided in a ceiling-embedded air conditioning unit, the ultraviolet light source being positioned inside a bellmouth interposed between the fan and the intake port, and the ultraviolet light source being supported at the center of the opening of the bellmouth by an expandable mounting stay .

It is preferable that the ultraviolet light source is disposed on the axis of the rotation shaft of the fan.

The object of the present invention is also achieved by a method for purifying indoor air using the above air purifier, in which indoor air is sucked in through the air inlet, irradiated with ultraviolet light by the ultraviolet light source, and discharged into the room through the air outlet.

The present invention provides an air purification device and method that can sterilize air by irradiating it with ultraviolet light at low cost and efficiently.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of an air purification device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a side view, partially in cross section, showing a main portion of the air purifying device shown in FIG. 1. 2 is a plan view showing another main part of the air purifying device shown in FIG. 1. 1. FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing still another main part of the air purifying device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing still another main part of the air purifying device shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a bottom view of an air purification device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 7 is a plan view showing a main part of the air purifying device shown in FIG. 6.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an air purifier according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a side view showing, in partial cross section, the main parts of the air purifier shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the air purifier 1 of this embodiment includes a housing-shaped casing 10, a fan 16 provided within the casing 10, and a sterilizer 30 having an ultraviolet light source 32, and is installed in the ceiling of a room of a building, a vehicle, etc.

The casing 10 has an intake port 11 formed on the underside. The intake port 11 is positioned to face the room through an opening formed in the ceiling 50, and is covered by a grill 20 that is removably attached to the casing 10 from the room side. As shown in the plan view from above in Figure 3, the grill 20 has multiple openings 21 formed therein, and air is sucked in through the openings 21.

A cylindrical connection part 12 is provided on the side of the casing 10, and an air outlet 13 is formed at the tip of the connection part 12. The connection part 12 is connected to an indoor introduction part 60 provided in another part of the ceiling 50 via a duct 70, and air discharged from the air outlet 13 is supplied from the indoor introduction part 60 to the room. The indoor introduction parts 60 may be provided in multiple parts of the ceiling 50, and the duct 70 connected to the connection part 12 can be branched and connected to each indoor introduction part 60. The indoor introduction part 60 may be provided on a wall surface, floor surface, etc. inside the room.

A storage section 14 with an opening 15 formed on the underside is provided inside the casing 10, and a fan 16 is disposed inside the storage section 14. In this embodiment, the fan 16 is a sirocco fan that is driven to rotate by a motor 17. The fan 16 may also be a propeller fan, a turbo fan, or the like. The storage section 14 is connected to the connection section 12, and air drawn in through the opening 15 from the suction port 11 by operation of the fan 16 is discharged from the air outlet 13.

2 and 3, the sterilization device 30 is provided with an ultraviolet light source 32 on the top surface of a housing-shaped main body 31. The ultraviolet light source 32 is composed of an ultraviolet LED or an ultraviolet lamp that irradiates ultraviolet light with a strong sterilizing effect, and the output is controlled by a control circuit provided in the main body 31. The bottom surface of the main body 31 is provided with mounting legs 33 and 34. In addition, the side surface of the main body 31 is provided with a power supply connection part 35 that is connected to a power supply (not shown), and a PWM adjustment part 36 that adjusts the light emission state of the ultraviolet light source 32. The PWM adjustment part 36 can adjust the duty ratio of the pulse signal that drives the ultraviolet light source 32 by rotating the PWM adjustment part 36, and for example, the on time and off time can both be set to 0.1 seconds. The PWM adjustment unit 36 may be provided on a wall inside the room together with a switch for the fan 16, etc., so that the user can easily operate it. When the degree of pollution in the room is low or when the room will not be used for a while, the off time can be made longer than the on time (for example, on time 0.1 seconds, off time 0.2 seconds), thereby extending the life of the ultraviolet light source 32.

Figure 4 is a bottom view of the sterilizer 30. As shown in Figure 4, the base ends of the legs 33 and 34 are rotatably attached to the bottom surface of the main body 31 by the pivots 33a and 34a. The tips of the legs 33 and 34 are formed with mounting holes 33b and 34b, and the legs 33 and 34 can be rotated as shown by the broken lines to position the mounting holes 33b and 34b on both sides of the main body 31. Fixing devices such as insulotons and wires can be inserted into the mounting holes 33b and 34b, and as shown in Figure 3, the sterilizer 30 is fixed to the inner surface of the grill 20 by engaging the fixing devices 22 and 23 with the openings 21 of the grill 20. A lamp 37 that displays the operating state of the sterilizer 30 is provided on the bottom surface of the main body 31, and the user can visually check the lamp 37 through the openings 21 of the grill 20 to know the operating state of the sterilizer 30.

Figure 5 is a bottom view of the fan 16 inside the casing 10 as viewed from below. As shown in Figures 2 and 5, the ultraviolet light source 32 is disposed on the axis R of the rotation shaft of the fan 16, and irradiates ultraviolet light toward the fan 16. The ultraviolet light source 32 preferably has a wide directional angle (e.g., about 110 degrees) so that it can irradiate the entire fan 16 or a wide range of the fan 16 with ultraviolet light.

The air purifier 1 having the above configuration can sterilize indoor air by drawing it into the casing 10 from the air inlet 11 by operating the fan 16 and irradiating it with ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet light source 32 of the sterilizer 30. The sterilized air is discharged from the air outlet 13 and supplied to the room from the indoor introduction part 60 via the duct 70.

In the air purifier 1 of this embodiment, the ultraviolet light source 32 is provided in the casing 10 so as to irradiate ultraviolet light toward the fan 16, so that the ultraviolet light reflected from the surface of the fan 16 is scattered in various directions within the casing 10 as the fan 16 rotates. This allows an inexpensive configuration to efficiently irradiate ultraviolet light onto the entire air introduced into the casing 10, thereby purifying the air in the room.

The fan 16 is preferably made of a material with high UV reflectivity, such as aluminum or stainless steel, so that it can efficiently diffuse and reflect UV rays, or the surface can be preferably coated with a UV reflective film, such as a silica film. To further scatter the UV light reflected from the surface of the fan 16, it is preferable to increase the UV reflectivity of the casing 10 and grill 20, as with the fan 16.

The ultraviolet light source 32 is preferably disposed on the axis R of the rotation shaft of the fan 16 so that ultraviolet light can be easily irradiated over a wide area of the fan 16, but other arrangements are also acceptable as long as ultraviolet light can be directly irradiated onto the fan 16. The mounting position of the ultraviolet light source 32 relative to the casing 10 is not necessarily limited, but as in this embodiment, ultraviolet light can be easily irradiated onto the fan 16 by fixing it to the upper surface (inner surface) of the grill 20 that covers the air intake 11.

The air purifier 1 of this embodiment can be easily constructed, for example, by using an existing duct fan and attaching the sterilizer 30 to the grill 20, so that it can be manufactured and installed quickly and inexpensively.

Figure 6 is a bottom view of an air purifier according to another embodiment of the present invention. The air purifier 101 shown in Figure 6 is configured by attaching the above-mentioned sterilizer 30 to an existing ceiling-embedded air conditioner 200 suspended from the ceiling of a room using a mounting stay 40, and is shown as viewed from below. In Figure 6, components that are the same as those in Figure 1 etc. are given the same reference numerals.

The ceiling-embedded air conditioner 200 has a rectangular suction port 11 formed at the bottom of the casing 10, and an suction grill is removably attached to the suction port 11. Figure 6 shows the suction grill removed.

A fan 16 is provided above the suction port 11 inside the casing 10 via a bellmouth 18. A space 201 is formed between the suction port 11 and an opening 18a at the lower end of the bellmouth 18. The center of the opening 18a of the bellmouth 18 coincides with the axis of rotation of the fan 16.

On the underside of the casing 10, air outlets 13 are formed along each of the four sides of the air inlet 11. Air drawn in from the air inlet 11 by the operation of the fan 16 passes upward through the bell mouth 18 and is diffused horizontally, heated or cooled by a heat exchanger (not shown), and then discharged into the room from each air outlet 13.

Figure 7 is a plan view of the sterilizer 30 and the mounting stay 40 shown in Figure 6, seen from above. As shown in Figure 7, the mounting stay 40 is configured to be expandable and retractable, with a band-shaped movable member 42 housed in a flat, cylindrical main body 41 so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction. When attaching the sterilizer 30 to an existing ceiling-embedded air conditioning unit 200, first, only the mounting stay 40 is fully extended between a pair of opposing inner walls of the space 201 shown in Figure 6, and the length of the space 201 at the attachment position of the mounting stay 40 is measured by marking the boundary between the main body 41 and the movable member 42, etc.

Next, while holding the mounting stay 40 at the measured length, the sterilizer 30 is fixed to the mounting stay 40 with screws 43, 44 using mounting holes such as pilot holes formed in the legs 33, 34 of the sterilizer 30. The mounting position of the sterilizer 30 is preferably a position where the ultraviolet light source 32 coincides with the rotation axis of the fan 16, as in the configuration shown in Figure 5, and in this embodiment, it is the longitudinal center of the mounting stay 40.

Next, the mounting stay 40 to which the sterilizer 30 is attached is set in the mounting position of the ceiling-embedded air conditioning unit 200 shown in Figure 6, pilot holes are drilled into both longitudinal ends of the mounting stay 40, and the stay is fixed with screws 45, 46. As a result, the sterilizer 30 is supported in the center of the opening 18a of the bellmouth 18, and the upper ultraviolet light source 32 is positioned inside the bellmouth 18. After this, the necessary wiring is done, and the light emitted by the lamp 37 is confirmed, completing the installation work.

According to the air purifier 101 shown in FIG. 6, the ultraviolet light source 32 is arranged on the axis of the rotation shaft of the fan 16, so that ultraviolet light can be easily irradiated over a wide area of the fan 16, similar to the air purifier shown in FIG. 1, etc., and the ultraviolet light source 32 is arranged inside the bell mouth 18, so that most of the irradiated ultraviolet light can be reliably reflected by the surface of the fan 16. As a result, the sterilization effect of the air can be further improved.

In addition, by mounting the sterilizer 30 using the expandable mounting stay 40, the ultraviolet light source 32 can be easily and accurately aligned with the center of the opening of the bellmouth 18. However, the method of mounting the sterilizer 30 is not necessarily limited, and for example, the ultraviolet light source 32 may be placed inside the bellmouth 18 using a bracket or the like that protrudes upward from the suction grill (not shown) that covers the suction port 11. The ultraviolet light source 32 and the rotation axis of the fan 16 do not need to be perfectly aligned, and the ultraviolet light source 32 may be placed in a position slightly offset from the rotation axis within the bellmouth 18.

Reference Signs List 1, 101 Air purifier 10 Casing 11 Inlet 13 Outlet 16 Fan 18 Bell mouth 20 Grill 30 Sterilizer 32 Ultraviolet light source 40 Mounting stay

Claims (3)

a casing having an inlet and an outlet;
a fan provided within the casing for sucking air through the suction port and discharging the air through the air outlet;
an ultraviolet light source that irradiates the air in the casing with ultraviolet light,
the ultraviolet light source is provided in the casing so as to irradiate ultraviolet light toward the fan ,
The casing is provided in a ceiling-embedded air conditioning device,
The ultraviolet light source is disposed inside a bell mouth interposed between the fan and the air inlet,
The ultraviolet light source is supported at the center of the opening of the bellmouth by an expandable mounting stay . 2. The air purifying device according to claim 1 , wherein the ultraviolet light source is disposed on an axis line of a rotation shaft of the fan. A method for purifying indoor air using the air purifying device according to claim 1 or 2 , comprising the steps of:
The air purification method includes sucking indoor air through the air inlet, irradiating the air with ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet light source, and discharging the air into the room through the air outlet.

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