JP7675304B2 - dehumidifier - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a dehumidifier that dries clothes and dehumidifies indoor air, and has a configuration in which moisture is absorbed by a dehumidifying rotor carrying a moisture absorbent and the absorbed moisture is collected as condensed water.

Dehumidifiers that recover moisture absorbed by the dehumidifying rotor as condensed water include those that heat the moisture absorbed by the dehumidifying rotor in a heater and release it into high-temperature regenerated air, cool the released moisture-containing high-humidity regenerated air in a condenser to recover the condensed water, and return the moisture-removed regenerated air to the heater for circulation. In this regenerated air circulation type configuration, the high-humidity regenerated air is not discharged outside the device, and the condensation heat obtained when recovering moisture from the regenerated air can also be utilized, so that dehumidifiers with the characteristic of being able to quickly dry clothes, etc. are known.

JP 2012-192330 A

The problem with conventional dehumidifiers like this is that the condensed water generated in the condenser and the condensed water that condenses in the air duct through which the regenerated air circulates turn into droplets that accumulate in the circulating air duct, and some of the condensed water that condenses in the regenerative chamber leaks onto the dehumidifying rotor and is re-adsorbed by the dehumidifying rotor, causing a decrease in moisture absorption efficiency.

In other words, to quickly guide the water droplets that had accumulated in the regeneration chamber to the water storage section, a water drain pipe that communicated with the regeneration chamber was placed opposite the dehumidification rotor, but this blocked the dehumidification air passage, which reduced the moisture absorption efficiency of the dehumidification rotor.

Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to make it possible to quickly guide water droplets generated in the circulation air duct to the water storage section without blocking the dehumidification air duct.

To achieve this object, the present invention provides a device that includes a main body case having an intake port and an exhaust port, a dehumidifying rotor provided within the main body case and having a moisture absorption region and a moisture release region, a motor for rotating the dehumidifying rotor, a water storage section provided below the dehumidifying rotor for storing water, a blower that exhausts air drawn in from the intake port of the main body case through a dehumidifying air duct, after passing through the moisture absorption region of the dehumidifying rotor, from the exhaust port to the outside of the main body case, and a circulation air duct provided within the main body case, the circulation air duct including the moisture release region of the dehumidifying rotor, a heating section provided upwind of the moisture release region, a regeneration chamber provided downwind of the moisture release region, and the The device has a heat exchanger provided on the leeward side of the regeneration chamber and a circulation fan that circulates air in the circulation air passage. The regeneration chamber is generally box-shaped and has a first opening that communicates with the moisture release area of the dehumidification rotor, a second opening that communicates with the heat exchanger, and a third opening that opens downward. The third opening has a communication duct that extends from the third opening. Water that condenses in the regeneration chamber accumulates in the water storage section through the communication duct from the third opening. The third opening and the communication duct are provided outside the outer periphery of the dehumidification rotor, thereby achieving the initial objective.

According to the present invention, a device is provided with a main body case having an intake port and an exhaust port, a dehumidifying rotor provided within the main body case and having a moisture absorption region and a moisture release region, a motor for rotating the dehumidifying rotor, a water storage section provided below the dehumidifying rotor for storing water, a blower for exhausting air drawn in from the intake port of the main body case through a dehumidifying air duct, after passing through the moisture absorption region of the dehumidifying rotor, to the outside of the main body case through the exhaust port, and a circulation air duct provided within the main body case, the circulation air duct including the moisture release region of the dehumidifying rotor, a heat generating section provided on the windward side of the moisture release region, and a regeneration chamber provided on the leeward side of the moisture release region. The regeneration chamber has a heat exchanger provided on the leeward side of the regeneration chamber, and a circulation fan that circulates the air in the circulation air passage. The regeneration chamber is substantially box-shaped and has a first opening that communicates with the moisture release area of the dehumidification rotor, a second opening that communicates with the heat exchanger, and a third opening that opens downward. The third opening has a communication duct that extends from the third opening. Water that condenses in the regeneration chamber flows from the third opening through the communication duct and accumulates in the water storage section. The third opening and the communication duct are provided outside the outer periphery of the dehumidification rotor.

In other words, because the third opening and the connecting duct are located outside the outer circumference of the dehumidifying rotor, the condensed water that condenses in the regeneration chamber can be quickly guided to the water storage section without blocking the dehumidifying air passage.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dehumidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. Schematic cross-sectional view of the dehumidifier FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the inside of the dehumidification device. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a support frame, a regeneration chamber, and a communication duct of the dehumidification device; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the regeneration chamber of the dehumidifier; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the regeneration chamber of the dehumidifier;

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dehumidifier in an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the front side, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the dehumidifier as viewed from the rear side, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the general configuration, FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view in a horizontal section, and FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the inside of the dehumidifier.

As shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, the dehumidifier of this embodiment has an intake port 2 on the front of the main body case 1, which is shaped like a vertically long box, an operation unit 3 on the top of the main body case 1, and an air outlet 4 on the upper back side of the main body case 1. The user can operate the dehumidifier and check the operating mode by operating the operation unit 3. A freely rotatable louver 5 is provided above the air outlet 4. A water storage unit 6 is provided below the front side of the main body case 1 so as to be able to freely appear and disappear, and stores the dehumidified water generated within the main body case 1.

The main body case 1 contains a dehumidifying rotor section 7, a regeneration unit 8, and a blower 9.

The dehumidifying rotor section 7 has a dehumidifying rotor 10, a support frame 11, and a motor 12.

The dehumidifying rotor 10 is disk-shaped and rotatably mounted on a support frame 11 so that the axis of rotation extends horizontally. The dehumidifying rotor 10 is constructed in a honeycomb shape that supports an adsorbent and allows ventilation in the axial direction. This adsorbent has the property that it can hold a lot of moisture if the relative humidity of the air it is exposed to is high, and the amount of moisture it can hold decreases as the relative humidity decreases. In this way, by repeatedly coming into contact with multiple air streams with different relative humidities, moisture is adsorbed and desorbed according to the difference in the amount of moisture the adsorbent can hold at each relative humidity. The dehumidifying rotor has a moisture absorption area 10a that adsorbs moisture in the air to the dehumidifying rotor 10, and a moisture release area 10b that releases the moisture adsorbed to the dehumidifying rotor 10. The outer periphery of the dehumidifying rotor 10 has many teeth 10c.

The support frame 11 is positioned to separate the front side and the back side of the main body case 1, and has a circular opening 11a in the center. The dehumidifying rotor 10 is positioned between the back side of the main body case 1 and the support frame 11, and is rotatably mounted so as to close the opening 11a of the support frame 11.

The motor 12 is fixed to the support frame 11 and has a gear (not shown) that contacts a number of teeth 10c protruding from the outer periphery of the dehumidifying rotor 10. When the motor 12 is driven, the gear rotates, which in turn rotates the dehumidifying rotor 10.

The regeneration unit 8 has a circulation air passage 13 that communicates with one side (the front side of the main body case) of the moisture release area 10b in the dehumidifier rotor 10 and the other side (the rear side of the main body case) of the moisture release area 10b in the dehumidifier rotor 10, and a heat generating section 14, a heat exchanger 15, and a circulation fan 16 that are provided in the circulation air passage 13.

The heating unit 14 is disposed on one side (the rear side of the main body case) of the moisture release area 10b of the dehumidifying rotor 10. The heating unit 14 is made of a material that generates heat when electricity is applied, such as a nichrome wire, and generates heat to release moisture from the dehumidifying rotor 10 in the moisture release area 10b of the dehumidifying rotor 10.

The heat exchanger 15 condenses moisture by exchanging heat between the regenerated air containing moisture released from the moisture release area 10b of the dehumidifying rotor 10 and the indoor air supplied by the blower 9. The heat exchanger 15 is disposed horizontally adjacent to the dehumidifying rotor 10 between the front surface of the main body case 1 and the support frame 11.

The circulation fan 16 is configured as a so-called sirocco fan that combines a motor 16a and an impeller 16b, and circulates air within the circulation air passage 13. The circulation fan 16 is disposed between the heat generating section 14 and the heat exchanger 15 in the circulation air passage 13. The air blown from the circulation fan 16 passes through the heat generating section 14, the moisture releasing area 10b of the dehumidifying rotor 10, and the heat exchanger 15 in that order, before being sucked into the circulation fan 16.

The blower 9 is disposed between the rear surface of the main body case 1 and the support frame 11. The blower 9 includes a motor section 9a, a fan section 9b that rotates due to the motor section 9a, and a scroll-shaped casing section 9c that surrounds them.

The motor section 9a is fixed to the casing section 9c.

The fan section 9b is a sirocco fan that is fixed to a rotating shaft (not shown) that extends horizontally from the motor section 9a. The rotating shaft of the motor section 9a extends from the front side to the rear side of the main body case 1.

The casing 9c has an outlet 17 and an intake 18. The outlet 17 is provided on the top surface of the main body case 1 of the casing 9c. The intake 18 is provided on the front surface of the main body case 1 of the casing 9c. The casing 9c has an intake surface portion 19 to which the motor portion 9a is fixed and in which the intake 18 is provided, an intake opposing surface portion 20 opposed to the suction surface portion 19, and a scroll-shaped scroll surface portion 21 connecting the suction surface portion 19 and the suction opposing surface portion 20. When the motor portion 9a rotates the fan portion 9b, air is sucked into the casing 9c through the intake 18 of the casing 9c, and the sucked air is blown out of the casing 9c through the outlet 17.

The main body case has a dehumidifying air passage 22 and a cooling air passage 23.

The dehumidifying air passage 22 is an air passage that connects the intake port 2 of the main body case 1, the moisture absorption area 10a of the dehumidifying rotor 10, and the blower 9. The moisture in the air sucked in from the intake port 2 of the main body case 1 is adsorbed by the dehumidifying rotor 10 in the moisture absorption area 10a of the dehumidifying rotor 10 and dehumidified.

The cooling air duct 23 is an air duct that connects the intake port 2 of the main body case 1, the heat exchanger 15, and the blower 9. The heat exchanger 15 is cooled by air sucked in from the intake port 2 of the main body case 1. The air that passes through the dehumidification air duct 22 and the cooling air duct 23 is mixed in the blower 9 and blown out of the main body case from the air outlet 4.

The dehumidification operation in the above configuration will be described. The blower 9 draws in indoor air from the intake port 2, absorbs moisture in the moisture absorption area 10a of the dehumidifier rotor 10, and blows the dehumidified air into the room as dry air from the outlet 4 (dehumidifier air duct). The moisture absorbed by the dehumidifier rotor 10 moves to the moisture release area 10b by the rotational drive of the dehumidifier rotor 10, and is released into the circulation air duct 13 by heating of the heat generating part 14. In the circulation air duct 13, the hot and humid air sent out from the moisture release area 10b of the dehumidifier rotor 10 is blown to the heat exchanger 15 by the blowing of the circulation blower 16. In the heat exchanger 15, the circulation air duct 13 and the cooling air duct 23 that is sucked into the main body case 1 by the blower 9 and cools the heat exchanger 15 exchange heat, and the hot and humid air in the circulation air duct 13 is cooled, the moisture is condensed, and it is collected in the water storage part 6 as condensed water. The air in the cooling air duct 23, which has cooled the heat exchanger 15 and has a higher temperature, is mixed with the air in the dehumidification air duct 22 by the blower 9 and is blown into the room from the air outlet 4. In this way, the indoor air is dehumidified.

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the support frame, regeneration chamber, and communication duct of a dehumidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view of the regeneration chamber of the dehumidifier as viewed from the windward side, and Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view of the regeneration chamber of the dehumidifier as viewed from the leeward side.

As shown in Figs. 3 to 8, the regeneration chamber 29 is disposed downstream of the moisture release area 10b of the dehumidifying rotor 10 in the circulation air passage 13. The regeneration chamber 29 is an air passage surrounded by the windward chamber 29a and the leeward chamber 29b. The regeneration chamber 29 is substantially box-shaped and has a first opening 30 communicating with the moisture release area 10b of the dehumidifying rotor 10 and a second opening 31 communicating with the heat exchanger 15. The air blown from the circulation blower 16 enters the regeneration chamber 29 through the heat generating section 14, the moisture release area 10b of the dehumidifying rotor 10, and the first opening 30 in sequence. Furthermore, the air that has entered the regeneration chamber 29 is sucked into the circulation blower 16 through the second opening 31 and the heat exchanger 15 in sequence. The air that has entered the regeneration chamber 29 condenses in the regeneration chamber 29. Here, the regeneration chamber 29 has a third opening 32 that opens downward, and a communication duct 34 that extends downward from the third opening 32 and connects the third opening 32 to the receiving tray 33, and the third opening 32 and the communication duct 34 are located outside the outer periphery of the dehumidification rotor 10.

That is, since the third opening 32 and the receiver 33 are connected through a communication duct 34, the condensed water that condenses in the regeneration chamber 29 flows into the third opening 32 and can be quickly guided through the communication duct 34 to the water storage section 6 via the receiver 33. In addition, by providing the third opening 32 and the communication duct 34 outside the outer periphery of the dehumidifying rotor 10, the condensed water that condenses in the regeneration chamber 29 can be guided to the water storage section 6 via the receiver 33 without blocking the dehumidifying air passage 22, improving the moisture absorption efficiency of the dehumidifying rotor 10.

The third opening 32 is located below the rotation axis of the dehumidifying rotor 10, and the bottom surface 36 of the regeneration chamber 29 with the third opening 32 is inclined so that the third opening 32 is located at the lowest end. That is, the condensed water that condenses in the regeneration chamber 29 collects at the lowest point in the regeneration chamber 29 through the bottom surface 36 with the third opening 32 of the regeneration chamber 29, which is an inclined surface, and flows from the third opening 32 through the communication duct 34 to the receiver 33. The water that accumulates in the receiver 33 can be quickly guided to the water storage section 6 through the holes in the receiver, so that the increase in pressure loss in the circulation air duct 13 due to water droplets that accumulate in the circulation air duct can be suppressed, and the cooling efficiency of the heat exchanger 15 is improved.

In addition, a partition plate portion 35 having a substantially sector-shaped vertical plane is provided in the regeneration chamber 29 so as to face the first opening 30 and the moisture release area 10b of the dehumidification rotor 10. The third opening portion 32, which is located at the lowest point of the lower part of the regeneration chamber 29, is located on the downwind side of the partition plate portion 35.

That is, the regeneration chamber 29 has a first opening 30 on the leeward side of the moisture release area 10b of the dehumidification rotor 10, and a partition plate portion 35 on the leeward side of the first opening 30. Furthermore, the third opening 32 that communicates with the receiving tray 33 is located on the leeward side of the partition plate portion 35 at the bottom of the regeneration chamber 29. As a result, the air flow within the regeneration chamber 29 and the partition plate portion 35 prevent the condensed water that condenses within the regeneration chamber 29 from leaking out to the dehumidification rotor 10 side, and flows into the third opening 32, so that the condensed water is not re-adsorbed by the dehumidification rotor, improving the moisture absorption efficiency.

It is expected that this device will be used as a highly efficient dehumidifier for home and office use.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 main body case 2 suction port 3 operation section 4 blowing port 5 louver 6 water storage section 7 dehumidifying rotor section 8 regeneration unit 9 blower 9a motor section 9b fan section 9c casing section 10 dehumidifying rotor 10a moisture absorption area 10b moisture release area 10c teeth 11 support frame 11a opening 12 motor 13 circulation air duct 14 heat generating section 15 heat exchanger 16 circulation blower 16a motor 16b impeller 17 discharge port 18 intake port 19 suction surface section 20 suction facing surface section 21 scroll surface section 22 dehumidifying air duct 23 cooling air duct 29 regeneration chamber 29a windward chamber 29b leeward chamber 30 first opening 31 Second opening 32 Third opening 33 Receptacle 34 Communication duct 35 Partition plate portion 36 Bottom surface

Claims (3)

a main body case having an inlet and an outlet;
a dehumidifying rotor provided in the main body case and having a moisture absorbing region and a moisture releasing region;
A motor that rotates the dehumidifying rotor;
A water storage section that stores water and is provided below the dehumidifying rotor;
a blower that draws in air from the suction port of the main body case, passes through the moisture absorbing region of the dehumidification rotor through a dehumidification air passage, and then exhausts the air to the outside of the main body case through the air outlet;
a circulating air passage provided in the main body case,
The circulation air duct includes:
The moisture releasing region of the dehumidifying rotor;
A heating section provided on the windward side of the moisture releasing area;
A regeneration chamber provided on the leeward side of the moisture releasing region;
a heat exchanger disposed on the leeward side of the regeneration chamber;
A circulation fan that circulates air in the circulation air duct,
The regeneration chamber comprises:
A first opening having a substantially box shape and communicating with the moisture releasing region of the dehumidifying rotor;
a second opening in communication with the heat exchanger;
and a third opening portion opening downward,
a communication duct extending from the third opening is provided in the third opening,
Water condensed in the regeneration chamber is collected in the water storage section through the third opening and the communication duct,
The dehumidifying device according to claim 1, wherein the third opening and the communication duct are provided outside an outer periphery of the dehumidifying rotor. the third opening is located below a rotation axis of the dehumidification rotor,
2. The dehumidification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a bottom surface of the regeneration chamber on which the third opening is provided is inclined so that the third opening is located at the lowest end. the regeneration chamber has a partition plate portion provided to face the first opening and the moisture releasing region of the dehumidification rotor,
3. The dehumidifier according to claim 2, wherein the third opening is located in the lower part of the regeneration chamber and on the downwind side of the partition plate.