JP7808767B2 - 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, sterilization has traditionally been achieved by irradiating circulating air with ultraviolet light. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioning system that purifies circulating air by irradiating ultraviolet light into ducts or chambers made of materials with high ultraviolet reflectivity.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-146013

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

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 above-mentioned objects of the present invention are achieved by an air purifying device comprising a casing having an inlet and an outlet, a fan provided within the casing that draws air in through the inlet and expels it through the outlet, and a sterilizer having an ultraviolet light source on the top surface of a housing-like main body, the inlet being covered by a grill having multiple openings, the sterilizer having two legs rotatably attached to the bottom surface of the main body, the legs having mounting holes formed at their tip ends, and the sterilizer being fixed to the inner surface of the grill by inserting fasteners into the mounting holes of the two legs and engaging them with the openings.

The ultraviolet light source preferably consists of an ultraviolet LED, the sterilization device preferably includes a PWM adjustment unit that adjusts the light emission state of the ultraviolet light source, and the fan preferably is made of aluminum or stainless steel, or has a surface coated with a silica film.

The above-mentioned object of the present invention is also achieved by a method for purifying indoor air using the above-mentioned air purification device, in which indoor air is drawn 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 inexpensively 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, partly in cross section, showing a main part of the air purifying device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing another main part of the air purification device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing still another main part of the air purification device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing still another main part of the air purification device shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a bottom view of an air purifying device according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a main part of the air purification device shown in FIG. 6 .

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described 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, partially in cross section, showing the main components of the air purifier shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the air purifier 1 of this embodiment comprises a housing-like 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 such as a building or vehicle.

The casing 10 has an air intake 11 formed on its underside. The air intake 11 is positioned to face the interior of 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 interior side. As shown in the plan view from above in Figure 3, the grill 20 has multiple openings 21 formed in it, and air is drawn 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 via a duct 70 to an indoor inlet part 60 provided in another location on the ceiling 50, and air discharged from the air outlet 13 is supplied from the indoor inlet part 60 into the room. The indoor inlet parts 60 may be provided in multiple locations on the ceiling 50, and the duct 70 connected to the connection part 12 can be branched and connected to each indoor inlet part 60. The indoor inlet parts 60 may also be provided on the wall surface, floor surface, etc. of the room.

A storage compartment 14 with an opening 15 formed on the underside is provided inside the casing 10, and a fan 16 is disposed inside the storage compartment 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, turbo fan, or the like. The storage compartment 14 is connected to the connection portion 12, and air drawn in from the intake port 11 through the opening 15 by operation of the fan 16 is discharged from the outlet 13.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the sterilization device 30 has an ultraviolet light source 32 on the top surface of a housing-shaped main body 31. The ultraviolet light source 32 consists of an ultraviolet LED or ultraviolet lamp that emits ultraviolet light with strong sterilizing properties, and its output is controlled by a control circuit provided within the main body 31. Mounting legs 33 and 34 are provided on the bottom surface of the main body 31. In addition, the side of the main body 31 is provided with a power supply connection part 35 that is connected to a power source (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 be rotated to adjust the duty ratio of the pulse signal that drives the ultraviolet light source 32; for example, both the on time and off time can be set to 0.1 seconds. The PWM adjustment unit 36 may be mounted on a wall inside the room along with a switch for the fan 16, etc., so that it can be easily operated by the user. When the level of pollution in the room is low or 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, 34 are rotatably attached to the bottom surface of the main body 31 by pivots 33a, 34a. Mounting holes 33b, 34b are formed at the distal ends of the legs 33, 34. By rotating the legs 33, 34 as shown by the dashed lines, the mounting holes 33b, 34b can be positioned on both sides of the main body 31. Fasteners such as wire ties or wire can be inserted into the mounting holes 33b, 34b. As shown in Figure 3, the sterilizer 30 is fixed to the inner surface of the grill 20 by engaging the fasteners 22, 23 with the openings 21 of the grill 20. A lamp 37 indicating the operating status of the sterilizer 30 is provided on the bottom surface of the main body 31. The user can visually check the lamp 37 through the openings 21 of the grill 20 to determine the operating status of the sterilizer 30.

Figure 5 is a bottom view of the fan 16 inside the casing 10. As shown in Figures 2 and 5, the ultraviolet light source 32 is positioned 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 beam angle (e.g., approximately 110 degrees) so that it can irradiate the entire fan 16 or a wide area with ultraviolet light.

The air purifier 1 configured as described above can sterilize indoor air by drawing it into the casing 10 through the air inlet 11 using 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 into the room from the indoor introduction section 60 via the duct 70.

In the air purifier 1 of this embodiment, the ultraviolet light source 32 is mounted in the casing 10 so that it irradiates ultraviolet light toward the fan 16. 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 for efficient irradiation of ultraviolet light onto all of the air introduced into the casing 10, thereby purifying the air in the room, using an inexpensive configuration.

The fan 16 is preferably made of a material with high UV reflectivity, such as aluminum or stainless steel, to 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 also preferable to increase the UV reflectivity of the casing 10 and grill 20, in the same way as the fan 16.

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

The air purifying device 1 of this embodiment can be easily constructed, for example, by using an existing duct ventilation fan and attaching the sterilizing device 30 to the grill 20, making it possible to manufacture and install it 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-mounted air conditioning unit 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 designated by the same reference numerals.

The ceiling-mounted air conditioning unit 200 has a rectangular air inlet 11 formed at the bottom of the casing 10, and an air inlet grille is removably attached to the air inlet 11. Figure 6 shows the unit with the air inlet grille removed.

A fan 16 is mounted above the suction port 11 inside the casing 10 via a bell mouth 18. A space 201 is formed between the suction port 11 and the opening 18a at the lower end of the bell mouth 18. The center of the opening 18a of the bell mouth 18 coincides with the rotational axis of the fan 16.

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

Figure 7 is a plan view of the sterilizer 30 and mounting stay 40 shown in Figure 6, viewed from above. As shown in Figure 7, the mounting stay 40 is configured to be extendable and retractable, with a strip-shaped movable member 42 housed in a flat, cylindrical main body 41 and movable in the longitudinal direction. When attaching the sterilizer 30 to an existing ceiling-mounted air conditioning unit 200, first, the mounting stay 40 alone 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, for example.

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. As with the configuration shown in Figure 5, 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; in this embodiment, this is the longitudinal center of the mounting stay 40.

Next, the mounting stay 40 with the sterilizer 30 attached is set in the mounting position of the ceiling-mounted air conditioning unit 200 shown in Figure 6, pilot holes are drilled at both longitudinal ends of the mounting stay 40, and the sterilizer 30 is fixed in place with screws 45, 46. This supports the sterilizer 30 in the center of the opening 18a of the bell mouth 18, and the upper ultraviolet light source 32 is positioned inside the bell mouth 18. After this, the necessary wiring is done, and the installation work is completed after confirming that the lamp 37 is emitting light.

In the air purifier 101 shown in Figure 6, the ultraviolet light source 32 is positioned on the axis of the rotation shaft of the fan 16, making it possible to easily irradiate ultraviolet light over a wide area of the fan 16, similar to the air purifier shown in Figure 1, etc. Furthermore, by positioning the ultraviolet light source 32 inside the bell mouth 18, it is possible to reliably reflect most of the irradiated ultraviolet light off the surface of the fan 16. As a result, the air sterilization effect can be further enhanced.

Furthermore, by attaching the sterilization device 30 using the extendable 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 attaching the sterilization device 30 is not necessarily limited; for example, the ultraviolet light source 32 may be positioned inside the bellmouth 18 using a bracket 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 positioned slightly offset from the rotation axis within the bellmouth 18.

1,101 Air purifier 10 Casing 11 Intake port 13 Outlet port 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 in the casing for drawing in air through the air inlet and discharging the air through the air outlet;
a sterilization device having an ultraviolet light source on the top surface of a housing-like main body,
The air inlet is covered with a grill having a plurality of openings formed therein,
The sterilizer includes two legs rotatably attached to the bottom surface of the main body,
The leg portion has a mounting hole formed at the tip end thereof,
The air purifying device has fasteners inserted into the mounting holes of the two legs, respectively, which are engaged with the openings, thereby fixing the sterilizing device to the inner surface side of the grill. The ultraviolet light source is an ultraviolet LED,
The sterilization device includes a PWM adjustment unit that adjusts the light emission state of the ultraviolet light source,
2. The air purifying device according to claim 1, wherein the fan is made of aluminum or stainless steel, or the surface of the fan is coated with a silica film. A method for purifying indoor air using the air purifying device according to claim 1 or 2, comprising:
The air purification method includes sucking indoor air through the air inlet, irradiating it with ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet light source, and discharging it into the room through the air outlet.