JP2000116760A - Air cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To clean the air in a room by utilizing the photocatalyst effect when the powder of titanium oxide of antimicrobial paper is irradiated with the light of a light source, thereby decomposing the organic matter included in the air flowing into a case and sterilizing bacteria, etc. SOLUTION: When a power source is turned on, an exhaust fan 5 runs and a UV lamp 8 is lighted. When the exhaust fan 5 runs, the air flowing in from a louver 12 for air inflow is discharged outside from a louver 3 for air discharge through an air chamber 18, a bottom cover 6, a dust removing filter 15 and a passage 16. The dust, etc. included in the air are removed and the organic matter in the air is decomposed and various saprophytic bacteria and the bacteria, etc. are sterilized in the air flowing process. Namely, when the particles of the powder of the titanium oxide in the substrate layer part in the first and second antimicrobial paper 10 and 14 is irradiated through an inside cylinder 9 with the light of the UV lamp 8, the organic matter included in the air coming into contact with the particles is decomposed and removed by the photocatalyst effect of the titanium oxide and the bacteria, etc. are sterilized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air purifier capable of decomposing organic substances in the air by photocatalysis and sterilizing various germs and bacteria.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Most air purifiers generally used have a filter (activated carbon filter or the like) built-in mainly for the purpose of removing dust and odor in the air.

[0003] There is also an electrostatic precipitating air cleaner which charges (ionizes) floating dust in the air and adsorbs the dust to an electrostatic filter by Coulomb force.

[0004]

In the above-mentioned conventional air purifier, the main purpose is to remove airborne dust, so that, for example, organic substances such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde are decomposed and bacteria are sterilized. And the ability to purify indoor air is low.

[0005] The latter type of dust collector type air purifier includes:
Since the structure is complicated and the number of parts is large, there is a disadvantage that it is expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has a high air purification capability and a high structure by effectively decomposing and sterilizing organic substances by the photocatalytic action of titanium oxide. The purpose is to provide a simple and inexpensive air purifier.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, an air purifier according to the present invention includes an exhaust fan provided in a case having openings for air inflow and exhaust, and an air blower provided in the case. A light source provided in the vicinity of the light source,
It is characterized by being provided so that air can pass through at least one of the inner and outer peripheral surfaces, and is provided with a light-transmitting antibacterial paper in which titanium oxide powder is dispersed in a surface layer portion that is in contact with the air. According to the air purifier described above, the photocatalytic action when the light of the light source is applied to the titanium oxide powder particles of the antibacterial paper decomposes organic substances contained in the air flowing into the case or sterilizes bacteria and the like. Therefore, the indoor air is purified.

In the above air cleaner, it is preferable that the antibacterial paper is provided in a circular or non-circular cylindrical shape around the light source. By doing so, the surface area of the dispersion surface of the titanium oxide powder is increased, and the area contacted by air is also increased, so that decomposition and sterilization of organic substances are effectively performed.

In the above-mentioned air purifier, it is preferable that a plurality of cylindrical antibacterial papers are provided around the light source at an interval through which air can pass. In this case, the surface area of the dispersion surface of the titanium oxide powder is further increased, so that the ability to purify indoor air is enhanced.

In the above air cleaner, it is preferable that the antibacterial paper is provided in a honeycomb shape around the light source. By doing so, similarly to the above, the surface area of the dispersion surface of the titanium oxide powder is significantly increased, so that the ability to purify indoor air is further enhanced.

In the above air cleaner, it is preferable that the titanium oxide powder is supported on a carrier made of porous ceramics. In this case, the surface area of the titanium oxide powder particles is significantly increased, so that the decomposition and sterilization of organic substances are increased, and the indoor air can be quickly purified.

In the above air cleaner, it is preferable to provide a dust filter upstream of the antibacterial paper in the air flow passage in the case. By doing so, the dust contained in the air is also removed, so that the air is further purified and the dust is prevented from adhering to the antibacterial paper.

In the air purifier, it is preferable that the antibacterial paper and the dust filter are unitized and provided detachably in a case. This facilitates maintenance of the antibacterial paper and the dust filter.

In the above air cleaner, it is preferable that the antibacterial paper is Japanese paper. By doing so, the fibers of the Japanese paper are coarse and the permeability of the fiber layer is improved, so that the photocatalytic action is significantly improved.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the present invention. A louver 2 for air inflow is provided on a right side plate 1b of a rectangular box-shaped case 1, and a louver 2 is provided on a left side plate 1b. The louvers 3 for air discharge are respectively formed.

The motor 4 is attached to the center of the left side plate 1b.
Is equipped with an exhaust fan 5 for exhausting the air in the case 1.

A bottom cover 6 is detachably screwed to the flange portion of the bottom plate 1c of the case 1, and a space between the bottom cover 6 and the bottom plate 1c of the case 1 serves as an air flow path 7. ing. Note that the bottom cover 6 is detachable from the case 1 because an air purifying unit 12 described later is used.
This facilitates maintenance and the like.

At the center of the upper plate 1d of the case 1 is mounted a U-shaped tubular light source, ie, an ultraviolet lamp 8, which hangs down into the case 1, and its periphery is covered with a light-transmitting inner cylinder 9. ing.

On the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 9, a first antibacterial paper 10 such as translucent Japanese paper is adhered. As shown in FIG. 2 in an enlarged manner, the first antibacterial paper 10 is made of titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) on a surface layer of an outer peripheral surface of a paper material 10 a constituting the first antibacterial paper 10.
Are uniformly dispersed and fixed.

At the center of the bottom plate 1c of the case 1, the lower end of the air purifying unit 12 is detachably screwed. The air purifying unit 12 surrounds the inner cylinder 9 and the antibacterial paper 10, and has a light-transmitting cylindrical holder 13 spaced apart from the outer peripheral surface by a required dimension, and is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the holder 13. Second antibacterial paper 1 made of translucent Japanese paper or the like
4 and a dust filter 15 such as a nonwoven fabric which is detachably attached to the lower end opening of the holding body 13.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first antibacterial paper 10 is provided on the surface layer of the inner peripheral surface of the paper material 14a of the second antibacterial paper 14.
Similarly to the above, the titanium oxide powder 11 is uniformly dispersed and fixed.

An annular space formed between the first and second antibacterial papers 10 and 14 forms an air passage 16.

The right end side of the case 1 close to the right side of the holding body 13 is partitioned by a partition plate 17, and an air chamber 18 communicating with the louver 2 is formed at the right end.

The air chamber 18 is moved from the louver 12 for air inflow.
As shown by the arrows, the air that has flowed into the inside of the bottom cover 6 passes through the vent hole 19 formed in the bottom plate 1 c immediately below the air chamber 18 and passes through the dust removal filter 15 of the air purification unit 12. Then, it flows into the passage 16 and is discharged outside from the louver 3 for discharging air.

Next, the first and second antibacterial papers 10, 14
Will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6. FIG.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 20 denotes a papermaking tank, and an inverted truncated conical bottom plate 21 is fixed to the inside of the tank near the bottom, and the inside of the papermaking tank 20 is vertically divided by the bottom plate 21. A drain pipe 22 is connected to the lowermost part of the bottom plate 21, and a drain valve 23 is attached to an end protruding outward of the paper making tank 20.

Numeral 24 denotes a rectangular forming die placed on the bottom plate 21. A wire mesh 26 of stainless steel or the like of about 30 mesh is stretched on an upper surface of a flat and grid-like frame 25. .

Reference numeral 27 denotes a handle for facilitating the transfer of the molding die 24 into and out of the papermaking tank 20 and the carrying thereof.

The antibacterial papers 10, 1 are provided by such an apparatus.
First, as shown in FIG. 3, the papermaking tank 2 is manufactured.
After the mold 24 is placed on the bottom plate 21 in the inner space 0, water 28 is poured into the paper making tank 20 with the drain valve 23 closed, and the mold 24 is submerged.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, a pulp raw material 29 prepared in a predetermined concentration by appropriately adding a tackifier, a non-combustible agent, etc., is put into water 28 in a paper making tank 20 and stirred. Disperse evenly.

In this state, the pulp raw material 29 is left for a predetermined time until a part of the paper material is settled.
The paper material 30 is adhered to a predetermined thickness. At this time, the drainage valve 23 may be opened for a predetermined time to drain a predetermined amount of the water 28 containing the pulp raw material 29.

In this way, when the water 28 is drained through the wire mesh 26, the paper material 30 in the pulp raw material is adsorbed by the wire mesh 26, so that the thickness of the paper material 30 can be increased in a short time. It can be.

After adhering the paper material 30 to the wire mesh 26 to a predetermined thickness, as shown in FIG. 5, a titanium aqueous solution 31 to which titanium oxide powder is added is poured into water 28 in the paper making tank 20, and Stir.

Next, the drain valve 23 is opened with stirring, and all the water 28 in the paper making tank 20 is drained. Then, a uniform suction force acts on the entire surface of the wire mesh 26, the paper material 30 is further adsorbed to a uniform thickness on the surface of the paper material 30 adhered in the previous step, and at the same time, powder particles of titanium oxide are deposited. It is almost uniformly dispersed and adsorbed on the surface layer of the paper material 30.

As described above, once the paper material 30 is adhered to the wire mesh 26 to a predetermined thickness, and then the paper material 30 is adsorbed thereon together with the titanium oxide powder particles. It can be dispersed in the surface layer of the paper material 30.

That is, if the pulp raw material 29 and the titanium aqueous solution 31 are simultaneously put into the water 28 and agitated, and the drain valve 23 is opened and drained, the specific gravity of the titanium oxide is higher than that of the paper material 30 in the pulp raw material. Because of its large specific gravity, most of the titanium oxide powder particles are dispersed and adsorbed inside the paper material 30 and in the lower layer part due to the difference in specific gravity.

In this case, the antibacterial paper 1 as described above
After the formation of 0,14, the air does not come into direct contact with the titanium oxide particles, so that the photocatalysis is not exerted and the air cannot be purified effectively.

After all the water in the paper making tank 20 is drained, the paper material 30 and the titanium oxide powder particles are adsorbed on the wire mesh 26, and then the mold 24 taken out of the paper making tank 20 is dried in a drying chamber. . After drying, the paper material 30 is
4, a flat antimicrobial paper 32 as shown in FIG. 6 is obtained.
Titanium oxide powder 11 is uniformly dispersed and bonded.

The flat antibacterial paper 32 is rolled into a cylinder so that the titanium oxide powder 11 side is located on the inner peripheral surface side, as indicated by the imaginary line, and the opposite ends are joined to form the second antibacterial paper. And antibacterial paper 14 is obtained. Conversely, if the antibacterial paper 14 is rolled into a cylindrical shape such that the titanium oxide powder 11 is on the outer peripheral surface side,
The first antibacterial paper 10 is obtained. The diameter and the vertical dimension are arbitrary as long as the flat antimicrobial paper 32 is cut and the vertical and horizontal dimensions are appropriately adjusted.

Next, the operation of the air purifier of the first embodiment will be described.

When a power cord (not shown) is connected to a power supply, the exhaust fan 5 rotates and the ultraviolet lamp 8 is turned on. When the exhaust fan 5 rotates, as described above,
The air that has flowed in from the air inflow louver 12 is supplied to the air chamber 18 on the right side of the case 1, the bottom cover 6, and the dust filter 1.
5. The air is discharged to the outside from the louver 3 for air discharge through the passage 16 of the air purification unit 12.

In the air circulation process, dust and the like contained in the air are removed by the dust filter 15, and when the air passing through the dust filter 15 flows through the passage 16, the first and second antibacterial papers are removed. The organic substances in the air are decomposed and various germs and bacteria are killed by the steps 10 and 14.

That is, when the light of the ultraviolet lamp 8 passes through the inner cylinder 9 and irradiates the particles of the titanium oxide powder 11 on the surface layer of the first and second antibacterial papers 10, 14, the titanium oxide Organic matter contained in the air that has come into contact with the particles is decomposed and removed by the photocatalysis, and bacteria and the like are sterilized.

Therefore, the purified air is discharged from the louver 3 for air outflow, and the indoor environment is greatly improved by circulating the indoor air for a predetermined time.

In order to effectively decompose and sterilize organic substances,
As described above, it is important to disperse the titanium oxide powder 11 on the surface layers of the first and second antibacterial papers 10 and 14, that is, on the side where the air comes into contact, and bring the air into direct contact therewith.

Further, by using a paper material having a coarse fiber such as Japanese paper as the paper material, air permeability is improved, and
Air can easily enter the lower layer. Therefore, not only the surface layer portion but also a part of the titanium oxide that has penetrated into the middle and lower layers at the time of manufacturing can easily come into contact with air, and the photocatalytic action is improved.

It is also important to increase the surface area of the particles of the titanium oxide powder 11 to increase the air contact area.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show the titanium oxide powder 1 described above.
1 shows means for increasing the surface area of one particle.

Using the porous ceramic particles 33 as shown in FIG. 7 as a carrier, the titanium oxide powder 11 is supported by a suitable binder in a large number of pores 34 as shown in FIG. The porous ceramic particles 33 may be dispersed in the surface layers of the antibacterial papers 10 and 14 as described above.

Thus, the first and second antibacterial papers 1
A tank of titanium oxide particles having a very large surface area is formed on the surface layer of the surface No. 0, 14, and the area in contact with air is significantly increased, so that decomposition and sterilization of organic substances can be effectively performed.

The dispersion of the porous ceramic particles 33 in the surface layers of the antibacterial papers 10 and 14 can be easily performed in the step shown in FIG. That is, an aqueous solution containing the porous ceramic particles 33 in which the titanium oxide powder 11 is previously loaded is poured into the papermaking tank 20 and stirred, and the water 28 may be drained.

Then, the porous ceramic particles 33 are uniformly dispersed and adsorbed on the surface of the paper material 30 adhered in the previous step.

As the ceramic particles 33, for example, porous alumina, porous zirconia, porous silica or the like having an average particle diameter of about 0.1 to 0.5 mm is suitable. It is preferable that the pore diameter is several μm or less. The size of the particles of the titanium oxide powder 11 is
Needless to say, the size is such that it enters the above-mentioned pores 34.

FIG. 9 shows a main part of the second embodiment of the present invention, that is, a modification of the air purification unit 12.

In this embodiment, the third antibacterial paper 35 having a cylindrical shape is provided in the passage 16 formed in the holder 13.
Are provided via a spacer 36 so that air can pass through the inner and outer peripheral surfaces thereof.

The third antibacterial paper 35 has titanium oxide powder (not shown) on the surface layer on both sides of the inner and outer peripheral surfaces of the paper material.
Is dispersed so that air contacts the titanium oxide particles on both surfaces.

As described above, when the third antibacterial paper 35 is additionally provided, the surface area in contact with air is increased as compared with the first embodiment, so that the air purifying ability is enhanced.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a third embodiment of the present invention. In the air passage 16 between the inner cylinder 9 and the holding body 13, a large number of small-diameter cylindrical antibacterials are shown. The papers 37 (partially not shown) are connected to each other to form a honeycomb shape, through which air passes.

The surface layer of the inner surface of each antibacterial paper 37 has the structure shown in FIG.
As shown in the enlarged view, the titanium oxide powder 11 is dispersed.

With such a honeycomb structure, the surface area in contact with air is greatly increased, so that the air purifying ability can be further enhanced.

The third antibacterial paper 35 of the second embodiment is used.
The porous antibacterial paper 37 carrying titanium oxide particles may be dispersed in the honeycomb antibacterial paper 37 of the third embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 described above. In this case, the surface area of the titanium oxide particles is significantly increased, and the decomposition and sterilization of organic substances are performed more effectively, so that the indoor air can be quickly purified.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

In the above-described embodiment, the ultraviolet lamp 8 has a U-shaped tubular shape, but the shape is arbitrary, and the number, mounting position, posture and the like are also arbitrary.

The inner cylinder 9 is not always necessary and may be omitted.

The holding cylinder 13 and the first cylinder
The shapes of the third antibacterial paper 10, 14, 35 and the honeycomb antibacterial paper 37 may be a circular shape, an elliptical shape, a polygonal shape, or a non-circular cylindrical shape.

[0067]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

(A) According to the first aspect of the present invention, by the photocatalytic action of the light of the light source and the titanium oxide powder dispersed in the antibacterial paper, the decomposition of organic substances contained in the air flowing into the case is achieved. Since air and bacteria are sterilized, indoor air is purified. Further, since the structure is simpler than that of a conventional electric dust-collecting type air cleaner or the like, the cost is low.

(B) According to the second aspect of the present invention, the surface area of the titanium oxide powder surface is increased, and the area contacted with air is also increased, so that decomposition and sterilization of organic substances are effectively performed.

(C) According to the third aspect of the invention, since the surface area of the titanium oxide powder surface is further increased, the ability to purify indoor air is enhanced.

(D) According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the surface area of the titanium oxide particle surface is greatly increased, so that the ability to purify indoor air is further enhanced.

(E) According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the surface area of the titanium oxide powder particles is significantly increased, the action of decomposing and sterilizing organic substances is increased, and the indoor air is quickly purified.

(F) According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, dust contained in air is also removed, so that air is further purified and dust does not adhere to antibacterial paper.

(G) According to the invention of claim 7, maintenance of antibacterial paper and dust removal film becomes easy.

(H) According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the fibers of the Japanese paper are coarse and the permeability of the fiber layer is improved, so that the photocatalytic action is significantly improved.

[0076]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a central longitudinal section showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional plan view taken along line II-II of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a central vertical sectional front view showing an antibacterial paper manufacturing apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a process of attaching a raw material pulp in a production example of antibacterial paper.

FIG. 5 is also a vertical front view at the center showing a step of adsorbing titanium oxide powder.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing an example in which the manufactured antibacterial paper is cylindrical.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view showing a state in which porous ceramic particles are dispersed in antibacterial paper.

FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view of a porous ceramic particle.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a main part of the second embodiment of the present invention, taken along a central longitudinal section.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional plan view of a main part of the third embodiment.

11 is an enlarged cross-sectional plan view of the antibacterial paper in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Case 1a Right side plate 1b Left side plate 1c Bottom plate 1d Upper plate 2, 3 louver 4 Motor 5 Ventilation fan 6 Bottom cover 7 Channel 8 Ultraviolet lamp (light source) 9 Inner cylinder 10 First antibacterial paper 11 Titanium oxide powder 12 Air purification unit 13 Holder 14 Second antibacterial paper 15 Dust removal filter 16 Passage 17 Partition plate 18 Air chamber 19 Vent hole 20 Papermaking tank 21 Bottom plate 22 Drain pipe 23 Drain valve 24 Mold 25 Frame 26 Wire mesh 27 Handle 28 Water 29 Pulp raw material 30 Paper material 31 Titanium aqueous solution 32 Antibacterial paper 33 Porous ceramic particles 34 Pores 35 Third antibacterial paper 36 Spacer 37 Antibacterial paper

Continued on the front page F term (reference) 4C080 AA07 AA10 BB05 HH05 JJ05 JJ06 KK08 LL10 MM02 NN24 QQ11 4G069 AA03 AA08 BA04A BA04B BA13A BA13B BA16A BA16B BA48A CA01 CA10 CA11 CA17 EA06 EA13 EA10 EA10

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An exhaust fan provided in a case having openings for inflow and exhaust of air, a light source also provided in the case, and at least one of an inner and outer peripheral surface near the light source. An air purifier comprising: a transparent antibacterial paper in which titanium oxide powder is dispersed in a surface layer that is provided so as to allow air to pass through the surface and that is in contact with the air. 2. An antibacterial paper having a circular or non-circular cylindrical shape,
The air purifier according to claim 1, which is provided around the light source. 3. The air purifier according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of cylindrical antibacterial papers are provided around the light source at intervals that allow air to pass through. 4. The air purifier according to claim 1, wherein the antibacterial paper is provided in a honeycomb shape around the light source. 5. The air purifier according to claim 1, wherein the titanium oxide powder is supported on a carrier made of multi-hard ceramics. 6. The air purifier according to claim 1, wherein a dust filter is provided upstream of the antibacterial paper in the air passage in the case. 7. The air purifier according to claim 6, wherein the antibacterial paper and the dust filter are unitized and provided detachably in a case. 8. The air purifier according to claim 1, wherein the antibacterial paper is Japanese paper.