JP2002071173A - Vaporizing type humidifier - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vaporizing type humidifier formed that maintenance of the heat fungus removal temperature of a vaporizing element is compatible with prevention of discharge of water drips due to vapor condensation in a machine body to the outside. SOLUTION: A supply fan 6 is connected to an electric motor 19 capable of effecting normal rotation and reversing. Constitution is such that during ordinary air supply, a rotation direction is controlled to a direction indicated by an arrow mark A in Fig 1. During removal of water drips adhered to the supply fan 6, a rotation direction is controlled to a direction indicated by an arrow mark B in Fig 1. Further, a water drip capturing plate 16 is situated in the vicinity of an air outlet 18 of a fan casing 15, and a drain hole 17 is formed in the bottom of the fan casing 15. A water drip pan 20 is situated in a body 1 in a manner to be positioned opposite to the drain hole 17. Water drips dropping in the water drip pan 20 is further recovered in a water passage 13 through a drain pipe 21 and returned in a water tank 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vaporizing humidifier.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional vaporizing humidifier, a method is used in which a vaporizing element is wetted with water and humidified by blowing air generated by a blower fan on the vaporizing element. In some cases, a problem such as breeding occurred. For this reason, it is necessary to sterilize the vaporizing element by applying hot water periodically.

Therefore, a vaporizing humidifier as shown in FIG. 4 has been conventionally proposed. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 1 denotes a main body of the humidifier, 2 denotes a water tank provided in a lower part of the main body 1, 3 denotes a water-absorbing vaporizing element arranged so that the lower part is immersed in water in the water tank 2. Denotes a heater for heating water in the water tank 2, 5 denotes a water tank, 6 denotes a blower fan, 7 denotes a suction port, and 8 denotes a discharge port.

[0004] In the conventional evaporative humidifier shown in FIG. 4, after confirming that water is present in the water tank 2, an operation switch (not shown) is turned on, whereby the blower fan 6 is rotated.
Outside air is sucked from the suction port 7, passes through the vaporization element 3, and is discharged to the outside from the discharge port 8. At this time, the vaporizing element 3 absorbs the water in the water tank 2 due to its water absorption and is wet with water, so that the air passing through the vaporizing element 3 becomes humid and humidifies the room. Further, at the time of disinfection of the vaporization element 3, the heater 4 is energized to heat the water in the water tank 2, thereby removing the vaporization element 3.

Another conventional example is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 55-5 / 55.
There is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3650. FIG.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vaporizing humidifier disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 53650, in which a vaporizing element 3 is provided at a position higher than the water surface of a water tank 2 and a pump 10 rotated by a motor.
Thus, the water in the water tank 2 is sucked up and supplied to the vaporizing element 3. With this configuration, during operation of the device, the water sucked by the pump 10 is supplied to the vaporizing element 3, and the vaporizing element 3 is always in a wet state. In this case, the vaporizing element 3 is naturally dried, the growth of mold and bacteria is stopped, and the generation of offensive odor can be prevented.

[0006]

However, in the case of the above-mentioned conventional evaporative humidifier, in the former, the lower part of the evaporating element 3 is simply immersed in hot water, and hot water is sucked up to remove bacteria. Therefore, it takes time for the hot water to reach the upper part of the vaporizing element 3, and the temperature of the hot water becomes lower than the temperature at which the bacteria can be disinfected, or the hot water does not reach the uppermost part. However, it was difficult to disinfect the entire vaporizing element 3. In the latter, although the effect of suppressing the growth of mold and bacteria and preventing the generation of offensive odors can be expected, only the vaporization element is naturally dried while the equipment is stopped,
There was a problem that only the passive effect of suppressing the growth of mold and bacteria could be obtained, and there was no active eradication action.

In the case of sterilization using hot water, it is necessary to supply hot water at a predetermined temperature (for example, 80 ° C.) to the vaporizing element, and at the same time, stop the blower fan to prevent the cooling of the vaporizing element. Need to be done. For this reason, there is a problem that dew condensation occurs in the airframe, water droplets adhere to the blower fan, and the water droplets are discharged to the outside by the air blow after the heat sterilization.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and a vaporization method capable of maintaining a sterilization temperature during heat sterilization of a vaporization element and preventing external discharge of water droplets due to dew condensation inside the machine. It aims to provide a humidifier.

[0009]

According to the present invention, there is provided a vaporizing humidifier comprising: a water tank; a vaporizing element having water absorbency; a sirocco fan for discharging air to the outside through the vaporizing element; A heater for heating the water in the water tank to generate hot water, and the hot water is supplied to the vaporizing element to perform heat sterilization of the vaporizing element. The water droplets condensed on the blower fan when the heat sterilization is performed are separated from the blower fan by rotating the blower fan in a direction opposite to the normal humidifying operation.

Further, a water droplet capturing plate for preventing water droplets separated from the blower fan from being directly discharged to the outside from a discharge port is provided near an air outlet of a fan casing.

Further, a drain hole for preventing water drops separated from the blower fan from accumulating in the fan casing is provided at the bottom of the fan casing.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1 Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a main part of an evaporative humidifier according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram of the evaporative humidifier according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a humidifier main body;
Is a water tank provided in the lower part of the main body 1 and 3 is a water tank 2
A water-absorbing vaporizing element disposed above the water-absorbing element without touching the water surface therein, 4 a heater for heating water in the water tank 2, 5 a water tank, 6 a blower fan composed of a sirocco fan, 7 Is an inlet, and 8 is an outlet. Reference numeral 9 denotes a pre-filter disposed opposite to the suction port 7;
Is a pump for pumping water in the water tank 2, 11 is a water pipe for guiding the water in the water tank 2 pumped above the vaporizing element 3, 12 is a shower port provided at the tip of the water pipe 11, They are installed facing each other with a width substantially equal to the width of the upper end. 13 is a water tank 2 and a tank receiving part 1
4, a water channel for communicating with 4, 15 is a fan casing, 16 is an air outlet of the fan casing 15, 17 is a drain hole provided at the bottom of the fan casing 15, 18 is a motor for rotating the blower fan 6, 19 is A water droplet receiving tray provided in the main body 1 so as to face the water draining hole 17 of the fan casing 15, and a drain pipe 20 connecting the water droplet receiving tray 19 and the water channel 13.

More specifically, the electric motor 18 is constituted by a condenser motor or the like capable of rotating forward and backward, and during a normal humidifying operation (at the time of forward rotation), the motor 18 moves in a direction indicated by a solid arrow A in FIG. The rotation direction is configured to be controlled by a control unit (not shown).

Next, the operation of the first embodiment having the above configuration will be described. First, during normal humidification operation, the heater 4 is not energized, and only the blower fan 6 and the pump 10 are energized. As a result, the normal temperature water in the water tank 2 is supplied to the pump 10
Pumped through the water pipe 11 and the shower port 1
It is led to 2. Then, the water guided to the shower port 12 is dispersed and uniformly supplied to the upper part of the vaporizing element 3, and the water supplied to the upper part of the vaporizing element 3 permeates from the upper part to the lower part of the vaporizing element 3. While flowing down, it permeates the entire vaporizing element 3, and excess water supplied drops from the lower part of the vaporizing element 3 and returns into the water tank 2.

In this state, dry air in the room is sucked in from the inlet 7 by the operation of the blower fan 6, and the dried air passes through the vaporizing element 3 that has absorbed the water, so that the air becomes humid. Humidification is performed by being discharged to the outside. At this time, the blower fan 6 rotates forward and rotates in the direction indicated by the solid arrow A in FIG. 1, and the blower blows in such a manner as to proceed substantially straight toward the air outlet 16 and the outlet 8. Is done.

On the other hand, during the sterilization operation, the heater 4 and the pump 10 are energized without energizing the blower fan 6. As a result, the heater 4 heats the water in the water tank 2 to become hot water having a predetermined temperature (for example, 80 ° C.). The hot water is pumped up by the pump 10 and passes through the water pipe 11 to the shower port 12. Be guided. And shower port 1
The hot water guided to 2 is dispersed at the shower port 12 and supplied uniformly to the upper portion of the vaporizing element 3, and the hot water supplied to the upper portion of the vaporizing element 3 flows from the upper portion to the lower portion of the vaporizing element 3. After flowing down while penetrating, and permeating the entire vaporizing element 3, the excess hot water dripped from the lower part of the vaporizing element 3 and returned into the water tank 2,
The hot water returned to the inside of the pump 10
And supplied to the water pipe 11, the shower port 12, and the vaporizing element 3. This operation is repeated until the sterilization operation is completed. At this time, since the blower fan 6 is stopped, the hot water is not cooled by the blower, and the temperature required for heat sterilization is maintained. Water condensation also forms on the inner surfaces of the blower fan 6 and the fan casing 15 and water droplets adhere.

Therefore, in the first embodiment, after the heat disinfection is completed, before moving to the normal humidification, the broken arrow B in FIG.
As shown by, the electric motor 18 is electrically controlled to rotate the blower fan 6 in a direction opposite to the normal blow for a predetermined time, thereby separating water droplets attached to the blower fan 6. . At this time, since the blower fan 6 is composed of a sirocco fan and rotates in the opposite direction,
The air is blown at a predetermined angle without directing the air toward the air outlet 16 and the discharge port 8, and the amount of air blow is smaller than that during normal air blow. For this reason, the water droplets separated from the blower fan 6 together with the centrifugal force due to the rotation hit the inner wall surface near the air outlet 16 of the fan casing 15, and most of the water drops fall into the fan casing 15.
A drain hole 17 is provided at the bottom of the fan casing 15.
Is installed in the fan casing 15, the water is not collected in the fan casing 15, collected in the water channel 13 from the drain hole 17 through the water drop receiving tray 19 and the drain pipe 20, and returned to the water tank 2. Therefore, water droplets adhering to the blower fan 6 due to dew condensation are not discharged from the discharge port 8 to the outside during the humidification operation, and the blower fan 6 is stopped during the disinfection. There is no problem that the air is blown by the blower fan 6 to lower the temperature.

Embodiment 2 FIG. Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a main part of an evaporative humidifier showing a second embodiment of the present invention. The same components as those in the first embodiment shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 21 denotes a water droplet capturing plate provided near the air outlet 16 of the fan casing 15. When the fan 6 rotates in the forward direction, the blowing does not hit the surface. It is installed so that the blast from can hit the surface.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment having the above configuration will be described. The basic operations during the normal humidification operation and the sterilization operation are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the description is omitted, and only the operation of separating water droplets condensed and attached to the blower fan 6 by the sterilization operation will be described. I do.

In the second embodiment as well, after the heat sterilization is completed and before the normal humidification is started, as in the first embodiment,
As shown by the middle and dashed arrow B, the electric motor 18 is electrically controlled to rotate the rotation direction of the blower fan 6 in a direction opposite to the normal humidification operation, thereby separating water droplets attached to the blower fan 6. I do. At this time, in the second embodiment, most of the water droplets separated from the blower fan 6 hit the inner wall surface near the air outlet 16 of the fan casing 15,
Among the water drops separated from the blower fan 6, a small amount of water drops separated in a slightly upward direction among the water drops dropped into the fan casing 15 hits a water drop catching plate 21 provided near the air outlet 16, and the fan casing 15 15 is dropped. Then, any water droplets are collected in the water passage 13 from the water drain hole 17 provided in the bottom of the fan casing 15 through the water droplet receiving tray 19 and the drain pipe 20, and returned to the water tank 2.

Therefore, according to the configuration of the second embodiment, in addition to the effects described in the first embodiment,
Of the water droplets separated from the water, even a small amount of water droplets separated in a slightly upward direction can be dropped into the fan casing 15 by the water droplet capturing plate 21 provided near the air outlet 16, and The effect is obtained that a small amount of external water droplets can be prevented from being externally released.

[0022]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is no problem that the temperature of hot water is lowered by blowing air from the blower fan, and water droplets adhering to the blower fan due to dew condensation are eliminated. Since it is not released to the outside of the body during the humidification operation, the effect of maintaining the heat sterilization temperature of the vaporizing element and preventing the water droplets from being externally released due to condensation inside the body can be achieved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the water drop catching plate is provided near the air outlet of the fan casing, a small upward water drop separated from the blower fan at the time of reverse rotation can be obtained. External release can be reliably prevented.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, since the water drain hole is provided at the bottom of the fan casing, it is possible to prevent water droplets separated from the blower fan from accumulating in the fan casing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a vaporizing humidifier according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram of a vaporizing humidifier showing Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a main part of a vaporizing humidifier showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a conventional evaporative humidifier.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of another conventional vaporizing humidifier.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Humidifier main body, 2 water tank, 3 vaporizing element, 4
Heater, 5 water tank, 6 blower fan, 7 suction port, 8 discharge port, 9 pre-filter, 10 pump,
13 water passage, 15 fan casing, 16 air outlet, 17 drain hole, 18 electric motor, 19 water drop tray,
20 drain pipe, 21 water drop catching plate.

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Takahiro Suzuki 2-3-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo F-term (reference) 3L055 BA01 CA04 DA04 DA06 DA11

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A water tank, a vaporizing element having water absorbency, a blowing fan composed of a sirocco fan for discharging air to the outside through the vaporizing element, and a heater for heating water in the water tank. Heat the water in the water tank to hot water, and supply this hot water to the vaporizing element to perform heat sterilization of the vaporizing element,
Water droplets condensed on the blower fan when performing heat sterilization of the vaporizing element were separated from the blower fan by rotating the blower fan in the opposite direction to the normal humidification operation. Vaporizing humidifier. 2. Water drops separated from the blower fan,
2. A vaporizing humidifier according to claim 1, wherein a water droplet catching plate for preventing the water from being discharged directly from the discharge port to the outside is provided near the air outlet of the fan casing. 3. Water drops separated from the blower fan,
2. A drain hole for preventing water from accumulating in the fan casing is provided at a bottom of the fan casing.
The vaporizing humidifier according to the item.