Air cleaner

Abstract

To provide an air cleaner capable of detecting an abnormality causing deterioration of performance by using a simple configuration.SOLUTION: An air cleaner 1 includes: a fan 10 for sending air from an intake port 2 to a discharge port 3; a first filter 11 provided between the intake port 2 and the fan 10; a partition member that partitions a flow passage between the fan 10 and the discharge port 3 into a first chamber 41 and a second chamber 42 downstream of the first chamber 41 and allows inflow of air from the first chamber 41 to the second chamber 42; a first static pressure sensor 31 that measures first static pressure of the first chamber 41; a second static pressure sensor 32 that measures second static pressure in the second chamber 42; and a control section that determines an intake abnormality on the basis of an output difference between the first static pressure sensor 31 and the second static pressure sensor 32.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air purifier. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an air cleaner having a dust collecting and adsorbing means. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-113522 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional air purifiers have been able to detect performance degradation caused by clogged filters, but there is no way to detect performance degradation caused by other abnormalities in the air intake.

[0005] In view of the above, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an air purifier that is capable of detecting abnormalities that result in reduced performance other than clogged filters. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An air purifier according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: A fan that blows air from the intake to the exhaust; a first filter provided between the air inlet and the fan; and a partition member that divides a flow path between the air inlet and the fan into a first chamber and a second chamber downstream of the first chamber and allows air to flow from the first chamber to the second chamber. a first static pressure sensor for measuring a first static pressure in the first chamber; and a second static pressure sensor for measuring a second static pressure in the second chamber. The control unit determines whether or not there is an intake abnormality based on the difference between the outputs of the first static pressure sensor and the second static pressure sensor. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the above, it is possible to provide an air purifier capable of detecting abnormalities that cause performance degradation other than clogging of the filter. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of an air purifier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of the air purifier in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control flow of the air purifier according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] [Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure] Specific examples of the air purifier 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an air purifier 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 1, the air purifier 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is provided with a housing 100, an inlet 2, and an outlet 3. The inlet 2 is an opening capable of taking in air around the air purifier 1. The outlet 3 is an opening capable of discharging air inside the air purifier 1 to the outside. In the illustrated example, the outlet 3 is provided on the top surface of the housing 100, and the inlet 2 is provided on the side surface of the housing. The air purifier 1 of the present disclosure is configured to take in air through the inlet 2, adsorb dust and dirt in the air inside the air purifier 1, and discharge clean air from the outlet. In the present disclosure, the first filter 11 is a dust collection filter that adsorbs dust and dirt in the air.

[0011] Next, the air purifier 1 according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of the air purifier in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the air purifier 1 according to the present disclosure has a fan 10, a first static pressure sensor 31, a second static pressure sensor 32, and a partitioning member 50 inside the housing 100.

[0012] The air purifier 1 is divided into a first chamber 41 and a second chamber 42 located downstream of the first chamber 41 by a dividing member 50. The dividing member 50 is a member that allows air to flow from the first chamber 41 to the second chamber 42. The dividing member 50 is a member that has a predetermined airflow resistance. The dividing member 50 is made of a member that is less susceptible to deterioration of airflow resistance over time. The dividing member 50 can be made of, for example, a deodorizing filter or an activated carbon filter.

[0013] The first chamber 41 is further divided into a first flow path 41a and a second flow path 41b by a partition plate 101 which is a part of the housing 100. In the first chamber 41, the first flow path 41a and the second flow path 41b are provided in parallel. The first flow path 41a has a first inlet 2a as the inlet 2, and the second flow path 41b has a second inlet 2b as the inlet 2. The first inlet 2a and the second inlet 2b open on different sides of the side surface of the air purifier 1. In this embodiment, the partition plate 101 does not completely divide the first chamber 41. In other words, the first flow path 41a and the second flow path 41b communicate with each other in a part of the first chamber 41.

[0014] The fan 10 causes air outside the air purifier 1 to flow into the first flow path 41a and the second flow path 41b. The fan 10 has a first fan 10a and a second fan 10b. The first fan 10a is provided in the first flow path 41a, and the second fan 10b is provided in the second flow path 41b. The air taken in by the first fan 10a passes through the first flow path 41a and is sent to the second chamber 42. The air taken in by the second fan 10b passes through the second flow path 41b and is sent to the second chamber 42.

[0015] The air purifier 1 also has a control unit (not shown). The control unit controls the rotation speed of the fan 10, and can adjust the flow rate of air that the fan 10 takes into the air purifier 1. The control unit can independently control the rotation speed of each of the first fan 10a and the second fan 10b.

[0016] A first static pressure sensor 31 is provided in the first chamber 41. The first static pressure sensor 31 is a sensor that can measure the static pressure of the air flowing through the first chamber 41 and output the measured value to the control unit. The second chamber 42 is provided with a second static pressure sensor 32. The second static pressure sensor 32 is a sensor that can measure the static pressure of the air flowing through the second chamber 42 and output the result to the control unit.

[0017] The control unit calculates the difference P between the outputs of the first static pressure sensor 31 and the second static pressure sensor 32. As will be described later, the control unit can determine an intake abnormality of the air purifier 1 based on the difference P, and control the rotation speed of the fan 10 in accordance with the determination result.

[0018] The relationship between the difference P and the air intake performance of the air purifier 1 will be described in detail. Since the second chamber 42 is connected to the outside via the exhaust port 3, the output of the second static pressure sensor 32 indicates atmospheric pressure or a value close to atmospheric pressure. When the fan 10 is operated, since the partitioning member 50 has a ventilation resistance, a part of the air taken into the first flow path 41a passes through the partitioning member 50 and flows into the second chamber 42, but the other part of the air taken into the first flow path 41a remains in the first flow path 41a. Therefore, the static pressure in the first flow path 41a becomes higher than the static pressure in the second flow path 41b. In other words, when the fan 10 is operated, a pressure difference occurs between the first flow path 41a and the second flow path 41b. The higher the air intake performance of the air purifier 1 is, that is, the more air is taken into the first flow path 41a, the larger this pressure difference becomes. In the present disclosure, such a relationship is used to determine the air intake performance of the air purifier 1 based on the value of the pressure difference.

[0019] As described in Patent Document 1, an air purifier capable of detecting clogging of a filter is known. However, the purification performance of an air purifier is not determined only by the state of the filter. For example, if an air purifier is installed near a wall and the air intake is blocked by the wall, the air intake performance is reduced, and as a result, the purification performance of the air purifier is reduced. Such a reduction in air intake performance due to the blockage of the air intake cannot be detected by a sensor that detects clogging of a filter as described in Patent Document 1.

[0020] However, the air purifier 1 of the present disclosure determines an intake abnormality based on the difference P between the output of the first static pressure sensor 31 that measures the first static pressure in the first chamber 41 and the output of the second static pressure sensor 32 that measures the second static pressure in the second chamber 42. If the first filter 11 is clogged, the differential pressure will be smaller than in normal times, so that the clogging of the filter can be detected based on the differential pressure. Alternatively, even if the intake port 2 is blocked by a wall surface, the differential pressure will be smaller than in normal times, so that the clogging of the intake port 2 can be detected based on the differential pressure. In this way, the air purifier 1 of the present disclosure can detect malfunctions other than filter clogging by focusing on the physical quantity of the differential pressure. Moreover, according to the air purifier 1 of the present disclosure, the static pressure inside the air purifier 1 is measured by two static pressure sensors, the first static pressure sensor 31 and the second static pressure sensor 32. The first static pressure sensor 31 and the second static pressure sensor 32 each measure the pressure difference with atmospheric pressure in advance, so that defects such as clogged filters can be accurately detected even when the pressure difference inside the air purifier 1 is small.

[0021] Next, the control mode of the air purifier 1 according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flow chart showing the control flow of the control unit of the air purifier 1 according to the present disclosure. The air purifier 1 according to this embodiment has a plurality of operation modes, such as low air volume and high air volume, and the rotation speed of the fan 10 is preset according to each operation mode. In the following description, the operation in which the control unit rotates the fan 10 at the above-mentioned preset rotation speed is referred to as "normal operation." Furthermore, the rotation speed of the first fan 10a during normal operation is referred to as the "first rotation speed," and the rotation speed of the second fan 10b is referred to as the "second rotation speed."

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, first, when the air purifier 1 is started up, restarted, or the operating mode is changed, the control unit acquires the initial value PF of the output of the first static pressure sensor 31 and the second static pressure sensor 32 in the currently executed operating mode (STEP 1). The control unit also sets a lower limit PL of the output difference based on the acquired initial value PF (STEP 2). The lower limit PL is a first threshold value at which it is determined that the difference P is low enough that it is not desirable to continue operating the air purifier 1. An example of a situation in which it is not desirable to continue operating the air purifier 1 is a situation in which the first filter 11 is clogged to the extent that it does not allow air to pass through. In the following, it is assumed that an operation mode of low air volume is set in the air purifier 1. The following flow is executed with the air purifier 1 operating in this operation mode.

[0023] When the air purifier 1 is operating in the low airflow operation mode, the control unit constantly measures the first difference P1 between the outputs of the first static pressure sensor 31 and the second static pressure sensor 32 (STEP 3). If the first difference P1 is equal to or greater than the initial value PF (STEP 4: YES), the control unit continues normal operation (STEP 5). This is because the fact that the first difference P1 is greater than the initial value PF indicates that there is no problem with the intake of air. As the air purifier 1 continues to operate, for example, dust accumulates on the first filter 11, and the first difference P1 gradually decreases. When the first difference P1 becomes smaller than the initial value PF (STEP 4: NO), the control unit compares the measured first difference P1 with the value of the lower limit value PL (STEP 6). When the value of the first difference P1 is smaller than the value of the lower limit value PL (STEP 6: YES), the control unit determines that it is not desirable to continue operating the air purifier, and issues an error notification (STEP 17). This is because too much dust has accumulated on the first filter 11 and the original intake performance cannot be achieved.

[0024] In STEP 6, if the first difference P1 is greater than the lower limit PL (STEP 6: NO), it is considered that the air intake performance of the air purifier 1 has deteriorated for some reason. For example, as described above, dust may have accumulated on the first filter 11, or the air intake port 2 may have been blocked due to a user placing an obstacle near the air purifier 1. Therefore, the control unit controls the rotation speeds of the first fan 10a and the second fan 10b in the following steps to determine the cause of the deterioration in the air intake performance.

[0025] In STEP 6, if the first difference P1 is smaller than the lower limit PL (STEP 6: NO), the control unit rotates the first fan 10a at a third rotation speed that is higher than the first rotation speed, and measures the second difference P2 (STEP 7). The third rotation speed of the first fan 10a is greater than the first rotation speed during normal operation. Therefore, when there is no factor that obstructs the flow of air in the first flow path 41a in which the first fan 10a is provided, the second difference P2 is greater than the first difference P1. In other words, when the second difference P2 is smaller than the first difference P1, it can be determined that there is a factor that obstructs the flow of air in the first flow path 41a in which the first fan 10a is provided.

[0026] Next, regardless of the result of comparing the values ​​of the first difference P1 and the second difference P2 in STEP 8, the control unit obtains the third difference P3 by rotating the first fan at a first rotation speed and rotating the second fan 10b at a fourth rotation speed higher than the second rotation speed (STEP 9, STEP 13). The fourth rotation speed of the second fan 10b is greater than the second rotation speed of the second fan 10b during normal operation. Therefore, when there is no factor that obstructs the flow of air in the first flow path 41a in which the first fan 10a is provided, the third difference P3 is greater than the first difference P1. In other words, when the third difference P3 is smaller than the first difference P1, it can be determined that there is a factor that obstructs the flow of air in the second flow path 41b in which the second fan 10b is provided. The control unit compares the first difference P1 with the third difference P3 as described above (STEP 10, STEP 14).

[0027] Next, the control unit controls the rotation speed of the fan 10 based on the comparison result between the first difference P1 and the second difference P2 and the comparison result between the first difference P1 and the third difference P3, in order to increase the value of the difference P to approximately the same as the initial value PF.

[0028] A case where the second difference P2 is greater than the first difference P1 and the third difference P3 is also greater than the first difference P1 (STEP 8: YES, STEP 10: YES) will be described. In this case, there is no factor that impedes the flow of air in either the first flow path 41a or the second flow path 41b. Therefore, the value of the difference P can be increased regardless of whether the rotation speed of the first fan 10a or the rotation speed of the second fan 10b is increased. Therefore, the control unit rotates the first fan 10a at the third rotation speed and the second fan 10b at the fourth rotation speed to operate the air purifier 1 (STEP 11).

[0029] If the second difference P2 is greater than the first difference P1 and the third difference P3 is less than the first difference P1 (STEP 8: YES, STEP 10: NO), it can be determined that there is a factor obstructing the air flow in the second flow path 41b in which the second fan 10b is provided. In this case, the value of the difference P can be increased by increasing the rotation speed of the first fan 10a. Therefore, the control unit rotates the first fan 10a at the third rotation speed and the second fan 10b at the second rotation speed to operate the air purifier 1 (STEP 12).

[0030] If the second difference P2 is smaller than the first difference P1 and the third difference P3 is larger than the first difference P1 (STEP 8: NO, STEP 14: YES), it can be determined that there is a factor obstructing the air flow in the first flow path 41a in which the first fan 10a is provided. In this case, the value of the difference P can be increased by increasing the rotation speed of the second fan 10b. Therefore, the control unit rotates the first fan 10a at the third rotation speed and the second fan 10b at the second rotation speed to operate the air purifier 1 (STEP 15).

[0031] If the second difference P2 is smaller than the first difference P1 and the third difference P3 is also smaller than the first difference P1 (STEP 8: NO, STEP 14: NO), the difference P will not increase no matter which of the rotation speeds of the first fan 10a and the second fan 10b is increased. In this case, the control unit determines that the air intake performance of the air purifier 1 cannot be improved by controlling the rotation speed of the fan 10, and issues an error notification (STEP 17).

[0032] The control unit measures the difference P4 again after operating the air purifier 1 in any one of STEP 11, STEP 12, and STEP 15. If the measured value of the difference P4 is equal to or greater than the initial value PF, the control unit continues the current operating mode. On the other hand, if the measured value of difference P4 is equal to or less than initial value PF, the control unit determines that the air intake performance of air purifier 1 cannot be improved by controlling the rotation speed of fan 10, and issues an error notification (STEP 17). In this case, the control unit may return the rotation of fan 10 to the first rotation speed and the second rotation speed, or may stop the rotation of fan 10.

[0033] The air purifier according to the present disclosure can prevent a decrease in dust collection performance by increasing the appropriate fan rotation speed based on the difference in output between the first static pressure sensor and the second static pressure sensor when the rotation speeds of the two fans are increased or decreased.

[0034] Furthermore, in the air purifier 1 according to the present disclosure, the control unit may maintain or reduce the rotation speed of the second fan 10b if the difference between the first difference P1 and the third difference P3 is within a predetermined value in STEP 12. In STEP 12, if the difference between the first difference P1 and the third difference P3 is within a predetermined value, it can be determined that the air intake performance cannot be improved even if the rotation speed of the second fan 10b is increased. In this case, since there is no need to increase the rotation speed of the second fan 10b, it is possible to operate efficiently by maintaining or reducing the rotation speed of the first fan 10a. For the same reason, in STEP 15, when the difference between the first difference P1 and the second difference P2 is within a predetermined value, the control unit may maintain or decrease the rotation speed of the first fan.

[0035] Although the embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited by the description of the present embodiment. The present embodiment is merely an example, and it is understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications of the embodiment are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of the present disclosure should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1. Air purifier 2 Intake port 2a First intake port 2b Second intake port 3 outlet 10 Fan 10a First Fan 10b Second Fan 11 First Filter 31 First static pressure sensor 32 Second static pressure sensor 41 Room 1 41a First flow path 41b Second flow path 42 Second room 50 Partitioning material 100 Case 101 Shikiri board P1 First Difference P2 Second difference P3 Third difference P4 Fourth difference

Claims

1. A fan that blows air from the intake to the exhaust; a first filter provided between the air inlet and the fan; and a partition member that divides a flow path between the air inlet and the fan into a first chamber and a second chamber downstream of the first chamber and allows air to flow from the first chamber to the second chamber. a first static pressure sensor for measuring a first static pressure in the first chamber; and a second static pressure sensor for measuring a second static pressure in the second chamber. The air purifier has a control unit that determines an intake abnormality based on a difference in output between the first static pressure sensor and the second static pressure sensor.

2. The fan includes a first fan and a second fan, A flow path from the intake port to the fan is composed of a first flow path and a second flow path that are independent of each other and arranged in parallel, The first fan is provided in the first flow path, The second fan is provided in the second flow path, The control unit is The air purifier according to claim 1 , wherein the first fan and the second fan are controlled in response to a result of determination of an intake abnormality.

3. The air purifier according to claim 2 , wherein the inlets of the first flow path and the second flow path open in different directions.

4. The air purifier according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first filter is a dust filter.

5. The air purifier according to claim 4 , wherein the dividing member has a photocatalytic filter or an activated carbon filter.

6. The air purifier according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit controls a rotation speed of at least one of the first fan and the second fan based on the difference between the outputs.

7. The air purifier is configured to be able to operate in a plurality of operation modes, An initial value of the output difference in the operation mode being executed when the air purifier is started, restarted, or the operation mode is changed is recorded; During the execution of the operation mode, If the difference in output is equal to or greater than the initial value, continue the operating mode; The air purifier according to claim 6 , wherein when the difference in the outputs is smaller than the initial value and smaller than a first threshold value, an abnormality is notified.

8. if the difference in output is less than the initial value and greater than the first threshold, The control unit is obtaining a difference between the outputs of the first fan and the second fan as a first difference; and obtaining a difference between the outputs of the first fan and the second fan at a third rotation speed that is greater than the first rotation speed, as a second difference; and The air purifier according to claim 7 , wherein a rotation speed of at least one of the first fan and the second fan is controlled based on the first difference and the second difference.

9. The control unit is obtaining, as a third difference, a difference in the output when the second fan is rotated at a fourth rotation speed that is greater than the second rotation speed and the first fan is rotated at the first rotation speed; The air purifier according to claim 8 , wherein a rotation speed of at least one of the first fan and the second fan is controlled based on the first difference, the second difference, and the third difference.

10. The control unit is The air purifier according to claim 8 , wherein, when a difference between the first difference and the second difference is within a predetermined value, the rotation speed of the first fan is maintained or decreased.

11. The control unit is The air purifier according to claim 9 , wherein, when a difference between the first difference and the third difference is within a predetermined value, the rotation speed of the second fan is maintained or decreased.

Images