Space purification device

Abstract

To provide a space purification device suppressing deterioration in capacity to supply hypochlorous acid water to a space at high humidity.SOLUTION: A space purification device includes an electrolytic tank, a vaporization tank, a water-level detection part, a timer part, and a control part. The electrolytic tank generates hypochlorous acid water by electrolysis. The vaporization tank vaporizes the hypochlorous acid water supplied from the electrolytic tank. The water-level detection part detects a water level of the vaporization tank. The timer part measures a post-supply lapsed time as a time elapsed after the hypochlorous acid water is supplied to the vaporization tank. The control part supplies the hypochlorous acid water to the vaporization tank from the electrolytic tank (S17) when a vaporization tank water level detected by the water-level detection part is lower than a predetermined water-level threshold value (S15:Yes). Also, the control part supplies the hypochlorous acid water to the vaporization tank from the electrolytic tank regardless of the water level of the vaporization tank (S17) when the post-supply lapsed time measured by the timer part is a first time threshold value or more (S21:Yes).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a space purification device, and more particularly to a space purification device that vaporizes water containing hypochlorous acid water. [Background technology]

[0002] Some space purification devices purify a target space by vaporizing water containing fine water particles of a chemical agent, such as hypochlorous acid water, and releasing the vaporized water into the space to disinfect and deodorize the space. One such space purification device uses a centrifugal crushing method to atomize and vaporize hypochlorous acid water supplied to a vaporization tank (also called a centrifugal crushing tank), and releases the hypochlorous acid water into the air in the space (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The hypochlorous acid water is produced by electrolyzing salt water in an electrolytic tank, and is supplied to the vaporization tank from the electrolytic tank when, for example, the water level in the vaporization tank falls below a predetermined water level threshold. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-146945 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In such conventional space purification devices, when subjected to high humidity conditions such as the Japanese summer (especially the rainy season), the amount of hypochlorous acid water that can be vaporized decreases, resulting in a decrease in the amount of hypochlorous acid water supplied to the space. In such cases, there is a demand for increasing the concentration of hypochlorous acid water stored in the vaporization tank and effectively sterilizing and deodorizing the space with a small supply amount.

[0005] However, under this situation, the water level of the hypochlorous acid water stored in the vaporization tank does not drop so much, so the hypochlorous acid water is not supplied from the electrolytic cell for a long time, and the concentration of the hypochlorous acid water in the vaporization tank can not be increased.In addition, the hypochlorous acid contained in the hypochlorous acid water is gradually volatilized, so the concentration of the hypochlorous acid water in the vaporization tank may decrease with time.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a space purification device that can suppress a decrease in the ability to supply hypochlorous acid water to a space at high humidity. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve this objective, an air purification device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an electrolytic cell, a vaporization cell, a water level detection unit, a timer unit, and a control unit. The electrolytic cell generates hypochlorous acid water by electrolysis. The vaporization cell vaporizes the hypochlorous acid water supplied from the electrolytic cell. The water level detection unit detects the water level in the vaporization cell. The timer unit measures the time elapsed since hypochlorous acid water was supplied to the vaporization cell. If the water level in the vaporization cell detected by the water level detection unit is below a predetermined water level threshold, the control unit supplies hypochlorous acid water from the electrolytic cell to the vaporization cell. Furthermore, if the time elapsed since supply measured by the timer unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined first time threshold, the control unit supplies hypochlorous acid water from the electrolytic cell to the vaporization cell regardless of the water level in the vaporization cell.

[0008] Any combination of the above components and conversion of the expressions of the present disclosure into methods, devices, systems, etc. are also valid aspects of the present disclosure. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the ability to supply hypochlorous acid water to a space at high humidity. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1]1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a space purification system including a space purification device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 3 is a water circuit diagram showing the flow of water inside the housing of the spatial purification device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a micronization unit and its surrounding area that constitute the space purification device. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control device of the space purification device for controlling the supply of hypochlorous acid water to the vaporization tank. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart showing a hypochlorous acid water supply process executed by a control unit of the control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that each of the embodiments described below represents a preferred specific example of the present disclosure. Therefore, the numerical values, shapes, materials, and components, as well as the arrangement and connection of the components, shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Therefore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not recited in the independent claims that represent the highest concept of the present disclosure will be described as optional components. Furthermore, in each drawing, substantially identical components are assigned the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted or simplified.

[0012] First, an overview of a space purification system 100, which is an example of use of a space purification device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the space purification system 100.

[0013] The space purification system 100 is a system that sterilizes and deodorizes an indoor space 62 that is the target of purification. When circulating air in the indoor space 62, the space purification system 100 performs cooling (dehumidification) or heating treatment on the air (return air (RA)) 8a from the indoor space 62 as needed. In addition, the space purification system 100 impregnates the air (RA) 8a with vaporized air purification components. The space purification system 100 purifies the indoor space 62, i.e., sterilizes and deodorizes, by supplying air (supplied air (SA)) 9 that has been impregnated with the air purification components to the indoor space 62.

[0014] The space purification system 100 includes a space purification device 10, an air conditioner 50, an outdoor unit 60, an operating device 70, an intake duct 64, and an outlet duct 67.

[0015] The air conditioning device 50 is, for example, a four-way cassette air conditioner embedded in the ceiling or the like of the indoor space 62, and is capable of at least one of cooling (dehumidifying) and heating air (RA) 8a from the indoor space 62. The air conditioning device 50 includes a main body 51 located above the ceiling, and a decorative panel 52 arranged on the indoor space 62 side of the main body 51.

[0016] The decorative panel 52 has an indoor intake port 53 located in its center that draws in air (RA) 8a from the indoor space 62, and four air outlets 54 located around the periphery that send out air 8c in four directions.

[0017] However, two of the four air outlets 54 are closed so as not to blow out air. Therefore, in Figure 1, the closed air outlets 54 are not shown, and only one air outlet 54 is shown. The air conditioning device 50 is also provided with an air outlet 55 on the side surface of the main body 51. Note that all four air outlets 54 of the decorative panel 52 may be configured to blow out air, or all four air outlets 54 may be closed so as not to blow out air.

[0018] The air conditioner 50 performs air conditioning control (cooling (dehumidifying) or heating) on ​​air (RA) 8a drawn in from the indoor space 62 through the indoor air inlet 53. The air conditioner 50 sends out a portion of the temperature-controlled air (AC) 8b from the air outlet 55 to the space purification device 10, and sends out the remaining air 8c from two air outlets 54 to the indoor space 62.

[0019] An outdoor unit 60 is connected to the air conditioning device 50. The outdoor unit 60 is an outdoor unit installed in an outdoor space. The outdoor unit 60 has a general configuration, so a detailed description will be omitted.

[0020] The space purification device 10 is the main component of the space purification system 100, and is a device that generates hypochlorous acid water as an air purification component, atomizes it using a centrifugal crushing method, and releases the vaporized hypochlorous acid water into the air.

[0021] Here, the configuration of the space purification device 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 to Fig. 4 in addition to Fig. 1. Fig. 2 is a water circuit diagram showing the flow of water inside the housing 1 of the space purification device 10. Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the micronization unit 13 and its surrounding area that constitute the space purification device 10. Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration related to the control of the supply of hypochlorous acid water to the vaporization tank 21 in the control device 18 of the space purification device 10.

[0022] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the space purification device 10 has a housing 1, and inside the housing 1, an intake side temperature and humidity sensor 19, a filter 11, an air blower 12, a micronization unit 13, a hypochlorous acid water generation unit 14, a drainage unit 15, a hypochlorous acid water supply unit 16, a water supply unit 17, and a control device 18.

[0023] The housing 1 forms the outer shell of the space purification device 10. As shown in Fig. 1, an inlet 2 is arranged on one side of the housing 1, and an outlet 3 is arranged on the other side of the housing 1 (the side opposite to the one side of the housing 1).

[0024] The air inlet 2 is an intake port that takes in air (AC) 8b from the air conditioner 50, i.e., a portion of the temperature-controlled air that has been temperature-controlled by the air conditioner 50 from air (RA) 8a drawn in from the indoor space 62, into the housing 1 of the space purification device 10. The air inlet 2 is in communication with the air outlet 55 of the air conditioner 50 via an intake duct 64. The temperature-controlled air blown out from the air outlet 55 passes through the intake duct 64 and is taken into the housing 1 from the air inlet 2 as air (AC) 8b.

[0025] The air outlet 3 is an outlet for discharging the air (SA) 9 that has circulated inside the housing 1 of the space purification device 10 into the indoor space 62. The air (SA) 9 contains hypochlorous acid water that has been atomized, vaporized, and released by the space purification device 10.

[0026] The air outlet 3 is in communication with an indoor air outlet 68 provided on the ceiling or the like of the indoor space 62 via an outlet-side duct 67. As a result, the air (SA) 9 containing hypochlorous acid water discharged from the air outlet 3 passes through the outlet-side duct 67 and is blown out from the indoor air outlet 68 toward the indoor space 62.

[0027] The blow-out duct 67 has an inner wall made of a low-reactivity material that is poorly reactive with hypochlorous acid water. The low-reactivity material is, for example, a polyolefin-based material. The polyolefin-based material includes, for example, at least one of polyethylene and polypropylene.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 1 , a purification air duct 5 is formed inside the housing 1. The purification air duct 5 is an air duct for circulating air (AC) 8b taken into the housing 1 from the intake port 2 toward the outlet 3 inside the housing 1, and allowing the air (AC) 8b to contain atomized and vaporized hypochlorous acid water. The purification air duct 5 includes an intake-side temperature and humidity sensor 19, a filter 11, an air blower 12, and an atomization unit 13, arranged in this order from upstream to downstream. The hypochlorous acid water generator 14, drainage unit 15, hypochlorous acid water supply unit 16, water supply unit 17, and control device 18 are arranged outside the purification air duct 5 inside the housing 1.

[0029] 1, the suction side temperature and humidity sensor 19 is provided near the suction port 2, and is a sensor for detecting the temperature and humidity of air (AC) 8b, which is temperature-controlled air that has been temperature-adjusted by the air conditioning device 50 and that has been taken into the housing 1 through the suction port 2. Information on the temperature and humidity detected by the suction side temperature and humidity sensor 19 is input to the evaporation amount determination unit 18d of the control device 18 as shown in FIG. 4, and is used to determine the amount of hypochlorous acid water evaporated from the evaporation tank 21, as will be described later.

[0030] 1 is an air filter, and for example, a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter is used. The filter 11 removes dirt, dust, and the like from the air (AC) 8b taken into the housing 1 through the air inlet 2, and outputs the purified air.

[0031] The blower 12 is composed of a blower fan. The blower 12 draws in a portion (air (AC) 8b) of the air (RA) 8a in the indoor space 62 to be purified through the inlet 2 and blows it to the atomization unit 13 described below, and blows out the air (SA) 9 containing the hypochlorous acid water vaporized in the atomization unit 13 into the indoor space 62. The air (RA) 8a taken into the housing 1 through the inlet 2 by the blower 12 is transported to the outlet 3 along the purification air duct 5.

[0032] The blower 12 transports air in the cleaning air duct 5 at a predetermined volume by rotating blades arranged radially about an axis. The rotation speed of the blades of the blower 12 is controlled in response to an output signal from the control device 18, and air is transported in the cleaning air duct 5 at a volume corresponding to the rotation speed. The blower 12 can select the volume of air from three modes, for example, "weak," "medium," and "strong." Note that the volume of air is not limited to these three modes and may be controlled more finely.

[0033] The atomization unit 13 is a main part of the space purification device 10, and is a unit for humidifying the air in the purification air duct 5. In this humidification, the atomization unit 13 vaporizes hypochlorous acid water as an air purification component and causes it to be contained in the air transported through the purification air duct 5. That is, the atomization unit 13 atomizes the hypochlorous acid water supplied to the vaporization tank 21 by centrifugal crushing, vaporizes it, and releases the vaporized hypochlorous acid water into the air transported through the purification air duct 5. The air (SA) 9 containing the hypochlorous acid water in the atomization unit 13 passes through the outlet 3, the outlet-side duct 67, and is blown out from the indoor outlet 68 into the indoor space 62.

[0034] The configuration of the atomization unit 13 will now be described with reference to Fig. 3. The atomization unit 13 has a cylindrical collision wall 24 that is open at the top and bottom, and a cylindrical water lifting pipe 22 that rotates to suck up (pump) water inside the collision wall 24. In the atomization unit 13, a purification air duct 5 is formed between the collision wall 24 and the water lifting pipe 22, and air taken in from the suction port 2 is transported from the upper opening of the cylindrical collision wall 24 to the lower opening. Air sent out from the lower opening of the collision wall 24 is transported to the outlet 3 through the purification air duct 5.

[0035] The rise pipe 22 has an inverted cone-shaped hollow structure, and is provided with a rise port at the bottom, and a rotating shaft 22c arranged vertically is fixed to the center of the top surface of the inverted cone at the top. The rotating shaft 22c is connected to a motor 23 provided vertically above the rise pipe 22, so that the rotational motion of the motor 23 is transmitted to the rise pipe 22 via the rotating shaft 22c, causing the rise pipe 22 to rotate.

[0036] The riser pipe 22 is provided with a plurality of rotating plates 22b formed to protrude outward from the outer surface of the riser pipe 22. The plurality of rotating plates 22b are formed at predetermined intervals in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 22c and to protrude outward from the outer surface of the riser pipe 22. Because the rotating plates 22b rotate together with the riser pipe 22, they preferably have a horizontal disk shape coaxial with the rotation shaft 22c. The number of rotating plates 22b is set appropriately according to the target performance and the dimensions of the riser pipe 22.

[0037] An opening 22a penetrating the wall surface is provided in the wall surface of the water rise pipe 22. The opening 22a is provided at a position communicating with a rotating plate 22b formed so as to protrude outward from the outer surface of the water rise pipe 22.

[0038] Below the micronization section 13, vertically below the water lift pipe 22, there is provided a vaporization tank (centrifugal crushing tank) 21 formed in a mortar shape for storing water pumped by the water lift pipe 22. The vaporization tank 21 is a tank for storing hypochlorous acid water supplied from an electrolytic tank 27 (see FIG. 2 ) described below and vaporizing it by a centrifugal crushing method. The vaporization tank 21 is deep enough to immerse a part of the lower part of the water lift pipe 22, and the hypochlorous acid water stored in the vaporization tank 21 is pumped by the water lift pipe 22. The depth of the vaporization tank 21 can be designed according to the amount of water pumped required by the water lift pipe 22.

[0039] Here, we will explain the operating principle of atomization of hypochlorous acid water in atomization unit 13. When motor 23 is driven to rotate rotating shaft 22c, and when pumping pipe 22 rotates accordingly, the hypochlorous acid water stored in vaporization tank 21 is sucked up by pumping pipe 22 due to the centrifugal force generated by the rotation. Because pumping pipe 22 has an inverted cone-shaped hollow structure, the hypochlorous acid water sucked up by the rotation is pumped up along the inner wall of pumping pipe 22. The pumped hypochlorous acid water is then released in the centrifugal direction from opening 22a of pumping pipe 22 along rotating plate 22b and scattered as water droplets.

[0040] The water droplets (hypochlorous acid water) scattered from the rotating plate 22b fly in the space surrounded by the collision wall 24, collide with the collision wall 24, are broken up (atomized), and are vaporized. Meanwhile, the air transported through the purification air duct 5 moves from the upper opening of the collision wall 24 into the interior of the collision wall 24, is atomized by the collision wall 24, and moves from the lower opening to the outside of the collision wall 24 while containing the vaporized hypochlorous acid water. This allows the atomization unit 13 to release hypochlorous acid water, an air purifying component, into the air (AC) 8b taken in through the suction port 2, and blow out the air (SA) 9 containing the hypochlorous acid water from the blowout port 3. The above is the operating principle of the release of hypochlorous acid water into the air (AC) 8b in the atomization unit 13.

[0041] Evaporation tank 21 is provided with a circular drain outlet 21a at the lowest position of the bowl-shaped bottom. Water is stopped and drained from drain outlet 21a by the rotation of lift pipe 22. Specifically, when lift pipe 22 rotates, the centrifugal force of the rotation generates a vortex in the hypochlorous acid water in vaporization tank 21 inside lift pipe 22. Lift pipe 22 exposes the bottom of vaporization tank 21 at the center of the vortex generated by its rotation, forming a space near drain outlet 21a. As a result, rotating lift pipe 22 can prevent the hypochlorous acid water in vaporization tank 21 from being discharged through drain outlet 21a.

[0042] On the other hand, when the rotation of the lifting pipe 22 is stopped, the space around the drain outlet 21a disappears, and the hypochlorous acid water in the vaporization tank 21 flows into the drain outlet 21a. This allows the micronization unit 13 to drain the hypochlorous acid water in the vaporization tank 21 from the drain outlet 21a.

[0043] In this way, even without using a drain valve, the micronization unit 13 can prevent (stop water from flowing out) the hypochlorous acid water in the vaporization tank 21 from being drained from the drain outlet 21a by rotating the water lifting pipe 22. In addition, the micronization unit 13 can drain the hypochlorous acid water in the vaporization tank 21 from the drain outlet 21a by stopping the rotation of the water lifting pipe 22.

[0044] In addition, the bottom surface of vaporization tank 21 is formed in a cone shape facing drain outlet 21a. As a result, when water lift pipe 22 rotates, centrifugal force is easily applied to the hypochlorous acid water stored in vaporization tank 21, making it easier to generate a vortex in the hypochlorous acid water in vaporization tank 21 inside water lift pipe 22, and the generated vortex can be stably maintained. Furthermore, when the rotation of water lift pipe 22 is stopped, the hypochlorous acid water stored in vaporization tank 21 can be reliably drained from drain outlet 21a.

[0045] A drain valve may be provided at drain outlet 21a. In this case, by closing the drain valve, micronization unit 13 can prevent the hypochlorous acid water in vaporization tank 21 from being drained from drain outlet 21a even when rotation of lift pipe 22 is stopped. In other words, water can be stored in vaporization tank 21 with lift pipe 22 stopped. Furthermore, by opening the drain valve, micronization unit 13 can drain the hypochlorous acid water in vaporization tank 21 from drain outlet 21a. The opening and closing of the drain valve is controlled by an output signal from control device 18.

[0046] 2, evaporation tank 21 is provided with overflow drain outlet 21b that opens at the full water level. When a volume of hypochlorous acid water exceeding the full water level is supplied to evaporation tank 21, overflow drain outlet 21b allows the hypochlorous acid water exceeding the full water level to overflow and be drained into drain tray 25 of drain unit 15. Overflow drain outlet 21b prevents evaporation tank 21 from storing hypochlorous acid water exceeding the full water level.

[0047] Furthermore, vaporization tank 21 is provided with reference sensor 21c and water level sensor 21d for detecting the water level in vaporization tank 21. Reference sensor 21c is a temperature sensor provided in vaporization tank 21 at a position higher than the full water level (the position of overflow drain outlet 21b). Water level sensor 21d is a temperature sensor provided in vaporization tank 21 at a position corresponding to a predetermined water level threshold.

[0048] The position where reference sensor 21c is installed is always exposed to the air present in space purification device 10, so reference sensor 21c outputs a signal corresponding to the temperature of that air. In contrast, when hypochlorous acid water is stored in vaporization tank 21 up to a water level equal to or higher than a predetermined water level threshold, water level sensor 21d outputs temperature information of the hypochlorous acid water. On the other hand, when the hypochlorous acid water stored in vaporization tank 21 is below the predetermined water level threshold, water level sensor 21d outputs temperature information of the air present in space purification device 10.

[0049] 4, the output signal from reference sensor 21c and the output signal from water level sensor 21d are input to a water level detection unit 18b of control device 18, which will be described later. Then, water level detection unit 18b detects whether the water level in vaporization tank 21 is below a predetermined water level threshold based on the temperature information output from reference sensor 21c and the temperature information output from water level sensor 21d.

[0050] The space purification device 10 is configured to be able to operate in a "sterilization / deodorization" mode in which it sterilizes and deodorizes the indoor space 62, as well as a "humidification only" mode in which it only humidifies the indoor space 62. When the space purification device 10 operates in the "sterilization / deodorization" mode, the micronization unit 13 vaporizes the hypochlorous acid water supplied to the vaporization tank 21 using the method described above. On the other hand, when the space purification device 10 operates in the "humidification only" mode, it supplies water (tap water) to the vaporization tank 21 and then vaporizes the water using the method described above. Water (tap water) is supplied to the vaporization tank 21 by the water supply unit 17.

[0051] The hypochlorous acid water generator 14 generates hypochlorous acid water by electrolyzing salt water, and includes an electrolytic cell 27, a pair of electrodes 27a, a salt water tank 28, and a salt water transfer pump 29, as shown in FIG.

[0052] The brine tank 28 stores brine (aqueous sodium chloride solution) and supplies the brine to the electrolytic cell 27 via a brine transfer pump 29 in response to an output signal from the control device 18. The amount of brine supplied from the brine tank 28 to the electrolytic cell 27 is determined by the control device 18 controlling the drive rate of the brine transfer pump 29.

[0053] The electrolytic cell 27 is a cell that can store saltwater up to a full water level. The electrolytic cell 27 stores saltwater of a predetermined concentration up to a full water level, for example, by mixing saltwater supplied from a saltwater tank 28 with water (tap water) supplied from the water supply unit 17. The saltwater of a predetermined concentration stored in the electrolytic cell 27 up to the full water level is electrolyzed by an electrode 27a (described later), and hypochlorous acid water of a predetermined concentration is generated in the electrolytic cell 27. In other words, the electrolytic cell 27 also functions as a cell for generating hypochlorous acid water by electrolyzing saltwater stored in a predetermined volume. The hypochlorous acid water generated in the electrolytic cell 27 is supplied to the vaporization cell 21 by the hypochlorous acid water supply unit 16 in response to an output signal from the control device 18.

[0054] Instead of the salt water tank 28, the hypochlorous acid water generator 14 may be provided with a salt tablet feeder that feeds salt tablets into the electrolytic cell 27 in response to an output signal from the control device 18. In this case, a predetermined amount of salt tablets is fed into the electrolytic cell 27 from the salt tablet feeder in response to an output signal from the control device 18, and water is supplied to the electrolytic cell 27 from the water supply unit 17 up to the full water level. This allows the electrolytic cell 27 to generate and store salt water of a predetermined concentration to the full water level.

[0055] Electrolytic cell 27 is provided with a full water sensor 27b. Full water sensor 27b is a sensor that detects whether the water level in electrolytic cell 27 is at the full water level, and is composed of a float sensor. A general float sensor is used, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0056] The electrodes 27a are disposed in the electrolytic bath 27, and generate hypochlorous acid water of a predetermined concentration by electrolyzing salt water by passing current through them in response to an output signal from the control device 18. That is, the electrolytic bath 27 generates hypochlorous acid water by electrolyzing a chloride aqueous solution (e.g., salt water) as an electrolyte between the pair of electrodes 27a.

[0057] The electrolyte is not particularly limited as long as it is capable of generating hypochlorous acid water and contains even a small amount of chloride ions, and examples thereof include aqueous solutions in which sodium chloride, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, etc. are dissolved as solutes. Hydrochloric acid may also be used as the electrolyte. The space purification device 10 of this embodiment uses an aqueous chloride solution (salt water) in which sodium chloride is added to water as the electrolyte.

[0058] The space purification device 10 of this embodiment allows the sterilization and deodorization strength of the indoor space 62 to be set to one of four levels: "weak," "medium," "strong," and "intensive mode." The user sets the sterilization and deodorization strength by operating the operating device 70 (see FIG. 1). The space purification device 10 increases the concentration of hypochlorous acid water contained in the air (SA) 9 blown into the indoor space 62 in the following order of sterilization and deodorization strength: "weak," "medium," "strong," and "intensive mode." This increases the sterilization and deodorization strength of the indoor space 62 in this order. The "intensive mode" releases highly concentrated hypochlorous acid water into the indoor space 62 for a short period of time, sterilizing and deodorizing the indoor space 62 with the highly concentrated hypochlorous acid water in a short period of time.

[0059] The control device 18 controls the concentration of the hypochlorous acid water generated in the electrolytic cell 27 according to the sterilization / deodorization intensity set by the operation device 70. That is, when the sterilization / deodorization intensity is "weak," the control device 18 sets the concentration of the hypochlorous acid water generated in the electrolytic cell 27 to a first concentration. When the sterilization / deodorization intensity is "medium," the control device 18 sets the concentration of the hypochlorous acid water generated in the electrolytic cell 27 to a second concentration, which is higher than the first concentration. When the sterilization / deodorization intensity is "strong," the control device 18 sets the concentration of the hypochlorous acid water generated in the electrolytic cell 27 to a third concentration, which is higher than the second concentration. Furthermore, when the sterilization / deodorization intensity is "intensive mode," the control device 18 sets the concentration of the hypochlorous acid water generated in the electrolytic cell 27 to a fourth concentration, which is higher than the third concentration.

[0060] In this way, the hypochlorous acid water generation unit 14 generates hypochlorous acid water of different concentrations in the electrolytic cell 27 according to the sterilization and deodorization strength set by the user, and supplies it to the atomization unit 13. As a result, the hypochlorous acid water of different concentrations according to the set sterilization and deodorization strength can be vaporized in the atomization unit 13 and released into the air (SA) 9.

[0061] The hypochlorous acid water supply unit 16 supplies hypochlorous acid water from the electrolytic cell 27 to the vaporization tank 21 of the micronization unit 13, and is composed of a hypochlorous acid water transfer pump 16a and a hypochlorous acid water feed pipe 16b. The hypochlorous acid water transfer pump 16a sends the hypochlorous acid water from the electrolytic cell 27 to the hypochlorous acid water feed pipe 16b in response to an output signal from the control device 18. The hypochlorous acid water feed pipe 16b is connected between the hypochlorous acid water transfer pump 16a and the vaporization tank 21, and transfers the hypochlorous acid water from the electrolytic cell 27 toward the vaporization tank 21.

[0062] Water supply unit 17 supplies tap water (water) from a water supply pipe such as a tap to vaporization tank 21 or electrolysis tank 27 in response to an output signal from control device 18. Water supply unit 17 has a water supply pipe connection port 30, a strainer 31, a first solenoid valve 32, a second solenoid valve 33, and a third solenoid valve 34, which are connected by a water supply pipe.

[0063] The water supply pipe connection port 30 is a component that connects the water supply pipe to the water supply pipe, and water supplied from the water supply pipe is sent to the water supply pipe. The strainer 31 is a component that separates and removes foreign matter and debris from the water supplied from the water supply pipe. The water from which foreign matter and debris have been removed by the strainer 31 is sent to the first solenoid valve 32.

[0064] The first solenoid valve 32 controls whether or not to send the water supplied through the strainer 31 to the second solenoid valve 33 and the third solenoid valve 34, in response to an output signal from the control device 18. While the space purification device 10 is operating in the "sterilization and deodorization" mode or the "humidification only" mode, the control device 18 opens the first solenoid valve 32 and controls the second solenoid valve 33 and the third solenoid valve 34 to send water.

[0065] The second solenoid valve 33 controls whether or not the water delivered from the first solenoid valve 32 is delivered to the vaporization tank 21, in response to an output signal from the control device 18. The control device 18 controls the second solenoid valve 33 to be opened (to deliver water) while keeping the first solenoid valve 32 open (to deliver water), thereby enabling the water (tap water) supplied from the water supply pipe to be supplied to the vaporization tank 21.

[0066] The third solenoid valve 34 controls whether or not the water delivered from the first solenoid valve 32 is delivered to the electrolytic cell 27, in response to an output signal from the control device 18. The control device 18 controls the third solenoid valve 34 to be opened (to deliver water) while the first solenoid valve 32 is opened (to deliver water), thereby enabling the water supplied from the water supply pipe (tap water) to be supplied to the electrolytic cell 27.

[0067] The drainage unit 15 discharges water (including hypochlorous acid water) from the vaporization tank 21 and the like to the outside of the space purification device 10, and includes a drainage tray 25 and a drainage pump .

[0068] 2, the drain tray 25 is disposed vertically below the atomization unit 13, the hypochlorous acid water generation unit 14 (electrolytic cell 27, brine tank 28), the hypochlorous acid water supply unit 16, and the water supply unit 17, and receives water dropping therefrom. The drain tray 25 also receives the hypochlorous acid water and the like drained from the drain outlet 21a and the overflow drain outlet 21b of the evaporation tank 21.

[0069] The drain pump 26 is driven in response to an output signal from the control device 18 to pump up the water in the drain tray 25 and discharge it outside the space purification device 10.

[0070] The control device 18 shown in Fig. 1 controls the operation of the space purification system 100. The control device 18 is a general device configured with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc.

[0071] The air conditioning device 50 performs at least one of cooling (dehumidifying) and heating on the air (RA) 8a from the indoor space 62 based on an output signal from the control device 18. The space purification device 10 vaporizes hypochlorous acid water based on an output signal from the control device 18, releases the vaporized hypochlorous acid water into air (AC) 8b, which is part of the air (RA) 8a from the indoor space 62, and blows it into the indoor space 62.

[0072] Here, with reference to FIG. 4, the functions realized by the control device 18 when the control device 18 controls the supply of hypochlorous acid water to the vaporization tank 21 will be described.

[0073] The control device 18 functionally comprises a control unit 18a, a water level detection unit 18b, a timer unit 18c, an evaporation amount determination unit 18d, and a count storage unit 18e.

[0074] Water level detection unit 18b detects the water level in vaporization tank 21. The output signal of reference sensor 21c and the output signal of water level sensor 21d are input to water level detection unit 18b. Water level detection unit 18b determines the difference between the temperature information output from reference sensor 21c and the temperature information output from water level sensor 21d. If the absolute value of this difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, water level sensor 21d, which is installed at a predetermined water level threshold position in vaporization tank 21, is immersed in hypochlorous acid water and is outputting temperature information of hypochlorous acid water. Therefore, water level detection unit 18b detects that the water level in vaporization tank 21 is equal to or greater than the predetermined water level threshold.

[0075] On the other hand, if the absolute value of the difference between the temperature information output from reference sensor 21c and the temperature information output from water level sensor 21d is less than a predetermined value, water level sensor 21d is not immersed in hypochlorous acid water and is outputting air temperature information in the same way as reference sensor 21c. Therefore, water level detection unit 18b detects that the water level in vaporization tank 21 is less than a predetermined water level threshold.

[0076] The result of detection of the water level in the vaporization tank 21 by the water level detection unit 18b is input to the control unit 18a.

[0077] Timer unit 18c measures the elapsed time after supply, which is the time that has elapsed since hypochlorous acid water was supplied to vaporization tank 21. Timer unit 18c is reset to zero under the control of control unit 18a every time hypochlorous acid water is supplied to vaporization tank 21, and the time that has elapsed since then is measured as the elapsed time after supply. The elapsed time after supply measured by timer unit 18c is input to control unit 18a.

[0078] The evaporation amount determination unit 18d determines the amount of hypochlorous acid water evaporated from the evaporation tank 21. An output signal from the suction-side temperature and humidity sensor 19 is input to the evaporation amount determination unit 18d. The evaporation amount determination unit 18d predicts the amount of hypochlorous acid water that can be vaporized from the air (AC) 8b per unit time based on the temperature and humidity information of the air (AC) 8b taken into the housing 1 through the suction port 2, which is output from the suction-side temperature and humidity sensor 19. The evaporation amount determination unit 18d then accumulates the amount of hypochlorous acid water that can be vaporized from the air (AC) 8b predicted per unit time. This allows the evaporation amount determination unit 18d to determine the amount of hypochlorous acid water evaporated from the evaporation tank 21.

[0079] Furthermore, the amount of hypochlorous acid water vaporized from the vaporization tank 21 determined by the vaporization amount determination unit 18d is reset to zero by the control of the control unit 18a every time hypochlorous acid water is supplied to the vaporization tank 21. Therefore, the vaporization amount determination unit 18d can determine the amount of hypochlorous acid water vaporized from the vaporization tank 21 after hypochlorous acid water is supplied to the vaporization tank 21.

[0080] The space purification device 10 may be provided with a blow-out side temperature and humidity sensor near the blow-out port 3 for detecting the temperature and humidity of the air (SA) 9 into which hypochlorous acid water has been released and which is blown out from the blow-out port 3. Information on the temperature and humidity of the air (SA) 9 output from the blow-out side temperature and humidity sensor may be input to the evaporation amount determination unit 18d. The evaporation amount determination unit 18d may then calculate the amount of hypochlorous acid water released into the air (AC) 8b per unit time based on information on the temperature and humidity of the air (AC) 8b taken in through the intake port 2 and the temperature and humidity of the air (SA) 9 blown out from the blow-out port 3. This also allows the evaporation amount determination unit 18d to determine the amount of hypochlorous acid water vaporized from the evaporation tank 21 by accumulating the amount of hypochlorous acid water released into the air (AC) 8b calculated per unit time.

[0081] The amount of hypochlorous acid water vaporized from the vaporization tank 21 determined by the vaporization amount determination unit 18d is input to the control unit 18a.

[0082] The count memory unit 18e stores the number of times the elapsed time since supply measured by the timer unit 18c has exceeded the first time threshold, which is the number of times the elapsed time since supply has exceeded the first time threshold. The number of times the elapsed time since supply has exceeded the first time threshold stored in the count memory unit 18e is counted up by the control unit 18a each time the elapsed time since supply has exceeded the first time threshold. The number of times the first time threshold has exceeded is reset to zero by the control unit 18a when the water level in the vaporization tank 21 falls below a predetermined water level threshold or when the hypochlorous acid water in the vaporization tank 21 is drained. The number of times the first time threshold has exceeded stored in the count memory unit 18e is referenced by the control unit 18a.

[0083] 5, and controls the supply of hypochlorous acid water from electrolytic bath 27 to vaporization bath 21. Specifically, control unit 18a controls the driving of hypochlorous acid water transfer pump 16a and motor 23 while referring to outputs from water level detection unit 18b, timer unit 18c, and evaporation amount determination unit 18d, as well as count memory unit 18e. This controls the supply of hypochlorous acid water from electrolytic bath 27 to vaporization bath 21 and the drainage of hypochlorous acid water from vaporization bath 21.

[0084] Continuing the explanation, returning to Figure 1, the operation device 70 is an input interface that accepts settings related to the operation of the space purification system 100 through user operations, and is connected to the control device 18 by wire or wirelessly.

[0085] The operating device 70 receives, for example, settings related to air conditioning, such as the target temperature and target humidity of the indoor space 62, and the air conditioning operation mode ("cooling," "heating," "dehumidification," "off," etc.), and transmits the set target temperature value, target humidity value, and air conditioning operation mode information to the control device 18. The control device 18 controls the operation of the air conditioner 50 based on the air conditioning-related setting information transmitted from the operating device 70.

[0086] The operating device 70 also accepts settings related to space purification, such as the space purification operation mode ("humidification only," "sterilization and deodorization," "off," etc.) and the sterilization and deodorization strength ("weak," "medium," "strong," "intensive mode"). The operating device 70 transmits the set space purification operation mode information and sterilization and deodorization strength information to the control device 18. The control device 18 controls the operation of the space purification device 10 based on the space purification-related setting information transmitted from the operating device 70.

[0087] Next, the hypochlorous acid water supply process executed by the control unit 18a will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the hypochlorous acid water supply process executed by the control unit 18a.

[0088] The hypochlorous acid water supply process is one of the processes executed by the control unit 18a when the space purification operation mode is set to the "sterilization and deodorization" mode by the operating device 70, and specifically, it is a process for controlling the supply of hypochlorous acid water from the electrolytic cell 27 to the vaporization cell 21.

[0089] When the control unit 18a starts the hypochlorous acid water supply process, it first generates hypochlorous acid water in the electrolytic bath 27 (S11). The generation of hypochlorous acid water is performed as follows. First, the control unit 18a opens the third solenoid valve 34 of the water supply unit 17 to start the supply of water to the electrolytic bath 27, and also drives the brine transfer pump 29 to supply brine from the brine tank 28 to the electrolytic bath 27. Here, the control unit 18a generates hypochlorous acid water at a different concentration in the electrolytic bath 27 according to the sterilization and deodorization strength set by the operation device 70. The control unit 18a drives the brine transfer pump 29 to supply the amount of brine necessary to generate hypochlorous acid water of the corresponding concentration from the brine tank 28 to the electrolytic bath 27 according to the sterilization and deodorization strength.

[0090] Even after the supply of salt water to electrolytic cell 27 has finished, control unit 18a continues to supply water from water supply unit 17 until it determines, based on the output signal of full water sensor 27b, that electrolytic cell 27 has reached the full water level. Then, when control unit 18a determines that electrolytic cell 27 has reached the full water level, it closes third solenoid valve 34 to stop the supply of water from water supply unit 17.

[0091] Next, the control unit 18a energizes the electrode 27a for the time required to achieve a concentration according to the sterilization and deodorization strength set by the operating device 70, electrolyzing the salt water in the electrolytic cell 27 to produce hypochlorous acid water of that concentration.

[0092] When the production of hypochlorous acid water in electrolytic bath 27 is completed, control unit 18a then supplies the produced hypochlorous acid water from electrolytic bath 27 to vaporization bath 21 (S12). Specifically, control unit 18a first drives motor 23 of atomization unit 13 to rotate pumping pipe 22. Then, control unit 18a drives hypochlorous acid water transfer pump 16a of hypochlorous acid water supply unit 16 for a predetermined time to transfer the hypochlorous acid water produced in electrolytic bath 27 to vaporization bath 21 via hypochlorous acid water transfer pipe 16b. At this time, since pumping pipe 22 is rotating, vaporization bath 21 is in a water-stopped state, and the supplied hypochlorous acid water is stored in vaporization bath 21.

[0093] When all of the hypochlorous acid water in electrolytic bath 27 has been supplied to vaporization bath 21, micronization unit 13 atomizes and vaporizes the hypochlorous acid water supplied to vaporization bath 21, and the vaporized hypochlorous acid water is released into the air transported through purification air duct 5. Meanwhile, control unit 18a, in parallel with the release of this hypochlorous acid water, generates hypochlorous acid water again in emptied electrolytic bath 27 (S13). This is to prepare for the next supply of hypochlorous acid water from electrolytic bath 27 to vaporization bath 21. The generation of hypochlorous acid water here is performed in a manner similar to the process of S11. Control unit 18a proceeds to the process of S14 and subsequent steps in parallel with controlling the generation of hypochlorous acid water, without waiting for the generation of hypochlorous acid water to be completed.

[0094] Next, the control unit 18a starts the calculation of the evaporation amount of the hypochlorous acid water evaporated from the evaporation tank 21 by the evaporation amount determination unit 18d and the measurement of the elapsed time after supply, which is the time that has elapsed since the hypochlorous acid water was supplied to the evaporation tank 21, by the timer unit 18c (S14). Thereafter, the calculation of the evaporation amount of the hypochlorous acid water by the evaporation amount determination unit 18d and the measurement of the elapsed time after supply by the timer unit 18c are each continuously performed.

[0095] Next, the control unit 18a determines whether the water level in the vaporization tank 21 detected by the water level detection unit 18b is below a predetermined water level threshold (S15). As a result, if the water level in the vaporization tank 21 is below the predetermined water level threshold (S15: Yes), the control unit 18a first resets the number of times the first time threshold has been exceeded stored in the count memory unit 18e to zero (S16), and then supplies hypochlorous acid water from the electrolytic tank 27 to the vaporization tank 21 (S17). As a result, when the water level in the vaporization tank 21 falls below the predetermined water level threshold and the amount of hypochlorous acid water stored in the vaporization tank 21 decreases, hypochlorous acid water previously generated in the electrolytic tank 27 is supplied to the vaporization tank 21. Therefore, the space purification device 10 can continuously vaporize the hypochlorous acid stored in the vaporization tank 21 without letting it dry up, and can continue to release the vaporized hypochlorous acid into the air.

[0096] The supply of hypochlorous acid water to vaporization tank 21 in the process of S17 is controlled in the same way as the process of S12. However, when it is determined in S15 that the water level in vaporization tank 21 is below a predetermined water level threshold, it may be the case that the generation of hypochlorous acid water of a predetermined concentration in electrolytic tank 27 has not been completed and electrolysis is still ongoing. In this case, in the process of S17, control unit 18a first stops the current flow to electrode 27a to stop electrolysis in electrolytic tank 27, and supplies hypochlorous acid water of the concentration obtained at that time from electrolytic tank 27 to vaporization tank 21. This prevents the hypochlorous acid water in vaporization tank 21 from running out, which prevents the hypochlorous acid water from being vaporized in micronization unit 13 and released into the air.

[0097] When all of the hypochlorous acid water in electrolytic bath 27 has been supplied to vaporization bath 21 by the process of S17, control unit 18a, similar to the process of S13, generates hypochlorous acid water again in emptied electrolytic bath 27 in preparation for the next supply of hypochlorous acid water to vaporization bath 21 (S18). In the process of S18 as well, control unit 18a proceeds to the process of S19 and subsequent steps in parallel with controlling the generation of hypochlorous acid water, without waiting for the generation of hypochlorous acid water to be completed.

[0098] Next, the control unit 18a resets to zero the amount of vaporization of the hypochlorous acid water vaporized from the vaporization tank 21 calculated by the vaporization amount determination unit 18d and the time elapsed since supply measured by the timer unit 18c (S19). As a result, upon supply of hypochlorous acid water to the vaporization tank 21, the calculation of the amount of vaporization of the hypochlorous acid water by the vaporization amount determination unit 18d and the measurement of the time elapsed since supply by the timer unit 18c are restarted from zero.

[0099] Next, the control unit 18a determines whether to continue or stop operation of the space purification device 10 in the "sterilization and deodorization" mode (S20). For example, if the operation device 70 sets the space purification operation mode to "humidification only" mode or "off," the control unit 18a determines to stop operation of the space purification device 10 in the "sterilization and deodorization" mode (S20: stop), and proceeds to the process of S27. That is, the control unit 18a stops driving the motor 23, thereby draining the hypochlorous acid water stored in the vaporization tank 21 from the drain outlet 21a (S27). Then, the control unit 18a ends the hypochlorous acid water supply process.

[0100] On the other hand, if the space purification operation mode is continuously set to the "sterilization / deodorization" mode on the operating device 70, the control unit 18a judges in S20 that the space purification device 10 will continue to operate in the "sterilization / deodorization" mode (S20: Continue), and returns to the judgment of S15.

[0101] In the determination of S15, if the water level in the vaporization tank 21 is equal to or greater than the predetermined water level threshold (S15: No), the control unit 18a then determines whether the time elapsed since supply measured by the timer unit 18c is equal to or greater than a first time threshold (S21). The first time threshold is set to, for example, two hours.

[0102] If the time elapsed since supply, which is the time that has passed since hypochlorous acid water was supplied to the vaporization tank 21, is equal to or greater than the first time threshold, it means that hypochlorous acid water has not been supplied from the electrolytic tank 27 to the vaporization tank 21 for some time. Therefore, when the control unit 18a determines in S21 that the time that has elapsed since supply is equal to or greater than the first time threshold (S21: Yes), it counts up the number of times the first time threshold has been exceeded, which is stored in the count memory unit 18e (S22), and then makes the determination in S23.

[0103] That is, the control unit 18a determines whether the number of times the first time threshold has been exceeded, counted up by the processing of S22, is equal to or greater than the upper limit number (S23). This upper limit number corresponds to the "predetermined number of times" of the present invention, and is determined based on the ratio between the capacity of the electrolytic cell 27 and the capacity of the vaporization cell 21. For example, the upper limit number is set to the number of times that hypochlorous acid water may overflow from the vaporization cell 21 when hypochlorous acid water is repeatedly supplied from the electrolytic cell 27 to the vaporization cell 21 regardless of the water level in the vaporization cell 21. As an example, the upper limit number is three times.

[0104] As a result of the determination in S23, when the control unit 18a determines that the number of times the first time threshold has been exceeded is less than the upper limit number of times (S23: No), the control unit 18a proceeds to the process of S17. Then, by the process of S17, hypochlorous acid water is supplied from the electrolytic bath 27 to the vaporization bath 21 regardless of the water level in the vaporization bath 21 at that time.

[0105] As a result, even in a situation where hypochlorous acid water is not vaporized and the water level in the vaporization tank 21 does not drop due to high humidity in the indoor space 62, and hypochlorous acid water is not supplied to the vaporization tank 21 for a while, the space purification device 10 can forcibly supply hypochlorous acid water to the vaporization tank 21. Therefore, the space purification device 10 can prevent the concentration of hypochlorous acid water in the vaporization tank 21 from decreasing, and can therefore prevent a decrease in the ability to supply hypochlorous acid water to the indoor space 62 when humidity is high.

[0106] Furthermore, the space purification device 10 uses the timer unit 18c to measure the time elapsed since hypochlorous acid water was supplied to the vaporization tank 21, and if the time elapsed since supply is equal to or greater than the first time threshold, the space purification device 10 forcibly supplies hypochlorous acid water from the electrolytic tank 27 to the vaporization tank 21. That is, the forcible supply of hypochlorous acid water is determined based on the time elapsed since hypochlorous acid water was supplied.

[0107] Some conventional space purification devices measure the "operating time" in the "disinfection and deodorization" mode rather than the "time elapsed since supply," which is the time elapsed since hypochlorous acid water was supplied, and supply hypochlorous acid water to the vaporization tank 21 every time a predetermined amount of operating time has elapsed. In this case, if the predetermined amount of operating time elapses immediately after hypochlorous acid water is supplied to the vaporization tank 21, there is a possibility that the vaporization tank 21 will overflow due to the supply of new hypochlorous acid water. In contrast, the space purification device 10 of the present disclosure determines whether or not to forcibly supply hypochlorous acid water based on the "time elapsed since supply," which is the time elapsed since hypochlorous acid water was supplied, and therefore can prevent the vaporization tank 21 from overflowing as occurs in the conventional space purification devices described above.

[0108] On the other hand, when the control unit 18a determines in S23 that the number of times the first time threshold has been exceeded is equal to or greater than the upper limit number of times (S23: Yes), the control unit 18a drains the hypochlorous acid water from the vaporization tank 21 before the supply of hypochlorous acid water from the electrolytic tank 27 to the vaporization tank 21 by the process of S17 (S24). That is, the control unit 18a stops driving the motor 23. As a result, the hypochlorous acid water stored in the vaporization tank 21 is drained from the drain outlet 21a of the vaporization tank 21.

[0109] This is because repeated supply of hypochlorous acid water when the elapsed time since supply is equal to or greater than the first time threshold may cause overflow of the vaporization tank 21. Furthermore, repeated forced supply of hypochlorous acid water in this manner may make the concentration of hypochlorous acid in the vaporization tank 21 unclear and may deviate from the controlled concentration.

[0110] In this way, when the number of times the first time threshold is exceeded becomes equal to or exceeds the upper limit number, the space purification device 10 forcibly drains the hypochlorous acid water stored in the vaporization tank 21, thereby preventing overflow in the vaporization tank 21. Furthermore, the space purification device 10 can supply concentration-controlled hypochlorous acid water from the electrolytic cell 27 to the vaporization tank 21 by forcibly draining the hypochlorous acid water from the vaporization tank 21 when the number of times the first time threshold is exceeded becomes equal to or exceeds the upper limit number.

[0111] In the process of S24, when all of the hypochlorous acid water has been drained from the vaporization tank 21, the control unit 18a drives the motor 23 to rotate the water pumping pipe 22. As a result, the vaporization tank 21 is again stopped from flowing water.

[0112] Then, the control unit 18a resets the number of times the first time threshold has been exceeded stored in the number-of-times memory unit 18e to zero (S25), proceeds to the process of S17, and supplies the hypochlorous acid water from the electrolytic tank 27 to the vaporization tank 21. In other words, if the number of times the first time threshold has been exceeded stored in the number-of-times memory unit 18e is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the hypochlorous acid water from the vaporization tank is drained and then supplied from the electrolytic tank to the vaporization tank.

[0113] Furthermore, when the control unit 18a determines in S21 that the time elapsed since supply is less than the first time threshold (S21: No), the control unit 18a proceeds to the determination in S26. In the determination in S26, the control unit 18a determines whether the amount of vaporization of hypochlorous acid water from the vaporization tank 21 is equal to or greater than the capacity of the electrolytic tank 27 and whether the time elapsed since supply is equal to or greater than a second time threshold, which is shorter than the first time threshold. The amount of vaporization of hypochlorous acid water from the vaporization tank 21 is determined by the vaporization amount determination unit 18d. Furthermore, the time elapsed since supply is measured by the timer unit 18c.

[0114] Here, the second time threshold is determined based on the time required for electrolysis to obtain hypochlorous acid water of a predetermined concentration in electrolytic bath 27. For example, if the second time threshold is set to be equal to or greater than the time required for electrolysis, hypochlorous acid water of the predetermined concentration will be produced in electrolytic bath 27 when the time elapsed since supply is equal to or greater than the second time threshold.

[0115] In the judgment of S26, when the control unit 18a judges that the amount of hypochlorous acid water evaporated from the vaporization tank 21 is equal to or greater than the capacity of the electrolytic tank 27 and the elapsed time since supply is equal to or greater than the second time threshold (S26: Yes), the control unit 18a proceeds to the processing of S17. That is, the control unit 18a supplies hypochlorous acid water from the electrolytic tank 27 to the vaporization tank 21 regardless of the water level in the vaporization tank 21.

[0116] In this case, the time elapsed since supply measured by timer unit 18c is the time between the first time threshold and the second time threshold. Therefore, hypochlorous acid water can be supplied before the first threshold time is reached, so hypochlorous acid water can be supplied to vaporization tank 21 more quickly than when hypochlorous acid water is forcibly added at the first time threshold. Furthermore, because the amount of vaporization from vaporization tank 21 is greater than or equal to the capacity of electrolytic cell 27, even if hypochlorous acid water is forcibly supplied from electrolytic cell 27 to vaporization tank 21 by this control (S26: Yes), overflow of vaporization tank 21 can be prevented.

[0117] In this case, since the time elapsed since supply is equal to or greater than the second time threshold, hypochlorous acid water of a predetermined concentration is produced in the electrolytic tank 27. Therefore, in this case, the space purification device 10 can supply hypochlorous acid water of a controlled concentration to the vaporization tank 21, and therefore can maintain the concentration of hypochlorous acid in the vaporization tank 21 at an appropriate concentration.

[0118] In addition, in the case of this control (S26: Yes), the number of times the first time threshold has been exceeded is not counted up or reset to zero, but is maintained as is. In this control (S26: Yes), the amount of hypochlorous acid water evaporated from vaporization tank 21 is equal to or greater than the volume of hypochlorous acid water supplied from electrolytic cell 27. Therefore, the water level in vaporization tank 21 after the supply of hypochlorous acid water is equal to or less than the water level in vaporization tank 21 after the previous supply of hypochlorous acid water. Here, if the amount of evaporated hypochlorous acid water is the same as the volume of hypochlorous acid water supplied from electrolytic cell 27, the water level in vaporization tank 21 will be the same as the water level in vaporization tank 21 after the previous supply of hypochlorous acid water. If the number of times the first time threshold has been exceeded after the previous supply of hypochlorous acid water is "upper limit number - 1," if the time elapsed since the previous supply becomes equal to or greater than the first time threshold and hypochlorous acid water is forcibly supplied to vaporization tank 21 after this supply, there is a risk of vaporization tank 21 overflowing. Therefore, in this case, the control unit 18a does not count up the number of times the first time threshold has been exceeded, and does not reset it to zero, but maintains the value as it is.

[0119] On the other hand, in the judgment of S26, if the control unit 18a determines that the amount of hypochlorous acid water evaporated from the vaporization tank 21 is less than the capacity of the electrolytic tank 27 or that the elapsed time since supply is less than the second time threshold (S26: No), the process returns to S15.

[0120] The above-described space purification device 10 according to the present embodiment provides the following effects.

[0121] (1) The space purification device 10 generates hypochlorous acid water by electrolysis in the electrolytic cell 27 and supplies the generated hypochlorous acid water from the electrolytic cell 27 to the vaporization cell 21. The vaporization cell 21 vaporizes the supplied hypochlorous acid water and releases the hypochlorous acid water into the indoor space 62. Here, the supply of hypochlorous acid water from the electrolytic cell 27 to the vaporization cell 21 is performed in the following cases. First, when the water level in the vaporization cell 21 detected by the water level detection unit 18b is below a predetermined water level threshold, hypochlorous acid water is supplied from the electrolytic cell 27 to the vaporization cell 21. As a result, when the amount of hypochlorous acid water stored in the vaporization cell 21 becomes low, hypochlorous acid water is supplied from the electrolytic cell 27 to the vaporization cell 21. Therefore, the space purification device 10 can continuously vaporize the hypochlorous acid stored in the vaporization cell 21 and release it into the indoor space 62. Furthermore, when the time elapsed since supply measured by the timer unit 18c is equal to or greater than a predetermined first time threshold, the space purification device 10 supplies hypochlorous acid water from the electrolytic tank 27 to the vaporization tank 21 regardless of the water level in the vaporization tank 21. This allows the space purification device 10 to forcibly supply hypochlorous acid water to the vaporization tank 21 even in a situation where, for example, the indoor space 62 is highly humid, the hypochlorous acid water is not vaporized, the water level in the vaporization tank 21 does not drop, and hypochlorous acid water is not supplied to the vaporization tank 21 for a while. Therefore, the space purification device 10 can prevent a decrease in the concentration of hypochlorous acid water in the vaporization tank 21, and therefore can prevent a decrease in the ability to supply hypochlorous acid water to the indoor space 62 at high humidity.

[0122] (2) The space purification device 10 further determines the amount of vaporized hypochlorous acid water vaporized from the vaporization tank 21 using the vaporization amount determination unit 18d. If the amount of vaporization is equal to or greater than the capacity of the electrolytic tank 27 and the elapsed time since supply measured by the timer unit 18c is equal to or greater than a second time threshold that is shorter than the first time threshold, hypochlorous acid water is supplied from the electrolytic tank 27 to the vaporization tank 21 regardless of the water level in the vaporization tank 21. In this case, too, the space purification device 10 determines that the elapsed time since supply measured by the timer unit 18c is the time between the first time threshold and the second time threshold. Therefore, since hypochlorous acid water can be supplied before the first threshold time is reached, hypochlorous acid water can be supplied to the vaporization tank 21 more quickly than when hypochlorous acid water is forcibly added at the first time threshold. In this case, since the amount of hypochlorous acid water vaporized from the vaporization tank 21 is greater than the capacity of the electrolytic tank 27, even if the hypochlorous acid water is forcibly supplied from the electrolytic tank 27 to the vaporization tank 21, the vaporization tank 21 can be prevented from overflowing.

[0123] (3) The space purification device 10 stores in the count memory unit 18e the number of times the elapsed time since supply, measured by the timer unit 18c, exceeds the first time threshold. If the number of times the first time threshold is exceeded stored in the count memory unit 18e is equal to or greater than the upper limit, the hypochlorous acid water in the vaporization tank 21 is drained before the hypochlorous acid water is supplied from the electrolytic tank 27 to the vaporization tank 21. This prevents the vaporization tank 21 from overflowing due to repeated forced supply of hypochlorous acid water from the electrolytic tank 27 to the vaporization tank 21 when the elapsed time since supply exceeds the first time threshold. Furthermore, repeated forced supply of hypochlorous acid water in this manner may cause the concentration of hypochlorous acid in the vaporization tank 21 to become unclear and deviate from the controlled concentration. The space purification device 10 can maintain the concentration of hypochlorous acid in the vaporization tank 21 at an appropriate concentration by forcibly draining hypochlorous acid water from the vaporization tank 21 when the number of times the first time threshold is exceeded exceeds the upper limit number of times, and then supplying the hypochlorous acid water again from the electrolytic tank 27 to the vaporization tank 21.

[0124] Although the present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and it is easily understood that various improvements and modifications are possible within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, each embodiment, including the modifications described below, may be modified by adding or replacing a part or parts of the configuration of another embodiment with the other embodiment. Furthermore, the numerical values ​​given in each embodiment are merely examples, and other numerical values ​​may naturally be adopted.

[0125] In the above embodiment, the space purification device 10 has been described as supplying hypochlorous acid water from the electrolytic cell 27 to the vaporization cell 21. In contrast, when the space purification device 10 supplies hypochlorous acid water from the electrolytic cell 27 to the vaporization cell 21, water (tap water) may be supplied to the vaporization cell 21 from the water supply unit 17 (second solenoid valve 33) in addition to the supply of hypochlorous acid water. The space purification device 10 may then produce mixed water in the vaporization cell 21 by mixing the hypochlorous acid water supplied from the electrolytic cell 27 with the water supplied from the water supply unit 17, vaporize the mixed water as hypochlorous acid water, and release it into the indoor space 62. In this way, it is possible to produce high-concentration hypochlorous acid water in the small-capacity electrolytic cell 27, and supply a predetermined volume of hypochlorous acid water (mixed water) to the vaporization cell 21 together with the water supplied from the water supply unit 17.

[0126] In this case, the amount of hypochlorous acid water supplied to the vaporization tank 21 at one time can be the total volume of the hypochlorous acid water supplied from the electrolytic tank 27 and the volume of water supplied from the water supply unit 17. Therefore, the determination in S26 shown in Fig. 5 may be made as to whether the amount of hypochlorous acid water evaporated from the vaporization tank 21 is equal to or greater than the amount of hypochlorous acid water supplied to the vaporization tank 21 at one time and whether the elapsed time since the supply is equal to or greater than a second time threshold that is shorter than the first time threshold. In this case, the time elapsed since supply measured by timer unit 18c is the time between the first and second time thresholds. Therefore, hypochlorous acid water can be supplied before the first threshold time is reached, so hypochlorous acid water can be supplied to vaporization tank 21 more quickly than when hypochlorous acid water is forcibly added at the first threshold time. In this case, more hypochlorous acid water than the amount of hypochlorous acid water supplied to vaporization tank 21 at one time is vaporized from vaporization tank 21. Therefore, even if hypochlorous acid water is forcibly supplied from electrolysis tank 27 to vaporization tank 21, overflow of vaporization tank 21 can be prevented. In this case, hypochlorous acid water with a controlled concentration can be supplied to vaporization tank 21, so the concentration of hypochlorous acid in vaporization tank 21 can be maintained at an appropriate concentration.

[0127] When hypochlorous acid water is supplied to vaporization tank 21 only from electrolytic tank 27 as in the above embodiment, the amount of hypochlorous acid water supplied to vaporization tank 21 at one time can also be considered as the volume of hypochlorous acid water supplied from electrolytic tank 27. In this case, the determination in S26 shown in Fig. 5 may be made as to whether the amount of hypochlorous acid water evaporated from vaporization tank 21 is equal to or greater than the amount of hypochlorous acid water supplied to vaporization tank 21 at one time and whether the elapsed time since supply is equal to or greater than a second time threshold that is shorter than the first time threshold.

[0128] In the above embodiment, the space purification device 10 is described as being incorporated into the space purification system 100 in combination with the air conditioning device 50. However, this is not necessarily limited to this. The present disclosure is applicable to a space purification device 10 incorporated into another system in combination with any other device. Furthermore, the present disclosure is also applicable to a space purification device 10 used alone. When the space purification device 10 is used alone, the air inlet 2 may be connected to an indoor air inlet provided on the ceiling or the like of the indoor space 62 via an air inlet duct 64. Furthermore, the space purification device 10 may be configured to draw air directly from the indoor space 62 without using a duct, as in the air conditioning device 50, and to blow air containing the mixed water atomized by the atomization unit 13 directly into the indoor space 62. In other words, the air inlet 2 of the space purification device 10 may be configured to correspond to the indoor air inlet 53 of the air conditioning device 50, and the air outlet 3 of the space purification device 10 may be configured to correspond to the air outlet 54 of the air conditioning device 50. [Industrial Applicability]

[0129] The space purification device according to the present disclosure atomizes hypochlorous acid water and releases it into the air, and is useful as a device for sterilizing or deodorizing the air in a target space. [Explanation of symbols]

[0130] 1 chassis 2 Intake port 3 Air outlet 5 Purifying Airway 8a Air (RA) 8b Air (AC) 8c Air 9. Air (SA) 10 Space Purification Device 11 Filters 12 Blower 13 Miniaturization section 14 Hypochlorous acid water generator 15 Drainage section 16 Hypochlorous Acid Water Supply Unit 16a Hypochlorous acid water conveying pump 16b Hypochlorous acid water supply pipe 17 Water supply section 18 Control Device 18a Control section 18b Water level detection unit 18c Timer section 18d Evaporation amount determination unit 18e Number of times memory section 19 Intake side temperature and humidity sensor 21 Evaporation tank 21a Drain port 21b Overflow drain 21c Reference Sensor 21d Water level sensor 22 Lifting pipe 22a opening 22b Rotating plate 22c Rotation axis 23 Motor 24 Collision Wall 25 Drainage tray 26 Drainage pump 27 Electrolytic cell 27a electrode 27b Full water sensor 28 Brine Tank 29 Brine Transfer Pump 30 Water supply pipe connection port 31 Strainer 32 First solenoid valve 33 Second solenoid valve 34 Third solenoid valve 50 Air conditioning equipment 51 Main body 52 Decorative Panel 53 Indoor air intake 54 Air outlet 55 Air outlet 60 Outdoor unit 62 Indoor Space 64 Intake duct 67 Outlet duct 68 Indoor air outlet 70 Operating device 100 Space Purification System

Claims

1. An electrolytic cell that generates hypochlorous acid water by electrolysis; a vaporization tank that vaporizes the hypochlorous acid water supplied from the electrolytic tank; a water level detection unit that detects the water level of the vaporization tank; A timer unit that measures the elapsed time since the hypochlorous acid water was supplied to the vaporization tank; a control unit, The control unit When the water level of the vaporization tank detected by the water level detection unit is less than a predetermined water level threshold, the hypochlorous acid water is supplied from the electrolytic tank to the vaporization tank; When the time elapsed since the supply measured by the timer unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined first time threshold, the hypochlorous acid water is supplied from the electrolytic cell to the vaporization tank regardless of the water level in the vaporization tank.

2. Further provided is a vaporization amount determination unit that determines the amount of the hypochlorous acid water vaporized from the vaporization tank, The control unit 2. The space purification device of claim 1, wherein when the amount of hypochlorous acid water determined by the evaporation amount determination unit is equal to or greater than the capacity of the electrolytic cell and the elapsed time since the supply is equal to or greater than a second time threshold that is shorter than the first time threshold, the hypochlorous acid water is supplied from the electrolytic cell to the vaporization tank regardless of the water level in the vaporization tank.

3. Further provided is a vaporization amount determination unit that determines the amount of the hypochlorous acid water vaporized from the vaporization tank, The control unit 2. The space purification device according to claim 1, wherein the amount of hypochlorous acid water determined by the evaporation amount determination unit is equal to or greater than the amount of hypochlorous acid water supplied to the vaporization tank in one operation, and the elapsed time since the supply is equal to or greater than a second time threshold that is shorter than the first time threshold. The space purification device according to claim 1, wherein the hypochlorous acid water is supplied from the electrolytic tank to the vaporization tank regardless of the water level in the vaporization tank.

4. a count storage unit configured to store the number of times the elapsed time after supply measured by the timer unit is equal to or greater than the first time threshold, The control unit 4. The space purification device according to claim 1, wherein the hypochlorous acid water in the vaporization tank is drained before supplying the hypochlorous acid water from the electrolytic tank to the vaporization tank when the number of times stored in the number memory unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times.

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