Humidifier

Abstract

To provide a humidifier capable of discriminating a vertical direction of a humidification section so as to ensure that a surface on an upstream side is made uniform and suppressing unevenness of scale depositing on the humidification section.SOLUTION: A humidifier includes: a humidification section 3 that generates humidification air and is provided rotatably; a casing 1 having a suction port and a blowout port; a fan 2 for causing air to flow; a tray 5 that stores water; a detection section that detects a state where the humidification section is located at a specific rotating position; and a control section that controls a humidification operation of the humidifier. The specific rotating position includes: a first rotating position in which a lower part of the humidification section is immersed in water in the tray and an upper part is immersed; and an auxiliary rotating position that is any position other than the first rotating position. The control section can discriminate a vertical direction of the humidification section that is in the first rotating position from a relation between any one of detection timing of the first rotating position detected by the detection section and detection timing of the auxiliary rotating position through the rotating operation of the humidification section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a humidifier. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a humidifier that includes a water tank for storing water and a rotationally driven vaporization filter whose lower end is immersed in the water in the water tank, and generates humidified air by passing air drawn in from an intake port by a blower through a heater and then passing it through the vaporization filter. By controlling the rotatable vaporization filter with a timer, this humidifier can alternately stop with one lower end of the vaporization filter submerged in water and the other lower end submerged in water. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-45033 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional humidifiers have a problem in that, when air passes through an evaporative filter to generate humidified air, the upstream surface of the evaporative filter is more prone to scale deposition than the downstream surface. In the humidifier described in Patent Document 1, a timer is used to count the time that one lower end of the evaporative filter and the other lower end are submerged in the water tank, allowing for alternating humidification operation. However, it is not possible to determine which lower end of the evaporative filter is submerged, i.e., whether it is vertical or horizontal. This makes it impossible to ensure that the upstream surface of the evaporative filter is uniform, which could result in uneven deposition of scale on the evaporative filter. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problem, the humidifying device of the present invention comprises a rotatable humidifying unit that generates humidified air, a housing having an intake port for drawing in outside air and an outlet port for blowing out the humidified air, a fan for circulating air that is provided in a flow path from the intake port through the humidifying unit to the outlet port, a tray for storing water for generating the humidified air, and a detection unit that detects when the humidifying unit is in a specific rotation position, and has a control unit that controls the humidifying operation of the humidifying device, and the specific rotation positions are a first rotation position in which the lower part of the humidifying unit is immersed in water in the tray and an upper part of the humidifying unit is immersed in water in the tray, and an auxiliary rotation position that is any position other than the first rotation position, and the control unit determines the up / down direction of the humidifying unit that is in the first rotation position from the relationship between the detection timing of any one of the first rotation positions obtained by the detection unit and the detection timing of the auxiliary rotation position through the rotation operation of the humidifying unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, the up-down direction of the humidifying section can be determined to ensure that the upstream surface is uniform, thereby suppressing uneven deposition of scale on the humidifying section. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the humidifier according to the embodiment with a front panel and a beam portion removed. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating insertion of a tray holder into a housing according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the tray and the tray holder on which the tray is placed according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] 3A and 3B are schematic cross-sectional views of the water supply tank and the like according to the embodiment, in which FIG. 3A shows a state with a tray and FIG. 3B shows a state without a tray. [Figure 9] 4A and 4B are partial perspective views of the partition plate and the like according to the embodiment, in which FIG. 4A shows a state with a tray and FIG. 4B shows a state without a tray. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a humidifying unit, a partition structure unit, a tray, and a tray holder according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the partition structure according to the embodiment, seen from the bearing side. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the relationship between the water level detection float and the magnetic sensor according to the embodiment. [Figure 13] 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining the stopping positions of the humidifying unit according to the embodiment, in which (a) shows a first rotation position and (b) shows a second rotation position. [Figure 14] 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating the relationship between the humidifying filter and the ultraviolet ray irradiation unit according to the embodiment; [Figure 15] 5A and 5B are diagrams showing a drive circuit according to the embodiment, in which FIG. 5A shows a state in which a switch is on, and FIG. 5B shows a state in which the switch is off. [Figure 16] 3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining the arrangement of the reed switch and the magnet according to the embodiment; [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a housing and a tray unit for explaining the arrangement of the reed switch and the magnet according to the embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between a detection unit and a humidification unit according to the embodiment; [Figure 19] 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the rotation position of the humidifier unit and the output signal of the detector according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 20] 20 is a diagram showing the relationship between the rotation position of the humidifier unit and the output signal of the detector according to the embodiment, showing an auxiliary rotation position different from that of FIG. 19. FIG. [Figure 21] 4 is a flowchart of a drying operation process according to the embodiment; [Figure 22] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a sequence of a sterilization process during humidification operation according to the embodiment; [Figure 23] 6 is a flowchart of a sterilization process during humidification operation according to the embodiment; [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between ultraviolet irradiation time and sterilization effect. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] As shown in appropriate figures in Figures 1 to 18, the humidifier 100 comprises a housing 1, a fan 2, a humidifier section 3, an ultraviolet irradiation section 4, a tray section TR having a tray 5 and a tray holder 6, a water tank 7, a partition structure section 8, a control section 9, and a magnetic sensor S.

[0010] In the following description, the directions of the humidifier 100 are defined as up-down, front-rear, and left-right directions as shown in Figure 2. In other figures, directions corresponding to the directions defined in Figure 2 are shown. Note that although the up-down direction may be defined as the direction of the humidifier 100 during use, the front-rear and left-right directions are relative directions to facilitate understanding of the description.

[0011] The housing 1 includes a front panel 1F, a rear panel 1B, a left panel 1L, a right panel 1R, and an upper panel 1U, as well as a casing 10 surrounded by these panels.

[0012] The left panel 1L connected to the upper panel 1U reaches the bottom 10D of the casing 10. On the other hand, the right panel 1R connected to the upper panel 1U is shorter in the vertical direction than the left panel 1L. As a result, an insertion opening 1a through which the tray holder 6 is inserted is formed between the right panel 1R of the housing 1 and the bottom 10D. As shown in FIG. 4, the tray holder 6 is inserted in the left-right direction (horizontally) through the insertion opening 1a. When the tray holder 6 is attached to the housing 1 as shown in FIG. 2 (hereinafter referred to as the "holder attached state"), the insertion opening 1a is blocked by the holder panel 6R fixed to the tray holder 6. In the holder attached state, the outer surfaces of the holder panel 6R and the right panel 1R are generally flush with each other. The outer shape of the housing 1 in the holder attached state is generally rectangular.

[0013] As shown in Figure 2, the casing 10 comprises a holder accommodating section 11 that accommodates the tray holder 6, a side wall section 12 that stands upright relative to the holder accommodating section 11 and faces the right panel 1R in the left-right direction, and a fan accommodating section 13 that is located above the holder accommodating section 11 and accommodates the fan 2.

[0014] The holder accommodation section 11 has the aforementioned bottom 10D. Inside the housing 1, above the bottom 10D, a humidifier accommodation chamber R3 that accommodates the humidifier section 3 is formed on the left side of the side wall section 12, and a tank accommodation chamber R7 that accommodates the water tank 7 is formed on the right side of the side wall section 12. A communication hole 12a that communicates between the humidifier accommodation chamber R3 and the tank accommodation chamber R7 is formed in the side wall section 12. When the tray holder 6 in which the partition structure section 8 is arranged is in the holder-attached state, the communication hole 12a is blocked by a partition plate 81, which will be described later.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 2, an openable and closable lid 17 is attached above the tank storage chamber R7 on the upper panel 1U. This lid 17 allows the water supply tank 7 to be stored in the tank storage chamber R7 from above the housing 1. The water supply tank 7 is used in a state in which the partition structure 8 is installed on the tray holder 6 via the tray 5. The casing 10 is, for example, separable in the front-rear direction and is composed of two members that can be combined with each other.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the rear panel 1B is formed with an inlet P1 for drawing in outside air. The fan housing 13 of the casing 10 is formed with an inlet Q1 through which the fan 2 draws in humidified air generated by the humidifier 3, and an outlet Q2 through which the fan 2 exhausts the humidified air. The upper panel 1U is formed with an outlet P2 through which the humidified air exhausted from the outlet Q2 is expelled to the outside of the housing 1. That is, the housing 1 has the inlet P1, the humidifier 3, the inlet Q1, the outlet Q2, and the outlet P2. When the fan 2 rotates, air passes through a flow path W that passes through the inlet P1, the humidifier 3, the inlet Q1, the outlet Q2, and the outlet P2 in that order, and the humidified air generated by the humidifier 3 is blown out to the outside of the housing 1 from the outlet P2. A heater H that operates according to conditions to send warm air is provided between the inlet P1 and the humidifier 3 (i.e., on the upstream side) in the flow path W. By providing the heater H on the upstream side, warm air can be sent to the humidifier 3 effectively.

[0017] The fan 2 is a centrifugal fan, such as a sirocco fan. The fan 2 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of a fan motor 2a attached to the casing 10. As described above, the fan 2 is configured to circulate air through the flow path W that runs from the air inlet P1 through the humidifier 3 to the air outlet P2.

[0018] The humidifier 3 is located inside the housing 1 and is configured to generate humidified air. As shown in Fig. 2, the humidifier 3 includes a humidifying filter 30 (evaporative filter) and a frame 31 that holds the humidifying filter 30. In other words, the humidifier 100 is an evaporative type that generates humidified air using the humidifying filter 30.

[0019] The humidifier unit 3 is rotatably mounted within the housing 1 around an axis AX shown in FIG. 1. The axis AX extends perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1 (i.e., extends left-right through the housing 1). As shown in FIG. 10, a pair of first and second shafts 31R and 31L are provided on the frame 31. The first shaft 31R of the humidifier unit 3 is supported by a partition structure 8 (bearing 8R, described in detail below) and the second shaft 31L is supported by a tray holder 6 (bearing 6L, described in detail below). The humidifier unit 3 is rotated about the axis AX when the second shaft 31L is rotated by a turn motor (not shown) attached to the casing 10. The rotation shaft of the turn motor and the second shaft 31L are fitted together when the tray unit TR is attached to the housing 1, and are disengaged when the tray unit TR is removed from the housing 1. That is, the turn motor (rotating shaft) and the second shaft portion 31L are detachable, and when the second shaft portion 31L is attached to the turn motor, the second shaft portion 31L can be rotationally driven by the turn motor.

[0020] The frame 31 of the humidifying unit 3 is formed of, for example, resin, and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 14 , holds the humidifying filter 30 while forming a filter exposed portion 30a where the humidifying filter 30 is exposed. The humidifying unit 3 is roughly rectangular and elongated in the direction of the axis AX. Of the six faces constituting the rectangular parallelepiped, the first face 3a and the second face 3b are a pair of faces with the largest areas. The first face 3a and the second face 3b are opposite each other and are the faces of the humidifying unit 3 that include the filter exposed portion 30a through which air passes. Note that the two side faces of the humidifying unit 3 that are located radially of the axis AX and connect the first face 3a and the second face 3b are curved so as not to interfere with the rotation of the humidifying unit 3.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, when the first surface 3a and second surface 3b of the humidifying unit 3 face forward and backward, the humidifying filter 30 is in a "water-absorbing state" in which it can absorb water from the tray 5. While FIG. 1 shows a state in which air enters the humidifying filter 30 through the second surface 3b and exits as humidified air from the first surface 3a (hereinafter referred to as the first state), a state in which the humidifying unit 3 is rotated 180° from the first state and the air enters the humidifying filter 30 through the first surface 3a and exits as humidified air from the second surface 3b (hereinafter referred to as the second state) is also a water-absorbing state. In other words, there are two states of the humidifying unit 3 that achieve the water-absorbing state: a first state and a second state. During operation of the humidifying device 100, under the control of the control unit 9, the humidifying unit 3 changes from one of the first state and the second state to the other at a predetermined interval. The filter exposed portion 30a of the humidifier 3 faces horizontally (left-right) in both the first and second modes. The rotational position of the humidifier 3 around the axis AX at this time is referred to as a first rotational position Rp1, as shown in Figure 13(a).

[0022] On the other hand, when the control unit 9 receives an instruction to stop the operation of the humidifier 100, it places the humidifier unit 3 in a state in which the first surface 3a and the second surface 3b are oriented vertically (up and down) (i.e., the humidifier unit 3 in the first or second embodiment is rotated 90 degrees). In this state, the rotational position of the humidifier unit 3 about the axis AX is set to the second rotational position Rp2, as shown in FIG. 13(b). At the second rotational position Rp2, the filter exposed portion 30a faces vertically. When the humidifier unit 3 is in the second rotational position Rp2, it is in a "separated state" in which the humidifying filter 30 is separated from the water in the tray 5. This separated state prevents the humidifying filter 30 from being constantly immersed in the water in the tray 5, thereby suppressing the growth of bacteria. In addition, when (i) the humidifying unit 3 is switched from one of the first and second modes to the other, and (ii) the humidifying unit 3 is rotated from one of the first rotation position Rp1 and the second rotation position Rp2 to the other, the rotation direction of the humidifying unit 3 is arbitrary and may be clockwise or counterclockwise.

[0023] The ultraviolet irradiation unit 4 irradiates ultraviolet rays into the inside of the housing 1. Specifically, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 4 is configured from an LED module equipped with a deep ultraviolet LED that emits deep ultraviolet rays (UV-C) that have a high disinfecting and sterilizing effect.

[0024] The ultraviolet irradiation unit 4 is attached to a beam 14 fixed to the front side of the casing 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the beam 14 is located between the side wall 12 and the wall 15 facing the side wall 12, and provides the casing 10 with a beam structure extending in the left-right direction. That is, one end (right end) of the beam 14 is fixed to the side wall 12, and the other end (left end) is fixed to the wall 15. As shown in FIG. 1, the beam 14 thus provided is located behind the front panel 1F and contacts the front panel 1F. That is, the beam 14 supports the front panel 1F (exterior panel) from behind. This makes it possible to suppress distortion of the front panel 1F that occurs during assembly, etc.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 1, beam portion 14 is located behind front panel 1F. Beam portion 14 is formed with module case 14a that houses ultraviolet irradiator 4. Ultraviolet irradiator 4 housed in module case 14a is provided inside housing 1, between humidifier 3 and outlet P2 (i.e., downstream side) of flow path W that runs from inlet P1 to outlet P2 via humidifier 3. Ultraviolet irradiator 4 housed in module case 14a is located at a position higher than axis AX, and irradiates ultraviolet rays U (deep ultraviolet rays) toward humidifier 3 (humidifying filter 30).

[0026] Specifically, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 4 irradiates ultraviolet rays U toward the axis AX of the humidifier 3. As can be seen from FIGS. 13(a) and 13(b), the ultraviolet irradiation unit 4 is disposed in a direction in which the filter exposed portion 30a (specifically, one of the filter exposed portions 30a) faces when the humidifier 3 is located at an intermediate position Rp3 between the first rotational position Rp1 and the second rotational position Rp2. Here, if the rotation angle of the humidifier 3 from the first rotational position Rp1 to the second rotational position Rp2 is θ (not shown), then in this embodiment, θ = 90°. The ultraviolet irradiation unit 4 is disposed such that the angle α between the optical axis of the ultraviolet irradiation unit 4 and the horizontal direction is 45° (α = θ / 2). In other words, when the humidifier 3 is located at the intermediate position Rp3, the filter exposed portion 30a faces in a direction in which it faces in a 45° direction with respect to both the horizontal and vertical directions. This allows the relative positions of the ultraviolet irradiating unit 4 and the filter exposed portion 30a to be maintained the same whether the humidifying unit 3 is at the first rotational position Rp1 or the second rotational position Rp2, thereby suppressing fluctuations in the irradiation range of the humidifying filter 30. Furthermore, as described above, while the humidifying device 100 is in operation, the humidifying unit 3 changes from one of the first state and the second state to the other at a predetermined cycle, so that ultraviolet rays U can be irradiated evenly onto both the first surface 3a and the second surface 3b.

[0027] In the above, an example has been shown in which α defining the intermediate position Rp3 is α=θ / 2, but α and θ are not limited to this example. For example, α defining the intermediate position Rp3 may be set arbitrarily within the range of 1 / 4θ≦α≦3 / 4θ. Furthermore, the first rotational position Rp1 may be any position that puts the humidifying unit 3 in the water-absorbing state described above, and the second rotational position Rp2 may be any position that puts the humidifying unit 3 in the separated state described above. In other words, θ is not limited to 90°, and may be greater than or less than 90°.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 14 , the ultraviolet irradiator 4 is disposed so that its optical axis coincides with the center of the humidifier 3 in the left-right direction. As shown in the air bubble in FIG. 14 , the humidifying filter 30 is accordion-folded. The air bubble in FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of the ultraviolet irradiator 4 and the humidifying filter 30 viewed from a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the ultraviolet irradiator 4, with the filter exposed portion 30a of the humidifier 3 facing the ultraviolet irradiator 4. The fold direction 30b of the humidifying filter 30 is aligned with the rotation direction of the humidifier 3. In other words, the humidifier 3 is driven to rotate along the folds of the humidifying filter 30. This allows ultraviolet light U to be irradiated up to the gaps (valleys) between the folds of the humidifying filter 30, regardless of the rotation angle of the humidifier 3 about the axis AX relative to the ultraviolet irradiator 4.

[0029] The tray 5 stores water for generating humidified air. The tray 5 placed on the tray holder 6 is located inside the housing 1 when the tray is attached. Hereinafter, the state in which the tray 5 is placed on the tray holder 6 will be referred to as a "tray-present state," and the state in which the tray 5 is removed from the tray holder 6 will be referred to as a "tray-absent state."

[0030] The tray 5 is made of stainless steel, which prevents deterioration even when exposed to ultraviolet rays U. The material of the tray 5 will be described in detail later.

[0031] As shown in Figure 5, the tray 5 has an edge 50 and, located below the edge 50, a main water tank section 51, a tank-facing section 52, and a float water tank section 53. The main water tank section 51 is located below the humidifying section 3 and is the section where water to be absorbed by the humidifying section 3 is stored. The tank-facing section 52 is a flat section that faces the water supply tank 7 in the vertical direction, sandwiching a receiving member 80 described below. The float water tank section 53 is a section that is recessed below the tank-facing section 52 and is the section where water on which a water level detection float 83 described below floats is stored. The float water tank section 53 has a flat bottom section 53a that is a flat bottom.

[0032] As shown in Figure 6, the tray holder 6 comprises a tray accommodating section 60 in which the tray 5 is accommodated, a standing wall section 61 that stands around the tray accommodating section 60, and an outer peripheral wall section 62 that stands around the standing wall section 61.

[0033] Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the tray 5 and the tray holder 6 on which the tray 5 is placed. This cross-sectional view shows a section of the portion corresponding to the main water tank section 51 along an imaginary plane defined by an axis extending in the front-rear direction and an axis extending in the up-down direction. Note that in Fig. 7 and Figs. 8, 12, and 17 described below, hatching indicating cross sections has been omitted as appropriate for ease of viewing the drawings.

[0034] 7, the edge portion 50 of the tray 5 is supported by the standing wall portion 61 of the tray holder 6. The edge portion 50 has a supported portion 50a that abuts against and is supported by the standing wall portion 61 when the tray 5 is placed on the tray holder 6, and a longitudinal portion 50b that is connected to the supported portion 50a and extends along the outer surface of the standing wall portion 61.

[0035] The tray accommodating section 60 of the tray holder 6 is provided with two openings 6a and 6b that allow a portion of the underside of the tray 5 to be seen. The openings 6a and 6b are provided with a gap between them in the front-to-rear direction (first direction). The user can easily remove the tray 5 from the tray holder 6 by pushing up the underside of the tray 5 through the openings 6a and 6b.

[0036] The tray storage section 60 has a tray portion 601 between the two openings 6a, 6b. The main water tank portion 51 of the tray 5 is formed in a curved plate shape that bulges toward the tray portion 601. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1 , the main water tank portion 51 is formed in a curved plate shape that bulges downward in the center and follows the arc-shaped path drawn by the outer periphery of the humidifier portion 3 when the humidifier portion 3 rotates around the axis AX. This shape of the main water tank portion 51 makes it possible to minimize the amount of water stored in the tray 5. The main water tank portion 51 of this embodiment is formed in a curved plate shape that is symmetrical front to back. The main water tank portion 51 has a bottom plate portion 51a that faces the tray portion 601 in the vertical direction.

[0037] The tray 601 has crosspieces 601a that protrude toward the bottom plate 51a at one end and the other end in the front-rear direction (first direction). As shown in FIG. 6, the crosspieces 601a extend in the left-right direction (second direction). These crosspieces 601a allow water droplets that drip when condensation occurs on the underside of the tray 5 to collect in the tray 601. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, when the tray 5 is placed on the tray holder 6, a gap is formed between the crosspieces 601a and the bottom plate 51a. This gap allows water droplets from the underside of the tray 5 to easily pass through toward the tray 601.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 2, the water supply tank 7 is accommodated in the tank accommodation chamber R7 inside the housing 1 and stores water to be supplied to the tray 5. As shown in Figs. 8(a) and (b), the water supply tank 7 includes a tank body 70 and a tank cap 71 attached to the lower end of the tank body 70. The tank cap 71 has a water supply port 71a and a valve mechanism 72 that opens and closes the water supply port 71a.

[0039] 10 , the partition structure 8 includes a receiving member 80, a partition plate 81, and a float support portion 82, which are integrally formed. The partition structure 8 is configured separately from the tray 5 and the tray holder 6. The partition structure 8 (i.e., the integral receiving member 80, partition plate 81, and float support portion 82) is detachable from the tray 5.

[0040] As shown in Figure 8(a), the receiving member 80 is a tray-shaped member that receives the water supply tank 7. The receiving member 80 receives the tank cap 71 of the water supply tank 7 at its edge, and has a pin-shaped portion 80a that protrudes toward the valve mechanism 72 from a bottom surface that is recessed from the edge.

[0041] When the water supply tank 7 is accommodated in the tank accommodation chamber R7, the tank cap 71 is received (supported) by the receiving member 80. At this time, the valve mechanism 72 of the water supply tank 7 is pushed up relative to the pin-shaped portion 80a. This opens the valve mechanism 72, opening the flow path from the water supply port 71a to the receiving member 80, allowing water to be supplied from the water supply tank 7 through the receiving member 80 to the tray 5. When the water level in the tray 5 reaches the bottom of the water supply port 71a, outside air cannot enter the tank body 70 through the water supply port 71a, and the supply of water from the water supply tank 7 to the tray 5 stops. Then, when the water level in the tray 5 decreases and becomes lower than the bottom of the water supply port 71a, outside air enters the tank body 70 through the water supply port 71a, and water flows out of the water supply port 71a. This mechanism keeps the water level in the tray 5 constant. The partition plate 81 is formed with water passage holes 81a (see FIGS. 10 and 11) that allow the water accumulated in the receiving member 80 to pass through to the humidifying section 3 side.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 2, the partition plate 81 is a plate-like member that separates the humidifying unit 3 and the water tank 7. Here, as shown in FIG. 6, a notch 61a is formed in the upright wall portion 61 of the tray holder 6. Although not shown in FIG. 6, a pair of notches 61a are provided facing each other in the front-to-rear direction. When the partition structure portion 8 is placed on the tray 5 placed on the tray holder 6, the pair of notches 61a are located below the partition plate 81, sandwiching the edge portion 50 of the tray 5 therebetween. In addition, the outer peripheral wall portion 62 of the tray holder 6 is provided with a pair of partition plate guides 62a into which the left and right ends of the partition plate 81 are inserted. The partition plate guides 62a are groove-shaped portions that are recessed toward the outer periphery of the outer peripheral wall portion 62 and extend in the up-down direction.

[0043] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the partition plate 81 has an engageable portion 81b that can engage with the cutout 61a, and an insertion rib 81c that is inserted into the partition plate guide 62a. The insertion rib 81c is located on the outer side of the partition plate 81 than the engageable portion 81b. There are a pair of engageable portions 81b corresponding to the pair of cutouts 61a. There are also a pair of insertion ribs 81c corresponding to the pair of partition plate guides 62a. By inserting the insertion rib 81c into the partition plate guide 62a, the partition structure 8 is attached to the tray holder 6 with the partition plate 81 standing upright relative to the tray holder 6.

[0044] Figures 8(a) and 9(a) show the relationship between the various parts in the "tray-present state." In the tray-present state, as shown in Figure 9(a), the notch 61a is covered by the edge 50 of the tray 5 and does not fit into the fittable portion 81b. As shown in Figure 8(a), the water supply tank 7 is received by the receiving member 80, and the valve mechanism 72 is pressed against the pin-shaped portion 80a. This allows water to be supplied from the water supply tank 7 to the tray 5, as described above.

[0045] 8(b) and 9(b) show the relationship between the various components in the "tray-less state." In the tray-less state, as shown in FIG. 9(b), the tray 5 and edge portion 50 are absent, and the engageable portion 81b engages with the notch 61a. As shown in FIG. 8(b), the receiving member 80 and the pin-shaped portion 80a are lower than when the tray is present (i.e., the entire partition structure 8 is lower than when the tray is present), and the pin-shaped portion 80a moves away from the valve mechanism 72. Therefore, the valve mechanism 72 is closed, the flow path from the water supply port 71a to the receiving member 80 is blocked, and water supply from the water supply tank 7 is stopped. This prevents water from leaking from the water supply tank 7 into the tray holder 6 even if the user forgets to attach the tray 5 to the tray holder 6 and accidentally attaches the tray holder 6 with the partition structure 8 mounted to the housing 1.

[0046] Here, the tank body 70 of the water supply tank 7 has a facing portion 70a that faces the standing wall portion 61 in the up-down direction. As shown in FIG. 8(a), in the state with the tray, the tank cap 71 of the water supply tank 7 is supported by the receiving member 80, and the facing portion 70a is supported by the edge portion 50 of the tray 5. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8(b), in the state without the tray, the tank cap 71 of the water supply tank 7 is separated from the receiving member 80, and the facing portion 70a is directly supported by the standing wall portion 61. As a result, in the state without the tray, the water supply tank 7 is slightly lowered by the thickness of the edge portion 50 of the tray 5 compared to the state with the tray. On the other hand, as can be seen from a comparison between FIG. 8(a) and FIG. 8(b), in the state without the tray, the engageable portion 81b (i.e., the entire partition structure portion 8) is lowered by the sum of the thickness of the edge portion 50 and the depth (length in the up-down direction) of the notch 61a. Therefore, in the tray-free state, the pin-shaped portion 80a can be separated from the valve mechanism 72 of the water supply tank 7 by a distance corresponding to the depth of the notch 61a.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 8(a), the tray holder 6 has a base portion 602 that abuts against the portion of the tray 5 that faces the receiving member 80 when the tray is present (the tank-facing portion 52 of the tray 5 described above), a low floor portion 603 that is located lower than the base portion 602, and a rib 604 that surrounds the base portion 602. As shown in FIG. 6, the low floor portion 603 is connected to the bottom of the receiving pan portion 601. The base portion 602 protrudes upward from the low floor portion 603 and is formed in a circular shape in this embodiment. The base portion 602 stabilizes the tray 5 and the partition structure portion 8 positioned on the tray 5. The rib 604 is formed in a ring shape with a gap in one portion. The gap in the rib 604 ensures ventilation, allowing water that accumulates between the rib 604 and the base portion 602 to dry easily.

[0048] The receiving member 80 has legs 80b that are supported by the tray 5 (specifically, the tank-facing portion 52) in the tray-present state shown in FIG. 8(a). The legs 80b correspond to the lower end of the outer periphery of the receiving member 80, which is formed in a roughly disk shape, as shown in FIG. 10. As a result, the lower end of the legs 80b is ring-shaped, and in the tray-absent state, it is fitted between the base portion 602 and the rib 604 shown in FIG. 6. That is, in the tray-absent state shown in FIG. 8(b), the legs 80b of the partition structure 8, which are positioned lower than in the tray-present state, are supported by the low floor portion 603, as described above. As a result, the partition structure 8 is securely supported by the tray 5 at the legs 80b in the tray-present state, and is securely supported by the low floor portion 603 of the tray holder 6 in the tray-absent state.

[0049] Furthermore, in the tray-present state shown in FIG. 8(a), the rib 604 of the tray holder 6 abuts against a portion of the tray 5 that does not face the receiving member 80. In the tray-absent state shown in FIG. 8(b), the legs 80b are supported by the low floor portion 603 between the base 602 and the rib 604. Here, in the tray-present state, the tray 5 bears the load of the water supply tank 7 via the legs 80b of the receiving member 80, but the presence of the rib 604 allows the periphery of the portion of the tray 5 that is supported by the base 602 to also be supported by the rib 604. In other words, the rib 604 can prevent the load of the water supply tank 7 from concentrating locally on the tray 5, thereby preventing the tray 5 from being deformed.

[0050] The float support part 82 shown in Fig. 10 supports a water level detection float 83 that floats on the water stored in the tray 5 so that it can be displaced in response to the displacement of the water. Specifically, the water level detection float 83 floats on the water in the float water tank part 53 described above. The float support part 82 of this embodiment supports the water level detection float 83 so that it can rotate around an axis BX that extends in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, when the water in the tray 5 is displaced, the water level detection float 83 is displaced in an arc shape around the axis BX.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 12, the water level detection float 83 holds a magnet M at its lower end. A magnetic sensor S that detects the magnetic field (magnetic flux density) caused by the magnet M is provided on the opposite side of the magnet M across the flat bottom 53a of the float water tank portion 53 of the tray 5. The magnetic sensor S is embedded, for example, inside the bottom portion 10D of the casing 10. The magnetic sensor S is composed of a reed switch, a Hall element, an MR (Magneto Resistive Sensor) element, etc., and detects the magnetic flux of the magnet M that changes when the magnet M approaches the magnetic sensor S due to displacement of the water level detection float 83. The control unit 9 detects the water level in the tray 5 based on the detection signal output by the magnetic sensor S.

[0052] The tray 5 of this embodiment is formed by cold working SUS304, which is an austenitic stainless steel. The tray 5 may also be made of SUS301, SUS316, or the like.

[0053] The control unit 9 shown in FIG. 2 is composed of a microcomputer that controls the overall operation of the humidifier 100 and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The ROM pre-stores an operation program for the humidifier 100 to perform a humidifying operation, as well as an operation program for executing a drying operation process and a sterilization process during humidifying operation, which will be described later. The control unit 9 is mounted on a PCB (Printed Circuit Board), not shown. The PCB is provided, for example, between the upper panel 1U and the casing 10. The control unit 9 is electrically connected to various electronic components provided in the humidifier 100. The control unit 9 receives user operations (hereinafter referred to as user operations) performed on an operation panel (not shown) provided on the upper panel 1U and controls each unit of the humidifier 100 according to the received operation. The control unit 9 controls the operation of the heater H, the fan motor 2a, and a turn motor (not shown) that rotates the humidifier 3. The control unit 9 also controls the driving of the ultraviolet irradiating unit 4 via a drive circuit DR (described later). The control unit 9 also detects the water level in the tray 5 based on the output of the magnetic sensor S.

[0054] The humidifier 100 according to this embodiment further has features relating to the mechanism and control of ultraviolet irradiation, as will be described below.

[0055] As shown in FIGS. 17(a) and 17(b), the humidifier 100 includes a drive circuit DR for driving the ultraviolet irradiator 4 and a switch SW connected in series with the ultraviolet irradiator 4. The drive circuit DR includes a power supply 90, an npn-type transistor 91 whose base is connected to the control unit 9, and a resistor element 92 connected to the collector of the transistor 91. The drive circuit DR supplies a drive current from the power supply 90 to the ultraviolet irradiator 4 under the control of the control unit 9. The emitter of the transistor 91 is connected to GND. The switch SW uses a switch that is a movable contact of the detector 41. The power supply 90 and resistor element 92 of the drive circuit DR are connected in series via the switch SW and the ultraviolet irradiator 4. The switch SW is located closer to the power supply 90 than the ultraviolet irradiator 4. In other words, the ultraviolet irradiator 4, which serves as a load, and the switch SW are connected in series with the drive circuit DR. The control unit 9 controls the on / off operation of the transistor 91, and can supply a drive current to the ultraviolet irradiator 4 based on the power supply 90 and resistor element 92. The transistor 91 is not limited to an npn type, but may be a pnp type, or may be a known switching element such as a MOSFET (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor) or an IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor). The configuration of the drive circuit DR may be changed appropriately depending on the switching element used. In either case, the switch SW and the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 4 are connected in series with the drive circuit DR.

[0056] Here, the reed switch SW is provided in the holder accommodation portion 11 of the casing 10, as shown in FIG. 16. Specifically, the reed switch SW is provided on the front panel 1F side of the holder accommodation portion 11, as shown in FIG. 17. The tray holder 6 of the tray unit TR further includes a magnet holder 63 that holds a magnet M2, located outside the tray accommodation portion 60 and below the outer peripheral wall portion 62. As shown in FIG. 17, the reed switch SW and the magnet M2 are provided in positions that substantially face each other in the front-to-rear direction when the tray unit TR is attached to the housing 1. As a result, when the tray unit TR is attached to the housing 1, the magnet M2 turns on the reed switch SW.

[0057] As shown in Figure 15(a), when the reed switch SW is on, there is electrical continuity from the power supply 90 to the ultraviolet irradiation unit 4, and under the control of the control unit 9, a drive current is supplied to the ultraviolet irradiation unit 4, causing the ultraviolet irradiation unit 4 to irradiate ultraviolet light U.

[0058] On the other hand, when the tray unit TR is removed from the housing 1 (at least when the tray holder 6 is removed), the reed switch SW is turned off. As shown in FIG. 15(b), when the reed switch SW is off, the current path from the power supply 90 to the ultraviolet irradiator 4 is interrupted. In other words, when the reed switch SW is off, the drive current to the ultraviolet irradiator 4 is interrupted. As a result, even if the control unit 9 controls the drive of the ultraviolet irradiator 4, the ultraviolet irradiator 4 cannot irradiate ultraviolet light U when the tray unit TR is not attached to the housing 1. This prevents leakage of ultraviolet light U outside the housing 1, ensuring user safety. For example, even if a situation occurs in which ultraviolet light U can be unintentionally irradiated (e.g., a control instruction to irradiate ultraviolet light U or a drive current supply) due to a failure of the drive circuit DR, a failure due to a short circuit of the transistor 91, or a program malfunction of the control unit 9, the irradiation of ultraviolet light U is reliably disabled when the tray unit TR is not attached to the housing 1.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 18, the humidifier 100 further includes a detector DP for detecting the rotational position of the humidifier 3, and an interlocking unit 32 that interlocks with the second shaft 31L. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the relationship between the detector DP and the humidifier 3. Here, the second shaft 31L is formed with a pair of protrusions 31La that protrude in the radial direction around the axis AX. When the humidifier 3 is in the first rotation position Rp1 and oriented vertically, the pair of protrusions 31La also oriented vertically. On the other hand, when the humidifier 3 is in the second rotation position Rp2 and oriented horizontally, the pair of protrusions 31La also oriented horizontally.

[0060] The interlocking portion 32 is provided in the casing 10 and is a lever-shaped member rotatable about the axis CX. The axis CX is parallel to the axis AX. When the first shaft 31R is supported by the partition plate 81, the second shaft 31L is supported by the tray holder 6, and the tray unit TR is attached to the housing 1, the interlocking portion 32 faces the second shaft 31L in the up-down direction. When the interlocking portion 32 is pushed upward by one of the pair of protrusions 31La of the second shaft 31L, it moves upward along an arc centered on the axis CX. In other words, the interlocking portion 32 and the protrusion 31La function as a cam mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the second shaft 31L about the axis AX into rotational motion about the axis CX.

[0061] When the humidifier 3 is in the first rotation position Rp1 and the pair of protrusions 31La on the second shaft 31L are vertically oriented, the interlocking part 32 is pushed upward by one of the protrusions 31La, turning on the detector DP. The detector DP is configured, for example, by a microswitch, and outputs a signal indicating the detection result to the control part 9.

[0062] On the other hand, when the humidifier 3 is in the second rotation position Rp2 and the pair of protrusions 31La on the second shaft 31L are facing sideways, the interlocking part 32 is not pressed by the protrusions 31La and does not turn on the detector DP. Also, when the humidifier 3 is in a state between the second rotation position Rp2 and the first rotation position Rp1, the interlocking part 32 is not pressed by the protrusions 31La and the detector DP is not turned on, or even if the interlocking part 32 is pressed by the protrusions 31La, the interlocking part 32 does not come into contact with the detector DP sufficiently to turn on the switch of the detector DP.

[0063] Here, as described above, the humidifier 3 is rotatable about the axis AX when (i) the first shaft 31R is supported by the partition plate 81 (bearing 8R) and the second shaft 31L is supported by the tray holder 6 (bearing 6L), and (ii) the tray unit TR is attached to the housing 1. Therefore, as will be described later, if the rotational position of the humidifier 3 is not detected within a predetermined period of time, this can be considered to mean that the partition structure 8, i.e., the partition plate 81, is not attached to the tray unit TR. In other words, the detector DP not only detects the rotational position of the humidifier 3, but also indirectly detects the attachment / detachment state of the partition plate 81 with respect to the tray unit TR when the tray unit TR is attached to the housing 1.

[0064] The humidifier 100 according to this embodiment further has features relating to a mechanism and control for determining the up-down direction of the humidifier part 3, as will be described below.

[0065] FIG. 19 shows the relationship between the rotational position of the humidifying unit 3 when it makes one rotation and the output signal of the detecting unit DP. Here, a third protrusion 31L3a protruding radially is formed on the second shaft 31L at a position other than the pair of protrusions 31La. Similar to the pair of protrusions 31La, the third protrusion 31L3a pushes the interlocking part 32 upward and turns on the detection part DP when the humidifier part 3 rotates about the axis AX. The rotational position of the humidifier part 3 at this time is set to the auxiliary rotational position Rp31, as shown in Figure 19(d).

[0066] When the humidifier unit 3 is in the first rotation position Rp1 and the pair of protrusions 31La on the second shaft 31L are vertically oriented, the detector DP is turned on. In the first rotation position Rp1, the humidifier unit 3 is in a vertical (up-down) orientation, in which the lower or upper part is immersed in the tray 5, in a "water-absorbing state." In this embodiment, the state in which the lower part of the humidifier unit 3 is immersed is referred to as the "lower part immersed state," and is the state shown in FIG. 19(c). Furthermore, the state in which the upper part of the humidifier unit 3 is immersed is referred to as the "upper part immersed state," and is the state shown in FIG. 19(g). Note that the distinction between the upper and lower parts of the lower part immersed state and the upper part immersed state is such that if one is defined as the lower part, the other is the upper part, and vice versa.

[0067] 19(c) and (g) and the auxiliary rotation position Rp31 in FIG. 19(d) are specific rotation positions that can be detected by the detection unit DP. At these specific rotation positions, the detection unit DP outputs a signal to the control unit 9 while it is turned on. On the other hand, when the humidifying unit 3 is at a rotation position other than the specific rotation positions, the detection unit DP is in an off state and does not output a signal to the control unit 9.

[0068] 19(c) and (g), the first rotation position Rp1 occurs every half rotation (180°), so the control unit 9 cannot determine whether the state is lower immersion or upper immersion based on the detection timings of (c) and (g) alone. In contrast, the auxiliary rotation position Rp31 occurs once per rotation (360°), so if the timings of (c), which is the first rotation position Rp1, and (d), which is the auxiliary rotation position Rp31, can be detected as the output signal of the detection unit DP, it becomes possible to distinguish between (c), which is the first rotation position Rp1, and (g). In other words, the relationship between the detection timing of the first rotation position Rp1 (c) and the auxiliary rotation position Rp31 (d) is a relationship (opportunity) that occurs once per rotation, so if the structural positional relationship between the pair of protrusions 31La and the third protrusion 31L3a is known, the control unit 9 can determine whether the humidifying unit 3 at the first rotation position Rp1 is in a lower immersion state or an upper immersion state based on the rotation of the humidifying unit 3. Note that whether the humidifying unit 3 is in a lower immersion state or an upper immersion state can also be determined by detecting the timing of the other first rotation position Rp1 (g) and the auxiliary rotation position Rp31 (d).

[0069] In other words, by rotating the humidifier unit 3, the control unit 9 can determine the up / down direction of the humidifier unit 3 at the first rotation position Rp1 (i.e., whether it is in a lower immersion state or an upper immersion state) from the relationship between the detection timing of either the first rotation position Rp1 (Figure 19(c) or (g)) and the detection timing of the auxiliary rotation position Rp31 (Figure 19(d)).

[0070] The relationship between the detection timing of either one of the first rotational positions Rp1 and the detection timing of the auxiliary rotational position Rp31 is, for example, the difference Trp1 in detection times between (c) and (d) in Figure 19. That is, Trp1 is the time from when the detector DP turns on in (c) in Figure 19 to when the detector DP turns off in (d) in Figure 19. Although not shown, it may also be the difference in detection times between (g) and (d) in Figure 19.

[0071] The mechanism and control for determining the up-down direction of the humidifier 3 described above can be used whether the humidifier 3 is in a humidifying operation or not, as long as it can rotate the humidifier 3. When the humidifier 3 is in a humidifying operation, the control unit 9 periodically changes the humidifier 3's orientation between a first orientation in which air entering the humidifier 3 through the second surface 3b and exiting the humidified air through the first surface 3a in the lower immersion state and a second orientation in which air entering the humidifier 3 through the first surface 3a and exiting the humidified air through the second surface 3b in the upper immersion state. Therefore, during the humidifying operation, the control unit 9 rotates the humidifier 3 at a predetermined period, thereby determining whether the humidifier 3 in the first rotation position Rp1 is in the first orientation or the second orientation based on the relationship between the detection timing of either the first rotation position Rp1 (FIG. 19(c) or (g)) and the detection timing of the auxiliary rotation position Rp31 (FIG. 19(d)).

[0072] The control unit 9 rotates the humidifying unit 3 to determine the upside down direction of the humidifying unit 3, and can determine the upside down direction by rotating the humidifying unit 3 at least half a turn (180°). In Figure 19, when the detector DP detects twice during a 180-degree rotation, it can be seen that it has detected either one of the first rotation positions Rp1 and the auxiliary rotation position Rp31. From this, based on the structural positional relationship between the pair of protrusions 31La and the third protrusion 31L3a, it can be seen that the detected auxiliary rotation position Rp31 is located between Figures 19(c) to 19(g), which indicates that (c) is the lower immersion state and (g) is the upper immersion state. For example, in the case of the 180-degree rotation shown in Figures 19(b) to 19(f), the detector DP detects twice, but based on the difference Trp1 between the rotation direction and the detection time, it can be seen that the two detection signals are (c) and (d), and further that (c) is the lower immersion state (first mode) and (d) is the auxiliary rotation position Rp31.

[0073] Furthermore, if the detector DP detects once during a 180-degree rotation, it means that it detected either one of the first rotation positions Rp1 and the auxiliary rotation position Rp31. From this, it becomes clear whether the detected first rotation position Rp1 is in the lower immersion state or the upper immersion state based on the structural positional relationship between the pair of protrusions 31La and the third protrusion 31L3a and the detection timing of the first rotation position Rp1. For example, in the case of the 180-degree rotation shown in Figures 19(e) to (i), the detector DP detects once, but because the detection timing is approximately halfway through 180 degrees and the auxiliary rotation position Rp31 is not detected, it is clear that the single detection signal indicates the upper immersion state (second mode) shown in (g).

[0074] In this embodiment, the method for detecting that the humidifier unit 3 is at a specific rotational position is described as using a pair of protrusions 31La and a third protrusion 31L3a on the second shaft 31L to turn on / off a microswitch, which serves as the detector DP. However, the detector DP is not limited to a mechanical switch mechanism and may be an optical sensor such as a photointerrupter or a magnetic sensor. For example, in the case of a photointerrupter, an object that blocks the optical path, or in the case of a magnetic sensor, a magnet that generates magnetic flux, is installed as the detected part in place of the protrusions in this embodiment.

[0075] In Figure 20, compared to Figure 19, the position of the third protrusion is 31L3b, and the detected auxiliary rotation position is position Rp32. In other words, the auxiliary rotation position Rp32 is between (a) and (c) and (g) and (i), rather than between (c) and (g) as in Figure 19. Even in this case, by rotating the humidifier 3, the control unit 9 can determine the up-down direction of the humidifier 3 at the first rotation position Rp1 (i.e., whether it is in a lower immersion state or an upper immersion state) from the relationship between the detection timing of either the first rotation position Rp1 (Figure 20(c) or (g)) and the detection timing of the auxiliary rotation position Rp32 (Figure 20(h)).

[0076] Furthermore, the second shaft 31L of the humidifying unit 3 is rotated by a turn motor (not shown) attached to the casing 10, but the rotation shaft of the turn motor and the second shaft 31L are detachable. As a result, even if the rotational position of the humidifying unit 3 is arbitrarily changed by the user by attaching or detaching the humidifying unit 3 from the tray unit TR, the control unit 9 can determine the up-down direction of the humidifying unit 3 by rotating the humidifying unit 3, as described above.

[0077] Next, a description will be given of the control performed during humidification operation by the control unit 9 to make the lower immersion state and the upper immersion state uniform after determining the up-down direction of the humidifying unit 3.

[0078] First, the control unit 9 determines the up-down orientation of the humidifying unit 3 before or immediately after the humidifying operation begins. During the humidifying operation, the humidifying unit 3 periodically changes between the lower-submerged state (first mode) shown in FIG. 19(c) and the upper-submerged state (second mode) shown in FIG. 19(g). A timer (not shown) in the control unit 9 measures and accumulates the operating time in the lower-submerged state and the upper-submerged state. The accumulated operating time Ta in the lower-submerged state and the accumulated operating time Tb in the upper-submerged state are then stored in a memory (not shown) in the control unit 9. When the humidifying operation is stopped, the accumulated operating time Ta and the accumulated operating time Tb are stored. The next time the humidifying operation is started, the accumulated operating time Ta and the accumulated operating time Tb are compared. If the accumulated operating time Ta is short, the up-down orientation of the humidifying unit 3 is determined, and the humidifying operation is started at the first rotation position Rp1 in the lower-submerged state. On the other hand, if the cumulative operation time Tb is short, the upside-down direction of the humidifying unit 3 is determined, and then the humidifying operation is started at the first rotation position Rp1 in the upper immersion state.

[0079] This makes it possible to equalize the operating time when the lower part of the humidifying unit 3 is immersed and the operating time when the upper part is immersed during humidification operation. In other words, the time when the first surface 3a and the second surface 3b of the humidifying unit 3 are on the upstream side can be made uniform, and uneven deposition of scale on the humidifying unit 3 can be suppressed.

[0080] Furthermore, when the humidification operation is stopped, the control unit 9 memorizes whether the state in which the humidification operation was performed immediately before was the lower immersion state or the upper immersion state, and the next time the humidification operation is started, the humidification operation is performed in a different immersion state from the memorized state. This ensures that the lower immersion state and the upper immersion state alternate reliably even when the humidification operation is stopped, and makes it possible to uniformize the operation time in the lower immersion state and the upper immersion state.

[0081] The control unit 9 also stores whether the first rotation position Rp1 at the start and end of the humidification operation is the lower immersion state or the upper immersion state. If the stored first rotation position Rp1 at the start and end of the humidification operation is the same, the next time the humidification operation is started, the humidification operation will be performed in a different immersion state. That is, if both are the same lower immersion state, the next time the humidification operation will be started in the upper immersion state, and if both are the same upper immersion state, the next time the humidification operation will be started in the lower immersion state. On the other hand, if the stored first rotation position Rp1 at the start and end of the humidification operation is different, the next time the humidification operation is started, the humidification operation will be performed in the same immersion state as the immersion state when the humidification operation was previously stopped. As a result, if the number of times the humidification operation was performed in the lower immersion state and the upper immersion state between the start and end of the operation is different, the next time the humidification operation can be started in the immersion state with the fewer number of times, thereby making the number of times the humidification operation was performed in the lower immersion state and the upper immersion state uniform.

[0082] The humidifier 100 of this embodiment also includes an ultraviolet irradiator 4 that irradiates toward the humidifier 3. During humidification operation, the controller 9 determines the up-down direction of the humidifier 3, thereby making it possible to equalize the time that the first surface 3a and second surface 3b of the humidifier 3 are irradiated with ultraviolet light, thereby preventing unevenness in the sterilization range and irradiated area.

[0083] The control unit 9 can switch the operation mode of the humidifier 100 between a humidifying operation mode in which humidified air is sent out of the housing 1, and a drying operation mode in which the humidifier unit 3 is dried. When the control unit 9 receives an instruction to start the drying operation mode from a user operation, it executes the drying operation process shown in Fig. 21. Note that the drying operation process is performed on the condition that there is no water in the tray 5. Therefore, the control unit 9 may start the drying operation process on the condition that it has determined that there is no water in the tray 5 based on the detection signal output by the magnetic sensor S.

[0084] (Drying operation process) First, the control unit 9 drives the fan 2 to perform a drying operation to send air to the humidifying unit 3 (step S101). At this time, the control unit 9 also drives the heater H to send warm air to the humidifying unit 3.

[0085] Next, the control unit 9 rotates the turn motor to rotate the humidifying unit 3 around the axis line AX (step S102).

[0086] Next, the control unit 9 determines whether the detection unit DP has been turned on within a predetermined period of time (step S103). In the drying operation process, the humidifying unit 3 is controlled to be in a vertical orientation, i.e., the first rotation position Rp1, to ensure a sufficient ventilation area for the humidifying unit 3. Step S103 is a determination process for this control. The predetermined period is predetermined as a period sufficient to rotate the humidifying unit 3 from the second rotation position Rp2 to the first rotation position Rp1, even if the humidifying unit 3 is in the second rotation position Rp2. Therefore, the length of the predetermined period is arbitrary, but is set to, for example, 30 seconds.

[0087] If the detection unit DP is turned on within the predetermined period in step S103 (step S103; Yes), it can be considered that the partition plate 81 is attached to the tray unit TR. In this case, when the detection unit DP is turned on, the control unit 9 stops the rotation of the turn motor, controls the humidifier unit 3 to the first rotation position Rp1, and causes the ultraviolet irradiator 4 to irradiate ultraviolet rays U (step S104). After the determination in step S103 is Yes, the control unit 9 switches the humidifier unit 3 from one of the first mode and the second mode to the other at a predetermined interval so that both the first surface 3a and the second surface 3b are dried evenly.

[0088] Next, the control unit 9 determines whether or not a condition for stopping the drying operation is met (step S105). This condition is met when a specified time has elapsed since the start of the drying operation, or when the control unit 9 receives an instruction to stop the drying operation mode through a user operation. If the condition for stopping is not met (step S105; No), the control unit 9 continues the drying operation and ultraviolet radiation. On the other hand, if the condition for stopping is met (step S105; Yes), the control unit 9 stops the drying operation and ultraviolet radiation (step S106) and ends the drying operation process.

[0089] If the detection unit DP is not turned on within the predetermined period in step S103 (step S103; No), this means that the turn motor continues to rotate without the second shaft unit 31L, which should be present. Therefore, this state can be considered as a state in which the partition plate 81 is not attached to the tray unit TR. If ultraviolet light U is irradiated without the partition plate 81, there is a risk that the ultraviolet light U will leak outside the housing 1. Therefore, in this case, the control unit 9 does not cause the ultraviolet light irradiator 4 to irradiate ultraviolet light U and issues an error notification (step S107). For example, the error notification may be executed by displaying an error on an image display unit or turning on a warning light, which is a component (not shown) provided in the humidifier 100. Next, the control unit 9 stops the drying operation (step S108) and ends the drying operation process. This completes the drying operation process.

[0090] As the detector DP according to the modified example, when the tray unit TR is attached to the housing 1, a configuration may be adopted that directly detects whether the partition plate 81 is attached to or detached from the tray unit TR. The detection unit DP according to this modified example may be a mechanical switch that is turned on when pressed by any part of the partition structure unit 8 when the tray unit TR with the partition structure unit 8 attached is attached to the housing 1, or an optical or magnetic switch that detects that any part of the partition structure unit 8 is in a specified position. The detection unit DP according to the modified example may also be provided in the casing 10.

[0091] 21 may be changed so that the drying operation is performed for the first time immediately after step S103 becomes Yes, regardless of whether the detection unit DP directly or indirectly detects the attachment / detachment state of the partition plate 81. In this case, the processes of steps S101 and S108 are not necessary.

[0092] (Sterilization process during humidification operation) The following describes the sterilization process during humidification operation executed by the control unit 9. When the control unit 9 receives an instruction to start the humidification operation mode by a user operation, it drives the fan 2 and executes the sterilization process during humidification operation.

[0093] The control unit 9 executes sterilization processing during humidification operation every fixed period T (i.e., at a predetermined cycle). Fig. 22 shows the sequence of sterilization processing during humidification operation for two cycles (i.e., for a period of 2T). Fig. 23 shows a flowchart of sterilization processing during humidification operation for one cycle (i.e., for a period of 1T).

[0094] 22, the fixed period T is made up of a first half Tf and a second half Ts, each half the length of the fixed period T (Tf=Ts=1 / 2T). At the timing of switching from the first half Tf to the second half Ts, the control unit 9 rotates the humidifying unit 3 by 180°, switching the humidifying unit 3 from the first mode to the second mode.

[0095] The first half Tf is made up of a first stop period K1 during which ultraviolet rays U are not emitted from the ultraviolet irradiating unit 4, and a first irradiation period T1 following the first stop period K1. The first irradiation period T1 is a period during which the humidifying unit 3 is controlled to the first mode and ultraviolet rays U are emitted from the ultraviolet irradiating unit 4. In other words, the first irradiation period T1 is a period during which ultraviolet rays U are irradiated toward the first surface 3a, but ultraviolet rays U are not irradiated toward the second surface 3b.

[0096] The second half Ts is made up of a second irradiation period T2 and a second stop period K2 following the second irradiation period T2, during which ultraviolet rays U are not irradiated from the ultraviolet irradiator 4. The second irradiation period T2 is a period during which the humidifier 3 is controlled to the second mode and ultraviolet rays U are irradiated from the ultraviolet irradiator 4. In other words, the second irradiation period T2 is a period during which ultraviolet rays U are irradiated toward the second surface 3b, but ultraviolet rays U are not irradiated toward the first surface 3a.

[0097] Here, the length of each period constituting the fixed period T according to this embodiment will be summarized. The first irradiation period T1 is twice as long as the first stop period K1 (T1=2×K1). The second irradiation period T2 is twice as long as the second stop period K2 (T2=2×K2). The lengths of the first stop period K1 and the second stop period K2 are equal (K1=K2). The lengths of the first irradiation period T1 and the second irradiation period T2 are equal (T1=T2).

[0098] From the above relationship, if we consider a certain period T as the base, the length of each period is K1 = K2 = 1 / 6T, and T1 = T2 = 2 / 6T = 1 / 3T.

[0099] Here, let us consider irradiation and non-irradiation of the first surface 3a with ultraviolet light U. When the sterilization process during humidification operation is repeatedly performed at regular intervals T, the period between a certain first irradiation period T1 and the next first irradiation period T1 (i.e., the period between adjacent first irradiation periods T1 on the time axis) is a first non-irradiation period N1 in which ultraviolet light U is not irradiated toward the first surface 3a. The first non-irradiation period N1 is composed of, in chronological order, a second irradiation period T2, a second stop period K2, and a first stop period K1. As can be seen from the length of each period described above, the first non-irradiation period N1 in which ultraviolet light U is not irradiated toward the first surface 3a is longer than the first irradiation period T1 in which ultraviolet light U is irradiated toward the first surface 3a.

[0100] Similarly, consider irradiation and non-irradiation of the second surface 3b with ultraviolet light U. When the sterilization process during humidification operation is repeatedly performed at regular intervals T, the period between a certain second irradiation period T2 and the next second irradiation period T2 (i.e., the period between adjacent second irradiation periods T2 on the time axis) is a second non-irradiation period N2 in which ultraviolet light U is not irradiated toward the second surface 3b. The second non-irradiation period N2 is composed of, in chronological order, a second stop period K2, a first stop period K1, and a first irradiation period T1. As can be seen from the length of each period described above, the second non-irradiation period N2 in which ultraviolet light U is not irradiated toward the second surface 3b is longer than the second irradiation period T2 in which ultraviolet light U is irradiated toward the second surface 3b.

[0101] Furthermore, in this embodiment, specifically, the fixed period T is 90 minutes, the first irradiation period T1 and the second irradiation period T2 are each 30 minutes, and the first non-irradiation period N1 and the second non-irradiation period N2 are each 60 minutes. For the other periods, from the above-mentioned relationships, K1=K2=15 (minutes), and Tf=Ts=45 (minutes).

[0102] Here, we explain why the duration of irradiation of one of the first and second surfaces 3a and 3b of the humidifier 3 with ultraviolet light U is set to 30 minutes. Figure 24 shows an example of the relationship between ultraviolet light irradiation time and sterilization effectiveness. Specifically, Figure 24 is a graph of data measured using coliform bacteria, which are also used in water pollution standards, to measure the attenuation of bacteria attached to a filter material. This graph shows the change in the attenuation of bacteria over time when UV-C irradiation is continuously performed on the filter material to be sterilized for 30 minutes and then stopped. As can be seen from this graph, the attenuation of bacteria begins to saturate approximately 30 minutes after the start of UV-C irradiation. In other words, even if ultraviolet light is irradiated on the target to be sterilized for more than 30 minutes, it is difficult to further attenuate bacteria, and it can be assumed that there is a limit to the sterilization effect. Furthermore, Escherichia coli, a representative coliform bacterium, is said to divide into two parts in approximately 20 minutes when favorable conditions for bacterial growth are met. Judging from the amount of bacteria after UV-C irradiation has stopped (the dotted line in the graph), the amount of bacteria more than 50 minutes after irradiation has stopped may have regrowthed to the amount of bacteria before UV-C irradiation.

[0103] From the above considerations, the first irradiation period T1 and the second irradiation period T2 are each set to "30 minutes," and the first non-irradiation period N1 and the second non-irradiation period N2 are each set to "60 minutes." Then, by setting the first half Tf and the second half Ts, which are the periods during which the humidifier 3 switches from one of the first mode and the second mode to the other, to "45 minutes," it is possible to construct a regular sequence as shown in FIG.

[0104] The sterilization process during humidification operation will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 23. It is assumed that when the sterilization process during humidification operation starts, the humidifier 3 is controlled to the first mode and the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 4 is not driven.

[0105] First, the control unit 9 determines whether a first stop period K1 has elapsed since the start of the sterilization process during humidification operation (step S201). If the first stop period K1 has not elapsed (step S201; No), the control unit 9 waits until the first stop period K1 has elapsed. Once the first stop period K1 has elapsed (step S201; Yes), the control unit 9 causes the ultraviolet irradiator 4 to irradiate ultraviolet light U (step S202). Next, the control unit 9 determines whether a first irradiation period T1 has elapsed since the start of irradiation of ultraviolet light U (step S203). If the first irradiation period T1 has not elapsed (step S203; No), the control unit 9 waits until the first irradiation period T1 has elapsed. Once the first irradiation period T1 has elapsed (step S203; Yes), the control unit 9 switches the humidifier 3 from the first mode to the second mode, i.e., switches the irradiated surface of the humidifier 3 (step S204). This corresponds to the first half Tf.

[0106] In the subsequent second half Ts, the control unit 9 determines whether the second irradiation period T2 has elapsed since the start of the second half Ts (step S205). If the second irradiation period T2 has not elapsed (step S205; No), the control unit 9 waits until the second irradiation period T2 has elapsed. Once the second irradiation period T2 has elapsed (step S205; Yes), the control unit 9 stops the irradiation of the ultraviolet light U by the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 4 (step S206). Next, the control unit 9 determines whether the second stop period K2 has elapsed since the irradiation of the ultraviolet light U was stopped (step S207). If the second stop period K2 has not elapsed (step S207; No), the control unit 9 waits until the second stop period K2 has elapsed. Once the second stop period K2 has elapsed (step S207; Yes), the control unit 9 switches the humidifier unit 3 from the second mode to the first mode, i.e., switches the irradiated surface of the humidifier unit 3 (step S208). The above is the sterilization process during humidification operation for the fixed period T. The control unit 9 repeatedly executes the sterilization process during humidification operation every certain period T, for example, until an instruction to stop operation is received by a user operation.

[0107] Note that the first irradiation period T1 and the second irradiation period T2 are not limited to 30 minutes, and can be changed, for example, within a range of 20 to 40 minutes (20 to 40 minutes) considering the graph in FIG. 24. Furthermore, a sterilization process similar to the sterilization process during humidification operation may be performed during the drying operation process described above. In this case, the control unit 9 may execute the sterilization process after, for example, step S103 in FIG. 21 results in "Yes." Furthermore, while the above example illustrates an example in which the humidifier 3 is rotationally driven, as a modified example, the humidifier 3 may be placed vertically relative to the tray unit TR in the first position. In this modified example, the sterilization process during humidification operation may be performed only in the sequence corresponding to the first side in FIG. 22. Note that the first non-irradiation period N1 in the above embodiment includes the second irradiation period T2 during which ultraviolet rays U are irradiated. However, the first non-irradiation period N1 in this modified example may be a period during which ultraviolet rays U are not irradiated from the ultraviolet irradiator 4.

[0108] The humidifier 100 described above can be described from the following viewpoint A.

[0109] (Perspective A) The main objective of viewpoint A is to provide a humidifier that can reliably make the upstream surface uniform by determining the up and down direction of the humidifying section, thereby suppressing uneven deposition of scale in the humidifying section.

[0110] (A1) A humidifier (100) according to a first aspect of the aspect A includes: a rotatable humidifying unit (3) that generates humidified air; a housing (1) having an inlet (P1) for drawing in outside air and an outlet (P2) for blowing out the humidified air; a fan (2) for blowing air, the fan (2) being provided in a flow path (W) extending from the air inlet through the humidifying unit to the air outlet; A tray (5) for storing water for generating the humidified air; A humidifier including a detection unit (DP) that detects that the humidifier unit is at a specific rotation position, a control unit (9) for controlling the humidifying operation of the humidifier; the specific rotation positions are a first rotation position (Rp1) in which a lower portion and an upper portion of the humidifying unit are immersed in water in the tray, and auxiliary rotation positions (Rp31, Rp32) which are any positions other than the first rotation position; The control unit determines the up / down direction of the humidifying unit at the first rotation position based on the relationship between the detection timing of one of the first rotation positions acquired by the detection unit and the detection timing of the auxiliary rotation position due to the rotational movement of the humidifying unit. With this configuration, it is possible to determine the up-down direction of the humidifying part 3 at the first rotation position Rp1, that is, whether it is in the lower immersion state or the upper immersion state.

[0111] (A2) The humidifier according to A1, the control unit performs the humidification operation by switching between a lower immersion state in which a lower portion of the humidifying unit is immersed and an upper immersion state in which an upper portion of the humidifying unit is immersed; the first rotation position is a position consisting of a first mode in which air entering from the second surface (3b) of the humidifying unit in the lower immersion state is discharged as humidified air from the first surface (3a), and a second mode in which air entering from the first surface of the humidifying unit in the upper immersion state is discharged as humidified air from the second surface, the first surface and the second surface are opposite surfaces of each other, The control unit determines whether the humidifying unit at the first rotation position is in the first state or the second state based on the relationship between the detection timing of one of the first rotation positions acquired by the detection unit and the detection timing of the auxiliary rotation position due to the rotational operation of the humidifying unit. With this configuration, even during humidification operation, it is possible to determine the up-down direction of the humidifying section 3 at the first rotation position Rp1, that is, whether it is in the lower immersion state or the upper immersion state.

[0112] (A3) The humidifier according to A2, The humidifying unit is rotatable around a shaft (31L), The shaft portion is provided with a pair of protrusions (31La) that are in a first rotation position and third protrusions (31L3a, 31L3b) that are in an auxiliary rotation position, The detection unit is a switch that is turned on by a protrusion of the shaft when the humidifying unit is in the specific rotational position and is turned off when the humidifying unit is out of the specific rotational position. According to this configuration, a mechanism for detecting a specific rotation position can be constructed with a simple structure.

[0113] (A4) The humidifier according to A3, a turn motor that rotates the humidifying unit; The shaft portion is detachably supported on the rotary shaft of the turn motor. With this configuration, even if the rotational position of the humidifying unit 3 is arbitrarily changed by the user, it is possible to determine the up-down direction of the humidifying unit 3 at the first rotational position Rp1, i.e., whether it is in a lower immersion state or an upper immersion state.

[0114] (A5) The humidifier according to A4, An ultraviolet ray irradiation unit (4) is provided to irradiate the humidifying unit with ultraviolet rays. According to this configuration, the time that the first surface 3a and the second surface 3b of the humidifier 3 are irradiated with ultraviolet light can be made uniform, thereby preventing unevenness in the sterilization range and irradiated areas.

[0115] (A6) In the humidifier according to A2 to A5, The control unit stores the accumulated operation time Ta in the lower immersion state and the accumulated operation time Tb in the upper immersion state, When the humidifying operation is started after being stopped, the Ta and the Tb are compared, and the humidifying operation is started at the first rotation position in the immersion state where the cumulative operation time is shorter. According to this configuration, the time that the first surface 3a and the second surface 3b of the humidifier 3 are on the upstream side can be made uniform, and uneven deposition of scale on the humidifier 3 can be suppressed.

[0116] (A7) In the humidifier according to A2 to A5, The control unit memorizes whether the first rotation position when the humidification operation is stopped is the lower immersion state or the upper immersion state, and when the humidification operation is started next time, the immersion state is set to a different orientation from the memorized immersion state. With this configuration, the operating time in the lower immersion state and the upper immersion state can be made uniform through simple control.

[0117] (A8) In the humidifier according to A2 to A5, The control unit memorizes whether the first rotation position at the start and stop of humidification operation is the lower immersion state or the upper immersion state, and when starting humidification operation next time, if the immersion state at the start and stop of the previous humidification operation is the same, it sets the immersion state in a different direction, and if the immersion state at the start and stop of the previous humidification operation is different, it sets the immersion state in the same direction as the immersion state at the time of the previous stop. According to this configuration, the number of times of operation in the lower immersion state and the upper immersion state can be made uniform through simple control.

[0118] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, modifications, and drawings. Appropriate modifications (including omission of components) are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 4 may be any unit that emits light in the ultraviolet range, and is not limited to units that emit deep ultraviolet light (UV-C).

[0119] In the above description, in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, descriptions of well-known technical matters have been omitted as appropriate.

[0120] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described, this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This embodiment can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. This embodiment and its modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the inventions described in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0121] 100...humidifier, W...flow path 1...Housing 1a...insertion port, P1...intake port, P2...outlet 1F...front panel, 1B...rear panel 1L...left panel, 1R...right panel, 1U...upper panel 10...Casing 10D…Bottom 11...Holder accommodation section 12...Side wall part, 12a...Communication hole 13...Fan housing, Q1...Air intake, Q2...Exhaust 14...beam portion, 14a...module case 15...wall, 17...lid R3: Humidification unit housing chamber, R7: Tank housing chamber 2...Fan, 2a...Fan motor 3...Humidification unit 3a...first surface, 3b...second surface 30...humidifying filter, 30a...filter exposed portion, 30b...folding direction 31...Frame body, 31R...First shaft part, 31L...Second shaft part, 31La...Protrusion part 31L3a, 31L3b...Third protrusion, AX...Axis 32…Interlocking part, CX…Axis line Rp1: First rotation position, Rp2: Second rotation position, Rp3: Intermediate position Rp31, Rp32...Auxiliary rotation positions DP: Detector Ta, Tb: Accumulated operating time 4...Ultraviolet irradiation section, U...Ultraviolet light TR...Tray section 5...Tray 50... Edge, 50a... Supported part, 50b... Alongside part 51...Main water tank part, 51a...Bottom plate part 52...Tank facing part 53...float tank section, 53a...flat bottom section 6...Tray holder 6a, 6b...Opening, 6R...Holder panel, 6L...Bearing 60...Tray storage area 601... tray portion, 601a... crosspiece 602...base portion, 603...low floor portion, 604...rib 61...standing wall portion, 61a...notch 62... outer peripheral wall portion, 62a... partition plate guide 63...Magnet holder, M2...Magnet 7...Water tank 70...tank body, 70a...opposing part 71...tank cap, 71a...water inlet, 72...valve mechanism 8...Partition structure 8R...Bearing (support part) 80... receiving member, 80a... pin-shaped portion, 80b... leg portion 81...Partition board 81a...water passage hole, 81b...fittable portion, 81c...insertion rib 82...Float support part 83...Float for detecting water level, M1...Magnet, BX...Axis 9...Control unit S...magnetic sensor, H...heater DR...drive circuit, 90...power supply, 91...transistor, 92...resistance element SW...Reed switch T…certain period Tf: first half, K1: first stop period, T1: first irradiation period Ts: second half, T2: second irradiation period, K2: second stop period N1...first non-irradiation period, N2...second non-irradiation period

Claims

1. a rotatable humidifying unit that generates humidified air; a housing having an inlet for drawing in outside air and an outlet for blowing out the humidified air; a fan provided in a flow path from the air inlet through the humidifier to the air outlet for blowing air; a tray for storing water for generating the humidified air; a detection unit that detects that the humidifying unit is at a specific rotation position, a control unit for controlling the humidifying operation of the humidifying device; the specific rotation positions are a first rotation position in which a lower portion and an upper portion of the humidifying unit are immersed in water in the tray, and an auxiliary rotation position which is any position other than the first rotation position; A humidifier device characterized in that the control unit determines the up / down direction of the humidifier unit at the first rotation position based on the relationship between the detection timing of any one of the first rotation positions acquired by the detection unit and the detection timing of the auxiliary rotation position through the rotation operation of the humidifier unit.

2. the control unit performs the humidification operation by switching between a lower immersion state in which a lower portion of the humidifying unit is immersed and an upper immersion state in which an upper portion of the humidifying unit is immersed; the first rotational position is a position consisting of a first mode in which air entering through the second surface of the humidifying unit in the lower immersion state is discharged as humidified air from the first surface, and a second mode in which air entering through the first surface of the humidifying unit in the upper immersion state is discharged as humidified air from the second surface, the first surface and the second surface are opposite surfaces to each other, The humidifier device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit determines whether the humidifier unit at the first rotation position is in the first state or the second state based on the relationship between the detection timing of one of the first rotation positions acquired by the detection unit and the detection timing of the auxiliary rotation position due to the rotation operation of the humidifier unit.

3. The humidifying unit is rotatable around a shaft, a pair of protrusions that constitute a first rotation position and a third protrusion that constitutes an auxiliary rotation position are provided on the shaft portion; 3. The humidifier according to claim 2, wherein the detection unit is a switch that is turned on by a protrusion on the shaft when the humidifier is in the specific rotational position and turned off when the humidifier is out of the specific rotational position.

4. a turn motor that rotates the humidifying unit; 4. The humidifier according to claim 3, wherein the shaft portion is detachably supported on a rotation shaft of the turn motor.

5. 5. The humidifier according to claim 4, further comprising an ultraviolet ray irradiating section for irradiating the humidifying section with ultraviolet rays.

6. The control unit stores an integrated operation time Ta in the lower immersion state and an integrated operation time Tb in the upper immersion state, 6. A humidifier according to claim 2, wherein when starting humidification operation after stopping the humidification operation, Ta is compared with Tb and the humidification operation is started at the first rotation position in the immersion state where the cumulative operating time is shorter.

7. A humidifier device as described in any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the control unit memorizes whether the first rotation position when humidification operation is stopped is the lower immersion state or the upper immersion state, and when humidification operation is started next time, the immersion state is set to a different orientation from the memorized immersion state.

8. The control unit memorizes whether the first rotation position is the lower immersion state or the upper immersion state when the humidification operation starts and stops, and when the humidification operation is started next time, if the immersion state is the same as when the previous humidification operation started and stopped, the control unit sets the immersion state in a different direction, and if the immersion state is different between when the previous humidification operation started and stopped, the control unit sets the immersion state in the same direction as when the previous humidification operation stopped.

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