Humidifier

Abstract

To provide a humidifier capable of notifying, for example, a residual amount of water.SOLUTION: The humidifier includes a water tank configured to store water, a humidifying mechanism configured to increase humidity by the water in the water tank, a dripping mechanism configured to draw up the water stored in the water tank and drip the water into the water tank, and a surrounding wall provided to be partially immersed in the water stored in the water tank and configured to surround a region where the water dripped by the dripping mechanism collides with a water surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to humidifiers. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a humidifier that humidifies air using water in a water storage tray. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-143833 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is a need to notify the amount of water remaining in the water storage tray.

[0005] One object of the present disclosure is to provide, for example, a humidifier that can notify the remaining amount of water. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a humidifier includes a water tank for storing water, a humidification mechanism for increasing humidity using the water in the water tank, a dripping mechanism for pumping up the water stored in the water tank and dripping it back into the water tank, and an enclosure wall that is partially immersed in the water stored in the water tank and surrounds the area where the water dripped by the dripping mechanism collides with the water surface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, for example, a humidifier capable of notifying the remaining amount of water can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a humidifier according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a humidifier according to a first modified example. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a humidifier according to a second embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a humidifier according to a second modified example. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a humidifier according to a third embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a humidifier according to a fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A humidifier 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having substantially the same functions will be referred to by the same reference numerals, and the same descriptions will be incorporated herein by reference.

[0010] The term "humidifier" generally refers to a device that increases at least one of the absolute humidity and relative humidity of air. The humidifier may have any humidification mechanism. For example, the humidifier may have at least one of an evaporation mechanism that evaporates water by bringing air with a relative humidity of less than 100% into contact with the water, a water vaporization mechanism that heats the water to evaporate it, or a spray mechanism that evaporates the water by vibrating a vibrator. The humidifier may also have functions other than the humidification function. For example, the humidifier may also have a cooling mechanism, a heating mechanism, an air purification function, or the like in addition to the humidification function. In the following, the present embodiment describes an example of a humidifier that has a evaporation mechanism as a humidification mechanism that evaporates water by bringing air with a relative humidity of less than 100% into contact with the water.

[0011] (First embodiment) 1 is a schematic diagram of a humidifier 1 according to a first embodiment. The humidifier 1 includes a housing 10, a water tank 20, a humidifying mechanism 30, a dripping mechanism 40, a surrounding wall 50, and a blowing mechanism 60.

[0012] (Housing 10) Housing 10 houses water tank 20, humidification mechanism 30, dripping mechanism 40, surrounding wall 50, and blower mechanism 60. Housing 10 is provided with air intake 10a for taking in outside air, outlet 10b for discharging humidified air, and opening 10c for discharging sound to the outside.

[0013] (Water tank 20) The water tank 20 is provided at the bottom of the housing 10. The water tank 20 is a portion for storing water for humidification. The water tank 20 may be, for example, detachable from the housing 10, or may not be detachable. FIG. 1 shows a state in which water 21 is stored in the water tank 20. In this embodiment, the water tank 20 is provided over substantially the entire housing 10 in a plan view. The water 21 is stored over substantially the entire housing 10 in a plan view.

[0014] (humidification mechanism 30) The humidifying mechanism 30 is provided so that at least a portion of it is immersed in the water 21 stored in the water tank 20. In plan view, the humidifying mechanism 30 is disposed in the area where the water tank 20 is provided. Specifically, in this embodiment, the humidifying mechanism 30 is provided in the housing 10, in a humidifying section 10d below which a portion of the water tank 20 is located. An outlet 10b is provided in the portion of the housing 10 that constitutes the humidifying section 10d.

[0015] The humidifying mechanism 30 is a mechanism that increases humidity using the water in the water tank 20. The humidifying mechanism 30 humidifies the air by vaporizing the water in the water tank 20 to increase the water content (absolute humidity) of the air in the vicinity of the humidifying mechanism 30.

[0016] The humidifying mechanism 30 has a humidifying filter 31. The humidifying filter 31 is provided so that at least a portion thereof is immersed in the water 21 that has been filled to the top of the water tank 20. The humidifying filter 31 is water-absorbent. Specifically, the humidifying filter 31 has a plurality of pores. When a portion of the humidifying filter 31 is immersed in water, capillary action occurs. This causes water to be drawn up into the pores of the humidifying filter 31. As a result, the portion of the humidifying filter 31 that is located above the water 21 absorbs moisture. The water supplied to the humidifying filter 31 evaporates into air with a relative humidity of less than 100%. This humidifies the air.

[0017] The humidifying mechanism 30 further includes a rotation mechanism (not shown). The rotation mechanism rotates the humidifying filter 31. This causes the portion of the humidifying filter 31 that is immersed in the water 21 to move, so that a wider area of ​​the humidifying filter 31 is immersed in the water 21. As a result, the supply of water to the humidifying filter 31 is promoted, and thus the humidification of the air is promoted.

[0018] When using a humidifying filter with hygroscopic properties, it is not necessary to rotate the humidifying filter, and it is not necessary to provide a rotation mechanism for the humidifying filter, as water supply through the humidifying filter will proceed without the need for rotation, change in position, or displacement of the humidifying filter.

[0019] (Blower mechanism 60) The air blowing mechanism 60 is a mechanism that discharges air humidified by the humidification mechanism 30 to the outside of the housing 10. The air blowing mechanism 60 is provided inside the humidifier section 10d. The air blowing mechanism 60 is provided in the humidifier section 10d, closer to the outlet 10b than the humidification mechanism 30. More specifically, the outlet 10b is provided in the top wall of the housing 10, and the air blowing mechanism 60 is provided between the humidifier mechanism 30 and the outlet 10b in the height direction.

[0020] As described above, the air in humidifying unit 10d is humidified by humidifying mechanism 30. Therefore, the absolute humidity of the air in humidifying unit 10d becomes higher than the absolute humidity of the outside air outside housing 10. This highly humid air in humidifying unit 10d is discharged to the outside air from outlet 10b by blower mechanism 60. As a result, the absolute humidity of the outside air increases.

[0021] The blower mechanism 60 can be configured by, for example, a fan.

[0022] (Dripping mechanism 40) Within the housing 10, a dripping unit 10e is provided to the side of the humidifying unit 10d. A water tank 20 is also provided in the dripping unit 10e. Therefore, water 21 is stored below the dripping unit 10e. When the water 21 is stored in the dripping unit 10e, a water surface 21a exists.

[0023] The dripping mechanism 40 is provided in the dripping section 10e. The dripping mechanism 40 pumps the water 21 stored in the water tank 20 up to a position above the water surface 21a and drips the water into the water tank 20. In detail, the dripping mechanism 40 has a water supply path 41 and a pump 42.

[0024] The water supply path 41 connects the area in which the water 21 is stored in the water tank 20 with an area located above the water surface 21a. The water supply path 41 may be formed of, for example, a pipe or the like.

[0025] Pump 42 has the function of supplying water 21 into water supply path 41. Pump 42 is connected to lower end 41a (end immersed in water 21) of water supply path 41. Pump 42 sucks water 21 and supplies it into water supply path 41. The supplied water is transported through water supply path 41, reaches upper end 41b located above water surface 21a, and drips from upper end 41b toward water surface 21a.

[0026] The dripping mechanism 40 is not particularly limited as long as it can pump up the water 21 stored in the water tank 20 and drip it into the water tank 20. For example, the dripping mechanism may be a mechanism that blows the water in the water tank up above the water surface and drips it.

[0027] (Siege Wall 50) The surrounding wall 50 is provided in the dripping portion 10e. The surrounding wall 50 is provided so that a portion thereof is immersed in the water 21 stored in the water tank 20, and the other portion is located above the water 21. The surrounding wall 50 is provided so that a portion of the surrounding wall 50 is immersed in the water 21 stored in the water tank 20.

[0028] The surrounding wall 50 is provided so as to surround the area where the water dropped by the dropping mechanism 40, more specifically, the water droplets 22, collide with the water surface 21a.

[0029] The surrounding wall 50 has an opening 51 through which the water droplets 22 dropped from the dripping mechanism 40 pass. At least a portion of the opening 10c provided in the top wall of the housing 10 is located directly above the opening 51. Specifically, the opening 10c is provided over the entire area in which the opening 51 is provided in a plan view.

[0030] (Water 21 remaining amount notification) In the humidifier 1, as the humidification of air by the humidification mechanism 30 progresses, the amount of water 21 stored in the water tank 20 decreases. When the amount of water 21 decreases, the water surface 21a changes. Therefore, the volume of the space A enclosed by the surrounding wall 50 and the water surface 21a changes. As a result, the frequency of the sound generated when the water droplets 22 collide with the water surface 21a changes. Specifically, as the humidification by the humidification mechanism 30 progresses, the water surface 21a drops. Therefore, the volume of the space A enclosed by the surrounding wall 50 and the water surface 21a increases. As a result, the frequency of the impact sound generated when the water droplets 22 collide with the water surface 21a decreases.

[0031] In this way, because the humidifier 1 is provided with the dripping mechanism 40 and the surrounding wall 50, for example, as the amount of water 21 stored in the water tank 20 decreases from a full state, the frequency of the impact sound decreases, and the impact sound becomes lower. Therefore, a user of the humidifier 1 can know the remaining amount of water 21 by listening to the impact sound. A user who senses that the remaining amount of water 21 is low can refill the water tank 20 with water before the water 21 completely runs out. Therefore, for example, it is not necessarily necessary to provide a separate mechanism for detecting the remaining amount of water 21.

[0032] From the viewpoint of making it easier for the user to hear the collision sound, the surrounding wall 50 is preferably configured so as to amplify the collision sound generated by the collision between the dripping water droplet 22 and the water surface 21a.

[0033] In the humidifier 1, the surrounding wall 50 is provided with an opening 51 through which the water droplets 22 dripping from the dripping mechanism 40 pass, and the surrounding wall 50 has a shape that tapers toward the opening 51, specifically, toward the upper side. By making the surrounding wall 50 narrower toward the opening 51, the sound of the water droplets 22 colliding with the water surface 21a can be made to reverberate loudly, making it easier for the user to hear the sound of the collision.

[0034] From the viewpoint of making the impact sound reverberate more loudly, it is preferable that the surrounding wall 50 has a curved plate-like cross section along the height direction. It is preferable that the surrounding wall 50 is provided so that the reduction in the cross-sectional area per unit length along the height direction increases toward the opening 51. For example, it is preferable that the surrounding wall 50 is provided in a dome shape.

[0035] From the viewpoint of further enhancing the reverberation effect of the surrounding wall 50, it is preferable that the surrounding wall 50 be made of an elastic material having elasticity. The surrounding wall 50 is preferably made of, for example, ceramic, metal, glass, resin, or the like. In this case, the surrounding wall 50 may resonate due to the impact sound. As a result, a louder impact sound may be transmitted to the user. The surrounding wall 50 is preferably configured so that the frequency at which the impact sound has a maximum amplitude is different from the frequency at which the amplitudes of the sounds generated from the humidifying mechanism 30 and the dripping mechanism 40 are each maximized. This effectively prevents the impact sound from being mixed with the sounds generated from the humidifying mechanism 30 and the dripping mechanism 40, making it difficult to hear the impact sound.

[0036] The opening 10c of the housing 10 may be provided over the entire space above the surrounding wall 50 of the housing 10. For example, the opening 10c may be provided over the entire portion of the housing 10 located above the dripping portion 10e. This prevents sound generated at the surrounding wall 50 from being blocked by the housing 10, and allows the sound to be more easily transmitted to the outside of the housing 10. The housing 10 is not limited to a configuration having one opening 10c, but may be a configuration having multiple openings 10c. The position of the opening 10c is not limited to a position above the surrounding wall 50, but may be a position to the side of the surrounding wall 50. For example, at least one or multiple openings 10c may be provided in at least one of the top wall and side wall of the housing 10.

[0037] 2, in addition to the opening 51, the surrounding wall 50 may be provided with a further opening 52 at a position to the side of the opening 51. This may make it easier for the impact sound to be transmitted to the outside. For example, the surrounding wall 50 may be provided with the opening 51 in a portion located directly above the portion where the water droplets 22 impact the water surface 21a, and may be provided with a further opening 52 that does not lie directly above the portion where the water droplets 22 impact the water surface 21a.

[0038] The humidifier 1 may be configured so that the dripping mechanism 40 is constantly operating during humidification operation. The humidifier 1 may be provided with, for example, an operator for turning the dripping mechanism 40 on and off, separate from an operator for turning the humidification operation on and off. In this case, the dripping mechanism 40 can be operated or stopped regardless of whether the humidification operation is in operation. For example, while the user is sleeping, the humidifier 1 can continue humidifying operation while the dripping mechanism 40 is stopped, allowing for quiet operation.

[0039] The operator may be, for example, a mechanical button, or may be, for example, configured by a touch panel or the like.

[0040] Another preferred embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. In the following description, components having substantially the same functions as those in the first embodiment will be referred to by the same reference numerals, and the description of the first embodiment will be used.

[0041] (Second embodiment) FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a humidifier 1a according to the second embodiment.

[0042] The humidifier 1a according to the second embodiment differs from the humidifier 1 according to the first embodiment in the layout of the humidifying unit 10d and the dripping unit 10e. As described above, in the first embodiment, the dripping unit 10e is disposed to the side of the humidifying unit 10d. In the second embodiment, the dripping unit 10e and the humidifying unit 10d are arranged in a vertical direction. This configuration allows the installation space of the humidifier 1a to be reduced.

[0043] In the humidifier 1a, the upper end 41b of the water supply path 41 is located above the humidifying mechanism 30, specifically above the humidifying filter 31. The humidifying filter 31 is located above the water level 21a of the water tank 20. In the humidifier 1a, the humidifying mechanism 30 has a tray 32 in addition to the humidifying filter 31. The tray 32 is configured to be able to store water. At least a portion of the humidifying filter 31 is immersed in the water stored in the tray 32. This allows water to be supplied to the humidifying filter 31.

[0044] Water from upper end 41b of water supply path 41 is first supplied to humidifying filter 31 and tray 32, and is used to supply water to humidifying filter 31. Tray 32 is configured so that when the water level reaches a predetermined level or higher, the water accumulated in tray 32 drips onto water surface 21a of water 21 accumulated in water tank 20. This causes humidifier 1a to generate a collision sound between water droplets 22 and water surface 21a. In humidifier 1a, the collision sound is transmitted to the outside of humidifier 1a via humidifying section 10d and opening 10c.

[0045] 4, for example, the housing 10 may be provided with at least one opening 11 connecting the outside and inside of the housing 10 above or to the side of the space in which the surrounding wall 50 is disposed. This prevents the sound generated at the surrounding wall 50 from being blocked by the housing 10, and allows the sound to be more easily transmitted to the outside of the housing 10. The opening 11 is preferably provided so that an imaginary line passing through the opening 52 and the part where the water droplet 22 collides with the water surface 21a passes through the opening 52. In this case, the sound of the water droplet 22 colliding with the opening 11 is more easily transmitted to the outside of the housing 10 via the opening 52 and the opening 11.

[0046] (Third embodiment) FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a humidifier 1b according to the third embodiment.

[0047] In the humidifier 1b, the humidifying section 10d and the dripping section 10e are configured in a common space. The humidifying mechanism 30 and the blowing mechanism 60 are disposed in the space A. This allows the humidifier 1b to be made smaller.

[0048] (Fourth embodiment) FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a humidifier 1c according to the fourth embodiment.

[0049] The humidifier 1c is provided with an amplification mechanism 70 that electrically amplifies the collision sound between the dripping water droplets 22 and the water surface 21a. The amplification mechanism 70 has a sound collection unit 71 that collects the collision sound and a sound generation unit 72 that amplifies and generates sound from the sound collected by the sound collection unit 71. The sound collection unit 71 may be configured, for example, by a microphone. The sound generation unit 72 may be configured, for example, by a speaker. After a control unit (not shown) amplifies the sound collected by the sound collection unit 71, the control unit can cause the sound generation unit 72 to generate the amplified sound. This allows for a louder collision sound to be generated.

[0050] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. Furthermore, configurations obtained by combining the configurations of the different embodiments described in this specification are also included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1: Humidifier 10d: Humidification unit 10e:Dripping part 20: Water tank 21:Water 21a: Water surface 22: Water droplets 30: Humidification mechanism 40:Dripping mechanism 42: Pump 50: Siege Wall 51 :Aperture 60: Air blower mechanism

Claims

1. A water tank for storing water, a humidifying mechanism that increases humidity by using water in the water tank; a dripping mechanism that pumps up water stored in the water tank and drips it into the water tank; a surrounding wall that is partially immersed in the water stored in the water tank and that surrounds an area where the water dropped by the dropping mechanism collides with the water surface; A humidifier comprising:

2. 2. The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein the surrounding wall has an opening through which the water droplets dripping from the drip mechanism pass, and the surrounding wall tapers toward the opening.

3. The humidifier according to claim 1 , wherein the surrounding wall is configured to amplify a sound generated by the collision of the dripping water with the water surface.

4. 4. The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein the surrounding wall is made of an elastic material.

5. The dripping mechanism includes: a pump that pumps water from the water tank above the humidifying mechanism; a dripping unit that drips the water that has passed through the humidifying mechanism into the water tank; The humidifier of claim 1 , wherein

6. The humidifier according to claim 1 , further comprising an amplifying mechanism that amplifies a sound generated by the collision of the dripping water with the water surface.

7. The amplification mechanism is a sound collecting unit that collects sounds generated by the collision of the dripping water with the water surface; a sound generating unit that amplifies and generates sound collected by the sound collecting unit; 7. The humidifier of claim 6, wherein

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