Humidifier

Abstract

To provide a humidifier capable of suitably performing humidification, for example.SOLUTION: The humidifier includes a housing having an internal space, and an air inlet and an air outlet that connect the internal space and outside air, a humidifying mechanism that increases humidity of air in the internal space, an air blowing mechanism that blows humidified air to the air outlet side, a heater disposed in an air blowing path between the air inlet and the air outlet, a temperature sensor disposed in the housing, and a heat transfer mechanism that transfers heat of the heater to the temperature sensor side.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] Some humidifiers use a heater to heat the air inside the housing, promoting evaporation of water.

[0005] One object of the present disclosure is to provide, for example, a humidifier that can provide suitable humidification. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a humidifier includes an internal space, a housing having an air intake and an air outlet connecting the internal space to outside air, a humidification mechanism that increases the humidity of the air in the internal space, an air blowing mechanism that blows the humidified air toward the air outlet, a heater arranged in the air blowing path between the air intake and the air outlet, a temperature sensor arranged within the housing, and a heat transfer mechanism that transfers heat from the heater to the temperature sensor. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, for example, a humidifier that can provide suitable humidification 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. 1 is a block diagram of a humidifier. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a humidifier according to a second 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 employ any humidification mechanism. For example, the humidifier may have at least one of an evaporation mechanism that evaporates water by contacting air with a relative humidity of less than 100% with water, a water vaporization mechanism that heats water to evaporate it, or a spray mechanism that evaporates 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 1 (see FIG. 1 ) that has a humidification mechanism that evaporates water by contacting air with a relative humidity of less than 100% with water. Specifically, the humidifier 1 is a humidifier that achieves high humidification performance by increasing the temperature inside the housing using a heater to promote water evaporation.

[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 humidification mechanism 30, a heater 40, a blower mechanism 50, an outside air temperature sensor 60 as a temperature sensor, and a heat transfer mechanism 70.

[0012] (Housing 10) The housing 10 houses a water tank 20, a humidification mechanism 30, a heater 40, a blower mechanism 50, a heat transfer mechanism 70, etc. The housing 10 has an internal space 10c, an air intake 10a, and an outlet 10b. The internal space 10c is connected to the outside air outside the humidifier 1 via the air intake 10a and the outlet 10b, respectively. In the humidifier 1, specifically, the housing 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The air intake 10a is provided in a side wall of the housing 10. The outlet 10b is provided in a top wall of the housing 10. In the humidifier 1, outside air is taken in through the air intake 10a, and the air humidified in the internal space 10c is released to the outside of the humidifier 1 through the outlet 10b. The housing 10 has a space 10e separated from the internal space 10c by a partition wall 10d. The space 10e is provided facing the side wall of the housing 10. The space 10e is smaller than the internal space 10c. The housing 10 is provided with a through-hole 10f that connects the space 10e to the outside air.

[0013] (Water tank 20) The water tank 20 is disposed in the internal space 10c provided in the housing 10. Specifically, the water tank 20 is provided in the lower part of the internal space 10c. The water tank 20 stores water for humidifying the air.

[0014] (humidification mechanism 30) The humidifying mechanism 30 is provided in the internal space 10c. The humidifying mechanism 30 increases the humidity of the air in the internal space 10c. The humidifying mechanism 30 humidifies the air by evaporating the water stored in the water tank 20 to increase the water content (absolute humidity) of the air in the internal space 10c.

[0015] 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 that has been filled to the top of the water tank 20. Specifically, in the humidifier 1, the lower portion of the humidifying filter 31 is immersed in the water in the water tank 20, and the other portion is located above the water surface.

[0016] The humidifying filter 31 is water-absorbent. More 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 located above the water 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 humidifier 1 does not include a mechanism for changing the posture, displacement, rotation, etc. of the humidifying filter 31. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration. A mechanism for changing the posture or position of the humidifying filter or for rotating it may be provided.

[0018] (Blower mechanism 50) The blower mechanism 50 blows the humidified air in the internal space 10c toward the outlet 10b. The blower mechanism 50 is provided in the internal space 10c provided in the housing 10. The blower mechanism 50 includes an airflow generating mechanism, such as a fan, that can generate an airflow. When the blower mechanism 50 is driven, an airflow is generated from the intake port 10a toward the outlet 10b. As a result, the air supplied from the intake port 10a to the internal space 10c is blown out from the outlet 10b.

[0019] It is sufficient that the blower mechanism 50 is disposed in a position where it can generate the airflow described above. In the humidifier 1, the blower mechanism 50 is provided to the side of the intake port 10a and below the outlet port 10b.

[0020] (Heater 40) The heater 40 is provided inside the housing 10. The heater 40 is provided in the air flow path 10g between the air intake 10a and the air outlet 10b. In the humidifier 1, the heater 40 is arranged in the air flow path 10g between the air intake 10a and the air blowing mechanism 50. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration. For example, the heater may be arranged in a portion of the air flow path located between the air blowing mechanism and the air outlet. Furthermore, heaters may be provided in both a portion of the air flow path located between the air intake and the air blowing mechanism and a portion of the air flow path located between the air intake and the air blowing mechanism and a portion of the air blowing path located between the air blowing mechanism and the air outlet. In other words, in the present disclosure, the humidifier may have multiple heaters.

[0021] The heater 40 increases the temperature of the air in the internal space 10c. The heater 40 is preferably configured by a heating mechanism that uses electricity as a power source, such as an electric resistance heater.

[0022] The housing 10 has a wall 10h located within the internal space 10c. The heater 40 is supported by this wall 10h. A thermostat 41 is attached to the wall 10h. When the temperature of the heater 40 exceeds a predetermined temperature, the thermostat 41 stops the supply of electricity to the heater 40, turning the heater 40 off. The thermostat 41 prevents the heater 40 from becoming undesirably hot.

[0023] (Outside air temperature sensor 60 as a temperature sensor) The outside air temperature sensor 60 is disposed outside the internal space 10c. More specifically, the outside air temperature sensor 60 is disposed in a space 10e that is separated from the internal space 10c by a partition wall 10d. The space 10e is connected to the outside air via a through-hole 10f. Therefore, the temperature of the space 10e and the outside air can be substantially the same. The outside air temperature sensor 60, which is a temperature sensor disposed in the space 10e, can detect the temperature of the outside air.

[0024] (Heat Transfer Mechanism 70) The heat transfer mechanism 70 is disposed in the internal space 10c. The heat transfer mechanism 70 is provided so as to transfer heat from the heater 40 to the outside air temperature sensor 60 side. The heat transfer mechanism 70 includes an air guide member that guides air on the heater 40 side to the outside air temperature sensor 60 side (space 10e side). This air guide member includes a duct 71 that extends from the heater 40 side to the outside air temperature sensor 60 side. In the humidifier 1, the heat transfer mechanism 70 is composed of this duct 71.

[0025] (Duct 71) Duct 71 connects the area of ​​internal space 10c where heater 40 is provided with space 10e. Duct 71 is arranged so that, in a plan view (looking from the bottom in FIG. 1), opening 71a on the outdoor air temperature sensor 60 side of duct 71 overlaps with outdoor air temperature sensor 60. Opening 71a is arranged directly below outdoor air temperature sensor 60. When humidifier 1 is arranged on a horizontal surface, opening 71a and outdoor air temperature sensor 60 are located on the same imaginary straight line extending vertically.

[0026] In the present disclosure, the end of the duct 71 on the space 10e side may be separated from the space 10e. The duct 71 is not particularly limited as long as it can transfer air on the heater 40 side to the space 10e side.

[0027] Furthermore, the heat transfer member does not necessarily have to be a cylindrical member like duct 71. For example, the thermoelectric member may be configured with a wall portion having a linear or arcuate cross section extending from the heater side to the outside air temperature sensor side. There are no particular restrictions on the heat transfer member as long as it is a mechanism that can transfer heat from the heater side to the outside air temperature sensor side.

[0028] In the humidifier 1, the housing 10 and the duct 71 constituting the air guide member are provided separately. The housing 10 and the duct 71 are made of different materials with different thermal conductivities. The duct 71 is made of a material with a higher thermal conductivity than the housing 10. For example, the housing 10 may be made of a resin material, and the duct 71 may be made of metal, ceramic, glass, or the like. For example, it is preferable that both the housing 10 and the duct 71 are made of resin, and that the thermal conductivity of the resin constituting the duct 71 is higher than the thermal conductivity of the resin constituting the housing 10. In other words, it is preferable that the duct 71 is made of a resin with a higher thermal conductivity than the resin constituting the housing 10.

[0029] (control unit 80) FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the humidifier 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the humidifier 1 has a control unit 80. The control unit 80 is connected to each mechanism of the humidifier 1. The control unit 80 controls each mechanism constituting the humidifier 1 and receives input from each mechanism. Specifically, the control unit 80 is connected to the heater 40, the blower mechanism 50, the thermostat 41, and the outside air temperature sensor 60. The control unit 80 controls the amount of heat generated by the heater 40 by controlling the supply of electricity to the heater 40. The control unit 80 controls the blower mechanism 50. The speed and volume of the air generated by the blower mechanism 50 are controlled by the blower mechanism 50. The control unit 80 receives input of the temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 60 from the outside air temperature sensor 60.

[0030] (Operator 90) The humidifier 1 is provided with an operator 90 that turns on various mechanisms, including the air blower mechanism 50 and the heater 40, to operate the humidifier 1. The operator 90 may be, for example, a mechanically operable button, or may be a touch panel or the like.

[0031] (Humidifier 1 operation) For example, when the user operates the operating member 90 to turn on the humidifier 1, the control unit 80 turns on the air blowing mechanism 50. As a result, air is supplied from the air intake 10a to the internal space 10c, air in the internal space 10c is blown toward the air outlet 10b, and air from the internal space 10c is blown out from the air outlet 10b. In this way, an airflow is generated along the airflow path 10g. At least a portion of this airflow comes into contact with the humidifying filter 31. This promotes evaporation of water contained in the humidifying filter 31. As a result, the moisture content (absolute humidity) of the air in the internal space 10c increases.

[0032] When the humidifier 1 is turned on, the control unit 80 turns on the heater 40 as well as the blower mechanism 50. This increases the temperature of the air in the internal space 10c. This increases the amount of saturated water vapor in the air in the internal space 10c, and reduces the relative humidity. This further promotes evaporation of the water contained in the humidifying filter 31.

[0033] When the blower mechanism 50 is driven by the control unit 80, airflow is generated preferentially along the airflow path 10g. Therefore, air in the interior space 10c is less likely to flow through the duct 71 toward the space 10e where the outside air temperature sensor 60 is located. Therefore, the outside air temperature sensor 60 can measure the outside air temperature with high accuracy.

[0034] When the blower mechanism 50 is stopped, airflow along the airflow path 10g is unlikely to occur. This reduces the air movement in the interior space 10c. In this state, if the heater 40 is driven, the temperature of the air near the heater 40 becomes higher than the temperature in other parts of the interior space 10c. This makes it easy for an upward airflow to occur from the vicinity of the heater 40. As a result, the air heated by the heater 40 and heated to a high temperature moves toward the space 10e where the outside air temperature sensor 60 is located via the duct 71 extending from the heater 40 side toward the outside air temperature sensor 60 side. Therefore, when the blower mechanism 50 is stopped and the heater 40 is turned on, heat from the heater 40 is likely to be transferred to the outside air temperature sensor 60. This means that the temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 60 is likely to be higher than the outside air temperature.

[0035] The control unit 80 receives an input of the temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 60 from the outside air temperature sensor 60. The control unit 80 turns off the heater 40 when the temperature input from the outside air temperature sensor 60 becomes higher than a predetermined first threshold (e.g., 40°C). Therefore, for example, when the blower mechanism 50 is stopped and the heater 40 is driven, causing the temperature of the outside air temperature sensor 60 to become undesirably high, the power supply to the heater 40 is stopped, and the heater 40 does not heat any further. This prevents the temperature of the humidifier 1 from becoming undesirably high. Furthermore, when the temperature of the outside air temperature sensor 60 exceeds the first threshold, the control unit 80 causes the notification unit to issue an error notification indicating that the heater 40 has been stopped due to abnormal heat generation within the humidifier 1. The notification unit is, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode), a buzzer, a liquid crystal display, or the like provided in the humidifier 1, and issues the error notification by lighting or flashing the LED, sounding a buzzer, displaying on the liquid crystal display, or the like. The first threshold value at which the control unit 80 turns off the heater 40 is, for example, 40°C, but this value is just an example and may be higher or lower than 40°C.

[0036] The humidifier 1 is provided with a heat transfer mechanism 70 that transfers heat from the heater 40 to the outside air temperature sensor 60. Therefore, when undesired heating of the heater 40 continues, the temperature of the outside air temperature sensor 60 exceeds the threshold value early. Therefore, undesired heating of the heater 40 can be stopped early.

[0037] From the viewpoint of facilitating the transfer of heat from heater 40 to outside air temperature sensor 60, duct 71 is preferably provided so that opening 71a of duct 71 overlaps with outside air temperature sensor 60 in a plan view. It is preferable that duct 71, which constitutes the air guide member, has a higher thermal conductivity than that of housing 10.

[0038] In the humidifier 1, the heat transfer mechanism 70 is configured to transfer heat from the heater 40 to the outside air temperature sensor 60 when the blower mechanism 50 is stopped and no airflow is occurring along the airflow path 10g. When the blower mechanism 50 is driven, heat from the heater 40 is not easily transferred to the outside air temperature sensor 60, allowing the outside air temperature sensor 60 to measure the outside air temperature with high accuracy. Therefore, in the humidifier 1, the outside air temperature sensor 60 can measure the outside air temperature with high accuracy, and when the blower mechanism 50 is stopped and heating by the heater 40 continues undesirably, the outside air temperature sensor 60 can detect the undesired heating of the heater 40 early on. Therefore, it is not necessarily necessary to provide a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the heater 40 separately from the outside air temperature sensor 60. This allows the configuration of the humidifier 1 to be simplified.

[0039] The humidifier 1 is provided with a thermostat 41 along with a heat transfer mechanism 70 and an outside air temperature sensor 60. The thermostat 4 is provided on a power supply path from a commercial power source (e.g., AC 100V) to the control unit 80, heater 40, etc. As shown in FIG. 1, the thermostat 4 is disposed near the heater 40. Specifically, the thermostat 4 is disposed between the air intake 10a and the heater 40 inside the housing 10. The thermostat 4 is configured to cut off the power supply path from the commercial power source to the control unit 80, heater 40, etc. when the ambient temperature of the thermostat 4 exceeds a second threshold value (e.g., 100°C). When the thermostat 4 is turned off (cutting off the power supply path), the control unit 80, heater 40, etc. are stopped. In other words, the humidifier 1 is stopped. The second threshold value (e.g., 100°C) at which the thermostat 4 turns off is preferably greater than the first threshold value (e.g., 40°C) at which the control unit 80 turns off the heater 40. Note that the second threshold value at which the thermostat 4 turns off is, for example, 100°C, but this value is just an example and may be higher or lower than 100°C.

[0040] Thus, in the humidifier 1 of this embodiment, the heater 40 is turned off when at least one of the following conditions is met: a first condition that the temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 60 is higher than a predetermined first threshold; and a second condition that the temperature detected by the thermostat 41, which constitutes another temperature sensor, is higher than a predetermined second threshold. Therefore, even if, for example, one of the thermostat 41 and the outside air temperature sensor 60 fails, the other can preferably detect abnormal operation of the heater 40.

[0041] In the humidifier 1, an example has been described in which the heater 40 is turned off when at least one of the first and second conditions is satisfied, regardless of the period of time since the operating device 90 was turned on. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 80 may be configured not to turn off the heater 40 for a predetermined period of time after the operating device 90 was turned on, even if the temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 60 becomes higher than the threshold value.

[0042] Immediately after the operating device 90 is turned on, there is a possibility that the temperature rise caused by the heater 40 will occur earlier than the formation of an airflow by the blower mechanism 50. As a result, the temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 60 may exceed the threshold value even when no abnormality has occurred in the heater 40. Therefore, by controlling in this manner, abnormal operation of the heater 40 can be detected with higher accuracy, and the heater 40 that is not operating abnormally can be prevented from being forcibly turned off.

[0043] 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.

[0044] (Second embodiment) FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a humidifier according to the second embodiment.

[0045] The humidifier according to the second embodiment differs from the humidifier 1 according to the first embodiment in that the heat transfer mechanism 70 has a heat transfer member 72.

[0046] In the second embodiment, the heat transfer mechanism 70 has a heat transfer member 72 together with a duct 71. The heat transfer member 72 is made of, for example, a metal member or the like having high thermal conductivity. The heat transfer member 72 extends from the heater 40 toward the outside air temperature sensor 60. In the second embodiment, the heat of the heater 40 is transferred to the outside air temperature sensor 60 by the air moving through the duct 71, and the outside air temperature sensor 60 is also heated by the heat conducted through the heat transfer member 72. For this reason, the heat of the heater 40 is more likely to be transferred to the outside air temperature sensor 60 more quickly.

[0047] For example, it is also possible to provide only the heat transfer member 72 without providing the duct 71. Even in this case, the movement of the heater 40 can be detected by the outside air temperature sensor 60. However, in the case of the heat transfer member 72, the heat of the heater 40 is likely to be transferred to the outside air temperature sensor 60 even when the blower mechanism 50 is operating. This may make it difficult for the outside air temperature sensor 60 to detect the outside air temperature with high accuracy. From this perspective, it is preferable that the heat transfer mechanism 70 is formed by the duct 71.

[0048] 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]

[0049] 1: Humidifier 10: Housing 10a: Air intake 10b:Air outlet 10c: Internal space 10g: Air flow path 10h: Wall 20: Water tank 30: Humidification mechanism 31: Humidification filter 40: Heater 41: Thermostat 50: Air blower mechanism 60: Outside air temperature sensor 70: Heat transfer mechanism 71: Duct 71a:Aperture 72: Heat transfer material 80: Control unit 90: Operator

Claims

1. a housing having an internal space and an air intake port and an air outlet port connecting the internal space with outside air; a humidifying mechanism for increasing the humidity of the air in the internal space; a blowing mechanism that blows the humidified air toward the air outlet; a heater disposed in an air flow path between the air intake port and the air outlet; a temperature sensor disposed within the housing; a heat transfer mechanism that transfers heat from the heater to the temperature sensor; A humidifier comprising:

2. The humidifier according to claim 1 , wherein the heat transfer mechanism transfers heat from the heater to the temperature sensor when the blower mechanism is stopped.

3. 3. The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein the heat transfer mechanism includes an air guide member that guides air from the heater side to the temperature sensor side.

4. The humidifier according to claim 3 , wherein the air guide member includes a duct extending from the heater side to the temperature sensor side.

5. The humidifier according to claim 4 , wherein the duct is disposed such that an opening of the duct on a side facing the temperature sensor overlaps with the temperature sensor in a plan view.

6. The humidifier according to claim 3, wherein the air guide member has a thermal conductivity higher than that of the housing.

7. The humidifier according to claim 1 , further comprising a control unit that turns off the heater when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor becomes higher than a predetermined threshold value.

8. The air conditioner further includes an operator that turns on the humidifying mechanism, the air blowing mechanism, and the heater, 8. The humidifier according to claim 7, wherein the control unit does not turn off the heater for a predetermined period of time after the operating element is turned on, even if the temperature detected by the temperature sensor becomes higher than a predetermined threshold value.

9. Further, another temperature sensor is provided to measure the temperature of the interior space. the heater is turned off when at least one of a first condition that the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is higher than a predetermined first threshold and a second condition that the temperature detected by the other temperature sensor is higher than a predetermined second threshold is satisfied; The humidifier of claim 1.

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