Electric fan heater

Abstract

In an electric fan heater layout where air blown downward from a fan is redirected forward via an air guide, the difference between the airflow rate of hot air discharged from the upper part of the outlet and the airflow rate of hot air discharged from the lower part of the outlet is suppressed. [Solution] The electric fan heater comprises: a fan that takes in air from the outside and sends the taken-in air downward; an air guide path positioned below the fan that redirects the air sent out from the fan and guides it forward; a heater that heats the air flowing through the air guide path; a housing that houses the fan, the air guide path, and the heater and has a discharge port on its front that discharges warm air including the air heated by the heater; and a distribution unit positioned between the heater and the discharge port in the air guide path, which has the function of reducing the difference between the amount of warm air discharged from the upper part of the discharge port and the amount of warm air discharged from the lower part of the discharge port.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electric hot air blower that supplies hot air.

Background Art

[0002] As a technology for supplying hot air, the technology described in Patent Document 1 below is known. This Patent Document 1 discloses a hot air blower including a sirocco type fan, a heater unit, an air outlet, an air supply duct from the fan to the heater unit, and a hot air duct from the heater unit to the air outlet. The fan sends out air downward. The air supply duct is arranged below the fan and redirects the air sent out from the fan and guides it forward. The air outlet is provided at the lower part of the front panel.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the technology of the above Patent Document 1, there is a possibility that the air volume discharged from the lower part of the discharge port is significantly larger than the air volume discharged from the upper part of the discharge port. -

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances, and in the layout of an electric hot air blower that redirects the air sent downward from the fan forward by a guiding duct, it is an object to provide a technology capable of suppressing the difference between the air volume of the hot air discharged from the upper part of the discharge port of the electric hot air blower and the air volume of the hot air discharged from the lower part of the discharge port.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, an electric fan heater according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises: a fan that takes in air from the outside and sends the taken-in air downward; an air guide passage located below the fan that redirects the air sent out from the fan and guides it forward; a heater that heats the air flowing through the air guide passage; a housing that houses the fan, the air guide passage, and the heater and has a discharge port on its front for discharging warm air including the air heated by the heater; and a distribution unit located between the heater and the discharge port in the air guide passage and having the function of reducing the difference between the airflow rate of warm air discharged from the upper part of the discharge port and the airflow rate of warm air discharged from the lower part of the discharge port. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, in an electric fan heater layout in which air sent downward from a fan is redirected forward by an air guide, the difference between the airflow rate of hot air discharged from the upper part of the outlet of the electric fan heater and the airflow rate of hot air discharged from the lower part of the outlet can be suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the configuration of an electric fan heater according to an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a plan view showing the configuration of the electric fan heater described above. [Figure 3] This is a rear view showing the configuration of the electric fan heater described above. [Figure 4] This is a side view showing the configuration of the electric fan heater described above. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the electric fan heater described above. [Figure 6] This is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the lower part of the electric fan heater shown above. [Figure 7] This is an enlarged plan cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the lower part of the electric fan heater shown above. [Figure 8] This is a perspective view showing the configuration of the diffuser unit placed in the electric fan heater described above. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] (Knowledge forming the basis of this disclosure) In the layout of an electric fan heater, where air blown downwards from a fan is redirected forward through an air duct, there is a need to suppress the difference between the airflow rate of hot air discharged from the top of the heater's outlet and the airflow rate of hot air discharged from the bottom of the outlet. One way to satisfy this need is to change the direction of the hot air discharged from the outlet.

[0010] As an example of a technique for changing the direction of the warm air discharged from the outlet as described above, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which a wind direction changing piece, in which multiple plates are arranged in parallel, is installed inside the discharge duct (outlet).

[0011] However, according to the inventors' findings, even if a wind direction changing piece is installed at the discharge port, the wind direction from the discharge port is only uniformly changed, and the amount of air discharged from the lower part of the discharge port becomes significantly greater than the amount of air discharged from the upper part of the discharge port. In particular, when the fan rotation speed is increased to increase the amount of air discharged from the fan, or when the distance between the fan and the discharge port is shortened to miniaturize the electric fan heater, the above air volume difference tends to become larger. The inventors have found that in order to supply warm air in a balanced manner from the upper and lower parts of the discharge port, it is effective to reduce the air volume difference between the upper and lower parts of the discharge port by using a functional component provided in the air guide path connecting the fan and the discharge port, and have come up with this disclosure.

[0012] (1) An electric fan heater according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises: a fan that takes in air from the outside and sends the taken-in air downward; an air duct located below the fan that changes the direction of the air sent out from the fan and guides it forward; a heater that heats the air flowing through the air duct; a housing that houses the fan, the air duct, and the heater and has a discharge port on its front for discharging warm air including the air heated by the heater; and a distribution unit located in the air duct between the heater and the discharge port and having the function of reducing the difference between the airflow rate of warm air discharged from the upper part of the discharge port and the airflow rate of warm air discharged from the lower part of the discharge port.

[0013] In a layout where air sent downward from a fan is redirected forward by an air guide, if the air (warm air) that has passed through the air guide is discharged directly from the outlet, the airflow rate discharged from the lower part of the outlet will be significantly greater than the airflow rate discharged from the upper part of the outlet, potentially leading to an increased airflow difference between the upper and lower parts of the outlet. In contrast, according to this disclosure, in which a distribution unit is positioned between the heater and the outlet in the air guide, the warm air that has passed through the distribution unit is discharged from the outlet, thereby reducing the airflow difference between the upper and lower parts of the outlet and enabling a balanced supply of warm air from both the upper and lower parts of the outlet.

[0014] (2) In the electric fan heater described in (1) above, the air guide has an upstream air guide that receives the air sent out from the fan, an intermediate air guide that bends forward from the upstream air guide, and a downstream air guide that extends forward from the intermediate air guide to the discharge port, and the distribution unit is arranged to partially block the downstream air guide and may have an inclined surface such that the upper end is located further forward than the lower end.

[0015] In this aspect, a distribution portion having an inclined surface inclined upward is disposed in a downstream air guide passage through which air redirected from downward to forward flows. Thus, an air flow directed obliquely upward along the inclined surface, that is, an air flow from the lower portion of the downstream air guide passage toward the upper portion of the discharge port can be generated. Thereby, the air volume from the upper portion of the discharge port, which tends to be reduced, can be increased, and warm air can be supplied in a balanced manner from the upper and lower portions of the discharge port.

[0016] (3) In the electric warm air blower according to (2) above, the heater has a first heater disposed in the lower portion of the downstream air guide passage and a second heater disposed above the first heater, and the distribution portion may have the inclined surface extending from a position in front of the first heater to a position in front of the second heater.

[0017] In this aspect, the air that has passed through the first heater and the second heater can be appropriately distributed to the upper and lower portions of the discharge port.

[0018] (4) In the electric warm air blower according to (3) above, the heater has an operation mode in which the first heater is in an energized state and the second heater is in a non-energized state, and the distance in the front-rear direction from the second heater to the inclined surface may be longer than the distance in the front-rear direction from the first heater to the inclined surface.

[0019] In this aspect, a part of the air heated by the energized first heater is guided upward along the inclined surface and merges with the air (relatively low temperature) that has passed through the non-energized second heater, and then is discharged from the upper portion of the discharge port. Also, a remaining part of the air heated by the first heater passes below the inclined surface and is discharged from the lower portion of the discharge port. Thereby, while suppressing the average temperature of the warm air discharged from the discharge port to be lower than when both the first heater and the second heater are in an energized state (weak mode), the air volume difference and temperature difference that may occur between the upper and lower portions of the discharge port can be suppressed.

[0020] (5) In any of the electric hot air heaters described in (2) to (4) above, the downstream air guide may have a diffuser section located between the heater and the distribution section, the cross-sectional area of ​​which increases towards the front.

[0021] In this embodiment, air heated by a heater can be diffused in the diffuser section and then discharged from the outlet.

[0022] (6) In any of the electric hot air heaters described in (2) to (5) above, the distribution unit is a member that is substantially triangular in side view, having a front surface erected vertically near the front end of the downstream air duct and an inclined surface located behind the front surface, the distance from the front surface in the front-rear direction decreasing as it goes upward, and the discharge port may have an upper slit formed between the upper front edge of the downstream air duct and the upper end of the distribution unit, and a lower slit formed between the lower front edge of the downstream air duct and the lower end of the distribution unit.

[0023] In this configuration, the air heated by the heater can be distributed vertically by the distribution unit and then discharged in a balanced manner from the upper and lower slits.

[0024] (7) In the electric hot air fan described in (6) above, the front end of the downstream air guide may have protrusions on its upper and lower edges to suppress the angle of the hot air discharged from the upper slit and the lower slit with respect to the horizontal plane.

[0025] In this embodiment, warm air can be discharged from the upper and lower slits at an angle close to horizontal.

[0026] (8) In any of the electric hot air heaters described in (2) to (7) above, a porous protective member may be further provided, which is positioned between the heater and the distribution unit in the downstream air duct.

[0027] In this embodiment, while ensuring an air passage within the downstream air duct, the protective member can prevent foreign matter that enters from the discharge port from reaching the heater.

[0028] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, unnecessary details may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of already well-known matters or redundant explanations of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid the following explanation becoming unnecessarily verbose and to facilitate understanding for those skilled in the art. The accompanying drawings and the following explanation are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand this disclosure and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0029] <Electric fan heater> The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an electric fan heater 100 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the electric fan heater 100. Figure 3 is a rear view showing the configuration of the electric fan heater 100. Figure 4 is a side view showing the configuration of the electric fan heater 100.

[0030] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the electric hot air fan 100 comprises a housing 30 having an outlet 38 which is the outlet for hot air, and a distribution unit 80 positioned within the housing 30 corresponding to the outlet 38. In addition to the distribution unit 80, the housing 30 houses various internal devices for generating hot air (such as a blower 51 and a heater 55, which will be described later). The directions front, rear, left, right, up, and down shown in each figure are based on the assumption that the electric hot air fan 100 is installed on the floor, and that the direction in which the outlet 38 faces is defined as front. As shown in Figure 2, the housing 30 integrally comprises a front housing 31 and a rear housing 32 located behind the front housing 31.

[0031] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the front housing 31 has a front upper wall 31a, a front wall 31b, a front left wall 31c, a front right wall 31d, a front bottom wall 31e, and an intermediate rear wall 31f. The front wall 31b corresponds to an example of the "front surface" in this disclosure.

[0032] The front upper wall 31a has a rectangular shape that is elongated horizontally when viewed from above. A rotary operation switch 312 is provided on the front upper wall 31a. The operation switch 312 is provided to switch the operating mode of the electric fan heater 100. In this embodiment, the operating modes are "off mode" which turns off the power to the electric fan heater 100, "strong mode" which relatively increases the temperature of the hot air, and "weak mode" which relatively decreases the temperature of the hot air. The operation switch 312 is supported so as to be rotatable between three rotation angles corresponding to these three operating modes. The user can switch the operating mode of the electric fan heater between the off, strong, and weak modes described above by switching the rotation angle of the operation switch 312 between these three rotation angles.

[0033] The front wall 31b has a rectangular shape when viewed from the front. The discharge port 38 described above is formed at the lower part of the front wall 31b. The discharge port 38 is a rectangular opening that is elongated from left to right when viewed from the front.

[0034] The distribution unit 80 is positioned inside the front housing 31 at a location corresponding to the discharge port 38. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, which will be described later, the distribution unit 80 is positioned in the same location as the front wall 31b of the front housing 31 in the front-rear direction, more specifically, slightly behind and recessed from the front wall 31b. As a result, the distribution unit 80 divides the discharge port 38 into upper and lower slits. That is, the discharge port 38 has an upper slit 18 located above the distribution unit 80 and a lower slit 28 located below the distribution unit 80. The upper slit 18 is a rectangular opening that is elongated horizontally when viewed from the front. The lower slit 28 is a rectangular opening that is elongated horizontally when viewed from the front.

[0035] The front left wall 31c and the front right wall 31d have a rectangular shape that is elongated vertically when viewed from the side. The front bottom wall 31e has a rectangular shape that is elongated horizontally when viewed from below. The intermediate rear wall 31f has a frame shape with a rectangular opening when viewed from the rear. The front housing 31 and the rear housing 32 are in communication with each other through the opening in this intermediate rear wall 31f.

[0036] The rear enclosure 32 has a rear upper wall 32a, a rear left wall 32c, a rear right wall 32d, a rear bottom wall 32e, and a rear wall 32f.

[0037] The rear upper wall 32a has a rectangular shape that is elongated horizontally when viewed from above. The rear bottom wall 32e has a rectangular shape that is elongated horizontally when viewed from below. The rear wall 32f has a rectangular shape when viewed from the rear.

[0038] The rear right wall 32d has a vertically elongated rectangular shape in a side view. The rear left wall 32c also has a vertically elongated rectangular shape in a side view. The rear right wall 32d and the rear left wall 32c are formed such that the distance between them in the left-right direction becomes shorter towards the rear.

[0039] An air intake port 33 is provided on the rear right wall 32d for drawing air into the housing 30 from the outside. The air intake port 33 is rectangular in shape when viewed from the side. A filter is placed inside the air intake port 33.

[0040] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the electric fan heater 100. As shown in Figure 5, the electric fan heater 100 further includes an intake air passage 20, an air guide passage 40, a blower 51, and a heater 55 inside the housing 30.

[0041] <Air blower> The blower 51 includes a fan 511, a fan case 513, and a motor 515. The fan 511 is a centrifugal fan rotatable about a central axis extending in the front-rear direction. More specifically, the fan 511 is a sirocco fan. The fan case 513 is a spiral casing, for example, including a cylindrical wall, which houses the fan 511. The motor 515 rotates the fan 511. The fan 511 and the motor 515 are integrated together. The motor 515 is positioned between the fan case 513 and the front wall 31b.

[0042] An air intake opening is formed in the center of the front of the fan case 513. The fan case 513 is located behind the intake air passage 20, and the air intake opening and the intake air passage 20 are in communication. An air outlet is formed on the underside of the fan case 513 for expelling air.

[0043] <Intake air passage> The intake air passage 20 is an air passage through which air taken in by the fan 511 from the intake port 33 of the housing 30 flows. The intake air passage 20 communicates with the intake port 33 and, through the intake port 33, communicates with the outside space. In the intake air passage 20, the motor 515 of the blower 51 rotates the fan 511 at a predetermined rotational speed around a central axis extending in the front-rear direction, thereby drawing air from the outside space into the intake air passage 20 through the intake port 33. The air taken into the intake air passage 20 is then drawn into the fan case 513 from the inlet on the front of the fan case 513. The fan 511 then blows the air inside the fan case 513 downwards at an airflow rate corresponding to its rotational speed.

[0044] <Air guide path> The air guide 40 has an upstream air guide 41, an intermediate air guide 42, and a downstream air guide 43. The fan case 513, the upstream air guide 41, the intermediate air guide 42, and the downstream air guide 43 are connected in this order.

[0045] The upstream air guide 41 receives the air discharged from the fan 511 (blower 51). The upstream air guide 41 is positioned below the fan 511 and extends vertically. More specifically, the upstream air guide 41 is located below the fan case 513 and communicates with the aforementioned outlet of the fan case 513.

[0046] The intermediate air duct 42 is located downstream of the upstream air duct 41 and communicates with the upstream air duct 41. In this embodiment, the intermediate air duct 42 is formed continuously below the upstream air duct 41. The intermediate air duct 42 is formed to bend forward from the upstream air duct 41 in order to change the direction of the air sent out from the fan 511 (blower 51) and guide it forward. Specifically, the intermediate air duct 42 is formed to bend in an arc shape forward from the upstream air duct 41 in order to change the airflow from the fan 511 downwards to a forward flow.

[0047] The downstream air duct 43 is located downstream of the intermediate air duct 42 and communicates with the intermediate air duct 42. In this embodiment, the downstream air duct 43 is formed continuously in front of the intermediate air duct 42. The downstream air duct 43 extends in the front-rear direction from the intermediate air duct 42 to the discharge port 38. The downstream air duct 43 communicates with the upper slit 18 and the lower slit 28. The downstream air duct 43 is the portion of the air duct 40 where the heater 55 is located.

[0048] <Heater> Figure 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the lower part of the electric fan heater 100. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the heater 55 heats the air flowing through the downstream air guide 43. Specifically, the heater 55 is a heating element configured to generate heat when electricity is applied. The heater 55 is a flat plate-shaped heater that is long in the left-right direction and is configured to allow air to pass through and to heat the air that has passed through. The heater 55 is, for example, a ceramic heater.

[0049] The heater 55 is located upstream of the discharge port 38 (distribution section 80) in the downstream air guide 43. As a result, the air that passes through the heater 55 is sent to the discharge port 38 as warm air.

[0050] Furthermore, the heater 55 has a first heater 55a located at the bottom of the downstream air guide 43 and a second heater 55b located above the first heater 55a. When the off mode is selected as the operating mode by the operation switch 312 described above, the heater 55 is controlled so that both the first heater 55a and the second heater 55b are de-energized. When the low mode is selected, the heater 55 is controlled so that the first heater 55a is energized and the second heater 55b is de-energized. When the high mode is selected, the heater 55 is controlled so that both the first heater 55a and the second heater 55b are energized. As an example, in low mode, the heater 55 heats the air at approximately 770W. On the other hand, in high mode, the heater 55 heats the air at approximately 1200W.

[0051] <Control circuit section> The blower 51 and heater 55 described above are controlled by a control circuit unit (not shown). Specifically, the control circuit unit includes a microcomputer having a processor and memory. The processor executes a program stored in memory to control the blower 51 and heater 55.

[0052] The control circuit is positioned at an appropriate location within the housing 30. For example, the control circuit is positioned in close proximity to the motor 515 of the blower 51.

[0053] <Distribution section> Figure 7 is an enlarged plan cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the lower part of the electric fan heater 100. As shown in Figures 1 and 5 through 7, the distribution unit 80 is positioned between the heater 55 and the discharge port 38 in the downstream air duct 43. More specifically, the distribution unit 80 is positioned near the downstream end (front end) of the downstream air duct 43 so as to partially block the downstream air duct 43.

[0054] As shown in Figure 1, the distribution unit 80 has a rectangular shape that is elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from the front. As described above, by positioning the distribution unit 80 near the downstream end of the downstream air guide 43, which is close to the discharge port 38, the discharge port 38 is divided into an upper slit 18 and a lower slit 28. That is, the upper slit 18 is formed between the upper front edge of the downstream air guide 43 and the upper end of the distribution unit 80, and the lower slit 28 is formed between the lower front edge of the downstream air guide 43 and the lower end of the distribution unit 80. In the discharge port 38, the upper slit 18 and the lower slit 28 are positioned at a distance from each other in the vertical direction.

[0055] The upper slit 18 is a slit-shaped opening that extends in the left-right direction. The lower slit 28 is a slit-shaped opening that extends in the left-right direction.

[0056] The distribution unit 80 has the function of reducing the difference between the airflow rate of warm air discharged from the upper part of the discharge port 38 and the airflow rate of warm air discharged from the lower part of the discharge port 38. More specifically, the distribution unit 80 reduces the difference between the airflow rate of warm air discharged from the upper slit 18 and the airflow rate of warm air discharged from the lower slit 28.

[0057] Specifically, the distribution section 80 is a member that is roughly triangular in shape when viewed from the side. The distribution section 80 has a front surface 83, a first inclined surface 81, a second inclined surface 82, an upper surface 84, and a lower surface 85.

[0058] The front surface 83 is erected vertically near the front end of the downstream air guide 43. More specifically, the front surface 83 is a flat surface substantially parallel to the front wall 31b and is positioned slightly behind the front wall 31b. The front surface 83 extends vertically between the upper slit 18 and the lower slit 28.

[0059] The first inclined surface 81 is a rectangular plane. The first inclined surface 81 is inclined such that its upper end is located further forward than its lower end. Specifically, the first inclined surface 81 is located behind the front surface 83, and the distance from the front surface 83 in the front-to-back direction decreases towards the upper side.

[0060] The second inclined surface 82 is located below the first inclined surface 81 and is connected to the first inclined surface 81. The second inclined surface 82 is a rectangular plane. The second inclined surface 82 is located behind the front surface 83, and the distance from the front surface 83 in the front-to-back direction increases towards the top.

[0061] The upper surface 84 is a surface that extends approximately horizontally, connecting the upper end of the front surface 83 and the upper end of the first inclined surface 81. The lower surface 85 is a surface that extends approximately horizontally, connecting the lower end of the front surface 83 and the lower end of the second inclined surface 82. The upper surface 84 and the lower surface 85 face each other with a vertical distance corresponding to the front surface 83.

[0062] The first inclined surface 81 has the function of generating an airflow that moves diagonally upward along the first inclined surface 81, that is, an airflow that moves from the lower part of the downstream air guide 43 toward the upper slit 18. The second inclined surface 82 has the function of generating an airflow that moves diagonally downward along the second inclined surface 82, that is, an airflow toward the lower slit 28.

[0063] The first inclined surface 81 and the second inclined surface 82 are connected by a boundary section TP. The boundary section TP is the rearmost part of the distribution section 80. In the vertical direction, the boundary section TP is located below the center of the downstream air guide 43. That is, the vertical length of the first inclined surface 81 is longer than the vertical length of the second inclined surface 82. This makes it easier to generate an airflow that moves diagonally upward along the first inclined surface 81.

[0064] The first inclined surface 81 extends vertically from the position in front of the first heater 55a to the position in front of the second heater 55b. In other words, the boundary TP between the first inclined surface 81 and the second inclined surface 82 is located in front of the first heater 55a. As a result, the distance in the front-to-back direction from the second heater 55b to the first inclined surface 81 is longer than the distance in the front-to-back direction from the first heater 55a to the first inclined surface 81.

[0065] When the low mode is selected as the operating mode for the electric fan heater 100, a portion of the air heated by the energized first heater 55a is guided upward along the first inclined surface 81, merges with the (relatively lower temperature) air that has passed through the unenergized second heater 55b, and is then discharged from the upper slit 18. The remaining portion of the air heated by the first heater 55a is guided downward along the second inclined surface 82 and is then discharged from the lower slit 28. Thus, the difference in airflow and temperature that may occur between the upper slit 18 and the lower slit 28 is suppressed.

[0066] On the other hand, when the high mode is selected as the operating mode of the electric fan heater 100, a portion of the air heated by the energized first heater 55a is guided upward along the first inclined surface 81, merges with the air that has passed through and is heated by the energized second heater 55b, and is then discharged from the upper slit 18. The remaining portion of the air heated by the first heater 55a is guided downward along the second inclined surface 82 and is then discharged from the lower slit 28. Thus, any difference in airflow that may occur between the upper slit 18 and the lower slit 28 is suppressed.

[0067] <Detailed structure of the downstream air duct> As shown in Figures 5 to 7, the downstream air duct 43 has a front air duct section 43a, a diffuser section 91, and a rear air duct section 43b. The front air duct section 43a, the diffuser section 91, and the rear air duct section 43b are arranged in this order from the downstream side (front side) closest to the discharge port 38.

[0068] The diffuser section 91 is located between the heater 55 and the distribution section 80. The front end of the diffuser section 91 is connected to the rear end of the front air passage section 43a, and the rear end of the diffuser section 91 is connected to the front end of the rear air passage section 43b. The diffuser section 91 is a rectangular ring-shaped body extending along the front-rear direction. The cross-sectional area of ​​the diffuser section 91 increases towards the front. Specifically, the cross-sectional area of ​​the rear side of the diffuser section 91 is approximately the same as the area of ​​the front surface 83 of the distribution section 80. The cross-sectional area of ​​the front side of the diffuser section 91 is larger than the area of ​​the front surface 83 of the distribution section 80.

[0069] Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the structure of the diffuser section 91. As shown in Figures 6 to 8, the diffuser section 91 has an upper wall 91a, a lower wall 91b, a left wall 91c, and a right wall 91d. The upper wall 91a and the lower wall 91b are opposite each other in the vertical direction, and are formed so that the distance between them in the vertical direction increases towards the front. The left wall 91c and the right wall 91d are opposite each other in the horizontal direction, and are formed so that the distance between them in the horizontal direction increases towards the front.

[0070] As a result, the air flowing through the diffuser section 91 diffuses vertically and horizontally while hitting the first inclined surface 81 and the second inclined surface 82 of the distribution section 80. The air that hits the first inclined surface 81 is guided upward along the first inclined surface 81, then guided forward along the upper surface 84, and heads toward the upper slit 18. Similarly, the air that hits the second inclined surface 82 is guided downward along the second inclined surface 82, then guided forward along the lower surface 85, and heads toward the lower slit 28. In this way, in this embodiment, the air heated by the heater 55 can be diffused in the diffuser section 91 and then discharged from the upper slit 18 and the lower slit 28.

[0071] A protective member 92 is provided inside the downstream air duct 43. The protective member 92 is positioned between the heater 55 and the distribution unit 80 in the downstream air duct 43. In this embodiment, the protective member 92 is integrally attached to the rear of the diffuser unit 91. The protective member 92 is a rectangular flat plate perpendicular to the front-rear direction and has a porous shape with numerous holes penetrating in the front-rear direction. The porous shape may be a grid shape or a honeycomb shape. Specifically, the shape of the holes in the protective member 92 may be square, hexagonal, or circular. The maximum diameter of the cross-sectional area of ​​the holes is, for example, 5 mm or more and 5.5 mm or less.

[0072] Projections 93 are formed on the upper and lower edges of the front end air passage section 43a of the downstream air guide 43. Hereinafter, the upper projection 93 will be referred to as the upper projection 93a, and the lower projection 93 as the lower projection 93b. The upper projection 93a protrudes downward from the front upper edge of the front end air passage section 43a so as to narrow the vertical opening width (slit width) of the upper slit 18. The lower projection 93b protrudes upward from the front lower edge of the front end air passage section 43a so as to narrow the vertical opening width (slit width) of the lower slit 28. Each projection 93a and 93b is formed such that its front-to-back dimension gradually decreases toward the center of the discharge port 38. That is, the front-to-back dimension of the upper projection 93a becomes smaller towards the bottom, and the front-to-back dimension of the lower projection 93b becomes smaller towards the top.

[0073] Each of the protrusions 93a and 93b has the function of changing the direction of the warm air discharged from the upper slit 18 and the lower slit 28 to a direction close to horizontal. That is, the warm air flowing diagonally upward along the first inclined surface 81 of the distribution unit 80, i.e., the warm air heading towards the upper slit 18, is changed direction from diagonally upward to a direction close to horizontal when it hits the upper protrusion 93a. Similarly, the warm air flowing diagonally downward along the second inclined surface 82 of the distribution unit 80, i.e., the warm air heading towards the lower slit 28, is changed direction from diagonally downward to a direction close to horizontal when it hits the lower protrusion 93b.

[0074] <Effects and Effects> As described above, the electric hot air fan 100 of this embodiment employs a layout in which air sent downward from the fan 511 is redirected forward in the air passage 4. In such a layout, if the air (hot air) that has passed through the air passage 4 is discharged directly from the outlet 38, the amount of air discharged from the lower slit 28 will be significantly greater than the amount of air discharged from the upper slit 18, potentially increasing the difference in airflow between the upper slit 18 and the lower slit 28. In contrast, according to this embodiment, in which a distribution unit 80 is positioned between the heater 55 and the outlet 38 in the air passage 4, the difference in airflow between the upper slit 18 and the lower slit 28 can be reduced by discharging the hot air that has passed through the distribution unit 80 from the outlet 38, thereby enabling a balanced supply of hot air from both the upper slit 18 and the lower slit 28.

[0075] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a distribution unit 80 having a first inclined surface 81 that slopes upward is arranged in the downstream air passage 43 through which air that has been redirected from below to the front flows. This makes it possible to generate an airflow that moves diagonally upward along the first inclined surface 81, that is, an airflow that moves from the lower part of the downstream air passage 43 toward the upper slit 18. This increases the amount of airflow from the upper slit 18, which tends to be small, and allows for a balanced supply of warm air from both the upper slit 18 and the lower slit 28.

[0076] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first inclined surface 81 of the distribution unit 80 is positioned to extend from a position in front of the first heater 55a located at the lower part of the downstream air duct 43 to a position in front of the second heater 55b located at the upper part of the downstream air duct 43. Therefore, the air that has passed through the first heater 55a and the second heater 55b can be appropriately distributed to the upper slit 18 and the lower slit 28. In other words, in this embodiment, the air heated by the heater 55, including the first heater 55a and the second heater 55b, can be distributed vertically by the distribution unit 80 and then discharged in a balanced manner from the upper slit 18 and the lower slit 28.

[0077] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the low mode is selected as the operating mode of the electric fan heater 100, the lower first heater 55a is energized and the upper second heater 55b is de-energized. At this time, a portion of the air heated by the energized first heater 55a is guided upward along the first inclined surface 81, merges with the (relatively lower temperature) air that has passed through the de-energized second heater 55b, and is then discharged from the upper slit 18. The remaining portion of the air heated by the first heater 55a passes below the first inclined surface 81 and is discharged from the lower slit 28. This makes it possible to suppress the difference in airflow and temperature that may occur between the upper slit 18 and the lower slit 28.

[0078] Furthermore, in this embodiment, protrusions 93 (upper protrusion 93a and lower protrusion 93b) are formed on the upper and lower edges of the front end of the downstream air guide 43, respectively. As a result, the angle of the warm air discharged from the upper slit 18 and lower slit 28 with respect to the horizontal plane can be suppressed by the protrusions 93, and warm air can be discharged from the upper slit 18 and lower slit 28 at an angle close to horizontal. As a result, when the electric fan heater 100 is installed on the floor, the feet can be adequately warmed.

[0079] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a porous protective member 92 is placed between the heater 55 and the distribution unit 80 in the downstream air duct 43. This ensures that an air passage is maintained within the downstream air duct 43, while the protective member 92 prevents foreign objects (such as fingers or coins) that enter from the discharge port 38 from reaching the heater 55.

[0080] <Variation> Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, but the disclosure is not limited thereto, and for example, the following modifications can be adopted.

[0081] (1) In one embodiment of the electric hot air fan 100, the distribution unit 80 is made up of a member that is substantially triangular in shape when viewed from the side, but the shape of the distribution unit 80 is not limited to this, and may be made up of a plate-like body having a first inclined surface 81, for example.

[0082] (2) In one embodiment of the electric fan heater 100, the upper slit 18 is composed of a single slit extending horizontally, but the form of the upper slit 18 is not limited to this, and may include, for example, multiple slits. Similarly, the lower slit 28 is composed of a single slit extending horizontally, but the form of the lower slit 28 is not limited to this, and may include, for example, multiple slits.

[0083] (3) In one embodiment of the electric fan heater 100, the upper slit 18 and the lower slit 28 have the same vertical opening width, but are not limited to this, for example the vertical opening width of the upper slit 18 may be narrower than the vertical opening width of the lower slit 28, or the vertical opening width of the upper slit 18 may be wider than the vertical opening width of the lower slit 28.

[0084] (4) In the electric fan heater 100 of one embodiment, the upper slit 18 and the lower slit 28 have the same left-right opening width as each other, but are not limited to this, for example the left-right opening width of the upper slit 18 may be narrower than the left-right opening width of the lower slit 28, or the left-right opening width of the upper slit 18 may be wider than the left-right opening width of the lower slit 28.

[0085] (5) In one embodiment of the electric hot air fan 100, the downstream air passage 43 includes an upper projection 93a, but the form of the downstream air passage 43 is not limited to this, and the downstream air passage 43 may not include an upper projection 93a. Similarly, the downstream air passage 43 includes a lower projection 93b, but the form of the downstream air passage 43 is not limited to this, and the downstream air passage 43 may not include a lower projection 93b.

[0086] (6) The electric hot air fan 100 of one embodiment may be equipped with an electrostatic atomizer. [Industrial applicability]

[0087] This disclosure is useful for electric hot air heaters that supply hot air. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 18 Upper slit 28 Lower slit 30 cabinets 31b Front wall (front) 38 Discharge port 40 Air guide path 41 Upstream air guide path 42 Intermediate air guide 43 Downstream air guide path 55 Heater 55a First heater 55b Second heater 80 Distribution section 81 1st slope (slope) 83 Front 91 Diffuser section 92 Protective component 93 Protrusion 100 Electric fan heaters 511 Fans

Claims

1. A fan that takes in air from the outside and pushes the taken-in air downwards, An air guide is positioned below the fan and directs the air blown out from the fan forward, A heater that heats the air flowing through the aforementioned air duct, A housing that houses the fan, the air duct, and the heater, and has a discharge port on its front for discharging warm air containing air heated by the heater, An electric hot air heater comprising: a distribution unit positioned between the heater and the discharge port in the air guide path, which has the function of reducing the difference between the airflow rate of hot air discharged from the upper part of the discharge port and the airflow rate of hot air discharged from the lower part of the discharge port.

2. In the electric fan heater according to claim 1, The air guide passage includes an upstream air guide passage that receives the air discharged from the fan, an intermediate air guide passage that bends forward from the upstream air guide passage, and a downstream air guide passage that extends forward from the intermediate air guide passage to the discharge port. The distribution section is positioned to partially block the downstream air guide path and has an inclined surface such that its upper end is located further forward than its lower end, in an electric hot air fan.

3. In the electric fan heater according to claim 2, The heater comprises a first heater located at the lower part of the downstream air guide and a second heater located above the first heater. The distribution unit has the inclined surface extending from a position in front of the first heater to a position in front of the second heater, in an electric hot air fan.

4. In the electric fan heater according to claim 3, The heater has an operating mode in which the first heater is energized and the second heater is not energized. An electric fan heater in which the distance in the front-to-back direction from the second heater to the inclined surface is longer than the distance in the front-to-back direction from the first heater to the inclined surface.

5. In the electric fan heater according to any one of claims 2 to 4, The downstream air guide has a diffuser section located between the heater and the distribution section, the cross-sectional area of ​​which increases towards the front, in an electric hot air fan.

6. In the electric fan heater according to any one of claims 2 to 4, The distribution section is a member that is substantially triangular in side view, having a front surface erected vertically near the front end of the downstream air guide and an inclined surface located behind the front surface, the distance from the front surface in the front-rear direction decreasing as it rises. The discharge port has an upper slit formed between the upper front edge of the downstream air duct and the upper end of the distribution section, and a lower slit formed between the lower front edge of the downstream air duct and the lower end of the distribution section, in an electric hot air fan.

7. In the electric fan heater according to claim 6, An electric hot air fan, wherein the front end of the downstream air guide has protrusions on its upper and lower edges to suppress the angle of the hot air discharged from the upper slit and the lower slit with respect to the horizontal plane.

8. In the electric fan heater according to any one of claims 2 to 4, An electric hot air fan further comprising a porous protective member disposed between the heater and the distribution section in the downstream air duct.

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