Air purifiers

Abstract

To provide an air purifier capable of making a surrounding fragrant while efficiently purifying the air without preventing an air flow.SOLUTION: An air purifier 10 includes: a purification part 20 configured to purify and discharge ambient air; and an aromatic part 30 configured to diffuse an aromatic agent. The purification part 20 includes: a main body part 21 formed in a cylindrical shape; a partition wall 22 arranged along an axis line of the main body part 21, partitioning a spiral ventilation path R1, and coated with a photocatalyst; an inner cylindrical part 23 arranged at a spiral center location of the partition wall 22; an air intake fan 24 configured to suck and blow the air to the ventilation path R1; an illumination part 25 configured to irradiate the partition wall 22 with ultraviolet light; and a discharge part 26 configured to discharge the purified air. In the aromatic part 30, a container part 31 configured to store the aromatic agent and a spray part 32 configured to spray the aromatic agent from the container part 31 with compressed air are built in the inner cylindrical part 23. A spray port 261a configured to spray the aromatic agent is formed at the discharge part 26.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air purifier having a fragrance function. [Background technology]

[0002] An air purifier sterilizes and deodorizes the air it takes in, and releases the purified air back into the atmosphere. For example, the air purifier described in Patent Document 1 is known, which purifies the air by irradiating ultraviolet rays onto a photocatalyst applied to the air passage.

[0003] The deodorizing device described in Patent Document 1 comprises an air casing that includes an air filter, an odor decomposition unit, a blower fan, an odor adsorption layer, and a fragrance emitting layer. The odor decomposition unit includes an inner tube that is transparent to ultraviolet light and has an ultraviolet lamp on its central axis, an outer tube, and spiral fins that circumscribe the inner tube and inscribe the outer tube. The fragrance emitting layer is provided at the exhaust port and emits the fragrance when the air is exhausted by passing it through cloth or paper that has been permeated with the fragrance. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-58728 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The deodorizing device described in Patent Document 1 has titanium oxide applied to both sides of the spiral fins and the inner surface of the outer tube, and when illuminated with an ultraviolet lamp, it increases the opportunities for gases to come into contact and promotes air purification.The fragrance is released when the air is exhausted by passing it through cloth or paper that has been permeated with a fragrance.

[0006] However, the deodorizing device described in Patent Document 1 does not make the fragrance last just by permeating the fabric or paper with the fragrance. It is possible to have a container filled with the fragrance and have the fragrance permeate the fabric or paper while pumping the fragrance out of the container, but placing the container near the exhaust port will hinder the air flow, reducing efficiency.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE An object of the present invention is to provide an air purifier that can efficiently purify the air and fragrantly circulate the surroundings without impeding the flow of air. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The air purifier of the present invention comprises a purification section which purifies and releases ambient air sucked into an air passage, and an aroma section which diffuses an aromatic agent, the purification section comprising a main body section formed in a cylindrical shape, a partition wall which is arranged along the axis of the main body section and divides the spiral air passage, and which is coated with a photocatalyst, an inner tube section which is arranged at the spiral center of the partition wall, an intake fan which sucks air into the air passage and blows it therethrough, an illumination section which irradiates ultraviolet rays toward the partition wall, and a release section which releases purified air from the air passage, the aroma section comprising a container section which stores the aromatic agent and a spray section which sprays the aromatic agent from the container section which are built into the inner tube section, and a spray nozzle for spraying the aromatic agent is formed in the release section.

[0009] According to the air purifier of the present invention, when air passes through the air passageway due to the partition wall coated with photocatalyst, ultraviolet light is irradiated by the illumination unit, so that the air that comes into contact with the partition wall is sterilized and deodorized. Since the aromatic agent is stored in the container unit, a sufficient amount of aromatic agent can be stored. In addition, since the aromatic agent is built into the inner cylinder unit and the spray nozzle of the aromatic agent is formed in the release unit, the aromatic agent can be positioned without narrowing the air passageway.

[0010] The discharge section may be formed with a discharge passage for discharging the purified air from the air passage so as to gradually expand outward as the purified air from the air passage advances, and the spray nozzle may be formed in a central portion of the discharge section surrounded by the discharge passage. Since the discharge path is formed so as to gradually expand outward as the purified air from the ventilation path advances, the purified air from the ventilation path can be uniformly expanded from the discharge part toward the surroundings, and the mist-like aromatic agent can be diffused on the purified air.

[0011] The intake fan is attached to the base end of the partition wall, a partition is formed separating the air passage from the suction space, and an electrical circuit for causing the lighting section to emit light is disposed in the suction space. The air drawn into the intake space by the intake fan flows from the intake space in which the electrical circuit is located into the air passage, so that the electrical circuit, which generates heat when an electric current is passed through it to turn on the lighting section, can be cooled by the drawn-in air.

[0012] The inner tube portion is formed to a length from the partition to the discharge portion, and a base end portion of the inner tube portion located above the intake fan can be formed with an inclined surface extending downward from the outer wall surface of the inner tube portion toward the center. Even if the diameter of the intake fan is wider than the width of the air passage and overlaps with the partition wall, the air from the intake fan flows into the air passage along the inclined surface, so the airflow from the intake fan is not impeded, and a sufficient amount of air can be sent to the air passage.

[0013] The fragrance unit may include a container unit in which the fragrance is stored, a spray unit that uses compressed air to eject the fragrance pumped up from the container unit in a mist form, and an intermediate unit that transmits compressed air from the pump to the spray unit, and the intermediate unit may include a connecting pipe connected to the pump, an internal space of the inner tube unit to which the connecting pipe is connected, and an introduction pipe that introduces the internal space into the spray unit. When the pump is operated, compressed air is sent through the connecting pipe to the internal space of the inner cylinder, and then introduced into the spray section through the introduction pipe. Therefore, since a relay section that passes through the internal space is formed between the pump and the spray section, it is not necessary to arrange a long pipe in the inner cylinder.

[0014] The illumination unit is an LED arranged along the axis of the main body unit, and the LED includes a first LED arranged on the inhalation side and a second LED arranged at a position closer to the emission side than the inhalation side, the first LED being a light-emitting diode that emits UVC light, and the second LED being a light-emitting diode that emits UVA or blue light. The first LED is a light-emitting diode that emits UVC light, so it can sterilize the air flowing through the air passage, and the second LED is a light-emitting diode that emits UVA or blue light, so it can sterilize and deodorize the air that comes into contact with the partition wall. In addition, since the first LED that emits UVC is positioned on the intake side, it can be positioned deeper than the emission path, so that the first LED that emits UVC, which has a greater impact on people, can be placed away from the emission section. Effect of the Invention

[0015] In the air purifier of the present invention, a container section in which the fragrance is stored and a spray section which sprays the fragrance are built into the inner cylinder, and the spray nozzle of the fragrance section is formed in the release section. Therefore, the fragrance section can be positioned without narrowing the air passage, and the air can be purified efficiently without impeding the flow of air, while fragrance the surroundings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing an air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (A) is a perspective view seen from diagonally above, and (B) is a perspective view seen from diagonally below. [Diagram 2] 2A and 2B are diagrams of the air purifier shown in FIG. 1, in which (A) is a diagram with the outer cylinder and the suction side cover omitted, (B) is a vertical cross-sectional view, and (C) is a diagram of (A) viewed from below. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the air purifier shown in FIG. 1, illustrating the flow of compressed air from a pump. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] An air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The air purifier 10 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 takes in ambient air from the bottom, purifies it, and releases it from the top surface while also dispersing a fragrance from the top surface.

[0018] The air purifier 10 includes a purification unit 20 that purifies and releases ambient air drawn into an air passage R1 shown in FIG. 2(B), and a fragrance unit 30 that diffuses an aromatic agent. The purification section 20 shown in Figures 2(A) to (C) comprises a main body 21 (see Figure 1) formed in a cylindrical shape, a partition wall 22 arranged along the axis of the main body 21 and dividing a spiral air passage R1, an inner tube section 23 arranged at the spiral center position of the partition wall 22, an intake fan 24 that draws air into the air passage R1 and blows it out, an illumination section 25 that irradiates ultraviolet rays toward the partition wall 22, and a discharge section 26 from which purified air from the air passage R1 is discharged.

[0019] The main body 21 includes an outer tube portion 211 (see Figure 1) which serves as a casing, a frame portion 212 which is arranged on the outer tube portion 211 and which supports the inner tube portion 23 and the illumination portion 25, and an intake side cover 213 (see Figures 1 and 2(B)) which is a bottom cover which covers the bottom space formed by the frame portion 212.

[0020] The frame portion 212 is formed along the axis L (see Figure 1 (A)) of the outer tube portion 211, and includes four support pillars 2121 arranged every 90° on the inner wall side, and a partition wall 2122 which is the base end of the partition wall 22 and has an intake fan 24 attached. The support pillar 2121 is erected on the suction side cover 213. The partition wall 2122 is formed with a through hole 2122a for allowing the air drawn in by the intake fan 24 to pass therethrough.

[0021] The partition wall 2122 separates the air passage R1 defined by the partition wall 22 from the suction space S1. The suction space S1 also functions as a storage space S2 because an electric circuit E is disposed in the suction space S1. The suction space S1 and the storage space S2 are surrounded and covered by the suction side cover 213.

[0022] 1(A) and 1(B), the suction side cover 213 is formed in a dish shape with a surrounding wall 2131 erected on the periphery of a bottom surface 2132. In the surrounding wall 2131, slits 2131a serving as suction ports are formed so as to be aligned on the surrounding surface. In addition, the surrounding wall 2131 is formed with an opening 2131b that exposes a connector C to which a USB cable (not shown) is connected in order to input power.

[0023] 2(A) to 2(C), the electric circuit E is mounted on the substrate B and attached to the leg 2121a of the support 2121. In addition to the connector C described above being connected to the electric circuit E, it also includes a pump P for drawing up the aromatic agent in the fragrance unit 30 and a control circuit for periodically operating the pump P.

[0024] The partition wall 22 is formed so as to move from the partition wall 2122 toward the release part 26 while rotating around the inner cylinder part 23. The partition wall 22 is coated with a photocatalyst such as titanium dioxide. In this embodiment, the partition wall 22 is coated with a photocatalyst, but the photocatalyst may be coated on the outer wall surface 23b of the inner cylinder part 23, the inner wall surface 211a of the outer cylinder part 211, or the like.

[0025] 2(B), the inner cylinder portion 23 is formed in a cylindrical shape and has the aroma portion 30 built in. The inner cylinder portion 23 is formed to have a length from the partition wall 2122 to the release portion 26. The bottom portion 23a (base end portion) on the suction side of the inner cylinder portion 23, which is located above the intake fan 24, has an inclined surface 23c that slopes downward from the outer wall surface 23b of the inner cylinder portion 23 toward the center so as not to obstruct the blowing of air by the intake fan 24.

[0026] The illumination units 25 are LEDs (light emitting diodes) that emit ultraviolet light and are arranged in a row along an axis L (see FIG. 1(A)) on the inner surface of the support unit 2121, three of which are arranged in a row. The illumination unit 25 (LED) shown in Figures 2(A) and 2(C) has a first LED 251 arranged on the inhalation side and a second LED 252 arranged on the emission side, which is closer to the emission side than the inhalation side, and in the center. The first LED 251 is a light emitting diode that emits ultraviolet light of UVC (wavelength 200 to 280 nm). The second LED 252 is a light emitting diode that emits ultraviolet light of UVA (wavelength 315 to 380 nm) or visible blue light (wavelength 380 to 500 nm).

[0027] 2(A) and 2(B), the emission section 26 is disposed at the upper end of the frame section 212 (the support section 2121). The emission section 26 includes an inner emission section 261 located at the center of the top surface (the end surface on the emission side), and an outer emission section 262 surrounding the inner emission section 261 at a predetermined interval. The discharge path R2 formed by the gap between the inner discharge part 261 and the outer discharge part 262 is formed in a circular shape so as to expand outward as the radius from the axis L (see FIG. 1(A)) of the main body part 21 gradually increases as the purified air from the air passage R1 advances. A spray nozzle 261a is formed in the center of the discharge part 26 (inner discharge part 261) surrounded by the discharge path R2, through which the aromatic agent sprayed from the fragrance part 30 is discharged.

[0028] A power-on button B1 and a power-off button B2 are disposed on the outer discharge portion 262, and are connected to an electric circuit E by wiring (not shown).

[0029] The fragrance unit 30 is an electric spray bottle that sprays the fragrance. The fragrance unit 30 includes a container unit 31 (see FIG. 3(A)) in which the fragrance is stored, a spray unit 32 that discharges the fragrance pumped up from the container unit 31 in the form of a mist using compressed air, and a relay unit 33 that transmits the compressed air from the pump P to the spray unit 32. The container part 31 is disposed at the lower part of the inner cylinder part 23. The spray part 32 is connected to the upper end of the container part 31. A tube 321 extends from the spray part 32 to the container part 31.

[0030] The relay section 33 is a connecting pipe 331 connected to the pump P, and an internal space 332 of the inner tube section 23 to which the connecting pipe 331 is connected, and is equipped with an internal space 332 between the inner wall surface 23d of the inner tube section 23 and the container section 31 and spray section 32, and an introduction pipe 333 that introduces the internal space 332 into the spray section 32.

[0031] The operation and usage of the air purifier according to the embodiment of the present invention configured as above will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0032] First, when using air purifier 10 shown in Fig. 1, a user presses power-on button B1. When the pressing of power-on button B1 shown in Fig. 2(A) and (B) is transmitted to electric circuit E, electric circuit E operates intake fan 24 and turns on illumination unit 25. In addition, electric circuit E starts a timer that sprays aromatic agent from fragrance unit 30.

[0033] The timer outputs an injection command according to, for example, the injection time and the pause time. In this embodiment, the timer counts according to a pattern selected from a combination of an injection time of 10 seconds and a pause time of 50 seconds, an injection time of 20 seconds, a pause time of 40 seconds, an injection time of 30 seconds, and a pause time of 30 seconds in one minute.

[0034] When the intake fan 24 starts to rotate, the surrounding air is sucked in through the slit 2131a, which is the intake port of the intake side cover 213 (see FIG. 1). The sucked in air is then flowed into the air passage R1 via the intake fan 24 from the intake space S1, which includes the storage space S2 in which the electric circuit E is arranged. Therefore, the electric circuit E, which generates heat when a current is passed through it to light the illumination unit 25, can be cooled by the air sucked into the suction side cover 213.

[0035] Air drawn in from the intake fan 24 flows into the air passage R1. An inclined surface 23c is formed on the bottom 23a of the inner cylinder portion 23 located above the intake fan 24. Therefore, even if the diameter of the intake fan 24 is wider than the width of the air passage R1 and overlaps with the partition wall 22, the air from the intake fan 24 flows along the inclined surface 23c into the air passage R1, and thus does not impede the blowing of the intake fan 24. Therefore, a sufficient amount of air can be blown into the air passage R1.

[0036] The air that has flowed into the air passage R1 passes around the first LED 251 of the illumination unit 25. At that time, the air passing through the air passage R1 and located within the irradiation range of the first LED 251 can be sterilized by being irradiated with UVC ultraviolet light. In addition, as the air travels through the air passage R1, it passes around the second LED 252 of the illumination unit 25. By being irradiated with UVA ultraviolet light or blue light by the second LED 252, the air that has come into contact with the partition wall 22 coated with a photocatalyst can be sterilized and deodorized.

[0037] The air flowing through the spiral air passage R1 formed by the photocatalyst-coated partition wall 22 has a greater chance of contacting the air passage R1 than air flowing in a straight line, thereby improving the sterilization and deodorization effects.

[0038] Moreover, the first LED 251 that emits UVC ultraviolet rays is located at the innermost side from the emission unit 26. Therefore, the first LED 251 that emits UVC rays that have a high degree of influence on people can be placed away from the emission unit 26.

[0039] The sterilized and deodorized air is discharged from the discharge part 26 to the surroundings of the air purifier 10. The discharge path R2 of the discharge part 26 is formed to expand outward. Therefore, the purified air can be spread evenly toward the surroundings of the air purifier 10.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 3(A), in fragrance section 30, pump P operates to send compressed air through connecting pipe 331 to internal space 332 of inner cylinder section 23 to which connecting pipe 331 is connected. Next, as shown in Fig. 3(B), the compressed air passes through internal space 332 between inner wall surface 23d of inner cylinder section 23 and the outer surfaces of container section 31 and spray section 32, and is sent to introduction pipe 333. Then, when the compressed air is introduced into tube 321, the aromatic agent stored in container section 31 is dispersed from spray nozzle 261a, as shown in Fig. 3(A). In this way, since a relay section 33 passing through the internal space 332 is formed between the pump P and the spray section 32, it is not necessary to place a long pipe between the connecting pipe 331 and the introduction pipe 333 in the inner cylinder section 23.

[0041] In container unit 31, the aromatic agent is pushed up by tube 321 from spray unit 32 extending from inlet pipe 333, and is sprayed in mist form from spray nozzle 261a of release unit 26. In release unit 26, as described above, the sterilized and deodorized air spreads evenly from release unit 26 toward the periphery of air purifier 10. Therefore, the aromatic agent in mist form can be diffused on the purified air without the fragrance being obstructed by the air in the room. Therefore, the pure fragrance of the aromatic agent spreads around the air purifier 10, allowing the user to enjoy the fragrance itself.

[0042] The fragrance unit 30 can store a sufficient amount of fragrance because the fragrance is stored in the container unit 31. Moreover, the fragrance unit 30 is built into the inner cylinder unit 23, and the spray nozzle 261a of the fragrance unit 30 is formed in the release unit 26, so that the fragrance unit 30 can be disposed without narrowing the air passage R1. Therefore, the air purifier 10 can efficiently purify the air and scent the surroundings without impeding the air flow. [Industrial Applicability]

[0043] The air purifier of the present invention has a function of purifying the air while providing fragrance, and therefore can be installed in various locations and is particularly suitable for ordinary homes. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 10. Air Purifier 20 Purification Department 21 Main body 211 External cylinder 211a Inner wall surface 212 Frame section 2121 Post section 2121a Legs 2122 Bulkhead 2122a Through hole 213 Intake side cover 2131 Perimeter wall 2131a Slit 2131b opening 2132 Bottom 22 Compartment Wall 23 Inner cylinder 23a bottom 23b Exterior wall surface 23c Slope 23d Inner wall 24 Intake fan 25 Illumination section 251 1st LED 252 2nd LED 26 Emission part 261 Inner discharge part 261a Spray nozzle 262 Outer discharge part 30 Aromatic part 31 Container section 32 Spray section 321 Tube 33 Relay Section 331 Connecting Pipe 332 Interior Space 333 Introductory pipe L axis R1 Air passage R2 discharge path S1 Inhalation space S2 Storage space E Electrical circuit P-Pump C Connector B Substrate B1 Power On Button B2 Power off button

Claims

1. The device is provided with a purification unit that purifies and releases the ambient air drawn into the air passage, and an aroma unit that diffuses an aromatic agent, The purification unit includes a main body formed in a cylindrical shape, a partition wall disposed along the axis of the main body, partitioning the spiral air passage and coated with a photocatalyst, an inner cylinder disposed at the spiral center of the partition wall, an intake fan that draws air into the air passage and blows it therethrough, an illumination unit that irradiates ultraviolet rays toward the partition wall, and a discharge unit that discharges purified air from the air passage; The fragrance unit is an air purifier in which a container portion for storing a fragrance and a spray portion for spraying the fragrance from the container portion are built into the inner cylinder portion, and a spray nozzle for spraying the fragrance is formed in the release portion.

2. A discharge path is formed in the discharge section so as to gradually expand outward, The air purifier according to claim 1 , wherein the spray nozzle is formed in a central portion of the discharge portion surrounded by the discharge path.

3. The intake fan is attached to a base end of the partition wall, and a partition wall is formed to separate the air passage from the intake space; 2. The air purifier according to claim 1, wherein an electric circuit for causing the illuminating portion to emit light is disposed in the inhalation space.

4. The inner cylinder portion is formed to have a length from the partition wall to the discharge portion, The air purifier according to claim 3 , wherein a slope is formed on a base end of the inner cylinder located above the intake fan, the slope extending downward from an outer wall surface of the inner cylinder toward a center.

5. The fragrance unit includes a container unit in which an aromatic agent is stored, a spray unit that uses compressed air to discharge the aromatic agent pumped up from the container unit in the form of a mist, and a relay unit that transmits the compressed air from the pump to the spray unit. The air purifier according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the relay section comprises a connecting pipe connected to a pump, an internal space of the inner tube section to which the connecting pipe is connected, and an introduction pipe that introduces air from the internal space into the spray section.

6. the illumination unit is an LED disposed along an axis of the main body, The LED includes a first LED disposed on the intake side and a second LED disposed at a position closer to the exhaust side than the intake side, The first LED is a light emitting diode that emits UVC light, 6. The air purifier according to claim 1, wherein the second LED is a light emitting diode that emits UVA or blue light.

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