Air Purification Device and Method

Abstract

To provide an air purification device capable of efficiently sterilizing air at low cost through irradiation with ultraviolet rays.SOLUTION: An air purification device 1 comprises: a casing 10 which has an air inlet 11 and an air outlet 13; a fan 16 provided in the casing 10 to blow air sucked from the air intake 11 out of the air outlet 13; and an ultraviolet-ray source 32 irradiating the air in the casing 10 with ultraviolet rays, wherein the ultraviolet-ray source 32 is provided in the casing 10 to irradiate the fan 16 with the ultraviolet rays.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air purification device and method, and more particularly to an air purification device and method for sterilizing and purifying air by irradiating it with ultraviolet light. [Background technology]

[0002] For the purpose of purifying indoor air, etc., it has been conventional to sterilize the air by irradiating it with ultraviolet light while circulating it. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioning system that purifies the circulating air by irradiating ultraviolet light into a duct or chamber made of a material with high ultraviolet reflectance. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-146013 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the conventional air purification method of irradiating the inside of a duct or chamber with ultraviolet light has a problem in that it is difficult to irradiate the entire air passing through with ultraviolet light, making it difficult to obtain a sufficient sterilization effect. The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 also discloses that a light guide plate or the like is placed in the ultraviolet sterilization chamber to emit ultraviolet light as diffused light, but this has a problem in that the manufacturing cost is high.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENTS An object of the present invention is to provide an air purification device and method that can sterilize air by irradiating it with ultraviolet rays inexpensively and efficiently. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a cooling fan comprising a casing having an inlet and an outlet, a fan provided within the casing for sucking air through the inlet and discharging it through the outlet, and an ultraviolet light source for irradiating ultraviolet light onto the air within the casing, the ultraviolet light source being provided within the casing so as to irradiate ultraviolet light towards the fan. The casing is provided in a ceiling-embedded air conditioning device, the ultraviolet light source is disposed inside a bell mouth interposed between the fan and the air inlet, and the ultraviolet light source is supported at the center of the opening of the bell mouth by an expandable mounting stay. This is achieved by air purification devices.

[0008] The ultraviolet light source is preferably disposed on the axis of a rotation shaft of the fan.

[0010] Furthermore, the above-mentioned object of the present invention can be achieved by a method for purifying indoor air using the above-mentioned air purification device, which comprises sucking indoor air through the air inlet, irradiating it with ultraviolet light using the ultraviolet light source, and discharging the air into the room through the air outlet. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an air purification device and method that can sterilize air by irradiating it with ultraviolet rays inexpensively and efficiently. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an air purification device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a side view, partially in cross section, showing a main part of the air purifying device shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] 1. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing other main parts of the air purification device shown in FIG. [Figure 4] 1. FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing still another main part of the air purifying device shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] 1. FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing still another main part of the air purifying device shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a bottom view of an air purification device according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 7 is a plan view showing a main part of the air purification device shown in FIG. 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an air purifier according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a side view showing, in partial cross section, the main parts of the air purifier shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the air purifier 1 of this embodiment includes a housing-like casing 10, a fan 16 provided within the casing 10, and a sterilizer 30 having an ultraviolet light source 32, and is installed in the ceiling of a building, a vehicle, or the like.

[0014] Casing 10 has suction port 11 formed on the underside. Suction port 11 is disposed so as to face the room through an opening formed in ceiling 50, and suction port 11 is covered by grill 20 that is detachably attached to casing 10 from the room side. As shown in the plan view from above in Fig. 3, grill 20 has a plurality of openings 21 formed therein, and air is sucked in through openings 21.

[0015] A cylindrical connection part 12 is provided on the side of the casing 10, and an air outlet 13 is formed at the tip of the connection part 12. The connection part 12 is connected to an indoor introduction part 60 provided in another part of the ceiling 50 via a duct 70, and air discharged from the air outlet 13 is supplied from the indoor introduction part 60 to the room. The indoor introduction parts 60 may be provided in a plurality of parts of the ceiling 50, and the duct 70 connected to the connection part 12 can be branched and connected to each indoor introduction part 60. The indoor introduction part 60 may be provided on a wall surface, floor surface, etc. in the room.

[0016] A storage section 14 having an opening 15 formed on the lower surface side is provided inside the casing 10, and a fan 16 is disposed inside the storage section 14. The fan 16 in this embodiment is a sirocco fan, and is driven to rotate by a motor 17. The fan 16 may be a propeller fan, a turbo fan, or the like. The storage section 14 is in communication with the connection section 12, and air sucked from the suction port 11 through the opening 15 by operation of the fan 16 is discharged from the air outlet 13.

[0017] As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the sterilizer 30 is provided with an ultraviolet light source 32 on the upper surface of a housing-shaped main body 31. The ultraviolet light source 32 is composed of an ultraviolet LED or an ultraviolet lamp that irradiates ultraviolet light with a strong sterilizing effect, and the output is controlled by a control circuit provided in the main body 31. The bottom surface of the main body 31 is provided with mounting legs 33 and 34. In addition, the side surface of the main body 31 is provided with a power supply connection part 35 that is connected to a power supply (not shown), and a PWM adjustment part 36 that adjusts the light emission state of the ultraviolet light source 32. The PWM adjustment part 36 can adjust the duty ratio of the pulse signal that drives the ultraviolet light source 32 by a rotation operation, and for example, the on time and off time can both be set to 0.1 seconds. The PWM adjustment unit 36 ​​may be provided on a wall surface inside the room together with a switch for the fan 16, etc., so that the user can easily operate it. When the degree of pollution in the room is low or when the room will not be used for a while, the off time can be made longer than the on time (for example, on time 0.1 seconds, off time 0.2 seconds), thereby extending the life of the ultraviolet light source 32.

[0018] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the sterilizer 30. As shown in FIG. 4, the base ends of the legs 33, 34 are rotatably attached to the bottom surface of the main body 31 by the pivots 33a, 34a. The legs 33, 34 have mounting holes 33b, 34b formed at their tip ends, and the legs 33, 34 can be rotated as shown by the broken lines to position the mounting holes 33b, 34b on both sides of the main body 31. Fixing devices such as insulotocks and wires can be inserted into the mounting holes 33b, 34b, and the sterilizer 30 is fixed to the inner surface of the grill 20 by engaging the fixing devices 22, 23 with the openings 21 of the grill 20 as shown in FIG. 3. The bottom surface of the main body 31 is provided with a lamp 37 that displays the operating state of the sterilizer 30, and the user can visually check the lamp 37 through the openings 21 of the grill 20 to know the operating state of the sterilizer 30.

[0019] Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the fan 16 inside the casing 10 as viewed from below. As shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the ultraviolet light source 32 is disposed on the axis R of the rotation shaft of the fan 16, and irradiates ultraviolet light toward the fan 16. The ultraviolet light source 32 preferably has a wide directional angle (e.g., about 110 degrees) so that the entire fan 16 or a wide range thereof can be irradiated with ultraviolet light.

[0020] The air purifier 1 having the above configuration can sterilize indoor air by drawing it into the casing 10 from the air inlet 11 using the operation of the fan 16 and irradiating it with ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet light source 32 of the sterilizer 30. The sterilized air is discharged from the air outlet 13 and supplied into the room from the indoor introduction part 60 via the duct 70.

[0021] In the air purifier 1 of this embodiment, the ultraviolet light source 32 is provided in the casing 10 so as to irradiate ultraviolet light toward the fan 16, and the ultraviolet light reflected from the surface of the fan 16 is scattered in various directions within the casing 10 by the rotation of the fan 16. This makes it possible to efficiently irradiate ultraviolet light onto the entire air introduced into the casing 10 and purify the air in the room with an inexpensive configuration.

[0022] The fan 16 is preferably made of a material with high UV reflectivity such as aluminum or stainless steel so as to efficiently diffuse and reflect UV rays, or the fan 16 may be preferably made of a material whose surface is coated with a UV reflective film such as a silica film. To further scatter the UV light reflected from the surface of the fan 16, it is preferable to increase the UV reflectivity of the surfaces of the casing 10 and the grill 20 as well, in the same manner as the fan 16.

[0023] The ultraviolet light source 32 is preferably disposed on the axis R of the rotation shaft of the fan 16 so that ultraviolet light can be easily applied to a wide range of the fan 16, but other arrangements are also possible as long as ultraviolet light can be directly applied to the fan 16. The attachment position of the ultraviolet light source 32 to the casing 10 is not necessarily limited, but by fixing it to the upper surface side (inner surface side) of the grill 20 covering the air intake 11 as in this embodiment, ultraviolet light can be easily applied to the fan 16.

[0024] The air purification device 1 of this embodiment can be easily constructed, for example, by utilizing an existing duct ventilation fan and attaching the sterilization device 30 to the grill 20, so that manufacturing and construction can be carried out quickly and inexpensively.

[0025] Fig. 6 is a bottom view of an air purifier according to another embodiment of the present invention. The air purifier 101 shown in Fig. 6 is configured by attaching the above-mentioned sterilizer 30 to an existing ceiling-embedded air conditioner 200 suspended from a ceiling in a room using a mounting stay 40, and is shown as viewed from below. In Fig. 6, the same components as those in Fig. 1 and the like are given the same reference numerals.

[0026] The ceiling embedded type air conditioner 200 has a rectangular suction port 11 formed at the bottom of a casing 10, and an suction grille is removably attached to the suction port 11. Figure 6 shows the state in which the suction grille has been removed.

[0027] A fan 16 is provided above the suction port 11 inside the casing 10 via a bellmouth 18. A space 201 is formed between the suction port 11 and an opening 18a which is the lower end of the bellmouth 18. The center of the opening 18a of the bellmouth 18 coincides with the rotation axis of the fan 16.

[0028] On the underside of the casing 10, air outlets 13 are formed along each of the four sides of the air inlet 11. Air drawn in from the air inlet 11 by the operation of the fan 16 passes upward through the bell mouth 18 and is diffused horizontally, heated or cooled in a heat exchanger (not shown), and then discharged from each air outlet 13 into the room.

[0029] Fig. 7 is a plan view of the sterilizer 30 and the mounting stay 40 shown in Fig. 6, seen from above. As shown in Fig. 7, the mounting stay 40 is configured to be extendable and contractible, with a band-shaped movable member 42 housed in a flat cylindrical main body 41 so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction. When mounting the sterilizer 30 to an existing ceiling-embedded air-conditioning apparatus 200, first, only the mounting stay 40 is fully extended between a pair of opposing inner walls of the space 201 shown in Fig. 6, and the length of the space 201 at the mounting position of the mounting stay 40 is measured by, for example, marking the boundary between the main body 41 and the movable member 42.

[0030] Next, while holding the mounting stay 40 at the measured length, the sterilizer 30 is fixed to the mounting stay 40 with screws 43, 44, using mounting holes such as pilot holes formed in the legs 33, 34 of the sterilizer 30. The mounting position of the sterilizer 30 is preferably a position where the ultraviolet light source 32 coincides with the rotation axis of the fan 16, similar to the configuration shown in Figure 5, and in this embodiment, it is the longitudinal center of the mounting stay 40.

[0031] Next, the mounting stay 40 with the sterilizer 30 attached is set in the mounting position of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 200 shown in Figure 6, pilot holes are drilled into both longitudinal ends of the mounting stay 40, and the sterilizer 30 is fixed with screws 45, 46. As a result, the sterilizer 30 is supported in the centre of the opening 18a of the bell mouth 18, and the upper ultraviolet light source 32 is positioned inside the bell mouth 18. Thereafter, the necessary wiring etc. is carried out, and the light emission of the lamp 37 is confirmed to complete the installation work.

[0032] According to the air purifier 101 shown in Fig. 6, the ultraviolet light source 32 is disposed on the axis of the rotation shaft of the fan 16, so that ultraviolet light can be easily irradiated over a wide area of ​​the fan 16, similar to the air purifier shown in Fig. 1 etc., and, since the ultraviolet light source 32 is disposed inside the bell mouth 18, most of the irradiated ultraviolet light can be reliably reflected by the surface of the fan 16. As a result, the sterilizing effect of the air can be further improved.

[0033] Furthermore, by mounting the sterilizer 30 using the expandable mounting stay 40, the ultraviolet light source 32 can be easily and accurately aligned with the center of the opening of the bellmouth 18. However, the method of mounting the sterilizer 30 is not necessarily limited, and for example, the ultraviolet light source 32 may be disposed inside the bellmouth 18 using a bracket or the like that protrudes upward from an intake grill (not shown) that covers the intake port 11. The ultraviolet light source 32 and the rotation axis of the fan 16 do not need to completely coincide with each other, and the ultraviolet light source 32 may be disposed in a position within the bellmouth 18 that is slightly offset from the rotation axis. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 1,101 Air Purifiers 10 Casing 11 Intake port 13 Air outlet 16 Fans 18 Bellmouth 20. Grill 30 Sterilizer 32 UV light source 40 Mounting stay

Claims

1. a casing having an inlet and an outlet; a fan provided within the casing for sucking air through the suction port and discharging the air through the air outlet; an ultraviolet light source that irradiates the air in the casing with ultraviolet light, the ultraviolet light source is provided in the casing so as to irradiate ultraviolet light toward the fan, The casing is provided in a ceiling-embedded air conditioning device, The ultraviolet light source is disposed inside a bell mouth interposed between the fan and the air inlet, The ultraviolet light source is supported at the center of the opening of the bellmouth by an expandable mounting stay.

2. 2. The air purifying device according to claim 1, wherein the ultraviolet light source is disposed on an axis line of a rotation shaft of the fan.

3. A method for purifying indoor air using the air purifying device according to claim 1 or 2, comprising the steps of: The air purification method includes sucking indoor air through the air inlet, irradiating it with ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet light source, and discharging the air into the room through the air outlet.

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