Airflow generating device

Abstract

To provide an airflow generating device that can assist formation of a downflow in a space.SOLUTION: An airflow generating device 10 comprises; a hollow plate-like body part 20 of which a principal surface is installed along a vertical direction; an airflow generating part 30 for generating an airflow toward a discharge port 22 provided in an upper part of the body part 20, from a suction port 21 provided in a lower part of the body part 20, inside the body part 20; a purifying part 40 for purifying the airflow inside the body part 20; and a louver 50 for changing a direction of the airflow discharged from the discharge port 22. The purifying part 40 comprises a chamber 42 provided with openings in an upper part and a lower part respectively. An area of the opening in the upper part of the chamber 42 is smaller than an area of the opening in the lower part of the chamber 42.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an airflow generating device.

Background Art

[0002] Various techniques for purifying a space have been proposed. For example, ultraviolet light may be used as a means for purifying air. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of using ultraviolet light (ultraviolet rays) for sterilizing, disinfecting, and decontaminating storage areas such as a pantry and a food storage.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in order to sufficiently suppress the spread of infectious diseases caused by infectious substances such as viruses, it is necessary to not only purify the air but also consider the air flow (airflow). For example, if a downflow from above to below is formed in a space, it is considered that it is possible to suppress the flying up of droplets emitted by a person, which is one of the causes of the spread of infectious diseases.

[0005] The present invention provides an airflow generating device capable of assisting in the formation of a downflow in a space.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An air flow generating device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a hollow plate-shaped main body portion installed such that the main surface is along the vertical direction, an air flow generating portion that generates an air flow from a suction port provided at a lower portion of the main body portion toward a blowout port provided at an upper portion of the main body portion inside the main body portion, a purification portion that purifies the air flow inside the main body portion, and a guide structure for changing the direction of the air flow blown out from the blowout port. The purification portion includes a chamber having openings provided at each of an upper portion and a lower portion, and an opening area of the upper portion of the chamber is smaller than an opening area of the lower portion of the chamber.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] The air flow generating device according to an aspect of the present invention can assist in forming a downflow in a space.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. Note that all of the embodiments described below show comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, arrangement positions and connection forms of the components, steps, order of steps, etc. shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, among the components in the following embodiments, the components not described in the independent claims are described as optional components.

[0010] Note that each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily drawn precisely. Also, in each figure, the same reference numerals are given to substantially the same configurations, and duplicate descriptions may be omitted or simplified.

[0011] (Embodiment) [Configuration] First, the configuration of the airflow generation device according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is an external view of the airflow generation device according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the airflow generation device according to the embodiment.

[0012] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the airflow generation device 10 according to the embodiment is a device having a plate-shaped main body 20, and is a device that sucks air on the floor side and blows it out to the ceiling side. In the example of FIG. 1, the airflow generation device 10 is also used as a partition in the conference space. That is, the airflow generation device 10 is a partition-shaped (wall-shaped) device.

[0013] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the airflow generation device 10 includes a main body 20, an airflow generation unit 30, a purification unit 40, a louver 50, an airspeed adjustment throttle 55, a controller 60, a CO2 sensor 70, a display unit 80, and a distance image sensor 90. Also, in FIG. 1, an air conditioner 100 provided outside the airflow generation device 10 is also shown.

[0014] The main body 20 is a hollow plate-like (panel-like) structure and is installed such that its main surface is along the vertical direction. A suction port 21 is provided at the lower end surface (lower part) of the main body 20. A gap is provided between the suction port 21 and the floor, and the main body 20 sucks air into its interior through this gap.

[0015] Also, an air outlet 22 is provided at the upper end surface (upper part) of the main body 20. The main body 20 blows out the air sucked from the suction port 21 as an air current from the air outlet 22. As will be described later, the air current generator 10 can assist in forming a downflow in the space S where the air current generator 10 is provided. From this perspective, the air outlet 22 is provided, for example, at a position higher than the height of a person's head. The air outlet 22 is provided, for example, at a height equal to or greater than the average height of an adult male (in the case of Japanese people, 172 cm, etc.).

[0016] The upper part of the main body 20 is a transparent part 20a. The transparent part 20a is formed of a resin material having light transmissivity, such as acrylic resin. When the air current generator 10 is used as a partition in the meeting space, the transparent part 20a makes it easier to grasp whether the meeting space is in use.

[0017] The lower part of the main body 20 is an opaque part 20b. The opaque part 20b is formed of a resin material or a metal material that does not have light transmissivity. The air current generation part 30 and the purification part 40 are housed inside the opaque part 20b.

[0018] The air current generation part 30 is located inside the main body 20 and generates an upward air current flowing from the suction port 21 to the air outlet 22 inside the main body 20. The air current generation part 30 is a fan unit composed of one or more fans. The one or more fans are arranged side by side in the left-right direction of FIG. 1 (the direction from the front to the back of the paper in FIG. 2). Each of the one or more fans rotates around an axis along the vertical direction. The air current generation part 30 is provided, for example, above the purification part 40, but may also be provided below the purification part 40.

[0019] The purification unit 40 is located inside the main body unit 20 and purifies the air flow passing through the purification unit 40. The purification unit 40 includes a light source 41 and a chamber 42.

[0020] The light source 41 emits ultraviolet light. The ultraviolet light is, for example, light with a peak wavelength of 350 nm or less. The light source 41 is, for example, a solid light-emitting element such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) element, but it may also be a semiconductor laser or a small mercury lamp.

[0021] The chamber 42 is a housing that houses the light source 41 and has openings provided in each of the upper and lower portions. The chamber 42 is formed of, for example, a resin material or a metal material that is light-shielding with respect to ultraviolet light. In the example of FIG. 2, the opening area of the upper portion of the chamber 42 is smaller than the opening area of the lower portion of the chamber 42. In other words, the opening area of the air flow outlet is smaller than the opening area of the air flow inlet. Thereby, the chamber 42 can increase the wind speed of the air flow.

[0022] Note that the purification unit 40 is not limited to a configuration that purifies the air flow by ultraviolet light. For example, the purification unit 40 may purify the air flow by ozone or by hypochlorous acid water.

[0023] The louver 50 is a feather-shaped structure for changing the direction of the air flow blown out from the air outlet 22. In other words, the louver 50 is a guide structure for guiding the air flow. The louver 50 is, for example, a structure whose posture (angle of the feathers) is changed based on a control signal output from the controller 60, but it may also be a structure whose posture can be changed based on a manual operation of the user on the louver 50.

[0024] The airspeed adjustment throttle 55 is a throttle structure for changing the size of the air outlet 22. The airspeed adjustment throttle 55 is, for example, a structure that changes the size of the air outlet 22 based on a control signal output from the controller 60, but may also be a structure that changes the size of the air outlet 22 based on a manual operation of the user on the airspeed adjustment throttle 55. Note that the smaller the size of the air outlet 22, the higher the airspeed of the blown airflow.

[0025] The controller 60 is a control panel operated by the user to turn on, off, and adjust the air volume of the airflow generating device 10. The controller 60 is installed, for example, on the outer surface of the main body 20. Specifically, the controller 60 includes a microcomputer and a memory, and the functions of the controller 60 are realized, for example, by the microcomputer executing a computer program stored in the memory.

[0026] The CO2 sensor 70 is an example of an air quality sensor and senses the carbon dioxide concentration of the air sucked in by the airflow generating device 10. The CO2 sensor 70 is installed below the purification unit 40 in the main body 20, but may also be installed at other locations in the main body 20.

[0027] The display unit 80 displays the air volume of the airflow of the airflow generating device 10. The display unit 80 is realized, for example, by a light-emitting element, and the air volume of the airflow is displayed by the brightness of the light-emitting element. The display unit 80 may be realized by a plurality of light-emitting elements, and the air volume of the airflow may be displayed by the number of lit light-emitting elements. The light-emitting element is, for example, an LED element, but may also be an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) element. Further, the display unit 80 may be realized by a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel.

[0028] The display unit 80 is installed, for example, on the outer surface of the main body 20. If the display unit 80 is realized by an organic EL panel and installed on the outer surface of the transparent portion 20a, the aesthetic appearance of the airflow generating device 10 is improved. Note that the display unit 80 may be integrally formed with the controller 60.

[0029] The distance image sensor 90 is a sensor that outputs image information of an image indicating the distance from the airflow generating device 10 to the object. The distance image sensor 90 outputs, for example, image information of an image indicating the distance to the air conditioner 100 (the position of the air conditioner 100). The distance image sensor 90 is, for example, a distance image sensor such as a TOF (Time Of Flight) sensor. The distance image sensor 90 is installed, for example, on the outer surface of the main body 20.

[0030] [Operation Example 1] The airflow generating device 10 can generate an airflow (downflow) from above to below in the space S where the airflow generating device 10 is installed while purifying the air in the space S. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of Operation Example 1 of such an airflow generating device 10. Note that FIG. 3 is a flowchart focused on the generation of the airflow, and the purification unit 40 is not described. However, the controller 60 actually turns on the purification unit 40 in a timely manner and causes the light source 41 to emit ultraviolet light. Thereby, the air passing through the main body 20 is purified by the ultraviolet light.

[0031] First, the controller 60 specifies the distance from the airflow generating device 10 to the air conditioner 100 by performing image processing on the image output by the distance image sensor 90 (S11). The controller 60 determines whether or not the specified distance is equal to or greater than a threshold value (S12). The threshold value at this time is determined empirically or experimentally by a simulation or the like described later.

[0032] If the controller 60 determines that the specified distance is less than the threshold value (No in S12), the controller 60 controls the air volume of the airflow generating unit 30, the angle of the louver 50, and the opening degree of the airspeed adjustment throttle 55 so that the airflow blown out from the airflow generating device 10 heads toward the air conditioner 100 (S13). Specifically, the controller 60 controls the air volume of the airflow generating unit 30, the angle of the louver 50, and the opening degree of the airspeed adjustment throttle 55 (the size of the air outlet 22) so that the airflow blown out from the airflow generating device 10 heads toward the air conditioner 100 and reaches the air conditioner 100.

[0033] As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, a downflow is formed in the space S by utilizing the high-stirring-efficiency airflow blown out by the air conditioner 100. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which a downflow is formed by utilizing the airflow blown out by the air conditioner 100. In FIG. 4, the arrows schematically show the flow of the airflow, and a downflow is formed in the portion surrounded by the broken-line frame.

[0034] On the other hand, when the controller 60 determines that the specified distance is equal to or greater than the threshold value (Yes in S12), the controller 60 controls the air volume of the airflow generation unit 30, the angle of the louver 50, and the opening degree of the airspeed adjustment throttle 55 so that the airflow blown out by the airflow generator 10 circulates around the airflow generator 10 (S14). Specifically, the controller 60 controls the air volume of the airflow generation unit 30, the angle of the louver 50, and the opening degree of the airspeed adjustment throttle 55 (the size of the air outlet 22) so that the airflow blown out from the airflow generator 10 circulates around the airflow generator 10.

[0035] As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, a downflow is formed in the space S by circulating the airflow around the airflow generator 10. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which a downflow is formed by circulating the airflow blown out by the airflow generator 10 around the airflow generator 10. In FIG. 5, the arrows schematically show the flow of the airflow, and a downflow is formed in the portion surrounded by the broken-line frame.

[0036] Note that how to control the louver 50 and the airspeed adjustment throttle 55 (control content) in each of steps S13 and S14 is determined in advance by, for example, simulation. For example, the control content in step S13 is determined based on the result of a simulation that simulates what control content can form an effective downflow according to the distance from the airflow generator 10 to the air conditioner 100 under the condition that the airflow is blown out from the air conditioner 100 with a standard air volume and air direction.

[0037] Control information indicating the determined control content is stored in the storage unit of the controller 60. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of such control information. In the control information, for each distance to the air conditioner 100, the control content (the air volume of the airflow generation unit 30, the angle of the louver 50, and the opening degree of the airspeed adjustment throttle 55) is determined. Similarly, the control content in step S14 may be determined by simulation and stored in the storage unit of the controller 60.

[0038] As described above, the airflow generation device 10 can generate an airflow (downflow) from above to below in the space S where the airflow generation device 10 is installed while purifying the air in the space S. Droplets emitted by a user located in the space S may contain infectious substances, and droplets containing infectious substances contribute to the spread of infectious diseases. A configuration that forms a downflow like the airflow generation device 10 makes it difficult for droplets to fly up. Therefore, the airflow generation device 10 can suppress the spread of infectious diseases.

[0039] [Operation Example 2] The airflow generation device 10 can control the air volume of the airflow generation unit 30 based on the pollution degree of the air in the space S. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of Operation Example 2 of such an airflow generation device 10. Note that FIG. 7 is a flowchart focusing on the air volume of the airflow, and the purification unit 40 is not described. However, in reality, the controller 60 turns on the purification unit 40 in a timely manner and emits ultraviolet light from the light source 41. Thereby, the air passing through the main body unit 20 is purified by the ultraviolet light.

[0040] The controller 60 acquires the carbon dioxide concentration, which is the sensing result of the CO2 sensor 70 (S21), and determines the air volume (the rotation speed of the fan) of the airflow generation unit 30 according to the acquired carbon dioxide concentration (S22). The carbon dioxide concentration can be used as an indicator of the air pollution level, and it is presumed that the higher the carbon dioxide concentration, the more polluted the air is. Also, it is considered that the more polluted the air is, the more necessary it is to frequently take in air into the main body 20 and purify it by the purification unit 40. Therefore, in step S22, the controller 60 increases the air volume of the airflow generation unit 30 as the carbon dioxide concentration increases. Thereby, the airflow generation device 10 can efficiently purify the air in the space S.

[0041] Next, the controller 60 generates an airflow with the air volume determined in step S22 in the airflow generation unit 30 (S23), and causes the display unit 80 to display the air volume (S24). Thereby, the user can easily grasp the air volume.

[0042] As described above, the airflow generation device 10 can control the air volume of the airflow generation unit 30 based on the sensing result of the CO2 sensor 70.

[0043] Note that the airflow generation device 10 may be provided with other air quality sensors in addition to the CO2 sensor 70, and may control the air volume of the airflow generation unit 30 based on the sensing results of the other air quality sensors. For example, it may be a PM (Particulate Matter) sensor or a VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) concentration sensor, etc. In this case, a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter or the like is used as the purification unit 40.

[0044] Further, Operation Example 2 may be combined with Operation Example 1. For example, if the distance is specified by the image output by the distance image sensor 90 as in Operation Example 1, and the air volume of the airflow generation unit 30 is determined according to the carbon dioxide concentration as in Operation Example 2, the controller 60 can control the angle of the louver 50 and the opening degree of the airspeed adjustment throttle 55 (the size of the air outlet 22) based on the control information in FIG. 6.

[0045] [Modification Example] Next, a modification example of the airflow generation device 10 will be described. FIG. 8 is an external view of the airflow generation device according to such a modification example.

[0046] As described above, the airflow generation device 10 is, for example, fixedly installed on the floor or wall of the space S. In contrast, the airflow generation device 10a includes wheels 95 for the user to move the airflow generation device 10a, and travels on the floor by the wheels 95 when pushed by the user. Thereby, the user can flexibly move the airflow generation device 10a according to the situation.

[0047] [Effects, etc.] As described above, the airflow generation device 10 includes a hollow plate-shaped main body portion 20 installed such that the main surface is along the vertical direction, an airflow generation portion 30 inside the main body portion 20 that generates an airflow from the suction port 21 provided at the lower portion of the main body portion 20 toward the air outlet 22 provided at the upper portion of the main body portion 20, a purification portion 40 that purifies the airflow inside the main body portion 20, and a louver 50 for changing the direction of the airflow blown out from the air outlet 22. The purification portion 40 includes a chamber 42 having openings provided in each of the upper and lower portions. The opening area of the upper portion of the chamber 42 is smaller than the opening area of the lower portion of the chamber 42.

[0048] Such an airflow generating device 10 can assist in forming a downflow in the space S because it serves as a path for the airflow that goes from the bottom to the top in the space S. Further, in the airflow generating device 10, since the main body 20 is plate-shaped and no air intake or blowing occurs in the direction intersecting the main surface of the main body 20, it can be installed with the main surface along the wall. Thereby, the airflow generating device 10 can assist in forming a downflow while saving space. Also, in such an airflow generating device 10, since the opening area at the upper part of the chamber 42 is small, the wind speed of the airflow blown out from the purification unit 40 can be increased.

[0049] Further, for example, the airflow generating device 10 further includes a wind speed adjustment throttle 55 for changing the size of the air outlet 22.

[0050] Such an airflow generating device 10 can adjust the formation location of the downflow in the space S by adjusting the wind speed of the airflow blown out from the air outlet 22.

[0051] Further, for example, the purification unit 40 purifies the airflow by ultraviolet light.

[0052] Such an airflow generating device 10 can assist in forming a downflow in the space S with the airflow purified by ultraviolet light.

[0053] Further, for example, the purification unit 40 further includes a light source 41 that emits ultraviolet light and is housed in the chamber 42.

[0054] Such an airflow generating device 10 can assist in forming a downflow in the space S with the airflow purified by the ultraviolet light emitted by the light source 41.

[0055] Further, for example, the airflow generating device 10 further includes a CO2 sensor 70 and a controller 60 that controls the airflow generating unit 30 based on the sensing result of the CO2 sensor 70.

[0056] Such an airflow generating device 10 can adjust the air volume of the airflow generating unit 30 based on the air pollution level.

[0057] Also, for example, the airflow generating device 10 further includes a display unit 80 that displays the air volume of the airflow.

[0058] Such an airflow generating device 10 can display the air volume of the airflow generated by the airflow generating unit 30.

[0059] Also, for example, the airflow generating device 10 includes a distance image sensor 90 that outputs an image indicating the distance from the airflow generating device 10 to the air conditioner 100 provided outside the airflow generating device 10, and a controller 60 that controls the louver 50 based on the distance.

[0060] Such an airflow generating device 10 can change the direction of the airflow according to the distance to the air conditioner 100.

[0061] Also, for example, when the distance is less than the threshold value, the controller 60 controls the louver 50 so that a downflow is formed by using the airflow blown out by the air conditioner 100, and when the distance is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the controller 60 controls the louver 50 to circulate the air around the airflow generating device 10.

[0062] Such an airflow generating device 10 can switch whether to use the airflow blown out by the air conditioner 100 when forming a downflow according to the distance to the air conditioner 100.

[0063] Also, for example, the controller 60 controls the louver 50 based on the distance and the results of a previously performed simulation.

[0064] Such an airflow generating device 10 can assist in forming a downflow with high precision.

[0065] Also, for example, a gap is provided between the suction port 21 and the floor.

[0066] Such an airflow generating device 10 can assist in forming a downflow in the space S by sucking air through the gap between the suction port 21 and the floor.

[0067] Further, the airflow generating device 10a further includes wheels 95 for moving the airflow generating device 10a.

[0068] Thereby, the user can flexibly move the airflow generating device 10a according to the situation.

[0069] (Other Embodiments) Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

[0070] For example, in the above embodiment, the distance from the airflow generating device to the air conditioning equipment is specified by the image acquired by the distance image sensor, but it is not essential for the airflow generating device to include the distance image sensor. For example, if the approximate distance from the airflow generating device to the air conditioning equipment is input by the user's operation on the controller, the airflow generating device can form a downflow in the space based on the distance thus input.

[0071] Also, the user can also form a downflow in the space by manually adjusting the angle of the louver and the opening degree of the air volume control throttle. In this case, the user is, for example, an operator dispatched by the installer of the airflow generating device. The operator can form a downflow at a desired location in the space by adjusting the angle of the louver and the opening degree of the air volume control throttle by trial and error, for example.

[0072] Also, the order of the processes described in the above embodiments is an example. The order of a plurality of processes may be changed, or a plurality of processes may be executed in parallel. Also, the process executed by a specific processing unit may be executed by another processing unit.

[0073] In addition, in the above-described embodiments, each component may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or a processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory.

[0074] Alternatively, each component may be realized by hardware. For example, each component may be a circuit (or an integrated circuit). These circuits may form one circuit as a whole or may be separate circuits respectively. Further, these circuits may be general-purpose circuits or dedicated circuits respectively.

[0075] Furthermore, the general or specific aspects of the present invention may be realized by a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM. Also, they may be realized by any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0076] For example, the present invention may be realized as a building to which the airflow control device of the above-described embodiment is applied. Also, the present invention may be executed as a control method for an airflow generation device executed by a computer such as the controller of the above-described embodiment, or may be realized as a program for causing a computer to execute such a control method. Further, the present invention may be realized as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium on which such a program is recorded.

[0077] In addition, forms obtained by applying various modifications conceivable by those skilled in the art to each embodiment, or forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions in each embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present invention are also included in the present invention.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0078] 10, 10a Airflow generation device 20 Main body 20a transparent part 20b non - transparent part 21 suction port 22 blow - out port 30 airflow generation part 40 purification part 41 light source 42 chamber 50 louver 55 airspeed adjustment throttle 60 controller 70 CO2 sensor 80 display part 90 distance image sensor 95 wheel 100 air - conditioning equipment

Claims

1. A hollow plate-shaped main body installed such that its main surface is along the vertical direction, an airflow generating unit inside the main body that generates an airflow from a suction port provided at the lower part of the main body toward a blowout port provided at the upper part of the main body, a purification unit inside the main body that purifies the airflow, and a guide structure for changing the direction of the airflow blown out from the blowout port, wherein the purification unit includes a chamber provided with openings at both the upper and lower parts, the opening area of the upper part of the chamber is smaller than the opening area of the lower part of the chamber, the upper opening and the lower opening face each other, and when the airflow generating unit generates the airflow, the wind speed at the upper opening is stronger than the wind speed at the lower opening, an airflow generating device.

2. Furthermore, it includes a throttle structure for changing the size of the blowout port The airflow generating device according to Claim 1.

3. The purification unit purifies the airflow by ultraviolet light The airflow generating device according to Claim 1 or 2.

4. The purification unit further includes a light source that emits the ultraviolet light and is housed in the chamber The airflow generating device according to Claim 3.

5. Furthermore, an air quality sensor, and a controller that controls the airflow generating unit based on the sensing result of the air quality sensor The airflow generating device according to any one of Claims 1 to 4.

6. Furthermore, it includes a display unit that displays the air volume of the airflow The airflow generating device according to any one of Claims 1 to 5.

7. a distance image sensor that outputs an image indicating the distance from the airflow generating device to air conditioning equipment provided outside the airflow generating device, and a controller that controls the guide structure based on the distance The airflow generating device according to any one of Claims 1 to 6.

8. The controller controls the guide structure so that a downflow is formed using the airflow blown out by the air conditioning equipment when the distance is less than a threshold value, and controls the guide structure so as to circulate the air around the airflow generating device when the distance is greater than or equal to the threshold value The airflow generating device according to Claim 7.

9. An airflow generating device, a hollow plate-shaped main body installed such that its main surface is along the vertical direction, an airflow generating unit inside the main body that generates an airflow from a suction port provided at the lower part of the main body toward a blowout port provided at the upper part of the main body, A purification unit that purifies the airflow inside the main body; A guide structure for changing the direction of the airflow blown out from the air outlet; A distance image sensor that outputs an image indicating the distance from the airflow generator to air conditioning equipment provided outside the airflow generator; A controller that controls the guide structure based on the distance; The purification unit includes a chamber provided with openings at the upper and lower parts respectively; The opening area of the upper part of the chamber is smaller than the opening area of the lower part of the chamber; The controller: When the distance is less than a threshold value, controls the guide structure so that a downflow is formed by using the airflow blown out by the air conditioning equipment; When the distance is greater than or equal to the threshold value, controls the guide structure so as to circulate the air around the airflow generator Airflow generator.

10. The controller controls the guide structure based on the distance and the results of a previously performed simulation. The airflow generator according to any one of Claims 7 to 9.

11. A gap is provided between the suction port and the floor. The airflow generator according to any one of Claims 1 to 10.

12. Furthermore, it includes wheels for moving the airflow generator. The airflow generator according to any one of Claims 1 to 11.

Images