Air purifier and air purification method

Abstract

To provide an air cleaner capable of suppressing water for humidification from continuing to stay in an inside thereof.SOLUTION: An air cleaner 100 capable of turning on / off a humidification mode of the present invention includes a measuring unit 41, a control unit 10, and a notification unit 50. The measuring unit 41 measures a period in which water exists in a humidification tray 31. The control unit 10 determines whether the period measured by the measuring unit 41 is equal to or longer than a first reference time or not. The notification unit 60 notifies a user of determination information based on the determination that the measured period is equal to or longer than the first reference time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air purifier and an air purification method. [Background technology]

[0002] An air purifier has been developed that has a humidifying function, a water tray that stores water for humidification, and keeps the water tray clean. The air purifier with a humidifying function described in Patent Document 1 includes a discharge unit for air purification, a humidifying unit, and a fan. The humidifying unit has a water tray and humidifies the sucked air using the water stored in the water tray. The fan blows the air humidified by the humidifying unit into the room where the air purifier is installed. The fan then uses the air blown by the discharge unit to send active species from the discharge unit to the space above the water in the humidifying unit's water tray. Sending active species suppresses the formation of slime and the proliferation of bacteria due to water remaining in the water tray. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5012971 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, even if active species are sent as in the air purifier of Patent Document 1, if water remains in the water tray, bacterial growth cannot be suppressed and the remaining water may spoil. As a result, slime and dirt may form in the water tray. In addition, an unpleasant odor may be emitted from the filter that sucks up water in the water tray and uses it for humidification, which may affect the odor of the air sent out from the air purifier.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an air purifier that can prevent humidifying water from remaining inside. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, an air purifier capable of turning on / off the humidification mode includes a measurement unit, a control unit, and a notification unit. The measurement unit measures the period during which water exists in the humidification tray. The control unit determines whether the period measured by the measurement unit is equal to or longer than a first reference time. The notification unit notifies the user of determination information based on the determination that the measured period is equal to or longer than the first reference time.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present invention, an air purification method for an air purifier capable of turning on / off the humidification mode includes a step of measuring the period during which water exists in the humidification tray, a step of determining whether the measured period is equal to or longer than a first reference time, and a step of notifying the user of determination information when it is determined that the measured period is equal to or longer than the first reference time.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] According to the air purifier of the present invention, by notifying the user that the water for humidification has remained inside the device for a certain period or longer, it is possible to prevent the water for humidification from continuing to remain inside.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will not be repeated.

[0011] <Embodiment> Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, an air purifier 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the air purifier according to the embodiment of the present invention. The air purifier 100 has a humidifying function and humidifies the air by a vaporization method. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an air purification method of the air purifier according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a modification example of the flowchart of FIG. 2. Specifically, it is a diagram showing any determination step that can be added to the flowchart of FIG. 2.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the air purifier 100 includes a control unit 10, a storage unit 20, a humidifying unit 30, a water level sensor 40, a measurement unit 41, a humidity sensor 42, an operation unit 50, a notification unit 60, a dust collection filter 70, and a fan 80. The air purifier 100 according to the present embodiment is configured to notify the user and, for example, prompt drainage of water when water remains inside the device for a predetermined period or longer under specific conditions. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of mold and strange odors caused by long-term water retention and decay inside the device.

[0013] The air purifier 100 is, for example, a stationary air purifier. In the present embodiment, the air purifier 100 can turn the humidifying mode ON / OFF during operation. The ON / OFF of the humidifying mode is performed, for example, by an automatic mode. Specifically, when it is determined that the humidity is low during the operation of the air purifier 100, the humidifying mode is automatically turned ON by the automatic mode to humidify the air. Note that the ON / OFF of the humidifying mode can also be performed manually. When performing manually, for example, a humidifying mode switching button is provided, and the user switches it manually by pressing the button.

[0014] The control unit 10 is a hardware circuit composed of a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The control unit 10 controls the operations of each part of the air purifier 100 by the processor reading and executing the control program stored in the storage unit 20.

[0015] The storage unit 20 is configured with a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The storage unit 20 stores various data and a control program for controlling the operation of each part of the air purifier 100. The control program is executed by the control unit 10.

[0016] The humidifying unit 30 humidifies the air when the air purifier 100 is in humidification mode. The humidifying unit 30 has a humidifying tray 31 and a humidifying filter 32. The humidifying tray 31 stores water for humidification. The humidifying filter 32 sucks up the water from the humidifying tray 31. The air is humidified when the airflow generated by the fan 80 (described later) passes through the humidifying filter 32. The humidifying filter 32 can be a fixed type or a rotary type that rotates around a horizontal axis.

[0017] Water level sensor 40 detects the water level in humidifying tray 31. Water level sensor 40 is, for example, a float switch or a distance sensor. When water level sensor 40 detects a water level, it indicates that water is present in humidifying tray 31. This provides one criterion for determining whether to issue a notification, such as urging the user to drain the water from the humidifying tray.

[0018] When measuring unit 41 detects the presence of water in humidifying tray 31, it measures the period of time that water has been present. Measuring unit 41 is, for example, a timer. If water remains in the humidifying tray for too long, the water in humidifying tray 31 may spoil, causing slime and an unpleasant odor. Therefore, when it is determined that the period measured by measuring unit 41 is equal to or greater than a first reference time described below, determination information is notified to the user. Here, the determination information may include information urging the user to drain the water in the humidifying tray, information informing the user that humidification has not been performed for a certain period of time, information informing the user that water remains in the humidifying tray, and information urging the user to clean the tray.

[0019] The humidity sensor 42 measures the humidity of the air. Based on the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 42, it is possible to determine whether humidification is being performed. Specifically, when the air purifier 100 has a rotary humidifying filter 32, when the humidity becomes equal to or higher than a reference humidity described later, the rotation of the humidifying filter 32 is stopped and further humidification is stopped. That is, it indicates that the water in the humidifying tray 31 remains unused for humidification. Therefore, the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 42 is one criterion for determining whether to notify the user of judgment information.

[0020] The operation unit 50 is, for example, a touch panel that receives a user's operation.

[0021] When it is determined that there is water in the humidifying tray 31 under specific conditions, the notification unit 60 notifies the user of the judgment information. The notification unit 60 is, for example, an LED. The notification unit 60 may be arranged on the operation unit 50 or may be arranged as a separate member from the operation unit 50.

[0022] The dust collection filter 70 purifies the air that has collected and sucked dust in the air. The dust collection filter 70 is, for example, a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter. Further, an ion generation unit may be provided to generate ions and release them into the indoor air. The ion generation unit is detachable from the main body of the air purifier 100.

[0023] The fan 80 takes in the air in the room where the air purifier 100 is installed into the air purifier 100 and passes it through the dust collection filter 70. Also, in the humidification mode, the fan 80 further passes the taken-in air through the humidifying section for humidification and blows it out to the outside.

[0024] The air purifier 100 may further include a recognition unit 43. The recognition unit 43 recognizes that the user has removed the humidification tray. For example, a sensor can be used for the recognition unit. When the recognition unit 43 recognizes the removal of the humidification tray, it can be determined that the user has removed the humidification tray and drained the water. The information on whether the tray recognized by the recognition unit 43 has been removed or not serves as a criterion for the control unit 10 to determine whether to reset the measurement by the measurement unit 41.

[0025] Next, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, an air purification method of the air purifier 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, in step S101, the power of the air purifier 100 is turned on. The process proceeds to step S102.

[0027] In step S102, it is determined whether the humidification mode of the air purifier 100 is ON. If the humidification mode is ON (Yes in step S102), the process proceeds to step S108. Details of the process in step S108 will be described later. If the humidification mode is OFF (No in step S102), the process proceeds to step S103.

[0028] In step S103, the water level sensor 40 detects the water level of the humidification tray 31. The control unit 10 determines whether there is water in the humidification tray 31 based on the water level detected by the water level sensor 40. The water level sensor 40 uses an existing sensor, for example, a float switch or a ranging sensor.

[0029] When using a ranging sensor, the water level can be detected in more detail. The ranging sensor reflects infrared rays or the like on the water surface of the humidification tray, and converts the reflected infrared rays into distance to measure the water level. Therefore, the water level detected first by the ranging sensor is compared with the water level detected after a certain period of time, and the change in the water level is measured based on the difference. If the measured difference in the water level is smaller than a predetermined value, it can be determined that there is almost no change in the water level and the water in the humidification tray remains unused.

[0030] If water does not exist in the humidifying tray 31, the process returns to step S102 (No in step S103). If water exists in the humidifying tray 31 (Yes in step S103), the process proceeds to step S104.

[0031] In step S104, measurement unit 41 measures the period during which water remains in humidifying tray 31. Control unit 10 then determines whether the period during which water remains in humidifying tray 31 measured by measurement unit 41 is equal to or longer than a first reference time. Here, the first reference time is the time during which water is allowed to remain in humidifying tray 31.

[0032] If water in humidifying tray 31 remains inside air purifier 100 for a long period of time, the water is more likely to spoil. Therefore, when control unit 10 determines that water has remained in humidifying tray 31 for a first reference time or longer, it notifies the user of the determination information. In this embodiment, as an example, the first reference time is set to 72 hours.

[0033] The first reference time can be changed based on environmental information that indicates information about the environment surrounding the air purifier 100. The environmental information includes temperature and season. Specifically, when the temperature around the air purifier 100 is high, the water in the humidifying tray 31 spoils faster than usual, and the water becomes more polluted. In this case, the first reference time can be set shorter than usual to prompt the user to take action early. The first reference time may also be shortened in accordance with seasons or times when water is more likely to spoil, such as summer or the rainy season.

[0034] In step S104, if the period during which water exists in the humidifying tray 31 is less than the first reference time (No in step S104), the process returns to step S102. If the period during which water exists in the humidifying tray is equal to or greater than the first reference time (Yes in step S104), the process proceeds to step S105.

[0035] In step S105, based on the determination that the measured period is equal to or longer than the first reference time, the notification unit 60 notifies the user of the determination information. As an example, the LED serving as the notification unit 60 is lit as a "maintenance lamp" to notify the user and encourage drainage. Further, the maintenance lamp may be one that conveys that humidification has not been performed for a certain period or longer, one that conveys that water remains in the humidification tray, or one that encourages cleaning of the tray, etc. As a result, it is possible to suppress the generation of mold and strange odors caused by water remaining inside the air cleaner 100 for a long time and rotting.

[0036] Note that the timing of notifying the user is not limited to the above-described aspect. For example, when the control unit 10 determines that water remains for a predetermined period after passing the first reference time, it can further notify the user.

[0037] When the notification unit 60 notifies the user in step S105, the process proceeds to step S106.

[0038] In step S106, it waits for the user to remove the humidification tray 31. In step S106, when the recognition unit 43 recognizes that the humidification tray 31 has been removed during the notification to the user, it recognizes the removal action by a sensor or the like. By the recognition unit 43 recognizing the removal of the humidification tray 31, it can be determined that the user has removed the humidification tray 31 and drained the water.

[0039] In step S106, if the removal of the humidification tray 31 is not recognized (No in step S106), the process returns to step S104. Then, after a certain period, for example, after the first reference time has elapsed, the user is notified again. Further, before notifying the user, in addition to step S104, it may be further determined whether the humidity is equal to or higher than the reference humidity. If the removal of the humidification tray 31 is recognized (Yes in step S106), the process proceeds to step S107.

[0040] In step S107, control unit 10 resets the measurement by measurement unit 41. It has already been determined in step S106 that the water in humidifying tray 31 has been drained. Therefore, there is no need for measurement unit 41 to continue measuring the period during which water is present. Therefore, measurement is reset to avoid continuing to notify the user unnecessarily. As a result, accurate notification corresponding to the presence or absence of water in humidifying tray 31 is achieved.

[0041] After resetting the measurement by the measurement unit 41 in step S107, the process returns to step S102.

[0042] On the other hand, if the humidification mode of the air purifier 100 is ON in step S102, the process proceeds to step S108 as described above.

[0043] In step S108, the control unit 10 determines whether the humidity measured by the humidity sensor 42 is equal to or higher than the reference humidity. The reference humidity is, for example, the humidity that humans normally find comfortable. Humidity that is normally considered comfortable is approximately 50 to 65%. Therefore, in this embodiment, the reference humidity is set to 65%, for example.

[0044] When the humidity measured by humidity sensor 42 reaches the reference humidity, the air is sufficiently humidified and there is no need to further humidify it. In other words, if control unit 10 determines that the humidity is equal to or greater than the reference humidity, the indoor air is over-humidified. Therefore, in the case of air purifier 100 having a rotary filter, rotation of humidifying filter 32 is stopped to stop humidification (not shown). As a result, the water in humidifying tray 31 remains unused for humidification. In other words, in the case of air purifier 100 having a rotary filter, by determining whether the humidity is equal to or greater than the reference humidity in step S108, it is possible to determine whether the water in humidifying tray 31 is being used.

[0045] In the case of air purifier 100 having a fixed filter, the process of step S102 may be omitted, and the process may proceed to step S103 regardless of whether the humidification mode is ON or OFF.

[0046] In step S108, if the measured humidity is less than the reference humidity (No in step S108), the process returns to step S102. If the measured humidity is greater than or equal to the reference humidity (Yes in step S108), the process proceeds to step S103. The subsequent processing is the same as when the humidification mode is OFF.

[0047] Here, the reference value serving as the criterion for determination by the control unit 10 is not limited to the first reference time and the reference humidity. For example, further determination may be made using the water level detected by the water level sensor 40 as the reference water level and the humidification operation time as the second reference time.

[0048] Referring to FIG. 3, another step S109 in the flow of the modified example will be described.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 3, after the determination in step S104, further determination is made in step S109.

[0050] For example, even if water remains in the humidification tray 31 for more than the first reference time, if the amount of water in the humidification tray 31 detected by the water level sensor 40 is extremely small, there is no need to prompt the user to drain the water. Therefore, the allowable amount of water remaining in the humidification tray 31 is set as the reference water level.

[0051] Also, even if water remains in the humidification tray 31 for more than the first reference time, if the humidification operation time is long, the water in the humidification tray 31 will decrease. On the other hand, if the humidification operation time is short, there is a high possibility that the water in the humidification tray 31 remains without being used for humidification. Therefore, the humidification operation time is set as the second reference time. By making further determination based on the reference water level and the second reference time, it is possible to more accurately determine the possibility that water exists in the humidification tray 31 for a long time and decays.

[0052] In step S109, if the water level in the humidifying tray 31 is equal to or greater than the reference water level and the humidifying operation time is equal to or less than the second reference time, the process proceeds to step S105, where the user is notified. If the water level in the humidifying tray is less than the reference water level and the humidifying operation time is greater than the second reference time, the process returns to step S102.

[0053] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The drawings mainly show each component in a schematic manner for ease of understanding, and the thickness, length, number, spacing, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual ones due to the convenience of creating the drawings. Furthermore, the materials, shapes, dimensions, etc. of each component shown in the above embodiments are merely examples and are not particularly limited, and various modifications are possible within a scope that does not substantially deviate from the configuration of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0054] The present invention provides an air purifier and has industrial applicability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 10 Control Unit 30 Humidification unit 31 Humidifying tray 32 Humidification filter 40 Water level sensor 41 Measurement section 42 Humidity sensor 43 Recognition part 60 Information Department 100 Air Purifier

Claims

1. A humidifying unit for humidifying air, a measuring unit for measuring a residual water period which is a period during which the humidifying unit stops humidifying and water exists in the humidifying tray, a control unit for determining whether the residual water period is equal to or longer than a first reference time, and a notification unit for notifying a user of determination information when the residual water period is equal to or longer than the first reference time. An air purifier comprising the above components.

2. Further comprising a humidity sensor for measuring humidity, wherein the humidifying unit stops humidifying when the humidity measured by the humidity sensor is equal to or higher than a reference humidity. The air purifier according to Claim 1.

3. Further comprising a water level sensor for detecting the water level in the humidifying tray, wherein the notification unit notifies the user of the determination information when it is determined that the residual water period is equal to or longer than the first reference time, the water level detected by the water level sensor is equal to or higher than a reference water level, and a humidifying operation time which is the time during which the humidifying unit performs humidifying is equal to or shorter than a second reference time. The air purifier according to Claim 1 or Claim 2.

4. Further comprising a recognition unit for recognizing removal of the humidifying tray, wherein when the recognition unit recognizes removal of the humidifying tray during notification to the user, the control unit resets the measurement by the measuring unit. The air purifier according to any one of Claims 1 to 3.

5. The air purifier according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the first reference time is changed based on environmental information indicating information about the climate around the air purifier.

6. Further comprising a humidifying filter for sucking up water in the humidifying tray and supplying it for humidifying, wherein the humidifying filter is a rotary type that rotates around a horizontal axis. The air purifier according to any one of Claims 1 to 5.

7. A process of measuring a residual water period which is a period during which humidifying stops and water exists in the humidifying tray, a process of determining whether the residual water period is equal to or longer than a first reference time, and a process of notifying a user of determination information when the residual water period is equal to or longer than the first reference time. An air purification method including the above processes.

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