Dehumidification device

Abstract

To provide a dehumidifier improved in dehumidification performance.SOLUTION: A dehumidifier includes: a dehumidification rotor 10 disposed in a body case 1 and having a moisture-absorbing area 10a and a moisture-releasing area 10b; a blower 9 exhausting air sucked through a suction port 2 of the body case 1 to the outside of the body case 1 through a blowout port 4 by a dehumidification air passage 22 after passing through the moisture-absorbing area 10a of the dehumidification rotor 10; and a circulation air passage 13 provided in the body case 1. The circulation air passage 13 includes the moisture-releasing area 10b of the dehumidification rotor 10, a heating part 14 disposed on the windward side of the moisture-releasing area 10b; a heat exchanger 15 disposed on the leeward side of the moisture-releasing area 10b, and a circulation blower 16 circulating air in the circulation air passage 13, and is structured so that a bottom surface 24a of a communication passage 24 through which the moisture-releasing area 10b and the heat exchanger 15 are communicated with each other is lower than the top end of the heat exchanger 15, so as to improve dehumidification performance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a dehumidifier. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, this type of dehumidifier is equipped with a main body case having a horizontal cross section with short and long sides, and includes a fan that draws air in through an inlet and exhausts it through an outlet, a rotor that absorbs moisture from the air supplied by the fan, a drive means for rotating the rotor, a circulation path and circulation fan that circulate regeneration air through part of the rotor, a heater that releases moisture from the rotor in the circulation path, and a heat exchanger that cools the regeneration air containing moisture released by the rotor with air supplied by the fan to condense it.A dehumidifier is known in which the rotor and heat exchanger are arranged side by side along the long side of the main body case so that air drawn in through the inlet is divided between the rotor and the heat exchanger, flows through the main body case roughly along the short side, and is then drawn into the fan (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-98264 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A challenge for such conventional dehumidifiers is to improve the dehumidifying capacity.

[0005] In other words, in conventional devices, the circulation air duct has a moisture release area of ​​the dehumidifying rotor, a heat generating unit located upwind of the moisture release area, a heat exchanger located downwind of the moisture release area, and a circulation fan that circulates air in the circulation air duct, and water that condenses in the communication passage connecting the moisture release area and the heat exchanger flows into the heat exchanger with the flow of circulating air. When water flows into the heat exchanger, the flow of circulating air is obstructed, and the water vapor flowing through the heat exchanger does not condense sufficiently, resulting in a decrease in dehumidification capacity.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and has an object to provide a dehumidifier that promotes heat exchange within a heat exchanger and improves dehumidifying capacity. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve this object, a dehumidifying device according to the present invention comprises a main body case having an intake port and an outlet port, a dehumidifying rotor provided within the main body case and having a moisture absorption region and a moisture release region, a motor for rotating the dehumidifying rotor, a blower for discharging air drawn in through the intake port of the main body case from the outlet port to the outside of the main body case after passing through the moisture absorption region of the dehumidifying rotor through a dehumidifying air duct, and a circulation air duct provided within the main body case, the circulation air duct having the moisture release region of the dehumidifying rotor, a heat generating section provided upwind of the moisture release region, a heat exchanger provided downwind of the moisture release region, and a circulation air duct for circulating air in the circulation air duct, The air in the circulation air passage flows into the heat exchanger from the upper surface of the heat exchanger and flows downward within the heat exchanger, The bottom surface of the communication passage that communicates the moisture release area with the heat exchanger is lower than the upper end of the heat exchanger. A part of the air flowing through the communication passage hits the side surface of the upper part of the heat exchanger. This is to achieve the intended purpose, and this is to achieve the intended purpose. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, there is provided a main body case having an intake port and an outlet port, a dehumidifying rotor provided in the main body case and having a moisture absorption region and a moisture release region, a motor for rotating the dehumidifying rotor, a blower for discharging air drawn in from the intake port of the main body case from the outlet port to the outside of the main body case after passing through the moisture absorption region of the dehumidifying rotor through a dehumidifying air duct, and a circulation air duct provided in the main body case, the circulation air duct passing through the moisture release region of the dehumidifying rotor and a heat generating section provided on the windward side of the moisture release region. The system has a heat exchanger located on the downwind side of the moisture release area, and a circulation fan that circulates the air in the circulation air passage.The bottom surface of the connecting passage that connects the moisture release area and the heat exchanger is lower than the upper end of the heat exchanger.This prevents water that condenses in the connecting passage from flowing into the heat exchanger, and the flow of circulating air is not obstructed, thereby improving the heat exchange efficiency in the heat exchanger.This promotes condensation of water vapor in the circulating air, and improves dehumidification capacity. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a dehumidifying device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the dehumidifying device. [Figure 4] Schematic cross-sectional view of the dehumidifier [Figure 5] Schematic diagram showing the inside of the dehumidifier [Figure 6] Exploded view of the heat exchanger of the dehumidifier DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dehumidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the front side, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the dehumidifier as viewed from the back side, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the general configuration, FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view in a horizontal section, and FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the interior of the dehumidifier.

[0012] As shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, the dehumidifier of this embodiment has an intake port 2 on the front of a main body case 1 shaped like a vertically long box, an operating unit 3 on the top surface of the main body case 1, and an outlet port 4 on the upper rear side of the main body case 1. The user can operate the dehumidifier and check the operating mode by operating the operating unit 3. A rotatable louver 5 is provided above the outlet port 4. A retractable water storage unit 6 is provided below the front side of the main body case 1 and stores the dehumidified water generated within the main body case 1.

[0013] The main body case 1 contains a dehumidifying rotor section 7, a regeneration unit 8, and a blower 9.

[0014] The dehumidifying rotor unit 7 includes a dehumidifying rotor 10 , a support frame 11 , and a motor 12 .

[0015] The dehumidifying rotor 10 is disk-shaped and rotatably mounted on a support frame 11 with its rotation axis extending horizontally. The dehumidifying rotor 10 is constructed of a honeycomb structure carrying an adsorbent material, allowing ventilation in the axial direction. This adsorbent material has the property of being able to retain a large amount of moisture when the relative humidity of the air it is exposed to is high, but the amount of moisture it can retain decreases as the relative humidity decreases. Thus, by repeatedly coming into contact with air of different relative humidities, moisture is adsorbed and desorbed according to the difference in the amount of moisture the adsorbent can retain at each relative humidity. The dehumidifying rotor has a moisture absorption region 10a that adsorbs moisture from the air onto the dehumidifying rotor 10 and a moisture release region 10b that releases the moisture adsorbed onto the dehumidifying rotor 10. The outer periphery of the dehumidifying rotor 10 has numerous teeth 10c.

[0016] Support frame 11 is disposed so as to separate the front side from the back side of main body case 1, and has a circular opening 11a in the center. Dehumidifying rotor 10 is disposed between the back side of main body case 1 and support frame 11, and is rotatably provided so as to close opening 11a of support frame 11.

[0017] Motor 12 is fixed to support frame 11 and has gear 12a, which comes into contact with a large number of teeth 10c protruding from the outer periphery of dehumidifying rotor 10. When motor 12 is driven, the gear rotates, which in turn rotates dehumidifying rotor 10.

[0018] The regeneration unit 8 has a circulation air duct 13 that communicates with one side (the front side of the main body case) of the moisture release area 10b of the dehumidifying rotor 10 and the other side (the back side of the main body case) of the moisture release area 10b of the dehumidifying rotor 10, and a heat generating section 14, a heat exchanger 15, and a circulation fan 16 that are provided within the circulation air duct 13.

[0019] The heat generating section 14 is disposed on one side (the rear side of the main body case) of the moisture release area 10b of the dehumidifying rotor 10. The heat generating section 14 is made of a material that generates heat when electricity is applied, such as nichrome wire, and generates heat to cause moisture to be released from the dehumidifying rotor 10 in the moisture release area 10b of the dehumidifying rotor 10.

[0020] Heat exchanger 15 condenses moisture by exchanging heat between the moisture-laden regeneration air released from moisture release region 10b of dehumidifying rotor 10 and the indoor air supplied by blower 9. Heat exchanger 15 is disposed between the front surface of main body case 1 and support frame 11 so as to be horizontally adjacent to dehumidifying rotor 10. As shown in the developed view of the heat exchanger in Figure 6, heat exchanger 15 is configured by alternately stacking sheets of two different shapes, and is configured to perform sensible heat exchange by separating the air flowing vertically in circulating air passage 13 from the air flowing horizontally in cooling air passage 23, which will be described later.

[0021] Circulation fan 16 is configured as a so-called sirocco fan that combines motor 16a and impeller 16b, and circulates air within circulation air duct 13. Circulation fan 16 is disposed between heat generating unit 14 and heat exchanger 15 within circulation air duct 13. Air blown from circulation fan 16 passes through heat generating unit 14, moisture release region 10b of dehumidifying rotor 10, and heat exchanger 15 in that order before being drawn into circulation fan 16. The air within circulation air duct 13 flows from the top to the bottom of heat exchanger 15.

[0022] The blower 9 is disposed between the rear surface of the main body case 1 and the support frame 11. The blower 9 includes a motor unit 9a, a fan unit 9b rotated by the motor unit 9a, and a scroll-shaped casing unit 9c that surrounds them.

[0023] The motor portion 9a is fixed to the casing portion 9c.

[0024] The fan unit 9b is a sirocco fan fixed to a rotating shaft (not shown) extending horizontally from the motor unit 9a. The rotating shaft of the motor unit 9a extends from the front side to the rear side of the main body case 1.

[0025] The casing portion 9c is provided with an outlet port 17 and an intake port 18. The outlet port 17 is provided on the upper surface side of the main body case 1 of the casing portion 9c. The intake port 18 is provided on the front surface side of the main body case 1 of the casing portion 9c. The casing portion 9c has a suction surface portion 19 to which the motor portion 9a is fixed and in which the intake port 18 is provided, a suction-opposing surface portion 20 opposed to the suction surface portion 19, and a scroll-shaped scroll surface portion 21 connecting the suction surface portion 19 and the suction-opposing surface portion 20. When the fan portion 9b is rotated by the motor portion 9a, air is sucked into the casing portion 9c through the intake port 18 of the casing portion 9c, and this sucked air is blown out of the casing portion 9c through the outlet port 17.

[0026] The main body case has a dehumidifying air passage 22 and a cooling air passage 23 inside.

[0027] Dehumidifying air passage 22 is an air passage that connects intake port 2 of main body case 1, moisture absorption region 10a of dehumidifying rotor 10, and blower 9. Moisture in the air sucked in through intake port 2 of main body case 1 is adsorbed by dehumidifying rotor 10 in moisture absorption region 10a of dehumidifying rotor 10 and dehumidified.

[0028] Cooling air passage 23 is an air passage that connects intake port 2 of main body case 1, heat exchanger 15, and blower 9. Heat exchanger 15 is cooled by air drawn in through intake port 2 of main body case 1. The air that has passed through dehumidifying air passage 22 and cooling air passage 23 is mixed by blower 9 and blown out of the main body case from air outlet 4.

[0029] The dehumidifying operation of the above configuration will now be described. The blower 9 draws indoor air through the intake port 2, and moisture is absorbed in the moisture absorption region 10a of the dehumidifying rotor 10. The dehumidified air is then blown into the room as dry air through the outlet 4 (dehumidifying air duct). The moisture absorbed by the dehumidifying rotor 10 moves to the moisture release region 10b as the dehumidifying rotor 10 rotates, and is then released into the circulation air duct 13 by heating from the heat generating unit 14. In the circulation air duct 13, the hot, humid air discharged from the moisture release region 10b of the dehumidifying rotor 10 is blown to the heat exchanger 15 by the air blown by the circulation blower 16. In the heat exchanger 15, heat is exchanged between the circulation air duct 13 and the cooling air duct 23, which was drawn into the main body case 1 by the blower 9 and cools the heat exchanger 15. The hot, humid air in the circulation air duct 13 is cooled, and moisture condenses and is collected in the water storage unit 6. The air in cooling air duct 23, which has cooled heat exchanger 15 and has increased in temperature, is mixed with the air in dehumidifying air duct 22 by blower 9 and is blown into the room from outlet 4. In this way, the indoor air is dehumidified.

[0030] 5, the present embodiment is characterized by the heat exchanger 15, which is part of the circulating air passage 13, and the communication passage 24 that connects the moisture release area 10b and the heat exchanger 15. Specifically, the communication passage 24 is cylindrical with a central axis extending laterally, and the air flowing through the communication passage 24 flows into the heat exchanger 15 from the upper surface of the heat exchanger 15 and then flows downward within the heat exchanger 15. The bottom surface 24a of the communication passage 24 that connects the moisture release area 10b and the heat exchanger 15 is configured to be located lower than the upper end 15a of the heat exchanger 15.

[0031] In this configuration, water condensed in the communicating passage 24 accumulates on the bottom surface 24a, but since the bottom surface 24a in the communicating passage 24 is lower than the upper end 15a of the heat exchanger 15, the water can be prevented from entering the heat exchanger 15.

[0032] This prevents the water condensed in the communicating passage 24 from flowing into the heat exchanger 15, reducing the obstruction to the flow of circulating air flowing through the heat exchanger 15, improving the decrease in heat exchange efficiency in the heat exchanger 15, promoting the condensation of water vapor in the circulating air and improving the dehumidification capacity.

[0033] The bottom surface 24a of the communication passage 24 is shaped to be inclined so that the heat exchanger 15 side is higher and the moisture release region 10b side is lower.

[0034] In this configuration, water that condenses in the communication passages 24 collects on the bottom surface 24a, but because of the slope, the water flows toward the moisture release region 10b without remaining in the communication passages 24. Therefore, the water is prevented from flowing into the heat exchanger 15, and the accumulation of condensed water in the communication passages 24 can also be reduced.

[0035] This prevents the water condensed in the communicating passages 24 from flowing into the heat exchanger 15, reducing the obstruction to the flow of circulating air through the heat exchanger 15 and improving the reduction in heat exchange efficiency within the heat exchanger 15. Furthermore, the accumulation of condensed water within the communicating passages 24 is prevented from creating resistance to the air circulating through the communicating passages 24, so the circulating air volume is not reduced and the heat exchange efficiency within the heat exchanger is improved, promoting the condensation of water vapor from the circulating air and improving the dehumidifying capacity.

[0036] The bottom surface 24a of the communication passage 24 is configured to extend from a side surface 15b of the heat exchanger 15 that is a predetermined distance below the upper end 15a of the heat exchanger 15.

[0037] In this configuration, the upper end 15a of the heat exchanger 15 is higher than the bottom surface 24a of the connecting passage 24, and part of the air flowing through the connecting passage 24 hits the upper side surface 15b of the heat exchanger 15 and condenses, thereby improving the dehumidification efficiency within the circulating air passage 13 and preventing the air from flowing into the heat exchanger 15.

[0038] This improves the dehumidification efficiency in the circulating air passage 13, and the water condensed in the communicating passage 24 will no longer flow into the heat exchanger 15, preventing the flow of circulating air through the heat exchanger 15 from being obstructed, thereby improving the reduction in heat exchange efficiency in the heat exchanger 15. Furthermore, the accumulation of condensed water in the communicating passage 24 is prevented from creating resistance to the air circulating through the communicating passage 24, so the circulating air volume does not decrease and the heat exchange efficiency in the heat exchanger is improved, which promotes condensation of water vapor from the circulating air and improves the dehumidifying capacity.

[0039] Furthermore, even if the device is installed on a slightly inclined floor, the water condensed in the communication passage 24 is unlikely to flow into the heat exchanger 15, so the dehumidifying capacity does not decrease and the effect can be stably maintained. [Industrial Applicability]

[0040] It is expected to be used as a dehumidifier with high dehumidifying capacity for home and office use. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1 Main unit case 2 Intake port 3 Control section 4 Air outlet 5 Louvers 6. Water storage section 7 Dehumidifying rotor part 8 Regeneration Unit 9. Blower 9a Motor section 9b Fan Section 9c Casing 10 Dehumidifying rotor 10a Moisture absorption area 10b Moisture release area 10c tooth 11 Support Frame 11a opening 12 motors 12a Gear 13 Circulation air duct 14 Heat generating part 15 Heat exchanger 15a top end 15b Side 16 Circulating blower 16a motor 16b impeller 17 Discharge port 18 Air intake 19 Suction surface 20 Intake facing surface 21 Scroll surface 22 Dehumidifying air path 23 Cooling air passage 24 Communication path 24a Bottom

Claims

1. a main body case having an inlet and an outlet; a dehumidifying rotor provided in the main body case and having a moisture absorption region and a moisture release region; a motor that rotates the dehumidifying rotor; a blower that draws air through the intake port of the main body case, passes the air through a dehumidification air passage, and then exhausts the air to the outside of the main body case through the air outlet; a circulating air passage provided in the main body case, The circulation air duct is the moisture release region of the dehumidifying rotor; a heat generating section provided on the windward side of the moisture releasing area; a heat exchanger provided on the downwind side of the moisture release area; a circulation fan that circulates air in the circulation air passage, A dehumidification device characterized in that the air in the circulation air duct flows into the heat exchanger from the top surface of the heat exchanger and flows downward within the heat exchanger, the bottom surface of the connecting passage connecting the moisture release area and the heat exchanger is lower than the top end of the heat exchanger, and part of the air flowing through the connecting passage hits the side of the upper part of the heat exchanger.

2. 2. The dehumidifying device according to claim 1, wherein the bottom surface of the communication passage is inclined so that the heat exchanger side is higher and the moisture release area side is lower.

3. 3. The dehumidifying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bottom surface of the communication passage extends from a side surface of the heat exchanger that is a predetermined distance below an upper end of the heat exchanger.

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