Ventilation equipment and closets

Abstract

To provide an air blowing device for improving air permeability to clothing by blowing a large flow rate of air toward the clothing while suppressing change in flow rate of air flowed out of an air passage.SOLUTION: An air blowing device 1 has an air blower 36 for blowing out air, air blowout ports 44 that open toward arrangement locations 18 in which a clothing 16 is stored, an air passage 40 on which air discharge ports 46 for discharging air are formed, and an opening and closing mechanism 50 for opening and closing the corresponding air blowout port 44. The opening and closing mechanism 50 has a lid part 54 for switching state of the air blowout port 44 between a closed state and an open state, and an air guide part 56 where the state is switched from a non-guide state of not guiding air in the air passage 40 to a guide state of guiding the air in the air passage 40 to the air blowout port 44 side when the air blowout port 44 is switched from the closed state to the open state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a blower and a closet. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, there has been known an air blower that blows air toward clothes for the purpose of ventilating a space in which clothes are stored and drying the clothes.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a hanger device 501, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, which includes a plurality of hangers 505 for hanging garments and an air supply pipe 502 for supplying air from an air supply device 504 to each hanger 505. In the hanger device 501, one end of the air supply pipe 502 is closed by an air cap 507, and air is supplied to the other end via an air hose 503. The air supply pipe 502 is provided with an air supply port 510 for supplying air to each hanger 505 and an on-off valve 511 for opening and closing the air supply port 510. In the hanger device 501 of Patent Document 1, when the hanger 505 is hung at a predetermined position on the air supply pipe 502, air is supplied from the air supply pipe 502 into the hanger 505 and air is blown out from an air outlet 517 of the hanger 505 toward the garments, thereby drying the garments. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-288486 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the hanger apparatus 501 of Patent Document 1, when all the air supply ports 510 are closed, there is no escape route for the air in the air supply pipe 502, and the pressure in the air supply pipe 502 rises. Therefore, when the air supply ports 510 are opened, a large amount of air flows into the hanger 505, and thereafter the flow rate of the flowing air decreases to a predetermined value, and a steady flow is formed at the air supply ports 510. In other words, there is a problem in that there is a large difference in the flow rate of air flowing into the hanger 505 between the state immediately after the air supply ports 510 are opened and the state when a steady flow is formed at the air supply ports 510.

[0006] One way to reduce this difference in flow rate is to provide an air outlet for discharging air in the air passage of air supply pipe 502. In such a device, the increase in pressure in the air flow path can be suppressed, thereby reducing the pressure difference. However, in such a device, an air flow is generated in the air flow path, flowing from the air intake for taking in air toward the air outlet, making it difficult to efficiently distribute the air in the air flow path to multiple outlets.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an air blower that can efficiently blow air toward clothing from multiple air outlets while suppressing fluctuations in the flow rate of air blown out from the air outlets. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an air blower for blowing air to a plurality of predetermined positions where clothes are lined up in a predetermined direction. The air blower includes an air passage having a blower that blows air drawn in from outside, an air inlet that takes in the air blown out by the blower, a plurality of air outlets spaced apart in the predetermined direction so as to open toward each of the positions, and an air outlet that is located within the air passage downstream of the most downstream air outlet of the plurality of air outlets in the air flow direction and that discharges the air taken in through the air inlet, and a plurality of opening / closing mechanisms that are individually provided for the plurality of air outlets and switch the corresponding air outlet between a closed state and an open state. Each of the plurality of opening / closing mechanisms has an air guide portion that guides air in the air passage toward the air outlet.

[0009] In a blower configured in this manner, the air exhaust port provided in the air passage suppresses the increase in pressure within the air passage, so that when the air outlet is switched from a closed state to an open state by the opening / closing mechanism, the difference in the flow rate of air blown out from the air outlet can be reduced.

[0010] This blower device further includes an air outlet located downstream of the most downstream air outlet in the air flow direction, and an air guide section that guides air toward the air outlet. Therefore, air flowing from the air intake toward the air outlet can be guided to the air outlet by the air guide section. This allows air to be efficiently blown toward clothing from the air outlet while suppressing fluctuations in the flow rate of air blown out from the air outlet.

[0011] Each of the multiple opening and closing mechanisms may be provided with a load receiving portion for receiving the weight of clothing stored in the arrangement location, and the blower device may be configured to be able to switch the air outlet from the closed state to the open state when the weight of the clothing is applied to the load receiving portion.

[0012] In this aspect, air can be blown out to one of the plurality of locations where a load is applied to the load receiving portion as a result of storing clothes.

[0013] The air guide section may be attached to the air passage in a state switchable between a guide state for guiding air in the air passage toward the air outlet and a non-guide state for reducing the amount of air guided toward the air outlet compared to the guide state, and the opening / closing mechanism may be configured to be able to switch the state of the air guide section so that in the open state, the air guide section is in the guide state and in the closed state, the air guide section is in the non-guide state.

[0014] In this aspect, when the air outlet is closed, the air guide section is switched to the non-guiding state, reducing the amount of air guided to the air outlet, thereby preventing the flow of air in the air passage from being obstructed. On the other hand, when the air outlet is open, the air guide section is switched to the guiding state, causing the air in the air passage to be guided toward the air outlet by the air guide section. Therefore, air can be efficiently flowed through the air passage depending on the open / close state of the air outlet.

[0015] The air guide section may have a guide surface that is arranged in a guide position in the guide state that intersects with the air flow direction from the air intake to the air exhaust port and faces the air outlet, and that is arranged in a non-guide position in the non-guide state that has a smaller intersecting angle with the air flow direction than the guide position.

[0016] In this aspect, the flow rate of air guided to the air outlet can be changed by switching the orientation of the guide surface of the air guide portion.

[0017] The air guide portion may have a flow forming member attached to the air passage so as to be activated by receiving air flowing from the air intake toward the air discharge port and form a flow of air toward the air outlet.

[0018] In this embodiment, the force of the air (wind force) in the air passage can be used to form a flow of air heading toward the air outlet.

[0019] The opening and closing mechanism may have a restricting member that restricts operation of the flow forming member in the closed state.

[0020] In this aspect, by switching the opening / closing mechanism to the closed state, the flow of air toward the air outlet can be restricted.

[0021] The blower device may further include a flow rate adjusting means for adjusting the flow rates of air blown out from the plurality of air outlets that are switched to the open state to be substantially equal to each other.

[0022] In this aspect, it is possible to suppress variations in the flow rate of air blown out from each air outlet.

[0023] The blower device may further include an air flow meter arranged between the most downstream air outlet and the air outlet in the air passage to measure the air flow rate in the air passage, and a control unit that controls the air flow rate of the blower so that the measurement value of the air flow meter remains approximately constant.

[0024] In this aspect, the controller controls the airflow rate of the blower so that the air flow rate at the location of the air flow meter in the air passage is constant, which makes it possible to suppress fluctuations in the amount of air blown out from the air outlets even if the number of air outlets that are switched to the open state fluctuates.

[0025] The at least one air outlet may be open toward the plurality of arrangement locations.

[0026] In this embodiment, not only is air blown out from the air outlet toward the clothes, but the air in the air passage that has passed through the air outlet can also be blown out from the air exhaust port toward the clothes, so that dust adhering to the clothes can be removed by the air from the air exhaust port.

[0027] The closet according to the present invention includes the air blower and a closet body that forms a storage room in which the plurality of placement locations are set.

[0028] In a closet configured in this manner, air is blown from the air blower toward the clothes stored in multiple locations, thereby removing foreign matter such as dust that has adhered to the clothes stored in the closet body and drying the clothes.

[0029] The closet body may be positioned below the plurality of air outlets and may be provided with an exhaust port for discharging air from within the closet body to the outside.

[0030] In this configuration, air sent from the blower into the air passage is blown out of the air outlet toward the installation location and then exhausted to the outside of the closet through an exhaust port located below the air outlet, thereby allowing foreign matter such as dust adhering to clothes to be expelled to the outside of the closet body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0031] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an air blower that can efficiently blow air toward clothes from a plurality of air outlets while suppressing fluctuations in the flow rate of air blown out from the air outlets. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0032] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B show a closet provided with a blower device according to a first embodiment, in which (a) is a front view of the closet with the front door open, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II in (a). [Figure 2] 2 is an enlarged front cross-sectional view of a part of the blower device in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 3A and 3B show the closed state of the opening / closing mechanism in FIG. 2, in which (a) is a side cross-sectional view and (b) is a front cross-sectional view. [Figure 4]3A and 3B show the open state of the opening / closing mechanism in FIG. 2, in which (a) is a side cross-sectional view and (b) is a front cross-sectional view. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a front cross-sectional view showing an opening / closing mechanism provided in a blower according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a front cross-sectional view showing an opening / closing mechanism provided in a blower according to a third embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view showing an opening / closing mechanism provided in a blower according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a front view schematically showing the hanger device of Patent Document 1. [Figure 9] 1 is a side cross-sectional view that schematically shows a part of the hanger device of Patent Document 1. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0033] (First embodiment) 1(a) and 1(b), a blower 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is attached to, for example, a closet main body 12 for storing clothes. In the following explanation, when viewing the closet main body 12 from the front, the upper side will be referred to as "top," the lower side as "bottom," the left side as "left," the right side as "right," the near side as "front," and the far side as "rear."

[0034] The closet 10 includes a closet body 12 that forms a storage room 12a for storing clothes 16, and an air blower 1 that blows air drawn in from the outside to ventilate the storage room 12a. The storage room 12a is provided with a plurality of predetermined placement areas 18 for arranging the clothes 16, and the clothes 16 are stored in the placement areas 18 while hanging on hangers 14.

[0035] Closet body 12 includes a rectangular bottom plate 20, a pair of side walls 21 erected on the left and right edges of bottom plate 20, a rear plate 22 erected on the rear edge of bottom plate 20, a top plate 23 facing bottom plate 20, and a front door 24 that can be opened and closed to cover opening 12b formed by bottom plate 20, pair of side walls 21, and top plate 23. An exhaust port 25 is provided at the bottom of front door 24 to exhaust air from inside closet body 12 to the outside. Clothes 16 can be placed in and taken out of storage compartment 12a of closet 10 by moving front door 24 from the closed position to the open position to open opening 12b.

[0036] The blower device 1 includes a blower 36 that blows out air drawn in from the outside, and an air passage 40 through which the air blown out from the blower 36 flows. The air passage 40 includes an air intake 42 that takes in the air blown out by the blower 36, a plurality of air outlets 44 that are spaced apart in a predetermined direction so as to open toward the plurality of arrangement locations 18, and an air outlet 46 that discharges the air taken in from the air intake 42. The air outlet 46 is disposed downstream of the most downstream air outlet 44 of the plurality of air outlets 44 in the air flow direction in the air passage 40, and opens toward the plurality of arrangement locations 18. Specifically, the air outlet 46 is disposed above the plurality of arrangement locations 18 and opens downward.

[0037] The blower 36 is provided at the rear upper right corner inside the closet body 12. The blower 36 also has an opening (not shown) that blows air downward.

[0038] The air passage 40 includes a right passage (reference numeral omitted) that guides air downward from the air intake 42 along the right side wall 21, a lower passage (reference numeral omitted) that guides air from the lower end of the right passage toward the left side wall 21, a left passage (reference numeral omitted) that guides air upward from the left end of the lower passage along the left side wall 21, and an upper passage (reference numeral omitted) that guides air from the upper end of the left passage toward the right side wall. The lower passage is formed with an air outlet 44 that opens downward. The upper passage is formed with an air outlet 46 that opens downward toward the installation location. Specifically, the air passage 40 includes support members 32 fixed to each of the pair of side walls 21, a shelf board 30 supported on the support members 32, and a hanger pipe 34 extending in the left-right direction across both support members 32. The right passage is formed within the right end of the shelf board 30 and the right support member 32. The lower passage is formed within the hanger pipe 34. The left-side passage is formed at the left support portion and the left end of the shelf board 30. The upper-side passage is formed inside the shelf board 30. Note that the upper-side passage does not have to be formed inside the shelf board 30. In that case, for example, the upper-side passage is formed inside a dedicated pipe that is arranged above the hanger pipe 34 and provided between the pair of side walls 21 so as to communicate with the right-side passage and the left-side passage.

[0039] 2, the multiple air outlets 44 include air outlets 44a, 44b, 44c... 44y, and 44z arranged in this order from the upstream side in the air flow direction in the air passage 40. In Fig. 2, the air flow is indicated by solid arrows.

[0040] The blower device 1 further includes a plurality of opening / closing mechanisms 50 that are individually provided at the plurality of air outlets 44a, 44b, 44c... 44y, 44z and switch the corresponding air outlets 44 between a closed state and an open state. By switching the air outlets 44 to the open state using the opening / closing mechanisms 50, air in the air passage 40 can be blown out from the open air outlets 44 toward the corresponding arrangement locations 18. Figure 2 shows the state when air outlets 44b and 44y, among the plurality of air outlets 44, are switched to the open state.

[0041] 3(a)(b) and 4(a)(b), the opening and closing mechanism 50 will be described in detail. The opening and closing mechanism 50 has a lid portion 54 attached to the air passage so as to be movable between a position that closes and a position that opens the air outlet 44, an operating mechanism 52 that operates the lid portion 54 between the closed position and the open position, and an air guide portion 56 that guides air in the air passage 40 toward the air outlet 44. The operating mechanism 52 operates the lid portion 54 and the air guide portion 56.

[0042] Specifically, the operating mechanism 52 includes a load receiving portion 60 for receiving the load of the clothes stored in the placement location 18, a connecting portion 62 for connecting the load receiving portion 60 and the lid portion 54, and a spring member 64 provided between the load receiving portion 60 and the hanger pipe 34.

[0043] The load receiving portion 60 is disposed so as to be able to fit into a recess 35 that opens upward at the top of the hanger pipe 34 and is formed at a position corresponding to the air outlet 44. The load receiving portion 60 is urged upward relative to the bottom surface 38 of the recess 35 by a spring member 64 that is provided so as to be able to expand and contract between the load receiving portion 60 and the bottom surface 38 of the recess 35. A recessed hanger locking portion 37 is provided on the upper surface of the load receiving portion 60 to lock the hook portion of the hanger 14 when the user hangs the hanger 14 on the hanger pipe 34.

[0044] The spring member 64 has a spring constant such that it expands when the hanger 14 is engaged with the hanger engaging portion 37, and contracts when the hanger 14 with the garment 16 hanging thereon is engaged with the hanger engaging portion 37. With this spring member 64, the load receiving portion 60 is attached to the hanger pipe 34 so as to be displaceable between a pressed state shown in Fig. 4 in which the load from the hanger 14 is applied and the load receiving portion 60 is pressed into the recess 35, and a protruding state shown in Fig. 3 in which the load from the hanger 14 is removed and the load receiving portion 60 protrudes upward.

[0045] The lid portion 54 includes a pair of door elements 66. The pair of door elements 66 are provided on both the front and rear sides of the center position of the air outlet 44. The pair of door elements 66 are provided inside the hanger pipe 34 so as to be slidable in the circumferential direction of the hanger pipe 34. Specifically, the pair of door elements 66 are attached to the hanger pipe 34 so as to be slidable between a closed position (shown in FIG. 3(a)) in which opposite ends 66a in the front-rear direction abut against each other to close the air outlet 44, and an open position (shown in FIG. 4(a)) in which the ends 66a move away from each other to open the air outlet 44.

[0046] The connecting part 62 is configured to move the lid part 54 from the closed position to the open position when the load of the clothes is applied to the load receiving part 60, and to move the lid part 54 from the open position to the closed position when the load of the clothes is removed from the load receiving part 60. Specifically, the connecting part 62 includes a pair of movable frames 67 that extend from the underside of the load receiving part 60, penetrating the bottom surface 38 of the hanger pipe 34, and into the hanger pipe 34, and a pair of rotating frames 68 provided on both the front and rear sides of the air outlet 44, respectively.

[0047] The movable frame 67 is attached to the hanger pipe 34 so as to be able to slide up and down. The movable frame 67 slides up and down as shown by arrow C in Figure 4(a) as the load receiving portion 60 switches between a pushed-in state and a protruding state. Specifically, the movable frame 67 is inserted into a hole formed in the peripheral wall of the hanger pipe 34 so as to be able to slide up and down.

[0048] The rotating frame 68 is provided across the support parts 69 protruding from the inner wall of the hanger pipe 34, the movable frame 67, and the door elements 66, and receives a vertical force from the load receiving parts 60 and converts this force into a force for sliding the pair of door elements 66 in the circumferential direction of the hanger pipe 34. Specifically, the rotating frame 68 has an attached part 68c attached to the support parts 69 by an axis A1 provided on the side of the movable frame 67 farther from the air outlet 44 so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the air flow direction, a first connecting part 68a connected to the movable frame 67 by an axis A2 so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the air flow direction, and a second connecting part 68b provided on the opposite side of axis A1 from axis A2 and connected to the door elements 66 by an axis A3 so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the air flow direction.

[0049] When a downward force (indicated by arrow F1 in FIG. 4(a)) is applied to the first connecting portion 68a, the rotating frame 68 rotates around axis A1, causing the second connecting portion 68b to move upward in a direction away from the air outlet 44. This causes the pair of door elements 66 to slide away from each other (indicated by arrow D in FIG. 4(a)). Furthermore, when the downward force is removed from the first connecting portion 68a, the rotation of the rotating frame 68 causes the second connecting portion 68b to move downward in a direction approaching the air outlet 44, causing the pair of door elements 66 to slide toward each other.

[0050] When the hanger 14 with the garment 16 hanging thereon is suspended from the load receiving part 60 by the connecting part 62, the lid part 54 moves from the closed position to the open position, and the air outlet 44 switches from the closed state to the open state. When the hanger 14 with the garment 16 hanging thereon is removed from the load receiving part 60, the lid part 54 moves from the open position to the closed position, and the air outlet 44 switches from the open state to the closed state.

[0051] Next, the air guide section 56 will be described. The air guide section 56 is attached to the air passage 40 in a state switchable between a guide state (the state shown in FIG. 4(b)) for guiding the air in the air passage 40 toward the air outlet 44 and a non-guide state (the state shown in FIG. 3(b)) for reducing the amount of air guided to the air outlet 44 compared to the guide state. Furthermore, when the lid section 54 moves to the open position, the air guide section 56 enters the guide state, thereby increasing the amount of air guided to the air outlet 44, and when the lid section 54 moves to the open position, air begins to be blown out from the air outlet 44. Furthermore, when the lid section 54 moves to the closed position, the air guide section 56 enters the non-guide state, thereby reducing the amount of air guided to the air passage 40, and when the lid section 54 moves to the closed position, air is stopped from being blown out from the air outlet 44.

[0052] Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3(a)(b) and 4(a)(b), the air guide section 56 has an air direction vane 70 attached to the hanger pipe 34 by an axis B2 so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in a direction (front-rear direction) intersecting the air flow direction of the hanger pipe 34 (the axis B2 is attached to the hanger pipe 34, for example, via a bearing not shown). The air direction vane 70 is connected to the movable frame 67 by an axis B1 at a different position in the left-right direction from the axis B2 (the left in this embodiment) so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in a direction (front-rear direction) intersecting the air flow direction of the hanger pipe 34. The air direction vane 70 also has a guide surface 71 (the lower surface of the air direction vane 70) for guiding the air in the hanger pipe 34 to 44.

[0053] When a downward force (indicated by arrow F1 in FIG. 4(a)) is applied to the air direction vane 70 from the movable frame 67 via the axis B1, the air direction vane 70 rotates around the axis B2 so that the guide surface 71 intersects with the air flow direction (indicated by arrow E in FIG. 4(b)). This switches the state of the air guide unit 56 to a guide state in which the air in the hanger pipe 34 is guided toward the air outlet 44. On the other hand, when an upward force is applied to the air direction vane 70 from the movable frame 67 via the axis B1, the air direction vane 70 rotates around the axis B2 so that the guide surface 71 is aligned with the air flow direction. This switches the state of the air guide unit 56 to a non-guide state in which the amount of air guided toward the air outlet 44 is reduced compared to the guide state.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 1 , the blower device 1 further includes an airflow meter 80 disposed between the most downstream air outlet 44 in the air passage 40 and the air outlet 46. The airflow meter 80 detects the air flow rate in the air passage 40, and a control unit 82 controls the airflow rate of the blower 36 so that the value detected by the airflow meter 80 remains substantially constant. The airflow meter 80 and the blower 36 are electrically connected to the control unit 82 (shown by a dotted solid line in FIG. 1 ). The airflow meter 80 detects the airflow rate and transmits a signal indicating the detected value to the control unit 82. For example, when the number of open air outlets 44 increases and the airflow rate decreases, the control unit 82 increases the airflow rate of the blower 36 based on the value detected by the airflow meter 80. On the other hand, when the number of closed air outlets 44 increases and the airflow rate increases, the control unit 82 decreases the airflow rate of the blower 36 based on the value detected by the airflow meter 80.

[0055] In the blower device 1 configured in this manner, the air exhaust port 46 provided in the air passage 40 suppresses the increase in pressure within the air passage 40, so that when the air outlet 44 is switched from a closed state to an open state by the opening / closing mechanism 50, the difference in the flow rate of air blown out from the air outlet 44 can be reduced.

[0056] Furthermore, air discharge port 46 is arranged downstream of the most downstream air outlet 44 in the air flow direction, and has an air guide section 56 that guides air toward air outlet 44. Therefore, air flowing from air intake 42 toward air discharge port 46 can be guided to air outlet 44 by air guide section 56. Therefore, air can be efficiently blown out from air outlet 44 toward clothing while suppressing fluctuations in the flow rate of air blown out from air outlet 44.

[0057] Furthermore, the state of the air guide section 56 is switched between a guide state and a non-guide state in conjunction with the operation of the cover section 54, which switches the open / close state of the air outlet 44. Specifically, when the air outlet 44 is in a closed state, the air guide section 56 is switched to the non-guide state, reducing the amount of air guided to the air outlet 44, thereby preventing the air flow in the air passage 40 from being obstructed. On the other hand, when the air outlet 44 is in an open state, the air guide section 56 is switched to the guide state, causing the air in the air passage 40 to be guided toward the air outlet 44 by the air guide section 56. Therefore, air can be efficiently flowed through the air passage 40 depending on the open / close state of the air outlet 44.

[0058] Furthermore, among the multiple placement locations 18, air can be blown out to placement locations 18 where a load is applied to the load receiving portion 60 due to the storage of clothing 16, and air blowing can be stopped for placement locations 18 where clothing 16 is not stored and no load is applied to the load receiving portion 60.

[0059] Furthermore, by switching the position of the guide surface 71 of the air direction plate 70 of the air guide portion 56, the flow rate of the air guided to the air outlet 44 can be changed.

[0060] Furthermore, in this blower device 1, the controller 82 controls the airflow rate of the blower 36 so that the air flow rate at the portion of the air passage 40 where the airflow meter 80 is provided is constant. Therefore, even if the number of air outlets 44 that are switched to the open state fluctuates, fluctuations in the amount of air blown out from the air outlets 44 can be suppressed.

[0061] Furthermore, not only is air blown out from the air outlet 44 toward the clothes 16, but the air in the air passage 40 that has passed through the air outlet 44 can also be blown out from the air outlet 46 toward the clothes 16, so that dust adhering to the clothes 16 can be removed by the air from the air outlet 46.

[0062] In addition, in the closet 10 configured in this manner, air is blown from the air blower 1 toward the clothes 16 stored in the multiple placement locations 18, thereby removing foreign matter such as dust adhering to the clothes 16 and drying the clothes.

[0063] Furthermore, air sent from blower 36 to air passage 40 is blown out from air outlet 44 to installation location 18 and then exhausted to the outside of closet 10 through exhaust port 25 located below air outlet 44. This allows foreign matter such as dust adhering to clothes 16 to be expelled to the outside of closet body 12.

[0064] (Second embodiment) In the blower device 1 according to the second embodiment shown in Fig. 5, the air guide section 56 includes a flow forming member 74 attached to the air passage 40 so as to be activated by receiving air flowing from the air intake 42 toward the air outlet 46 and form an air flow toward the air outlet 44. In this case, the air direction plate 70 may be omitted, or may be included. Also, some of the multiple air guide sections 56 may have the flow forming member 74, and the other parts may have the air direction plate 70. Here, the components related to the flow forming member 74 will be described, and descriptions of the other components will be omitted.

[0065] The flow forming member 74 is attached to the hanger pipe 34 so as to be rotatable about an axis G1 extending in a direction intersecting the air flow direction (in the front-to-rear direction in this embodiment) (for example, the axis G1 is attached to the hanger pipe 34 via a bearing not shown). The flow forming member 74 also has a plurality of vanes 75 arranged at intervals from one another in the circumferential direction around the axis G1.

[0066] Furthermore, the flow forming member 74 is positioned so that it receives air and forms an air flow toward the air outlet 44. Specifically, in this embodiment, utilizing the characteristic that the air flow velocity in the tubular hanger pipe 34 increases toward the center of the cross section of the flow path, the flow forming member 74 is positioned so that the blades 75 located above the axis G1 are closer to the center of the cross section of the flow path. This causes the flow forming member 74 to rotate in the direction indicated by arrow H. Furthermore, when viewed in the air flow direction, the lower part of the blades 75 located below the axis G1 is positioned within the thickness range of the peripheral wall of the lower part of the hanger pipe 34, that is, positioned within the air outlet 44. This causes the blades 75 located above the axis G1 to have a larger air receiving area than the blades 75 located below the axis G1. This also allows the flow forming member 74 to rotate in the direction indicated by arrow H. By rotating the flow forming member 74 in the direction of arrow H in this way, a downward air flow toward the air outlet 44 can be formed.

[0067] The door element 66 in the second embodiment is attached to the hanger pipe 34 so as to be slidable within the range of the wall thickness of the hanger pipe 34 so as to be able to avoid contact with the slats 75.

[0068] In the blower 1 configured in this manner, the flow forming member 74 can form a flow of air heading toward the air outlet 44 by utilizing the force of the air (wind force) in the air passage.

[0069] (Third embodiment) In the blower device 1 according to the third embodiment shown in Fig. 6, the flow forming member 74 has a first blade portion 76 that rotates in response to the air flow in the air passage 40, a second blade portion 78 that forms an air flow toward the air outlet 44, and a connecting shaft 79 for transmitting the rotation of the first blade portion 76 to the second blade portion 78. In this case, the blade plate 75 may be omitted, or may be included. Also, some of the multiple air flow forming members 74 may have the blade plate 75, and the remaining parts may have the same configuration as in the third embodiment. Here, the components unique to the third embodiment will be described.

[0070] The flow forming member 74 forms an air flow toward the air outlet 44 by means of a second blade 78 connected to a first blade 76 that rotates in response to the air flow in the air passage 40. Specifically, the flow forming member 74 is attached to the hanger pipe 34 so as to be rotatable about an axis J1 extending in a direction intersecting the air flow direction (in the vertical direction in this embodiment) (for example, a connecting shaft 79 is attached to the hanger pipe 34 via a bearing not shown). The first blade 76 has a plurality of blade plates arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction about the axis J1. The connecting shaft 79 extends along the axis J1 and connects the lower portion of the first blade 76 to the upper portion of the second blade 78 disposed below the first blade 76. The second blade 78 has a plurality of blade plates arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction about the axis J1.

[0071] Furthermore, the flow forming member 74 is positioned so that it receives air and forms an air flow toward the air outlet 44. In this embodiment, the first blade portion 76 is located near the center of the cross section of the flow path of the hanger pipe 34, the axis J1 is located near the center of the air outlet 44, and the axis J1 is positioned offset in the front-to-rear direction from the center of the cross section of the flow path of the hanger pipe 34. The flow forming member 74 is positioned so that the first blade portion 76 rotates in the direction indicated by arrow K, utilizing the characteristic that the air flow velocity in the hanger pipe 34 is greater toward the center. The rotation of the first blade portion 76 due to the air flow in the air passage 40 is transmitted to the second blade portion 78 via the connecting shaft 79, and the second blade portion 78 rotates in the direction indicated by arrow L. This rotation of the second blade portion 78 forms an air flow toward the air outlet 44.

[0072] The opening / closing mechanism 50 has a regulating member 85 that regulates the operation of the flow forming member 74 in the closed state. Specifically, the regulating member 85 has a connecting portion 86 that extends from the lower portion of the load receiving portion 60, penetrating the bottom surface 38, into the hanger pipe 34, and slides up and down in response to the up and down movement of the load receiving portion 60, and a rotation regulating portion 87 that is disposed at the lower end of the connecting portion 86. The rotation regulating portion 87 regulates the rotation of the first blade portion 76 by coming into contact with the first blade portion 76.

[0073] When the load receiving portion 60 is switched from the protruding state to the retracted state, the rotation restricting portion 87 moves to a position below and away from the first blade portion 76 as the connecting portion 86 slides downward. In this state, the first blade portion 76 is rotatable. On the other hand, when the load receiving portion 60 is switched from the retracted state to the protruding state, the rotation restricting portion 87 moves to a position where it restricts the rotation of the first blade portion 76 as the connecting portion 86 slides upward. In this way, when the air outlet 44 is switched from the closed state to the open state, the restriction of the flow forming member 74 by the restricting member 85 is released, and an air flow toward the air outlet 44 can be formed.

[0074] (Other embodiments) The multiple air outlets 44 of the hanger pipe 34 may be configured to function as flow rate adjusting means for substantially matching the air blowing flow rates of the multiple air outlets 44 in the open state. The multiple air outlets 44 have smaller diameters, the more upstream the air outlet 44 is in the air flow direction of the air passage 40. That is, the air outlet 44 is configured to have smaller diameters on the upstream side where the air flow rate of the air passage 40 is greater, and larger diameters on the downstream side where the air flow rate is less, thereby reducing the difference in blowing flow rates between the air outlets 44.

[0075] The flow rate adjusting means is not limited to the above-described configuration. For example, when the air guide section 56 is configured with the air direction vane 70 as in the first embodiment, the air direction vanes 70 located more upstream in the air passage 40 may have guide surfaces 71 with smaller areas, and the air direction vanes 70 located more downstream may have guide surfaces 71 with larger areas. That is, a flow rate adjusting means may be provided that is configured to guide a smaller amount of air by the air direction vane 70 toward the more upstream air outlets 44 and a larger amount of air by the air direction vane 70 toward the more downstream air outlets 44. Alternatively, when the load receiving portion 60 of the opening / closing mechanism 50 and the bottom surface 38 of the hanger pipe 34 are connected by a spring member 64 as in the first embodiment, the spring member 64 of the opening / closing mechanism 50 located more upstream in the air passage 40 may have a larger spring constant, and the spring member 64 of the opening / closing mechanism 50 located more downstream may have a smaller spring constant. In other words, a flow rate adjustment means may be provided that is configured so that when a load from clothing acts on the load receiving portion 60, the air outlets 44 on the upstream side have a smaller opening degree and the air outlets 44 on the downstream side have a larger opening degree.

[0076] In the blower device 1 configured in this manner, variations in the flow rate of air blown out from each air outlet 44 can be suppressed.

[0077] Furthermore, the blower 1 may be configured so that the open / closed state of the air outlet 44 is switched in response to a user's manual operation of an operating unit 84, rather than in response to the state of the load receiving portion 60. As shown in FIG. 7 , the blower 1 includes an operating unit 84 that allows the user to switch the open / closed state of the air outlet 44, and an actuator 88 that slides the movable frame 67 up and down. The operating unit 84 and the actuator 88 are electrically connected to the control unit 82. The operating unit 84 is, for example, a switch for performing an ON operation to activate the actuator 88 and an OFF operation to stop the operation of the actuator 88. The user turns ON the switch corresponding to the air outlet 44 that the user wishes to switch to an open state, and turns OFF the switch corresponding to the air outlet 44 that the user wishes to switch to a closed state. The control unit 82 controls the actuator 88 by outputting an operation command to the actuator 88 in response to the ON operation of the switch, and outputting an operation stop command to the actuator 88 in response to the OFF operation of the switch. As a result, at the air outlet 44 intended by the user, the position of the lid portion 54 can be switched between a closed position and an open position via the movable frame 67 and the pivoting frame 68, and the state of the air outlet 44 can be switched between a closed state and an open state.

[0078] Furthermore, the control unit 82 may adjust the vertical position of the actuator 88 to adjust the opening degree of the air outlets 44 so that the air blowing flow rates of the open air outlets 44 are approximately equal to each other. In this case, the lid unit 54, the movable frame 67 and the pivoting frame 68 of the connecting unit 62, the control unit 82, and the actuator 88 function as a flow rate adjusting means.

[0079] Furthermore, the air blower 1 may be configured so that the switching of the lid portion 54 between the open and closed positions and the switching of the air guide portion 56 between the guide state and the non-guide state are performed separately. For example, the opening / closing mechanism 50 may have an actuation mechanism 52 for switching the lid portion 54 between the open and closed positions, and a second actuation mechanism provided separately from the actuation mechanism 52 for switching the state of the air guide portion 56. The second actuation mechanism may be configured to switch the state of the air guide portion 56 between the guide state and the non-guide state by employing an actuator that operates in response to an electrical signal from an operation unit provided in the storage chamber 12a. In this way, the air guide portion 56 can be set to the guide state and air can be blown out from the air outlet 44 as needed.

[0080] Furthermore, the blower device 1 may be configured so that the state of the air guide section 56 is always maintained in the guide state. In this way, a configuration for switching the air guide section 56 is not required, and the configuration of the operating mechanism 52 can be simplified.

[0081] Furthermore, the air blower 1 according to the second embodiment may be provided with a configuration equivalent to the regulating member 85 in the air blower 1 according to the third embodiment. That is, the second embodiment may be provided with a regulating member that regulates the operation of the flow forming member 74. In this case, the regulating member is configured to allow rotation of the vane plate 75 when the load receiving portion 60 is switched to the pressed-in state, and to regulate the rotation of the vane plate 75 when the load receiving portion 60 is switched to the protruding state.

[0082] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and should not be construed as limiting. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 1. Ventilation system 10. Closet 12 Closet body 12a Storage Room 16. Clothing 18 Location 25 exhaust port 36 Blower 40 Air passage 42 Air intake 44 Air outlet 46 Air exhaust port 50 Opening and closing mechanism 52 Operating mechanism 54 Lid 56 Air induction section 60 Load receiving part 71 Guidance surface 74 Flow forming member 80 Air flow meter 82 Control Unit

Claims

1. An air blower for blowing air to a plurality of predetermined positions so that clothes are arranged in a predetermined direction, A fan that blows air drawn in from the outside; an air passage having an air intake port that takes in air sent out by the blower, a plurality of air outlets that are spaced apart in the predetermined direction so as to open toward the respective arrangement locations, and an air outlet port that discharges the air taken in through the air intake port, wherein the air outlet port is located downstream of a most downstream air outlet of the plurality of air outlets in the air flow direction within the air passage; a plurality of opening and closing mechanisms provided individually for the plurality of air outlets, for switching the corresponding air outlets between a closed state and an open state; The plurality of opening and closing mechanisms each have an air guide portion that guides air in the air passage toward the air outlet.

2. The blower device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of opening and closing mechanisms has a load receiving portion for receiving the weight of the clothes stored in the arrangement location, and the air outlet is configured to be switchable from the closed state to the open state when the weight of the clothes is applied to the load receiving portion.

3. the air guide portion is attached to the air passage in a state switchable between a guide state for guiding the air in the air passage toward the air outlet and a non-guide state for reducing the amount of air guided toward the air outlet compared to the guide state, 3. The blower device according to claim 1, wherein the opening / closing mechanism is configured to be capable of switching the state of the air guiding section so that in the open state, the air guiding section is in the guiding state, and in the closed state, the air guiding section is in the non-guiding state.

4. 4. The blower device according to claim 3, wherein the air guide portion has a guide surface that is arranged in a guide position in the guide state so as to intersect with the air flow direction from the air intake to the air exhaust port and face the air outlet, and that is arranged in a non-guide position in the non-guide state so as to have a smaller intersecting angle with the air flow direction compared to the guide position.

5. 5. The blower device according to claim 1, wherein the air guide portion has a flow forming member attached to the air passage so as to be activated by receiving air flowing from the air intake toward the air discharge port and form a flow of air toward the air outlet.

6. The air blower device according to claim 5 , wherein the opening / closing mechanism has a restricting member that restricts operation of the flow forming member in the closed state.

7. The air blower device further includes a flow rate adjusting means for adjusting the air blowing flow rates of the plurality of air outlets switched to the open state to be approximately equal to each other. The blower device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The air blower device further includes an air flow meter disposed between the most downstream air outlet and the air outlet in the air passage, the air flow meter measuring the flow rate of air in the air passage, and a control unit controlling the air flow rate of the air blower so that the measurement value of the air flow meter becomes substantially constant. The air blower according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The blower device according to claim 1 , wherein the air outlet is open toward the plurality of arrangement locations.

10. A closet comprising: the air blower according to any one of claims 1 to 9; and a closet body forming a storage room in which the plurality of placement locations are set.

11. The closet according to claim 10, wherein the closet body is disposed below the plurality of air outlets and is provided with an exhaust port for discharging air from within the closet body to the outside.

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