air purifier

Abstract

To provide an air cleaner for harmful substances that can easily and reliably detect harmful substances contained in air.SOLUTION: An air cleaner includes: a first suction drive part 1 which sucks outside air; an intake part 2 into which outside air is sucked by the first suction drive part 1; a filter part 3 which removes harmful substances contained in the air sucked from the intake part 2; an exhaust part 4 which exhausts the air from which harmful substances have been removed by the filter part 3 to the outside; a sensor part 5 which detects harmful substances contained in the air that has passed through the filter part 3; a second suction drive part 9 which sucks outside air without making it pass through the filter part 3; and a base frame 7 in which the respective parts are arranged. The sensor part 5 is initialized by making contact with the outside air sucked by the second suction drive part 9 in a preliminary stage at which outside air is sucked by the first suction drive part 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an air purifier for harmful substances configured to suction and remove harmful substances contained in air.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, tens of thousands of chemical substances are imported, manufactured and used domestically, and many of these substances have been pointed out to be dangerous or harmful, or their hazards are still unknown. Hundreds of occupational accidents caused by chemical substances are reported every year. Under such circumstances, public institutions led by the national government have mandated that when workers are engaged in work involving organic solvents in indoor workplaces and the like, facilities for sealing the generation source of organic solvents, local exhaust ventilation devices, push-pull ventilation devices, or the like shall be installed at the work site.

[0003] Among the above devices, air purifiers for harmful substances that suction and remove harmful substances such as organic solvents contained in air are used as local exhaust ventilation devices. This air purifier generally comprises a suction unit that suctions external air into a base frame, a filter unit that removes harmful substances contained in the air suctioned by the suction unit, and an exhaust unit that discharges the air from which harmful substances have been removed by the filter unit to the outside. Recently, a sensor unit that detects when the concentration of harmful substances contained in air exceeds a predetermined concentration (for example, one tenth of the control concentration of the substance applied for approval to the country) has been provided (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] By the way, such sensor units include two types: one that detects harmful substances by absolutely measuring the concentration of harmful substances contained in air, and the other that detects harmful substances by measuring changes in the concentration of harmful substances. Among them, the latter sensor that detects changes in the concentration of harmful substances has a sensor resistor connected in series and detects output voltage changes across a fixed or variable load resistor, and is widely used in air purifiers in terms of cost and other factors.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2012-254239 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] However, in the case of sensors that detect harmful substances by measuring changes in the concentration of harmful substances, if the air inside the air purifier is already filled with harmful substances at the start of detection (for example, if harmful substances are naturally generated from the filter due to excessive use of the filter), the concentration of harmful substances in the air inside the air purifier will remain roughly the same or change only slightly after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of detection. This presents a problem in that there is a risk that harmful substances may not be detected even though they are substantially exceeding the standard value.

[0007] This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an air purifier that can easily and reliably detect harmful substances contained in the air. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides an air purifier that sucks in and removes harmful substances contained in the air, comprising: a first suction drive unit for sucking in outside air; an intake unit from which outside air is sucked in by the first suction drive unit; a filter unit for removing harmful substances contained in the air sucked in from the intake unit; an exhaust unit for discharging the air from which harmful substances have been removed by the filter unit to the outside; a sensor unit for detecting harmful substances contained in the air that has passed through the filter unit; and a base frame on which the first suction drive unit, the intake unit, the filter unit, the exhaust unit, and the sensor unit are provided, wherein a second suction drive unit for sucking in outside air without passing it through the filter unit is provided on the base frame, and the sensor unit is initialized by contact with the outside air sucked in by the second suction drive unit before the outside air is sucked in by the first suction drive unit.

[0009] According to this, in the stage prior to the first suction drive unit drawing in outside air, the second suction drive unit draws in air without passing it through the filter unit, and the sensor unit is initialized by contacting the air. As a result, the change in the concentration of harmful substances contained in the air is measured using clean outside air as a reference, and harmful substances contained in the air can be detected easily and reliably.

[0010] Alternatively, a suction tube may be provided inside the base frame, with one end exposed to the outside of the base frame and the other end positioned near the sensor unit. The sensor unit may be initialized by contact with external air drawn in through the suction tube by the second suction drive unit. This allows external air to be reliably, easily, and securely brought into contact with the sensor unit without passing through the filter unit.

[0011] Furthermore, the filter section may be connected in an airtight manner to the first suction drive section by a drive mechanism provided on the base frame. In this case, the air that has passed through the filter section is drawn into the first suction drive section without flowing to other parts of the system, thus efficiently removing harmful substances contained in the air.

[0012] Furthermore, the drive mechanism may include a rotating shaft provided on the base frame in a manner that extends in a planar direction below the filter section, rotating plates provided eccentrically at both ends of the rotating shaft, and a handle provided at one end of the rotating shaft. By operating the handle, the rotating shaft rotates axially, causing the rotating plates to protrude upward, thereby pushing the filter section upward and connecting it to the first suction drive section in an airtight manner. This allows the filter section to be connected to the first suction drive section in an airtight manner with simple operation.

[0013] Furthermore, the filter unit may comprise a first filter unit located on the suction side within the base frame and a second filter unit located on the discharge side within the base frame, and may be detachably attached to the base frame. This allows for double removal of harmful substances contained in the air, and the filter unit can be easily replaced.

[0014] Furthermore, the sensor unit may be positioned between the first filter unit and the second filter unit, and may include a first sensor unit that detects harmful substances contained in the air that has passed through the first filter unit, and a second sensor unit that detects harmful substances contained in the air discharged from the exhaust unit. In this configuration, the first sensor unit detects harmful substances contained in the air that has passed through the first filter unit, and the second sensor unit detects harmful substances contained in the final air discharged from the exhaust unit, thereby improving the reliability of harmful substance detection in the air purifier.

[0015] Furthermore, an air supply pipe is provided within the base frame, with one end positioned in the exhaust section and the other end positioned near the second sensor section, and the second sensor section may detect harmful substances in the air supplied from the exhaust section via the air supply pipe. This allows for the easy and reliable detection of harmful substances contained in the final air discharged from the exhaust section, even while positioning the second sensor section at a location separate from the exhaust section.

[0016] Furthermore, the base frame may comprise a first housing section in which the filter section is provided and a second housing section in which the electronic circuit is provided, and the first housing section and the second housing section may be separated in an airtight manner. This prevents air containing harmful substances adhering to the filter section from coming into contact with the electronic circuit, thereby preventing fires and other incidents.

[0017] Furthermore, the exhaust unit may include a storage space for temporarily storing the air that has passed through the filter unit, and an exhaust port for discharging the air temporarily stored in the storage space. This allows for accurate detection of harmful substances contained in the final air discharged from the exhaust unit, as the air that has passed through the filter unit is temporarily stored in the storage space before being discharged to the outside. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the present invention, in the step prior to the first suction drive unit drawing in outside air, the second suction drive unit draws in air without passing it through the filter unit, and the sensor unit is initialized by contacting the air. As a result, the change in the concentration of harmful substances contained in the air is measured using clean outside air as a reference, and harmful substances contained in the air can be detected easily and reliably. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of an air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a front cross-sectional view of the air purifier. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a side cross-sectional view of the air purifier. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a plan view of the air purifier. [Figure 5] Figure 1 is a front cross-sectional view of the drive mechanism of the air purifier. [Figure 6] Figure 1 is a plan view of the drive mechanism of the air purifier. [Figure 7] Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the first and second sensor sections and the airflow path of the air purifier. [Figure 8] It is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the air cleaner of FIG. 1. [Figure 9] It is a front cross-sectional view of an air cleaner according to another embodiment of the present invention. MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0020] Next, an embodiment of an air cleaner for harmful substances according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8.

[0021] The present air cleaner is an air cleaner for sucking and removing harmful substances contained in air, and as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, comprises: a first suction drive unit 1 for sucking external air; an air intake unit 2 into which external air is sucked by the first suction drive unit 1; a filter unit 3 for removing harmful substances contained in air sucked from the air intake unit 2; an exhaust unit 4 for discharging air from which harmful substances have been removed by the filter unit 3 to the outside; a sensor unit 5 for detecting harmful substances contained in air; and a control unit 6 for controlling each part, wherein each of these parts is provided on a base frame 7.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the base frame 7 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape made of stainless steel, an operation unit 73 and a display unit 74 are provided on an upper front portion, a door cover 75 that can be opened and closed in the depth direction is provided on the front side, and four rollers 76 for movement are provided on a bottom surface.

[0023] Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the base frame 7 comprises a first housing portion 71 in which the filter unit 3 is provided, and a second housing portion 72 in which an electronic circuit such as the control unit 6 is provided, and the first housing portion 71 and the second housing portion 72 are separated in an airtight state. According to this configuration, since air containing harmful substances adhering to the filter unit 3 does not contact the electronic circuit, occurrence of fire or the like can be prevented.

[0024] The first suction drive unit 1, as shown in Figure 2, is a so-called air pump and is fixed in place on the second housing section 72 of the base frame 7. This first suction drive unit 1 converts the rotation of a motor, for example, into the motion of a diaphragm, causing the diaphragm to move up and down. This movement causes the volume of the pump chamber in the central space to repeatedly expand and contract, drawing in air when it expands and expelling air when it contracts.

[0025] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the intake unit 2 consists of an intake port 23 drilled in the back of the base frame 7, a bifurcated intake duct 24 connected to the intake port 23, and a first hose 21 and a second hose 22 connected to the intake duct 24. One end of the first hose 21 is connected to one duct port 24a of the intake duct 24, and the other end is connected to an inkjet printer (not shown). One end of the second hose 22 is connected to the other duct port 24b of the intake duct 24, and the other end is positioned at the printing location of the conveyor belt. As a result, the air from the outside (inside the inkjet printer and near the conveyor belt) is drawn through the first hose 21 and the second hose 22 to the intake duct 24 by the action of the first suction drive unit 1, and then sucked from the intake port 23 to the lower part of the first housing section 71 of the base frame 7.

[0026] The filter section 3 is positioned in the first housing section 71 of the base frame 7 and comprises a first filter section 31 positioned below the first housing section 71 and a second filter section 32 positioned above the first housing section 71, and is detachably attached to the base frame 7 in a planar direction.

[0027] The first filter section 31 consists of a pre-filter that primarily removes relatively large harmful substances contained in the air drawn in from the intake section 2. The second filter section 32 consists of a HEPA filter and a chemical filter (such as activated carbon) that secondarily removes relatively small harmful substances contained in the air that has passed through the first filter section 31.

[0028] The air drawn in from the intake section 2 passes through the first filter section 31 in the first housing section 71 of the base frame 7 to remove harmful substances first, then passes through the second filter section 32 to remove harmful substances secondarily, and is then drawn into the first suction drive section 1. This allows for double removal of harmful substances contained in the air, and the filter section 3 can be easily replaced.

[0029] Furthermore, the second filter section 32 is airtightly connected to the first suction drive section 1 by a drive mechanism 8 provided on the base frame 7. Specifically, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the drive mechanism 8 includes a rotating shaft 81 provided on the base frame 7 in a manner that extends in a planar direction below the filter section 3, rotating plates 82 provided eccentrically at both ends of the rotating shaft 81, a handle section 83 provided at one end of the rotating shaft 81, and a support plate 84 provided between the rotating plate 82 and the first filter section 31. As shown by the dashed line in Figure 5, the rotating shaft 81 rotates axially when the handle section 83 is operated, causing the rotating plate 82 to protrude upward, thereby pushing the filter section 3 upward via the support plate 84 and connecting it airtightly to the first suction drive section 1. With this, the air that has passed through the filter section 3 is not flowed to other locations but is sucked into the first suction drive section 1, so that harmful substances contained in the air can be efficiently removed.

[0030] As shown in Figure 2, the exhaust unit 4 is located to the left of the second storage unit 72 when viewed from the front, and as shown in Figure 3, it comprises an exhaust pipe 41 connected to the first suction drive unit 1, a storage space 42 in which the exhaust pipe 41 is provided, an exhaust port 43 formed on the back of the base frame 7 in the storage space 42, and an exhaust duct 44 provided in the exhaust port 43. As a result, the air discharged from the first suction drive unit 1 passes through the exhaust pipe 41, is temporarily stored in the space, and then discharged to the outside through the exhaust port 43 and the exhaust duct 44. In this way, the air that has passed through the filter unit 3 is temporarily stored in the storage space 42 before being discharged to the outside, so that harmful substances contained in the final air discharged from the exhaust unit 4 can be detected with high accuracy.

[0031] As shown in Figure 2, the sensor unit 5 comprises a first sensor unit 51 located in the first housing portion 71 of the base frame 7 and a second sensor unit 52 located in the second housing portion 72 of the base frame 7.

[0032] The first sensor unit 51 consists of a sensor body 510 that detects harmful substances and is positioned between the first filter unit 31 and the second filter unit 32. Therefore, harmful substances are detected in the air that has passed through the first filter unit 31 by the sensor body 510 of the first sensor unit 51.

[0033] The second sensor unit 52 consists of a sensor body 520 for detecting harmful substances, a detection box 521 in which the sensor body 520 is installed, and an air supply pipe 522 for supplying air from the exhaust unit 4. One end 522a of the air supply pipe 522 is positioned in the storage space 42 of the exhaust unit 4, and the other end 522b is connected to the detection box 521. Therefore, as shown in Figure 8, a portion of the air stored in the storage space 42 of the exhaust unit 4 (A in Figures 2 and 3) flows into the detection box 521 after passing through the air supply pipe 522, and harmful substances are detected by the sensor body 520 installed in the detection box 521.

[0034] The first sensor unit 51 and the second sensor unit 52 both have sensor bodies 510 and 520 that relatively detect harmful substances contained in the air. Sensor resistors are connected in series, and harmful substances are detected by measuring changes in the concentration of harmful substances by detecting changes in the output voltage across fixed or variable load resistors.

[0035] According to this, the first sensor unit 51 detects harmful substances contained in the air that has passed through the first filter unit 31, and the second sensor unit 52 detects harmful substances contained in the final air discharged from the exhaust unit 4, thereby improving the reliability of harmful substance detection in the air purifier. Moreover, harmful substances contained in the final air discharged from the exhaust unit 4 can be easily and reliably detected even if the second sensor unit 52 is located in a different location from the exhaust unit 4.

[0036] As shown in Figure 8, the control unit 6 controls the operation unit 73, the display unit 74, the first suction drive unit 1 and the second suction drive unit 9 (described later), the first sensor unit 51 and the second sensor unit 52. The control unit 6 drives the first suction drive unit 1 and the second suction drive unit 9 based on settings made by the operation unit 73, and displays the detection results of harmful substances by the first sensor unit 51 and the second sensor unit 52 on the display unit 74. In addition to the sensor unit 5, the control unit 6 may also control various other sensors such as wind pressure sensors and temperature sensors.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 and 7, the second suction drive unit 9 and the suction pipe 10 are provided in the second housing section 72 of the base frame 7.

[0038] The second suction drive unit 9 is a small air pump and is installed in the first housing section 71 of the base frame 7. Similar to the first suction drive unit 1, this second suction drive unit 9 converts the rotation of the motor into the motion of a diaphragm, causing the diaphragm to move up and down. This movement causes the volume of the pump chamber in the central space to repeatedly expand and contract, drawing in air when it expands and expelling air when it contracts.

[0039] The suction pipe 10 has one end 10a exposed to the outside of the base frame 7, one other end 10c positioned near the first sensor unit 51, and the other other end 10b connected to the detection box 521 of the second sensor unit 52. As a result, outside air (B in Figures 2 and 3) is sucked in from one end 10a of the suction pipe 10 by the action of the second suction drive unit 9, then flows out from the other end 10c of the suction pipe 10 and comes into contact with the sensor body 510 of the first sensor unit 51, while the other other end 10b of the suction pipe 10 flows into the detection box 521 and comes into contact with the sensor body 520 of the second sensor unit 52.

[0040] Therefore, when the second suction drive unit 9 sucks in outside air before the first suction drive unit 1 does, the outside air sucked in by the second suction drive unit 9 comes into direct contact with the first sensor unit 51 and the second sensor unit 52 without passing through the filter, thereby initializing the first sensor unit 51 and the second sensor unit 52. In particular, in this embodiment, since outside air is sucked in via the suction tube 10, the outside air can be reliably, easily, and securely brought into contact with the sensor unit 5 without passing through the filter unit 3.

[0041] Furthermore, as described above, when the first suction drive unit 1 is driven after the first sensor unit 51 and the second sensor unit 52 have been initialized by driving the second suction drive unit 9 for a predetermined time, external air is drawn in from the intake unit 2, passes through the filter unit 3 to remove harmful substances, and is then discharged to the outside from the first suction drive unit 1 via the exhaust unit 4.

[0042] In this way, by drawing in external air with the first suction drive unit 1 and the second suction drive unit 9, the change in the concentration of harmful substances in the air is measured using clean external air as a reference, making it possible to easily and reliably detect harmful substances in the air.

[0043] In this embodiment, the sensor unit 5 is composed of a first sensor unit 51 and a second sensor unit 52, but it may also be composed of either one of them.

[0044] Furthermore, although external air is brought into contact with the sensor unit 5 via the suction pipe 10, external air may be brought into contact with the sensor unit 5 without going through the suction pipe 10 by using a fan or the like.

[0045] Furthermore, while a pre-filter was used as the first filter section 31 and a HEPA filter and a chemical filter (such as activated carbon) were used as the second filter section 32, the system is not limited to these combinations. For example, as shown in Figure 9, a system in which a HEPA filter and a chemical filter (such as activated carbon) are used as the first filter section 31 and a chemical filter (such as activated carbon) is used as the second filter section 32 is also possible. It is preferable that a predetermined space is provided below the first filter to equalize the air drawn in from the outside.

[0046] Furthermore, while embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments. Various modifications and variations can be made to the illustrated embodiments within the same scope as the present invention, or within equivalent scope. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0047] 1...First suction drive unit 2…Intake section 21... The first hose 22... The second hose 23... Air intake 24... Intake duct 3…Filter section 31...First filter section 32...Second filter section 4… Exhaust section 41... Exhaust pipe 42... Storage space section 43... Exhaust vent 44... Exhaust duct 5...Sensor unit 51...First sensor unit 510...Sensor body 52...Second sensor unit 520...Sensor body 521...Detection box 522...Air supply tube 6…Control Unit 7...Base frame 71...First containment section 72...Second containment section 73...Operation unit 74...Display section 75... Door cover 76... Koro 8…Drive mechanism 81... Rotation axis 82... Rotating plate 83...Handle section 84...Support plate 9…Second suction drive unit 10...Suction tube

Claims

1. An air purifier that sucks in and removes harmful substances contained in the air, A first suction drive unit for drawing in external air, An intake section from which external air is drawn in by the first suction drive unit, A filter unit that removes harmful substances contained in the air drawn in from the intake unit, An exhaust unit that discharges air from which harmful substances have been removed by the aforementioned filter unit to the outside, A sensor unit for detecting harmful substances contained in the air that has passed through the filter unit, The device comprises a base frame on which the first suction drive unit, the intake unit, the filter unit, the exhaust unit, and the sensor unit are provided, A second suction drive unit is provided on the base frame for drawing in outside air without passing it through the filter section. The air purifier is characterized in that the sensor unit is initialized by contact with external air drawn in by the second suction drive unit before external air is drawn in by the first suction drive unit.

2. A suction tube is provided inside the base frame, with one end exposed to the outside of the base frame and the other end positioned near the sensor portion. The air purifier according to claim 1, wherein the sensor unit is initialized by contact with external air drawn in through the suction tube by the second suction drive unit.

3. The air purifier according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the filter section is connected in an airtight manner to the first suction drive section by a drive mechanism provided on the base frame.

4. The air purifier according to claim 3, wherein the drive mechanism comprises a rotating shaft provided on the base frame in a manner that extends in a planar direction below the filter section, rotating plates provided eccentrically at both ends of the rotating shaft, and a handle provided at one end of the rotating shaft, and as the rotating shaft rotates by operation of the handle, the rotating plates rotate in a manner that protrudes upward, thereby pushing the filter section upward and connecting it in an airtight manner to the first suction drive section.

5. The air purifier according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the filter section comprises a first filter section arranged on the suction side within the base frame and a second filter section arranged on the discharge side within the base frame, and is detachably attached to the base frame.

6. The air purifier according to claim 5, wherein the sensor unit is disposed between the first filter unit and the second filter unit and comprises a first sensor unit for detecting harmful substances contained in the air that has passed through the first filter unit and a second sensor unit for detecting harmful substances contained in the air discharged from the exhaust unit.

7. An air supply pipe is provided within the base frame, with one end positioned in the exhaust section and the other end positioned near the second sensor section. The air purifier according to claim 6, wherein the second sensor unit detects harmful substances in the air sent from the exhaust unit through the air supply pipe.

8. The air purifier according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the base frame comprises a first housing section in which the filter section is provided and a second housing section in which an electronic circuit is provided, and the first housing section and the second housing section are separated in an airtight manner.

9. The air purifier according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the exhaust section comprises a storage space for temporarily storing air that has passed through the filter section, and an exhaust port for discharging the air temporarily stored in the storage space.

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