Water drain tank and dehumidification device

Abstract

Provided is a water drain tank and the like that allows water to be drained easily, while preventing leakage of water from a water drain port. The water drain tank is detachably attached to a device body. When detached from the device body, the orientation of the water drain tank can be changed between a conveying orientation for conveying the drain tank with water stored in a tank body thereof, and a water draining orientation for draining the water from the tank body. The water drain tank comprises: a water drain port for draining water from the tank body when the water drain tank is in the water draining orientation; and a water drain cover that is movable between a first position for closing the water drain port and a second position for opening the water drain port. The water drain cover is configured to move from the first position to the second position as the orientation of the water drain tank changes from the conveyance orientation to the water drain orientation.

Description

Drainage tank and dehumidifying device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a drainage tank and a dehumidifying device provided with the drainage tank. This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-010269 filed in Japan on January 24, 2025, and the contents thereof are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] As a related technique, there is known a drainage tank of a dehumidifying device that collects and stores drain water generated from the main body of the dehumidifying device, and when it is full, draws it out from the main body and transports it for drainage (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This drainage tank has a tank case with an opening provided upward and a lid that covers the opening of the tank case, and by opening a part of the lid (lid convex part), drainage of the drain water from the drainage tank is possible.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-200596

[0004] In the above related technique, when removing the drainage tank from the device main body (main body) to drain the drain water (water), the user needs to perform the operation of opening a part of the lid to expose the drain port, which is troublesome.

[0005] In view of the above problems, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a drainage tank and a dehumidifying device that can easily drain water while suppressing leakage of water from the drain port.

[0006] The drainage tank according to one aspect of the present disclosure is detachably attached to the device main body, and when removed from the device main body, it can change its posture between a transport posture for transporting the water contained in the tank main body in a state where the water is stored in the tank main body and a drainage posture for draining the water in the tank main body. The drainage tank includes a drain port for draining the water in the tank main body when the drainage tank is in the drainage posture, and a drain cover that is movable between a first position for closing the drain port and a second position for opening the drain port. The drain cover is configured to move from the first position to the second position as the drainage tank changes its posture from the transport posture to the drainage posture.

[0007] A dehumidifying device according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a drainage tank and a device body to which the drainage tank is attached.

[0008] According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide a drainage tank and a dehumidifier that facilitate water drainage while suppressing water leakage from the drain outlet.

[0009] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of the dehumidifier according to the embodiment, viewed from the front. Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of the dehumidifier according to the embodiment, viewed from the rear. Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of the dehumidifier according to the embodiment, with the front panel removed, viewed from the front. Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of the dehumidifier according to the embodiment, with the drain tank removed, viewed from the rear. Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view of the drain tank according to the embodiment. Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram of the change in the posture of the drain tank according to the embodiment. Figure 7 is a schematic plan view of the drain tank according to the embodiment, viewed from above. Figure 8 is a schematic perspective view of the drain tank according to the embodiment, showing the case where the drain cover is in the first position. Figure 9 is a schematic perspective view of the drain tank according to the embodiment, showing the case where the drain cover is in the second position. Figure 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the drain tank according to the embodiment, showing the case where the handle is in the upper limit position. Figure 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the drain tank according to the embodiment, showing the case where the handle is in the lower limit position. Figure 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a part of the drain tank according to the embodiment, enlarged. Figure 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining the inclined portion of the drain cover in the drain tank according to the embodiment. Figure 14 is a schematic plan view of the dehumidifier according to the embodiment, viewed from above. Figure 15 is a schematic perspective view of the top panel according to the embodiment. Figure 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the louver according to the embodiment in the closed position. Figure 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the louver according to the embodiment in the fully open position. Figure 18 is a schematic perspective view of the auxiliary louver and case according to the embodiment. Figure 19 is an explanatory diagram of the movement of the first and second blades in the auxiliary louver according to the embodiment. Figure 20 is a schematic diagram for explaining the louver in a blower device shown in related technology. Figure 21 is a schematic perspective view of the blower device attachment, hose, and nozzle according to the embodiment. Figure 22 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the blower device attachment according to the embodiment attached to a dehumidifier. Figure 23 is a schematic diagram showing the state of airflow being sent into the inside of a shoe using the second nozzle according to the embodiment. Figure 24 is a schematic diagram showing the state of airflow being sent into the inside of a shoe using the second nozzle equipped with a support according to the embodiment.Figure 25 is a schematic diagram showing the state in which airflow is being sent into the inside of another shoe using a second nozzle equipped with a support part according to the embodiment. Figure 26 is a schematic perspective view showing the state before the blower attachment, nozzle, and hose according to the embodiment are attached to the dehumidifier. Figure 27 is a schematic perspective view showing the state after the blower attachment, nozzle, and hose according to the embodiment are attached to the dehumidifier. Figure 28 is a schematic plan view of a drain tank according to a modified embodiment, viewed from above.

[0010] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. The following embodiments are examples that embody this disclosure and are not intended to limit the technical scope of this disclosure.

[0011] Furthermore, in the cross-sectional views among the attached drawings, hatching of fracture surfaces has been omitted in principle.

[0012] [1] Configuration of the dehumidifier First, the overall configuration of the dehumidifier 1 according to this embodiment will be explained using Figures 1 to 4.

[0013] In this embodiment, for the sake of explanation, the vertical direction when the dehumidifier 1 is in a usable state is defined as the up-down direction D1. Furthermore, the left-right direction D2 is defined based on the direction when the dehumidifier 1 is viewed from the front, and the front-back direction D3 is defined with the front side of the dehumidifier 1 being the front and the back side being the rear. However, these directional definitions are not intended to limit the direction of use (direction during use) of the dehumidifier 1.

[0014] The dehumidifier 1 is used when placed on an installation surface, such as the top surface of a desk or the floor surface of a living room in a house. The dehumidifier 1 is self-supporting on the installation surface when it is placed there. In other words, the dehumidifier 1 according to this embodiment is a self-supporting and portable device, and the user can freely carry the dehumidifier 1 and install it at any position on the installation surface. Although not shown in Figures 1 to 4, the bottom surface of the dehumidifier 1 may be provided with a plurality of casters 18 (see, for example, Figure 26) that allow the dehumidifier 1 to move on the installation surface.

[0015] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the dehumidifier 1 comprises a main unit 10 and a drain tank 2 that is detachably attached to the main unit 10. In other words, the dehumidifier 1 comprises a drain tank 2 and a main unit 10 to which the drain tank 2 is attached. The detailed configuration of the drain tank 2 will be explained in "[2] Configuration of the Drain Tank".

[0016] The main body of the device 10 comprises a housing 11, an operating unit 12, a filter unit 13, a dehumidifying unit, and a blower unit. The dehumidifying unit and blower unit are not shown in the illustration.

[0017] In this embodiment, as an example, the housing 11 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape (rectangular prism shape) with a length in the vertical direction D1. The housing 11 can take on various shapes, and in addition to a rectangular parallelepiped shape, it may also be, for example, a polygonal prism shape or a cylindrical shape. The housing 11 includes a bottom panel 111, a top panel 112, a front panel 113, a rear panel 114, a left side panel 115, and a right side panel 116. In this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, the components of the housing 11 are made of resin.

[0018] The bottom panel 111 is a panel-shaped member that forms the bottom surface of the housing 11. The top panel 112 is a panel-shaped member that forms the top surface of the housing 11. The front panel 113 is a panel-shaped member that forms the front surface of the housing 11. The rear panel 114 is a panel-shaped member that forms the rear surface of the housing 11. The left side panel 115 is a panel-shaped member that forms the left side surface of the housing 11. It is rectangular in plan view. The right side panel 116 is a panel-shaped member that forms the right side surface of the housing 11. All of these panels are rectangular in plan view.

[0019] An operating section 12 is formed on the upper surface of the top panel 112. In this embodiment, as an example, the operating section 12 is formed on the front end of the upper surface of the top panel 112. The operating section 12 includes a plurality of buttons that can be pressed by the user. The operating section 12 is configured to accept operations such as starting and stopping the operation of the dehumidifier 1, switching the airflow of the dehumidifier 1 between "low," "medium," "high," and "automatic," and timer operations.

[0020] An air outlet 14 for blowing out air is provided from the rear end of the top panel 112 to the upper end of the rear panel 114. The air outlet 14 is equipped with a louver 3 for controlling the direction of the airflow blown out from the air outlet 14. The detailed configuration of the louver 3 will be explained in "[3] Louver Configuration".

[0021] In other words, in the dehumidifier 1 according to this embodiment, the operating unit 12 is located on the front side of the top panel 112, and the air outlet 14 is located on the rear side of the top panel 112. Therefore, in the dehumidifier 1 according to this embodiment, when using the airflow blown out from the air outlet 14, for example, to dry laundry, the user operating the operating unit 12 while facing the dehumidifier 1 is not exposed to the airflow blown out from the air outlet 14, which has the advantage of making the user less likely to feel uncomfortable.

[0022] The front panel 113 is detachably mounted to the housing 11. Figure 3 shows the dehumidifier 1 with the front panel 113 removed. As shown in Figure 3, a filter section 13 is provided at the front of the housing 11, and an air intake port 15 for drawing in air is provided behind the filter section 13. The air intake port 15 is composed of a group of openings formed in a grid pattern by the intersection of multiple slats extending in the vertical direction D1 and multiple slats extending in the horizontal direction D2. The front panel 113 is mounted on the housing 11 so as to provide a gap that allows air to be drawn in toward the air intake port 15.

[0023] The filter unit 13 includes a filter, such as a dust collection filter or a deodorizing filter, and processes the air drawn in from the intake port 15. The dust collection filter can capture dust, pollen, smoke, and fine particulate matter (e.g., PM2.5) contained in the air. The deodorizing filter can remove odors from the air. In this embodiment, the filter unit 13 has a pre-filter 131 that can capture relatively large debris in the air, and a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter 132 that can capture fine particles in the air. In this embodiment, the filter unit 13 further has a filter element 133 arranged in the air intake path of a dust sensor (not shown) that detects the degree of air pollution.

[0024] Below the filter section 13 of the housing 11, a recess is formed on the inside (rear) side of the housing 11. This recess constitutes a housing section 16 capable of accommodating an attachment 4 for a blower (hereinafter referred to as "attachment 4" unless otherwise specified), which can be attached to the main body 10 of the device. In this embodiment, the housing section 16 is configured to accommodate the attachment 4, hose 5, and nozzle 6 (see Figure 21) in a disassembled state. Specifically, the housing section 16 is configured such that the nozzle 6, an accessory part of the attachment 4, is housed at the rear bottom of the housing section 16, and the attachment 4 and the hose 5, an accessory part of the attachment 4, are housed in front of the nozzle 6. The detailed configuration of the attachment 4 will be described in "[4] Attachment Configuration".

[0025] An air passage (not shown) for airflow is formed inside the housing 11. The air passage is configured to connect the intake port 15 and the outlet port 14, and the dehumidifying unit and the blowing unit are arranged in that order from the intake port 15 to the outlet port 14.

[0026] The dehumidifier dehumidifies the air passing through the air passage. In this embodiment, the dehumidifier is of the compressor type and includes an evaporator and a condenser. The evaporator and condenser are connected to the compressor and expansion valve to constitute a refrigeration cycle. In the dehumidifier, the air in the air passage is cooled by the evaporator. As a result, moisture in the air is removed by condensation. The moisture (condensed water) that condenses in the evaporator falls downward due to its own weight and is stored in the drain tank 2 located below the dehumidifier within the housing 11.

[0027] In this embodiment, the dehumidification unit is of the compressor type, but it is not limited to this. For example, the dehumidification unit may be of the desiccant type, or it may be a configuration that uses both the compressor type and the desiccant type in combination.

[0028] The air blower unit sends air from the intake port 15 towards the outlet port 14. In this embodiment, the air blower unit is a sirocco fan. However, the air blower unit is not limited to a sirocco fan; it can be any mechanism that sends air from the intake port 15 towards the outlet port 14.

[0029] As shown in Figure 4, the right side panel 116 is provided with a rectangular opening 116a in plan view. The housing 11 has a space 17 formed in the housing 11 that houses the drain tank 2, extending inward from the opening 116a. When the drain tank 2 is housed in the space 17, the opening 116a is closed by one side of the drain tank 2 (a decorative panel 24, described later). The side of the drain tank 2 that closes the opening 116a is substantially flush with the surface of the right side panel 116 and has the same pattern or decoration as the right side panel 116. Therefore, when the drain tank 2 is housed in the device body 10, the design of the housing 11 is not easily impaired by the drain tank 2.

[0030] The drainage tank 2 stores condensation water generated in the dehumidifier while housed inside the main body 10 of the device. However, there is a limit to the amount of condensation water that can be stored in the drainage tank 2. Therefore, before the amount of condensation water stored in the drainage tank 2 reaches the capacity limit of the drainage tank 2, the user must remove the drainage tank 2 from the main body 10 of the device and drain the condensation water stored in the drainage tank 2 (hereinafter referred to as "drainage work").

[0031] In this embodiment, the drain tank 2 is configured as follows to make it easier for the user to remove the drain tank 2 from the device body 10. Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, when the drain tank 2 is housed in the device body 10, at least a portion of the grip portion 231 of the handle 23 that the user grips when carrying the drain tank 2 is exposed. This makes it easier for the user to grasp the grip portion 231 and pull the drain tank 2 out of the device body 10 along the left-right direction D2. In addition, in the up-down direction D1, a gap is provided between the grip portion 231 and the upper end of the exposed surface (decorative panel 24) of the drain tank 2, large enough for the user to insert their hand. Therefore, the user can insert their hand into this gap and grasp the grip portion 231, making it easier to grip the grip portion 231 and, as a result, easier to pull the drain tank 2 out of the device body 10.

[0032] In this embodiment, the dehumidifier 1 is configured to remove the drain tank 2 from the main body 10 by pulling it out to the right, but it is not limited to this configuration. For example, the dehumidifier 1 may be configured to allow the drain tank 2 to be pulled out from the main body 10 to the left, forward, or backward.

[0033] [2] Configuration of the drainage tank The detailed configuration of the drainage tank 2 according to this embodiment will be described below, mainly with reference to Figure 5. The drainage tank 2 is detachably attached to the main body of the device 10 and, while housed inside the main body of the device 10, stores condensation water by receiving the condensation water generated in the dehumidification section and falling down. When the drainage tank 2 is removed from the main body of the device 10, it is possible to change its posture between a transport posture for transporting the tank body 21 with water (here, condensation water; hereinafter referred to as "condensation water" unless otherwise specified) contained inside the tank body 21 and a drainage posture for draining the condensation water inside the tank body 21.

[0034] Figure 6 is a diagram showing the changes in the posture of the drain tank 2 according to this embodiment. The upper left of Figure 6 shows the storage posture, the upper right of Figure 6 shows the transport posture, and the lower part of Figure 6 shows the drainage posture. The storage posture is the posture in which the drain tank 2 can be stored in the main body 10 of the device. In other words, the drain tank 2 is stored in the space 17 of the housing 11 in the storage posture. The transport posture is the posture of the drain tank 2 when a user carries the drain tank 2 while holding the grip portion 231 (described later) of the handle 23 (described later) provided on the drain tank 2. The drainage posture is the posture of the drain tank 2 when a user tilts the drain tank 2 in a place where condensation water inside the drain tank 2 can be drained, and drains the condensation water inside the tank body 21 to the outside from the drain port 20 (described later).

[0035] As shown in Figure 5, the drain tank 2 comprises a tank body 21, a tank lid 22, a handle 23, a decorative panel 24, and a drain cover 25.

[0036] The tank body 21 has an opening 210 on its upper surface and is a container body that stores condensation water generated in the dehumidifier located above the tank body 21. The opening 210 of the tank body 21 is provided with a tank lid 22 and a drain cover 25 that close the opening 210. When the drain tank 2 is housed in the device body 10, the condensation water that falls onto the tank lid 22 flows into the tank body 21 through a water inlet 223 (described later) provided on the tank lid 22 and is stored in the tank body 21.

[0037] The tank body 21 has a bottom wall 211 (see Figure 7), a front wall 212, a rear wall 213, a right wall 214, and a left wall 215, and these walls constitute the outer casing of the tank body 21. The area enclosed by the upper ends of the front wall 212, rear wall 213, right wall 214, and left wall 215 constitutes the opening 210. In this embodiment, the part of the opening 210 facing the drain cover 25 constitutes a drain port 20 for draining condensation water from inside the tank body 21 to the outside when the drain tank 2 is removed from the device body 10. In other words, the drain port 20 is an opening for draining condensation water from inside the tank body 21 when the drain tank 2 is in the draining position.

[0038] As shown in Figure 7, the tank body 21 has a constricted portion 21a and a wide portion 21b that is wider in the front-rear direction D3 than the constricted portion 21a.

[0039] The constricted portion 21a is the part of the left wall 215 of the tank body 21 that protrudes to the left, and is rectangular in shape in plan view. The central part of the left wall 215 of the tank body 21 in the front-rear direction D3 is recessed to the right (i.e., towards the inside of the tank body 21) in plan view, according to the outer shape of the compressor located to the left of the drain tank 2 when the drain tank 2 is housed in the device body 10. Note that the constricted portion 21a is not limited to the front end of the left wall 215 of the tank body 21, but may be provided so as to protrude to the left from any part of the left wall 215.

[0040] The constricted portion 21a is provided on the left wall 215 of the tank body 21, extending from the center to the upper end in the vertical direction D1. In this embodiment, the constricted portion 21a is provided with a detection unit (not shown) that detects when the water level of condensation inside the tank body 21 is full. The detection unit is, for example, a Hall IC, and detects that the tank body is full when a float provided inside the tank body 21, which moves up and down according to the water level, reaches a predetermined water level.

[0041] The wide portion 21b is the part of the tank body 21 excluding the narrow portion 21a, and is the main part of the tank body 21. The wide portion 21b is, for example, rectangular in shape when viewed from above.

[0042] In addition, in the present embodiment, the tank body 21 has a narrow portion 21a and a wide portion 21b, but it may not have the narrow portion 21a. In this case, the tank body 21 is composed of only the wide portion 21b.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 5, on the inner surface of the front wall 212 of the tank body 21, a protruding wall 216 that protrudes rearward (that is, toward the inside of the tank body 21) is provided at the central portion in the left-right direction D2. Similarly, on the inner surface of the rear wall 213 of the tank body 21, a protruding wall 216 that protrudes forward (that is, toward the inside of the tank body 21) is provided at the central portion in the left-right direction D2.

[0044] Each protruding wall 216 is provided from the upper end portion to the lower end portion of the front wall 212 (or the rear wall 213), and the inside is hollow. At the upper end portion of each protruding wall 216, a bearing portion 216a into which a pair of shaft portions 234 (described later) of the handle 23 are inserted is provided. In FIG. 5, only one of the pair of bearing portions 216a is illustrated. By inserting the pair of shaft portions 234 of the handle 23 into these pair of bearing portions 216a, the handle 23 is supported by the tank body 21 so as to be rotatable about the pair of shaft portions 234 as a central axis.

[0045] The tank lid 22 is a flat plate-shaped member that conforms to the shape of the opening 210 of the tank body 21 excluding the left end portion, and is detachably provided with respect to the tank body 21. The tank lid 22 has a pair of bearing portions 221, a taper 222, a water filling port 223, and a through hole 224.

[0046] The pair of bearing portions 221 are provided at the left end portion of the tank lid 22 with a predetermined distance in the front-rear direction D3. The predetermined distance is equal to the length in the front-rear direction D3 of the shaft portion 254 (described later) of the drain cover 25. A pair of protrusions 254a (described later) provided on the shaft portion 254 of the drain cover 25 are inserted into the pair of bearing portions 221, respectively. Thereby, the drain cover 25 is supported by the tank lid 22 so as to be rotatable about the shaft portion 254 as a central axis. ​The taper 222 is provided on the tank lid 22 such that it is located below the dehumidifying section when the drainage tank 2 is housed in the apparatus main body 10. In the present embodiment, the taper 222 is provided at the left end portion of the tank lid 22 so as to be located to the right of the pair of bearing portions 221. The taper 222 is inclined downward from the center in the front-rear direction D3 of the tank lid 22 toward the front end portion. And a gap is provided between the front end portion of the taper 222 and the tank lid 22, and the gap constitutes a water injection port 223 for flowing the condensed water into the tank main body 21. The condensed water passing through the water injection port 223 flows downward along the inner surface of the front wall 212 of the tank main body 21.

[0048] In the present embodiment, only one set of the taper 222 and the water injection port 223 is provided on the tank lid 22, but a plurality of sets may be provided. For example, a taper that is inclined downward from the center in the front-rear direction D3 of the tank lid 22 toward the rear end portion, and a set of an injection port that is a gap between the rear end portion of the taper and the tank lid 22 may be further provided.

[0049] The through hole 224 has a length in the front-rear direction D3, is rectangular in plan view, and is a hole having a length in the front-rear direction D3 that penetrates the tank lid 22 in the front-rear direction D3 at the central portion of the tank lid 22. The through hole 224 is provided with a dimension through which a part of the handle 23 (specifically, a gripping portion 231 and a pair of first arms 232 described later) passes.

[0050] The drain cover 25 is a member attached to the tank lid 22, and is configured to be movable between a first position (see FIG. 8) that closes the drain port 20 and a second position (see FIG. 9) that opens the drain port 20. The drain cover 25 has a first member 251, a second member 252, a third member 253, and a shaft portion 254. In the present embodiment, the first member 251, the second member 252, the third member 253, and the shaft portion 254 are integrally formed.

[0051] The first member 251 is rectangular in plan view and has a length in the front-rear direction D3. The center of the left end of the first member 251 is recessed toward the right (i.e., toward the inside of the tank body 21) in plan view, matching the shape of the left wall 215 of the tank body 21. Both ends of the left end of the first member 251 in the front-rear direction D3 are provided with protrusions 251a that project upward. Each protrusion 251a is provided such that, when the drain cover 25 is in the first position, its tip is positioned above the upper end of the left wall 215 of the tank body 21. Each protrusion 251a is formed such that, when the drain tank 2 is housed in the device body 10, it is close to the ceiling of the space 17 (see Figure 4) in which the drain tank 2 is housed. Here, "close" includes the protrusion 254a contacting the ceiling, or the distance between the ceiling and the protrusion 254a being below a threshold (for example, a few mm to a dozen mm).

[0052] The shaft portion 254 is located in the center of the right end of the first member 251 and is a cylindrical member having a length in the front-rear direction D3. Both ends of the shaft portion 254 in the front-rear direction D3 are provided with cylindrical projections 254a that protrude outward. These projections 254a are inserted into a pair of bearing portions 221 of the tank lid 22.

[0053] The second member 252 is rectangular in plan view and has a shorter length D3 in the front-to-back direction than the first member 251 and the third member 253. The second member 252 connects the center of the right end of the first member 251 and the center of the left end of the third member 253. The second member 252 is located below the tank lid 22 when the drain cover 25 is attached to the tank lid 22.

[0054] The third member 253 is rectangular in plan view, and its length in the front-to-back direction D3 is shorter than that of the first member 251 and longer than that of the second member 252. Both ends of the left end of the third member 253 are provided with projections 253a that protrude outward in the front-to-back direction D3. The center of the right end of each projection 253a is provided with a recess 253b that is recessed to the left. When the drain cover 25 is in the first position and the drain tank 2 is in the transport position, the claw portion 232a (described later) of the handle 23 is inserted into each recess 253b.

[0055] The drain cover 25 is configured to rotate about its central axis, shaft 254, when attached to the tank lid 22. Therefore, when the first member 251, located to the left of the shaft 254, moves upward, the second member 252 and the third member 253, located to the right of the shaft 254, move downward. Conversely, when the first member 251 moves downward, the second member 252 and the third member 253 move upward. The third member 253 closes the through hole 224 of the tank lid 22 when the drain cover 25 (first member 251) is in the first position, which closes the drain port 20 of the tank body 21. Conversely, the third member 253 opens the through hole 224 of the tank lid 22 when the drain cover 25 (first member 251) is in the second position, which opens the drain port 20.

[0056] Furthermore, the drain cover 25 is configured to move from a first position to a second position as the drain tank 2 changes its orientation from a transport position to a draining position. Specifically, when the drain tank 2 is in the draining position, the drain cover 25 is not restricted from rotating clockwise when viewed from the front (movement in the direction from the first position to the second position) by a part of the handle 23, and similarly, it is not restricted from rotating clockwise when viewed from the front (movement in the direction from the first position to the second position) by a part of the tank lid 22. In this way, there are no members that restrict the movement of the drain cover 25, so when the drain tank 2 changes its orientation from a transport position to a draining position, the drain cover 25 rotates around the shaft portion 254 as the axis of rotation in the direction from the first position to the second position.

[0057] The decorative panel 24 is a panel with the same pattern or decoration as the right side panel 116 of the housing 11. The decorative panel 24 is configured to be detachable from the outside of the right wall 214 of the tank body 21. When the drain tank 2 is housed in the device body 10, the decorative panel 24 is flush with the right side panel 116 of the housing 11.

[0058] The handle 23 has a gripping portion 231 that the user holds when carrying the drainage tank 2, and is attached to the tank body 21 such that the position of the gripping portion 231 in the vertical direction D1 is variable. The gripping portion 231 only needs to be displaceable in the vertical direction D1, and may be further displaceable in directions intersecting the vertical direction D1 (left-right direction D2 or front-back direction D3). The handle 23 has a gripping portion 231, a pair of first arms 232, a pair of second arms 233, a pair of shaft portions 234, and a restraining portion 235.

[0059] The gripping portion 231 is a rod-shaped member having a length in the front-rear direction D3. The gripping portion 231 is outside the tank body 21, more specifically above the tank body 21, and its position in the vertical direction D1 is displaceable.

[0060] The pair of first arms 232 are connected to both ends of the gripping portion 231 in the front-rear direction D3, and are rod-shaped members that extend in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the gripping portion 231 so as to be parallel to each other. The lower end of each first arm 232 is provided with a cylindrical shaft portion 234 that protrudes outward in the front-rear direction D3. The front shaft portion 234 of the pair of shaft portions 234 is supported by a bearing portion 216a on the front projection wall 216 of the tank body 21, and the rear shaft portion 234 is supported by a bearing portion 216a on the rear projection wall 216 of the tank body 21. As a result, the handle 23 is supported on the tank body 21 so as to be rotatable with the pair of shaft portions 234 as the axis of rotation.

[0061] Furthermore, each first arm 232 is provided with a claw portion 232a that protrudes to the left from its lower end. Each claw portion 232a is inserted into a recess 253b of the third member 253 of the drain cover 25 when the drain cover 25 is in the first position and the drain tank 2 is in the transport position.

[0062] The pair of second arms 233 are each connected to the lower ends of the pair of first arms 232 and are rod-shaped members that extend in approximately the same direction as the length of the first arms 232 so as to be parallel to each other. The upper end of each second arm 233 is provided with a rectangular restricting piece 233a in plan view that protrudes outward in the front-rear direction D3. Each restricting piece 233a rotates with the rotation of the handle 23 and is positioned so that a part of the corresponding protruding wall 216 is located on its trajectory.

[0063] The lower end of each restricting piece 233a contacts the corresponding protruding wall 216 when the handle 23 rotates counterclockwise when viewed from the front and the gripping portion 231 reaches the upper limit position (described later), thereby restricting the rotation of the handle 23 (see Figure 10). In other words, each restricting piece 233a corresponds to a first restricting part that contacts the tank body 21 and restricts the movement of the handle 23 when the gripping portion 231 is in the upper limit position. Furthermore, the upper end of each restricting piece 233a contacts the corresponding protruding wall 216 when the handle 23 rotates clockwise when viewed from the front and the gripping portion 231 reaches the lower limit position (described later), thereby restricting the rotation of the handle 23 (see Figure 11). In other words, each restricting piece 233a corresponds to a second restricting part that contacts the tank body 21 and restricts the movement of the handle 23 when the gripping portion 231 is in the lower limit position. Thus, in this embodiment, each restricting piece 233a performs the functions of both the first and second restricting parts.

[0064] The restraining portion 235 is a rectangular member in plan view with a length in the front-rear direction D3. Both ends of the restraining portion 235 are connected to the lower ends of a pair of second arms 233. The center of the left end of the restraining portion 235 is recessed toward the right side (i.e., toward the inside of the tank body 21) in plan view, to match the shape of the left wall 215 of the tank body 21. The restraining portion 235 approaches the left wall 215 of the tank body 21 when the gripping portion 231 is in the lower limit position (see Figure 11), and approaches the bottom wall 211 of the tank body 21 when the gripping portion 231 is in the upper limit position (see Figure 10). Here, "approach" includes the restraining portion 235 contacting the left wall 215 or the bottom wall 211, or the distance between the left wall 215 or the bottom wall 211 and the restraining portion 235 being less than or equal to a threshold (for example, a few mm to a dozen mm).

[0065] The following describes the range of movement of the gripping portion 231 of the handle 23. The gripping portion 231 is configured to be movable between an upper limit position and a lower limit position. Here, the upper limit position is the position where the height of the gripping portion 231 in the vertical direction D1 is highest when the handle 23 is rotated, as shown in Figure 10. Specifically, the upper limit position is the end position of the gripping portion 231 when the handle 23 is rotated counterclockwise when viewed from the front. When the gripping portion 231 is in the upper limit position, it is located above the rotation center (a pair of shaft portions 234) of the handle 23. In this embodiment, since the user grasps the gripping portion 231 in the upper limit position to carry the drainage tank, the gripping portion 231 being in the upper limit position corresponds to the drainage tank 2 being in a transport position.

[0066] As shown in Figure 11, the lower limit position is the position where the height of the gripping portion 231 in the vertical direction D1 is at its lowest when the handle 23 is rotated. Specifically, the lower limit position is the end position of the gripping portion 231 when the handle 23 is rotated clockwise when viewed from the front. When the gripping portion 231 is in the lower limit position, it is located above the right wall 214 of the tank body 21. In this embodiment, since the drain tank 2 is housed in the device body 10 with the gripping portion 231 in the lower limit position, the gripping portion 231 being in the upper limit position corresponds to the drain tank 2 being in the housed position.

[0067] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the drain cover 25 (first member 251) can be opened and closed when the grip portion 231 is below the upper limit position, allowing condensation water inside the tank body 21 to be drained to the outside. Therefore, the grip portion 231 being below the upper limit position corresponds to the drain tank 2 being in a draining position.

[0068] The features of the drainage tank 2 according to this embodiment will be described below.

[0069] In the drainage tanks shown in related technologies, the lid must be opened and closed when draining water, which is time-consuming. In contrast, in the drainage tank 2 according to this embodiment, the drainage cover 25 is configured to move from a first position to a second position as the drainage tank 2 changes its orientation from a transport position to a drainage position. Therefore, the user can simply tilt the drainage tank 2, and the drainage cover 25 will be pushed by the condensation water inside the tank body 21, opening the drain port 20 and allowing the condensation water to be drained. Thus, the drainage tank 2 according to this embodiment has the advantage of eliminating the need to open and close the lid when draining water, as is the case with the drainage tanks shown in related technologies, and making it easier to drain condensation water. Note that the drainage cover 25 may also be configured to open without being pushed by the condensation water inside the tank body 21, for example, by tilting the tank body 21 by a predetermined angle or more when the drainage tank 2 is in the drainage position.

[0070] However, there is a problem that if the device body 10 is moved while the drain tank 2 is attached to the device body 10, the condensation water inside the tank body 21 may shake, potentially causing the condensation water to leak out of the drain port 20. Similarly, when removing the drain tank 2 from the device body 10, there is a problem that the condensation water inside the tank body 21 may shake, potentially causing the condensation water to leak out of the drain port 20.

[0071] In contrast, in the drain tank 2 according to this embodiment, the drain cover 25 is in a first position that closes the drain port 20 when the drain tank 2 is in a position other than the drain position. Therefore, even if the condensation water inside the tank body 21 shakes, the drain cover 25 pushes the condensation water back into the tank body 21, which has the advantage that condensation water is less likely to leak out of the drain port 20.

[0072] Furthermore, the drainage tank 2 according to this embodiment has various advantages, such as making it less likely for condensation water to leak from the tank body 21 to the outside, by having the various configurations shown below. Each configuration will be described in detail below.

[0073] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 12, at least the end of the drain cover 25 on the drain port 20 side (here, the left end) is configured to be located below the upper end of the wall of the tank body 21 on the drain port 20 side (here, the left wall 215) when the drain port 20 is closed. In other words, when the drain cover 25 is in the first position, at least the end (left end) opposite to the direction in which the drain tank 2 is pulled out of the device body 10 is located below the upper end of the tank body 21.

[0074] Therefore, even if condensation water adheres to the drain cover 25 during drainage work, the condensation water is less likely to overflow the wall of the tank body 21, which has the advantage of reducing water leakage after drainage work. In addition, when returning the drain tank 2 to the device body 10 after drainage work, even if the drain cover 25 moves, there is a low possibility that the drain cover 25 will move above the upper edge of the wall of the tank body 21, which has the advantage of making it less likely for the drain cover 25 to get caught on the device body 10, making it easier to return the drain tank 2 to the device body 10.

[0075] Incidentally, when the drain tank 2 is pulled out from the main body 10, the condensation water inside the tank body 21 rises along the wall of the tank body 21 due to inertia, and if no countermeasures are taken, the drain cover 25, which can be opened and closed, may be pushed by the condensation water, causing the condensation water to spill out of the tank body 21. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 12, the drain cover 25 has an inclined portion 255 that slopes downward as it moves in the direction opposite to the direction in which the drain tank 2 is pulled out (in this case, to the left). As a result, the condensation water rising along the wall of the tank body 21 due to inertia can be suppressed by the inclined portion 255, which has the advantage that the condensation water is less likely to spill out of the tank body 21.

[0076] Specifically, as shown in the left-hand diagram of Figure 13, if the drain cover 25 is not provided with an inclined portion 255, the condensed water, subjected to inertial force, will move upward along the wall of the tank body 21, potentially pushing up the drain cover 25 and spilling outside the tank body 21. In Figure 13, the white arrows indicate the direction in which the drain tank 2 is pulled out. In contrast, in this embodiment, as shown in the right-hand diagram of Figure 13, the drain cover 25 is provided with an inclined portion 255. As a result, the condensed water is guided along the inclined portion 255 towards the inside of the tank body 21, making it less likely for the drain cover 25 to be pushed up by the condensed water, and less likely for the condensed water to spill outside the tank body 21.

[0077] In this embodiment, the tank lid 22 also has an inclined portion 225 (see Figure 5) at its right end that slopes downward as it moves in the direction of removal of the drain tank 2 (to the right in this case). Therefore, even if condensation water moves upward along the wall of the tank body 21 opposite to the drain port 20 side (in this case, the right wall), the condensation water is guided to the inside of the tank body 21 along the inclined portion 225, making it less likely for condensation water to spill out of the tank body 21 through the gap between the tank lid 22 and the tank body 21.

[0078] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 12, the tank body 21 has a stepped portion 217 projecting to the opposite side of the pulling direction (to the left) on at least the inner wall opposite to the pulling direction (in this case, the left wall 215). When the drain cover 25 is in the first position (i.e., in the position that closes the drain port 20), the end opposite to the pulling direction (in this case, the left end) faces the upper surface of the stepped portion 217. Specifically, when the drain cover 25 is in the first position, its left end rests on the upper surface of the stepped portion 217.

[0079] Therefore, even if condensation water were to push up against the drain cover 25, the stepped portion 217 would weaken the force of the condensation water, thus having the advantage of preventing condensation water from spilling outside the tank body 21. In particular, in this embodiment, the upper end of the wall on the drain port 20 side of the tank body 21 (the left wall in this case) is located above the stepped portion 217, so condensation water that reaches the stepped portion 217 is less likely to overflow the wall, further preventing condensation water from spilling outside the tank body 21.

[0080] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the step 217 is sloped so as it goes from top to bottom, it slopes inward (to the right in this case) of the tank body 21. As a result, condensation water that reaches the step 217 is guided inward along the slope to the tank body 21, which has the advantage that condensation water is less likely to remain on the step 217.

[0081] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 12, the drain cover 25 is provided with a rib 256 that protrudes from the bottom surface in the direction opposite to the pulling direction (to the left in this case) at the end (in this case, the left end). The rib 256 is a flat plate-shaped portion on the bottom surface of the left end of the drain cover 25, having a length in the front-rear direction D3.

[0082] Therefore, compared to a case where the drain cover 25 does not have ribs 256, the ends of the drain cover 25 can be reinforced, making it less likely for gaps to form between the drain cover 25 and the tank body 21, and reducing the likelihood of condensation spilling from the tank body 21 to the outside. However, if the ribs 256 are provided to protrude from the upper surface of the drain cover 25, a problem may arise in that condensation tends to remain in the corners formed by the ribs 256 and the upper surface of the drain cover 25. In contrast, in this embodiment, the ribs 256 are provided to protrude from the lower surface of the drain cover 25, so there are no such corners, and thus condensation is less likely to remain.

[0083] However, if a large amount of condensation water is stored in the tank body 21, when the drain tank 2 is pulled out from the device body 10, the condensation water stored in the tank body 21 may ripple, causing the openable and closable drain cover 25 to be pushed by the condensation water, potentially causing condensation water to spill from the tank body 21. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, when the drain cover 25 is in the first position (i.e., in the position that closes the drain port 20), it has a protrusion 251a that protrudes from the top surface above the upper end of the tank body 21. As a result, when the drain tank 2 is pulled out from the device body 10, the upward movement of the drain cover 25 is restricted by the protrusion 254a that is close to the ceiling of the space 17 in which the drain tank 2 is housed, making it difficult for the drain cover 25 to open and improving airtightness, thus reducing the likelihood of condensation water spilling from the tank body 21.

[0084] By the way, when carrying the drainage tank 2 to a place where condensation water can be drained, the drainage tank 2 may shake, causing the condensation water stored in the tank body 21 to leak out. In particular, as described above, if the drainage cover 25 is openable and closable, the condensation water stored in the tank body 21 may ripple as the drainage tank 2 shakes, and the condensation water may push open the drainage cover 25, causing water leakage. Therefore, in this embodiment, the drainage tank 2 is further equipped with a locking mechanism 26 that restricts the movement of the drainage cover 25 from its first position, at least when the drainage tank 2 is in a transport position. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, the locking mechanism 26 is composed of a pair of claws 232a provided on the handle 23 and a pair of recesses 253b provided on the third member 253 of the drainage cover 25. In other words, the locking mechanism 26 is located on the handle 23. In this embodiment, the locking mechanism 26 restricts the movement of the drain cover 25 from its first position by having each claw portion 232a provided on the handle 23 engage with each recess 253b provided on the drain cover 25. Therefore, the drain tank 2 according to this embodiment has the advantage that the drain cover 25 is less likely to open when carrying the drain tank 2, improving airtightness and thus reducing the likelihood of water leakage.

[0085] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the locking mechanism 26 is configured to be in either a locked state, which restricts the movement of the drain cover 25 from its first position, or an unlocked state, which releases the restriction, depending on the position of the handle 23. Specifically, when the gripping portion 231 of the handle 23 is in the upper limit position, the locking mechanism 26 is in a locked state when each claw portion 232a provided on the handle 23 fits into each recess 253b provided on the drain cover 25. When the gripping portion 231 is located below the upper limit position, the locking mechanism 26 is in an unlocked state when each claw portion 232a provided on the handle 23 disengages from each recess 253b provided on the drain cover 25.

[0086] Therefore, in this embodiment, the user can switch the locking mechanism 26 to either the locked or unlocked state by an action that the user naturally performs, such as gripping the handle 231 and lifting the drain tank 2. This eliminates the need for the user to directly operate the locking mechanism 26, which has the advantage of improving the usability of the drain tank 2.

[0087] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the drainage tank 2 is in a transport position (see upper right of Figure 6), if the user tilts the drainage tank 2, the gripping portion 231 of the handle 23 rotates clockwise from its upper limit position when viewed from the front, in accordance with the tilt of the drainage tank 2 (see lower of Figure 6). In other words, the gripping portion 231 is displaced downward when the drainage tank 2 is in a drainage position. Therefore, in this embodiment, simply by the user tilting the drainage tank 2 to the drainage position, the locking mechanism 26 switches from the locked state to the unlocked state by the rotation of the handle 23, so that the user can perform the drainage operation without operating the handle 23, which has the advantage of improving the usability of the drainage tank 2.

[0088] As mentioned earlier, when the drain tank 2 is pulled out from the main body 10, the condensation inside the tank body 21 rises along the wall of the tank body 21 due to inertia, and if no countermeasures are taken, the drain cover 25, which can be opened and closed, may be pushed by the condensation and spill out of the tank body 21. In particular, in this embodiment, the wall on the drain port 20 side of the tank body 21 is formed to be narrower in the front-rear direction D3 than the other walls, so if no countermeasures are taken, there is a high possibility that condensation will spill out of the tank body 21.

[0089] Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 11, the handle 23 has a gripping portion 231 on the outside of the tank body 21 with respect to the axis of rotation relative to the tank body 21 (here, a pair of shaft portions 234), and a restraining portion 235 on the inside of the tank body 21. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, the restraining portion 235 has a surface that is long in the direction along the axis of rotation (here, the front-rear direction D3). As a result, when the drain tank 2 is pulled out from the device body 10, the restraining portion 235, which is close to the wall of the tank body 21 on the drain port 20 side (here, the left wall 215), acts as a barrier, and the condensation water that rises along the wall of the tank body 21 due to inertia can be suppressed by the restraining portion 235, which has the advantage that the condensation water is less likely to spill out of the tank body 21.

[0090] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the tank body 21 is tilted to drain the condensed water inside the tank body 21, the suppression part 235 comes into close proximity to the wall of the tank body 21 on the drain port 20 side (in this case, the left wall 215). As a result, the force with which the condensed water flows is suppressed by the suppression part 235, which has the advantage of making it easier to adjust the amount of condensed water drained per unit time. This is particularly effective when the drain port 20 is relatively large.

[0091] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the handle 23 has a restricting piece 233a (first restricting part) that contacts the tank body 21 and restricts the movement of the handle 23 when the gripping part 231 is in the upper limit position (i.e., in the transport position). As a result, in the transport position, the movement of the handle 23 (in this case, counterclockwise rotation when viewed from the front) is restricted by the restricting piece 233a, meaning the handle 23 is fixed. This has the advantage that when carrying the drainage tank 2, the condensation water inside the tank body 21 is less likely to shake and spill out of the tank body 21.

[0092] In particular, in this embodiment, the restricting piece 233a (first restricting part) is provided on the second arm 233 rather than on the shaft portion 234 of the handle 23. This is because if the restricting piece 233a were provided on the shaft portion 234 of the handle 23, it would be close to the rotation center of the handle 23, making it prone to variations in the angle at which the restricting piece 233a restricts the rotation of the handle 23, and also prone to wear due to the restricting piece 233a being in contact with the tank body 21.

[0093] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, a restraining portion 235 is provided on the handle 23, and the restraining portion 235 is fixed in a position close to the bottom wall 211 of the tank body 21 when the gripping portion 231 is in the upper limit position. Therefore, the restraining portion 235 acts as resistance in the condensation water inside the tank body 21, which has the advantage of reducing the shaking of the handle 23. In addition, since the shaking of the condensation water inside the tank body 21 is also reduced by the restraining portion 235, there is also the advantage that condensation water is less likely to spill to the outside of the tank body 21.

[0094] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the handle 23 has a restricting piece 233a (second restricting piece) that contacts the tank body 21 and restricts the movement of the handle 23 when the gripping portion 231 is in the lower limit position (i.e., in the storage position). Therefore, in the storage position, the movement of the handle 23 (here, clockwise rotation when viewed from the front) is restricted by the restricting piece 233a, meaning the handle 23 is fixed. This has the advantage that the handle 23 is positioned when the drain tank 2 is stored in the device body 10, making it easier for the user to grip the gripping portion 231 of the handle 23 when pulling the drain tank 2 out of the device body 10.

[0095] In this embodiment, the restricting piece 233a is configured to perform the functions of both the first and second restricting sections, but it is not limited to this configuration. For example, it may be divided into a restricting piece for the first restricting section and a restricting piece for the second restricting section.

[0096] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the pair of shaft portions 234 of the handle 23 are attached to the inner wall of the tank body 21 (that is, the handle 23 is supported inside the tank body 21), and the tank lid 22 has through holes 224 for passing the grip portion 231 and the pair of first arms 232 (that is, a part of the handle 23) of the handle 23 through. The tank lid 22 is attached to the tank body 21 so as to close the opening of the tank body 21 with the grip portion 231 and the pair of first arms 232 (that is, a part of the handle 23) passing through the through holes 224. For this reason, for example, when cleaning the inside of the tank body 21, the tank lid 22 can be removed from the tank body 21 without removing the handle 23 simply by moving the tank lid 22 upwards, which has the advantage of making it easier to clean the inside of the tank body 21.

[0097] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the drain cover 25 (third member 253) is configured to close the through hole 224 when it is in the first position (i.e., in the position that closes the drain port 20) and to open the through hole 224 when it is in the second position (i.e., in the position that opens the drain port 20). Therefore, except when draining work is performed or when the tank lid 22 is removed from the tank body 21, the through hole 224 is closed by the drain cover 25, which has the advantage that condensation water is less likely to spill out of the tank body 21 through the through hole 224.

[0098] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a taper 222 is provided at the point where condensation water from the dehumidifier falls onto the tank lid 22. The taper 222 slopes downward towards the side wall (front wall 212) of the tank body 21, and has a water inlet 223 (see Figure 5) that penetrates the tank lid 22 at its tip. As a result, condensation water that falls from the dehumidifier onto the tank lid 22 flows along the taper 222 to the water inlet 223, and then flows through the water inlet 223 along the side wall of the tank body 21 to the bottom wall 211, which has the advantage of making it easier to suppress the impact noise caused by the condensation water falling onto the bottom wall 211 or the water surface. In addition, the water inlet 223 may be formed such that the first arm 232 is located directly below the tip of the taper 222. As a result, even if only a small amount of condensation falls from the dehumidifier onto the tank lid 22, and the condensation does not reach the side wall of the tank body 21 but falls straight down from the tip of the tapered section 222, the condensation will fall onto the first arm 232 and flow down along the first arm 232. Therefore, even if only a small amount of condensation falls, there is an advantage in that the impact noise caused by the condensation falling onto the bottom wall 211 or the water surface is easily suppressed.

[0099] [3] Louver Configuration The detailed configuration of the louver 3 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 14 to 19. The louver 3 is a component that controls the direction of the airflow sent out to the outside from the air blower section inside the main body of the device 10 through the outlet 14, and is provided in the blower. In this embodiment, the blower corresponds to the dehumidifier 1.

[0100] As shown in Figure 14, the louver 3 is located on the top panel 112 of the device body 10, behind the operating unit 12. Specifically, as shown in Figure 15, a rectangular frame 19 with a rectangular air outlet 14 opening is located behind the operating unit 12 on the top panel 112, and the louver 3 is attached to this frame 19, thereby being located behind the operating unit 12. The louver 3 comprises a plurality (in this case, two) of louver bodies 30, a plurality (in this case, two) of auxiliary louvers 31, and a case 32. Hereinafter, when distinguishing between the two louver bodies 30, the louver body 30 located on the rear side will be referred to as the "first louver body 30a," and the louver body 30 located on the front side will be referred to as the "second louver body 30b."

[0101] Each louver body 30 is a component that controls the direction of the airflow (mainly in the front-to-back direction D3) that is blown out from inside the device body 10 through the outlet 14. In this embodiment, the multiple louver bodies 30 (first louver body 30a and second louver body 30b) are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction (left-to-right direction D2) of the shaft portion 302 of the louver body 30, more specifically in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the up-and-down direction D1 (front-to-back direction D3). This has the advantage of making it easier to control the direction of the airflow more precisely compared to when the direction of the airflow is controlled by a single louver body 30. As shown in Figures 16 and 17, each louver body 30 has a blade 301, a pair of shaft portions 302, and a pair of arms 303.

[0102] The blade 301 is rectangular in plan view and has a length in the left-right direction D2. The blade 301 is configured to receive airflow. Specifically, the blade 301 receives airflow sent from the air blower inside the device body 10 on its lower surface (back surface), thereby controlling the airflow to be directed along the surface of the blade 301. The upper surface (front surface) of the blade 301 is decorated with a pattern or ornament over its entire surface, as shown in Figure 14. However, the upper surface of the blade 301 does not necessarily have to be decorated with a pattern or ornament.

[0103] As shown in Figure 15, a plurality of ribs 301a are provided on the lower surface (back surface) of the blade 301. Each rib 301a protrudes from the lower surface of the blade 301 in a direction perpendicular to the lower surface and is integrally formed with the blade 301 so as to connect the front edge and the rear edge of the blade 301. The plurality of ribs 301a are arranged at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction D2) of the blade 301. Furthermore, the plurality of ribs 301a are inclined such that the angle between the longitudinal direction and the front-rear direction D3 increases as you move outward from the center of the blade 301 in the longitudinal direction. In other words, the plurality of ribs 301a are arranged radially on the back surface of the blade 301. To put it another way, the blade 301 has ribs 301a that protrude from the surface that receives the airflow (back surface) and whose longitudinal direction is inclined in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the shaft (left-right direction D2), or more specifically, in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the up-down direction D1 (front-rear direction D3). This has the advantage that each louver body 30 not only controls the direction of the airflow in the front-to-back direction D3, but also makes it easier to control the direction of the airflow in the left-to-right direction D2 by each rib 301a. In addition, since the back surface of each louver body 30 is reinforced by each rib, there is also the advantage that the durability of each louver body 30 is easily improved.

[0104] In this embodiment, the length of the blade 301 in the left-right direction D2 in a plan view is longer than the length of the outlet 14 in the left-right direction D2. In other words, when the blade 301 is in the closed position (described later), it is formed with dimensions that block the outlet 14 so that it is not exposed in the left-right direction D2. To put it another way, the blade 301 is larger in the axial direction (left-right direction D2) of the shaft portion 302 than the outlet 14. This has the advantage that airflow is less likely to leak out from both ends of the outlet 14 in the left-right direction D2, making it easier to suppress unintended airflow leakage.

[0105] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the blades 301 of the first louver body 30a and the blades 301 of the second louver body 30b are configured with different dimensions. Specifically, as shown in Figure 14, the length D3 in the front-rear direction of the first louver body 30a is longer than the length D3 in the front-rear direction of the second louver body 30b. In other words, the blades 301 of the multiple louver bodies 30 each have different dimensions in at least the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the shaft (left-right direction D2), and more specifically, in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the up-down direction D1 (front-rear direction D3). This has the advantage of making it easier to control the direction of the airflow compared to the case where the dimensions in the front-rear direction D3 of the blades 301 of each louver body 30 are the same. For example, if the blades 301 of each louver body 30 are in the fully open position, and the dimensions of the blades 301 of each louver body 30 are the same in the front-rear direction D3, the airflow may not hit the blades 301 of the first louver body 30a, making it difficult to control the direction of the airflow. In contrast, in this embodiment, when the blades 301 of each louver body 30 are in the fully open position, the airflow is more likely to hit the blades 301 of the first louver body 30a, making it easier to control the direction of the airflow.

[0106] A pair of shafts 302 are attached to both ends of the frame 19 in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction D2). Each of the pair of shafts 302 is connected to the blade 301 via a pair of arms 303. Specifically, the left shaft 302 of the pair of shafts 302 is connected to the left end of the rear edge of the blade 301 via the left arm 303 of the pair of arms 303, and the right shaft 302 is connected to the right end of the rear edge of the blade 301 via the right arm 303. This allows the blade 301 to rotate around the pair of shafts 302 as its central axis. Here, each arm 303 of the second louver body 30b is roughly U-shaped when viewed from the left-right direction D2, and is curved so as not to interfere with the operating part 12 when the blade 301 rotates.

[0107] In this embodiment, the blades 301 of each louver body 30 are configured to rotate between a closed position and a fully open position with respect to a pair of shaft portions 302 as the central axis. Here, the closed position is the position in which, as shown in Figure 16, the blades 301 rotate counterclockwise when viewed from the left with respect to the pair of shaft portions 302 as the central axis, so that the upper surface (surface) of the blades 301 is substantially flush with the top panel 112 of the device body 10, and the blades 301 block a part of the air outlet 14. The fully open position is the position in which the blades 301 reach the furthest forward in their range of motion, as shown in Figure 17, when viewed from the left, the blades 301 rotate clockwise with respect to the pair of shaft portions 302 as the central axis.

[0108] Furthermore, the blades 301 of the first louver body 30a block the rear half of the air outlet 14 in a plan view when in the closed position. Similarly, the blades 301 of the second louver body 30b block the front half of the air outlet 14 in a plan view when in the closed position. In other words, the blades 301 of the first louver body 30a and the second louver body 30b block the entire air outlet 14 in a plan view when in the closed position. To put it another way, in each of the multiple louver bodies 30 (here, the first louver body 30a and the second louver body 30b), the blades 301 can be moved to a closed position that blocks a part of the air outlet 14. And the blades 301 of the multiple louver bodies 30 block the air outlet 14 when in the closed position. This has the advantage that it makes it difficult for airflow to leak out of the air outlet 14 while avoiding the blades 301 of each louver body 30, thus making it easier to suppress unintended airflow leakage.

[0109] When the blades 301 of each louver body 30 are in the closed position, the blades 301 of each louver body 30 completely block the air outlet 14 in a plan view, but the air outlet 14 is not completely blocked. That is, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 16, the upper end of the frame body 19 is inclined downward from the front end to the rear end. Therefore, even when the blades 301 of each louver body 30 are in the closed position, there is a gap 14a between the rear end of the first louver body 30a and the upper end of the rear end of the frame body 19, so that airflow is sent out to the outside of the device body 10 through this gap 14a.

[0110] In this embodiment, the pair of shaft portions 302 are located in different locations from the blades 301, as shown in Figures 16 and 17. Specifically, the shaft portions 302 are located outside the blades 301, more specifically in front of the front end of the blades 301, when viewed from the vertical direction D1, so as not to overlap with the blades 301. In other words, each shaft portion 302 is located outside the blades 301 and rotatably supports the blades 301 relative to the outlet 14. Therefore, in this embodiment, the blades 301 are substantially flush with the top panel 112 in the closed position, and are located above the top panel 112 in positions other than the closed position, including the fully open position, and are never located below the top panel 112, or even inside the outlet 14. In other words, the entire blade 301 is located outside the outlet 14 at any position within its range of motion.

[0111] Each auxiliary louver 31 is positioned inside the main body 10 of the device, beyond the outlet 14, and is a component that controls the direction (mainly the left-right direction D2) of the airflow blown out from inside the main body 10 through the outlet 14. In this embodiment, the two auxiliary louvers 31 are housed in the case 32 so as to be aligned in the length direction (left-right direction D2) of the case 32, with a partition vane 191 (see Figure 15) provided in the center of the frame 19 in the length direction (left-right direction D2) as the boundary (see Figure 18). Each auxiliary louver 31 has a plurality (in this case, three) of first vanes 311 and second vanes 312.

[0112] Each first blade 311 is rectangular in shape when viewed from above and is configured to receive airflow. Specifically, each first blade 311 receives airflow sent from the blower inside the device body 10 on at least one of its left and right surfaces, thereby controlling the airflow to a direction along the surface of each first blade 311. In other words, each of the multiple first blades 311 controls the direction of the airflow in the axial direction (left-right direction D2) of the shaft portion 302 of the louver body 30. Each first blade 311 is provided with a first shaft portion 311a at both ends in the front-rear direction D3. Each first blade 311 is supported by the case 32 so that it can rotate around its central axis, with the front first shaft portion 311a inserted into a bearing portion 322 (described later) provided on the front wall of the case 32, and the rear first shaft portion 311a inserted into a bearing portion 322 provided on the rear wall of the case 32. In this embodiment, in each auxiliary louver 31, the multiple first blades 311 are supported by the case 32 so as to be arranged at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction D2) of the case 32.

[0113] In this embodiment, each first blade 311 is configured to allow the user to change its angle by moving it manually. Alternatively, each first blade 311 may be configured to allow the angle to be changed electrically, for example, using an actuator.

[0114] Each first wing 311 has a notch 311b in the center in the front-rear direction D3, extending from the lower edge to the vicinity of the upper edge and having a length in the vertical direction D1. The notch 311b is shaped to match the shape of the second wing 312 when viewed from the left-right direction D2, and is provided with dimensions that allow the second wing 312 to be inserted.

[0115] The second blade 312 is rectangular in plan view and has a length in the left-right direction D2. In this embodiment, the second blade 312 is formed to be longer than the distance between the first blades 311 at both ends when a plurality of first blades 311 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction D2. A plurality of bearing portions 312a are provided at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction D2 on the lower edge of the second blade 312. The second shaft portion 311c (described later) of the corresponding first blade 311 is inserted into each bearing portion 312a.

[0116] Here, each first blade 311 is provided with a second shaft portion 311c at its lower edge, connecting the open ends at the lower ends of the notches 311b. Each first blade 311 is connected to the second blade 312 by the insertion of the second shaft portion 311c into a bearing portion 312a provided on the second blade 312. Therefore, when any one of the multiple first blades 311 moves, the other first blades 311 connected to the second blade 312 also move in conjunction. Specifically, using the position of each first blade 311 shown in the middle of Figure 19 as the reference position, for example, if any of the first blades 311 is rotated counterclockwise, the other first blades 311 will also rotate counterclockwise, as shown in the upper part of Figure 19. Furthermore, if, for example, one of the first blades 311 is rotated clockwise at the reference position, the other first blades 311 will also rotate clockwise, as shown in the lower part of Figure 19. In this way, the second blade 312 is connected to multiple first blades 311 and is configured to support the multiple first blades 311 so that they can move together.

[0117] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 16, the second blade 312 is inclined forward from the center towards the upper end in the vertical direction D1. Therefore, by receiving the airflow sent from the blower unit inside the device body 10 on the inclined front surface of the second blade 312, the airflow is controlled to be oriented along the inclined surface of the second blade 312. In other words, the second blade 312 controls the direction of the airflow in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction (left-right direction D2) of the shaft portion 302 of the louver body 30, or more specifically, in a direction perpendicular to both the axial direction and the vertical direction D1 (front-back direction D3). Thus, the second blade 312 not only has the function of linking multiple first blades 311, but also has the function of controlling the direction of the airflow in the front-back direction D3. For this reason, the dehumidifier 1 (blower) according to this embodiment has the advantage of being able to control the direction of the airflow in the front-back direction D3 more precisely compared to the case where the direction of the airflow in the front-back direction D3 is controlled by the louver body 30 alone.

[0118] In this embodiment, the inclination angle of the second blade 312 is set to match the inclination angle of the blade 301 when each louver body 30 is in the fully open position. Of course, the inclination angle of the second blade 312 is not limited to this, and for example, it may be set to match the inclination angle of the blade 301 when each louver body 30 is in the half-open position.

[0119] The case 32 is a rectangular parallelepiped member with an open top surface, and houses a plurality of auxiliary louvers 31 inside. In this embodiment, the case 32 houses a plurality (here, two) of auxiliary louvers 31 arranged in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction D2). The case 32 is attached to the frame 19 by appropriate mounting means such as screws, and is positioned below the plurality of louver bodies 30 and the air outlet 14.

[0120] As shown in Figure 18, the bottom wall of case 32 is provided with a grid of multiple rectangular ventilation holes 321 in a plan view. Through these multiple ventilation holes 321, the airflow sent from the blower unit flows to each auxiliary louver 31, and the airflow that has passed through each auxiliary louver 31 flows to each louver body 30 via the outlet 14.

[0121] Multiple (in this case, six) bearing portions 322 are provided at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction D2 on the upper edge of the front wall of the case 32. Similarly, multiple (in this case, six) bearing portions 322 are provided at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction D2 on the upper edge of the rear wall of the case 32. Three bearing portions 322 located on the left side of the front wall and three bearing portions 322 located on the left side of the rear wall are used to attach the left auxiliary louver 31. In addition, three bearing portions 322 located on the right side of the front wall and three bearing portions 322 located on the right side of the rear wall are used to attach the right auxiliary louver 31.

[0122] The features of the louver 3 according to this embodiment will be described below.

[0123] In the blower A1 shown in the related technology, as shown in Figure 20, the louver A2 is configured such that the blade A21 rotates around a shaft A22 located in the middle of the blade A21. Therefore, in the blower A1 shown in the related technology, when the blade A21 rotates around the shaft A22, a part of the blade A21 enters the device body A3. To avoid interference between the entered part of the blade A21 and other components (in this case, auxiliary louvers) inside the device body A3, it is necessary to position the other components at a distance of D1 vertically from the outlet A4. Consequently, the blower A1 shown in the related technology has the problem that the vertical dimension D1 of the device body A3 becomes large, leading to an increase in the size of the device body A3.

[0124] Furthermore, in the blower A1 shown in the related technology, if an auxiliary louver is provided as another component, the auxiliary louver must be installed at a relatively distant position in the vertical direction D1 from the outlet A4. As a result, in the blower A1 shown in the related technology, a portion of the airflow whose direction in the horizontal direction D2 is controlled by the auxiliary louver collides with the inner wall of the main body A3 of the device before reaching the outlet A4. Consequently, the blower A1 shown in the related technology has the problem that the direction of the airflow in the horizontal direction D2 cannot be fully controlled, and the airflow direction in the horizontal direction D2 becomes narrow.

[0125] In contrast, in the blower (dehumidifier 1) according to this embodiment, in each louver body 30, each shaft portion 302 is located in a different location from the blade 301, and is configured to rotatably support the blade 301 relative to the air outlet 14. In other words, in each louver body 30, the blade 301 is configured to be located outside the air outlet 14 at any position within its range of motion. Therefore, in the blower according to this embodiment, as shown in Figures 16 and 17, the blade 301 does not enter the device body 10 when it rotates around each shaft portion 302, so the blade 301 does not interfere with other components inside the device body 10 (in this case, auxiliary louvers 31). Consequently, in the blower according to this embodiment, there is no need to install other components spaced apart from the air outlet 14 in the vertical direction D1, so the vertical dimension D1 of the blower can be reduced, which has the advantage of not leading to an increase in the size of the device body A3.

[0126] Furthermore, in the blower according to this embodiment, compared to the blower A1 shown in related technology, the auxiliary louver 31 can be installed near the outlet 14, so that the airflow whose direction in the left-right direction D2 is controlled by the auxiliary louver 31 can reach the outlet 14 without colliding with the inner wall of the device body 10. Therefore, the blower according to this embodiment has the advantage that it is easy to control the direction of the airflow in the left-right direction D2 and easy to broaden the airflow direction in the left-right direction D2.

[0127] [4] Attachment Configuration The detailed configuration of the attachment 4 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 21 and 22. The attachment 4 is a component that is attached to the main body 10 of the dehumidifier 1 (air blower) when drying an object such as shoes 7 (see Figure 23) or a closet, and guides the airflow from the main body 10 to the object. More specifically, the attachment 4 is a component that is detachably attached to the main body 10 of the dehumidifier 1 which blows out air from the outlet 14, and guides the airflow to an external outlet 8 which is located in a different place from the outlet 14 and the main body 10.

[0128] In this embodiment, a hose 5 (described later), which is a member having an external air outlet 8, is detachably attached to the attachment 4. A nozzle 6 (described later), which is also a member having an external air outlet 8, is detachably attached to the hose 5. The attachment 4 is used to dry an object by appropriately attaching either the hose 5 or the nozzle 6 depending on the type of object. The attachment 4 comprises a mounting portion 41 and an air collecting portion 42.

[0129] The mounting portion 41 is a part that is attached to the device body 10 of the dehumidifier 1 at a position corresponding to the air outlet 14. In this embodiment, the mounting portion 41 comprises an upper wall 411 which is rectangular in plan view, and a lower wall 412 which is rectangular in plan view and is provided at a predetermined distance from the upper wall 411 in the vertical direction D1. The length direction (left-right direction D2) of the upper wall 411 and the length direction (left-right direction D2) of the lower wall 412 are approximately the same. On the other hand, the dimension of the upper wall 411 in the front-rear direction D3 is larger than the dimension of the lower wall 412 in the front-rear direction D3.

[0130] The mounting portion 41 is attached to the outlet 14 of the device body 10 by inserting the upper wall 411 and the lower wall 412 into the gap 14a that is created between the rear end of the first louver body 30a and the upper end of the rear end of the frame body 19 when the blades 301 of each louver body 30 are in the closed position. In other words, the outlet 14 is equipped with a louver 3 (in this case, the first louver body 30a) that controls the direction of the airflow, and the mounting portion 41 is attached to the outlet 14 of the device body 10 by being inserted between the louver 3 and the device body 10 (gap 14a). As a result, the restricted airflow between the louver 3 and the device body 10 is sent to the attachment 4, which has the advantage of making it easier to efficiently guide the airflow from inside the device body 10 to the external outlet 8 via the attachment 4.

[0131] Here, when the blades 301 of each louver body 30 are in the closed position, the airflow sent from the blower inside the device body 10 is sent to the rear of the device body 10 via the attachment 4 attached to the gap 14a. If the device body 10 is designed to have the air outlet 14 located in front of the top panel 112, the airflow sent from the blower inside the device body 10 is sent to the front of the device body 10 via the attachment 4 attached to the gap 14a. In other words, the mounting part 41 is attached to a position corresponding to the air outlet 14 of the device body 10 so as to guide the airflow blown out from the air outlet 14 to the front or rear (in this case, the rear) of the device body 10. This makes it easier to guide the airflow from inside the device body 10 to the external air outlet 8, which is basically located below the air outlet 14, via the attachment 4, which has the advantage of making it easier to dry objects such as shoes 7.

[0132] The mounting portion 41 further includes a pair of insertion pieces 413, a pair of first elastic pieces 414, a pair of second elastic pieces 415, and a slit 416.

[0133] The pair of insertion pieces 413 are rectangular in shape in plan view and are provided at a predetermined distance D2 in the left-right direction at the front end of the upper wall 411, and protrude forward from the front end of the upper wall 411. As shown in Figure 22, when the attachment 4 is mounted at a position corresponding to the air outlet 14 of the device body 10, the tip of each insertion piece 413 is inserted below the top panel 112 (operating section 12) of the device body 10, bringing it close to the bottom surface of the top panel 112. Here, "close" includes the insertion piece 413 contacting the bottom surface of the top panel 112, or the distance between the bottom surface of the top panel 112 and each insertion piece 413 being below a threshold (for example, a few mm to tens of mm). This has the advantage of making it easier to prevent the attachment 4 from falling out of the air outlet 14, because even if a downward force is applied to the nozzle side of the attachment 4 from the outside, the upward movement of the attachment 4 is restricted by the contact of each insertion piece 413 with the lower surface of the top panel 112.

[0134] The pair of first elastic pieces 414 are rectangular in shape when viewed from above and are provided at a predetermined distance in the left-right direction D2 at the center of the upper wall 411 in the front-rear direction D3. Each first elastic piece 414 has a rear end that is integrally formed with the upper wall 411, and the portion excluding the rear end is configured to bend in the up-down direction D1. Each first elastic piece 414 also has a claw portion 414a that protrudes upward at its front end, and this claw portion 414a is biased upward. As shown in Figure 22, when the attachment 4 is mounted to a position corresponding to the air outlet 14 of the device body 10, the claw portion 414a of each first elastic piece 414 is inserted into the gap between each louver body 30 (between the first louver body 30a and the second louver body 30b). As a result, the claw portion 414a of each first elastic piece 414 catches on the louver body 30 (in this case, the first louver body 30a). In other words, the mounting portion 41 is attached to the position corresponding to the air outlet 14 of the device body 10 by hooking onto the louvers 3 (in this case, the first louver body 30a and the second louver body 30b). This has the advantage that the mounting portion 41 is fixed to the louvers 3, making it easier to prevent the attachment 4 from falling off the air outlet 14.

[0135] The pair of second elastic pieces 415 are rectangular in shape when viewed from above and are provided at a predetermined distance D2 in the left-right direction at the front end of the lower wall 412. The rear end of each second elastic piece 415 is formed integrally with the lower wall 412, and the portion excluding the rear end is configured to flex in the up-down direction D1. In addition, each second elastic piece 415 has a claw portion 415a that protrudes downward at its front end, and this claw portion 415a is biased downward. As shown in Figure 22, when the attachment 4 is attached to the position corresponding to the air outlet 14 of the device body 10, the claw portion 415a of each second elastic piece 415 catches on the inner peripheral edge of the air outlet 14 of the frame 19. As a result, the attachment portion 41 is fixed to the frame 19, which has the advantage of making it easier to prevent the attachment 4 from falling off the air outlet 14.

[0136] The slit 416 is provided so as to extend from the center of the front end of the upper wall 411 to the rear end, and is triangular in shape when viewed from above with the front end of the upper wall 411 as the base. When the attachment 4 is attached to the position corresponding to the air outlet 14 of the device body 10, the partition vane 191 provided on the frame 19 is inserted into the slit 416. As a result, the movement of the upper wall 411 in the left-right direction D2 is restricted by the partition vane 191, which has the advantage of making it easier to position the attachment 4 relative to the air outlet 14.

[0137] The air collection section 42 is the part that collects the airflow blown out from the outlet 14 and directs it to the external outlet 8 when the mounting section 41 is attached to the position corresponding to the outlet 14 of the device body 10. In this embodiment, the air collection section 42 is cylindrical and is provided so that its length is aligned with the vertical direction D1. The upper end of the air collection section 42 is connected to the rear end of the upper wall 411 and the rear end of the lower wall 412 of the mounting section 41, and its lower end faces downward. Therefore, when the attachment 4 is attached to the position corresponding to the outlet 14 of the device body 10, the airflow from inside the device body 10 passes between the upper wall 411 and the lower wall 412 of the mounting section 41, converges in the air collection section 42, and is then sent downward from the lower end of the air collection section 42. In this embodiment, a hose 5 having an external outlet 8 is connected to the lower end of the air collecting section 42. Therefore, the airflow discharged from the lower end of the air collecting section 42 flows through the hose 5 and is discharged from the external outlet 8. In other words, the air collecting section 42 is configured to collect airflow toward the installation surface of the device body 10 (i.e., downwards) and direct it to the external outlet 8. This makes it easier to guide the airflow from inside the device body 10 to the external outlet 8, which is basically located below the outlet 14, via the attachment 4. This has the advantage of making it easier to dry objects located relatively low down, such as shoes 7.

[0138] As described above, the lower end of the air collection section 42 is configured to allow connection of a hose 5. Specifically, the lower end of the air collection section 42 is connected to the upper end of the hose 5 by fitting a joint 51 provided on the upper end of the hose 5 into it. In other words, the air collection section 42 is configured to allow connection of a member having an external outlet 8 (in this case, a hose 5). A joint 51 may also be provided at the lower end of the air collection section 42. In this case, the hose 5 is connected to the lower end of the air collection section 42 by fitting the upper end of the hose 5 into the joint 51 of the air collection section 42.

[0139] Hose 5 is a cylindrical member that is expandable and contractible in the longitudinal direction and can be bent at any position. In this embodiment, hose 5 is a bellows hose (flexible hose), but the bellows are not shown in the drawings. As already mentioned, a joint 51 is provided at the upper end of hose 5. Therefore, hose 5 is configured to be connected to the air collection section 42 of attachment 4 using the joint 51. Also, the lower end of hose 5 is configured to be connected to a nozzle 6. Specifically, the lower end of hose 5 is connected to nozzle 6 by fitting a joint 63 provided at the upper end of nozzle 6 (here, first nozzle 61). Note that a joint 63 may also be provided at the lower end of hose 5. In this case, the nozzle 6 is connected to the lower end of hose 5 by fitting the upper end of nozzle 6 into the joint 63 of hose 5.

[0140] When the nozzle 6 is connected to the lower end of the hose 5, the airflow from inside the device body 10 passes through the attachment 4 and the hose 5 and is delivered to the nozzle 6 which has an external outlet 8. On the other hand, when the nozzle 6 is not connected to the lower end of the hose 5, the airflow from inside the device body 10 passes through the attachment 4 and the hose 5 and is delivered from the lower end of the hose 5. In this case, the lower end of the hose 5 corresponds to the external outlet 8.

[0141] The nozzle 6 is a component that can be inserted into an object such as a shoe 7 or a closet, and is used to deliver airflow from the main body of the device 10 to the object. In this embodiment, the nozzle 6 has a first nozzle 61 which is the main body of the nozzle 6, and a second nozzle 62 which is detachably configured to the first nozzle 61.

[0142] The first nozzle 61 is a cylindrical member whose radial dimension increases from the upper end to the lower end, and is used, for example, to blow air into a closet to dry the inside of the closet. As already mentioned, a joint 63 is provided at the upper end of the first nozzle 61. Therefore, the first nozzle 61 is connected to the lower end of the hose 5 by fitting the joint 63 to the lower end of the hose 5. The lower end of the first nozzle 61 is configured to be connectable to the upper end of the second nozzle 62. Specifically, the lower end of the first nozzle 61 is connected to the upper end of the second nozzle 62 by inserting an insertion wall (not shown) that protrudes circumferentially from the lower end of the first nozzle 61 into the upper end of the second nozzle 62. Note that the insertion wall may be provided at the upper end of the second nozzle 62 instead of the lower end of the first nozzle 61.

[0143] The second nozzle 62 has a bifurcated rectangular cross-section, consisting of a first cylindrical portion 621 and a second cylindrical portion 622, and is used, for example, to blow air into a shoe 7 to dry the inside of the shoe 7. The upper ends of the first cylindrical portion 621 and the second cylindrical portion 622 are connected, and as already mentioned, it is connected to the lower end of the first nozzle 61 by inserting the insertion wall of the lower end of the first nozzle 61. The lower ends of the first cylindrical portion 621 and the second cylindrical portion 622 are open and configured to blow air. Both the first cylindrical portion 621 and the second cylindrical portion 622 are provided with rectangular air outlets 623 on their side walls. As shown in Figure 23, each air outlet 623 is positioned to face downward when the first cylindrical portion 621 and the second cylindrical portion 622 are inserted into the inside of the shoe 7. Although Figure 23 shows the first cylindrical portion 621, the second cylindrical portion 622 has a similar configuration. Therefore, the airflow passing through the first cylindrical section 621 and the second cylindrical section 622 is not only discharged from the lower ends of the first cylindrical section 621 and the second cylindrical section 622, but also from each air outlet 623. This allows airflow to be guided to the heel side of the inside of the shoe 7 facing each air outlet 623, which has the advantage of reducing uneven drying inside the shoe 7.

[0144] When the second nozzle 62 is connected to the first nozzle 61, the airflow from inside the device body 10 passes through the attachment 4, the hose 5, and the first nozzle 61, and is discharged from the first cylindrical portion 621 and the second cylindrical portion 622 of the second nozzle 62. By inserting the first cylindrical portion 621 and the second cylindrical portion 622 into the shoe 7, the inside of the shoe 7 can be dried. In this case, the lower ends of the first cylindrical portion 621 and the second cylindrical portion 622 correspond to the external air outlet 8.

[0145] On the other hand, when the second nozzle 62 is not connected to the first nozzle 61, the airflow from inside the device body 10 passes through the attachment 4 and hose 5 and is discharged from the lower end of the first nozzle 61. By inserting the lower end of the first nozzle 61 into the closet, it is possible to dry the inside of the closet. In this case, the lower end of the first nozzle 61 corresponds to the external air outlet 8.

[0146] The first cylindrical portion 621 and the second cylindrical portion 622 may have a support portion 64 having an air outlet (not shown), for example, as shown in Figure 24. Although Figure 24 shows the first cylindrical portion 621, the second cylindrical portion 622 has a similar configuration. The support portion 64 is, for example, a cylindrical body that is roughly L-shaped in plan view, with its upper end connected to the middle part of the first cylindrical portion 621 (or the second cylindrical portion 622), and is configured to discharge the airflow passing through the first cylindrical portion 621 (or the second cylindrical portion 622) from the air outlet. The support portion 64 is also configured to be rotatable about its upper end as an axis.

[0147] Therefore, when drying shoes 7 with a relatively shallow shaft, such as sneakers, the first cylindrical part 621 (or second cylindrical part 622) can be used with the support part 64 rotated so that the lower end of the support part 64 contacts the inner bottom of the shoe 7. This allows the second nozzle 62 to stand upright inside the shoe 7, making it easier to maintain the second nozzle 62 in a stable position and to efficiently dry the inside of the shoe 7.

[0148] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 25, when drying shoes 7 with a relatively deep shaft, such as boots, rotating the support portion 64 so that its length aligns with the length of the first cylindrical portion 621 (or second cylindrical portion 622) and then using the first cylindrical portion 621 (or second cylindrical portion 622) makes it easier to insert the second nozzle 62 into the shoe 7. Note that if the support portion 64 is configured such that the air outlet is closed when the support portion 64 is rotated as described above, it is possible to send airflow to the bottom of the shoe 7 without dispersing the airflow. Thus, having the support portion 64 in the first cylindrical portion 621 (or second cylindrical portion 622) makes it easier to efficiently dry the inside of the shoe 7 according to its shape.

[0149] In this embodiment, the hose 5 and the nozzle 6 are separate components, but the hose 5 and the nozzle 6 may be integrally constructed. In this case, the hose 5 and the nozzle 6 correspond to the components having the external outlet 8.

[0150] Incidentally, the attachment 4 according to this embodiment is configured to be housed inside the main body 10 of the dehumidifier 1 when it is not in use, in other words, when the mounting portion 41 is not attached to the position corresponding to the air outlet 14 of the main body 10 of the device. Specifically, as already mentioned, a housing portion 16 capable of housing the attachment 4 is provided below the filter portion 13 of the housing 11 of the main body 10. The nozzles 6 (here, the first nozzle 61 and the second nozzle 62) are housed at the rear bottom of the housing portion 16, and the attachment 4 and hose 5 can be housed in front of the nozzles 6. This has the advantage that by housing the attachment 4 in the main body 10 when it is not in use, the user can use the attachment 4 immediately when they want to use it, and the loss of the attachment 4 is less likely to occur.

[0151] The following describes how to attach the attachment 4 according to this embodiment to the position corresponding to the air outlet 14 of the dehumidifier 1 (blower). First, as shown in Figure 26, move each louver body 30 of the dehumidifier 1 to the closed position. Then, insert the mounting portion 41 of the attachment 4 into the gap 14a of the air outlet 14 so that the partition vane 191 is inserted into the slit 416. Then, the pair of insertion pieces 413 of the mounting portion 41 are inserted below the top panel 112 (operating section 12) of the main body 10 of the device. Also, as the claw portions 414a of the pair of first elastic pieces 414 of the mounting portion 41 are inserted into the gap of each louver body 30, the claw portions 414a of each first elastic piece 414 catch on the louver body 30 (in this case, the first louver body 30a). Furthermore, the claw portions 415a of the pair of second elastic pieces 415 of the mounting portion 41 catch on the inner periphery of the air outlet 14. As a result, the mounting portion 41 is fixed to the louver body 30 and the frame body 19, and the attachment 4 is mounted in a position corresponding to the air outlet 14 of the device body 10 (see Figure 27).

[0152] To remove the attachment 4 from the air outlet 14, the rear end of the attachment 4 is lifted upward, disengaging the claw portion 414a of each first elastic piece 414 from the gap in each louver body 30, and disengaging the claw portion 414a of each second elastic piece 415 from the inner periphery of the air outlet 14 of the frame 19. Then, by moving the attachment 4 backward, it is possible to remove the attachment 4 from the position corresponding to the air outlet 14 of the device body 10.

[0153] The timing for attaching the hose 5 and nozzle 6 to the attachment 4 may be before attaching the attachment 4 to the position corresponding to the air outlet 14 of the device body 10, or after attaching the attachment 4 to the position corresponding to the air outlet 14 of the device body 10.

[0154] The features of the attachment 4 according to this embodiment will be described below.

[0155] In the blower shown in the related technology, when used to dry objects such as shoes or closets, it is conceivable to provide a connection port on the main body of the device for connecting an attachment (e.g., a duct hose) in a location separate from the air outlet. For example, the connection port may be provided on the front or rear panel of the main body of the device, and can be closed by attaching a cap when not in use. When using the connection port, the cap can be removed and an attachment can be attached, allowing the airflow sent from the main body of the device through the connection port and the attachment to dry the shoes or closet.

[0156] However, in this embodiment, since a connection port is provided on the main body of the device, a process of providing a connection port on the main body of the device is required, which increases the manufacturing man-hours for the main body of the device. In addition, in this embodiment, the design of the main body of the device is impaired by the connection port. Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the connection port is not used, it is necessary to cover the connection port by attaching a cap or other means to prevent the airflow from being dispersed due to airflow flowing through both the outlet and the connection port, which impairs user convenience.

[0157] In contrast, the attachment 4 according to this embodiment can be used to dry an object simply by attaching it to a position corresponding to the outlet 14 originally provided on the main body of the blower. Therefore, the attachment according to this embodiment has the advantage that there is no need to provide a connection port in a location other than the outlet 14 on the main body of the blower, so the manufacturing man-hours of the main body of the blower do not increase. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide a connection port on the main body of the blower 10, the problem of the design of the main body of the blower 10 being impaired by the connection port does not occur. Moreover, with the attachment 4 according to this embodiment, there is no need to perform the work of closing the connection port when the attachment 4 is not in use, so the problem of impairing user convenience does not occur. Thus, the attachment 4 according to this embodiment has the advantage of preventing an increase in the manufacturing man-hours of the main body of the blower 10 while not impairing the design of the main body of the blower 10.

[0158] [5] Modifications The following are modifications of the embodiment. The modifications described below can be combined and applied as appropriate.

[0159] In this embodiment, the drain port 20 of the drain tank 2 has an opening surface that is substantially parallel to the bottom wall 211 of the tank body 21, but is not limited to this. For example, the opening surface of the drain port 20 may be inclined downward from the inside to the outside of the tank body 21. In this embodiment, when the tank body 21 is tilted to drain condensation water, compared to when there is no inclination on the opening surface of the drain port 20, a gap is more easily created between the drain cover 25 and the tank body 21 without tilting the tank body 21 significantly, which has the advantage of making it easier to drain condensation water.

[0160] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the left wall 215 of the tank body 21 of the drainage tank 2, that is, the wall that becomes the bottom of the tank body 21 in the drainage position, is substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall 211, but is not limited to this. For example, the left wall 215 of the tank body 21 (the wall that becomes the bottom when draining condensation water) may be inclined to the right (from the outside to the inside of the tank body 21) by a predetermined angle (for example, 5 degrees) or more from the upper end to the lower end. In this embodiment, when the tank body 21 is tilted to drain condensation water, compared to when the left wall 215 of the tank body 21 is not inclined, the condensation water inside the tank body 21 flows more easily to the drain port 20 along the inclination, which has the advantage that less condensation water remains in the tank body 21.

[0161] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a water inlet 223 is provided so that condensation water that falls onto the tank lid 22 flows along the inner wall of the tank body 21, but this is not limited to this. For example, the water inlet 223 may be provided above the second arm 233 of the handle 23 so as to overlap with the second arm 233 when viewed from above. In this embodiment, condensation water that falls from the dehumidifier onto the tank lid 22 passes through the water inlet 223 and flows along the second arm 233 to the bottom wall 211 of the tank body 21, which has the advantage of making it easier to suppress the impact noise caused by the condensation water falling onto the bottom wall 211 by reducing the height of the condensation water that falls onto the bottom wall 211.

[0162] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the suppression portion 235 may be provided with a plurality of holes 235a that penetrate the suppression portion 235, as shown in Figure 28. In this embodiment, as in the case where the suppression portion 235 does not have a plurality of holes 235a, the suppression portion 235 can suppress the flow rate of the condensation water when the tank body 21 is tilted to drain the condensation water inside the tank body 21. In addition, in this embodiment, compared to the case where the suppression portion 235 does not have a plurality of holes 235a, the amount of condensation water drained per unit time can be increased by allowing the condensation water to pass through the plurality of holes 235a. Therefore, this embodiment has the advantage of making it easier to ensure a sufficient amount of condensation water drained per unit time while suppressing the flow rate of the condensation water when draining it.

[0163] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the handle 23 has a pair of first arms 232 and a pair of second arms 233, but is not limited to this. For example, the handle 23 only needs to be configured so that the gripping portion 231 can rotate around the shaft portion 234 as the central axis, and may have only one first arm 232 and one second arm 233.

[0164] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the handle 23 is configured to allow the gripping portion 231 to rotate with the front-rear direction D3 as the axial direction, but it is not limited to this. For example, the handle 23 may be configured to allow the gripping portion 231 to rotate with the left-right direction D2 as the axial direction.

[0165] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the gripping portion 231 can be displaced in the vertical direction D1 by the rotation of the handle 23, but this is not limited to this. For example, the gripping portion 231 may be displaced in the vertical direction D1 by linear movement using a sliding mechanism or the like.

[0166] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the water stored in the drainage tank 2 is condensed water, but is not limited to this. For example, the water stored in the drainage tank 2 may contain contaminants generated within the device body 10 while it is housed inside the device body 10.

[0167] In this embodiment, the blower equipped with the louvers 3 is a dehumidifier 1, but is not limited to this. The blower can be any device that blows airflow from inside the device body 10 through the outlet 14, such as an air purifier, a heating and cooling system, an aroma diffuser, or an air cooler.

[0168] In this embodiment, the hose 5 and the attachment 4 are separate components, but the hose 5 and the attachment 4 may be integrally constructed. In this case, the hose 5 and the attachment 4 correspond to the blower attachment. Furthermore, the hose 5, nozzle 6, and attachment 4 may be integrally constructed. In this case, the hose 5, nozzle 6, and attachment 4 correspond to the blower attachment.

[0169] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the blower to which the blower attachment 4 is attached is a dehumidifier 1, but it is not limited to this. The blower can be any device that blows airflow from inside the main body 10 through the outlet 14, and may be, for example, an air purifier, a heating and cooling system, an aroma diffuser, or an air cooler.

[0170] [Addendum to the Invention] The following is an outline of the invention extracted from the above-described embodiments. Note that each configuration and processing function described in the following addendum can be selected and combined as desired.

[0171] <Note 1> A drain tank that is detachably attached to the main body of a device and, when removed from the main body of the device, is capable of changing its posture between a transport posture for transporting the tank body containing water and a drain posture for draining the water in the tank body, comprising: a drain port for draining the water in the tank body when the drain tank is in the drain posture; and a drain cover that is movable between a first position that closes the drain port and a second position that opens the drain port, wherein the drain cover is configured to move from the first position to the second position as the drain tank changes its posture from the transport posture to the drain posture.

[0172] <Note 2> The drain cover, when in the first position, has at least one end opposite to the pulling direction that pulls the drain tank out of the device body located below the upper end of the tank body, as described in Note 1.

[0173] <Note 3> The drain cover has an inclined portion that slopes downward as it moves in the direction opposite to the pulling direction for pulling the drain tank out of the main body of the device, as described in Note 1 or 2.

[0174] <Note 4> The drain tank according to any one of Notes 1 to 3, wherein the tank body has a stepped portion projecting in the opposite direction to the pulling direction on the inner wall opposite to the pulling direction in which the drain tank is pulled out from the device body, and the end of the drain cover opposite to the pulling direction faces the upper surface of the stepped portion when in the first position.

[0175] <Note 5> The drain tank according to any one of Notes 1 to 4, wherein the end of the drain cover opposite to the direction in which the drain tank is pulled out from the main body of the device is provided with a rib that protrudes from the bottom surface in the direction opposite to the direction in which it is pulled out.

[0176] <Note 6> The drain tank according to any one of Notes 1 to 5, wherein the drain cover, when in the first position, has a protrusion that extends from the top surface above the upper end of the tank body.

[0177] <Note 7> The drainage tank according to any one of Notes 1 to 6, further comprising a locking mechanism that restricts the movement of the drainage cover from the first position when the drainage tank is in the transport position.

[0178] <Note 8> The drainage tank according to Note 7, further comprising a handle attached to the tank body, which has a gripping portion for the user to grasp, and the vertical position of the gripping portion is variable, and the locking mechanism is arranged on the handle.

[0179] <Note 9> The drain tank according to claim 8, wherein the locking mechanism is in either a locked state that restricts the movement of the drain cover from the first position, or an unlocked state that releases the restriction, depending on the position of the handle.

[0180] <Note 10> The drainage tank according to Note 9, wherein the locking mechanism is in the locked state when the gripping portion is in the upper limit position, and is in the unlocked state when the gripping portion is located below the upper limit position.

[0181] <Note 11> The gripping portion is displaced downward when the drainage tank is in the drainage position, as described in Note 10.

[0182] <Note 12> The drainage tank according to any one of Notes 8 to 11, wherein the handle has a gripping portion on the outside of the tank body with respect to the axis of rotation relative to the tank body, and a restraining portion on the inside of the tank body having a surface that is elongated in the direction along the axis of rotation.

[0183] <Note 13> The drainage tank according to any one of Notes 8 to 12, wherein the handle has a first restricting portion that contacts the tank body to restrict the movement of the handle when the gripping portion is in the upper limit position.

[0184] <Note 14> The drainage tank according to any one of Notes 8 to 13, wherein the handle has a second restricting portion that contacts the tank body when the gripping portion is in the lower limit position to restrict the movement of the handle.

[0185] <Note 15> A drain tank according to any one of Notes 8 to 14, wherein the drain cover is attached and further comprises a tank lid that closes the opening of the tank body, the handle is supported inside the tank body, the tank lid has a through hole for passing a part of the handle through, and is attached to the tank body with a part of the handle passing through the through hole.

[0186] <Note 16> A dehumidifying device comprising the drainage tank described in any one of claims 1 to 15, and the device body to which the drainage tank is attached.

Claims

1. A drain tank that is detachably attached to a device body and, when removed from the device body, is capable of changing its orientation between a transport orientation for transporting water contained in the tank body and a drain orientation for draining the water in the tank body, comprising: a drain port for draining the water in the tank body when the drain tank is in the drain orientation; and a drain cover that is movable between a first position that closes the drain port and a second position that opens the drain port, wherein the drain cover is configured to move from the first position to the second position as the drain tank changes orientation from the transport orientation to the drain orientation.

2. The drain cover, when in the first position, has at least one end opposite to the pulling direction for pulling the drain tank out of the device body located below the upper end of the tank body, as described in claim 1.

3. The drain cover has an inclined portion that slopes downward as it moves in the direction opposite to the pulling direction for pulling the drain tank out of the main body of the device, according to claim 1.

4. The drain tank according to claim 1, wherein the tank body has a stepped portion projecting in the opposite direction to the pulling direction on the inner wall opposite to the pulling direction in which the drain tank is pulled out from the device body, and the end of the drain cover opposite to the pulling direction faces the upper surface of the stepped portion when in the first position.

5. The drain tank according to claim 1, wherein the end of the drain cover that pulls the drain tank out from the main body of the device is provided with a rib that protrudes from the bottom surface in the direction opposite to the direction of pulling.

6. The drain tank according to claim 1, wherein the drain cover, when in the first position, has a protrusion that extends from its upper surface above the upper end of the tank body.

7. A drain tank according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a locking mechanism for restricting the movement of the drain cover from the first position when the drain tank is in the transport position.

8. The drainage tank according to claim 7, further comprising a handle attached to the tank body, which has a gripping portion for the user to grasp, and the vertical position of the gripping portion is variable, wherein the locking mechanism is arranged on the handle.

9. The drain tank according to claim 8, wherein the locking mechanism is in either a locked state that restricts the movement of the drain cover from the first position, or an unlocked state that releases the restriction, depending on the position of the handle.

10. The drain tank according to claim 9, wherein the locking mechanism enters the locked state when the gripping portion is in the upper limit position, and enters the unlocked state when the gripping portion is located below the upper limit position.

11. The drain tank according to claim 10, wherein the gripping portion is displaced downward when the drain tank is in the drain position.

12. The drainage tank according to claim 8, wherein the handle has a gripping portion on the outside of the tank body with respect to the axis of rotation relative to the tank body, and a restraining portion on the inside of the tank body having a surface that is elongated in the direction along the axis of rotation.

13. The drainage tank according to claim 8, wherein the handle has a first restricting portion that contacts the tank body to restrict the movement of the handle when the gripping portion is in the upper limit position.

14. The drainage tank according to claim 8, wherein the handle has a second restricting portion that contacts the tank body to restrict the movement of the handle when the gripping portion is in the lower limit position.

15. The drain tank according to claim 8, wherein the drain cover is attached and further comprises a tank lid that closes the opening of the tank body, the handle is supported inside the tank body, the tank lid has a through hole for a part of the handle to pass through, and is attached to the tank body with a part of the handle passing through the through hole.

16. A dehumidifying device comprising the drainage tank according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and the device body to which the drainage tank is attached.

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