阅读说明：本技术 液体微细化装置以及使用该液体微细化装置的热交换换气装置 (Liquid micronizing device and heat exchange ventilator using same ) 是由 近藤广幸 福本将秀 重信刚也 末广善文 于 2019-08-21 设计创作，主要内容包括：液体微细化装置(101)使由液体微细化室(107)微细化了的水包含在从吸入口(102)吸入的空气中,并将包含水的空气从吹出口(103)吹出。液体微细化室具备：筒状的扬水管(109),其通过旋转而进行扬水,并将扬起的水向离心方向放出；贮水部(114),其设置于扬水管的铅垂方向下方,并贮存供扬水管扬起的水；以及圆板状的水流控制板(120),其以覆盖贮水部的上方的方式设置。水流控制板在中央部具有供扬水管贯通的第一开口部(121),并在上表面从水流控制板的外缘到第一开口部具有规定的角度的倾斜。水流控制板在扬水管的旋转时,将由扬水管从第一开口部向水流控制板的上表面扬起的水从水流控制板的外缘向径向放出。(The liquid atomizing device (101) causes the air sucked from the suction port (102) to contain water atomized by the liquid atomizing chamber (107), and blows out the air containing water from the blow-out port (103). The liquid atomizing chamber includes: a cylindrical water raising pipe (109) which raises water by rotation and discharges the raised water in a centrifugal direction; a water storage part (114) which is arranged below the vertical direction of the water raising pipe and stores water raised by the water raising pipe; and a disc-shaped water flow control plate (120) which is arranged in a manner of covering the upper part of the water storage part. The water flow control plate has a first opening (121) in the center through which the water raising pipe passes, and has an inclination of a predetermined angle from the outer edge of the water flow control plate to the first opening on the upper surface. When the water flow control plate rotates, water raised from the first opening part to the upper surface of the water flow control plate by the water raising pipe is discharged radially from the outer edge of the water flow control plate.)

1. A liquid micronizing device, comprising:

a suction port which sucks air;

an air outlet that blows out the air sucked in from the suction port; and

a liquid atomizing chamber which is provided in an air passage between the suction port and the discharge port and atomizes water,

the liquid atomizing device causes the water atomized by the liquid atomizing chamber to be contained in the air sucked from the suction port and blows out the air containing the water from the blow-out port,

the liquid micronization device is characterized in that,

the liquid atomizing chamber includes:

a cylindrical water raising pipe which raises water by rotation and discharges the raised water in a centrifugal direction;

a water storage unit which is provided below the vertical direction of the water raising pipe and stores water raised by the water raising pipe; and

a disk-shaped water flow control plate provided so as to cover an upper portion of the water storage portion,

the water flow control plate has an opening part in the center part for the water raising pipe to pass through, and has a predetermined angle of inclination from the outer edge of the water flow control plate to the opening part on the upper surface,

when the water flow control plate rotates, the water flow control plate discharges water raised from the opening portion to the upper surface of the water flow control plate from the outer edge of the water flow control plate to the radial direction of the water flow control plate.

2. The liquid atomizing apparatus according to claim 1,

the water storage portion includes an inner wall surface having an inner diameter larger than an outer diameter of the water flow control plate, and a gap is provided between the inner wall surface and the outer edge of the water storage portion in a radial direction of the water flow control plate.

3. The liquid atomizing device according to claim 1 or 2,

the liquid atomizing device further includes:

a collision wall which collides with the water discharged from the water lift pipe to make the water fine;

a cylindrical separator which is provided below the collision wall and collects a part of the water droplets that have been made fine; and

a separator holder that holds the separator,

the water flow control plate is provided in an inner space surrounded by the separator at a lower end of the separator holder.

4. The liquid atomizing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the water level when the water stored in the water storage part is full is set to reach the position of the upper surface side of the water flow control plate.

5. The liquid atomizing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the upper surface of the water flow control plate is an inclined surface that descends from the outer edge toward the opening.

6. The liquid atomizing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

a cylindrical protrusion surrounding the opening is provided on a lower surface of the water flow control plate.

7. A heat exchange ventilator is characterized in that,

the heat exchange ventilator includes:

the liquid atomizing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6; and

and an air blowing device which is provided upstream of the liquid atomizing device with respect to the flow of the passing air and has a humidity recovery unit for recovering moisture in the passing air.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a liquid atomizing device and a heat exchange ventilator using the same.

Background

Conventionally, there is a liquid atomizing device that atomizes water and blows out sucked air including the atomized water (for example, patent document 1).

Hereinafter, a conventional liquid atomizing apparatus will be described with reference to fig. 7 and 8.

Fig. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an internal structure of a conventional liquid atomizing device. Fig. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing the shape of a water flow resistance portion of a conventional liquid atomizing device.

As shown in fig. 7, a conventional liquid atomizing apparatus 901 has a liquid atomizing chamber (a liquid atomizing chamber formed by a blower tube 905, a porous portion 906, an orifice 907, and the like) for atomizing liquid in an air passage 904 between an air inlet 902 for sucking air and an air outlet 903 for blowing out the sucked air. The liquid atomizing chamber includes a water-raising pipe 909 fixed to a rotating shaft of the rotary motor 908. By rotating the water raising pipe 909 by the rotating motor 908, the water stored in the water storage portion 910 is raised by the water raising pipe 909, and the raised water is emitted in the centrifugal direction. The radiated water collides with the air blowing tube 905 and the porous portion 906 serving as collision walls, and the water is refined.

The conventional liquid atomizing apparatus 901 further includes a dish-shaped (bowl-shaped) water flow blocking unit 911 that covers the upper surface of the water storage unit 910. As shown in fig. 8, the water flow preventing portion 911 has: a through hole 912 through which the water lift pipe 909 penetrates at the center; and a plurality of support pieces 913 extending radially from the through hole 912 toward the outer periphery on the upper surface portion. In the conventional liquid atomizing device 901, the tip parts 913a of the support pieces 913 are exposed to the water surface and serve as resistance, and the water flow that attempts to rotate due to the rotation of the water lift pipe 909 is stopped, so that the water flow can be easily raised on the inner and outer peripheries of the water lift pipe 909 by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the water lift pipe 909. Further, the water flow blocking portion 911 receives the relatively large water droplets that have not been finely divided by colliding with the upper air blowing tube 905 and the porous portion 906, thereby preventing rattling and rattling from being generated by the water droplets directly falling on the water surface of the water storage portion 910.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2012-002391

Patent document 2: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2009-279514

Patent document 3: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 11-351649

Patent document 4: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2011-089676

Disclosure of Invention

In the conventional liquid atomizing apparatus 901, a water flow blocking portion 911 including a plurality of support pieces 913 extending radially is provided above the water surface of the water storage portion 910. At this time, when the water lift pipe 909 rotates, the water adhered to the outer wall surface of the water lift pipe 909 is lifted from the water storage portion 910 and is lifted toward the upper surface of the water flow resistance portion 911. The lifted water moves in the outer circumferential direction of the water flow blocking part 911 while rotating. The outer circumferential direction is a direction toward the outside in the radial direction. The water moving in the outer circumferential direction while rotating collides with the outer edge wall of the water flow blocking portion 911 and the support piece 913 to change the direction of the flow, and becomes a return water flow 915 flowing toward the center of the water flow blocking portion 911. The return water flow 915 collides with water raised by the rotation of the water raising pipe 909, and a complexly turbulent water flow in which air and water are mixed is formed. Bubbles are generated in the water due to mixing with air, which when broken generate a whitish sound. In particular, when the rotational speed of the water raising pipe 909 increases, many bubbles are generated, and thus there is a problem that noise becomes significantly large.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a liquid refining device capable of preventing noise caused by water flow generated on the outer circumferential side of a draft tube, and a heat exchange ventilator using the liquid refining device.

To achieve the object, a liquid atomizing device of the present disclosure includes: a suction port which sucks air; an air outlet for blowing out the air sucked from the suction port; and a liquid atomizing chamber which is provided in the air passage between the suction port and the discharge port and atomizes the water. The liquid atomizing device causes water, which is atomized by the liquid atomizing chamber, to be contained in air sucked from the suction port, and blows out the air containing the water from the blow-out port. The liquid atomizing chamber includes: a cylindrical water raising pipe which raises water by rotation and discharges the raised water in a centrifugal direction; a water storage part which is arranged below the vertical direction of the water raising pipe and stores water raised by the water raising pipe; and a disc-shaped water flow control plate which is arranged in a manner of covering the upper part of the water storage part. The water flow control plate has an opening in the center through which the water raising pipe passes, and has an inclination of a predetermined angle from the outer edge of the water flow control plate to the opening on the upper surface. The water flow control plate is characterized in that when the water raising pipe rotates, water raised from the opening part to the upper surface of the water flow control plate by the water raising pipe is discharged from the outer edge of the water flow control plate to the radial direction of the water flow control plate.

Further, the heat exchange ventilator of the present disclosure includes: the above-described liquid micronizing device; and an air blowing device which is provided upstream of the liquid atomizing device with respect to the flow of the passing air and has a humidity recovery unit for recovering moisture in the passing air.

According to the liquid atomizing device and the heat exchange ventilator using the same of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a liquid atomizing device capable of preventing noise caused by water flow generated on the outer peripheral side of the draft tube and a heat exchange ventilator using the same.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a liquid atomizing device according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an internal structure of the liquid atomizing device.

Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the water flow control plate of the liquid atomizing device viewed from obliquely above.

Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the water flow control plate of the liquid atomizing device viewed obliquely from below.

Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the operation of the water flow control plate of the liquid atomizing device.

Fig. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a heat exchange ventilator provided with the liquid atomizing device.

Fig. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an internal structure of a conventional liquid atomizing device.

Fig. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing the shape of a water flow resistance portion of a conventional liquid atomizing device.

Fig. 9 is a front perspective view illustrating a liquid atomizing device according to embodiment 2 of the present disclosure.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the back side of the liquid atomizing device.

Fig. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an internal structure of the liquid atomizing device.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged sectional view showing the structure of a drain pipe connecting portion of the liquid atomizing device.

Fig. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing a heat exchange ventilator provided with the liquid atomizing device.

Fig. 14 is a front perspective view illustrating a liquid atomizing device according to embodiment 3 of the present disclosure.

Fig. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an internal structure of the liquid atomizing device.

Fig. 16 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the liquid atomizing device is connected to the air blowing device.

Fig. 17 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the humidification control unit in the liquid micro-refining apparatus.

Fig. 18 is a flowchart showing the processing steps performed by the liquid atomizing apparatus.

Fig. 19 is a flowchart showing another processing step performed by the liquid micronization device.

Fig. 20 is a front perspective view illustrating a liquid atomizing device according to embodiment 4 of the present disclosure.

Fig. 21 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an internal structure of the liquid atomizing device.

Fig. 22 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the liquid atomizing device is connected to the air blowing device.

Fig. 23 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the humidification control unit in the liquid micro-refining apparatus.

Fig. 24 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure (drying mode) performed by the liquid atomizing apparatus.

Fig. 25 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure (cleaning mode) performed by the liquid atomizing apparatus.

Detailed Description

(embodiment mode 1)

The disclosed liquid micronizing device is provided with: a suction port which sucks air; an air outlet for blowing out the air sucked from the suction port; and a liquid atomizing chamber which is provided in the air passage between the suction port and the discharge port and atomizes the water. The liquid atomizing device causes water, which is atomized by the liquid atomizing chamber, to be contained in air sucked from the suction port, and blows out the air containing the water from the blow-out port. The liquid atomizing chamber includes: a cylindrical water raising pipe which raises water by rotation and discharges the raised water in a centrifugal direction; a water storage part which is arranged below the vertical direction of the water raising pipe and stores water raised by the water raising pipe; and a disc-shaped water flow control plate which is arranged in a manner of covering the upper part of the water storage part. The water flow control plate has an opening in the center through which the water raising pipe passes, and has an inclination of a predetermined angle from the outer edge of the water flow control plate to the opening on the upper surface. The water flow control plate is characterized in that when the water raising pipe rotates, water raised from the opening part to the upper surface of the water flow control plate by the water raising pipe is discharged from the outer edge of the water flow control plate to the radial direction of the water flow control plate.

According to this configuration, the water flow formed by the water that is raised along the outer wall surface of the lift pipe by the rotation of the lift pipe can be directed only in one direction toward the outer edge of the disc-shaped water flow control plate. That is, the liquid atomizing device can prevent the generation of air bubbles without generating a complicated and disturbed water flow caused by the collision of water, and can prevent the generation of noise.

Further, the following configuration may be adopted: the water reservoir portion includes an inner wall surface having an inner diameter larger than an outer diameter of the water flow control plate, and a gap is provided between the inner wall surface of the water reservoir portion and an outer peripheral portion of the water flow control plate in a radial direction of the water flow control plate.

According to this configuration, the water that is raised by the rotation of the raising pipe and is discharged toward the outer edge of the water flow control plate on the upper surface of the water flow control plate can be returned to the water storage portion through the gap. That is, since the path through which the water storage portion, the outer wall surface of the water raising pipe, the upper surface of the water flow control plate, the gap, and the water storage portion circulate in this order can be formed, a stable water flow without generating a turbulent water flow can be formed. As a result, the effect of preventing the generation of noise can be enhanced.

Further, the apparatus includes: a collision wall for colliding the water discharged from the water raising pipe to make the water fine; a cylindrical separator which is provided below the collision wall and collects a part of the water droplets that have been made fine; and a separator holder that holds the separator. The following configuration may be adopted: the water flow control plate is provided in an inner space surrounded by the separator at a lower end of the separator holder.

With this configuration, the water collected by the separator does not directly fall on the upper surface of the water flow control plate. That is, the collected water in the separator can be prevented from falling down to the water that is raised by the water raising pipe and flows toward the outer edge of the water flow control plate, thereby preventing the water flow from being disturbed, and thus the effect of preventing the occurrence of noise can be improved.

Further, the following configuration may be adopted: the water level when the water stored in the water storage part is full is set to reach the upper surface side of the water flow control plate.

According to this configuration, since no air is accumulated on the lower surface side of the water flow control plate around the opening of the water flow control plate, the collision of water against the lower surface side of the water flow control plate due to the rotation of the water raising pipe is suppressed. This can further reduce the generation of noise.

Further, the following configuration may be adopted: the upper surface of the water flow control plate is an inclined surface descending from the outer edge to the opening.

According to this configuration, when the rotation of the water raising pipe is stopped, the water remaining on the upper surface of the water flow control plate can be quickly returned to the water storage portion, and the adhesion of dirt on the upper surface of the water flow control plate due to the drying of the remaining water can be prevented, thereby preventing the disturbance of the water flow due to the dirt. This prevents the generation of noise due to the turbulent water flow.

Further, the following configuration may be adopted: the lower surface of the water flow control plate is provided with a cylindrical protruding portion surrounding the opening.

According to such a configuration, friction between the water flowing in the water storage portion and the water flow control plate can be increased, and the water in the water storage portion can be made difficult to flow, thereby suppressing a decrease in the amount of water pumping due to rotation of the water pumping pipe.

Further, the liquid atomizing device of the present disclosure is characterized by comprising: the above-described liquid micronizing device; and an air blowing device which is provided upstream of the liquid atomizing device with respect to the flow of the passing air and has a humidity recovery unit for recovering moisture in the passing air.

According to such a configuration, when the moisture discharged to the outside during ventilation is recovered to the air supplied to the room and the moisture cannot be completely recovered by the moisture recovery unit, the moisture can be replenished or further added when passing through the liquid atomizing device, and therefore the room can be humidified and maintained within a comfortable humidity range.

Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below all show preferred specific examples of the present disclosure. Therefore, the numerical values, shapes, materials, constituent elements, arrangement positions of constituent elements, connection modes, and the like shown in the following embodiments are examples, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Therefore, among the components of the following embodiments, components not described in the independent claims showing the uppermost concept of the present invention will be described as arbitrary components. In the drawings, substantially the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted or simplified.

First, a schematic configuration of a liquid atomizing apparatus 101 according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure will be described with reference to fig. 1 and 2. Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a liquid atomizing device 101 according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an internal structure of the liquid atomizing device.

As shown in fig. 1, the liquid atomizing device 101 includes an intake port 102 that takes in air; and a blow-out port 103 that blows out the air sucked in from the suction port 102. The suction port 102 is provided on a side surface of the liquid atomizing device 101. The blow-out port 103 is provided above the liquid atomizing device 101.

As shown in fig. 2, liquid atomizing device 101 has air passages 104 to 106 extending from suction port 102 to discharge port 103. Further, liquid atomizing device 101 includes liquid atomizing chamber 107 provided in air passages 104 to 106, and suction port 102, liquid atomizing chamber 107, and discharge port 103 communicate with each other.

The liquid atomizing chamber 107 is a main part of the liquid atomizing apparatus 101, and is a place where water is atomized. In the liquid atomizing device 101, air taken in from the air inlet 102 is sent to the liquid atomizing chamber 107 through the air passage 104. The liquid atomizing apparatus 101 is configured to: water micronized from liquid micronization chamber 107 is contained in the air passing through air passage 104, and the air containing the water is blown out from outlet 103 through air passage 105 and air passage 106 in this order. Here, the air passage 105 is configured to: the direction in which the air containing water flows vertically downward into the liquid atomizing chamber 107 is changed to the direction in which the air flows vertically upward in the outer circumferential direction thereof. The air passage 106 is configured as follows: the air supplied through the air passage 105 flows vertically upward and is blown out from the blow-out port 103.

The liquid atomizing chamber 107 includes a cylindrical collision wall 108 having an upper opening and a lower opening. Collision wall 108 is provided in liquid atomizing chamber 107. Further, a tubular water pumping pipe 109 for pumping water (pumping water) while rotating is provided inside the liquid atomizing chamber 107 surrounded by the collision wall 108. The water raising pipe 109 has an inverted conical hollow structure, and a rotation shaft 110 disposed in the vertical direction is fixed to the center of the top surface of the inverted conical shape. The rotation shaft 110 is connected to a rotation motor 111 provided on the outer surface of the liquid atomizing chamber 107, so that the rotation motion of the rotation motor 111 is transmitted to the water-lifting pipe 109 through the rotation shaft 110, and the water-lifting pipe 109 rotates.

The draft tube 109 includes a plurality of rotating plates 112 formed to protrude outward from the outer surface of the draft tube 109. The plurality of rotating plates 112 are formed as: a predetermined interval is provided between the vertically adjacent rotating plates 112 in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 110, and the rotating plates protrude outward from the outer surface of the draft tube 109. The rotating plate 112 is preferably in the shape of a horizontal disk coaxial with the rotating shaft 110 because it rotates together with the draft tube 109. The number of the rotating plates 112 is appropriately set according to the target performance and the size of the draft tube 109.

The wall surface of the draft tube 109 is provided with a plurality of openings 113 penetrating the wall surface of the draft tube 109. The openings 113 of the lift pipe 109 are provided at positions respectively communicating the inside of the lift pipe 109 with the upper surface of the rotating plate 112 formed to protrude outward from the outer wall of the lift pipe 109.

A water storage portion 114 for storing water raised by the water raising pipe 109 is provided below the liquid fining chamber 107 in the vertical direction of the water raising pipe 109. The water reservoir 114 is taken to the depth of the bottom of the water reservoir 114 in such a way that a part of the lower part of the draft tube 109, for example, a length of about one third to one hundredth of the conical height of the draft tube 109 is immersed.

The water is supplied to the water storage portion 114 by the water supply portion 115. A water supply pipe 115a is connected to the water supply unit 115, and water is directly supplied from the water supply pipe 115a through a water pressure adjustment valve, for example. The water supply unit 115 may be configured to: only a required amount of water is drawn from a water tank provided outside the liquid atomizing chamber 107 by a siphon principle in advance, and the water is supplied to the water storage portion 114. The water supply portion 115 is provided above the bottom surface of the water storage portion 114 in the vertical direction. It is preferable that water supply unit 115 is provided not only on the bottom surface of water storage unit 114 but also vertically above the upper surface of water storage unit 114 (the surface of the maximum water level that water storage unit 114 can store).

A drain pipe 116 is connected to the bottom surface of the water storage portion 114. The drain port of the water storage portion 114 provided at a position connected to the drain pipe 116 is provided at the lowest position of the water storage portion 114. When the operation for atomizing water is stopped, a valve (not shown) provided in the drain pipe 116 is opened, whereby the water stored in the water storage portion 114 is discharged from the drain pipe 116.

A cylindrical separator (eliminator)117 is provided below the collision wall 108, and the separator 117 is disposed so as to separate the inside and outside of the liquid atomizing chamber 107 and collects a part of the atomized water droplets. The separator 117 is fixed by being enclosed in a separator holder 119 connected to a lower portion of the collision wall 108. Specifically, the separator holder 119 has: a first holding portion 119a extending downward in the vertical direction from the top plate 119 c; and a second holding portion 119b extending vertically downward from the top panel 119c at a position inward of the first holding portion 119 a. The separator 117 is fixed so as to be sandwiched between the first holding portion 119a and the second holding portion 119b of the separator holder 119 (see fig. 4 described later). The second holding portion 119b of the separator holder 119 is connected to a supporting portion 122 of a water flow control plate 120, which will be described later.

The separator 117 is disposed in the air passage 105, and collects water droplets contained in the air that have been atomized in the liquid atomizing chamber 107. Thus, the air flowing through the air passage 105 contains only vaporized water.

A water flow control plate 120 is provided above the water storage portion 114 so as to cover the water storage portion 114. Specifically, the outer diameter of the water flow control plate 120 is formed smaller than the inner diameter of the inner wall surface 126 of the water storage portion 114. The water flow control plate 120 is provided below the space surrounded by the separator 117 so as to cover the upper side of the water storage unit 114. That is, the water flow control plate 120 is provided so that a predetermined gap 127 can be formed between the inner wall surface 126 of the water storage portion 114 and the outer edge 124 of the water flow control plate 120 (see fig. 5 described later).

The water flow control plate 120 will be described with reference to fig. 3 and 4. Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the water flow control plate 120 of the liquid atomizing device 101 viewed from obliquely above. Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the water flow control plate 120 of the liquid atomizing device 101 viewed obliquely from below. In fig. 3, the separator holder 119 and the like constituting the liquid atomizing apparatus 101 have a horizontal cross section.

As shown in fig. 3, the water flow control plate 120 has a substantially disc-like shape, and a first opening 121 having a diameter allowing the water supply pipe 109 to penetrate the water flow control plate 120 is formed in the center. The water flow control plate 120 is formed to have a gentle inclined surface that descends from the outer edge 124 toward the first opening 121 (see fig. 5 described later). The gentle inclined surface is formed to have an angle of about 5 degrees or less (3 degrees in embodiment 1) with respect to the horizontal plane. The water flow control plate 120 has a plurality of support portions 122 on the upper surface side of the outer peripheral portion (outer edge 124), and is fixed to the second holding portion 119b of the separator holder 119 via the support portions 122. Here, the water flow control plate 120 is disposed at a position where the first opening 121 is immersed in the water stored in the water storage portion 114 by the supply of water, that is, at a position where the water level when the water storage portion 114 is full of water reaches the upper surface side near the first opening 121 of the water flow control plate 120.

As shown in fig. 4, the water flow control plate 120 is provided with a protrusion 123 protruding in a cylindrical shape downward in the vertical direction so as to surround the first opening 121 on the lower surface side. The protrusion 123 is formed to protrude in two cylindrical shapes having different diameters.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the liquid atomizing apparatus 101 is provided with a second opening 125 formed by the outer edge 124 of the water flow control plate 120, the separator 117, and the second holding portion 119b of the separator holder 119. As will be described in detail later, the water raised along the outer wall of the lift pipe 109 to the upper surface side of the water flow control plate 120 by the rotation of the lift pipe 109 is discharged from the outer edge 124 of the water flow control plate 120 to the outer peripheral side of the water flow control plate 120 (the radial direction of the water flow control plate 120) through the second opening 125.

Next, the operation principle of the liquid atomizing apparatus 101 for atomizing water will be described. When the rotation shaft 110 is rotated by the rotation motor 111 and the water raising pipe 109 is rotated in cooperation therewith, water stored in the water storage portion 114 is drawn by the water raising pipe 109 by a centrifugal force generated by the rotation. The rotation speed of the lift pipe 109 is set between 1000-. The water raising pipe 109 has an inverted conical hollow structure, and therefore, water drawn by rotation is raised upward along the inner wall of the water raising pipe 109. Then, the water that has been raised is discharged from the opening 113 of the raising pipe 109 in the centrifugal direction along the rotating plate 112, and is scattered as water droplets.

The water droplets scattered from the rotating plate 112 fly in the space surrounded by the collision wall 108, collide with the collision wall 108, and are atomized. On the other hand, the air passing through the liquid atomizing chamber 107 moves from above the collision wall 108 to inside the collision wall 108, and moves from below to outside the collision wall 108 while containing water droplets crushed (atomized) by the collision wall 108. This can humidify the air taken in from the inlet 102 of the liquid atomizing device 101 and blow out the humidified air from the outlet 103.

The liquid to be refined may be a liquid other than water, and may be an aqueous solution of hypochlorous acid water or the like having bactericidal properties and deodorizing properties. The refined hypochlorous acid water is contained in the air sucked in from the suction port 102 of the liquid refining apparatus 101, and the air is blown out from the blow port 103, whereby the space in which the liquid refining apparatus 101 is placed can be sterilized and deodorized. That is, in the present disclosure, "water" is not limited to pure water, and includes water containing substances other than water, for example, an aqueous solution, a colloidal (Colloid) solution, and an Emulsion (Emulsion).

Here, when the draft tube 109 rotates, the water in the water storage portion 114 is also drawn upward along the outer wall surface of the draft tube 109 because the water is also in contact with the outer wall surface of the draft tube 109.

In the conventional liquid atomizing device 901 shown in fig. 7 and 8, water forms a swirling water flow along with the rotation of the water raising pipe 909, and is raised along the outer wall surface of the water raising pipe 909 toward the upper surface of the water flow blocking portion 911. A part of the water raised to the upper surface of the water flow blocking portion 911 collides with the support piece 913, thereby forming a return water flow 915 flowing toward the center of the water flow blocking portion 911. The return water flow 915 collides with the water raised from the water raising pipe 909 to the upper surface of the water flow blocking portion 911, and forms a complicated and turbulent water flow, and draws air into the water to generate air bubbles, which generate a loud noise such as a whine when the air bubbles break.

However, in the liquid atomizing device 101 according to embodiment 1, the water that is raised from the first opening 121 toward the upper surface side of the water flow control plate 120 by the water raising pipe 109 is discharged toward the outer peripheral side of the water flow control plate 120. This prevents noise from rising due to the generation of bubbles accompanying the rotation of the draft tube 109. The details thereof will be described below.

Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the operation of the water flow control plate 120 of the liquid atomizing device 101. In fig. 5, a solid line 141 indicates the water level in this state, and an arrow 142 indicates the flow direction of water in the water storage portion 114.

As shown in fig. 5, the water in the water storage part 114 is raised toward the upper surface side of the water flow control plate 120 through the first opening 121 opened in the water flow control plate 120 by the rotation of the water raising pipe 109. The water raised to the upper surface side of the water flow control plate 120 moves in the outer circumferential direction by the centrifugal force and reaches the outer edge 124 of the water flow control plate 120. The water reaching the outer edge 124 is discharged from the water flow control plate 120 (the outer edge 124 of the water flow control plate 120) through the second opening 125. The water flow control plate 120 has a gentle inclined surface that descends from the outer edge 124 toward the first opening 121, but since the inclined angle is 5 degrees or less, the water that is raised to the upper surface side does not directly move in the outer circumferential direction due to the force of the water raising. The inclined surface of the water flow control plate 120 may be configured to gradually descend from the first opening 121 toward the outer edge 124.

Since the gap 127 is provided between the outer edge 124 of the water flow control plate 120 and the inner wall surface 126 of the water reservoir 114 in the radial direction of the water flow control plate 120, the discharged water moves to the water reservoir 114 through the gap 127 and directly moves to the bottom surface side of the water reservoir 114. The water then passes under the water flow control plate 120 and returns to the lift pipe 109. Thus, the water adhered to the outer wall surface of the water lifting pipe 109 and lifted up forms a one-directional flow in the order of the first opening 121, the upper surface of the water flow control plate 120, the second opening 125, the gap 127, the lower portion of the water flow control plate 120, and the water lifting pipe 109. Since the path through which the circulation is performed in this order can be formed, a stable flow of water can be formed without generating a turbulent water flow. As a result, the effect of preventing the generation of noise can be enhanced.

As described above, according to the liquid atomizing device 101 according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, the water flow formed by the water that is raised along the outer wall surface of the water raising pipe 109 by the rotation of the water raising pipe 109 can be directed only in one direction toward the outer edge 124 of the disc-shaped water flow control plate 120. This prevents generation of air bubbles without generating a complicated and disturbed water flow due to water collision, and thus prevents generation of noise due to the water flow generated on the outer peripheral side of the draft tube 109.

The water flow control plate 120 is disposed at a position where the first opening 121 enters the water stored in the water storage portion 114 when the water stored in the water storage portion 114 is full. Therefore, no air is accumulated on the lower surface side of the water flow control plate 120 around the first opening 121 of the water flow control plate 120, and thus collision of water against the lower surface side of the water flow control plate 120 due to rotation of the lift pipe 109 is suppressed. This can further reduce the generation of noise.

As shown in fig. 5, the upper surface of the water flow control plate 120 is configured to have an inclined surface that descends at a predetermined angle from the outer peripheral side (outer edge 124) toward the first opening 121. Thus, when the rotation of the water raising pipe 109 is stopped, the water remaining on the upper surface of the water flow control plate 120 can be quickly returned to the water storage portion 114. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the adhesion of dirt on the upper surface of the water flow control plate 120 due to the drying of the surplus water, to prevent the turbulence of the water flow due to the dirt, and to prevent the generation of noise due to the turbulent water flow.

As shown in fig. 5, the water flow control plate 120 is provided with a cylindrical protrusion 123 on the lower surface of the water flow control plate 120 so as to surround the first opening 121, thereby increasing friction between the water flowing through the water reservoir 114 and the water flow control plate 120. This makes it difficult for the water in the water reservoir 114 to flow, thereby increasing resistance to the rotational flow generated on the outer periphery of the draft tube 109 in accordance with the rotation of the draft tube 109. Therefore, the decrease in the pumping amount due to the increase in the rotation speed of the pumping pipe 109 can be suppressed.

Next, a heat exchange ventilator provided with the liquid atomizing device of embodiment 1 will be described with reference to fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a heat exchange ventilator 160 including the liquid atomizing device according to embodiment 1.

As shown in fig. 6, the heat exchange ventilator 160 includes a liquid atomizing device 150, an indoor suction port 161 and an air supply port 164 provided in the interior of a building, an exhaust port 162 and an external air suction port 163 provided outdoors of the building, and a heat exchange element 165 provided in a main body. The liquid atomizing apparatus 150 corresponds to the liquid atomizing apparatus 101 of embodiment 1.

The indoor suction port 161 sucks in indoor air and discharges the sucked air to the outside of the room through the exhaust port 162. The outdoor air intake port 163 takes in outdoor air and supplies the taken-in outdoor air from the air supply port 164 into the room. At this time, heat is exchanged between the air sent from the indoor suction port 161 to the exhaust port 162 and the outside air sent from the outside air suction port 163 to the air supply port 164 by the heat exchange element 165.

As one of the functions of the heat exchange ventilator, a device for vaporizing a liquid, such as a water vaporizer for humidification or a hypochlorous acid vaporizer for sterilization and deodorization, is incorporated. As the device for vaporizing the liquid, the heat exchange ventilator 160 is equipped with the liquid atomizing device 150. Specifically, the liquid atomizing device 150 is provided on the air supply port 164 side of the heat exchange ventilator 160 via a connection duct 166. The supply and discharge of water to and from the liquid atomizing device 150 are performed by water supply and discharge pipes 151.

The heat-exchange ventilator 160 provided with the liquid atomizing device 150 includes water or hypochlorous acid atomized by the liquid atomizing device 150 to the outside air subjected to heat exchange by the heat-exchange element 165, and supplies the air to the room through the air supply port 164. By using the liquid atomizing device 150 as a mechanism for vaporizing these liquids, a heat exchange ventilator 160 that is smaller and has excellent energy efficiency can be obtained.

In addition, when moisture discharged to the outside during ventilation is recovered to air supplied to the room and the moisture cannot be completely recovered by the heat exchange element 165 (corresponding to a humidity recovery unit), the moisture can be replenished or further added when passing through the liquid atomizing device 150, and therefore the room can be humidified and maintained within a comfortable humidity range.

Here, the liquid atomizing device 150 may be provided in an air cleaner or an air conditioner instead of the heat exchange ventilator 160. As one of the functions of an air cleaner and an air conditioner, a device for vaporizing a liquid, such as a water vaporizer for humidification or a hypochlorous acid vaporizer for sterilization and deodorization, is incorporated. By using the liquid atomizing device 150 as this device, a more compact and energy-efficient air cleaner or air conditioner can be obtained.

The present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiments, but it is easily presumed that the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the numerical values listed in the above embodiments are examples, and it is needless to say that other numerical values can be adopted.

(embodiment mode 2)

As a conventional liquid atomizing device, for example, a nano mist generating device having a structure for holding leaked water by a drain pan (water receiving portion) provided at a bottom portion of the device when leakage of water from the device is generated is known (for example, patent document 2). However, in such a nano mist generating apparatus, if water leakage occurs in an amount equal to or greater than the amount of water that can be held by the drain pan, water may overflow from the drain pan.

On the other hand, a humidifying unit is known which includes a drain port (and a drain pipe connected thereto) provided in the drain tray as described above, and which temporarily flows normal drain water from a water supply tank (water storage unit) into the drain tray during a humidifying operation and then discharges the drain water to the outside of the device through the drain port (for example, patent document 3).

Therefore, we have studied a liquid atomizing device having a drain mechanism in which a drain outlet (and a drain pipe connected thereto) is provided to a drain pan (water receiving portion) provided at the bottom of the liquid atomizing device.

However, it has been found that in the liquid refining apparatus under study, when water including normal drainage flows into the drain pan and is continuously used for a long time, the contact area between the air and the water temporarily accumulated in the drain pan is large, and therefore, the pollutants in the air are dissolved in the water, and sludge or mold is generated in the water. That is, when the apparatus is used for a long time, there is a concern that: a new problem is that the drain outlet (or the drain pipe) is clogged with sludge or mold, and as a result, water overflows from the drain pan.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a liquid atomizing device including a drainage mechanism capable of preventing water from overflowing from a water receiving portion even when the device is used for a long time.

To achieve the object, a liquid atomizing device of the present disclosure includes: a suction port which sucks air; an air outlet for blowing out the air sucked from the suction port; and a liquid refining portion provided in the air passage between the suction port and the discharge port and refining the water. The liquid atomizing device causes the water atomized by the liquid atomizing unit to be contained in the air sucked from the suction port, and blows out the air containing the water from the blow port. The liquid micronizing device is provided with a cylindrical water raising pipe, a water storage part, a water receiving part, a first drain port, a second drain port and a drain pipe. The water raising pipe raises water by rotating and discharges the raised water to a centrifugal direction. The water storage part comprises a first bottom surface and a first wall surface connected with the first bottom surface, is arranged below the vertical direction of the water lifting pipe, and stores water lifted by the water lifting pipe. The water receiving part comprises a second bottom surface and a second wall surface connected with the second bottom surface, and is arranged below the water storage part in the vertical direction. The first drain port is disposed on a first bottom surface of the water storage portion. The second water outlet is arranged on the second wall surface of the water receiving part. The drainage pipe has: a first open end connected in communication with the first drain opening; and a second opening end portion that penetrates the second drain opening from the inside toward the outside of the water receiving portion with a gap therebetween, and that has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the second drain opening. The water in the water storage part is discharged to the outside of the device through a water discharge pipe penetrating the second water discharge port, and the water flowing into the water receiving part is discharged to the outside of the device through a gap between the second water discharge port and the water discharge pipe.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a liquid atomizing device including a drainage mechanism that can prevent water from overflowing from a water receiving portion even when the device is used for a long time.

More specifically, according to such a configuration, when the liquid atomizing device is operated, the water from the water storage portion is discharged to the outside of the device from the second opening end portion of the water discharge pipe penetrating the second water discharge port, rather than flowing into the water receiving portion. On the other hand, when an abnormality occurs in the apparatus and water leaks, water flowing into the water receiving portion is discharged to the outside of the apparatus from a region other than the water discharge pipe of the second water discharge port. Therefore, in the liquid micro-processing apparatus of the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress exposure of water from the water storage portion to the air in the water receiving portion. In addition, even if water leakage of more than the amount that can be held by the water receiving portion occurs during an abnormal state, the water that has flowed into the water receiving portion can be continuously discharged. That is, the liquid atomizing device can be provided with the drainage mechanism which can prevent water from overflowing from the water receiving portion even when the device is continuously used for a long time.

The liquid micronization device of the present disclosure further includes a drain pipe connection portion provided outside the second wall surface of the water receiving portion and having a drain pipe connection port communicating with the second drain port. Preferably, the second open end is located between the second drain opening and the drain connection opening. With this configuration, the water discharged from the second opening end portion from the water storage portion can be prevented from flowing back into the water receiving portion through the second water discharge port. Therefore, the water from the water storage portion in the water receiving portion can be further suppressed from being exposed to the air.

In the liquid refining apparatus according to the present disclosure, it is preferable that the water receiving portion has a descending slope toward the second drain opening. With this configuration, water that has flowed into the water receiving portion during an abnormality can be reliably discharged from a region other than the drain pipe of the second drain port. Therefore, the water from the water storage unit in the water receiving unit can be reliably prevented from being exposed to the air.

Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are merely examples embodying the present disclosure, and do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure. In all the drawings, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. Moreover, the details of the portions not directly related to the present disclosure are omitted from the drawings in order to avoid redundancy.

First, the structure of a liquid atomizing apparatus 201 according to embodiment 2 of the present disclosure will be described with reference to fig. 9 to 12. Fig. 9 is a front perspective view illustrating a liquid atomizing device according to embodiment 2 of the present disclosure. Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the back side of the liquid micronization device. Fig. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an internal structure of the liquid atomizing device. Fig. 12 is an enlarged sectional view showing the structure of the drain pipe connecting portion of the liquid atomizing device.

As shown in fig. 9 and 10, the liquid atomizing apparatus 201 is configured as a cylindrical container. The liquid atomizing device 201 includes a suction port 202, a discharge port 203, an inner cylinder 204, an outer cylinder 208, and a water receiving portion 211.

The suction port 202 is an opening for sucking air into the liquid atomizing device 201, and is provided on a side surface of the liquid atomizing device 201. The suction port 202 has a shape (for example, a cylindrical shape) to which a duct can be connected.

The air outlet 203 is an opening for blowing out the air that has passed through the inside of the liquid atomizing device 201, and is provided on the upper surface of the liquid atomizing device 201. The air outlet 203 is formed in a region partitioned by the inner cylinder 204 and the outer cylinder 208 (a region between the inner cylinder 204 and the outer cylinder 208). The air outlet 203 is provided around the inner cylinder 204 in the upper surface portion of the liquid atomizing device 201. The air outlet 203 is provided above the air inlet 202. The air outlet 203 has a shape capable of connecting a tubular duct.

As shown in fig. 11, the air sucked in from the suction port 202 passes through a liquid refining section 217 described later to become humidified air, and is blown out from the blow port 203.

The inner cylinder 204 is disposed near the center of the inside of the liquid atomizing device 201. The inner cylinder 204 has a vent 207 opening downward in the substantially vertical direction, and is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape.

The outer cylinder 208 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is disposed so as to enclose the inner cylinder 204. A first water supply port 212 for supplying water to a water storage portion 210 described later is provided in a side wall 208a of the outer cylinder 208. First water supply port 212 is provided vertically above the upper surface of water storage unit 210 (the surface of the maximum water level that water storage unit 210 can store: water surface 240).

As shown in fig. 9 and 10, the water receiving portion 211 is provided over the entire bottom surface of the liquid atomizing device 201. For example, when an abnormality occurs in the apparatus and water leaks, the water receiving portion 211 can temporarily store water leaking from the apparatus. A water supply pipe connection portion 222 for connecting to an external water supply pipe (not shown) and a drain pipe connection portion 233 for connecting to an external drain pipe (not shown) are provided on the side wall 211a of the water receiving portion 211. The water supply mechanism and the water discharge mechanism in the liquid atomizing device 201 will be described later.

Next, the internal structure of the liquid atomizing device 201 will be explained.

As shown in fig. 11, the liquid atomizing device 201 includes a suction communication air passage 205, an inner cylinder air passage 206, an outer cylinder air passage 209, a water reservoir 210, a liquid atomizing part 217, and a water receiving part 211 inside.

The suction communicating air passage 205 is a duct-shaped air passage that communicates the suction port 202 with the inner cylinder 204 (inner cylinder air passage 206), and is configured to allow air sucked from the suction port 202 to reach the inside of the inner cylinder 204 through the suction communicating air passage 205.

The inner tube air passage 206 is an air passage provided inside the inner tube 204, and communicates with an outer tube air passage 209 (an air passage indicated by a broken-line arrow in fig. 11) provided outside the inner tube 204 via an opening (a vent 207) provided at a lower end of the inner tube 204. In the inner cylinder air passage 206, a liquid refining portion 217 is disposed in the air passage.

The outer cylinder air passage 209 is an air passage formed between the inner cylinder 204 and the outer cylinder 208, and communicates with the outlet 203.

The water reservoir 210 is provided at the lower portion of the liquid atomizing device 201 (lower portion of the inner cylinder 204), and stores water. The water storage section 210 is formed in a substantially mortar shape, and a side wall 210a of the water storage section 210 is connected to and integrated with the lower end of the outer cylinder 208. The substantial mortar shape specifically includes a circular bottom surface 210b (first bottom surface) and an inverted conical side wall 210a (first side surface) connected to the bottom surface 210 b. The water storage unit 210 has the following structure: water is supplied from a first water supply port 212 provided in a side wall 208a of the outer tube 208, and water is discharged from a first water discharge port 213 provided in a bottom surface 210b of the water storage portion 210. The first drain port 213 is preferably provided at the lowest position of the bottom surface 210b of the water storage unit 210.

The liquid atomizing unit 217 is a main part of the liquid atomizing apparatus 201, and is a place where water is atomized. Specifically, the liquid atomizing portion 217 includes a water-raising pipe (dip pipe) 214, a rotating plate 215, and a motor 216. The liquid atomizing unit 217 is provided inside the inner cylinder 204, i.e., at a position covered by the inner cylinder 204.

The lift pipe 214 draws water from the water reservoir 210 by rotating. The water raising pipe 214 is formed in a hollow truncated cone shape, and the tip of the smaller diameter side is positioned below the water surface 240 of the water stored in the water storage portion 210.

The rotating plate 215 is formed in a doughnut-shaped disk shape having a central opening, and is disposed on a side of the pumping pipe 214 where the diameter is large, in other words, around the upper portion of the pumping pipe 214. A plurality of openings (not shown) are provided on the side surface of the water raising pipe 214 where the diameter is large, so that the drawn water is supplied to the rotating plate 215 through the openings. The rotating plate 215 discharges the water pumped by the water pumping pipe 214 in the direction of the rotating surface.

The motor 216 rotates the lift pipe 214 and the rotating plate 215.

The water receiving portion 211 is provided over the entire bottom surface of the liquid atomizing device 201 vertically below the water storage portion 210. The water receiving portion 211 includes a bottom surface 211c (second bottom surface) and a side wall 211a (second side surface) connected to the bottom surface 211 c. A second water supply port 221 communicating with the water supply pipe connection portion 222 and a second drain port 231 communicating with the drain pipe connection portion 233 are provided in the side wall 211a of the water receiving portion 211. Here, the second drain port 231 is provided at a position lower than the position of the first drain port 213 of the water storage unit 210 in the vertical direction. An inclined surface 211b having a descending gradient toward the second drain port 231 (drain pipe connection portion 233) provided in the side wall 211a of the water receiving portion 211 is formed in the water receiving portion 211.

Next, the operation of the liquid atomizing device will be described with reference to fig. 11.

First, water is supplied from first water supply port 212 to water storage unit 210 by a water supply device not shown, and the water is stored in water storage unit 210. Then, the air sucked into liquid atomizing device 201 from suction port 202 passes through suction communicating air passage 205, inner cylinder air passage 206, liquid atomizing unit 217, and outer cylinder air passage 209 in this order, and is blown out from discharge port 203 to the outside (for example, the inside). At this time, the water droplets generated by the liquid atomizing area 217 come into contact with the air passing through the inner cylinder air passage 206, and the air can be humidified by vaporizing the water droplets. After a predetermined time has elapsed, the water stored in the water storage unit 210 is discharged from the first drain port 213 to the outside of the apparatus through an internal drain pipe 230 described later.

The detailed operation will be described.

The air taken into the inner cylinder of inner cylinder air passage 206 from suction port 202 through suction communicating air passage 205 passes through liquid refining portion 217. When the water pumping pipe 214 and the rotating plate 215 are rotated by the operation of the motor 216, the water stored in the water storage portion 210 is lifted up along the inner wall surface of the water pumping pipe 214 by the rotation. The rising water is pulled along the surface of the rotating plate 215 and is discharged as fine water droplets from the outer peripheral end of the rotating plate 215 toward the rotating surface. The released water droplets collide with the inner wall surface of the inner cylinder 204 and are broken into finer water droplets. The water droplets discharged from the rotating plate 215 and the water droplets crushed by colliding with the inner wall surface of the inner cylinder 204 contact the air passing through the inner cylinder 204, and the water droplets are vaporized to humidify the air. Although a part of the generated water droplets is not vaporized, the liquid atomizing area 217 is disposed so as to be covered with the inner tube 204, and therefore the non-vaporized water droplets adhere to the inner surface of the inner tube 204 and fall toward the water storage area 210.

Then, the air (humidified air) containing the water droplets is blown out from the vent 207 provided at the lower end of the inner tube 204 toward the water storage portion 210 provided below. Then, the air flows toward an outer cylinder air passage 209 formed between the inner cylinder 204 and the outer cylinder 208. Here, since the air passing through the inside of the outer cylinder air passage 209 is transported upward in the vertical direction, the air flowing downward in the inner cylinder air passage 206 is directed opposite to the blowing direction.

At this time, the water droplets blown out from the air vent 207 together with the air cannot follow the flow of the air due to their inertia, and adhere to the water surface 240 of the water storage portion 210 or the inner wall surface of the outer tube 208. In this action, the larger the weight of the water droplets, that is, the larger the diameter of the water droplets that are difficult to vaporize, the larger the action, whereby the water droplets having large sizes can be separated from the flowing air.

Then, the air flowing into outer cylinder air passage 209 from inner cylinder air passage 206 through air vent 207 flows upward through outer cylinder air passage 209. Then, the air is blown out from the air outlet 203. At this time, a part of the water droplets falls down toward the water reservoir 210 by gravity or adheres to the outer wall of the inner tube 204 or the inner wall of the outer tube 208. Then, the water droplets adhering to the outer wall of the inner tube 204 and the inner wall of the outer tube 208 fall down along the outer wall surface of the inner tube 204 and the inner wall surface of the outer tube 208 toward the water reservoir 210.

As described above, the liquid atomizing device 201 of the present disclosure can humidify air by the liquid atomizing unit 217.

Next, a water supply structure of the liquid atomizing device 201 will be described.

As shown in fig. 11, the water supply structure of the liquid atomizing device 201 includes a first water supply port 212, an internal water supply pipe 220, a second water supply port 221, and a water supply pipe connection portion 222.

The first water supply port 212 is an opening through which the side wall 208a of the outer tube 208 penetrates. One end of an internal water supply pipe 220 is connected to the first water supply port 212 outside the side wall 208 a.

The second water supply port 221 is an opening through which the side wall 211a of the water receiving portion 211 passes. The other end of the internal water supply pipe 220 is connected to the second water supply port 221 inside the side wall 211 a. Further, a water supply pipe connection portion 222 is connected to the second water supply port 221 on the outer side of the side wall 211 a. That is, the internal water supply pipe 220 and the water supply pipe connection part 222 are connected to communicate with each other through the second water supply port 221.

The internal water supply pipe 220 has one end connected to the first water supply port 212 and the other end connected to the second water supply port 221. That is, the internal water supply pipe 220 is an internal pipe that connects the first water supply port 212 of the outer tube 208 and the second water supply port 221 of the water receiving portion 211.

The water supply pipe connection part 222 is provided outside the side wall 211a corresponding to the second water supply port 221. The water supply pipe connection portion 222 is connected to a water supply facility such as a water supply line or a water supply pump of a house or a facility through an external water supply pipe.

With the above water supply structure, when the operation for atomizing water is started, the electromagnetic valve (not shown) provided in the internal water supply pipe 220 is opened, so that water from the outside flows through the water supply pipe connection portion 222, the second water supply port 221, the internal water supply pipe 220, and the first water supply port 212, and is automatically supplied continuously to the water storage portion 210 of the liquid atomizing device 201.

Next, a drainage structure of the liquid atomizing device 201 will be described.

As shown in fig. 11, the drain structure of the liquid atomizing device 201 is composed of a first drain port 213, an internal drain pipe 230, a second drain port 231, and a drain pipe connecting portion 233.

The first drain port 213 is an opening provided in the bottom surface of the water storage portion 210. One end (first open end portion 230a) of the inner drain pipe 230 is connected to the first drain port 213 in a communicating manner.

The second drain opening 231 is an opening through which the side wall 211a of the water receiving portion 211 passes. Second drain port 231 is provided at a position below second water supply port 221 in the vertical direction. Second drain port 231 is provided at a position lower than the position of first drain port 213. Second drain port 231 is provided at side wall 211a at a position where water from inclined surface 211b of water receiving portion 211 flows in. Further, a drain pipe connecting portion 233 is connected to the outside of the side wall 211a of the second drain port 231. In second drain port 231, the other end (second opening end 230b) of internal drain pipe 230 penetrates from the inside of water receiving portion 211 to the outside. Second open end 230b has a smaller outer diameter than second drain opening 231. That is, the second drain port 231 has a region through which the internal drain pipe 230 passes and an opening region (gap) other than the region.

As shown in fig. 11, the internal drain pipe 230 includes: a first open end portion 230a communicatively connected to the first drain port 213; and a second open end 230b that extends through second drain opening 231. The first opening end 230a is an opening for introducing the water discharged from the water storage unit 210 into the interior of the internal water discharge pipe 230. The second opening end portion 230b is an opening for guiding the drain water introduced into the inner drain pipe 230 to the outside of the inner drain pipe 230. As shown in fig. 12, the outer diameter of the inner drain pipe 230 (particularly, the second opening end 230b side) is formed to be smaller than the opening diameter of the second drain opening 231. When passing through second drain port 231, internal drain pipe 230 is disposed so as to be offset toward the upper end side of second drain port 231. The second opening end 230b of the internal drain pipe 230 is inserted into the drain pipe connecting portion 233 through the second drain port 231.

Drain pipe connecting portion 233 is provided outside side wall 211a corresponding to second drain port 231. The drain pipe connecting portion 233 is connected to a drain device such as a drain port provided in a house or facility through an external drain pipe. As shown in fig. 12, inside the drain pipe connecting portion 233 are formed: a drain pipe connection port 233a having the same inner diameter as the second drain port 231; and a drain line 233b that communicates the drain pipe connection port 233a with the second drain port 231. The second opening end 230b of the internal drain pipe 230 penetrating the second drain port 231 is positioned inside the drain pipe connecting portion 233. Specifically, second opening end 230b of internal drain pipe 230 is positioned on the side of drain connection port 233a between second drain port 231 of water receiving portion 211 and drain connection port 233a of drain connection portion 233.

With the above-described drain structure, when the operation for atomizing water is stopped, the hot valve (not shown) provided in the internal drain pipe 230 is opened, whereby water from the water reservoir 210 flows through the first drain port 213, the internal drain pipe 230, and the drain pipe connection portion 233 (the drain line 233b and the drain connection port 233a), and is automatically discharged to the outside of the apparatus for atomizing liquid 201. That is, as shown by an arrow 241 in fig. 12, water in the water storage portion 210 is discharged to the outside of the apparatus from the internal water discharge pipe 230 penetrating the second water discharge port 231 without flowing into the water receiving portion 211.

On the other hand, as shown by arrow 242 in fig. 12, water that has flowed into water receiving portion 211 during an abnormal state is discharged to the outside of the apparatus from a region other than inner water discharge pipe 230 of second water discharge port 231.

As described above, according to the liquid atomizing apparatus 201 of embodiment 2, the following effects can be enjoyed.

(1) When the liquid atomizing apparatus 201 is operated, water from the water storage portion 210 is discharged to the outside of the apparatus from the second opening end portion 230b of the internal water discharge pipe 230 penetrating the second water discharge port 231, and does not flow into the water receiving portion 211. On the other hand, when an abnormality occurs in the apparatus and water leaks, water flowing into the water receiving portion 211 is discharged to the outside of the apparatus from a region other than the internal water discharge pipe 230 of the second water discharge port 231. Therefore, in the liquid atomizing device 201 of the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress the water from the water storage portion 210 from being exposed to the air in the water receiving portion 211. In addition, even when water leakage of an amount equal to or greater than the amount that can be held by the water receiving portion 211 occurs during an abnormal state, water that has flowed into the water receiving portion 211 can be continuously discharged. That is, the liquid atomizing device 201 can be provided with a drainage mechanism that can prevent water from overflowing from the water receiving portion 211 even when the device is used for a long time.

(2) The second opening end 230b of the internal drain pipe 230 is positioned between the second drain port 231 of the water receiving portion 211 and the drain connection port 233a of the drain connection portion 233. This can prevent water from the water storage section 210 discharged from the second opening end 230b from flowing back into the water receiving section 211 through the second water discharge port 231. Therefore, the water from the water storage unit 210 in the water receiving unit 211 can be further prevented from being exposed to the air.

(3) By providing water receiving portion 211 with inclined surface 211b having a descending gradient toward second water discharge port 231, water that has flowed into water receiving portion 211 during an abnormal state can be reliably discharged from a region other than inner water discharge pipe 230 of second water discharge port 231. Therefore, the water from the water storage unit 210 in the water receiving unit 211 can be reliably prevented from being exposed to the air.

(4) Second opening end 230b of inner drain pipe 230 is inserted through second drain port 231. Accordingly, compared to the case where an external drain pipe for discharging water from water storage unit 210 and an external drain pipe for discharging water that flows into water receiving unit 211 when an abnormality occurs in the apparatus and water leaks are provided separately, the number of connections to the external drain pipe can be reduced, and accordingly, cost reduction and space saving can be achieved.

Next, a heat exchange ventilator provided with the liquid atomizing device of embodiment 2 will be described with reference to fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a schematic perspective view of a heat exchange ventilator 260 including the liquid atomizing device according to embodiment 2.

As shown in fig. 13, the heat exchange ventilator 260 includes a liquid atomizing device 250, an indoor suction port 261 and an air supply port 264 provided in the interior of the building, an exhaust port 262 and an outside air suction port 263 provided outdoors of the building, and a heat exchange element 265 provided in the main body. The liquid atomizing apparatus 250 corresponds to the liquid atomizing apparatus 201 of embodiment 2.

The indoor suction port 261 sucks in indoor air and discharges the sucked air to the outside of the room through the exhaust port 262. The outdoor air intake port 263 takes in outdoor air, and supplies the taken-in outdoor air into the room through the air supply port 264. At this time, heat is exchanged between the air sent from the indoor suction port 261 to the exhaust port 262 and the outside air sent from the outside air suction port 263 to the air supply port 264 by the heat exchange element 265.

As one of the functions of the heat exchange ventilator, a device for vaporizing a liquid, such as a water vaporizer for humidification or a hypochlorous acid vaporizer for sterilization and deodorization, is incorporated. As the means for vaporizing the liquid, the heat exchange ventilator 260 incorporates the liquid atomizing device 250. Specifically, the liquid atomizing device 250 is provided on the air supply port 264 side of the heat exchange ventilator 260 via a connection duct 266. The supply and discharge of water to and from the liquid atomizing device 250 are performed by the water supply and discharge pipe 251.

The heat-exchange ventilator 260 including the liquid atomizing device 250 includes water or hypochlorous acid atomized by the liquid atomizing device 250 for the outside air subjected to heat exchange by the heat-exchange element 265, and supplies the air into the room through the air supply port 264. By using the liquid atomizing device 250 as a mechanism for vaporizing these liquids, a heat exchange ventilator 260 that is smaller and has excellent energy efficiency can be obtained.

In addition, when moisture discharged to the outside during ventilation is recovered to the air supplied to the room and the moisture cannot be completely recovered by the heat exchange element 265 (corresponding to a humidity recovery unit), the moisture can be replenished or further added when passing through the liquid atomizing device 250, and therefore the room can be humidified and maintained within a comfortable humidity range.

Here, the liquid atomizing device 250 may be provided in an air cleaner or an air conditioner instead of the heat exchange ventilator 260. As one of the functions of an air cleaner and an air conditioner, a device for vaporizing a liquid, such as a water vaporizer for humidification or a hypochlorous acid vaporizer for sterilization and deodorization, is incorporated. By using the liquid atomizing device 250 as this device, a more compact and energy-efficient air cleaner or air conditioner can be obtained.

The present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiments, but it is easily presumed that the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the numerical values listed in the above embodiments are examples, and it is needless to say that other numerical values can be adopted.

In the liquid atomizing device 201 of the present embodiment, a water level detecting unit for detecting the presence or absence of water in the water supply unit 211 may be provided. Thus, even when an abnormality occurs in the apparatus and water leakage occurs (for example, when a water level detection unit for detecting the maximum water amount in the water storage unit 210 has failed), the water supply to the water storage unit 210 can be stopped as soon as possible.

In the liquid atomizing apparatus 201 of the present embodiment, an overflow pipe may be connected to the internal water discharge pipe 230. Here, the overflow pipe is a mechanism for forcibly discharging water in order to protect the main body of the liquid atomizing device 201 when the water level of the water storage portion 210 becomes equal to or higher than the full water level for some reason.

(embodiment mode 3)

Conventionally, there is a liquid atomizing device that atomizes water and blows out sucked air including the atomized water (for example, patent document 4). Such a liquid atomizing device is provided with a liquid atomizing chamber for atomizing the liquid in an air passage between an air inlet for sucking air and an air outlet for blowing out the sucked air. The liquid atomizing chamber includes a water raising pipe fixed to a rotation shaft of the rotary motor, and the water stored in the water storage portion is raised by the water raising pipe by rotating the water raising pipe by the rotary motor, and the raised water is radiated in a centrifugal direction. The emitted water passes through the porous portion, and the water is made fine. In addition, in the conventional liquid-refining apparatus, the cleaning operation (drying operation) for removing water droplets adhering to the porous portion and the like is performed for a certain period of time after the operation is stopped, thereby suppressing the generation of mold and bacteria.

However, when the drying operation is performed in the conventional liquid-refining apparatus, there is a case where scale components (scales) contained in water droplets adhering to the inside of the porous portion are precipitated inside the porous portion, and therefore there is a concern that: when the drying operation is repeated for a long time, a problem of clogging of the porous portion occurs.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a liquid atomizing device capable of suppressing the occurrence of clogging in a porous portion even when the device is used for a long time.

In order to achieve the object, the liquid atomizing device of the present disclosure is a liquid atomizing device that causes atomized water to be contained in air sucked from a suction port and to be blown out from a blow-out port. The liquid micronizing device comprises: a cylindrical water raising pipe for discharging water raised by rotation in a centrifugal direction; a porous part for making the water discharged from the water raising pipe pass through and thus making the water fine; a water storage part for storing water pumped by the water supply pipe; a chemical liquid supply unit for supplying a chemical liquid for washing the porous portion to the water storage unit; and a control unit for controlling the cleaning operation of the porous portion. The suction inlet is communicated with an air supply device with a humidity recovery part. The control unit stops the air blowing from the air blowing device to supply the chemical liquid from the chemical liquid supply unit to the water storage unit as the cleaning operation of the porous portion, and thereafter performs a first micronizing operation using water containing the chemical liquid.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a liquid atomizing device capable of suppressing the occurrence of clogging at a porous portion even in the case where the device is used for a long time.

More specifically, according to such a configuration, in the first fining operation performed as the porous portion cleaning operation, the porous portion is cleaned with water containing the chemical liquid, and the scale component (scale) deposited on the porous portion can be removed. Therefore, the liquid atomizing device can be provided which can suppress the occurrence of clogging at the porous portion even when the device is used for a long time.

In the liquid-refining device of the present disclosure, the control unit preferably performs, after the first refining operation is completed, the discharge of the water containing the chemical liquid in the water storage unit and the supply of new water to the water storage unit, and then performs the second refining operation using the supplied water. In this way, in the device including the porous portion, the residue component generated from the chemical liquid can be reliably removed.

In the liquid-refining apparatus according to the present disclosure, the control unit preferably performs the third refining operation in a state where the water in the water storage unit is not present after the second refining operation is completed, and then starts the air blowing from the air blowing device. Thus, when the liquid atomizing apparatus is stopped for a long time, the propagation of mold, bacteria, or the like in the apparatus can be suppressed.

Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are merely examples embodying the present disclosure, and do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure. In all the drawings, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. Moreover, the details of the portions not directly related to the present disclosure are omitted from the drawings in order to avoid redundancy.

First, the structure of a liquid atomizing apparatus 301 according to embodiment 3 of the present disclosure will be described with reference to fig. 14 and 15. Fig. 14 is a front perspective view illustrating a liquid atomizing device according to embodiment 3 of the present disclosure. Fig. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an internal structure of a liquid atomizing device according to embodiment 3 of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 14, the liquid atomizing device 301 is configured as a cylindrical container. The liquid atomizing device 301 includes a suction port 302, a discharge port 303, an inner cylinder 304, an outer cylinder 308, a water receiving portion 311, and a chemical liquid supply portion 320.

The suction port 302 is an opening for sucking air into the liquid atomizing device 301, and is provided on a side surface of the liquid atomizing device 301. The suction port 302 has a shape (for example, a cylindrical shape) to which a duct can be connected.

The air outlet 303 is an opening for blowing out the air that has passed through the inside of the liquid atomizing device 301, and is provided on the upper surface of the liquid atomizing device 301. The outlet 303 is formed in a region partitioned by the inner cylinder 304 and the outer cylinder 308 (a region between the inner cylinder 304 and the outer cylinder 308). The air outlet 303 is provided around the inner cylinder 304 in the upper surface portion of the liquid atomizing device 301. The discharge port 303 is provided above the suction port 302. The outlet 303 is shaped to be connectable to a tubular duct.

As shown in fig. 15, the air sucked in from the suction port 302 passes through a liquid atomizing unit 317 described later to become humidified air, and is blown out from the blow-out port 303.

As shown in fig. 15, the inner cylinder 304 is disposed near the center of the inside of the liquid atomizing device 301. The inner cylinder 304 has a vent hole 307 that opens downward in the substantially vertical direction, and is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape.

The outer cylinder 308 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is disposed so as to enclose the inner cylinder 304. A water supply port 312 for supplying water to a water storage portion 310 described later is provided in a side wall of the outer tube 308. Water supply port 312 is provided vertically above the upper surface of water storage unit 310 (the surface of the maximum water level that water storage unit 310 can store: water surface 340).

As shown in fig. 14 and 15, the water receiving portion 311 is provided over the entire bottom surface of the liquid atomizing device 301. This can prevent water from overflowing into a house, a blower 330 described later, and the like, even when water is excessively supplied or a trouble occurs in the drain opening 313 or the like. The shape of water receiving portion 311 is not limited to the shape shown in fig. 14 and the like, as long as it can store water overflowing from water storage portion 310. The liquid atomizing device 301 may not include the water receiving portion 311.

The chemical liquid supply unit 320 will be described later.

Next, the internal structure of the liquid atomizing apparatus 301 will be described.

As shown in fig. 15, the liquid atomizing device 301 includes a suction communicating air passage 305, an inner cylinder air passage 306, an outer cylinder air passage 309, a water reservoir 310, a liquid atomizing unit 317, a water receiving unit 311, and a chemical liquid supply unit 320.

The suction communication air passage 305 is a duct-shaped air passage that communicates the suction port 302 with the inner cylinder 304 (inner cylinder air passage 306), and is configured to allow air sucked from the suction port 302 to reach the inside of the inner cylinder 304 through the suction communication air passage 305.

The inner cylinder air passage 306 is an air passage provided inside the inner cylinder 304, and communicates with an outer cylinder air passage 309 (an air passage indicated by a broken-line arrow in fig. 15) provided outside the inner cylinder 304 via an opening (a vent 307) provided at a lower end of the inner cylinder 304. In the inner cylinder air passage 306, a liquid atomizing portion 317 is disposed in the air passage.

Outer cylinder air passage 309 is an air passage formed between inner cylinder 304 and outer cylinder 308, and communicates with outlet 303.

The water storage portion 310 is provided at the lower portion of the liquid atomizing device 301 (lower portion of the inner cylinder 304), and stores water. The water storage portion 310 is formed in a substantially mortar shape, and the side wall of the water storage portion 310 is connected to and integrated with the lower end of the outer cylinder 308. The general mortar shape specifically includes a circular bottom surface and an inverted conical sidewall connected to the bottom surface. The water storage unit 310 has the following structure: water is supplied from a water supply port 312 provided in the side wall of the outer tube 308, and is discharged from a water discharge port 313 provided in the bottom surface of the water storage portion 310.

The water supply port 312 is provided on a side wall of the outer cylinder 308, and is connected to an external water supply pipe (not shown) via a water supply pipe 318. The water supply pipe 318 is provided with an opening/closing unit (a water supply valve 318a (see fig. 17)) such as an electromagnetic valve in the middle of the water supply pipe 318. The water supply pipe 318 is connected to a water supply facility such as a water supply line or a water supply pump of a house or facility through a water supply valve 318 a.

The drain port 313 is provided at the lowest position of the bottom surface of the water storage portion 310, and is connected to an external drain pipe (not shown) via a drain pipe 319. Further, in the drain pipe 319, an opening/closing unit such as an electromagnetic valve (drain valve 319a (see fig. 17)) is provided in the middle of the drain pipe 319. The drain pipe 319 is connected to a drain device such as an external drain port provided in a house or facility, for example, via the drain valve 319 a.

The liquid atomizing unit 317 is a main part of the liquid atomizing device 301, and is a place where water is atomized. Specifically, the liquid atomizing unit 317 includes a water-raising pipe (dip pipe) 314, a porous portion 315, and a motor 316. The liquid atomizing unit 317 is provided inside the inner cylinder 304, that is, at a position covered with the inner cylinder 304.

The water raising pipe 314 is formed in a hollow truncated cone shape, and has a tip (water raising port 314a) of a smaller diameter side of the truncated cone below in the vertical direction. The water raising pipe 314 is provided such that the water raising port 314a is positioned below the water surface 340 of the water stored in the water storage portion 310, and draws water from the water storage portion 310 through the water raising port 314a in accordance with the rotation of the rotating shaft interlocked with the motor 316. On the other hand, the water raising pipe 314 is provided with a plurality of openings (not shown) in the side wall of the truncated cone having a larger diameter, so that the drawn water is discharged in the centrifugal direction through the openings. That is, the water raising pipe 314 is configured to supply water raised from the water storage portion 310 to the porous portion 315.

The porous portion 315 is located at a position spaced apart from the outer circumference of the lift pipe 314 by a predetermined distance on the side where the diameter of the lift pipe 314 is large, and is configured to have a cylindrical porous body that rotates together with the lift pipe 314 and a metal mesh that is disposed over the entire circumference of the porous body. The porous portion 315 discharges the water drawn by the water raising pipe 314 in the direction of the rotating surface. At this time, in the porous portion 315, the water is refined in the process of flowing through the inside of the porous portion 315.

The motor 316 rotates the lift pipe 314 and the porous portion 315 about the rotation axis.

Water receiving portion 311 is provided over the entire bottom surface of liquid atomizing device 301 vertically below water storage portion 310. As described above, when the apparatus is abnormal and water leaks, the water receiving portion 311 can temporarily store water leaking from the apparatus.

The chemical liquid supply portion 320 supplies the chemical liquid for washing the porous portion 315 to the water storage portion 310. As the chemical liquid, for example, an acidic detergent or a citric acid solution is preferable. By using such a chemical solution, the deposited scale component (scale) can be dissolved and removed. The chemical liquid supply unit 320 is located on the side wall of the outer cylinder 308, and is configured to supply a predetermined amount of chemical liquid to the water storage unit 310 in response to a signal from a humidification control unit 321, which will be described later. Specifically, the chemical liquid supply unit 320 includes a container (not shown) for containing the chemical liquid, a delivery pipe (not shown) for discharging the chemical liquid from the container to the outside of the housing, and an opening/closing unit (a delivery valve 320a (see fig. 17)) such as an electromagnetic valve positioned in the middle of the delivery pipe, inside the housing forming the outer contour of the chemical liquid supply unit 320. The chemical liquid supply unit 320 controls the amount of the chemical liquid supplied to the reservoir 310 by opening and closing the lead-out valve 320 a.

The liquid atomizing device 301 further includes a humidification control unit 321 (see fig. 16) on a side surface of the liquid atomizing device 301. The humidification control unit 321 controls the operation of the liquid atomizing device 301, particularly the liquid atomizing unit 317, and controls the humidification operation (for example, the amount of humidification) in the humidification mode. When predetermined conditions are satisfied, the humidification control unit 321 also controls the cleaning operation in the chemical liquid cleaning mode of the liquid atomizing apparatus 301. Here, the humidification mode is a mode in which the sucked air contains the micronized water. The chemical cleaning mode is a mode for removing scale components in the device (particularly, the porous portion 315). The liquid atomizing apparatus 301 may be configured not to include the humidification control unit 321, and the humidification operation and the cleaning operation may be controlled by a control unit 330a (see fig. 17) that controls the air blower 330.

Next, the air blower 330 connected to the liquid atomizing apparatus 301 will be described with reference to fig. 16. Fig. 16 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the liquid atomizing device according to embodiment 3 of the present disclosure is connected to the air blowing device.

As shown in fig. 16, the air blower 330 is disposed upstream of the liquid atomizing device 301, and is configured to convey the outside air (air whose humidity has been recovered by the humidity recovery unit 332) sucked in from the outside air suction port 333 to the suction port 302 of the liquid atomizing device 301 through a duct 338.

Specifically, the blower 330 has a box-shaped main body casing 331, and is used in a state of being placed on a floor, for example. An external air suction port 333, an air supply port 334, an indoor air suction port 335, and an exhaust port (not shown) are provided on the top surface of the main body case 331 (the surface on which the liquid atomizing device 301 is mounted). The main body case 331 includes a humidity recovery unit 332, a blower 336, and an air supply duct 337 therein.

The outside air intake 333 is an intake for taking air (outside air) outside the building into the blower 330. Specifically, the outside air suction port 333 is connected to an outdoor air supply port for sucking outside air through a duct (not shown) extending to the outer wall surface of the building so as to communicate with the duct.

The air supply port 334 is a discharge port for supplying outside air from the air blower 330 to the suction port 302 of the liquid atomizing device 301. Specifically, air supply port 334 is connected to suction port 302 of liquid atomizing device 301 so as to communicate therewith via duct 338. The duct 338 is provided with a backflow prevention damper (not shown) that prevents the air containing the refined water from flowing backward from the liquid refining device 301 to the air blower 330 side through the suction port 302 in the cleaning operation in the chemical cleaning mode, which will be described later.

Indoor air intake port 335 is a port through which air (inside air) in the building is taken into blower device 330. Specifically, the indoor air suction port 335 is connected to an indoor exhaust port through a duct (not shown) extending to the ceiling surface or the wall surface of each space in the building so as to communicate with the indoor exhaust port.

The exhaust port is a discharge port for sending the internal air from the blower 330 to the outside. Specifically, the exhaust port is connected to an outdoor exhaust port for blowing out the internal air, through a duct (not shown) extending to the outer wall surface of the building, so as to communicate with the outdoor exhaust port.

The humidity recovery portion 332 is provided on the downstream side of the blower 336. The humidity recovery unit 332 has a humidity recovery (humidity exchange) function of recovering (exchanging) the humidity of the air sucked by the blower 336 and passing through the inside of the blower device 330 (particularly, the supply air passage 337). The humidity recovery unit 332 is, for example, a heat exchanger of a desiccant type or a heat pump type.

The supply air passage 337 is an air passage for sucking fresh outdoor air (outside air) from the outside air suction port 333 and supplying the fresh outdoor air to the inside of the room through the air supply port 334 via the liquid atomizing device 301 by the humidity recovery unit 332.

The blower 336 is a device for sending the outside air from the outside air suction port 333 to the air supply port 334. Examples of the blower 336 include a cross flow fan (cross flow fan) and a blower (blower fan).

The air blower 330 also has a control unit 330a (see fig. 17) that controls the air blowing operation of the air blower 330. The control unit 330a controls the operation of the blower 336 or the operation of the humidity recovery unit 332 as the control of the blowing operation. The control unit 330a of the air blower 330 is electrically connected to the humidification control unit 321 of the liquid atomizing device 301, and can receive a control signal from the humidification control unit 321 to control the air blower 330 to operate in conjunction with the liquid atomizing device 301.

The liquid atomizing device 301 is provided on the top surface of the air blowing device 330 configured as described above via the support base 339. Further, a water supply pipe 318 (see fig. 14) and a water discharge pipe 319 (see fig. 14) of the liquid atomizing device 301 are connected to external water supply and discharge pipes (not shown), respectively. This makes it possible to provide a ventilation device with a humidifying function, which is composed of the blower 330 and the liquid atomizing device 301.

Next, the humidification control unit 321 of the liquid atomizing apparatus 301 will be described with reference to fig. 17. Fig. 17 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a humidification control unit of the liquid atomizing device according to embodiment 3 of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 17, the humidification control unit 321 includes an input unit 321a, a storage unit 321b, a timer unit 321c, a processing unit 321d, and an output unit 321 e.

The input unit 321a receives first information on an operation start instruction or an operation stop instruction from the operation panel 322, second information on the temperature and humidity of the indoor air from the temperature/humidity sensor 323, and third information on the temperature of the outdoor air from the temperature sensor 324. The input unit 321a outputs the received first to third information to the processing unit 321 d.

Here, the operation panel 322 is a terminal through which a user inputs user setting information (for example, air volume, humidification amount, and outlet air temperature) relating to the liquid atomizing device 301 and the air blower 330, and is connected to the humidification control unit 321 by wireless or wired communication. The temperature/humidity sensor 323 senses the temperature and humidity of the room air that has just been taken in through the room air intake port 335. The temperature sensor 324 senses the temperature of the outdoor air that has just been taken in through the outdoor air inlet 333.

The storage unit 321b stores fourth information related to humidification setting in the humidification mode, fifth information related to chemical cleaning setting in the chemical cleaning mode, and sixth information such as user setting information. The storage unit 321b outputs the stored fourth to sixth information to the processing unit 321 d.

The timer 321c outputs the seventh information related to the current time to the processor 321 d.

The processing unit 321d receives the first to third information from the input unit 321a, the fourth to sixth information from the storage unit 321b, and the seventh information from the timer unit 321 c. The processing unit 321d specifies control information relating to the humidification operation in the humidification mode and the chemical cleaning operation in the chemical cleaning mode, using the received first to seventh information. The processing unit 321d outputs the determined setting information to the output unit 321 e.

The output unit 321e receives control information from the processing unit 321 d. The output portion 321e is electrically connected to the blower 330 (control portion 330a), the chemical liquid supply portion 320 (lead-out valve 320a), the liquid atomizing portion 317, the water supply valve 318a of the water supply pipe 318, and the drain valve 319a of the drain pipe 319. Then, the output unit 321e outputs signals (control signals) for controlling the air blowing operation of the air blowing device 330, the pulverizing operation of the liquid pulverizing section 317 (first pulverizing operation to third pulverizing operation to be described later), the opening and closing operation of the water supply valve 318a, the opening and closing operation of the drain valve 319a, and the discharge operation of the chemical liquid supply section 320, based on the received control information.

Then, each device (the blower 330, the chemical liquid supply unit 320, the liquid atomizing unit 317, the water supply valve 318a, the drain valve 319a, and the lead-out valve 320a) receives a signal from the output unit 321e, and performs control based on the received signal.

As described above, the humidification control unit 321 controls the humidification operation in the humidification mode and controls the chemical cleaning operation in the chemical cleaning mode.

Next, a humidifying operation in the humidifying mode of the liquid atomizing apparatus 301 will be described with reference to fig. 15. The following processing is executed when a control signal relating to the humidification operation is input from the humidification control unit 321, but the liquid atomizing device 301 will be described as a case where the air blowing device 330 executes the air blowing operation based on the control signal from the humidification control unit 321.

In the liquid atomizing apparatus 301, water is first supplied from the water supply port 312 to the water storage portion 310 by a water supply device (not shown), and the water is stored in the water storage portion 310. Then, the air sucked into liquid atomizing device 301 from suction port 302 (air sent from blower 330) passes through suction communicating air passage 305, inner cylinder air passage 306, liquid atomizing unit 317, and outer cylinder air passage 309 in order, and is blown out from discharge port 303 to the outside (for example, the inside). At this time, the water droplets generated by the liquid atomizing part 317 contact the air passing through the inner cylinder air passage 306, and the air can be humidified by vaporizing the water droplets. After a predetermined time has elapsed, the water stored in the water storage unit 310 is discharged from the water discharge port 313 to the outside of the apparatus through the water discharge pipe 319.

This will be explained in more detail.

As shown in fig. 15, the air taken into the inner cylinder of the inner cylinder air passage 306 from the suction port 302 through the suction communicating air passage 305 passes through the liquid atomizing area 317. When the water raising pipe 314 and the porous portion 315 are rotated by the operation of the motor 316, the water stored in the water storage portion 310 is raised along the inner wall surface of the water raising pipe 314 by the rotation. The water after the rise is refined by the inside of the porous portion 315, and is discharged as fine water droplets toward the rotation plane from the outer peripheral surface of the porous portion 315. The released water droplets collide with the inner wall surface of the inner cylinder 304 and are broken into finer water droplets. The water droplets discharged from the porous portion 315 and the water droplets crushed by colliding with the inner wall surface of the inner tube 304 contact the air passing through the inner tube 304, and the water droplets are vaporized to humidify the air. Although a part of the generated water droplets is not vaporized, the liquid atomizing area 317 is disposed so as to be covered with the inner tube 304, and therefore the non-vaporized water droplets adhere to the inner surface of the inner tube 304 and fall toward the water storage area 310.

Then, the air containing the water droplets (humidified air) is blown out toward the water storage portion 310 provided below from the vent hole 307 provided at the lower end of the inner tube 304. Then, the air flows toward an outer cylinder air passage 309 formed between the inner cylinder 304 and the outer cylinder 308. Here, since the air passing through the outer cylinder air passage 309 is transported upward in the vertical direction, the air flowing downward in the inner cylinder air passage 306 is directed opposite to the blowing direction.

At this time, the water droplets blown out from the air vent 307 together with the air cannot follow the flow of the air due to their inertia, and adhere to the water surface 340 of the water storage portion 310 or the inner wall surface of the outer tube 308. In this action, the larger the weight of the water droplets, that is, the larger the diameter of the water droplets that are difficult to vaporize, the larger the action, whereby the water droplets having large sizes can be separated from the flowing air.

Then, the air flowing from the inner cylinder air passage 306 into the outer cylinder air passage 309 through the vent 307 flows upward through the outer cylinder air passage 309. Then, the air is blown out from the air outlet 303. At this time, a part of the water droplets falls down toward the water reservoir 310 by gravity or adheres to the outer wall of the inner tube 304 or the inner wall of the outer tube 308. Then, the water droplets adhering to the outer wall of the inner tube 304 and the inner wall of the outer tube 308 fall down along the outer wall surface of the inner tube 304 and the inner wall surface of the outer tube 308 toward the water storage portion 310.

As described above, the liquid atomizing device 301 can humidify the sucked air by the liquid atomizing unit 317. The liquid atomizing device 301 continuously performs the humidification operation (the water atomizing operation) by the liquid atomizing unit 317 for a predetermined period based on a control signal for the humidification operation from the humidification control unit 321.

On the other hand, the liquid atomizing device 301 of the present embodiment performs the cleaning operation in the chemical cleaning mode in order to remove the scale component deposited in the porous portion 315 of the liquid atomizing portion 317. Specifically, as the cleaning operation of the porous portion 315, the liquid atomizing device 301 stops the air blowing from the air blowing device 330, supplies the chemical liquid from the chemical liquid supply portion 320 to the water storage portion 310, and then performs the atomizing operation on the water containing the chemical liquid. As the air blowing from blower 330 stops, the backflow prevention damper is switched from the open state (the state in which suction port 302 and air supply port 334 communicate with each other) to the closed state (the state in which suction port 302 and air supply port 334 are blocked).

The cleaning operation in the chemical cleaning mode of the liquid atomizing apparatus 301 will be described in more detail with reference to fig. 18. Fig. 18 is a flowchart showing processing steps performed by the liquid atomizing apparatus of embodiment 3 of the present disclosure.

Here, the chemical cleaning mode is executed when a predetermined condition is satisfied. Specifically, the chemical cleaning mode is executed in the following cases: (a) instruction information on the start of operation of the liquid atomizing apparatus 301 is input as the first information, or (b) a condition for switching the chemical cleaning mode to the liquid atomizing apparatus 301 included in the fifth information is satisfied. The condition for switching to the chemical cleaning mode in (b) is, for example, a regular timing (for example, once every 24 hours). When the humidification control unit 321 is connected to a sensor for detecting the presence of a person, the chemical cleaning mode may not be executed for a predetermined period (for example, 24 hours or more), and the switching condition to the chemical cleaning mode may be set as a timing when no person is present indoors.

As shown in fig. 18, when the chemical cleaning mode is started, humidification control unit 321 stops blowing from blower 330, and performs stopping of water supply to water storage unit 310 and stopping of water discharge from water storage unit 310 (step S311). Here, the stop of the air blowing from the air blowing device 330 is completed by stopping the operation of the air blower 336. The water supply stop is completed by closing the water supply valve 318a, and the water discharge stop is completed by closing the water discharge valve 319 a. Next, the humidification control unit 321 opens the lead-out valve 320a of the chemical liquid supply unit 320, and a predetermined amount of the chemical liquid is introduced from the chemical liquid supply unit 320 into the reservoir 310 (step S312). Thus, the water in the water storage portion 310 is in a state of being added with the chemical liquid.

Next, the humidification control unit 321 operates the liquid atomizing unit 317 to start the chemical cleaning (step S313). When the predetermined time T1 has elapsed since the chemical cleaning was started (yes in step S314), the humidification control unit 321 stops the liquid refinement portion 317 and ends the chemical cleaning (step S315). If the predetermined time T1 has not elapsed since the chemical cleaning was started (no in step S314), the chemical cleaning is continued (return to step S314). Here, a series of operations from step S313 to step S315 is the first fining operation performed by the liquid finer 317. In the first atomizing operation, water containing the chemical solution flows through the inside of the apparatus, and the inside of the apparatus (particularly, the porous portion 315 of the liquid atomizing portion 317) is cleaned (the precipitated scale component is removed).

When the chemical solution washing is completed, the humidification control unit 321 opens the drain valve 319a to discharge the water (water containing the chemical solution) in the water storage unit 310 to the outside through the drain port 313 (step S316). When the water discharge is completed, the humidification control unit 321 closes the water discharge valve 319a and opens the water supply valve 318a to supply new water to the reservoir unit 310 (step S317).

When the water supply to the water storage part 310 is completed, the humidification control part 321 operates the liquid atomizing part 317 to start the water washing (step S318). When a predetermined time T2 has elapsed since the start of water washing (yes in step S319), the humidification control unit 321 stops the liquid atomizing unit 317 and ends water washing (step S320). If the predetermined time T2 has not elapsed since the start of the water washing (no in step S319), the water washing is continued (return to step S319). Here, a series of operations from step S318 to step S320 is a second fining operation performed by the liquid finer 317. In the second atomizing operation, new water flows through the apparatus, and the inside of the apparatus including the liquid atomizing unit 317 is cleaned (the residue component generated by the chemical liquid is removed).

When the water washing is completed, the humidification control unit 321 opens the drain valve 319a to discharge the water (water after water washing) in the water storage unit 310 to the outside through the drain port 313 (step S321). When the water discharge is completed, the humidification control unit 321 closes the water discharge valve 319a and opens the water supply valve 318a to supply new water to the reservoir unit 310 (step S322).

After the above-described processing steps, the chemical cleaning mode is ended, and the humidification control unit 321 returns to the humidification operation in the humidification mode.

As described above, according to the liquid atomizing apparatus 301 of embodiment 3, the following effects can be enjoyed.

(1) As the cleaning operation of the porous portion 315, the humidification control portion 321 stops the blowing of the air from the blower 330, supplies the chemical liquid from the chemical liquid supply portion 320 to the water storage portion 310, and thereafter, performs a first fining operation (a series of operations from step S313 to step S315 by the liquid fining portion 317) using water containing the chemical liquid for the liquid fining portion 317. In this way, in the first fining operation performed as the cleaning operation of the porous portion 315, the porous portion 315 is cleaned with water containing the chemical solution, and the scale component (scale) deposited on the porous portion 315 can be removed. Therefore, the liquid atomizing device 301 can be provided which can suppress the occurrence of clogging at the porous portion even when the device is used for a long time.

(2) After the first micronization operation using water containing a chemical solution is completed, humidification controller 321 discharges water containing a chemical solution in water storage 310 and supplies fresh water to water storage 310, and then performs a second micronization operation using the supplied fresh water for liquid micronization 317 (a series of operations from step S318 to step S320 performed by liquid micronization 317). Thus, in the device including the porous portion 315, the residue component generated from the chemical liquid can be reliably removed.

(3) The air blowing device 330 is provided upstream of the liquid atomizing device 301 with respect to the flow of air passing through the liquid atomizing device 301 and the air blowing device 330. In other words, the liquid atomizing device 301 is disposed downstream of the air blowing device 330. At this time, the air whose humidity has been recovered by the humidity recovery unit 332 flows into the liquid atomizing device 301, and therefore, the humidity control can be performed more appropriately. Further, by performing humidity control at two locations, i.e., the humidity recovery unit 332 and the liquid atomizing device 301, a sufficient amount of humidification can be ensured even when a heater or the like is not provided in the humidity recovery unit 332 or the liquid atomizing device 301. In addition, since a heater for ensuring the amount of humidification is not required, energy saving can be achieved.

(modification example)

The processing procedure in the chemical cleaning mode in the modification of embodiment 3 is different from the processing procedure in the chemical cleaning mode in embodiment 3 in that the drying mode (the processing related to the drying operation) is executed after the water storage portion 310 is drained in step S321. In the chemical cleaning mode, the processing steps up to step S321 are the same as those in embodiment 3. Hereinafter, the descriptions of the contents described in embodiment 3 will be omitted as appropriate, and the differences from embodiment 3 will be mainly described.

An additional processing procedure in the chemical cleaning mode in the modification of embodiment 3 will be described with reference to fig. 19. Fig. 19 is a flowchart showing another processing procedure performed by the liquid atomizing device in the modification of embodiment 3 of the present disclosure.

Here, the chemical cleaning mode in the modification is executed in the following case: (c) as the first information, instruction information on the stop of the operation of the liquid atomizing device 301 is input to the humidification control unit 321.

When the chemical cleaning mode is started, as shown in fig. 18, the humidification control unit 321 executes the processing up to step S321 (water discharge processing of the water storage unit 310). Then, the humidification control unit 321 executes a drying mode (processing related to the drying operation).

Specifically, after the water discharge from the water storage portion 310 is completed, the air blower 336 is operated to start the air blowing from the air blowing device 330 (step S323). This causes air to flow through the liquid atomizing device 301 (liquid atomizing unit 317).

Next, the humidification controller 321 operates the liquid atomizing unit 317 to start the drying operation (atomizing operation in a state where water is not present in the water storage unit 310) (step S324). When a predetermined time T3 has elapsed since the start of the drying operation (yes in step S325), the humidification control unit 321 stops the liquid refinement portion 317 to end the drying operation (step S326). If the predetermined time T3 has not elapsed since the start of the drying operation (no in step S325), the drying operation is continued (return to step S325). Here, a series of operations from step S324 to step S326 is the third atomizing operation performed by the liquid atomizing unit 317. In the third atomizing operation, drying (moisture removal) in the apparatus including the liquid atomizing portion 317 is completed.

After the above-described processing steps, the chemical cleaning mode is ended, and the humidification control unit 321 stops the operation of the liquid atomizing device 301. Thus, the liquid atomizing apparatus 301 is in a state of waiting for an operation start instruction from the operation panel 322.

As described above, according to the liquid atomizing apparatus 301 according to the modification of embodiment 3, the following effects can be enjoyed.

(4) After the second micronization operation is completed, the humidification control unit 321 discharges water in the water reservoir 310, and then, in a state where no water is present in the water reservoir 310, the humidification control unit executes the third micronization operation (a series of operations from step S324 to step S326 by the liquid micronization unit 317) and starts air blowing from the air blower 330. In this way, when the liquid atomizing apparatus 301 is stopped for a long time, the propagation of mold, bacteria, or the like in the apparatus can be suppressed.

The present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiments, but it is easily presumed that the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the numerical values listed in the above embodiments are examples, and it is needless to say that other numerical values can be adopted.

In the blower 330 connected to the liquid atomizing apparatus 301 of the present embodiment, the humidity recovery unit 332 may be configured to have a function of recovering (exchanging) not only humidity but also temperature. Specifically, the humidity recovery unit 332 is a total heat exchange element, and an exhaust air blower is provided inside the main body case 331, thereby constituting an exhaust air passage. The exhaust air passage is an air passage through which the indoor air is sucked from the indoor air inlet 335 by the exhaust blower and is discharged to the outside from the exhaust port through the humidity recovery unit 332. At this time, the humidity recovery unit 332 is disposed at a position where the exhaust air passage and the supply air passage 337 intersect. The humidity recovery unit 332 exchanges heat and humidity between the air passing through the exhaust air passage and the air passing through the supply air passage 337. This enables more comfortable air supply into the room.

In the air blowing device 330 connected to the liquid atomizing apparatus 301 of the present embodiment, the air whose humidity has been recovered by the humidity recovery unit 332 may be supplied to the room so as not to flow through the liquid atomizing apparatus 301, bypassing the liquid atomizing apparatus 301. Thus, in the case where only the air blowing device 330 is operated without operating the liquid atomizing device 301, the air whose humidity has been recovered can be efficiently supplied to the room. In addition, since an increase in pressure loss due to the liquid atomizing device 301 is suppressed, operation with energy saving can be realized all year round.

In embodiment 3, the operation of the blower 336 is stopped to stop the blowing of the air from the blower 330, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, the air blowing to the liquid atomizing device 301 may be omitted by switching to the bypass described above. Thus, the chemical solution cleaning operation in the chemical solution cleaning mode can be performed in an independent state while air supply into the chamber is performed.

In the modification of embodiment 3, a heater for heating the air sent from the air blower 330 may be provided in the air supply duct 337, and the heated air may be sent in the drying mode (the process related to the drying operation). This makes it possible to reliably remove moisture from the inside of the device and dry the device. Therefore, the effect of (4) above can be clearly enjoyed.

(embodiment mode 4)

Conventionally, there is a liquid atomizing device that atomizes water and blows out air taken in while containing the atomized water (for example, patent document 4). Such a liquid atomizing device is provided with a liquid atomizing chamber for atomizing the liquid in an air passage between an air inlet for sucking air and an air outlet for blowing out the sucked air. The liquid atomizing chamber includes a water raising pipe fixed to a rotation shaft of the rotary motor, and the water stored in the water storage portion is raised by the water raising pipe by rotating the water raising pipe by the rotary motor, and the raised water is radiated in a centrifugal direction. The emitted water passes through the porous portion, and the water is made fine. In addition, in the conventional liquid-refining apparatus, the cleaning operation (drying operation) for removing water droplets adhering to the porous portion and the like is performed for a certain period of time after the operation is stopped, thereby suppressing the generation of mold and bacteria.

However, in the conventional liquid-refining apparatus, if left for a long time after the operation is stopped, dust and the like accumulate in the air passage in the apparatus, and therefore, if the water-refining operation is started as it is, there is a concern that: dust and the like accumulated in the air passage enter the porous portion by pumping up water, and a problem of clogging of the porous portion occurs.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a liquid atomizing device capable of suppressing the occurrence of clogging in a porous portion when the operation of the device is started.

In order to achieve the object, the liquid atomizing device of the present disclosure is a liquid atomizing device that causes atomized water to be contained in air sucked from a suction port and to be blown out from a blow-out port. The liquid micronizing device comprises: a cylindrical water pumping pipe having a water pumping port below the vertical direction and discharging water pumped from the water pumping port in a centrifugal direction in accordance with the rotation of the rotary shaft; a porous part for making the water discharged from the water raising pipe pass through and thus making the water fine; a water storage part which is arranged below the vertical direction of the water raising pipe and stores water raised by the water raising port; and a control unit for controlling the water atomizing operation including the operation of rotating the water raising pipe. In addition, the suction port is communicated with an air supply device with a humidity recovery part. The control unit executes a first process of: when the water in the water storage part is discharged for the first period, the water is stored in the water storage part, the micronizing operation is performed in a state that the air supply from the air supply device is stopped, and then the water in the water storage part is discharged.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a liquid atomizing device capable of suppressing the occurrence of clogging at a porous portion when the operation of the device is started.

More specifically, according to such a configuration, when the state in which the water in the water storage portion is discharged continues for the first period, the first process is executed, whereby the dust attached to the inside of the apparatus can be removed while being contained in the water storage portion. Therefore, when the water-refining operation is started, the dust attached to the inside of the device can be reduced from entering the porous portion through the water-raising pipe. That is, the liquid atomizing device can be configured to suppress the occurrence of clogging in the porous portion when the operation of the device is started.

In the liquid fine apparatus of the present disclosure, the control unit preferably executes, before the first process, a second process of: the water is stored in the water storage part, air is blown from the air blowing device in a state that the micronization operation is stopped, and then the water in the water storage part is discharged. Thus, before the water is passed to the liquid atomizing device (particularly, the porous portion), the dust in the device can be blown into the water in the water storage portion and removed. Therefore, the entry of dust into the porous portion at the time of the first process performed later is suppressed, and the clogging of the porous portion due to the entry of dust into the porous portion can be more reliably reduced at the start of the water-refining operation.

In the liquid fine apparatus according to the present disclosure, the control unit may execute, after the first process is completed, a third process of: the air is blown from the air blowing device, and the micronizing operation is performed in a state that the water storage part is not filled with water. In this way, when the liquid atomizing apparatus is maintained in a stopped state for a long time immediately after the first treatment is completed, the propagation of mold, bacteria, and the like in the apparatus can be suppressed.

In the liquid fine apparatus of the present disclosure, the control unit may perform the following humidification processing: the water storage unit stores water, performs air blowing from the air blowing device, performs a micronizing operation in a state where water is stored in the water storage unit, and the control unit performs replacement of water in the water storage unit when humidification continues for a second period. In this way, the water in the water storage portion can be replaced, and the dust and the like accumulated in the water storage portion by continuing the humidification treatment for the second period can be removed. Therefore, the clogging of the porous portion due to the entry of dust and the like can be further reduced.

Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are merely examples embodying the present disclosure, and do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure. In all the drawings, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. Moreover, the details of the portions not directly related to the present disclosure are omitted from the drawings in order to avoid redundancy.

First, the structure of a liquid atomizing apparatus 401 according to embodiment 4 of the present disclosure will be described with reference to fig. 20 and 21. Fig. 20 is a front perspective view illustrating a liquid atomizing device according to embodiment 4 of the present disclosure. Fig. 21 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an internal structure of a liquid atomizing device according to embodiment 4 of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 20, the liquid atomizing device 401 is configured as a cylindrical container. The liquid atomizing device 401 includes a suction port 402, a discharge port 403, an inner cylinder 404, an outer cylinder 408, and a water receiving portion 411.

The suction port 402 is an opening for sucking air into the liquid atomizing device 401, and is provided on a side surface of the liquid atomizing device 401. The suction port 402 has a shape (for example, a cylindrical shape) to which a duct can be connected.

The air outlet 403 is an opening for blowing out the air that has passed through the inside of the liquid atomizing device 401, and is provided on the upper surface of the liquid atomizing device 401. The air outlet 403 is formed in a region partitioned by the inner cylinder 404 and the outer cylinder 408 (a region between the inner cylinder 404 and the outer cylinder 408). The air outlet 403 is provided around the inner cylinder 404 in the upper surface portion of the liquid atomizing device 401. The discharge port 403 is provided above the suction port 402. The outlet 403 has a shape capable of connecting a tubular duct.

As shown in fig. 21, the air sucked in from the suction port 402 passes through a liquid atomizing area 417 described later to become humidified air, and is blown out from the blow-out port 403.

As shown in fig. 21, the inner cylinder 404 is disposed near the center of the interior of the liquid atomizing device 401. The inner cylinder 404 has a vent 407 that opens downward in a substantially vertical direction, and is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape.

The outer cylinder 408 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is disposed so as to enclose the inner cylinder 404. A water supply port 412 for supplying water to a water storage portion 410 described later is provided in a side wall of the outer tube 408. Water supply port 412 is provided vertically above the upper surface of water storage unit 410 (the surface of the maximum water level that water storage unit 410 can store: water surface 440).

As shown in fig. 20 and 21, the water receiving portion 411 is provided over the entire bottom surface of the liquid atomizing device 401. This can prevent water from overflowing into a house or an air blower 430 described later even when water is excessively supplied or a trouble occurs in the drain port 413 or the like. The shape of water receiving portion 411 is not limited to the shape shown in fig. 20 and the like, as long as it can store water overflowing from water storage portion 410. The liquid atomizing device 401 may not include the water receiving portion 411.

Next, the internal structure of the liquid atomizing device 401 will be described.

As shown in fig. 21, liquid atomizing device 401 includes suction communication air passage 405, inner cylinder air passage 406, outer cylinder air passage 409, water reservoir 410, liquid atomizing portion 417, and water receiving portion 411.

The suction communication air passage 405 is a duct-shaped air passage that communicates the suction port 402 with the inner cylinder 404 (inner cylinder air passage 406), and is configured to allow air sucked from the suction port 402 to reach the inside of the inner cylinder 404 through the suction communication air passage 405.

Inner tube air passage 406 is an air passage provided inside inner tube 404, and communicates with outer tube air passage 409 (an air passage indicated by a broken-line arrow in fig. 21) provided outside inner tube 404 via an opening (vent 407) provided at a lower end of inner tube 404. In the inner cylinder air passage 406, a liquid atomizing portion 417 is disposed in the air passage.

Outer cylinder air passage 409 is an air passage formed between inner cylinder 404 and outer cylinder 408, and communicates with outlet 403.

The water storage portion 410 is provided at the lower portion of the liquid atomizing device 401 (lower portion of the inner cylinder 404), and stores water. Water storage section 410 is formed in a substantially mortar shape, and the side wall of water storage section 410 is connected to and integrated with the lower end of outer cylinder 408. The general mortar shape specifically includes a circular bottom surface and an inverted conical sidewall connected to the bottom surface. Water storage unit 410 has the following structure: water is supplied from a water supply port 412 provided in the side wall of the outer tube 408, and is discharged from a water discharge port 413 provided in the bottom surface of the water storage portion 410.

The water supply port 412 is provided in a side wall of the outer tube 408, and is connected to an external water supply pipe (not shown) via a water supply pipe 418. The water supply pipe 418 is provided with an opening/closing unit such as an electromagnetic valve (a water supply valve 418a (see fig. 23)) in the middle of the water supply pipe 418. The water supply pipe 418 is connected to a water supply device such as a water supply line or a water supply pump of a house or facility through a water supply valve 418 a.

The drain port 413 is provided at the lowest position of the bottom surface of the water storage portion 410, and is connected to an external drain pipe (not shown) via a drain pipe 419. Further, an opening/closing unit such as an electromagnetic valve (a drain valve 419a (see fig. 23)) is provided in the drain pipe 419 at a midpoint of the drain pipe 419. The drain pipe 419 is connected to a drain device such as an external drain port provided in a house or facility, for example, via the drain valve 419 a.

The liquid atomizing unit 417 is a main part of the liquid atomizing apparatus 401, and is a place where water is atomized. Specifically, the liquid atomizing portion 417 includes a water-raising pipe (dip pipe) 414, a porous portion 415, and a motor 416. The liquid atomizing portion 417 is provided inside the inner tube 404, that is, at a position covered with the inner tube 404. The water atomizing operation includes at least an operation of rotating the water raising pipe 414.

The water-raising pipe 414 is formed in a hollow truncated cone shape, and has a tip (water-raising port 414a) of a smaller diameter side of the truncated cone at a lower side in the vertical direction. The water raising pipe 414 is provided such that the water raising port 414a is positioned below the water surface 440 of the water stored in the water storage portion 410, and draws water from the water storage portion 410 through the water raising port 414a in accordance with the rotation of the rotating shaft interlocked with the motor 416. On the other hand, the water raising pipe 414 is provided with a plurality of openings (not shown) in the side wall of the truncated cone having a larger diameter, so that the drawn water is discharged in the centrifugal direction through the openings. That is, the water raising pipe 414 is configured to supply water raised from the water storage portion 410 to the porous portion 415.

The porous portion 415 is located at a position spaced apart from the outer periphery of the draft tube 414 by a predetermined distance on the side where the diameter of the draft tube 414 is large, and is configured to have a cylindrical porous body that rotates together with the draft tube 414 and a metal mesh that is disposed over the entire periphery of the porous body. The porous portion 415 discharges the water drawn by the water raising pipe 414 in the direction of the rotation surface. At this time, in the porous portion 415, the water is made fine while the water flows through the inside of the porous portion 415.

The motor 416 rotates the water raising pipe 414 and the porous portion 415 around the rotation axis.

Water receiving portion 411 is provided over the entire bottom surface of liquid atomizing device 401 vertically below water storage portion 410. As described above, when an abnormality occurs in the apparatus and water leaks, the water receiving portion 411 can temporarily store water leaking from the apparatus.

The liquid atomizing device 401 includes a humidification control unit 421 (see fig. 22) on a side surface of the liquid atomizing device 401. The humidification control unit 421 controls the operation of the liquid atomizing device 401, particularly the operation of the liquid atomizing unit 417, and controls the humidification operation (for example, the amount of humidification) in the humidification process (humidification mode). The humidification control unit 421 controls the drying operation in the drying process (drying mode) performed when the operation of the liquid refinement portion 417 is stopped. The humidification control unit 421 controls the cleaning operation in the cleaning process (cleaning mode) performed when the state in which the water in the water storage unit 410 is discharged continues for a predetermined period (first period). The liquid atomizing device 401 may be configured not to include the humidification control unit 421, and the humidification operation, the drying operation, and the washing operation may be controlled by a control unit 430a (see fig. 23) that controls the blower device 430.

Next, an air blower 430 connected to the liquid atomizing device 401 will be described with reference to fig. 22. Fig. 22 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the liquid atomizing device according to embodiment 4 of the present disclosure is connected to the air blowing device.

As shown in fig. 22, the air blower 430 is disposed upstream of the liquid atomizing device 401, and is configured to send the outside air (air whose humidity has been recovered by the humidity recovery unit 432) sucked in from the outside air suction port 433 to the suction port 402 of the liquid atomizing device 401 through the duct 438.

Specifically, blower 430 has a box-shaped main body casing 431, and is used in a state of being placed on a floor, for example. An external air suction port 433, an air supply port 434, an indoor air suction port 435, and an exhaust port (not shown) are provided on the top surface of the main body case 431 (the surface on which the liquid atomizing device 401 is mounted). The main body case 431 has a humidity recovery portion 432, a blower 436, and an air supply duct 437 therein.

Outside air inlet 433 is an inlet for sucking air (outside air) outside the building into blower 430. Specifically, the outside air suction port 433 is connected to an outdoor air supply port through a duct (not shown) extending to the outer wall surface of the building so as to communicate with the outside air suction port.

The gas supply port 434 is a discharge port for supplying outside air from the blower 430 to the suction port 402 of the liquid atomizing device 401. Specifically, air supply port 434 is connected to suction port 402 of liquid atomizing device 401 so as to communicate with it via pipe 438.

Indoor air intake port 435 is an intake port through which air (inside air) in the building is taken into air blower 430. Specifically, the indoor air suction port 435 is connected to an indoor exhaust port through which the indoor air is sucked, via a duct (not shown) extending to the ceiling surface or the wall surface of each space in the building.

The exhaust port is a discharge port for sending the internal air from the blower 430 to the outside. Specifically, the exhaust port is connected to an outdoor exhaust port for blowing out the internal air, through a duct (not shown) extending to the outer wall surface of the building, so as to communicate with the outdoor exhaust port.

The humidity recovery portion 432 is provided upstream of the blower 436. The humidity recovery unit 432 has a function of humidity recovery (humidity exchange) for recovering (exchanging) the humidity of the air sucked by the blower 436 and passing through the inside of the blower 430 (particularly, the supply air duct 437). The humidity recovery unit 432 is, for example, a heat exchanger of a desiccant type or a heat pump type.

The supply air passage 437 is an air passage for sucking fresh outdoor air (outside air) from the outside air suction port 433 and supplying the fresh outdoor air to the inside through the air supply port 434 and the liquid atomizing device 401 by the humidity recovery portion 432.

Blower 436 is a device for sending outside air from outside air inlet 433 to air inlet 434. Examples of the blower 436 include a cross flow fan (cross flow fan) and a blower (blower fan).

Air blower 430 includes a control unit 430a (see fig. 23) that controls an air blowing operation of air blower 430. As the control of the air blowing operation, the control unit 430a controls the operation of the air blower 436 or the operation of the humidity recovery unit 432. Further, the control unit 430a of the air blower 430 is electrically connected to the humidification control unit 421 of the liquid atomizing device 401, and can receive a control signal from the humidification control unit 421 to control the air blower 430 to operate in conjunction with the liquid atomizing device 401.

The liquid atomizing device 401 is provided on the top surface of the air blower 430 configured as described above via the support base 439. Further, a water supply pipe 418 (see fig. 20) and a water discharge pipe 419 (see fig. 20) of the liquid atomizing device 401 are connected to external water supply and discharge pipes (not shown), respectively. This makes it possible to provide a ventilation device with a humidifying function, which is composed of the blower 430 and the liquid atomizing device 401.

Next, the humidification control unit 421 of the liquid atomizing device 401 will be described with reference to fig. 23. Fig. 23 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a humidification control unit in the liquid micro-milling apparatus according to embodiment 4 of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 23, the humidification control unit 421 includes an input unit 421a, a storage unit 421b, a timer unit 421c, a processing unit 421d, and an output unit 421 e.

The input unit 421a receives first information on an operation start instruction or an operation stop instruction from the operation panel 422, second information on the temperature and humidity of the indoor air from the temperature/humidity sensor 423, and third information on the temperature of the outdoor air from the temperature sensor 424. The input unit 421a outputs the received first to third information to the processing unit 421 d.

Here, the operation panel 422 is a terminal through which a user inputs user input information (for example, air volume, humidification amount, and blowing temperature) relating to the liquid atomizing device 401 and the air blower 430, and is connected to the humidification control unit 421 by wireless or wired communication. The temperature/humidity sensor 423 senses the temperature and humidity of the indoor air that has just been taken in from the indoor air intake port 435. The temperature sensor 424 senses the temperature of the outdoor air just taken in from the outdoor air inlet 433.

The storage unit 421b stores fourth information on the humidification setting in the humidification mode, fifth information on the drying setting in the drying mode, sixth information on the cleaning setting in the cleaning mode, and seventh information on the setting information corresponding to the user input information. The storage unit 421b outputs the stored fourth to seventh information to the processing unit 421 d.

The timer 421c outputs eighth information on the current time to the processor 421 d.

The processing unit 421d receives the first to third information from the input unit 421a, the fourth to seventh information from the storage unit 421b, and the eighth information from the clock unit 421 c. The processing unit 421d specifies control information relating to the humidification operation in the humidification mode, the drying operation in the drying mode, and the cleaning operation in the cleaning mode, using the received first to eighth information. The processing unit 421d outputs the determined control information to the output unit 421 e.

The output unit 421e receives control information from the processing unit 421 d. The output portion 421e is electrically connected to the blower 430 (control portion 430a), the liquid atomizing portion 417, the water supply valve 418a of the water supply pipe 418, and the drain valve 419a of the drain pipe 419. Output unit 421e then outputs signals (control signals) for controlling the air blowing operation of air blower 430, the atomizing operation of liquid atomizing unit 417, the opening/closing operation of water supply valve 418a, and the opening/closing operation of water discharge valve 419a, based on the received control information.

Then, each device (air blower 430, liquid refinement portion 417, water supply valve 418a, and water discharge valve 419a) receives a signal from output portion 421e, and performs control based on the received signal.

As described above, the humidification control unit 421 performs control of the humidification operation in the humidification mode, control of the drying operation in the drying mode, and control of the cleaning operation in the cleaning mode.

Next, a humidifying operation in the humidifying mode of the liquid atomizing apparatus 401 will be described with reference to fig. 21. The liquid atomizing device 401 executes the following processing when a control signal relating to the humidification operation is input from the humidification control unit 421. However, the air blower 430 will be described as a case where the air blowing operation is performed by the control signal from the humidification control unit 421.

In the liquid atomizing apparatus 401, water is first supplied from the water supply port 412 to the water storage portion 410 by a water supply device (not shown), and the water is stored in the water storage portion 410. Then, the air sucked into liquid atomizing device 401 from suction port 402 (air sent from blower 430) passes through suction communicating air passage 405, inner cylinder air passage 406, liquid atomizing portion 417, and outer cylinder air passage 409 in this order, and is blown out to the outside (for example, the inside) from discharge port 403. At this time, the water droplets generated in the liquid atomizing area 417 contact the air passing through the inner cylinder air passage 406, and the air can be humidified by vaporizing the water droplets. After a predetermined time has elapsed, the water stored in water storage unit 410 is discharged from water discharge port 413 to the outside of the apparatus through water discharge pipe 419.

This will be explained in more detail.

As shown in fig. 21, the air taken into the inner cylinder of inner cylinder air passage 406 from suction port 402 through suction communication air passage 405 passes through liquid atomizing area 417. When the water pumping pipe 414 and the porous portion 415 are rotated by the operation of the motor 416, the water stored in the water storage portion 410 is lifted up along the inner wall surface of the water pumping pipe 414 by the rotation. The rising water is refined by passing through the inside of the porous portion 415, and is discharged as fine water droplets toward the direction of the rotation surface from the outer peripheral surface of the porous portion 415. The released water droplets collide with the inner wall surface of the inner cylinder 404 and are broken into finer water droplets. The water droplets discharged from the porous portion 415 and the water droplets crushed by colliding with the inner wall surface of the inner tube 404 contact the air passing through the inner tube 404, and the water droplets are vaporized to humidify the air. Although a part of the generated water droplets is not vaporized, the liquid atomizing portion 417 is disposed so as to be covered with the inner tube 404, and therefore the non-vaporized water droplets adhere to the inner surface of the inner tube 404 and fall toward the water storage portion 410.

Then, the air containing the water droplets (humidified air) is blown out toward the water storage portion 410 provided below from the ventilation opening 407 provided at the lower end of the inner tube 404. Then, the air flows toward an outer cylinder air passage 409 formed between the inner cylinder 404 and the outer cylinder 408. Here, since the air passing through the inside of the outer cylinder air passage 409 is transported upward in the vertical direction, the air flowing downward in the inner cylinder air passage 406 is directed opposite to the blowing direction.

At this time, water droplets blown out from air vent 407 together with the air cannot follow the flow of the air due to their inertia, and adhere to water surface 440 of water storage portion 410 or the inner wall surface of outer cylinder 408. In this action, the larger the weight of the water droplets, that is, the larger the diameter of the water droplets that are difficult to vaporize, the larger the action, whereby the water droplets having large sizes can be separated from the flowing air.

Then, the air flowing into outer cylinder air passage 409 from inner cylinder air passage 406 through ventilation opening 407 flows upward through outer cylinder air passage 409. Then, the air is blown out from the air outlet 403. At this time, a part of the water droplets falls down toward the water reservoir 410 by gravity or adheres to the outer wall of the inner tube 404 or the inner wall of the outer tube 408. Then, the water droplets adhering to the outer wall of the inner tube 404 and the inner wall of the outer tube 408 fall down along the outer wall surface of the inner tube 404 and the inner wall surface of the outer tube 408 toward the water reservoir 410.

As described above, the liquid atomizing device 401 can humidify the sucked air by the liquid atomizing unit 417. The liquid atomizing device 401 performs the humidification operation (water atomizing operation) by the liquid atomizing unit 417 based on a control signal relating to the humidification operation from the humidification control unit 421. When the humidification operation by the liquid refinement portion 417 continues for a predetermined period (second period), the liquid refinement device 401 is controlled by the humidification control portion 421 such that: the humidification operation by the liquid atomizing unit 417 is temporarily stopped, the water in the water storage unit 410 is replaced, and then the humidification operation is restarted. The second period in this case is, for example, 24 hours.

On the other hand, the liquid refinement apparatus 401 of the present embodiment performs the drying operation in the drying mode while stopping the humidification operation of the liquid refinement portion 417. A drying operation in the drying mode of the liquid atomizing apparatus 401 will be described with reference to fig. 24. Fig. 24 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure (drying mode) performed by the liquid atomizing apparatus according to embodiment 4 of the present disclosure. Here, the drying mode is executed when instruction information on the stop of the operation of the liquid atomizing device 401 is input to the humidification control unit 421 as the first information.

As shown in fig. 24, when a control signal relating to the stop of the operation of the liquid atomizing device 401 is input to the humidification control unit 421 (step S401), the humidification control unit 421 stops the air blowing from the air blowing device 430, stops the water supply to the water storage portion 410, and performs the water drainage of the water storage portion 410 (step S402). Here, the stop of the air blowing from air blower 430 is completed by stopping the operation of air blower 436. The water supply stop is completed by closing the water supply valve 418a, and the water discharge execution is completed by opening the water discharge valve 419 a. Thus, the humidification mode is stopped, and the humidification control unit 421 executes the drying mode (processing related to the drying operation).

Specifically, humidification control unit 421 starts air blowing from air blower 430 after water storage unit 410 finishes draining (step S411). Thus, air flows through the liquid atomizing device 401 (liquid atomizing portion 417).

Next, the humidification control unit 421 operates the liquid atomizing unit 417 to start the drying operation (atomizing operation in a state where water is not present in the water storage unit 410) (step S412). When a predetermined time T1 has elapsed since the start of the drying operation (yes in step S413), the humidification control unit 421 stops the liquid refinement portion 417 (step S414). Then, the blowing from blower 430 is stopped, and the drying operation is ended (step S415). On the other hand, if the predetermined time T1 has not elapsed since the start of the drying operation (no in step S413), the drying operation is continued (return to step S413). Here, a series of operations from step S411 to step S415 or an operation of only the drying operation is set as the third process performed by the liquid atomizing unit 417. In the third process, drying (removal of moisture) in the apparatus including the liquid atomizing area 417 is completed. The first process and the second process will be described later.

After the above-described processing steps, the drying operation in the drying mode is completed, and the humidification control unit 421 stops the operation of the liquid atomizing device 401. Thus, the liquid atomizing device 401 is in a state of waiting for an operation start instruction from the operation panel 422.

Next, the liquid atomizing apparatus 401 of the present embodiment performs the cleaning operation in the cleaning mode when the operation of the liquid atomizing apparatus 401 is stopped (the water in the water storage portion 410 is discharged) for a predetermined period (first period). A cleaning operation in the cleaning mode of the liquid atomizing apparatus 401 will be described with reference to fig. 25. Fig. 25 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure (cleaning mode) performed by the liquid atomizing apparatus of embodiment 4 of the present disclosure. Here, the cleaning mode is executed when the operation is stopped for the first period. The first period in this case is, for example, 24 hours.

As shown in fig. 25, when the humidification control portion 421 starts the purge mode, the humidification control portion 421 stops the water discharge from the water storage portion 410 (closes the water discharge valve 419a), and performs the water supply to the water storage portion 410 (step S421). After water supply to water storage unit 410 is completed, air blowing from air blowing device 430 is started (step S422). Thus, in a state where the atomizing operation by the liquid atomizing unit 417 is stopped, air flows through the apparatus, and dust in the apparatus is blown into the water in the water storage unit 410. When a predetermined time T2 has elapsed since the blower 430 started the blowing operation (yes in step S423), the humidification control unit 421 stops the blowing from the blower 430 (step S424). Then, humidification controller 421 stops the supply of water to water storage unit 410 and performs the drainage of water storage unit 410 (step S425). Thereby, the water containing the dust blown to the water storage portion 410 is discharged. On the other hand, if the predetermined time T2 has not elapsed since the blower device 430 started the blower operation (no in step S423), the blower device 430 continues the blower operation (return to step S423). Here, a series of operations from step S421 to step S425 or an operation of the instrument air blowing operation is set as the second processing. In the second process, the air blast cleaning (removal of dust and the like by ventilation) in the apparatus including the liquid atomizing unit 417 is completed in a state where the atomizing operation by the liquid atomizing unit 417 is stopped.

Then, the humidification control unit 421 stops the water discharge from the water storage unit 410, and performs the water supply to the water storage unit 410 (step S431). Thereby, new water is supplied to the water storage portion 410. After the water supply to water storage unit 410 is completed, liquid atomizing unit 417 is operated to start the water washing in the apparatus (step S432). When a predetermined time T3 has elapsed since the start of water washing (yes in step S433), the humidification control unit 421 stops the liquid refinement portion 417 and ends the water washing (step S434). Then, humidification control unit 421 stops the supply of water to water storage unit 410 and performs the drainage of water storage unit 410 (step S435). Thereby, water containing dust is discharged by the water washing. On the other hand, if the predetermined time T3 has not elapsed since the start of water washing (no at step S433), water washing is continued (return to step S433). Here, a series of operations from step S431 to step S435 or an operation of only water washing is set as the first processing. In the first process, in a state where the air blowing from air blowing device 430 is stopped, water washing (removal of dust and the like by water passage) in the device including liquid atomizing area 417 is completed.

After the above processing steps, the cleaning operation in the cleaning mode is ended.

When the liquid atomizing device 401 is in a state of waiting for an operation start instruction for the atomizing operation, the humidification control unit 421 executes the drying operation in the drying mode shown in fig. 24 (third processing). Then, the liquid atomizing device 401 repeatedly executes the cleaning operation (first process, second process) in the cleaning mode and the drying operation (third process) in the drying mode every time a predetermined period (first period) elapses.

On the other hand, when instruction information on the start of the operation of the liquid atomizing device 401 is input, the humidification control unit 421 performs the humidification operation in the humidification mode after performing the cleaning operation in the primary cleaning mode regardless of the elapsed time. As a result, the dust in the apparatus is removed, and the liquid atomizing device 401 starts humidifying the air sent from the air blower 430.

As described above, according to the liquid atomizing apparatus 401 of embodiment 4, the following effects can be enjoyed.

(1) When the state in which the water in the water storage unit 410 is discharged continues for the first period, the humidification control unit 421 executes the following first process (a series of operations from step S431 to step S435): the water is stored in water storage section 410, the water atomizing operation (water washing operation) by liquid atomizing section 417 is performed in a state where the air blowing from air blowing device 430 is stopped, and then the water in water storage section 410 is discharged. Thus, when the operation of the liquid atomizing apparatus 401 is stopped (the water in the water storage portion 410 is discharged) for the first period, the first process is performed, whereby the dust attached to the inside of the apparatus can be removed by being contained in the water storage portion 410. Therefore, when the water-refining operation by the liquid-refining portion 417 is started, the dust attached to the inside of the apparatus can be reduced from entering the porous portion 415 via the water-raising pipe 414. That is, the liquid atomizing apparatus 401 can be configured to suppress the occurrence of clogging in the porous portion 415 when the operation of the apparatus is started.

(2) The humidification control unit 421 executes the following second process (a series of operations from step S421 to step 4S 25) before the first process: water is stored in water storage section 410, air is blown from air blowing device 430 in a state where the atomizing operation of water by liquid atomizing section 417 is stopped, and then the water in water storage section 410 is discharged. Thus, before water is passed through liquid atomizing apparatus 401 (particularly, porous portion 415 of liquid atomizing unit 417), dust in the apparatus can be removed by blowing the dust into water in water storage unit 410. Therefore, the entry of dust into porous portion 415 at the time of the first process performed later is suppressed, and the entry of dust into porous portion 415 and clogging can be more reliably reduced at the time of starting the water-refining operation by liquid-refining portion 417.

(3) After the first process is completed, the humidification control unit 421 executes a third process (a series of operations from step S411 to step S415) as follows: air blowing from air blower 430 is performed, and the water pulverization operation (drying operation) by liquid pulverization portion 417 is performed in a state where water is not present in water storage portion 410. In this way, water droplets and the like adhering to the inside of the apparatus are removed, and therefore, even when the stopped state of the liquid atomizing apparatus 401 is maintained for a long time immediately after the first treatment is completed, propagation of mold, bacteria, and the like in the apparatus can be suppressed.

(4) The humidification control unit 421 performs humidification processing as follows: the water storage section 410 stores water, the air blowing from the air blowing device 430 is performed, the micronization operation of the water by the liquid micronization section 417 is performed in a state where the water is stored in the water storage section 410, and the humidification control section 421 performs the replacement of the water in the water storage section when the humidification processing continues for the second period. In this way, by replacing the water in water storage unit 410, dust and mold that have accumulated in the water in water storage unit 410 due to continuation of the humidification processing for the second period can be removed. Therefore, it is possible to further reduce clogging caused by dust or mold entering porous portion 415.

(5) Air blowing device 430 is provided upstream of liquid atomizing device 401 with respect to the flow of air passing through liquid atomizing device 401 and air blowing device 430. In other words, the liquid atomizing device 401 is provided downstream of the air blowing device 430. At this time, since the air whose humidity has been recovered by the humidity recovery unit 432 flows into the liquid atomizing device 401, the humidity control can be performed more appropriately. Further, by performing humidity control at two locations, i.e., the humidity recovery unit 432 and the liquid atomizing apparatus 401, a sufficient amount of humidification can be ensured even when a heater or the like is not provided in the humidity recovery unit 432 or the liquid atomizing apparatus 401. In addition, since a heater for ensuring the amount of humidification is not required, energy saving can be achieved.

The present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiments, but it is easily presumed that the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the numerical values listed in the above embodiments are examples, and it is needless to say that other numerical values can be adopted.

In the liquid atomizing device 401 of the present embodiment, the humidification control unit 421 performs the first process and then performs the second process as the cleaning operation in the cleaning mode, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, only the first process may be performed as the cleaning operation in the cleaning mode. This can shorten the processing time of the cleaning operation in the cleaning mode.

Before the second process, the humidification control unit 421 may perform the water pulverization operation by the liquid pulverization portion 417 with the blowing of air from the blower 430 stopped (the same operation as that of steps S412 to S414). Thus, the liquid atomizing device 401 can shake off dust attached to the inside of the device (particularly, the inner cylinder 404, the outer cylinder 408, and the liquid atomizing portion 417) and drop the dust into the water storage portion 410. The liquid atomizing device 401 can reliably contain dust in water when water is supplied to the water storage portion 410 in the second process to be executed later (step S421).

In the present embodiment, a heater for heating the air sent from the blower 430 may be provided in the supply air duct 437, and the heated air may be sent in the drying mode (the process related to the drying operation). This enables the liquid atomizing device 401 to reliably remove moisture from the device and dry the device. Therefore, the effect (3) can be remarkably enjoyed.

In the blower 430 connected to the liquid atomizing device 401 of the present embodiment, the humidity recovery unit 432 may be configured to have a function of recovering (exchanging) not only humidity but also temperature. Specifically, the humidity recovery unit 432 is a total heat exchange element, and an exhaust air blower is provided inside the main body case 431, thereby constituting an exhaust air passage. The exhaust air passage is an air passage through which the indoor air is sucked from the indoor air suction port 435 by the exhaust blower and discharged to the outside from the exhaust port through the humidity recovery unit 432. At this time, the humidity recovery unit 432 is disposed at a position where the exhaust air passage and the supply air passage 437 intersect. The humidity recovery unit 432 exchanges heat and humidity between the air passing through the exhaust air passage and the air passing through the supply air passage 437. This enables more comfortable air supply into the room.

Further, in the air blowing device 430 connected to the liquid atomizing device 401 of the present embodiment, the air whose humidity has been recovered by the humidity recovery unit 432 may be supplied to the room so as not to flow through the liquid atomizing device 401, bypassing the liquid atomizing device 401. Thus, in the case where only air blower 430 is operated without operating liquid atomizing device 401, the air whose humidity has been recovered can be efficiently supplied into the room. Further, since an increase in pressure loss due to the liquid atomizing device 401 is suppressed, operation with energy saving can be realized all year round.

In embodiment 4, the operation of air blower 436 is stopped to stop the air blowing from air blowing device 430, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the air blowing to the liquid atomizing device 401 may be omitted by switching to the bypass described above. This makes it possible to supply air into the room and to perform the drying operation in the drying mode and the cleaning operation in the cleaning mode independently of each other.

Industrial applicability

The liquid atomizing device of the present disclosure can be applied to a device for vaporizing a liquid, such as a water vaporizing device for humidification purposes or a hypochlorous acid vaporizing device for sterilization/deodorization purposes. The liquid atomizing device of the present disclosure can be applied to a water vaporizing device, a hypochlorous acid vaporizing device, or the like incorporated as one of its functions in a heat exchange ventilator, an air cleaner, or an air conditioner.

Description of the reference numerals

101. 201, 301, 401, 901 liquid micronizing device

102. 202, 302, 402, 902 suction inlet

103. 203, 303, 403, 903 outlet

104. 904 air path

105 air path

106 air path

107 liquid micronizing chamber

108 collision wall

109. 214, 314, 414 riser

110 rotating shaft

111 rotating motor

112. 215 rotating plate

113 opening

114. 210, 310, 410 water storage part

115 water supply part

116. 319, 419 drainpipe

117 separator

119 separator holder

119a first holding portion

119b second holding part

119c top panel

120 water flow control plate

121 first opening part

122 support part

123 projection

124 outer edge

125 second opening part

126 inner wall surface

127 gap

150. 250 liquid micronizing device

151. 251 water supply and drainage piping

160. 260 heat exchange ventilator

161. 261 indoor suction inlet

162. 262 air outlet

163. 263, 333, 433 external air suction inlet

164. 264, 334 and 434 air supply ports

165. 265 heat exchange element

166. 266 connecting the pipes

908 rotating motor

909 water-lifting pipe

910 a water reservoir.