Humidity controlling apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10086328-B2
Application number	US-201515122427-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 5, 2015
Priority date	Sep 3, 2014
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

A humidity controlling apparatus comprises: a moisture absorbent (1) made of a macromolecular gelated moisture absorbing material which takes a first state being capable of absorbing moisture and a second state releasing in a liquid state the moisture absorbed in the first state, and which has a nature to change from the first state to the second state when a definite level of temperature or higher is attained, and return to the first state when the definite level of temperature or higher is no longer attained; and an energy converting particle (2) which is disposed so as to be buried inside the moisture absorbent and has a nature to generate heat when it is exposed to an external stimulus factor which is at least one of light, electric waves and a high frequency magnetic field.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A humidity controlling apparatus comprising:
a moisture absorbent made of a macromolecular gelated moisture absorbing material which takes a first state being capable of absorbing moisture and a second state releasing in a liquid state the moisture absorbed in the first state, and which has a nature to change from the first state to the second state when a definite level of temperature or higher is attained, and return to the first state when the definite level of temperature or higher is no longer attained; and
an energy converting particle which is disposed so as to be buried inside the moisture absorbent and has a nature to generate heat when it is exposed to an external stimulus factor which is at least one of light, electric waves, and a high frequency magnetic field, wherein
the humidity controlling apparatus exposes a surface of the moisture absorbent to the external stimulus factor, and scans the moisture absorbent from an inner side toward an outer side.

2. The humidity controlling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the moisture absorbent is particulate and the energy converting particle is buried in each particle of the moisture absorbent.

3. The humidity controlling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the stimulus factor is light,
the moisture absorbent is disposed in a form of a disk, and
the humidity controlling apparatus includes a rotation device rotating the moisture absorbent about a central axis, and a radiation device which exposes a surface of the moisture absorbent to light.

4. The humidity controlling apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the radiation device converges light into a spot and exposes a surface of the moisture absorbent thereto, and scans the moisture absorbent with the spot of light from the inner side toward the outer side.

5. The humidity controlling apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the radiation device converges light in a form of a ring and exposes the surface of the moisture absorbent thereto such that the ring of light and a contour of the moisture absorbent are concentric, while the ring is increased in diameter from the inner side of the moisture absorbent toward the outer side of the moisture absorbent to scan the moisture absorbent.

Assignees

• Sharp Kk
• A School Corporation Kansai Univ
• A School Corporation Of Kansai Univ

Inventors

• Sakikawa Nobuki
• Uramoto Yoshihiro
• Suzuki Yasumasa
• Yamaguchi Akihiro
• Miyata Takashi
• Matsumoto Kazuya

Classifications

• B01J20/34

  Regenerating or reactivating · CPC title

• F24F3/1429

  alternatively operating a heat exchanger in an absorbing/adsorbing mode and a heat exchanger in a regeneration mode · CPC title

• B01D53/28

  Selection of materials for use as drying agents · CPC title

• B01J20/3483

  by thermal treatment not covered by groups B01J20/3441 - B01J20/3475, e.g. by heating or cooling · CPC title

• B01J20/28047

  Gels · CPC title