Humidifier and air-conditioning apparatus including humidifier

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016146483-A1
Application number	US-201414897767-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 19, 2014
Priority date	Sep 18, 2013
Publication date	May 26, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A humidifier includes: a electrode; a water absorbing humidification member configured to serve as a counter electrode for the electrode; a power supply for applying a voltage to the electrode; a water supply unit for supplying humidification water to the water absorbing humidification member; and a blower for causing air to flow through an air passage formed in a space between the electrode and the water absorbing humidification member, the electrode being configured to generate, by receiving a voltage applied thereto, ion wind flowing from the electrode to a direction normal to a surface of the water absorbing humidification member, and the ion wind is caused to impinge on the water absorbing humidification member to humidify the air in the air passage.

First claim

1 . A humidifier comprising:
an electrode being conductive; a water absorbing humidification member opposed to the electrode; a power supply to apply a voltage to the electrode; a water supply unit to supply humidification water to the water absorbing humidification member; and a blower to cause air to flow in a space between the electrode to which the voltage is applied by the power source and the water absorbing humidification member to which the water supply unit supplies the humidification water.

2 . The humidifier of claim 1 , wherein the water absorbing humidification member is electrically grounded.

3 . The humidifier of claim 1 , wherein the water absorbing humidification member is porous.

4 . The humidifier of claim 1 ,
wherein the electrode has a protruding portion being electrically conductive, and the protruding portion extends in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the water absorbing humidification member opposed to the electrode, or is formed at a given angle of less than 90 degrees in a same direction as an airflow direction from the blower.

5 . The humidifier of claim 1 , wherein the electrode comprises an electrically conductive wire.

6 . The humidifier of claim 1 , wherein humidification performance is controlled by controlling discharge power, the discharge power having a value expressed as a product of a value of the voltage applied to the electrode and a current discharged from the electrode to the water absorbing humidification member.

7 . The humidifier of claim 1 , wherein the power source applies a positive DC voltage to the electrode.

8 . The humidifier of claim 7 , further comprising a superimposing unit to superimpose a pulse voltage on a positive DC voltage, the positive DC voltage being applied to the electrode by the power source.

9 . The humidifier of claim 1 , wherein the electrode is opposed only to a surface in a downstream portion of the water absorbing humidification member on a downstream side of the air passage.

10 . The humidifier of claim 1 , wherein the electrode is opposed only to a surface in an upstream portion of the water absorbing humidification member on an upstream side of the air passage.

11 . The humidifier of claim 1 , further comprising an ozone decomposition mechanism to decompose ozone, the ozone decomposition mechanism being provided on a downstream side of the air passage between the water absorbing humidification member and the electrode.

12 . The humidifier of claim 1 , wherein a value of the voltage applied to the electrode is controlled such that a humidification operation using an ion wind and a sterilization mode in which high activity species of at least ozone are generated are repeated at a given cycle.

13 . The humidifier of claim 1 , further comprising a temperature and humidity sensor and an absolute humidity control unit, which are provided on a downstream side of an air passage between the water absorbing humidification member and the electrode,
wherein, based on a result of measuring a temperature and a humidity of the air by the temperature and humidity sensor, an absolute humidity in an indoor environment is detected, and the power supply is controlled with a signal of the absolute humidity control unit depending on a value of the detected absolute humidity.

14 . The humidifier of claim 1 , further comprising:
a conductor provided between the electrode and the water absorbing humidification member.

15 . An air-conditioning apparatus, comprising the humidifier of claim 1 .

16 . The humidifier of claim 1 , wherein
the water absorbing humidification member is electrically conductive, and the electrode, to which the voltage is applied by the power source, is configured to generate ion wind flowing from the electrode to a direction normal to a surface of the water absorbing humidification member, and impinging on the water absorbing humidification member to humidify the air in the space, to humidify the air passing to the space.

17 . The humidifier of claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to increase or decrease an amount of voltage applied to the electrode.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Sakai Takahiro
• Morikawa Akira
• Inanaga Yasutaka

Classifications

• F24F6/025 Primary

  using electrical heating means (F24F6/105 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F24F6/04 Primary

  using stationary unheated wet elements · CPC title

• F24F2110/10

  Temperature · CPC title

• F24F2110/20

  Humidity · CPC title

• F24F11/30

  for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring · CPC title