Humidifier and air-conditioning apparatus including humidifier

• US 10,451,299 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2014
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Morikawa, Akira, Sakai, Takahiro, Inanaga, Yasutaka, Michikami, Kazuya, Takada, Masaru
• Primary Examiner(s): Hobson, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US15/309,608
• Publication Number:
  US 20170146252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,992 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 13/222 for evacuating condensate
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2006/046 with a water pump
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 6/04 using stationary unheated wet elements

Abstract

A humidifier includes: a water supply portion (supply pipe, supply part, and nozzle) to supply water; a flat-shaped diffusing member that is provided below the water supply portion, and diffuses the water supplied from the water supply portion in a plane direction and in a thickness direction; a humidifying member that is fixed and has a top surface in contact with and the diffusing member, and evaporates the water supplied from the diffusing member via the top surface; and fixing parts that apply pressure to at least a part of a portion of contact between the diffusing member and the humidifying member.

Claims

1. A humidifier comprising:

a water supply portion configured to supply water;

a diffusing member having a plate-shape, being provided below the water supply portion, and being configured to diffuse the water supplied from the water supply portion in a plane direction and in a thickness direction;

a humidifying member fixed, with a top surface in contact with the diffusing member, the humidifying member being configured to evaporate the water supplied from the diffusing member via the top surface; and

a presser member configured to apply pressure to at least a part of a portion in which the diffusing member and the humidifying member come in contact with each other,

the humidifying member being configured to have an upward inclination at an upwind side of the humidifying member, and a downward inclination at a downwind side of the humidifying member,

the diffusing member being configured to be in contact with an upper part of the humidifying member.

2. The humidifier of claim 1, wherein the presser member is provided on an upper part of the diffusing member, and wherein the presser member is not located on a portion of the diffusing member directly below the water supply portion.

3. The humidifier of claim 1, wherein the presser member is a fixing member provided between the diffusing member and a casing of the humidifier.

4. The humidifier of claim 1, wherein the diffusing member is inclined downward from a portion directly below the water supply portion.

5. The humidifier of claim 1, wherein a portion of the diffusing member directly below the water supply portion is flat-shaped, and a remaining portion of the diffusing member not including the portion directly below the water supply portion, is inclined downward.

6. The humidifier of claim 1, wherein the diffusing member has a quadrangular pyramid shape or a wave shape.

7. The humidifier of claim 1, wherein the diffusing member comprises

a top portion covering a top surface of a projection formed on top of the humidifying member,

a side portion covering a side surface of the projection, and

a bottom portion covering an upper surface of the humidifying member that is not covered by the top portion and side portion,

the side portion being pressed in a horizontal direction by the presser member.

8. The humidifier of claim 1, wherein a gap is formed between the diffusing member and the humidifying member, at a portion directly below the water supply portion.

9. The humidifier of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the humidifying members are arranged in parallel and spaced apart from one another, and an end portion of the diffusing member is toothed and engages with an upper end portion of each of the plurality of the humidifying members, the end portion of the diffusing member extending in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the plurality of the humidifying members are arranged.

10. The humidifier of claim 1, wherein the diffusing member has a surface processed with a hydrophilic treatment.

11. The humidifier of claim 1, wherein the diffusing member comprises porous material made of foamed metal or foamed ceramic, or comprises metal fibers or ceramic fibers.

12. The humidifier of claim 1, wherein the humidifying member has a three-dimensional meshwork structure with pores, and a pore size of the diffusing member is smaller than a pore size of the humidifying member.

13. The humidifier of claim 1, wherein a pore volume rate at a top surface side of the diffusing member is lower than a pore volume rate at a bottom surface side of the diffusing member.

14. The humidifier of claim 13, wherein a part on the bottom surface side of the diffusing member, including a part directly below the water supply portion, has a lower pore volume rate than a rest of the part on the bottom surface side of the diffusing member.

15. The humidifier of claim 1, wherein the diffusing member comprises a plurality of sub-diffusing members having different pore volume rates and being bonded together and a pore volume rate of the diffusing member increases from a top surface side of the diffusing member toward a bottom surface side of the diffusing member.

16. The humidifier of claim 1, further comprising an air discharging unit configured to pass air through the diffusing member.

17. The humidifier of claim 1, wherein the diffusing member comprises a heating unit.

18. The humidifier of claim 17, wherein the heating unit extends along a portion of a periphery or an entire periphery of the diffusing member.

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