Air conditioning apparatus

• US 7,679,879 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2005
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kohama, Takashi, Furuhashi, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson; Stephen W
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOANG, ANN THI
• Application Number:
  US11/631,935
• Publication Number:
  US 20080074824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,685 Days
• Field of Search: 361/231
• US Class Current: 361/231
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/22 Ionisation
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/39 Monitoring filter performance
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/523 for displaying temperature data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/56 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/61 using timers
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/64 using pre-stored data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/77 by controlling the speed of ventilators
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/88 Electrical aspects, e.g. circuits
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/20 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/50 Air quality properties
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 8/192 by electrical means, e.g. by applying electrostatic fields or high voltages
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 8/30 by ionisation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/20 Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

An air cleaner includes an ion generator arranged in a path from an inlet port to an outlet port, a humidifying filter arranged in the path at a position closer to the inlet port than the ion generator, a dust sensor and an odor sensor for detecting impureness of air, and a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor. When impureness is detected by the dust sensor and the odor sensor and when the temperature and the humidity attain a specific state (YES at S06 to S08), a fan motor is driven such that water is supplied to the ion generator in an amount larger than when the specific state is not attained (S14).

Claims

1. An air conditioning apparatus, comprising:

an ion generation portion for generating ions, arranged in a path from an inlet port to an outlet port;

a humidifying portion for humidifying air around said ion generation portion, arranged in said path at a position closer to the inlet port than said ion generation portion;

an impureness detection portion for detecting impureness of air;

a temperature and humidity detection portion detecting temperature and humidity; and

a humidified state varying unit for varying a degree of humidification by said humidifying portion in accordance with a degree of impureness detected by said impureness detection portion;

wherein

said humidified state varying unit increases the degree of humidification of the air around said ion generation portion by said humidifying portion in accordance with the degree of impureness detected by said impureness detection portion when impureness is detected by said impureness detection portion and when the temperature and the humidity detected by said temperature and humidity detection portion attain a prescribed state, and does not vary the degree of humidification of the air around said ion generation portion by said humidifying portion when impureness is not detected by said impureness detection portion even though the temperature and the humidity detected by said temperature and humidity detection portion attain said prescribed state.

2. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said humidifying portion includes

a blowing portion for causing air to flow such that the air taken in through the inlet port exits through the outlet port,

a tray for holding water, and

a filter partially immersed in the water held in said tray, and

said humidified state varying unit controls said blowing portion to raise a fan level.

3. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when impureness is detected by said impureness detection portion and when the temperature and the humidity detected by said temperature and humidity detection portion attain said prescribed state, said humidified state varying unit controls said ion generation portion to generate ions in an amount larger than when said prescribed state is not attained.

4. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

said prescribed state includes a second state in which viruses are likely to proliferate.

5. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a state notification portion for notification of said detected temperature and/or said detected humidity; and

an instruction accepting portion for accepting an instruction to start control of said humidifying portion;

wherein

said humidified state varying unit starts control in response to acceptance of the instruction by said instruction accepting portion.

6. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said ion generation portion generates positive and negative ions.

7. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said impureness detection portion includes a dust sensor.

8. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said impureness detection portion includes an odor sensor.

9. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cleaning portion for lowering impureness level of air.