Patent Grant
10132513
This application is a Submission Under 35 U.S.C. § 371 for U.S. National Stage Patent Application of International Application Number PCT/JP2015/072313 filed Aug. 6, 2015, and entitled ROTATOR STRUCTURE OF NANOMIST-GENERATING DEVICE which is related to and claims priority to Japanese Patent Application Serial Number 2014-184765 filed Sep. 11, 2014, the entirety of both are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a rotator structure of a nanomist-generating device, in particular, to setting of a side surface mean angle of the rotator structure of the nanomist-generating device.
Conventionally, there has been known a nanomist-generating device which draws up water stored in a water reservoir with use of a centrifugal force of a rotator and generates a nanomist (fine droplets of water) and/or negative ions (for example, patent documents 1, 2).
Each of nanomist-generating devices disclosed in the patent documents 1 and 2 draws up water stored in a water storing portion by rotating a conical rotator in a state of immerging of a lower portion of the conical rotator in the water storing portion to scatter the water through a plurality of fine holes, so that it generates a nanomist of fine droplets of water.
Furthermore, a nanomist-generating device disclosed in the patent documents 2 is configured to be capable of detecting a water level of water stored in the water storing portion and controlling the water level between a lower level and a higher level.
Patent document 1: JP 2010-12167 A (refer to claim 1, paragraphs 0011 to 0018, FIGS. 2 and 3)
Patent document 2: JP 2011-252692 A (refer to claim 1, paragraphs 0009 to 0014, FIG. 1)
However, there has been, conventionally, no standard for judging whether an inclination angle of an inner wall surface of the rotator is optimized or not regarding a water-drawing amount of water stored in the water reservoir. Therefore, a design has been carried out by repeating making of a trial product and testing thereof in order to maximize generation amounts of a nanomist and negative ions. For this reason, there has been a problem that making of a trial product and testing thereof, which are for optimizing an inclination angle of an inner wall surface of a rotator for every product of a nanomist-generating device whose usage and/or specifications are different, have to be repeated.
On the other hand, recently, products incorporating a nanomist-generating device are diversified, and they place emphasis also on their designs in order to express their personalities, so a size of a rotator and a space also have to be considered. Therefore, it is desired that an inclination angle of an inner wall surface of a rotator is efficiently optimized, while the freedom of the design is restricted.
The present invention is created considering such a background, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a rotator structure of a nanomist-generating device which is capable of locally maximizing generation amounts of a nanomist and negative ions by setting a side surface mean angle of the rotator properly.
In order to solve the problem, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized by a rotator structure of a nanomist-generating device which generates a nanomist by rotating a rotator having a conical shape an upper portion of which has a larger diameter than a lower portion thereof, wherein a lower portion of the rotator is immersed in water in a water reservoir and mist-scattering ports are disposed in an upper portion; wherein the nanomist-generating device generates a nanomist by scattering the water through the mist-scattering ports, the water being drawn up along an inner wall surface of the rotator by rotating the rotator; wherein an inner wall surface radius at an upper end height of the mist-scattering ports is an upper portion radius R1, a height up to the upper end height of the mist-scattering ports from a height of a waterline up to which the lower portion of the rotator is immersed in the water in the water reservoir is a drawing height H, and a mean angle between a horizontal line and the inner wall surface in a range of the drawing height H is a side surface mean angle θ1; and wherein the side surface mean angle θ1 is set within a range of θ+(−5% to 5% of θ) for θ satisfying a basic structure equation—R1 sin3 θ+2 H cos θ sin2 θ+H cos3 θ=0.
<Derivation of Basic Structure Equation>
As shown in
The wall surface rising acceleration α1=Rω2 cos θ
In the above equation, since factors concerning to a shape of the rotator are the inner wall surface radius R and the wall surface angle θ of the rotator, an attention is paid to a value of R cos θ (called a wall surface rising acceleration unit). That is, in order to locally maximize (to maximize) the water-drawing amount, a wall surface rising acceleration has only to be locally maximized. To do so, the wall surface rising acceleration unit has only to be locally maximized.
In the present invention, in a case where the inner wall surface radius at an upper end height of the mist-scattering ports is the upper portion radius R1, a height up to the upper end height of the mist-scattering ports from a height of a waterline up to which the lower portion of the rotator is immersed in water in the water reservoir is the drawing height H, and a mean angle between a horizontal line and the inner wall surface is the side surface mean angle θ1, a lower portion radius R2 of the inner wall surface radius at the waterline can be expressed as follows.
Lower portion radius R2=R1−H/tan θ
The wall surface rising acceleration unit at the height of the waterline can be expressed as follows.
R2 cos θ=R1 cos θ−H cos2 θ/sin θ
We express as follows.
f(θ)=R1 cos θ−H cos2 θ/sin θ
This equation can be regarded as one variable function of θ in a case where the upper portion radius R1 and the drawing height H are known from another point of view such as designability or design specifications.
Note that, the wall surface rising acceleration unit is derived using the lower portion radius R2 at the height of the waterline as a matter of convenience to make a concept easy. However, the wall surface rising acceleration unit can be derived also using the inner wall surface radius at a prescribed height, but not the height of the waterline.
In order to calculate the local maximum value of θ, f′(θ)=0 is set.
Since f′(θ)=−R1 sin θ−H(−2 cos θ sin2 θ+cos3 θ)/sin2 θ,
−R1 sin3 θ+2H cos θ sin2 θ+H cos3 θ=0
This equation is called the basic structure equation on the wall surface angle.
Thus, since the basic structure equation for determining a standard value of the side surface mean angle θ is derived, in the rotator structure of a nanomist-generating device of the present invention, the side surface mean angle which locally maximizes the water-drawing amount can be properly set, so that generation amounts of a nanomist and negative ions can be certainly locally maximized.
The invention according to claim 2 of the present invention is the rotator structure of a nanomist-generating device according to claim 1, wherein the side surface mean angle θ1 is set to an angle between the horizontal line and a straight line connecting a lower inner wall surface point and an upper inner wall surface point, the lower inner wall surface point being an intersection of the waterline and the inner wall surface, and the upper inner wall surface point being an inner wall surface point at the upper end height.
In the present invention, the side surface mean angle θ1 can be set to be an angle between the horizontal line and a straight line connecting the lower inner wall surface point and the upper inner wall surface point.
The invention according to claim 3 of the present invention is the rotator structure of a nanomist-generating device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the side surface mean angle θ1 is set to 50 degrees≤θ<80 degrees.
In the present invention, the most suitable side surface mean angle θ1 is 75.7 degrees, which angle θ1 is derived from the basic structure equation in a case where, for example, the upper portion radius R1 is 33 mm and the drawing height H is 61 mm. This also agrees with experimental results, so this is a standard set in a proper range of the side surface mean angle θ1.
The invention according to claim 4 of the present invention is the rotator structure of a nanomist-generating device according to claim 1, wherein the inner wall surface has a tapered shape extending linearly in a front cross sectional view.
The present invention can keep the wall surface rising acceleration near the local maximum value within a range of the drawing height by forming the rotator so as to have a tapered shape extending linearly in a front cross sectional view. Therefore, the water-drawing amount can be stably kept near the local maximum value.
The invention according to claim 5 of the present invention is the rotator structure of a nanomist-generating device according to claim 1, wherein the inner wall surface has a curved shape expanding outward in a front cross sectional view.
The present invention makes the side surface angle of the inner wall surface small in a lower portion within a range of the drawing height, and gradually larger as it goes to an upper portion by forming the rotator to have a curved shape expanding outward in a front cross sectional view. In the present invention, it has been able to be confirmed by experimental results that a generation amount of negative ions is more increased than the case of the tapered shape in the case where the rotator has a curved shape expanding outward in a front cross sectional view.
The invention according to claim 6 of the present invention is the rotator structure of a nanomist-generating device according to claim 1, wherein the height of the waterline is set to a value between a prescribed lower limit height and a prescribed upper limit height in a case where the height of the waterline is controlled to change between the lower limit height and the upper limit height.
The present invention can be applied also to a rotator structure of a nanomist-generating device of a type in which a height of the waterline fluctuates. In this case, a value between the lower limit and the upper limit can be set as a height of the waterline.
A rotator structure of a nanomist-generating device according to the present invention is capable of locally maximizing of generation amounts of a nanomist and negative ions by setting a side surface mean angle of a rotator proper.
A rotator structure 1A of a nanomist-generating device 10A according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail properly with reference to
As shown in
As shown in
By adopting such a structure, in the nanomist-generating device 10A the rotator 2A is rotated to draw up the water W stored in the water reservoir 4 along the inner wall surface 21A of the rotator 2A, and scatters the water through the mist-scattering ports 22, and furthermore lets scattered droplets collide against the porous body 23 to crush them, so that a nanomist and negative ions are effectively generated.
The rotator structure 1A of the nanomist-generating device 10A according to the first embodiment of the present invention is capable of locally maximizing generation amounts of a nanomist and negative ions, because a side surface mean angle θ1 which can locally maximize a water-drawing amount can be properly set, if the side surface mean angle θ1 is set to θ+(−5% to 5% of θ) for θ satisfying the following basic structure equation:
−R1 sin3 θ+2H cos θ sin2 θ+H cos3 θ=0
where,
For example, the side surface mean angle θ1 can be set as follows, in a case where the upper portion radius R1 is determined by a shape of the rotator 2 to be set by a designed size of the nanomist-generating device 10, a known shape of the rotator 2 or the like, a designed drawing height H′, which is a height derived by subtracting a prescribed height of the lower immersed portion of the rotator 2 necessary for drawing up the water in the water reservoir 4 from a height up to the upper end of the mist-scattering ports 22 from a lower end of the rotator 2, is determined, and the rotator 2 is disposed in the water reservoir 4 so that a lower position of the designed drawing height H′ coincides with the waterline L. Note that, since the designed drawing height H′ coincides with the drawing height H which is a height up to the mist-scattering ports 22 from the waterline L, the drawing height H is used instead of the designed drawing height H′ hereinafter.
That is, the side surface mean angle θ is 75.7 degrees which satisfies the basic structure equation in a case where the upper portion radius R1 is set to 33 mm and the drawing height H is set to 66 mm by using a size of the nanomist-generating device 10, a known shape of the rotator 2 or the like, which R1 and H are factors in relation to a shape of the rotator 2 of the nanomist-generating device 10.
Therefore, a wall surface rising acceleration along the side surface is the local maximum value in the case of θ=75.7 degrees, that is, the angle θ of 75.7 degrees is a side surface mean angle at which a water-drawing amount becomes the local maximum. Consequently, an angle θ as a standard value of the side surface mean angle θ1 can be set to a value within about 71.9 to about 79.5 degrees.
<Side Surface Mean Angle>
As shown in
Therefore, in a case of the inner wall surface 21 having a tapered shape extending linearly in the front cross sectional view, an angle θ between a horizontal line (waterline L) and the straight line 5 connecting the lower inner wall surface point 51 and the upper inner wall surface point 52 is the side surface mean angle θ=θ1.
Similarly, even if in a case of an inner wall surface 21A having a curved shape expanding outward in the front cross sectional view, an angle θ between the horizontal line (waterline L) and the straight line 5 connecting the lower inner wall surface point 51 and the upper inner wall surface point 52 is the side surface mean angle θ=θ1. Even if in a case of the inner wall surface 21 having the tapered shape or a case of the inner wall surface 21A having the curved shape, their side surface mean angles θ are the same if their lower inner wall surface points 51 are the same and their upper inner wall surface points 52 are the same.
<Waterline>
In the basic structure equation, the height of the waterline L is a height of the water W stored in the water reservoir 4. The height of the waterline L is changed as the water W is drawn up by the rotator 2. The nanomist-generating device 10 is classified into a water level fixed type (refer to
As shown in
In the water level fixed type, the rotator 2 is disposed in the water reservoir 4 so that the height position of the waterline L coincides with the lower end of the drawing height H which is set according to a size of the nanomist-generating device 10, a known shape of the rotator 2 or the like.
As shown in
In the water level changeable type, the lower limit water level L1 and the upper limit water level L2 are set so that the side surface mean angle θ corresponding to a height of a variable waterline L is within a range of (θ−5% of θ) to (θ+5% of θ) for the most suitable side surface mean angle θ of the rotator 2 in a case of the designed drawing height H′. And the rotator 2 is disposed in the water reservoir 4 so that a waterline L which positions at a middle position between the lower limit water level L1 and the upper limit water level L2 coincides with the designed drawing height H′.
Furthermore, it is preferable that a difference between the lower limit water level L1 and the upper limit water level L2 is set to be small.
Next, a rotator structure 1B of a nanomist-generating device 10B according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to
An inner wall surface 21B of a rotator 2B according to the second embodiment has a curved shape expanding outward in a front cross sectional view. Therefore, the rotator 2B differs from the rotator 2A according to the first embodiment having the tapered shape in which the inner wall surface 21A extends linearly. However, since the other structures are similar to those of the nanomist-generating device 10A according to the first embodiment, the same symbols are used for similar structures and detailed explanations thereof are omitted.
The rotator 2B according to the second embodiment is configured so as to have the same values as the rotator 2A according to the first embodiment, as for the upper portion radius R1, the drawing height H and the side surface mean angle θ1.
The rotator 2B according to the second embodiment has a side surface angle θ11 of the inner wall surface 21B at a lower inner wall surface point 51 which the waterline L passes, and a side surface angle θ12 of the inner wall surface 21B at an upper inner wall surface point 52 which is at the uppermost height position. A side surface angle becomes gradually larger as it goes to the upper inner wall surface point 52 from the lower inner wall surface point 51 (θ11<θ12).
Operations of the rotator structures 1A, 1B (upper portion radius R1=33 mm, drawing height H=61 mm) of the nanomist-generating devices 10A, 10B according to the embodiments of the present invention constructed as above will be explained mainly with reference to experimental results shown in
Furthermore, in these cases, two kinds of results of a case of the total port area of 90 mm2 and a case of the total port area of 130 mm2 are shown in order to examine affections of total opening area (total port area mm2) of the mist-scattering ports 22.
Furthermore, experimentations are also performed in a case of the side surface mean angle θ1 of 80 degrees. However the power for drawing up the water W is insufficient, so that the generation of a nanomist was not detected. Therefore, only data for the side surface mean angles θ1 of 68 degrees and of 75 degrees are shown.
As shown in
In the case of the side surface mean angle θ1 of 75 degrees, the humidification amount (ml/h) of the rotator 2A (refer to
In the case of the side surface mean angle θ1 of 68 degrees, the humidification amount (ml/h) of the rotator 2A (refer to
In the case of the side surface mean angle θ1 of 80 degrees, the generation of a nanomist was not detected due to the power shortage for drawing up the water W.
However, if a rotational speed or a rotational radius of the rotator 2 (2A, 2B) is set to be large, it is presumably recognized that the humidification amount (ml/h) has a local maximum value not at 68 nor 80 degrees but at around 75 degrees (75.7 degrees at which an extreme value is shown) of the side surface mean angle θ1. This supports that a side surface mean angle estimated by using the foresaid basic structure equation is an optimum value.
Furthermore, in a case where the side surface mean angle θ1 is too small, a size of the rotator 2 increases, so that a whole size of the nanomist-generating device 10 increases. Therefore, manufacturing of the device becomes difficult. Thus, a shape of the rotator is determined based on also the foresaid experimental result so that a range of the side surface mean angle θ1 is 50 degrees≤θ<80 degrees, preferably 68 degrees≤θ<80 degrees.
As shown in
For the rotator 2A (refer to
Furthermore, similarly to the humidification amount (ml/h) shown in
This supports that a side surface mean angle estimated by using the foresaid basic structure equation is an optimum value. Furthermore, in a case where the side surface mean angle θ1 is too small, a size of the rotator 2 increases, so that a whole size of the nanomist-generating device 10 increases. Therefore, manufacturing of the device becomes difficult. Thus, a shape of the rotator is determined based on also the experimental result so that a range of the side surface mean angle θ1 is 50 degrees≤θ<80 degrees, preferably 68 degrees≤θ<80 degrees.
According to the above, in a case where the upper portion radius R1 and the drawing height H of the rotator structure 1 (1A, 1B) of the nanomist-generating device 10 (10A, 10B) according to the embodiments of the present invention are set in response to design requests or the like, the side surface mean angle θ at which the wall surface rising acceleration is the extreme value is derived by solving a side surface mean angle θ which satisfies the basic structure equation, and thus a water-drawing amount can be locally maximized.
Therefore, if the side surface mean angle θ1 is set within a range of (θ−5% of θ) to (θ+5% of θ), the side surface mean angle θ1 at which a water-drawing amount of the water W is locally maximized can be properly set. A generation amount of negative ions and a humidification amount having a positive correlation with a generation amount of a nanomist can be locally maximized.
In the above, embodiments of the present invention have been explained, but the present invention is not limited to those and can be carried out in an embodiment appropriately modified. For example, in the embodiments, the side surface mean angle θ1 is set within a range of 75.7 degrees±5% of 75.7 degrees (about 71.9 degrees to 79.5 degrees), but it may be preferably set in the range of ±3% or appropriately also in the range of (−5% to +3%) considering influences of a friction resistance of the inner wall surface, a rotational radius, a drawing height, and so on.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-184765 | Sep 2014 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2015/072313 | 8/6/2015 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2016/039050 | 3/17/2016 | WO | A |
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| 2006057977 | Mar 2006 | JP |
| 2008-259774 | Oct 2008 | JP |
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| 2010-012167 | Jan 2010 | JP |
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| Entry |
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| Office action issued in Chinese Application Serial No. 201580047430.1 dated Jul. 3, 2018. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20170261216 A1 | Sep 2017 | US |
