Abstract:
The present invention relates to a dehumidifier having high dehumidifying efficiency, low noise and vibration. The dehumidifier includes a case, inlets passed through the case for introduction of air from an outside of the case to an inside of the case, an outlet formed to pass through a top of the case for discharging air dehumidified in the case to the outside of the case, a desiccant assembly for absorbing moisture from air drawn into the case, a blower assembly for drawing air through the inlets and blowing the air to the outlet, a regenerator assembly for blowing hot air to the desiccant assembly for drying the desiccant assembly, a heat exchanger for condensing high temperature, humid air blown by the regenerator assembly through the desiccant assembly, to separate the moisture from the air, and a water collecting assembly for collecting water condensed and separated from the air at the heat exchanger.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to dehumidifiers, and more particularly, to a dehumidifier, in which moisture is adsorbed, not by refrigerant, but by desiccant to collect the moisture separately, for improving dehumidifying efficiency. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     In general, the dehumidifier reduces humidity of a room by drawing humid air from the room, making the humid air to pass through a heat exchanger having a condenser and an evaporator through which refrigerant flows to remove moisture from the air, and discharging the air having the moisture removed therefrom, again. 
     That is, the dehumidifier takes heat from air around it by vaporizing liquid refrigerant at the evaporator. In more detail, a temperature of the evaporator drops as the refrigerant vaporizes, and as the air passes through the evaporator, a temperature of the air also drops. 
     As the temperature around the evaporator drops, the moisture in the air condenses, to form dew on a surface of the evaporator. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a diagram of a related art dehumidifier. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the related art dehumidifier is provided with a cabinet  1  having an inlet (not shown) for drawing room air, a filter  2  mounted on an inlet side, a heat exchanger  3  in front of the filter  2  on the cabinet  1  for heat exchange with the room air to dehumidify the room air, a fan assembly  4  in front of the heat exchanger  3  for forced circulation of the room air, a water tank  6  under the heat exchanger for collecting condensed water, and a front panel  5 , a frontal exterior of the dehumidifier, having an outlet  5   a.    
     However, the related art dehumidifier has the following problems. 
     The outlet  5   a  in the front panel  5  provides a poor outer appearance, and is difficult to change a direction of discharge of the air. 
     Since the water tank  6  can be mounted/dismounted through a rear of the cabinet  1 , the mounting/dismounting of the water tank  6  is not convenient. 
     Because the room air passed through the heat exchanger  3  is discharged to the room again directly even if the moisture is not removed from the air fully, the dehumidifying efficiency is poor. 
     Moreover, the use of the compressor in the related art humidifier for circulation of the refrigerant leads to a production cost high, and causes much noise and vibration during operation. 
     SUMMARY 
     Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a dehumidifier that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art. 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a dehumidifier which has a high dehumidifying efficiency, low cost, and very low noise and vibration. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a dehumidifier which has a good outer appearance, and water tank for holding dehumidified water mounting/dismounting of which is easy. 
     Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings. 
     To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the dehumidifier includes a case, inlets passed through the case for introduction of air from an outside of the case to an inside of the case, an outlet formed to pass through a top of the case for discharging air dehumidified in the case to the outside of the case, a desiccant assembly for absorbing moisture from air drawn into the case, a blower assembly for drawing air through the inlets and blowing the air to the outlet, a regenerator assembly for blowing hot air to the desiccant assembly for drying the desiccant assembly, a heat exchanger for condensing high temperature, humid air blown by the regenerator assembly through the desiccant assembly, to separate the moisture from the air, and a water collecting assembly for collecting water condensed and separated from the air at the heat exchanger. 
     In another aspect of the present invention, a dehumidifier includes a case, inlets passed through the case for introduction of air from an outside of the case to an inside of the case, an outlet formed to pass through a top of the case for discharging air dehumidified in the case to the outside of the case, a desiccant assembly including a desiccant member for absorbing moisture from air drawn into the case, a desiccant rotor rotatably mounted for housing the desiccant member, and a rotating unit for rotating the desiccant rotor, a blower assembly for forced drawing of air through the inlets and blowing the air to the outlet, a regenerator assembly including a regenerating fan for blowing air to the desiccant assembly, a regenerating motor for providing a rotating power to rotate the regenerating fan, and a heater for heating the air blown by the regenerating fan, for drying the desiccant assembly, a heat exchanger for condensing high temperature, humid air blown by the regenerator assembly through the desiccant assembly, to separate the moisture from the air, and a water collecting assembly for collecting water condensed and separated from the air at the heat exchanger. 
     In another aspect of the present invention, a dehumidifier includes a case, inlets passed through the case for introduction of air from an outside of the case to an inside of the case, an outlet formed to pass through a top of the case for discharging air dehumidified in the case to the outside of the case, a desiccant assembly including a desiccant member for absorbing moisture from air drawn into the case, a desiccant rotor rotatably mounted for housing the desiccant member, and a rotating unit for rotating the desiccant rotor, a blower assembly for forced drawing of air through the inlets and blowing the air to the outlet, a regenerator assembly for blowing hot air to the desiccant assembly for drying the desiccant assembly, a heat exchanger for condensing high temperature, humid air blown by the regenerator assembly through the desiccant assembly, to separate the moisture from the air, and a water collecting assembly for collecting water condensed and separated from the air at the heat exchanger, wherein the regenerator assembly includes, a regenerating fan for blowing air toward the desiccant assembly, a regenerating fan housing for housing the regenerating fan, a regenerating motor for providing a rotating power to rotate the regenerating fan, a heater for heating the air blown by the regenerating fan, a heater case for casing the heater, having one side in communication with the regenerating fan housing, and the other side in communication with a portion of the desiccant assembly for guiding air from the regenerating fan to the desiccant member, a regenerating cover for guiding the air passed through the desiccant assembly by the regenerating fan to an inside of the heat exchanger, and a circulating duct for guiding the air passed through the heat exchanger to the regenerating fan. 
     Thus, the dehumidifier of the present invention draws air room air through a front and a rear of the case, a lower side of a side of the case, or corners of one side of the case, and discharges upward of the case. Accordingly, since there is a room for utilizing the front or the rear of the dehumidifier, an exterior of a design the user desires can be provided. 
     The provision of the desiccant assembly for keeping absorbing moisture from room air, and the regenerator assembly for keeping drying the desiccant member in the case permits to improve dehumidifying efficiency compared to the related art dehumidifier. 
     The elimination of a compressor from the related art dehumidifier permits to reduce weight of the dehumidifier, as well as noise of the dehumidifier, to improve convenience of use of the dehumidifier. 
     It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings; 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an exploded perspective view of a related art dehumidifier; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of a dehumidifier in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an exploded perspective view of the dehumidifier in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a perspective view of a heat exchanger in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a perspective view of the heat exchanger of the dehumidifier in  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a diagram showing operation of the dehumidifier in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a perspective view of a variation of the dehumidifier in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 8  illustrates an exploded perspective view of the dehumidifier in  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a perspective view of a dehumidifier in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a perspective view of the dehumidifier in  FIG. 9  with a front panel thereof opened; 
         FIG. 11  illustrates a perspective view of the dehumidifier in  FIG. 9  with a water tank thereof drawn out partially; 
         FIG. 12  illustrates an exploded perspective view of the dehumidifier in  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 13  illustrates a perspective view of a variation of the dehumidifier in  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 14  illustrates sectional views of the dehumidifier in  FIG. 13 ; 
         FIG. 15  illustrates an exploded perspective view of the dehumidifier in  FIG. 13 ; and 
         FIG. 16  illustrates a perspective view of a variation of the dehumidifier in  FIG. 13  with the side panel moved out. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings  FIGS. 2 to 6 . Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the dehumidifier includes a case  10  of an exterior of the dehumidifier, a heat exchanger  20  of a heat conductive material in the case  10 , a desiccant assembly  30  in the case  10  for absorbing moisture from the air, a blower assembly  40  for forcing the room air to be drawn into the case  10 , and a regenerator assembly  50  for forced circulation of a portion of the room air drawn into the case  10  through the heat exchanger  20 . 
     The case  10  has a hexahedral shape substantially, with a front half portion and a rear half portion. That is, the case  10  includes a front frame  11  forming exteriors of a front, sides and a top of a front half of the case  10 , and a rear frame  12  forming exteriors of a rear, sides and a top of the rear half of the case  10 . The front frame  11  and the rear frame  12  have hexahedral shapes having a rear and a front thereof opened, respectively. 
     The case  10  having the front frame  11  and the rear frame  12  has inlets  11   a , and  12   a  in the front, rear or sides for drawing the room air. The inlets  11   a , and  12   a  are in a front of the front frame  11  and in a rear of the rear frame  12 , respectively. 
     The inlets  11   a  and  12   a  are rectangular substantially, with filters  80  mounted thereon, respectively. The filter  80 , for filtering foreign matters from air, may include a single unit selected from a prefilter for filtering relatively large sized dust from the air drawn through the inlets  11   a , and  12   a , deodoring filters for removing smell, dust collecting filters each for collecting dust by an electrical action, and a HEPA filter for removing fine dust, or an assembly having above various filters combined as one unit. 
     In front of the front frame  11  having the inlet  11   a , there is a front panel  16  for making a front exterior graceful. The front panel  16  has a shape of a rectangular plate with a size the same with the front frame  11 , coupled to a side of the front frame  11  with hinges enabling to rotate in a side direction. 
     In a lower side of the front panel  16 , there is a suction grill  16   a  with a size in correspondence to the inlet  11   a  in the front frame  11 . 
     On a top of the front frame  11 , there is a transparent display part  15  for displaying an operation state of the dehumidifier. Though not shown, there are a plurality of operation buttons on one side of the display part  15  for operating the dehumidifier. 
     Under the top of the front frame  11  having the display part  15  mounted thereon, there is a control box  18  for controlling the dehumidifier by handling the operation buttons. Though not shown, in the control box  18 , there are a plurality of components, such as circuit boards for controlling the operation of the dehumidifier on the whole. 
     Under the control box  18 , there is a heat exchanger  20  for making heat exchange with the room air drawn through the inlet  11   a . The heat exchanger  20  has two tiers of different sized heat exchangers having inside passages of a plurality of tubes connected to one another for bringing air circulating by a recycling assembly  20  described later into contact with the room air drawn through the inlet  11   a  thereby making more heat exchange. One exemplary structure of the heat exchanger  20  will be described with reference to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , in more detail. 
     In rear of the heat exchanger  20 , there is a regenerating cover  57  in correspondence to the heater case  55  to be described later. The regenerating cover  57  forms a flow passage for guiding the air circulated by the regenerator assembly  50  to the heat exchanger  20 , again. 
     In rear of the regenerating cover  57 , there is a desiccant assembly  30  for absorbing moisture from the room air drawn through the inlet  11   a . The desiccant assembly  30  includes a desiccant member  32  for absorbing moisture from air, a rotor  33  for rotating the desiccant member  32 , a rotor housing  35  for supporting the rotor  33  to rotate, and a motor  33   a  for providing rotating power to rotate the rotor  33 . 
     The desiccant member  32  has a disk shape constructed of paper, with a plurality of pass through holes like a honeycomb. In more detail, the desiccant member  32  is fabricated by rolling two layers of paper like a honeycomb and bonded together, to form a plurality of the pass through holes, and permeating a desiccant solution therein. 
     According to this, when the room air passes through the pass through holes in the desiccant member  32 , the moisture is absorbed in the desiccant member, to dry the air. 
     The desiccant member  32  has a disk shape and mounted to the rotor  33 . The rotor  33  is a circular frame, and has a gear on an outside circumference. On an outer side of the rotor  33 , there is a rotor driving gear  33   b  rotated by the rotor motor  33   a . The rotor driving gear  33   b  is engaged with the outside circumference of the rotor  33 , to rotate the rotor  33 . 
     The rotor motor  33   a  rotates the rotor  33  slowly (for an example, 1 RPM) so that the desiccant member  32  absorbs moisture from the air passing therethrough. 
     The rotor  33  is housed in, and supported on the rotor housing  35 . The rotor housing  35  has a square plate shape substantially, with an opened center. Around the opened center of the rotor housing  35 , the rotor cover  36  is formed as a circular rim projected therefrom. In the rotor cover  36 , the rotor  33  is housed. 
     At a center of the rotor cover  36 , there is a rotation shaft  35   a  which is a rotation center of the rotor  33  supported by a plurality of supporting arms  37  extended from an edge of the rotor cover  36  to the center in a radial direction. 
     At an upper side of a right side of the rotor housing  35 , there is a circulating duct  39  for guiding the air from the heat exchanger  20  to the regenerator assembly  50 , and at a lower side of the right side of the rotor housing  35 , there is the motor  33   a  coupled with the rotor driving gear  33   b  as one unit for providing rotating power to rotate the rotor  33 . 
     In rear of the desiccant assembly  30 , as a component of the regenerator assembly  50  to be described later, there is a heater  56  for providing heat to dry the desiccant member  32 . The heater  56  has a fan shape substantially, and is encased in a heater case  55  having a front and a portion of a top opened. 
     Accordingly, since the heater case  55  is mounted matched to a fan shaped regenerative flow passage  38  partitioned at an upper side of the rotor housing  35  by the rotor arms  37 , the heater case  55  serves to regenerate a portion of the desiccant member  32  to dry the portion, continuously. 
     In rear of the heater  56 , there is the blower assembly  40  for drawing the room air through the inlet  11   a , forcibly. The blower assembly  40  includes a fan  41  for drawing the room air through the inlet  11   a , a blower housing  43  for housing, and supporting the fan  41 , and a fan motor  42  for providing rotation power to the fan  41 . 
     The blower housing  43  has a square plate shape substantially, with a circular opening at a center, to form a flow passage of the room air drawn by the rotation power of the fan  41 . At a top of the blower housing  43 , there is a discharge flow passage  48  for discharging the room air drawn by the fan  41  to an outside of the dehumidifier. 
     At the opened portion of the blower housing  43 , there is a motor support  44  for housing a portion of the fan motor  42 , and supporting the fan motor  42 . Opposite to the motor support  44 , there is a motor mount  42   a  for securing the fan motor  42 . 
     In front of an upper side of the blower assembly  40 , there is the regenerator assembly  50  for passing a portion of the room air drawn through the inlet  11   a  through the case  10 . 
     The regenerator assembly  50  includes a regenerating fan  52 , a regenerating fan housing  54  for housing and supporting the regenerating fan  52 , a regenerating motor  53  for providing a rotating power to rotate the regenerating fan  52 , a heater  56  for providing heat to dry the desiccant member  32 , and a heater case  55  for casing the heater  56 . The regenerating fan  52  may be a centrifugal type fan, such as a sirocco fan, but a variety of types of fans may be used. 
     The regenerating fan housing  54  has a disk shape substantially for mounting the regenerating fan  52  therein. The regenerating fan housing  54  has a suction opening at a center in communication with the circulating duct  39 , and an outlet at one side of underside in communication with the heater case  55 . 
     Therefore, when the regenerating fan  52  rotates, the air is drawn forcibly into the regenerating fan housing  54  through the circulating duct  39 , and discharged to the heater case  55 . 
     That is, the regenerating fan housing  54  guides the air from the regenerating fan  52  to the heater  56  and the regenerating flow passage  38 , to keep drying a portion of the desiccant member  32  rotating at a position opposite thereto. 
     In the meantime, there is a drain pan  60  under the heat exchanger  20  for collecting condensed water from the heat exchanger  20  and guiding to a water tank  71 . The drain pan  60  is rectangular substantially, with a drain groove projected upward for guiding condensed water from the heat exchanger  20  to the water tank  71 . 
     Under the drain pan  60 , there is a base pan  70  for mounting the front frame  11  and the rear frame  12  at opposite sides and supporting the heat exchanger  20 , the desiccant assembly  30 , the blower assembly  40 , and so on. The base pan  70  has a hexahedral shape with opened top and one side. The water tank  71  is slidably mounted therein in a lateral direction. 
     The water tank  71  has a hexahedral box shape having an opened top. On top of the water tank  71 , there is a water tank cover  73  detachably mounted thereon for opening/closing the opened top of the water tank  71 . On opposite sides of the water tank cover  73 , there are a plurality of water tank cover fasteners  77  for hooking with fastening projections  71   a  at upper sides of opposite sides of the water tank  71 , respectively. 
     It is preferable that there is a water tank handle  76  at a center of a top of the water tank cover  73  for easy handling of the water tank  71 . On one side of the water tank handle  76 , there is a water tank inlet  74  in communication with a bottom of the drain groove  61  for guiding the water to the water tank  71 . 
     On the water tank inlet  71 , there is an inlet cover  75  for preventing water from flowing out of the water tank  71  at the time the water tank  71  in in/out. 
     In the water tank  71 , there is a float  78  for moving up/down along a water level changing as the water is collected in the water tank  71  to sense full of water tank. Through not shown, the float  78  is connected to a sensor so that the full of water tank  71  can be displayed so as to be noticeable from an outside of the water tank  71 . 
     In the meantime, the rear frame  12  of the dehumidifier which is a rear exterior of the dehumidifier has a size in correspondence to the front frame  11 , and is coupled to the front frame  11  on the base pan  70 , to form the case  10 . 
     In a top surface of the rear frame  12 , there is an outlet  13  for guiding the air dehumidified as the air is drawn through the inlets  11   a , and  12   a  and flows through the inside of the case  10  to be discharged to the room again. 
     Under the outlet  13 , there is a discharge louver  14  for controlling a direction of air discharged toward the outlet  13 . Though not shown, the discharge louver  14  may be mounted to open the outlet  13  as the louver rotates in an up/down direction at the outlet  13  by a driving unit, such as a step motor, or to slide in an up/down direction by other driving unit. 
     According to this, when the dehumidifier is not in operation, the discharge louver  14  rotates to an inside of the outlet  13 , or slides down, to close the outlet  13 , and when the dehumidifier is in operation, the discharge louver  14  rotates to an outside of the outlet  13 , or slides up, to open the outlet  13 , to control a direction of the dehumidified air discharged from the outlet  13 . 
     On a top of the rear frame  12 , i.e., in front of the outlet  13 , there is a handle  17  for easy movement of the dehumidifier. The handle  17  has opposite ends hinged on the top of the rear frame  12 , enabling the handle  17  to move in a up/down direction, and, under the handle  17 , there is a handle groove  17   a  for seating the handle  17  when the handle  17  is not in use. 
     There is a water tank opening  19  in a lower side of a side of the rear frame  12  and a lower side of a side of the front frame  11  for drawing the water tank  71  out of the dehumidifier. 
     In the meantime, referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the heat exchanger  20  includes a first heat exchanger  21  and a second heat exchanger  22  larger than the first heat exchanger  21 . The first, and second heat exchangers  21 , and  22  have a plurality of tubes in communication with one another, for enabling an air flow therein. It is preferable that the tubes  23  of the first and second heat exchangers are arranged at regular intervals, and is constructed such that the air can flow freely between the tubes  23 . 
     In a top of the first heat exchanger  21 , there is an induction hole  24  for introducing the air guided through the regenerating cover  57  into the first heat exchanger  21 . In one side of the lower side of each of the first, and second heat exchangers  21 , and  22 , there is a connecting hole  26  for making the first, and second heat exchangers  21 , and  22  in communication. 
     In one side of a top side of the second heat exchanger  22 , there is a discharge hole  25  for discharging air from the second heat exchanger  22 . 
     At a bottom of each of the first, and second heat exchangers  21 , and  22 , there is a drain hole  27  for draining condensed water from the heat exchanger  20 . 
     It is preferable that the regenerating cover  57  has a size and a shape matched to the regenerating flow passage  38 . In a lower side of the regenerating cover  57 , there is a guide hole  57   a  formed in conformity with, and in communication with, the induction hole  24 . 
     Therefore, the air blowing through the regenerating flow passage  38  is introduced into the first heat exchanger  21  through the guide hole  57   a  in the regenerating cover  57 , and the induction hole  24  in the first heat exchanger  21 , and therefrom into the second heat exchanger  22  through the connecting holes  26 , flows through the second heat exchanger  32 , and discharged to the circulating duct  39  through the discharge hole  25 . 
     The operation of the dehumidifier of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to  FIG. 6 . 
     As indicated with large arrows, when humid room air is drawn into the case  10  through the inlets  11   a , and  12   a  by the rotating power of the fan  41 , the air has foreign matters removed therefrom as the air passes through the filter  80 , and passes through the desiccant assembly  30  through the heat exchanger  20 . 
     In this instance, the air has moisture removed therefrom as the air passes through the pass through holes in the desiccant member  32 , and is discharged to the room through the outlet  13  by the rotating power of the fan  41  as the air passes through the blower assembly  40 . 
     Next, as indicated with small arrows, in a regenerating process for drying the desiccant member  32  of the desiccant assembly  30  continuously, the air blown forcibly by the rotation of the regenerating fan  52  passes through the heater  60  through the heater case  55 , and is heated to warm air such that the warm air evaporates moisture absorbed in the desiccant member  32 . 
     The high temperature, humid air passed through the desiccant member  32  moves toward the heat exchanger  20  through the regenerating flow passage  38 , and introduced into the regenerating cover  57 . Then, the high temperature, humid air circulates through an inside of the heat exchanger  20 , and has moisture therein condensed as the high temperature, humid air heat exchanges with the room air having a relatively low temperature drawn through the inlets  11   a , and  12   a  in the circulating process. The condensed water is drained to the drain groove  61  through the drain hole  27  at the bottom of each of the heat exchangers. 
     The water condensed at the heat exchanger  20  thus is guided to the drain pan  60 , and held in the water tank  71 , and the air passed through the heat exchanger  20  repeats circulation in which the air is guided to the regenerating flow passage  38  through the rotor housing  35  and the circulating duct  39  again by the regenerating fan  52 , to repeat the regenerating process of drying the desiccant member  32 , continuously. 
     Thus, the dehumidifier of the present invention removes moisture from the room air by means of two streams of air flow. That is, the room air drawn by the fan  41  passes through, and has moisture therein absorbed at, the desiccant member  32 , and is discharged to an outside of the dehumidifier through the outlet  13 . 
     At the same time with this, while the dehumidifier makes the high temperature air to flow through the regenerative flow passage  38  by the regenerating fan  52 , the dehumidifier separates the moisture from a portion of the desiccant member again and blows toward the heat exchanger  20 , to condense, and remove the moisture from the air, at the heat exchanger  20 , and circulates the air by the regenerating fan  52 . 
     In the meantime,  FIGS. 7 and 8  each illustrates another embodiment of the dehumidifier, of which basic system is identical to the foregoing dehumidifier, except that the another embodiment is different form the foregoing embodiment in that the dehumidifier of the another embodiment includes inlets  111   a , and  112   a  in opposite sides of the front frame  111  and the rear frame  112  of the case  110  for drawing air, together with filters  180 , and a water tank opening  111   b  in the front of the front frame  111 . 
     Therefore, the dehumidifier of another embodiment draws through the opposite sides of the case  110  by the fan  41 . Moreover, when the water tank  71  is taken out of the dehumidifier after the dehumidification is finished, the user opens the front panel  116 , and pulls out the water tank  71  from the case  110 . 
     Since the dehumidifier of another embodiment has the inlets  111   a , and  112   a  in opposite sides of the dehumidifier, no suction grill is required at the front panel  116  for pass through of the air. 
     Next, a dehumidifier in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIGS. 9 to 13 . 
     The dehumidifier of the embodiment includes a case  210 , a heat exchanger  20 , a desiccant assembly  50 , a blower assembly  40 , and a regenerator assembly  50 . The heat exchanger  20 , the desiccant assembly  50 , the blower assembly  40 , and the regenerator assembly  50  are identical to the foregoing embodiment, of which detailed description will be omitted. 
     The case  210  is substantially hexahedral, and has individual sides. That is, the case  210  has a front frame  211  of a front exterior thereof, a rear frame  212  of a rear exterior thereof, two side panels  213   a , and  213   b  of side exterior thereof, and a top panel  214  of a top exterior thereof, and a base pan  270  at a bottom thereof, which are formed individually. 
     That is, the case  210  is formed as the front frame  211  and the rear frame  212  are mounted at a front and a rear of the base pan  270 , and the side panels  213   a , and  213   b  are mounted at sides of the base pan  270 , and the top panel  214  is mounted to a top. 
     The front frame  211 , the rear frame  212 , and the side frames  213   a , and  213   b  are coupled together with predetermined gaps therebetween to form inlets  211   a  and  212   a  for drawing the room air into the case  100 . 
     In more detail, the gaps between a left edge and a right edge of each of the front frame  211  and the rear frame  120  and a front edge and a rear edge of each of the side panels  213   a  and  213   b  respectively form the inlets  211   a , and  212   a.    
     Insides of the side panels  213   a  and  213   b  having the inlets  211   a  and  212   a , there are filters  280  for cleaning room air. The filter  280  is placed in and pulled out of the case  210  through a filter insertion slot  211   b  extended in an up/down direction in the front frame  211 . 
     The filter  280 , for filtering foreign matters from air, may include a single unit selected from a prefilter for filtering relatively large sized dust from the air drawn through the inlets  211   a , and  212   a , deodoring filters for removing smell, dust collecting filters each for collecting dust by an electrical action, and an HEPA filter for removing fine dust, or an assembly having above various filters combined as one unit. 
     At a side panel  213   b  opposite to the side panel  213   a  having the inlets  211   a  and  212   a  formed therein, a water holding amount indicating portion  213   c  is formed for indicating a water holding amount of the water tank  271  to be described later. The water holding amount indicating portion  213   c  extends in an up/down direction at middle of the side panel  213   b , and is transparent so that the water holding amount of the water tank  271  can be visible from an outside of the dehumidifier. 
     In front of the front frame  211 , there is a front panel  216  for making a front exterior beautiful. The front panel  216  has a size and a shape corresponding to the front frame  211 , and is coupled to the front frame  211  at a side edge thereof with hinges for rotation in a lateral direction. 
     The front panel  216  has a fastening member  216   a  at a side edge for fastening/unfastening the front panel  216  to/from the front frame  211 . The fastening member  216   a  may be a hook or a magnet. 
     Referring to  FIG. 13 , on the front of the front panel  216 , there may be various patterns or photographs attached thereto for decorating the exterior beautiful. 
     Accordingly, by making the front panel  216  to be rotatable in the lateral direction, the front panel  216 , not only enables easy replacement of the filter  280 , but also makes the front exterior of the dehumidifier beautiful. 
     The top panel  214  is rectangular substantially, and has one side provided with a display unit  215  for displaying an operation state of the dehumidifier, and the other side provided with a water tank opening  214   c.    
     Though not shown, on one side of the display unit  215 , there is a plurality of operation buttons for operating the dehumidifier, and a water tank opening cover  214   d  for closing the water tank opening  214   c.    
     In the middle of the top panel between the display unit  215  and the water tank opening  214   c , there is an outlet  214   a  for discharging dehumidifier air. Alike the foregoing embodiment, the outlet  214   a  is opened/closed by a discharge louver  214   b . The discharge louver  214   b  may open/close the outlet  214  as the discharge louver  214   b  is moved by a driving unit such as a step motor, or different from this, by sliding. 
     In the meantime, on one side of an inside of the case  210 , i.e., at an inside of the side panel  213   b  opposite to the side panel having the inlets  211   a  and  212   a  formed therein, there is the water tank  271  for holding condensed water from the heat exchanger  20 . The water tank  271  can be drawn upward through the water tank opening  214   c  in the top panel  24 . preferably, on top of the water tank  271 , there is a handle  271   a  for the user to hold the water tank  271  with a hand and draw the water tank  271  easily. 
     The base pan  270  is a box having all sides enclosed except a top side for collecting the water held in the water tank  271 . In order to pump up the water held in the base pan  270  to the water tank  271 , a pump P is mounted on the base pan  270 , and a hose H is connected to the pump P and the water tank  271  for guiding the pumped water to the water tank  271 . Of course, different from this, the hose H and the pump P may be connected to the heat exchanger  20  and the water tank  271  directly, for pumping the condensed water from the heat exchanger  20  to the water tank  271  directly without passing through the base pan  270 . 
     The operation of the dehumidifier will be described. 
     Upon putting the dehumidifier into operation by operating operation buttons (not shown) on the top panel  214 , the fan  41  rotates to draw room air through the inlets  211   a  and  212   a  in the side panel  213   a . The air has moisture therein removed therefrom as the air passes through the desiccant member  32  via the heat exchanger  20 , and is discharged upward through the discharge louver  214   b  in the outlet  214   a.    
     In this instance, as the air circulates through the regenerative flow passage  38 , the heat exchanger  20 , and the circulating duct  39  by the regenerator assembly  50 , a portion of moisture is removed from the desiccant member  32 . 
     During this regenerating process, the condensed water from the heat exchanger  20  is collected in the base pan  270  guided by the drain pan  60 . Then, the water is guided to the water tank  271  along the hose H by the pump P, and held therein. 
     The user looks at the water holding amount indicating portion  213   c  on the side panel  213   b  from an outside of the dehumidifier with naked eyes, to notice an amount of water held in the water tank  271 . 
     When the user intends to empty the water tank  271 , the user rotates the water tank opening cover  214   d , to open the water tank opening  214   c , holds the handle  271   a  on the water tank  271 , and pulls the water tank  271  upward, and empties the water tank  271 . 
       FIGS. 12 to 15  illustrate a variation of the embodiment of the dehumidifier in  FIG. 9 . The dehumidifier in accordance with the embodiment has one  213   a  of side panels  213   a  and  213   b  of the dehumidifier to move in a lateral direction to open/close the inlets  211   a  and  212   a.    
     For this, the side panel  130  has a driving unit  300  mounted on each of opposite edges of the side panel  130  for moving the side panel  213   a . The driving unit  300  includes a panel driving motor  301  fixedly secured to the side panel  130 , and a pinion gear  302  connected to one end of a rotating shaft  303  of the panel driving motor  301 . 
     At inside edges of the front frame  211  and the rear frame  212 , there are rack gears  305  extended in a lateral direction for engagement with the pinion gears respectively. 
     Therefore, when the pinion gear  302  is rotated by the panel driving motor  301 , the pinion gear  302  is moved along the rack gear  305 . According to this, the side panel  213   a  moves in a lateral direction. 
     There are guide bars  311  extended to an inner side of the case  210  from respective corners of the side panel  213   a  for guiding movement of the side panel  213   a . There are guide grooves  312  in an upper side and a lower side of each of the front frame  211  and the rear frame  212  for placing and guiding the guide bars  311 . 
     Therefore, when the side panel  213   a  moves in a lateral direction to an inside or an outside of the case  210  by actions of the driving units  300  and the rack gears  305 , the guide bars  311  move along the guide grooves  312 , enabling the side panel  213   a  to move smoothly along an exact path. 
     The dehumidifier of the embodiment opens/closes the inlets  211   a  and  212   a  by moving the side panel  213   a  in the lateral direction. 
     That is, referring to  FIG. 14A , when the dehumidifier is put into operation, the pinion gears  302  of the driving units  300  rotate in one direction, to move the side panel  213   a  toward an outer side of the case  210  in a lateral direction, to open the inlets  211   a  and  212   a  between the front frame  211  and the rear frame  212 , and the side panel  213   a , accordingly. 
     Opposite to this, referring to  FIG. 14B , when operation of the dehumidifier is stopped, the pinion gears  302  of the driving units  300  rotate in a direction opposite to above, to move the side panel  213  toward an inner side of the case  210  in a lateral direction, to close the inlets  211   a  and  212   a , thereby closing inflow of the air. 
     On the other hand, though the embodiment has been described with reference to a dehumidifier having the driving units mounted on the side panel  213   a  and the rack gears  305  mounted on the front frame  211  and the rear frame  212 , opposite to this, the driving units may be mounted on the front frame  211  and/or the rear frame  212 , and the rack gears may be mounted on the side panel  213   a.    
     Of course, the side panel may be moved in the lateral direction by using known driving devices other than the foregoing rack and pinion. 
     Or, different from the embodiment, the side panel  213   a  may be moved, not in the lateral direction, but up/down direction, or as shown in  FIG. 16 , may be rotated in the lateral direction, to form a gap for air flow between the front frame  211  or the rear frame  212  and the side panel  213   a.    
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.