Patent Publication Number: US-2021190342-A1

Title: Humidifier with Air Guiding Arrangement

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This is a non-provisional application which claims priority to a Chinese patent application having an application number of CN 201911308326.X, and a filing date of Dec. 18, 2019, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Field of Invention 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure relates to a humidifier, and more particularly to a humidifier comprising an air guiding arrangement which is capable of facilitating effective mix of air and water in a water storage compartment. 
     Description of Related Arts 
     With the advance of technology, humidifiers have been widely utilized around the world for increasing humidity in a designated space, such as a living room or a bedroom. There exist many kinds of humidifiers. A conventional humidifier may comprise a main housing having an air inlet, an air outlet and a water receiving cavity for storing a predetermined amount of water, and a fan unit. The fan unit may draw air to flow from the air inlet toward the air outlet. The air in the main housing may mix with the water stored in the water receiving cavity for forming mist. The mist may be blown by the fan unit to be discharged out of the main housing through the air outlet. 
     A major disadvantage of the conventional humidifiers such as the one described above is that the air drawn from the air inlet may freely circulate in the main housing. As a result, this may affect the performance or effectiveness by which air is mixed with water stored in the water receiving cavity. 
     As a result, there is a need to develop a humidifier which is capable of facilitating effective mix of air and water in a water storage compartment. 
     SUMMARY 
     Implementations of the present disclosure provide a humidifier comprising an air guiding arrangement which is capable of facilitating effective mix of air and water in a water storage compartment. 
     In one aspect of the present disclosure, it provides a humidifier, comprising: 
     a main housing having an air inlet, an air outlet, a receiving cavity, and a water storage compartment for storing a predetermined amount of water; 
     a fan unit supported in the main housing for drawing air to flow from the air inlet to the air outlet; and 
     an air guiding arrangement, which comprises: 
     a guiding roller rotatably supported in the water storage compartment of the main housing; and 
     a partitioning assembly supported in the receiving cavity of the main housing at a position adjacent to the guiding roller to substantially enclose the water storage compartment, the partitioning assembly defining at least one air slot and an air passage channel, wherein when the fan unit and the guiding roller are driven to rotate, air is drawn from the air inlet and guided to pass through the air slot to reach the water storage compartment for effectively mixing with the water in the water storage compartment to form a predetermined amount of mist, the mist being arranged to pass through the partitioning assembly through the air passage channel and the fan unit, and eventually discharged out of the main housing through the air outlet. 
     This summary presented above is provided merely to introduce certain concepts and not to identify any key or essential features of the claimed subject matter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a humidifier according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the humidifier according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of a guiding roller accommodated in a water storage compartment of the humidifier according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of the guiding roller of the humidifier according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is perspective view of a partitioning assembly of the humidifier according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a partial perspective view of the partitioning assembly of the humidifier according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a top view of the humidifier according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a front sectional view of the humidifier according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a side sectional view of the humidifier according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a partially enlarged sectional view of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 11  is a schematic diagram of a water level sensing apparatus of the humidifier according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  is an electrical diagram of a sensor circuitry of the humidifier according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The following detailed description of the embodiments is the preferred mode of carrying out the present disclosure. The description is not to be taken in any limiting sense. It is presented for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     It should be appreciated that the terms “install”, “connect”, “couple”, and “mount” in the following description refer to the connecting relationship in the accompanying drawings for easy understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the connection can refer to permanent connection or detachable connection. Furthermore, “connected” may also mean direct connection or indirect connection, or connection through other auxiliary components. Therefore, the above terms should not be an actual connection limitation of the elements of embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     It should be appreciated that the terms “length”, “width”, “top”, “bottom”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, vertical”, “horizontal”, “upper”, “lower”, “exterior”, and “interior” in the following description refer to the orientation or positioning relationship in the accompanying drawings for easy understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure without limiting the actual location or orientation of embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the above terms should not be an actual location limitation of the elements of embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     It should be appreciated that the terms “first”, “second”, “one”, “a”, and “an” in the following description refer to “at least one” or “one or more” in the embodiment. In particular, the term “a” in one embodiment may refer to “one” while in another embodiment may refer to “more than one”. Therefore, the above terms should not be an actual numerical limitation of the elements of embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 12  of the drawings, a humidifier according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Broadly, the humidifier may comprise a main housing  11 , a fan unit  30 , and an air guiding arrangement  60 . 
     The main housing  11  may have an air inlet  1101 , an air outlet  1102 , a receiving cavity  110 , and a water storage compartment  120  for storing a predetermined amount of water. 
     The fan unit  30  may be supported in the main housing  11  for drawing air to flow from the air inlet  1101  to the air outlet  1102 . 
     The air guiding arrangement  60  may comprise a guiding roller  21  and a partitioning assembly  13 . The guiding roller  21  may be rotatably supported in the water storage compartment  120  of the main housing  11 . 
     The partitioning assembly  13  may be supported in the receiving cavity  110  of the main housing  11  at a position adjacent to the guiding roller  21  to substantially enclose the water storage compartment  120 . The partitioning assembly  13  may define a plurality of (but at least one) air slots  1322  and an air passage channel  1310 , wherein when the fan unit  30  and the guiding roller  21  are driven to rotate, air is drawn from the air inlet  1101  and guided to pass through the air slots  1322  to reach the water storage compartment  120  for effectively mixing with the water in the water storage compartment  120  for forming a predetermined amount of mist. The mist may then be arranged to pass through the partitioning assembly  13  through the air passage channel  1310  and the fan unit  30  and is eventually discharge out of the main housing  11  through the air outlet  1102 . 
     According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the main housing  11  may have a receiving cavity  110  for storing mechanical and electrical components therein. The main housing  11  may be arranged to stand on a flat surface and may comprise a top panel  113 , an upper housing member  111 , a lower housing member  112  provided underneath the upper housing member  111 , and a water tank  12  received in the lower housing member  112 . The water storage compartment  120  may be formed in the water tank  12  for storing a predetermined of water. As shown in  FIG. 1  of the drawings, the air inlet  1101  may be formed on a lower portion of the upper housing member  111  while the air outlet  1102  may be formed on the top panel  113  of the main housing  11 . The top panel  113  may be provided on top of the upper housing member  111 . The top panel  113  may comprise a plurality of top guiding blades  1131  formed at the air outlet  1102  for guiding a flow path of the vapor/mist flowing out of the main housing  11 . 
     The fan unit  30  may be mounted at a position above the partitioning assembly  13 . The fan unit  30  may comprise a main frame  31  having a mounting cavity  311 , a supporting frame  33  mounted in the mounting cavity  311 , a plurality of fan blades  32  rotatably connected to the supporting frame  33 , a fan motor  34  mounted on the supporting frame  33  and coupled to the fan blades  32  for driving the fan blades  32  to rotate about a longitudinal axis of the main housing  11 . When the fan unit  30  is activated, the fan blades  32  may be driven to rotate for drawing air to flow from the air inlet  1101  toward the air outlet  1102  through the water storage compartment  120 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 8  to  FIG. 10  of the drawings, the supporting frame  33  may have a tubular frame member  330  defining a securing slot  331  therein for accommodating and supporting the fan motor  34 . Moreover, the supporting frame  33  may further have a plurality of guider panels  332  spacedly provided on the tubular frame member  330  for forming a corresponding number of air conduits  333  between each two guiding panels  332 . The air conduits  333  may communicate with the air outlet  1102 . The fan blades  32  may be rotatably mounted in the tubular frame member  330 , which may be securely mounted in the mounting cavity  311  of the main frame  31 . The guider panels  332  may be stationary and may further stabilize the flow of air in the water storage compartment  120  and therefore may enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of humidifying the air in the water storage compartment  120 . 
     Moreover, as shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 9  of the drawings, the fan unit  30  may further comprise a sealing member  35  mounted on the tubular frame member  330  to substantially conceal the fan motor  34  in the securing slot  331 , wherein the space surrounded and concealed by the sealing member  35  and the supporting frame  33  may be defined as a sealing compartment  3310 . The securing slot  331  may be surrounded by a boundary wall  3311 . The sealing compartment  3310  may effectively prevent water or water vapor from contacting with the fan motor  34  so as to prevent it from being damaged by water contents. 
     On the other hand, the sealing member  35  may further have a sealing cavity  1130  in which when the sealing member  35  is mounted on the upper housing member  111 , the sealing cavity  1130  may form a space which is sealed from water or water vapor or mist. The humidifier may further comprise a control circuitry  71  implemented on a control Printed Circuit Board (control PCB  50 ) received in the sealing cavity  1130 . Since the sealing cavity  1130  is sealed from water, the control PCB  50  may be prevented from being damaged by water contents in the water vapor or mist. 
     More specifically, the sealing member  35  may have an upper sealing portion  353  and a lower sealing portion  354  extended underneath the upper sealing portion  353 , wherein the sealing cavity  1130  may be formed on the upper sealing portion  353 , while the lower sealing portion  354  may be connected to the tubular frame member  330  to form the sealing compartment  3310 . The top panel  113  may be mounted to the sealing member  35 , wherein the sealing cavity  1130  may be formed within the sealing member  35 . 
     Furthermore, the sealing member  35  may further comprise an enclosure cap  114  and a tightening member  115  provided underneath the enclosure cap  114  to form an enclosure compartment  1140  within the space enclosed by the enclosure cap  114  and the tightening member  115 . The control PCB  50  may be accommodated in the enclosure compartment  1140  for having further protection. The tightening member  115  may be secured by a plurality of latches  352  extended in the sealing member  35 . 
     The main frame  31  may be configured as having a bowl shape and may have a top opening  312  facing the top panel  113  of the main housing  11 . The main frame  31  may be reinforced and supported by the partitioning assembly  13  and sandwiched between the to partitioning assembly  13  and the air outlet  1102 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4  of the drawings, the guiding roller  21  of the air guiding arrangement  60  may comprise a water absorbing roller member  211  rotatably mounted in the water storage compartment  120 . In this preferred embodiment of the present invention, the water absorbing roller member  211  may be configured from rolling or folding a predetermined water absorbing material to form a substantially tubular structure. The water absorbing roller member  211  may be arranged to absorb a predetermined amount of water from the water storage compartment  120  while allowing a predetermined amount of air to pass therethrough. Thus, the water absorbing roller member  211  may be configured from water absorbing material (e.g. fabric material or water-absorbing paper material) and may have a plurality of meshes  2111  for allowing air to pass through. 
     More specifically, the guiding roller  21  may further comprise a plurality of reinforcing frames  212  mounted on two ends of the water absorbing roller member  211  respectively for reinforcing a structural integrity thereof and for facilitating mounting of the water absorbing roller member  211  on the water tank  12 . Moreover, the guiding roller  21  may further comprise a plurality of connecting shafts  213  extended from the reinforcing frames  212  respectively, wherein the reinforcing frames  212  and the water absorbing roller member  212  may be driven to rotate about the connecting shafts  213 . As shown in  FIG. 4  of the drawings, each of the reinforcing frames  212  may have at least one ventilating hole  2120  for facilitating air ventilation and passage of air from the air outlet  1101  to the water storage compartment  120  when the guiding roller  21  is operated to mix air with water (described below). The water absorbing roller member  211  may be fabricated by rolling a piece of water-absorbing paper or fabric into a tubular structure having a longitudinal axis extending between the two reinforcing frames  212 . In this preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of the water absorbing roller member  211 , and the reinforcing frames  212  may have a substantially circular cross-sectional shape when viewed from the side, wherein a diameter of each of the reinforcing frame  212  may be larger than that of the water absorbing roller member  211 . The difference in diameters between the water absorbing roller member  211  and the reinforcing frames  212  may be greater than 0.5 mm, 1 mm, 2 mm or other values. 
     The air guiding arrangement  60  may further comprise a driving mechanism  22  mounted in the main housing  11  and coupled to the guiding roller  21  for driving the guiding roller  21  to rotate in the water storage compartment  120 . The driving mechanism  22  may comprise a driving motor  221  and a driving gear  222  coupled to the driving motor  221 . The driving motor  221  may be mounted on the partitioning assembly  13  for driving the guiding roller  21 . 
     On the other hand, the guiding roller  21  may further comprise at least one driven gear  214  operatively coupled to a corresponding connecting shaft  213 , and may be arranged to engage with the driving gear  222  of the driving mechanism  22 . When the driving motor  221  is operated, the driving gear  222  may be driven to rotate which in turn drives the driven gear  214  to rotate as well. The rotation of the driven gear  214  may then arranged to drive the corresponding reinforcing frame  212  to rotate. As a result, the water absorbing roller member  211  may also be driven to rotate about the connecting shafts  213 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 8  of the drawings, the driving mechanism  22  may be accommodated in the upper housing member  111  while the guiding roller  21  may be accommodated in the lower housing member  112 . The upper housing member  111  may be detachably attached on the lower housing member  112  for allow a user to access the water storage compartment  120  and for cleaning the guiding roller  21 . Thus, the driving mechanism  22  may be positioned above the guiding roller  21  and the driving gear  222  may be selectively engaged with the corresponding driven gear  214  when the upper housing member  111  is detachably attached on the lower housing member  112 . 
     In this preferred embodiment, a diameter of the driven gear  214  may be greater than that of the driving gear  222  so as to minimize any noise generated by rotation of the guiding roller  21  and to ensure movement stability thereof. For example, a ratio of a driving gear radius to a driven gear radius may be less than or equal to one of 0.8, 0.2, 0.5 or 0.6. The exact relative diameters of the driving gear  222  and the driven gear  214  may depend on the circumstances in which the present invention is manufactured or utilized. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4  of the drawings, the driving mechanism  22  may further comprise another driven gear  214 , wherein the two driven gears  214  may be mounted on two reinforcing frames  212  respectively. The driving gear  222  may be arranged to engage with one of the driven gears  214  for driving the water absorbing roller member  211  to rotate. When the water absorbing roller member  211  rotates in the water storage compartment  120  filled with a predetermined of water, the water absorbing roller member  211  may absorb the water and mix with the air drawn from the air inlet  1101 . 
     In order to facilitate easy mounting of the guiding roller  21  in the water storage compartment  120 , the water tank  12  may further have a plurality of guiding slots  123  indently formed on two sidewalls  124  thereof, wherein the guiding roller  21  may be rotatably coupled to the guiding slots  123  through the use of the connecting shafts  213  for rotatably mounting the guiding roller  21  in the water storage compartment  120 . It is worth mentioning that the connecting shafts  213  may be formed on the driven gears  214  and/or the reinforcing frames  212 . As shown in  FIG. 4  of the drawings, the connecting shafts  213  may be formed on the driven gears  214 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6  of the drawings, the partitioning assembly  13  may comprise a first partitioning member  131 , and a second partitioning member  1330  extended from the first partitioning member  131 . The partitioning assembly  13  may be configured to have a hollow structure so that it may have a central cavity  135  formed as a space surrounded by the first partitioning member  131  and the second partitioning member  1330 . Moreover, the first partitioning member  131  may have a through hole  1310  formed thereon, wherein the through hole  1310  may communicate with the central cavity  135 . 
     The second partitioning member  1330  may have a boundary portion  132  and a lower peripheral rim portion  133  peripherally and outwardly extended from the boundary portion  132 . Moreover, the partitioning assembly  13  may further comprise an upper peripheral rim  136  peripherally and outwardly extended from the first partitioning member  131 . Thus, a groove  137  may be formed as a space surrounded by the upper peripheral rim  136 , the lower peripheral rim portion  133 , and an outer surface  1321  of the boundary portion  132 . 
     In this preferred embodiment of the present invention, the air inlet  1101  may be formed on the main housing  11  at a position between the first partitioning member  131  and the peripheral rim portion  133  (i.e. a position corresponding to the groove  137 ), so that the air drawn from the air inlet  1101  may be effectively guided to flow into the groove  137 . 
     Accordingly, the boundary portion  132  may have a plurality of air slots  1322  spacedly formed thereon, wherein the air slots  1322  may communicate the groove  137  with the central cavity  135 . Thus, air flowing through the air inlet  1101  may be guided to flow into the groove  137  and enter the central cavity  135  through the air slots  1322 . The boundary portion  132  may be configured from rigid material which may reinforce the overall structure of the partitioning assembly  13  so that the partitioning assembly  13  may have the necessary structural strength to support the fan unit  30  thereabove. 
     The partitioning assembly  13  may be utilized to separate the water storage compartment  120  from the fan unit  30  so as to ensure optimal performance when mixing water with air. In this preferred embodiment, the water storage compartment  120  and the guiding roller  21  may be positioned underneath the second partitioning member  1330 , while the fan unit  30  may be positioned above the first partitioning member  131 . This configuration may be illustrated in  FIG. 8  of the drawings. 
     The partitioning assembly  13  may further comprise a securing piece  134  extended from a bottom surface  1311  of the first partitioning member  131  and secured in the central cavity  135 . The securing piece  134  may extend from the bottom surface  1311  on a boundary enclosing the through hole  1310  in the central cavity  135 . Moreover, the securing piece  134  may have a side boundary  1342  extending in the central cavity  135 . Thus, when viewed from the bottom, the securing piece  134  may have a cross section enclosing that of the through hole  1310 . This structure is shown in  FIG. 5  of the drawings. 
     The side boundary  1342  may have two side portions  1343 , a front portion  1344  and a rear portion  1345 . Moreover, the securing piece  134  may have a plurality of bottom edges  1341  formed on the front portion  1344  and the rear portion  1345  respectively. The bottom edges  1341  may have curved contour, in which a radius of curvature of the bottom edges  1341  may correspond to a radius of curvature of the water absorbing roller member  211 . In this preferred embodiment of the present invention, two of the bottom edges  1341  may be concavely curved (as viewed from bottom) in which the radius of curvature may correspond to that of the radius of curvature of an external surface of the water absorbing roller member  211 . Because of the match of the surface contour of the water absorbing roller member  211  and the bottom edges  1341  of the securing piece  134 , air flowing within the main housing  11  may be kept stable and the noise thus generated may be kept to the minimum. Moreover, the curved bottom edges  1341  may also help to minimize the amount of air flowing out of the through hole  1310  without mixing with the water absorbed by the water absorbing roller member  211 . 
     The through hole  1310  may communicate with the air outlet  1102  through the fan unit  30  so that air in the water storage compartment  120  may be arranged to mix with the water while the water absorbing roller member  211  is being rotated. The mixture of air and water may then become mist and blown out of the main housing  11  through the air outlet  1102  by the fan unit  30 . According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the main frame  31  may have a through opening  313  formed at a bottom portion thereof, wherein the through opening  313  may communicate with the through hole  1310  of the partitioning assembly  13 . As a result, air and water mixture in the form of mist may be able to flow out of the water storage compartment  120  and may be arranged to pass through the through hole  1310 , the through opening  313  of the main frame  31 , and eventually flow out of the main housing  11  through the air outlet  1102 . 
     As briefly described above, air may be drawn to enter the main housing  11  through the air inlet  1101 . The air may then pass through the air slots  1322  and enter the central cavity  135 . The air passing through the central cavity  135  may be arranged to pass through the ventilating hole  2120  of the corresponding reinforcing frame  212  (i.e. the reinforcing frame nearest to the air inlet  1101 ) to reach the water-soaked water absorbing roller member  211 . The air reaching the water-soaked water absorbing roller member  211  may mix with the water to form a predetermined amount of mist or water vapor. The mist or water vapor may be driven by the fan unit  30  to pass through the through hole  1310  and the air conduits  333  and eventually exit the main housing  11  through the air outlet  1102 . 
     It is worth mentioning that the use of the securing piece  134  may allow air drawn from the air inlet  1101  to be effectively guided to flow to the water storage compartment  120  and to mix with the water soaked in the water absorbing roller member  211 . 
     Furthermore, when the water absorbing roller member  211  rotates, dust from the air may be trapped or blocked by the water-soaked water absorbing roller member  211  and the air discharged out of the main housing  11  may be filtered by this mechanism. 
     The water absorbing roller member  211  and the securing piece  134  may be shaped and sized and positioned to minimize clearance between these two components. For example, the water absorbing roller member  211  may be partially received in the securing piece  134  so that the reinforcing frames  212  are positioned between the side portions  1343  of the side boundary  1341  of the securing piece  134 . A horizontal distance between each of reinforcing frames  212  and the corresponding side portion  1343  of the side boundary  1341  may be less than one of 5 mm, 3 mm, 2 mm, 1 mm or 0.5 mm. Moreover, a vertical distance between the water absorbing roller member  211  and the front portion  1344  and the rear portion  1345  of the side boundary  1341  of the securing piece  134  may be less than one of 5 mm, 3 mm, 2 mm, 1 mm or 0.5 mm. 
     Referring to  FIG. 11  to  FIG. 12  of the drawings, the humidifier may further comprise a water level sensing apparatus  40 . The water level sensing apparatus  40  may comprise a plurality of water level sensors  41  mounted on the water tank  12  and a sensor circuitry  42  electrically connected to the water level sensors  41 . The water level sensors  41  may be spacedly distributed on the water tank  12  along a vertical direction thereof. When the water storage compartment  120  is filled with water, the water and the corresponding water level sensors  41  may form a capacitance which may create an electrical signal in the sensor circuitry  42 . As a result, the water level in the water tank  12  may be obtained by the sensor circuitry  42 . The sensor circuitry  42  may be implemented on a sensor Printed Circuity Board (sensor PCB  421 ) mounted in the main housing  11 . 
     The humidifier may further comprise at least one illuminator  80  electrically connected to the sensor circuitry  42  for indicating water level of as detected by the water level sensors  41 . The humidifier may further comprise at a transceiver  51  electrically connected to the sensor circuitry  42  for wirelessly transmitting water level status to a paired terminal device, such as a smartphone. The information thus transmitted may be used to alert user to refill water when the water level in the water storage compartment  120  falls below a predetermined threshold. 
     The sensor circuitry  42  may comprise an amplifier  421  and a microprocessor  422  electrically connected to the amplifier  421 . The water level sensors  41  may be electrically connected to a single amplifier  421 . Alternatively, each of the water level sensors  41  may have a dedicated amplifier  421 . An exemplary configuration of the sensor circuitry  42  may be illustrated in  FIG. 12 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3  of the drawings, the electrical connection between the electrical components in the lower housing member  112  and the upper housing member  111  may be accomplished by a plurality of connecting pins  121  formed on the lower housing member  112  and the upper housing member  111 . The connecting pins  121  on the lower housing member  112  may be provided on an engaging protrusion  122 . The connecting pins  121  may also be provided on the partitioning assembly  13 . When the upper housing member  111  is detachably attached on the lower housing member  112 , the connecting pins  121  on the lower housing member  112  may come into contact with the connecting pins  121  on the upper housing member  111  so as to electrically connect the electrical components (such as providing power) received in the upper housing member  111  and the lower housing member  112 . 
     The humidifier may further comprise a control panel  70  provided on the main housing  11  and electrically connected to the control circuitry  71  which may be implemented on the control PCB  50  for allowing a user to control an operation of the humidifier through operating on the control panel  70 . The control panel  70  may be provided on at least one of the upper housing member  111  and the lower housing member  112 . 
     The operation of the present invention is as follows: a user of the present invention may fill the water tank  12  with a predetermined amount of water, and attach the upper housing member  111  on the lower housing member  112 . The fan unit  30  and the guiding roller  21  may be switched on. Ambient air may be drawn from the air inlet  1101  and may be arranged to pass through the air slots  1322  of the partitioning assembly  13 . The air may then be guided to enter the water storage compartment  120  and come into contact with the water absorbing roller member  211 . The rotational movement of the water absorbing roller member  211  may mix the water with the air to form a stream of water vapor or mist. The stream of water vapor or mist may then be driven by the fan unit  30  to pass through the through hole  1310 , the air conduits  333 , and may be discharged out of the main housing  11  through the air outlet  1102 . 
     Note that with the use of the partitioning assembly  13  and the strategic positioning of the air inlet  1101  on the main housing  11  (as mentioned above), ambient air drawn to pass through the air inlet  1101  may be effectively guided to exclusively enter the water storage compartment  120  so that almost all the air drawn from the air inlet  1101  may be arranged to mix with the water. The air drawn through air inlet  1101  is not allowed to freely flow in the main housing  11 . This arrangement effectively increase an efficiency of the air-water mixing mechanism and therefore significantly enhance an overall efficiency of the humidifier of the present invention. 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure, while illustrated and described in terms of disclosed embodiments and several alternatives, is not limited to the particular description contained in this specification. Additional alternative or equivalent components could also be used to practice embodiments of the present disclosure.