Patent Publication Number: US-2023136098-A1

Title: Humidifier

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is based on, and claims priority from, Chinese application number CN202122663762.8, filed Nov. 2, 2021, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the technical field of humidifiers, and in particular, to a humidifier. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     The humidifier usually comprises a water tank, which by treating the water in the water tank accordingly, in turn generates moist air and discharges it outdoors. The existing humidifier usually comprises an independent water filling pipe connected with the water tank and a moist air discharge channel. The above structure often complicates the internal structure of the humidifier, and increases the manufacturing difficulty and manufacturing cost. 
     The relevant humidifier with a channel shared by water and air will cause the fan discharging moist air to be drenched with water during the process of adding water, and may result in a malfunction of the fan. 
     Accordingly, a novel humidifier is needed in this field to solve the above problem. 
     SUMMARY OF THE UTILITY MODEL 
     The content of the present disclosure is to introduce concepts in a brief form, and these concepts will be described in detail in the following section of the detailed description of the utility model. The content of the present disclosure is not intended to identify the key features or essential features of the claimed technical solution, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the claimed technical solution. 
     Some embodiments of the present disclosure propose a humidifier to solve the technical problem mentioned in the background art section above. 
     The humidifier comprises a housing and an inclined flow fan assembly fixed in the housing through a connecting plate, wherein the inclined flow fan assembly comprises a fan motor fixedly connected with the connecting plate and a fan hub connected with the drive shaft of the fan motor, the inside of the fan hub is further provided with a first annular water retaining portion, the bottom end of the first annular water retaining portion is connected with the fan hub; the inclined flow fan assembly further comprises a second annular water retaining portion arranged between the fan hub and the first annular water retaining portion and fixedly connected with the connecting plate, the bottom end of the second annular water retaining portion is lower than the top ends of the fan hub and the first annular water retaining portion, and in the working state, the chamber formed by the second annular water retaining portion and the fan motor is filled with air. 
     Alternatively, the fan hub and the first annular water retaining portion form a water collecting chamber, and a plurality of drainage holes are uniformly arranged at the bottom of the water collecting chamber. 
     Alternatively, the humidifier further comprises a plurality of inclined flow gratings and water distributing plates, the plurality of inclined flow gratings are arranged around the circumference of the water distributing plates, wherein each of the inclined flow gratings is tilted around its own transverse axis direction; the above fan assembly comprises a plurality of fan blades connected along the circumference of the fan hub, and each of the fan blades is tilted around its own transverse axis direction; the tilt direction of the inclined flow gratings is different from that of the fan blades. 
     Alternatively, the acute angles between the inclined flow gratings and the horizontal plane, as well as between the fan blades and the horizontal plane, are set at 40°˜60°. 
     Alternatively, the humidifier further comprises a humidifying net and an infiltration assembly arranged at the lower end of the fan hub, the infiltration assembly comprises an annular water distributing groove and a plurality of support rods, one of the support rods is hollow, with both ends respectively connected with the annular water distributing groove and the water tank arranged at the bottom of the housing, and the humidifying net is arranged around the annular water distributing groove. 
     Alternatively, the top of the humidifying net is further connected with a reinforcing belt, which is connected to the housing and passes through the humidifying net. 
     Alternatively, the annular water distributing groove comprises an annular groove and a plurality of seepage outlets arranged on the side wall of the annular groove, the annular groove is connected with one of the above support rods. 
     Alternatively, the annular water distributing groove further comprises a cover plate detachably arranged to the annular groove, an annular stop is arranged at the bottom of the cover plate, and in the assembled state, the stop is closely engaged with the inner wall of the annular groove. 
     Alternatively, a water pump is arranged in the accommodation chamber of the water tank, the accommodation chamber is made of a flexible damping package, and in the assembled state, the flexible damping package envelops the water pump. 
     The above embodiments of the present disclosure have the following beneficial effects that: through the humidifier of some embodiments of the present disclosure, water can be prevented from entering the fan motor, thereby improving the reliability and safety of the humidifier. To be specific, the reason why the fan motor of the relevant humidifier is prone to failure when caught in water is that: the fan hub rotates under the drive of the fan motor, so there is a gap between the fan hub and the connector fixing the fan motor. During the process of adding water, water will enter the fan hub and fan motor through the gap. 
     On this basis, the humidifier of some embodiments of the present disclosure comprises not only a fan motor and a fan hub, but also a first annular water retaining portion and a second annular water retaining portion. To be specific, the first annular water retaining portion is connected with the inner bottom end of the fan hub. When water enters the inside of the fan hub from the gap between the fan hub and the connecting plate, it will accumulate between the fan hub and the first annular water retaining portion. The first annular water retaining portion can block the water from the fan motor and prevent it from entering the fan motor. 
     Further, the humidifier of some embodiments of the present disclosure further comprises a second annular water retaining portion, the second annular water retaining portion is arranged between the fan hub and the first water retaining portion, the top end is fixed to the bottom of the connecting plate, and the second annular water retaining portion is buckled above the fan motor. Then, an inverted chamber can be formed between the second annular water retaining portion and the first water retaining plate. In the working state, when the level of water accumulated between the fan hub and the first annular water retaining portion increases gradually and reaches the bottom end of the second annular water retaining portion, the air in the chamber will converge into the chamber. Because the accumulated water has a fairly low water pressure, it is not enough to compress the air in the chamber, so that the accumulated water will not cross the upper end of the first annular water retaining portion. This prevents water from entering the fan motor, thereby improving the reliability and water-resisting property of the humidifier. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other features, advantages, and aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and with reference to the following specific implementations. Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference signs indicate the same or similar elements. It should be understood that the drawings are schematic, and the components and elements are not necessarily drawn to scale. 
         FIG.  1    is a cutaway view of some embodiments of the humidifier according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  2    is a cutaway view of other embodiments of the humidifier according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  3    is a cutaway view of some embodiments of the inclined flow fan assembly according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  4    is a cutaway view of other embodiments of the inclined flow fan assembly according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  5    is a structural diagram of some embodiments of the annular water distributing groove according to the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE UTILITY MODEL 
     Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although certain embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms, and shall not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided for a more thorough and complete understanding of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the present disclosure are used only for illustrative purposes, not to limit the protection scope of the present disclosure. 
     Besides, it should be noted that, for ease of description, only the portions related to the relevant utility model are shown in the drawings. In the case of no confliction, the embodiments in the present disclosure and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. 
     It should be noted that such concepts as “first” and “second” mentioned in the present disclosure are only used to distinguish different devices, modules or units, not to limit the order of functions performed by these devices, modules or units, or the interdependence therebetween. 
     It should be noted that such adjuncts as “one” and “more” mentioned in the present disclosure are illustrative, not restrictive, and those skilled in the art should understand that, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, they should be understood as “one or more”. 
     The names of messages or information exchanged between multiple devices in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used for illustrative purposes, not for limiting the scope of these messages or information. 
     Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings and in conjunction with the embodiments. 
     First, see  FIG.  1   , which is a cutaway view of some embodiments of the humidifier according to the present disclosure. As shown in  FIG.  1   , the humidifier may comprise a housing  3 , an inclined flow fan assembly  2 , an infiltration assembly (not wholly shown in the figure), a humidifying net  68  and a water tank  81 . The inclined flow fan assembly  2  can be connected with the housing  3  through a retainer plate  32 . A channel  31  for adding water and discharging air can be formed between the inclined flow fan assembly  2  and the housing  3 . During the process of adding water, the water enters from the top of the housing  3  to the channel  31 , and then sprinkles into the humidifying net  68  and the water tank  81 . During the discharge of moist air, the infiltration assembly sprinkles water over the humidifying net  68 . Under the suction of the inclined flow fan assembly  2 , the air outside passes through the humidifying net  68  via the air inlet on the housing  3  to form moist air, and is finally discharged through the channel  31  from the top end of the housing  3 . 
     The inclined flow fan assembly  2  can provide appropriate wind pressure and blowing rate. To be specific, a centrifugal fan throws out the air in a direction perpendicular to the air intake direction through centrifugal force, but there is the case that the blowing rate may be insufficient. For the humidifier, insufficient blowing rate will greatly reduce the humidification effect. Meanwhile, an axial flow fan has the problem of rather small wind pressure. Therefore, the humidifier of the present disclosure chooses an inclined flow fan assembly. 
     Besides, in order to improve the safety of the humidifier, the distance between the inclined flow fan assembly  2  and the top end of the housing  3  can be increased. Thus, the user may avoid injury if accidentally puts his or her fingers into the above channel  31  when the inclined flow fan assembly  2  is in the working state. 
     Next, the inclined flow fan assembly will be described in combination with  FIG.  2    and  FIG.  3   .  FIG.  2    is a cutaway view of other embodiments of the inclined flow fan assembly according to the present disclosure.  FIG.  3    is a cutaway view of some embodiments of the inclined flow fan assembly according to the present disclosure. As shown in  FIG.  2    and  FIG.  3   , the inclined flow fan assembly  2  comprises a fan motor  21 , a fan hub  23  connected to the drive shaft  22  of the fan motor  21 , and a first annular water retaining portion  24 . The fan motor  21  is fixedly connected with a connecting plate  1 . The connecting plate  1  is fixedly connected with the housing  3 . The drive shaft  22  of the fan motor  21  is connected to the bottom of the fan hub  23 . The upper end of the fan hub  23  is spaced from the connecting plate  1 . A fan blade  28  is obliquely mounted to the outer surface of the fan hub  23 . In the working state, the fan motor  21  can drive the fan hub  23  and the fan blade  28  to rotate. 
     In order to prevent water from entering the fan motor  21  from the gap between the top end of the fan hub  23  and the connecting plate  1  during the process of adding water, the bottom end of the first annular water retaining portion  24  is connected with the bottom end of the fan hub  23 . The top end of the first annular water retaining portion  24  is close to the connecting plate  1 , and the first annular water retaining portion  24  can surround the fan motor  21  to isolate the water. It should be noted that when the fan motor  21  adopts the form of an outer rotor, the upper end of the first water retaining portion  24  is engaged with the fan motor  21 . When the fan motor  21  adopts the form of an inner rotor, the upper end of the first water retaining portion  24  is spaced from the fan motor  21 , so as not to affect the rotation of the fan hub  23 . 
     Further, the inclined flow fan assembly  2  may also comprise a second annular water retaining portion  25 . The second annular water retaining portion  25  is arranged between the fan hub  23  and the first annular water retaining portion  24 . The upper end of the second annular water retaining portion  25  is fixedly connected with the connecting plate  1 . Wherein, the bottom end of the second annular water retaining portion  25  is lower than the top ends and the fan hub  23  of the first annular water retaining portion  24 . The second annular water retaining portion  25  is buckled above the fan motor  21 . Further, the space between the second annular water retaining portion  25  and the first annular water retaining portion  24  can form an inverted chamber. In the working state, the chamber is filled with gas. When the level of water accumulated between the fan hub  23  and the first annular water retaining portion  24  gradually increases to the bottom end of the second annular water retaining portion  25 , the air in the chamber will converge into the chamber. Because the accumulated water has a fairly low water pressure, it is not enough to compress the air in the chamber, so that the accumulated water will not cross the upper end of the first annular water retaining portion  24 . This prevents water from entering the fan motor  21 , thereby improving the reliability and water-resisting property of the humidifier. 
     Since the fan motor  21  needs to be connected with a wire, an opening can be set on the connecting plate  1  to thread the wire to the fan motor  21 . At the same time, silica gel, rubber and other seals  29  are arranged at the opening to ensure the tightness of the chamber. 
     Continue to see  FIG.  3   , the water collecting chamber formed by the fan hub  23  and the first annular water retaining portion  24  can store water. A plurality of drainage holes  26  can be uniformly arranged at the bottom of the water collecting chamber. In this way, the water in the water collecting chamber can flow into the water tank  81  through the drainage holes  26 . Alternatively, the water collecting chamber may also comprise a plurality of division plates  27 , each of which separates the adjacent drainage holes  26 . The upper ends of the division plates  27  may be lower than the lower end of the second annular water retaining portion  25 . The division plates  27  are used to improve the strength of the fan hub. 
     Next, see  FIG.  4    and continue to see  FIG.  2   .  FIG.  4    is a cutaway view of other embodiments of the inclined flow fan assembly according to the present disclosure. As shown in  FIG.  4   , the humidifier may further comprise a water distributing plate  5  and an inclined flow grating  4 , and the inclined flow grating  4  plays a role in improving the safety of the humidifier, preventing the user&#39;s fingers from entering the inside of housing  3  that may result in accidental injury. The inclined flow grating  4  connects the top of the housing  3  and an annular connector  11 . The annular connector  11  is connected with the upper end of the connecting plate  1 . The water distributing plate  5  is arranged above the annular connector  11 . The water distributing plate  5  is arranged in an arc shape and buckled above the inclined flow fan assembly  2 , so that in the process of adding water, the water fluid spreads from the arc top to the periphery, and can flow down from both sides of the inclined flow fan assembly  2 , thereby further preventing the water from entering the fan motor  21 . 
     A circuit board or the like can be placed in the chamber between the water distributing plate  5  and the connecting plate  1 . The wire connected to the water pump  67  or other electrical components in the circuit board can be wrapped by a waterproof pipe  9  (shown in  FIG.  2   ), thereby preventing water from entering the circuit board and causing a short during the process of adding water. 
     Alternatively, the above plurality of inclined flow gratings  4  may be arranged longitudinally at uniform intervals. 
     Continue to see  FIG.  2    and  FIG.  4   , furthermore, in order to make the moist air smoothly pass through the inclined flow gratings  4 , reduce the wind resistance and increase the discharge range of the moist air, each of the above inclined flow gratings  4  can further be tilted around its own transverse axis direction. Thus, the acting face of the inclined flow gratings  4  forms an included angle with the horizontal plane. The transverse axis may be an axis passing through the centers of the left and right ends of the inclined flow gratings  4 . 
     The fan blade  28  can be obliquely connected to the fan hub  23  around its own transverse axis direction. Meanwhile, the tilt direction of the fan blade  28  is opposite to that of the inclined flow grating  4 . The transverse axis direction may be an axial line passing through the centers of the left and right ends of the fan blade  28 . The advantage of this setting is that it can discharge the moist air smoothly, reduce the wind resistance and lower the noise. Specifically, as shown in  FIGS.  2  and  4   , the fan blade  28  is tilted to the left around its own transverse axis direction. When viewed from the top of the humidifier, the fan blade  28  rotates clockwise so that the moist air moves upward. At this time, the generated oblique moist air will pass through the inclined flow gratings  4 . Since the inclined flow gratings  4  is tilted to the right around their transverse axis directions, the inclined flow gratings  4  are arranged clockwise, thereby being adapted to the exhaust direction. In this way, the moist air can smoothly pass through the gap between the inclined flow gratings  4 , so that the acting face of the inclined flow gratings  4  has less resistance against the moist air, thereby reducing wind resistance and noise. After repeated attempts and experiments, the fan blade  28  is tilted around its own transverse axis direction, and the acute angle with the horizontal plane can be set at 40°˜60°. At the same time, the acute angle of the above inclined flow grating around its own transverse axis direction is also set at 40°˜60°. To be specific, within this angle range, a smooth discharge of moist air can be guaranteed. When the above angle is too small or too large, the gap between the inclined flow gratings becomes smaller, which will also produce resistance against the discharge of moist air. 
     It should be noted that the fan blade  28  can also tilt to the right around its own transverse axis direction. In the working state, when viewed from the top of the humidifier, the fan blade rotates counterclockwise to make the moist air move upward. At the same time, the inclined flow grating tilts to the left around its own transverse axis direction. Those skilled in the art can choose according to the actual situation, but such change does not go beyond the protection scope of the present disclosure. 
     In this way, the inclined flow fan assembly  2  of the present disclosure, on the premise of a guaranteed blowing rate, and when passing through the tilted inclined flow gratings  4 , can smoothly discharge the moist air, reduce the wind resistance and lower the noise. In addition, the moist air is discharged at a certain angle, which can make the moist air discharge outside the humidifier in a divergent manner, thereby enhancing the humidification range of the humidifier. At the same time, the tilt direction of the fan blade  28  and the inclined flow gratings  4  can be adjusted according to the actual situation, so that the discharge direction of the moist air can be clockwise or counterclockwise. 
     Finally, see  FIG.  5    and continue to see  FIG.  2   .  FIG.  5    is a structural diagram of some embodiments of the annular water distributing groove according to the present disclosure. As shown in  FIG.  1    and  FIG.  4   , the above infiltration assembly comprises an annular water distributing groove (not wholly shown in the figure) and a plurality of support rods  63  and  64 . One support rod  63  of the plurality of support rods  63  and  64  is hollow, with both ends connected with a water tank  81  and the annular water distributing groove respectively. The above humidifying net  68  is arranged around the annular water distributing groove. Further, the annular water distributing groove comprises an annular groove  61  and a plurality of seepage outlets  62  arranged on the side wall of the annular groove  61 , and the annular groove  61  is connected with the above hollow support rod  63 . In the working state, the water in the water tank  81  enters the annular groove  61  through the hollow support rod  63 , then flows out from a plurality of seepage outlets  62 , and sprinkles on the humidifying net  68 , which makes the humidifying net  68  more fully infiltrated and improves the humidification effect. Alternatively, the water in the water tank can be transmitted to the hollow support rod  63  by the water pump  67  arranged in the water tank  81 . Further, the annular water distributing groove may also comprise a removable cover plate  65 . The bottom of the cover plate  65  is provided with an annular stop  66 . In the assembled state, the annular stop  66  is closely engaged with the inner wall of the annular groove  61 , thereby facilitating the removal of the cover plate  65 , and thereby cleaning the water distributing groove  61 . Alternatively, the cover plate  65  and the annular stop  66  may be made of silica gel or rubber material. 
     Further, in order to avoid deformation of the humidifying net  68  due to excessive moisture absorption, a reinforcing belt (not shown in the figure) can be connected at the top of the humidifying net  68 , and the reinforcing belt is connected to the housing  3  and passes through the humidifying net  68 , thereby maintaining the shape of the humidifying net  68 . 
     Alternatively, the water pump  67  is placed in the accommodation chamber of the water tank  81 . The accommodation chamber is made of a flexible damping package  82 . In the assembled state, the flexible damping package  82  envelops the water pump  67 . The package can be made of soft silica gel or rubber material with elastic properties. In addition, an ultraviolet germicidal lamp  83  can be provided on the top of the water tank  81  to sterilize the water in the water tank  81 . 
     The humidifier of some embodiments of the present disclosure comprises a water distributing plate, a first annular water retaining portion and a second annular water retaining portion, being able to prevent water from entering the fan motor from three stages. Firstly, in the stage of adding water, due to the arc shape setting of the water distributing plate, water can spread from the arc top to the periphery and flow down from both sides of the inclined flow fan assembly. When some water enters the inside of the fan hub, the first annular water retaining portion can isolate the water from the fan motor. When more water enters the water collecting chamber, because the second annular water retaining portion can form an inverted chamber, in the working state, the chamber is filled with gas, and the air in the chamber will converge into the chamber. Because the accumulated water has a fairly low water pressure, it is not enough to compress the air in the chamber, so that the accumulated water will not cross the upper end of the first annular water retaining portion  24 . In this way, water can be prevented from entering the fan motor in three different stages, thus effectively improving the safety of the fan motor and avoiding short circuits and so on. 
     Besides, in order to enable the moist air to be smoothly discharged from the inclined flow gratings, the fan blades of the inclined flow fan assembly can be tilted around their own transverse axis direction, and the inclined flow gratings are tilted around their own axis direction. In this way, on the premise of a guaranteed blowing rate, the discharged moist air is discharged at a certain angle. When passing through the tilted inclined flow gratings, the moist air can be discharged smoothly, the wind resistance is reduced and the noise is lowered. In addition, the moist air being discharged at a certain angle can make the moist air discharge outside the humidifier in a divergent manner, thereby enhancing the humidification range of the humidifier. 
     The above description is only some preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and an explanation of the applied technical principles. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of invention involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure is not limited to the technical solutions formed by the specific combination of the above technical features, but should also cover other technical solutions formed by any combination of the above technical features or their equivalent features in the case of not departing from the above-mentioned inventive concept, for example, technical solutions formed by replacing the above features with the technical features of similar functions disclosed in (but not limited to) the embodiments of the present disclosure.