JP2011185536A - Dehumidifier - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dehumidifier capable of accurately detecting laundry even if initial temperature of the laundry is high or even if indoor humidity is high. <P>SOLUTION: The dehumidifier includes a dehumidifying means 5 for removing moisture contained in indoor air A, a blower fan 2 for blowing dry air B obtained by passing through the dehumidifying means 5 into a room, a wind direction variable means 1 for varying a blowing direction of the dry air B, a temperature sensor 3 for detecting indoor temperature, a humidity sensor 4 for detecting indoor humidity, an infrared sensor 6 for detecting surface temperature of the laundry by non-contact, and a control circuit 7 for controlling at least the rotation speed of a blowing means and increasing an air amount of the dry air so as to increase the indoor temperature and so as to decrease the indoor humidity when the laundry is detected based on the surface temperature detected by the infrared sensor 6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a dehumidifier that dehumidifies indoor moisture, and more particularly to a dehumidifier having a function of drying laundry that has been dried indoors.

  In a conventional dehumidifier, the control means compares the temperature detection result by the infrared detection means and the temperature detection result of the indoor atmosphere by the temperature detection means to determine the decrease in sensible heat due to the evaporation of moisture absorbed by the laundry. There is one that determines the location of a temperature distribution lower than the room temperature due to a decrease in the sensible heat of an object as the arrangement range of the laundry (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2007-240100 A (Claims, FIGS. 3 to 5)

  However, in the conventional dehumidifier described above, when the laundry is washed with hot water or the indoor humidity is high, or when the laundry is not receiving wind, the temperature decreases due to the heat of vaporization of the laundry. Since it is small, it may take time to detect the laundry or the laundry may not be detected.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and can detect a to-be-dried object with high accuracy in a short time even when the initial temperature of the to-be-dried object is high or indoor humidity is high. An object of the present invention is to obtain a dehumidifier capable of efficiently drying a dried product.

  A dehumidifier according to the present invention includes a dehumidifying means for removing moisture contained in the air, a blowing means for sucking indoor air and blowing dry air obtained by passing through the dehumidifying means, and a drying unit. A wind direction varying means for varying the air blowing direction, a surface temperature detecting means for detecting the surface temperature of the object to be dried in a non-contact manner, and the object to be heated is detected based on the surface temperature detected by the surface temperature detecting means. At this time, at least the rotation speed of the blowing means is controlled to increase the air volume of the dry air so that the indoor temperature is high and the indoor humidity is low.

  According to the present invention, when detecting an object to be heated based on the surface temperature detected by the surface temperature detecting means, at least the rotational speed of the blowing means is controlled so that the indoor temperature is high and the indoor humidity is low. The air volume of dry air is increased. Thereby, even if the temperature of to-be-dried material is high, it falls, indoor temperature is high, and indoor humidity becomes low. For this reason, the difference between the surface temperature of the object to be dried and the peripheral surface temperature becomes clear, the object to be dried can be detected with high accuracy in a short time, and the object to be dried can be efficiently dried.

It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the dehumidifier which concerns on embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the inside of the dehumidifier which concerns on embodiment. It is a schematic perspective view which expands and shows the wind direction change means of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the detection order of the surface temperature of the infrared sensor accompanying the variable direction of the wind direction change means of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement at the time of the drying mode in the dehumidifier of embodiment.

  1 is an external perspective view showing a dehumidifier according to the embodiment, FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the inside of the dehumidifier according to the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic perspective view showing the wind direction changing means of FIG. 4 and 4 are schematic diagrams showing the detection order of the surface temperature of the infrared sensor in the variable direction of the wind direction changing means of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the dehumidifier of the present embodiment includes a dehumidifier housing 100 configured to be self-supporting, a suction port 101 for taking indoor air A into the dehumidifier housing 100, and a suction port The water storage tank 102 stores water removed from the air taken into the air 101 and the exhaust port 103 that discharges the dry air B from which water has been removed from the dehumidifier housing 100 to the room. The exhaust port 103 is configured by the air direction varying means 1 that can vary the air direction of the dry air B. The wind direction varying means 1 includes a vertical louver 1a that varies the vertical wind direction and a horizontal louver 1b that varies the horizontal wind direction. The water storage tank 102 is detachably attached to the dehumidifier housing 100.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the dehumidifier described above rotates the blower fan 2 that generates an air flow that sucks indoor air A from the suction port 101 and discharges dry air B from the exhaust port 103, and the blower fan 2. Fan motor 2a, temperature sensor 3 (temperature detecting means) for detecting the temperature of room air A sucked from suction port 101, humidity sensor 4 (humidity detecting means) for detecting the humidity of room air A, and room air Dehumidifying means 5 that removes moisture contained in A to generate dry air B, longitudinal variable motor 1c that varies longitudinal louver 1a in the vertical direction, and lateral variable that varies lateral louver 1b in the horizontal direction A motor 1d, an infrared sensor 6 as surface temperature detection means, and a control circuit 7 having control means are provided.

  The dehumidifying means 5 only needs to be capable of removing moisture in the air and condensing it. For example, as a most general one, a method of constituting a heat pump circuit and condensing moisture in the air in an evaporator, In addition, a desiccant method in which moisture in the air removed by the adsorbent is condensed by a heat exchanger is used. The water removed from the room air A by the dehumidifying means 5 is stored in the water storage tank 102 as condensed water C.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the longitudinal louver 1a has a rectangular opening extending in the width direction of the dehumidifier housing 100, and can be varied in the vertical direction substantially with the rotation axis of the longitudinal variable motor 1c described above as an axis. It is configured. The horizontal louvers 1b are arranged at equal intervals in the vertical louver 1a, and are pivotally supported so as to be variable in the horizontal direction on the side opposite to the opening of the vertical louver 1a. It is configured to work together.

  The infrared sensor 6 is attached to one surface of a substantially central lateral louver 1b disposed in the longitudinal louver 1a. Thereby, the detection range of the surface temperature by the infrared sensor 6 becomes substantially the same as the direction of the dry air B which is varied by the air direction varying means 1. As the infrared sensor 6, for example, a sensor utilizing the thermoelectromotive force effect is used. An infrared absorption film 6a that receives thermal radiation (infrared rays) emitted from the surface of the detection range, and a thermistor that detects the temperature of the infrared absorption film 6a. 6b (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The infrared sensor 6 has a difference between the temperature of the heat-sensitive part of the infrared absorption film 6a that rises in temperature by absorbing thermal radiation (hot contact) and the temperature of the infrared absorption film 6a detected by the thermistor 6b (cold contact). Is converted into an electric signal such as a voltage and input to a control circuit 7 to be described later. The surface temperature of the detection range can be determined from the magnitude of this electrical signal.

  In this Embodiment, when detecting the surface temperature of the laundry which is a to-be-dried object with the infrared sensor 6, the infrared sensor 6 sees on a line (1)-(6) shown in FIG. The variable speeds of the vertical louver 1a and the horizontal louver 1b are controlled so that the surface temperature of each block can be detected while moving. This control is performed by the control circuit 7.

  First, when the operation start or the drying operation is started, the louvers 1a and 1b are controlled so that the infrared sensor 6 moves to the point A (initial position). Next, the louvers 1a and 1b are controlled so that the infrared sensor 6 moves on the diagonal line (1) connecting the points A and B. In this case, the infrared sensor 6 can be moved on the diagonal line (1) by making the variable speed of the horizontal louver 1b faster than that of the vertical louver 1a. The moving speed of each louver 1a, 1b is adjusted so as to move on the diagonal line according to the maximum angle. Next, only the vertical louver 1a is variably controlled so that the infrared sensor 6 moves on the vertical line (2) from the B point to the C point, and then the infrared sensor 6 is a diagonal line connecting the C point and the D point ( 3) Control each louver 1a, 1b to move up. In this case as well, it can be achieved by making the variable speed of the horizontal louver 1b faster than that of the vertical louver 1a.

  Further, only the longitudinal louver 1a is variably controlled so that the infrared sensor 6 moves on the vertical line (4) from the point D to the point A. Then, only the lateral louver 1b is variably controlled so as to move on the horizontal line (5) to the point E at the substantially center in the lateral direction of the detection range. Next, the horizontal louver 1b is directed forward so as to move on the vertical line (6) from point E to point F, and the vertical louver 1a is varied downward. When the direction of the infrared sensor 6 reaches the point F, the vertical louver 1a and the lateral louver 1b are moved to the initial point A with substantially the same variable speed, and the above-described operation is repeated.

  When the control circuit 7 detects the selection of the dehumidifying mode from the switch operation of the operation unit (not shown), the control circuit 7 drives the air direction varying means 1 so that the indoor humidity becomes the optimum humidity, and the exhaust circuit 103 The air can be blown, the fan motor 2a is driven to rotate the blower fan 2, and the dehumidifying means 5 is driven. Further, the control circuit 7 drives the longitudinal direction variable motor 1c and the lateral direction variable motor 1d of the wind direction varying means 1 so that the air is blown in the direction of the desired area in the room. As a result, the indoor air A is taken into the dehumidifier housing 100 from the suction port 101, and the indoor temperature and humidity are detected by the temperature sensor 3 and the humidity sensor 4, respectively, and then dehumidified by the dehumidifying means 5 and dried. Air B is discharged from the exhaust port 103 into the room.

  Further, the control circuit 7 drives the wind direction varying means 1 so that the air blowing direction is diagonal, as will be described in detail when explaining the operation when it detects the start of the laundry drying mode operation. 2a is driven, the blower fan 2 is operated strongly, and the dehumidifying means 5 is driven. Thereafter, the control circuit 7 determines whether the laundry has been detected from the difference between the laundry detected by the infrared sensor 6 and the surface temperature of the surroundings. If the laundry is not detected, the control circuit 7 is forced to operate the blower fan. The fan motor 2a is controlled so that the air volume of the dry air B is kept strong. This control is for shortening the detection time of the laundry by the infrared sensor 6 and at the same time increasing the detection accuracy.

  Thereafter, when the laundry is detected from the surface temperature, the control circuit 7 controls the wind direction varying means so that the dry air B hits the laundry. In addition, when the indoor humidity is higher than the predetermined humidity and the laundry is detected from the surface temperature, the control circuit 7 controls the wind direction varying means so that the dry air B hits the laundry. Further, the control circuit 7 controls the wind direction variable means so that the dry air B hits the laundry when the laundry is detected from the surface temperature when the indoor humidity is not more than the predetermined humidity and the predetermined time has not elapsed. To do. In addition, when the indoor humidity becomes equal to or lower than the predetermined humidity and the laundry cannot be detected from the surface temperature after a predetermined time has elapsed, the control circuit 7 detects the wind direction varying means 1, the fan motor 2a, and the dehumidifying means 5 To stop the drying mode.

  Note that only the dehumidifying means 5 may be stopped when the drying mode ends. This is because the temperature of the room is lowered by the air direction varying means 1 and the fan motor 2a in the room that has become warm in the drying operation. The predetermined humidity described above is indoor humidity suitable for drying laundry, and is, for example, 50%.

Next, the operation when the drying mode is selected will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation in the drying mode in the dehumidifier of the embodiment. Note that the operation of “normal dehumidifying operation” shown in S2 in the drawing is omitted because it has been described above.

  When the control circuit 7 of the dehumidifier detects the start of the laundry drying mode (S1), the infrared sensor 6 installed in the lateral louver 1b of the wind direction varying means 1 is connected to the lines (1) to (6) shown in FIG. ) The vertical direction louver 1a and the horizontal direction louver 1b are varied by driving the vertical direction variable motor 1c and the horizontal direction variable motor 1d of the wind direction varying means 1 so as to move in order and repeatedly (S3). Next, the control circuit 7 drives the fan motor 2a to strengthen the operation of the blower fan 2 (S4), and drives the dehumidifying means 5 (S5). By the rotation of the blower fan 2, the room air A is taken into the dehumidifier housing 100 from the suction port 101, the moisture contained in the room air A is removed by the dehumidifying means 5, and the dry air B is blown out from the exhaust port 103. The

  At this time, the control circuit 7 determines whether the laundry is detected from the surface temperature detected by the infrared sensor 6 (S6). When the laundry cannot be detected from the surface temperature, the control circuit 7 controls the fan motor 2a so that the strong operation of the blower fan 2 is maintained (S7). Thereby, the air volume of the dry air B is maintained. Thereafter, the control circuit 7 determines whether or not the indoor humidity detected by the humidity sensor 4 is equal to or lower than a predetermined humidity (S8). When the indoor humidity is higher than the predetermined humidity, the operation of S6 to S8 is performed until the laundry is detected. Repeat.

  When the control circuit 7 repeatedly performs the operation, when it is detected in S8 that the indoor humidity has become equal to or lower than the predetermined humidity, the control circuit 7 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed (S9). The predetermined time is the remaining time of the drying mode after the indoor humidity becomes lower than the predetermined humidity, the time from the start of the drying mode operation until the indoor humidity becomes lower than the predetermined humidity, and the indoor humidity becomes lower than the predetermined humidity. It is calculated based on the room temperature when the When it is determined that the predetermined time has not elapsed in S9, the control circuit 7 repeatedly performs the operations of S6 to S9 until the laundry is detected. When the control circuit 7 repeatedly performs the operation and determines that the predetermined time has elapsed in S9, the control circuit 7 determines that there is no laundry and ends the drying mode (S10).

  Further, when the indoor humidity is higher than the predetermined humidity (S8), the control circuit 7 determines that the laundry has been detected when detecting a low temperature distribution within the surface temperature detection range (S6), and the direction thereof. The vertical louver 1a and the horizontal louver 1b are varied so that the dry air B is blown (S11). Next, the control circuit 7 controls the fan motor 2a so that the operation of the blower fan becomes middle (S12). This is because the dehumidifying capability of the dehumidifying means 5 is maximized. In addition, in this Embodiment, although the driving | operation of the ventilation fan 2 is made into the inside, if dehumidification amount priority is given, it will not stick to inside.

  When the control circuit 7 repeatedly performs the operations of S6, S11, S12, and S8, when it is detected in S8 that the indoor humidity has become equal to or lower than the predetermined humidity, the control circuit 7 dries the laundry until the predetermined time elapses. Air B is blown. When the control circuit 7 detects that a predetermined time has elapsed, the control circuit 7 stops driving the wind direction varying means 1, the fan motor 2a, and the dehumidifying means 5, for example, sounds a buzzer to inform the user of the fact and ends the operation ( S10).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the laundry is detected from the surface temperature detected by the infrared sensor 6, the infrared sensor 6 sequentially moves on the lines (1) to (6) shown in FIG. In addition, the air direction varying means 1 is controlled so as to move repeatedly, and the rotational speed of the blower fan 2 is controlled to increase the air volume of the dry air. As a result, the indoor temperature is high and the indoor humidity is low, so even if the initial temperature of the laundry is high, the temperature decreases and the difference between the surface temperature of the laundry and the surface temperature of the surroundings becomes clear. Can be detected with high accuracy, and the laundry can be efficiently dried.

  In the embodiment, when the laundry is detected from the surface temperature detected by the infrared sensor 6, the dehumidifier is operated and the indoor air A is taken into the dehumidifier casing 100 to dry air with a large air volume. Although B was blown into the room, it is not limited to this. For example, when a heater as a heating unit is provided in the dehumidifier housing 100 and laundry is detected from the surface temperature detected by the infrared sensor 6 in the same manner as described above, the heater is energized and warm air is discharged from the exhaust port 103. May be blown out. As a result, the indoor temperature can be increased in a short time and the indoor humidity can be decreased in a short time as compared with the above-described embodiment, and the laundry detection using the infrared sensor 6 can be performed more accurately and in a short time. Can be done.

1 Wind direction varying means, 1a Longitudinal louver, 1b Lateral louver, 1c Longitudinal variable motor, 1d Lateral variable motor, 2 Blower fan, 2a Fan motor, 3 Temperature sensor, 4 Humidity sensor, 5 Dehumidifying means, 6 Infrared sensor , 6a Infrared absorbing film, 6b Thermistor, 7 Control circuit, 100 Dehumidifier housing, 101 Suction port,
102 water storage tank, 103 exhaust port, A room air, B dry air.

Claims (5)

Dehumidifying means for removing moisture contained in the air;
Air blowing means for sucking indoor air and blowing dry air obtained by passing through the dehumidifying means;
A wind direction varying means for varying a blowing direction of the dry air;
Surface temperature detecting means for detecting the surface temperature of the object to be dried in a non-contact manner;
When detecting the object to be heated based on the surface temperature detected by the surface temperature detecting means, dry air is controlled by controlling at least the rotational speed of the air blowing means so that the indoor temperature is high and the indoor humidity is low. And a control means for increasing the air volume of the dehumidifier. Humidity detection means for detecting the humidity in the room,
The control means controls at least the wind direction changing means so that when the object to be dried is detected from the surface temperature before the indoor humidity becomes equal to or lower than the predetermined humidity, the air direction changing means is controlled so that the dry air hits the object to be dried. The dehumidifier according to claim 1.   The control means stops at least the dehumidifying means when an object to be dried is not detected from the surface temperature even after a predetermined time has elapsed after the indoor humidity becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined humidity. Item 2. A dehumidifier according to item 2. The surface temperature detection means is installed on the wind direction variable means so as to detect a surface temperature in the same direction as the air blowing direction,
The control means controls the wind direction varying means so that the blowing direction of the dry air is blown diagonally when detecting the object to be heated based on the surface temperature detected by the surface temperature detecting means. The dehumidifier according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Heating means,
2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the object to be heated is detected based on the surface temperature detected by the surface temperature detection unit, the heating unit is energized to make dry air warm air. The dehumidifier according to any one of 4 to 4.

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