CN111579468A

CN111579468A - Artificial weather room and environmental test method

Info

Publication number: CN111579468A
Application number: CN202010091885.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 细川悟
Original assignee: Espec Corp
Current assignee: Espec Corp
Priority date: 2019-02-18
Filing date: 2020-02-13
Publication date: 2020-08-25
Also published as: JP7111637B2; JP2020134261A

Abstract

The invention provides an artificial weather room and an environmental test method. The artificial weather room includes: a test chamber in which a test space for placing a test object is formed; a nozzle mechanism for spraying at least water to the test space; a supply mechanism that supplies at least water of water and air to the nozzle mechanism; and a control unit for controlling the supply mechanism. The control unit controls the supply mechanism to switch at least water supply conditions of water and air to the nozzle mechanism, such that: switching at least two of a rainfall operation reproducing a rainfall environment in the test space, a snowing operation reproducing a snowing environment in the test space, and a fog operation reproducing a fog environment in the test space. Accordingly, the weather conditions close to the actual environment can be reproduced manually.

Description

Artificial weather room and environmental test method

Technical Field

The invention relates to an artificial weather room and an environmental test method.

Background

Conventionally, there is known an artificial weather room used for environmental tests for evaluating the quality, performance, and the like of various products and parts under various weather environments such as sunshine, rainfall, snowfall, fog, air pressure, and the like. One such artificial weather room is an environmental test apparatus capable of reproducing a fog environment in a laboratory, as described in japanese patent laid-open publication No. 11-51823 (patent document 1).

The environmental test apparatus described in patent document 1 includes an environmental test chamber, a two-fluid nozzle for spraying fine particles of water into the environmental test chamber, and a blower for introducing outside air into the environmental test chamber, and forms a mist environment by floating the fine particles of water in the air. In this device, the concentration of mist in the test chamber was changed by adjusting the amount of water sprayed from the two-fluid nozzle and the amount of ventilation of the outside air introduced by the blower.

The environmental test device described in patent document 1 is a device capable of reproducing a fog environment in a test room, but is not a device capable of reproducing a change in environmental factors such as rain, snow, and fog. Therefore, it is difficult to reproduce weather conditions in an actual environment such as a case where rain changes into snow, a case where rain freezes after snow stops, and a case where light fog occurs after rain stops.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide an artificial weather room and an environment testing method, which can artificially reproduce weather conditions close to actual environment.

An artificial weather room according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a test chamber forming a test space for disposing a test object; a nozzle mechanism for spraying at least water to the test space; a supply mechanism that supplies at least water of water and air to the nozzle mechanism; and a control unit that controls the supply mechanism. The control unit controls the supply mechanism to switch the supply condition of at least water among water and air to the nozzle mechanism so that at least two of a rainfall operation in which a rainfall environment is reproduced in the test space, a snowing operation in which a snowing environment is reproduced in the test space, and a fog operation in which a fog environment is reproduced in the test space are switched.

An environmental test method according to another aspect of the present invention is an environmental test method for environmental testing of a test object using an artificial weather cell, wherein the artificial weather cell includes a test room forming a test space for arranging the test object; a nozzle mechanism for spraying at least water to the test space; and a supply mechanism that supplies at least water of the water and the air to the nozzle mechanism. Performing the following steps in the environmental test method: switching at least water supply conditions of water and air from the supply means to the nozzle means so as to switch at least two of a rainfall operation for reproducing a rainfall environment in the test space, a snowing operation for reproducing a snowing environment in the test space, and a fog operation for reproducing a fog environment in the test space.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an artificial weather room and an environmental test method that can artificially reproduce weather conditions close to the actual environment.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an artificial weather room according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the water supply mechanism and the air supply mechanism of the artificial weather chamber according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing the structure of an artificial weather room according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an operation setting unit of the artificial weather room according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the environmental test method according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a rainfall operation in the environmental test method according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining the mist operation of the environmental test method according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining the snowfall operation in the environmental test method according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining a drain operation in the environmental test method according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating water supply conditions and air supply conditions in each operation of the environmental test method according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an operation setting unit of an artificial weather room according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an artificial weather room according to embodiment 3 of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The artificial weather room and the environmental test method according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

(embodiment mode 1)

< Artificial weather Room >

First, the structure of an artificial weather room 1 according to embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 4. The artificial weather room 1 is a device capable of continuously switching a rainfall environment, a snowfall environment, and a fog environment in the test room 10 (test space S1). As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the artificial weather room 1 mainly includes a laboratory 10, an air-conditioning room 20, an air-conditioning unit 30, a blower 40, a nozzle mechanism 50, a supply mechanism 110 (a water supply mechanism 60 and an air supply mechanism 70), an operation setting unit 80, and a control unit 90. Fig. 1 to 3 show only main components of the artificial weather room 1, and the artificial weather room 1 may further include other components not shown in these figures. Hereinafter, each constituent element of the artificial weather room 1 will be described.

The test chamber 10 is a housing in which a test space S1 in which the test object 100 is disposed is formed. As shown in fig. 1, the test chamber 10 is, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and includes: a bottom wall 11 on which the test object 100 is placed; a front wall 12, a rear wall 13, and left and right side walls (not shown) rising upward from an end of the bottom wall 11; and a top wall 14 opposed to the bottom wall 11 in the up-down direction.

Each wall is, for example, rectangular in plan view and is constituted by a heat insulating wall. The front wall 12 is provided with an entrance (not shown) into the laboratory 10 and a door (not shown) for opening and closing the entrance. In the test chamber 10, a temperature sensor T1 for measuring the temperature of the test space S1 and a humidity sensor H1 for measuring the humidity of the test space S1 are provided. The type of the test object 100 is not particularly limited, and is, for example, an automobile or the like, and is provided on the floor surface 11A of the bottom wall 11.

The air-conditioning room 20 is a casing in which an air-conditioning space S2 in which the air-conditioning unit 30 and the blower 40 are disposed is formed, and is provided in the rear wall 13 of the laboratory 10. As shown in fig. 1, the conditioned space S2 is separated from the test space S1 by a rear wall 13. The rear wall 13 is provided with an intake port 22 for sucking conditioned air a1 from the test space S1 into the conditioned space S2 and an outlet port 21 for blowing conditioned air a1 from the conditioned space S2 into the test space S1. In the present embodiment, the suction port 22 is provided at the lower portion of the rear wall 13, and the discharge port 21 is provided at the upper portion of the rear wall 13, but these positions are not particularly limited. The air-conditioned space S2 may be provided independently at a position apart from the test space S1.

The air conditioner 30 adjusts the temperature and humidity of the conditioned air a1 to temperatures and humidities suitable for reproducing each of a rainfall environment, a snowfall environment, and a fog environment. As shown in fig. 1, the air conditioning unit 30 includes a refrigerator 31 and a humidifier 32.

The refrigerator 31 is a device that performs a vapor compression refrigeration cycle, and includes a refrigerant circuit 34 through which a refrigerant circulates, and a cooler 33 (evaporator), a compressor, a condenser, and an expansion valve that are disposed in the refrigerant circuit 34. In fig. 1, the compressor, the condenser, and the expansion valve are schematically illustrated by a quadrangle indicated by reference numeral 35.

As shown in fig. 1, the cooler 33 is disposed above the suction port 22 in the air-conditioned space S2. Conditioned air a1 sucked into the lower portion of conditioned space S2 from test space S1 through suction port 22 flows upward toward discharge port 21, and is subjected to temperature adjustment (cooling) in cooler 33 by heat exchange with the refrigerant.

The humidifier 32 humidifies conditioned air a1 flowing through the conditioned space S2. As shown in fig. 1, the humidifier 32 according to the present embodiment includes: a container 36 for storing water for steam generation; a humidifying heater 38 that heats water in the container 36 to generate steam; and a steam supply pipe 37 for supplying the steam V1 generated in the container 36 to the conditioned space S2.

The blower 40 is a fan for circulating the conditioned air a1 between the test space S1 and the conditioned space S2. As shown in fig. 1, the blower 40 is disposed so as to face the outlet port 21 at a position above the cooler 33 in the air-conditioned space S2. The conditioned air a1 is sucked from the test space S1 into the conditioned space S2 by the suction pressure of the blower 40, and after the temperature and humidity thereof are adjusted by the air conditioner 30, the conditioned air a1 is blown out into the test space S1 by the blower 40.

The nozzle mechanism 50 is for ejecting water and air to the test space S1, and in the present embodiment, is constituted by a single nozzle 51. The nozzle 51 is a two-fluid nozzle, and is provided in the ceiling wall 14 of the test chamber 10 with the discharge port directed downward, as shown in fig. 1. Although only 1 nozzle 51 is shown in fig. 1, a plurality of nozzles 51 may be provided according to the size of the test space S1, the upper limit values of the environmental factors (maximum rainfall, minimum visibility, maximum snowfall), and the like.

Fig. 2 shows the structure of the supply mechanism 110. The supply mechanism 110 of the present embodiment is for supplying water and air to the nozzle 51, and includes a water supply mechanism 60 and an air supply mechanism 70.

The water supply mechanism 60 is for supplying water W1 to the nozzle 51, and includes a water storage tank 61, a water supply pipe 62, a water feed pump 63, a plurality of (3)

pressure regulating valves

64A, 64B, and 64C,

path switching valves

65A, 65B, and 65C, a flow rate regulating valve 66, a flow meter 67, and an outlet valve 68.

The water storage tank 61 stores water W1. One end of the water supply pipe 62 is connected to the outlet 61A of the water storage tank 61, and the other end is connected to the water inlet 52A of the nozzle 51 (fig. 1). As shown in fig. 2, the water supply pipe 62 branches into a plurality of (3)

branch pipes

62A, 62B, 62C at a point P1, and the branch pipes 62A to 62C merge at a point P2 on the downstream side of the point P1.

The water feed pump 63 is for feeding the water W1 flowing out of the water storage tank 61 toward the nozzle 51 (fig. 1). The water feed pump 63 is a high-pressure pump having a water feed pressure of, for example, about 5MPa, and is disposed upstream of the point P1 in the water supply pipe 62.

The pressure regulating valves 64A to 64C are used to regulate the pressure of the water W1 flowing through the water supply pipe 62, and are disposed in the branch pipes 62A to 62C, respectively. The pressure adjustment valves 64A to 64C are different in pressure adjustment range and valve diameter, and are used for rainfall operation, snowfall operation, and fog operation. Specifically, the valve denoted by reference numeral 64A is a fog valve used for fog operation, the valve denoted by reference numeral 64B is a snowing valve used for snowing operation, and the valve denoted by reference numeral 64C is a rainfall valve used for rainfall operation. The valve diameter is reduced in the order of the rainfall valve 64C, the snowfall valve 64B, and the fog valve 64A. The pressure of the water W1 is adjusted by using the pressure adjustment valves 64A to 64C, and the diameter of the water droplets ejected from the nozzle 51 is adjusted in accordance with each of the rainfall operation, the snowfall operation, and the fog operation.

Path switching valves 65A to 65C are provided on the downstream sides of the pressure control valves 64A to 64C in the branch pipes 62A to 62C, respectively. The path switching valves 65A to 65C are each an on-off valve, and by switching their open/closed states, it is possible to switch between a state in which the water W1 flows only through the branch pipe 62A (branch pipe for fog), a state in which the water W1 flows only through the branch pipe 62B (branch pipe for snowfall), and a state in which the water W1 flows only through the branch pipe 62C (branch pipe for rainfall).

The flow rate regulating valve 66 is provided downstream of the point P2 in the water supply pipe 62, and regulates the flow rate of the water W1 flowing through the water supply pipe 62. The flow rate adjustment valve 66 is, for example, a three-way valve, and is connected to a water return pipe 69 for returning water W1 to the water storage tank 61.

The flow meter 67 is a sensor for measuring the flow rate of the water W1 flowing through the water supply pipe 62, and is provided on the downstream side of the flow rate adjustment valve 66 and on the upstream side of the outlet valve 68 in the water supply pipe 62. The outlet valve 68 is an opening/closing valve that switches between a state allowing the supply of the water W1 to the nozzle 51 through the water supply pipe 62 and a state preventing the supply of the water W1 to the nozzle 51 through the water supply pipe 62.

The air supply mechanism 70 is for supplying air to the nozzle 51, and includes an air compressor 71, an air supply pipe 72,

pressure adjustment valves

73A, 73B, and 73C,

path switching valves

74A, 74B, and 74C, a flow rate adjustment valve 77, a flow meter 76, and an outlet valve 75.

The air compressor 71 generates compressed air. One end of the air supply pipe 72 is connected to the discharge port of the air compressor 71, and the other end is connected to the air inlet 52B of the nozzle 51 (fig. 1). Further, similarly to the water supply pipe 62, the air supply pipe 72 branches into a plurality of (3)

branch pipes

72A, 72B, 72C at a point P3, and the

branch pipes

72A, 72B, 72C join at a point P4 on the downstream side of the point P3.

The pressure regulating valves 73A to 73C are for regulating the pressure of the air flowing through the air supply pipe 72, and are disposed in the branch pipes 72A to 72C, respectively. The pressure control valves 73A to 73C are used for the snowfall operation, the fog operation, and the drain operation, respectively. Specifically, the valve denoted by reference numeral 73A is a mist valve used in the mist operation, the valve denoted by reference numeral 73B is a snow valve used in the snow operation, and the valve denoted by reference numeral 73C is a drain valve used in the drain operation.

Path switching valves 74A to 74C are provided on the downstream sides of the pressure control valves 73A to 73C, respectively, in the branch pipes 72A to 72C. The path switching valves 74A to 74C are each an on-off valve, and by switching their open/closed states, it is possible to switch between a state in which compressed air flows only through the branch pipe 72A (branch pipe for fog), a state in which compressed air flows only through the branch pipe 72B (branch pipe for snow fall), and a state in which compressed air flows only through the branch pipe 72C (branch pipe for drainage).

The flow rate regulating valve 77 is provided downstream of the point P4 in the air supply pipe 72, for regulating the flow rate of the compressed air flowing through the air supply pipe 72. The flow meter 76 is a sensor that measures the flow rate of the compressed air flowing through the air supply pipe 72, and is provided on the downstream side of the flow rate adjustment valve 77 and on the upstream side of the outlet valve 75 in the air supply pipe 72. The outlet valve 75 is an opening/closing valve that switches between a state allowing supply of compressed air to the nozzle 51 through the air supply pipe 72 and a state preventing supply of compressed air to the nozzle 51 through the air supply pipe 72.

The water supply pipe 62 and the air supply pipe 72 are connected to each other by a connection pipe 78. Specifically, as shown in fig. 2, one end of the connection pipe 78 is connected to a portion P5 on the downstream side of the outlet valve 68 in the water supply pipe 62, and the other end of the connection pipe 78 is connected to a portion P6 on the downstream side of the outlet valve 75 in the air supply pipe 72. An on-off valve 79 is provided in the connection pipe 78.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing the functional structure of the artificial weather room 1. The operation setting unit 80 can set the respective operating conditions of the temperature and humidity of the test space S1, the amounts of environmental factors (the amount of rainfall, the amount of snowfall, and the visibility), and the operating time for each of the rainfall operation, the snowfall operation, and the fog operation, and can set the order of executing the rainfall operation, the snowfall operation, and the fog operation, and is configured by an input device such as a touch panel, for example.

Fig. 4 shows an example of a touch panel screen of the operation setting unit 80. As shown in fig. 4, there is provided a region in which the temperature and humidity, the amounts of environmental factors (the amount of rainfall, the amount of snowfall, the visibility), the order, and the operating time can be set for each environmental factor of rain, snow, and fog. The set data of the respective operating conditions is transmitted to the control unit 90 (fig. 3).

The operation setting unit 80 is configured to automatically set a representative value of the temperature and humidity of each environment as an initial value (default value) for each of the rainfall operation, the snowfall operation, and the fog operation. For example, the temperature and humidity set values for the rainfall mode are automatically set to 20 ℃ and 95% RH, the temperature and humidity set values for the snowfall mode are automatically set to-20 ℃ and 50% RH, and the temperature and humidity set values for the fog mode are automatically set to 20 ℃ and 98% RH. The automatic setting function is not essential to the artificial weather room of the present invention, and may be omitted.

The operation setting unit 80 may be configured to select a region (japan and foreign countries) and a month, and set a representative value of the temperature and humidity corresponding to the selected region and month. For example, data of representative values of the humiture corresponding to january in osaka is stored in advance, and the humiture is automatically set as long as the user selects "1 month in osaka". This function is not essential to the artificial weather room of the present invention, and may be omitted.

The control Unit 90 is a controller for controlling each operation of the artificial weather room 1, and is constituted by a Central Processing Unit (CPU). The control unit 90 operates as a water supply control unit 91, an air supply control unit 92, and an air conditioning control unit 93 by executing various programs stored in a storage unit 94 such as a dram (dynamic Random access memory). Specific control contents thereof are described below.

First, the water supply control unit 91 receives data of the rainfall amount, the snowfall amount, and the visibility set in the operation setting unit 80. On the other hand, the main storage device 95 such as rom (read Only memory) stores table information indicating the correlation between the conditions of pressure and flow rate of the water W1 supplied to the nozzle 51 (water supply conditions) and the amounts of the environmental factors (rainfall, snowfall, and visibility). Here, the amount of snow fall is associated with the water supply condition for each temperature, and the visibility is associated with the water supply condition for each temperature and humidity.

The water supply control unit 91 determines the water supply conditions corresponding to the amounts of the set environmental factors (the amount of rainfall, the amount of snowfall, or the visibility) by referring to the correlation table. The water supply controller 91 controls the opening degrees of the pressure control valves 64A to 64C and the flow control valve 66 to control the opening and closing of the path switching valves 65A to 65C so that the water W1 is supplied to the nozzle 51 under the determined water supply conditions. At this time, the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment valve 66 is feedback-controlled based on the measurement value input from the flow meter 67 to the controller 90. The water supply controller 91 controls the water supply mechanism 60 according to the procedure set by the operation setting unit 80.

The air supply control unit 92 is also inputted with the respective data of the amount of snow fall and the visibility set by the operation setting unit 80. The correlation table also includes information indicating a correlation between conditions of the pressure and flow rate of the air supplied to the nozzles 51 (air supply conditions) and the amount of each environmental factor (snowfall amount and visibility). Similarly to the above, the amount of snow fall is associated with the air supply condition for each temperature, and the visibility is associated with the air supply condition for each temperature and humidity.

The air supply control unit 92 determines the air supply conditions corresponding to the amounts of the set environmental factors (the amount of snow fall or the visibility) by referring to the correlation table. The air supply controller 92 controls the opening degrees of the pressure control valves 73A to 73C and the flow control valve 77, and controls the opening and closing of the path switching valves 74A to 74C so that the compressed air is supplied to the nozzles 51 under the determined air supply conditions. At this time, as in the case of the water supply controller 91, the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment valve 77 is feedback-controlled based on the measurement value input from the flow meter 76 to the controller 90. The air supply controller 92 controls the air supply mechanism 70 according to the procedure set by the operation setting unit 80.

Air conditioning control unit 93 controls the output of refrigerator 31 based on the temperature set by operation setting unit 80 and the temperature input from temperature sensor T1. Specifically, the refrigerant circulation amount in the refrigerator 31 is controlled so that the actual temperature of the test space S1 measured by the temperature sensor T1 approaches the set temperature.

The air conditioning controller 93 controls the output of the humidifier 32 based on the humidity set by the operation setting unit 80 and the humidity input from the humidity sensor H1. Specifically, the output of the humidifying heater 38 is controlled so that the actual humidity of the test space S1 measured by the humidity sensor H1 approaches the set humidity.

The controller 90 controls the water supply mechanism 60 and the air supply mechanism 70 to switch the supply conditions of water and air to the nozzle 51 so that the rainfall operation in which the rainfall environment is reproduced in the test space S1, the snowfall operation in which the snowfall environment is reproduced in the test space S1, and the fog operation in which the fog environment is reproduced in the test space S1 are continuously switched. Next, the contents of this control will be specifically described in the environmental test method according to the present embodiment.

< environmental test method >

Next, the environmental test method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in fig. 5. This environmental test method is a method for evaluating the quality, various performances, and the like of the test object 100 using the artificial weather room 1, and will be described by taking a case where the sequence of the rainfall operation, the fog operation, and the snowfall operation is continuously switched as an example.

Fig. 6 shows the open/close state of the valve during the rainfall operation, fig. 7 shows the open/close state of the valve during the fog operation, fig. 8 shows the open/close state of the valve during the snowfall operation, and fig. 9 shows the open/close state of the valve during the drain operation. In fig. 6 to 9, the valve of the hollow body is shown in an open state, and the valve of the black is shown in a closed state. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing conditions of water supply (water pressure and water flow rate) and conditions of air supply (air pressure and air flow rate) to the nozzle 51 in each operation, and shows, in order from the top, the pressure of the water W1 supplied to the nozzle 51, the flow rate of the water W1 supplied to the nozzle 51, the pressure of the air supplied to the nozzle 51, and the flow rate of the air supplied to the nozzle 51.

First, as shown in fig. 1, a test object 100 is set in a test chamber 10 (step S10). In step S10, a test object 100 such as an automobile is placed in the test space S1 through an entrance (not shown) provided in the front wall 12 of the test chamber 10.

Next, the operation mode of the artificial weather room 1 is selected, and the operation conditions in each operation mode are set (step S20). Specifically, as shown in fig. 4, the set values of temperature and humidity (° c,% RH), the amount of rainfall (mm/h), the visibility (m), the amount of snowfall (mm/h), the order of execution of the respective operations, and the operation time (h) of the respective modes are set on the touch panel screen of the operation setting unit 80. In the present embodiment, the execution sequence is set such that the first is the rainfall operation, the second is the fog operation, and the third is the snowfall operation.

If the operation of the artificial weather room 1 is started, first, the rainfall operation is started (step S30). In step S30, the temperature and humidity of the test space S1 are controlled by the air conditioner 30 to the set values for rainfall operation (e.g., 20 ℃ and 95% RH), and as shown in fig. 6, the

path switching valves

65A and 65B and the outlet valve 75 are closed and all the other valves are opened. Accordingly, as shown by the broken line arrows in fig. 6, the water W1 flowing out of the water storage tank 61 is supplied to the nozzle 51 through a path including the branching piping for rainfall 62C. Further, a part of the water W1 flows from the point P5 into the connection pipe 78, flows from the point P6 into the air supply pipe 72, and is supplied to the nozzle 51. The opening/closing valve 79 is opened to ensure the amount of rainfall, but the opening/closing valve 79 may be closed.

As shown in fig. 10, the pressure of the water W1 fed to the nozzle 51 is controlled to PW1 by a pressure adjustment valve 64C (valve for rainfall), and the flow rate of the water W1 fed to the nozzle 51 is controlled to VW1 by a flow adjustment valve 66. The values of the water pressure PW1 and the water flow VW1 are values associated with the set values of the rainfall.

Accordingly, the water W1 is ejected from the nozzle 51 toward the test space S1 whose temperature and humidity are controlled, and falls toward the floor surface 11A through the water W1, thereby reproducing the rainfall environment in the test space S1. Then, if the set operation time has elapsed (yes at step S40), the switch from the rainfall operation to the fog operation is made continuously as follows (step S50).

Specifically, the temperature and humidity of the test space S1 are controlled to set values (for example, 20 ℃ and 98% RH) for the fog operation by the air conditioner 30 (the output of the humidifier 32 is increased), the open/close state of the valves is switched from the state of fig. 6 to the state of fig. 7 (the

path switching valves

65B and 65C, the outlet valve 75, and the on/off valve 79 are closed, and all the other valves are open), and the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment valve 66 is reduced compared to the rainfall operation.

Accordingly, as shown by the broken line arrows in fig. 7, the water W1 flowing out of the water storage tank 61 is supplied to the nozzle 51 through a path including the branch pipe 62A for mist. As a result, as shown in fig. 10, the pressure of the water W1 fed to the nozzle 51 is adjusted by the pressure adjustment valve 64A (mist valve) to switch from PW1 to PW2 larger than PW 1. The flow rate of the water W1 supplied to the nozzle 51 is adjusted by the flow rate adjustment valve 66 to be switched from the VW1 to the VW2 smaller than the VW 1. The water pressure PW2 and the water flow VW2 are values associated with the set values of visibility.

Accordingly, the atomized water W1 is sprayed from the nozzle 51 in a mist form toward the test space S1 whose temperature and humidity are controlled, and the fine particles passing through the water W1 float in the test space S1, thereby reproducing the mist environment. Then, if the set operation time has elapsed (yes at step S60), the operation is continuously switched from the fog operation to the snowfall operation (step S70).

Specifically, the temperature and humidity of the test space S1 are controlled to be set values for snowfall operation (for example, -20 ℃ and 50% RH) by the air conditioning unit 30, and the open/close state of the valves is switched from the state of fig. 7 to the state of fig. 8 (the

path switching valves

65A, 65C, 74A, 74C and the opening/closing valve 79 are closed, and all the other valves are open). Accordingly, as shown by the broken line arrows in fig. 8, the water W1 flowing out of the water storage tank 61 is supplied to the nozzle 51 through a path including the branching pipe 62B for snowfall, and the compressed air generated by the air compressor 71 is supplied to the nozzle 51 through a path including the branching pipe 72B for snowfall as shown by the one-dot chain line arrows in the figure. In the snowing operation, since the water W1 needs to be atomized in order to freeze the water W1 in the test space S1, both the water W1 and the compressed air are supplied to the nozzle 51.

As a result, as shown in fig. 10, the pressure of the water W1 fed to the nozzle 51 is adjusted by the pressure adjustment valve 64B (snowfall valve) to be switched to PW3 which is larger than PW1 and smaller than PW 2. Further, the flow rate of the water W1 supplied to the nozzle 51 is maintained at the VW 2. On the other hand, the pressure of the air supplied to the nozzle 51 is controlled to PA1 by the pressure adjustment valve 73B, and the flow rate of the air is controlled to VA1 by the flow adjustment valve 77.

Accordingly, the atomized water W1 is sprayed from the nozzle 51 toward the test space S1 below zero, and the water W1 freezes in the test space S1 to form artificial snow, thereby reproducing a snowing environment in the test space S1. Then, if the set operation time has elapsed (yes at step S80), the operation is switched from the snowfall operation to the drain operation (step S90).

Specifically, the open/close state of the valves is switched from the state of fig. 8 to the state of fig. 9 (the state in which the outlet valve 68 and the

path switching valves

74A and 74B are closed and all the other valves are open). Accordingly, the compressed air generated by the air compressor 71 is supplied to the nozzle 51 through a path including the branch pipe 72C for drainage. At this time, the pressure of the air supplied to the nozzle 51 is adjusted to PA2 higher than PA1 by the pressure adjustment valve 73C. A part of the compressed air flows into the connection pipe 78 from the point P6, flows into the water supply pipe 62 from the point P5, and is supplied to the nozzle 51. This can prevent the water W1 remaining in the nozzle 51 from freezing. As described above, the environmental test method according to the present embodiment is performed. In an artificial weather room in which the temperature in the test room 10 is not lowered to below zero, a circuit dedicated to water discharge may be omitted, and the water discharge operation may not be performed.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the supply conditions of the water W1 and the air from the supply mechanism 110 (the water supply mechanism 60 and the air supply mechanism 70) to the nozzle mechanism 50 (the single nozzle 51) are switched so that the rain operation, the snow operation, and the fog operation are continuously switched. Accordingly, it is possible to reproduce a case where each environmental factor of rain, snow, and fog continuously changes in the test space S1, and it is possible to perform an environmental test under meteorological conditions close to the actual environment.

(embodiment mode 2)

Next, an artificial weather room according to embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. The artificial weather room according to embodiment 2 has basically the same configuration as the artificial weather room 1 according to embodiment 1 and achieves the same effects, but differs from the artificial weather room 1 according to embodiment 1 in that the operation setting unit 80 can set the temporal change in the amount of each environmental factor (the amount of rainfall, visibility, and the amount of snowfall). Only the differences from embodiment 1 will be described below.

Fig. 11 shows an example of a touch panel screen of the operation setting unit 80 in embodiment 2. The operation setting unit 80 in embodiment 2 is configured to be able to set temporal changes in the amounts of environmental factors (the amount of rainfall, visibility, and the amount of snowfall) for each of the rainfall operation, the fog operation, and the snowfall operation. That is, the operation setting unit 80 according to the present embodiment can display the abnormal setting screen of fig. 11 in addition to the normal setting screen of fig. 4. Specifically, the screen image of fig. 4 can be shifted to the setting screen image of fig. 11 by touching the "abnormal setting" portion.

As shown in fig. 11, the initial value, the end value, and the time of the amount of each environmental factor (the amount of rainfall, visibility, and the amount of snowfall) can be set on the abnormal setting screen. Specifically, in the example of fig. 11, the conditions for the rainfall operation can be programmed so that the rainfall increases from 0mm/h to 100mm/h over a period of 0.1 hour, the rainfall remains at 100mm/h over a period of 0.5 hour, the rainfall decreases from 100mm/h to 50mm/h over a period of 0.1 hour, and thereafter the rainfall decreases from 50mm/h to 0mm/h over a period of 0.5 hour. Further, in the fog operation, the operating conditions can be programmed in such a manner that the visibility is increased from 0m to 100mm during 1 hour, maintained at 100m during 1 hour, increased from 100m to 500m during 1 hour, and thereafter decreased from 500m to 0m during 2 hours. Further, in the snowing operation, the operation conditions can be programmed such that the snowing amount is increased from 0mm/h to 30mm/h during 0.5 hours, the snowing amount is increased from 30mm/h to 40mm/h during 1 hour, the snowing amount is decreased from 40mm/h to 30mm/h during 0.5 hours, and thereafter, the snowing amount is decreased from 30mm/h to 0mm/h during 0.1 hours. The controller 90 controls the water supply mechanism 60 and the air supply mechanism 70 in the same manner as in embodiment 1, based on the temporal change in the amount of the environmental factor set by the operation setting unit 80.

According to the artificial weather-room of the present embodiment, the amount of each environmental factor (the amount of rainfall, visibility, and the amount of snowfall) is changed with time, whereby weather conditions closer to the actual environment can be reproduced in the test space S1. The method of changing each environmental factor is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a linear change with time or a stepwise change with time.

(embodiment mode 3)

Next, an artificial weather room 1A according to embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 12. The artificial weather chamber 1A according to embodiment 3 has basically the same configuration as the artificial weather chamber 1 according to embodiment 1 described above and achieves the same effects, but differs from the artificial weather chamber 1 according to embodiment 1 described above in that the nozzle mechanism 50 is composed of a plurality of

nozzles

53, 54, and 55. Only the differences from embodiment 1 will be described below.

Fig. 12 shows the configuration of the nozzle mechanism 50, the water supply mechanism 60, and the air supply mechanism 70 in the artificial weather room 1A according to embodiment 3. In fig. 12, the same reference numerals are given to the components described in embodiment 1, and the description thereof is omitted.

As shown in fig. 12, the nozzle mechanism 50 includes a rain nozzle 53, a snow nozzle 54, and a mist nozzle 55. The nozzle mechanism 50(1 set of the rain nozzle 53, the snow nozzle 54, and the mist nozzle 55) is provided in plurality on the ceiling wall 14 of the test room 10.

The water supply mechanism 60 has 3 branch pipes 62A to 62C as in embodiment 1, and the branch pipes 62A to 62C are connected to the water inlets of the mist nozzle 55, the snow nozzle 54, and the rain nozzle 53, respectively, without being joined together. The air supply mechanism 70 has 2

branch pipes

72A and 72B, and the

branch pipes

72A and 72B are connected to the mist nozzle 55 and the snow-fall nozzle 54, respectively, without being joined together.

As described above, although the artificial weather room 1A according to embodiment 3 includes the dedicated nozzles for rain, snow, and fog, respectively, the valves can be switched to open and close by the control unit 90 in the same manner as in embodiment 1, and thus the rainfall operation, the fog operation, and the snowfall operation can be switched successively in this order. The air supply mechanism 70 may further include a branch pipe connected to the water inlet of the rainfall nozzle 53. At this time, compressed air is supplied from the air compressor 71 to the rainfall nozzle 53 through the branch pipe, and the drainage operation of the rainfall nozzle 53 can be performed.

(other embodiments)

Here, another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

In embodiment 1, the case where the operation is switched continuously in the order of the rainfall operation, the fog operation, and the snowfall operation has been described as an example, but the order of executing the operations is not limited to this. For example, the sequence may be a rainfall operation, a snowfall operation, and a fog operation, or a fog operation, a rainfall operation, and a snowfall operation, or a fog operation, a snowfall operation, and a rainfall operation, or a snowfall operation, a rainfall operation, and a fog operation, or a snowfall operation, a fog operation, and a rainfall operation. Further, the present invention is not limited to the case where the rainfall operation, the fog operation, and the snowfall operation are each performed 1 time, and at least one of these operations may be performed 2 times or more. Further, the method is not limited to the method of continuously switching the plurality of operations, and the respective operations may be sequentially executed at time intervals.

In embodiment 1, the case where all the operations, that is, the rainfall operation, the fog operation, and the snowfall operation are performed has been described, but only two of these operations may be performed. That is, the switching may be performed continuously only between the rain operation and the fog operation, may be performed continuously only between the rain operation and the snowing operation, or may be performed continuously only between the snowing operation and the fog operation. The mode of switching the two operations continuously is not limited, and the operations may be performed sequentially with a time interval.

As shown in fig. 10, both the rainfall operation and the fog operation may be performed by supplying only the water W1 without supplying the compressed air to the nozzle 51. Thus, in an artificial weather room that can only be switched between rain and fog operation, the nozzle 51 can be a fluid nozzle and the supply mechanism 110 can only be provided with the water supply mechanism 60 (without the air supply mechanism 70).

In embodiment 1, the touch panel is described as an example of the operation setting unit 80, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, each operation condition may be input using a keyboard and a mouse of a personal computer, and the screen in fig. 4 and 11 may be displayed on a display of the personal computer.

In embodiment 1, the case where the compressed air is not supplied to the nozzle 51 during the mist operation is described, but the compressed air may be supplied to the nozzle 51. At this time, as a change point from the valve open/close state shown in fig. 7, the

path switching valves

74B and 74C are closed and the outlet valve 75 is opened. Accordingly, the water droplets sprayed from the nozzle 51 in the mist form are further atomized, and the mist environment can be reproduced more easily.

In embodiment 1, the case where the water supply mechanism 60 is controlled by using the table showing the correlation between the water supply condition to the nozzle 51 and the visibility during the mist operation has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a visibility meter for measuring the visibility in the test space S1 may be provided, and the water supply mechanism 60 may be feedback-controlled so that the measurement result approaches the set value of the visibility.

The water supply mechanism 60 is not limited to a configuration in which the mist circuit, the snow circuit, and the rain circuit are separately configured, and the air supply mechanism 70 is not limited to a configuration in which the mist circuit, the snow circuit, and the drain circuit are separately configured. For example, the water supply mechanism 60 may be configured to switch the fog operation, the snowfall operation, and the rainfall operation by one circuit, or may be configured to switch these operations by two circuits. The air supply mechanism 70 may be configured to switch the mist operation, the snow operation, and the drain operation by one circuit, or may be configured to switch these operations by two circuits.

The embodiments are described in general terms as follows.

The artificial weather room according to the embodiment includes: a test chamber forming a test space for disposing a test object; a nozzle mechanism for spraying at least water to the test space; a supply mechanism that supplies at least water of water and air to the nozzle mechanism; and a control unit that controls the supply mechanism. The control unit controls the supply mechanism to switch the supply condition of at least water among water and air to the nozzle mechanism so that at least two of a rainfall operation in which a rainfall environment is reproduced in the test space, a snowing operation in which a snowing environment is reproduced in the test space, and a fog operation in which a fog environment is reproduced in the test space are switched.

In the artificial weather room, at least two of the rain operation, the snow operation, and the fog operation are switched by switching the supply conditions of water and at least water in the air to the nozzle mechanism by the control unit. Accordingly, it is possible to reproduce the change of at least 2 environmental factors of rain, snow and fog in the test space, and to artificially reproduce the weather conditions close to the actual environment.

In the artificial weather chamber, the nozzle mechanism may be constituted by a single nozzle. The control unit may control the supply mechanism to switch at least the supply condition of water and/or air to the single nozzle so that the at least two operations are switched.

According to this configuration, the change in the environmental factor can be reproduced by a single nozzle, and water can be prevented from remaining in the nozzle after each operation switch.

The artificial weather room may further include: an operation setting section capable of setting at least one operating condition of the temperature and humidity of the test space, the amount of the environmental factor, and the operating time for each of the at least two runs.

According to this configuration, the conditions for the environmental test can be set in detail.

In the artificial weather room, the operation setting unit may be configured to: the temporal change in the amount of the environmental factor can be set for at least one of the rainfall operation, the snowfall operation, and the fog operation. The control unit may control the supply mechanism based on a temporal change in the amount of the environmental factor that is set.

According to this configuration, the amount of the environmental factor (the amount of rainfall, visibility, and the amount of snowfall) is changed with time, whereby the weather conditions closer to the actual environment can be reproduced.

In the artificial weather room, the operation setting unit may be configured to: and automatically setting representative values of the temperature and the humidity of each environment for at least one of the rainfall operation, the snowfall operation and the fog operation.

According to this configuration, since the trouble of manually inputting the set values of the temperature and humidity can be eliminated, the environmental test can be smoothly performed.

In the artificial weather room, the operation setting unit may be configured to: by selecting the region and the month, representative values of the temperature and humidity corresponding to the selected region and month are set.

According to this configuration, the temperature and humidity can be easily set by selecting the region and month, and therefore the environmental test can be smoothly performed.

In the artificial weather room, the operation setting unit may be configured to: an order of executing the at least two runs can be set. The control unit may control the supply mechanism according to the set order.

The artificial weather room may further include: an operation setting section capable of setting an order of executing the at least two operations. The control unit may control the supply mechanism according to the set order.

According to this configuration, for example, a process of changing from rain to snow, a case of rain after snow, a case of light fog after rain, and the like can be reproduced in a desired order.

An environmental test method according to the embodiment performs an environmental test on a test object using an artificial weather cell including a test room defining a test space in which the test object is disposed; a nozzle mechanism for spraying at least water to the test space; and a supply mechanism that supplies at least water of the water and the air to the nozzle mechanism. Performing the following steps in the environmental test method: switching at least water supply conditions of water and air from the supply means to the nozzle means so as to switch at least two of a rainfall operation for reproducing a rainfall environment in the test space, a snowing operation for reproducing a snowing environment in the test space, and a fog operation for reproducing a fog environment in the test space.

According to the environmental test method, at least two of the rain operation, the snow operation, and the fog operation are switched by switching the supply conditions of water and at least water in the air to the nozzle mechanism. Accordingly, it is possible to reproduce the change of at least 2 environmental factors of rain, snow and fog in the test space, and to artificially reproduce the weather conditions close to the actual environment. Therefore, according to this environmental test method, the quality, performance, and the like of the test object can be evaluated under meteorological conditions close to the actual environment.

In the environmental test method, the order of executing the at least two operations may be set in advance, and the supply condition of at least water of the water and the air from the supply mechanism to the nozzle mechanism may be switched so that the at least two operations are switched according to the set order.

According to this method, the changes of the environmental factors can be reproduced in a desired order.

The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and should not be considered as limiting. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims rather than the description above, and includes all modifications equivalent in meaning and scope to the claims.

Claims

1. An artificial weather room, comprising:

a test chamber forming a test space for disposing a test object;

a nozzle mechanism for spraying at least water to the test space;

a supply mechanism that supplies at least water of water and air to the nozzle mechanism; and

a control section that controls the supply mechanism, wherein,

the control unit controls the supply mechanism to switch the supply condition of at least water among water and air to the nozzle mechanism so that at least two of a rainfall operation in which a rainfall environment is reproduced in the test space, a snowing operation in which a snowing environment is reproduced in the test space, and a fog operation in which a fog environment is reproduced in the test space are switched.

2. Artificial weather room as in claim 1,

the nozzle mechanism is constituted by a single nozzle,

the control unit controls the supply mechanism to switch at least water supply conditions between water and air to the single nozzle so that the at least two operations are switched.

3. The artificial weather room of claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

an operation setting section capable of setting at least one operating condition of the temperature and humidity of the test space, the amount of the environmental factor, and the operating time for each of the at least two runs.

4. Artificial weather room as in claim 3,

the operation setting portion is configured to: a time variation of the amount of the environmental factor can be set for at least one of the rainfall operation, the snowfall operation, and the fog operation,

the control unit controls the supply mechanism based on a temporal change in the amount of the environmental factor that is set.

5. Artificial weather room as in claim 3,

the operation setting portion is configured to: and automatically setting representative values of the temperature and the humidity of each environment for at least one of the rainfall operation, the snowfall operation and the fog operation.

6. Artificial weather room as in claim 3,

the operation setting portion is configured to: by selecting the region and the month, representative values of the temperature and humidity corresponding to the selected region and month are set.

7. Artificial weather room as in claim 3,

the operation setting portion is configured to: it is possible to set an order of executing the at least two runs,

the control unit controls the supply mechanism in accordance with the set order.

8. The artificial weather room of claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

an operation setting section capable of setting an order of executing the at least two runs, wherein,

9. An environmental test method for performing an environmental test on a test object by using an artificial weather room, wherein the artificial weather room is provided with a test room forming a test space for arranging the test object; a nozzle mechanism for spraying at least water to the test space; and a supply mechanism that supplies at least water of water and air to the nozzle mechanism, characterized in that the environmental test method performs the steps of:

switching at least water supply conditions of water and air from the supply means to the nozzle means so as to switch at least two of a rainfall operation for reproducing a rainfall environment in the test space, a snowing operation for reproducing a snowing environment in the test space, and a fog operation for reproducing a fog environment in the test space.

10. The environmental test method of claim 9,

the order in which the at least two runs are performed is preset,

switching at least water supply conditions of water and air from the supply mechanism to the nozzle mechanism so that the at least two operations are switched in the set order.