JP2000146265A - Air-conditioning structure having leakage detection means - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a means for detecting the leakage from a container, in the structure of air-conditioning the space part within a structure, using the water filled in a container as a heat transfer medium. SOLUTION: Leakage detection members 1a-1j are arranged severally at the side of containers 53a-53e charged with water. For the leakage detection members, a pair of lead wires are covered with insulating material, and besides for this insulating member, an opening is made, by being constituted in mesh or the like. Tough potential is applied to each leakage detection member, usually a pair of lead wires form an open circuit by this insulating member. When there is leakage, the leaked water permeates the insulating member and short- circuits the lead wire and forms a closed circuit. The leakage detection means detects the formation of this closed circuit thereby detecting the leakage, and a controller 2 issues an alarm by an alarm 3, and specifies the container where the leakage has occurred, by which of the leakage detection members 1a-1j has formed a closed circuit, and displays this on a display panel 4.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure for cooling and heating an internal space through a floor surface or a ceiling surface of a building structure such as a house, and more particularly to a structure for cooling and heating using water. The present invention relates to a cooling and heating structure for a building structure provided with a means for detecting leakage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, there is a floor heating apparatus for heating a floor as a heating structure of a house. Compared with other heating devices, this device can heat the entire room uniformly, does not emit combustion gas, etc., does not cause air contamination, and there is no operation noise of fans for air circulation. There are advantages.

[0003] However, this type of floor heating apparatus requires a structure in which a planar electric heater is disposed as a heat source on the entire lower surface of the floor or a structure in which a hot water pipe is disposed in a complicated manner. It costs money. In addition, since the heat capacity of the heat source is relatively small, there is also a problem that the sensible temperature easily changes depending on the ambient temperature. However, attention has been paid to the above-mentioned advantages of floor heating, and in spite of such a problem, there is a tendency to spread. Therefore, if the above problems are solved, it is expected that floor heating systems will be more widely spread.

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned problems of the floor heating structure of the conventional configuration, the inventor has proposed and put to practical use the following heating or cooling / heating mechanism. That is, a structure is used in which water is used as a heat medium separately from a heat source, and the floor is heated via the water (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei.
-135178), a structure for performing cooling using cold water or the like instead of a heat source (Japanese Patent Application No. 5-199893), or a structure for performing cooling and heating (Japanese Patent Application No. 7-30005).
No. 06). Also, a structure using natural energy such as solar heat instead of artificial energy such as an electric heater as a heat source (the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application No. 7-300506,
Japanese Patent Application No. 10-42980) has also been proposed.

The above structure uses water as a heat medium in both cooling and heating and heating, so that the heat capacity of the cooling and heating device is large, and even if only a part of the heat source is used, the cooling and heating can be performed uniformly by the convection of water. For example, in the case of heating, it is not necessary to use a large surface heating material as in the prior art. Similarly, uniform cooling can be achieved by bringing a coolant such as cold water into contact with a part of the water. In this way, if water is used as the heat medium, uniform heating and cooling can be achieved without using a large-scale heating or cooling heat source.
In addition, since the heat medium is water, there is an advantage that an air-conditioning structure can be provided at a low cost without using an expensive heat storage material.

The term "water" used in this specification does not mean chemical "pure water", and we usually refer to it as "water" which contains impurities such as various minerals such as tap water. The term “water” is used to include those in which additives such as antifreezing agents or preservatives are actively added to this “water”. However, the above “pure water” is not positively excluded.

[0007]

FIG. 8 shows a floor heating structure among the above-mentioned cooling and heating structures proposed by the inventor. In order to support this floor surface, a crosspiece called a joist is arranged as a partition member 50 below the floor surface of the house, and the lower floor portion is partitioned into a plurality of spaces by the partition member 50. A heat source (usually an electric heater) EH is arranged in each of these spaces,
A container 53 filled with water is arranged. Incidentally, in many cases, usually, an empty container is first placed in a space at the time of construction, and water is filled after the container is placed.

After the heater EH and the container 53 have been arranged in the respective spaces as described above, the flooring material 54 is provided. The flooring material 54 is attached by nailing the partitioning material 50. However, if the container 53 is damaged in this construction, water inside may leak. When the amount of water leakage is large, water leakage is often found during construction. At the time when is found, a situation such as the partition material 50 or the like being corroded is also assumed. Further, the material constituting the container currently used adopts a laminate structure including a metal film or the like, and has extremely high durability. However, in several decades, it cannot be said that there is no possibility of water leakage due to deterioration of the material of the container.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has a cooling and heating structure provided with a means for early detection of water leakage in the event of water leakage. That is, the water leakage detecting means is arranged in proximity to or in contact with the container filled with water, and the water leakage detecting means is basically configured to electrically detect water leakage, and more specifically, forms a space in advance. When a potential is applied to a conductor such as a conducting wire that is in a non-conducting state due to a short circuit, an open circuit is formed, and a part of the non-conducting state is short-circuited due to water leakage to form a closed circuit. The air conditioner is characterized by having a cooling and heating structure having a water leak detecting means configured to detect the water leakage.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A water leak detecting means is arranged in contact with or close to a container filled with water as a heat medium. The water leakage detecting means is composed of, for example, a pair of conductors, and the pair of conductors are arranged via non-conductive portions, respectively, and a potential is applied to the pair of conductors. One or more such leak detecting means are provided for each water container.
In this state, when a part of the non-conductive portion of the water leak detecting means is short-circuited due to the water leak, a current flows, and the water leak is detected by detecting the current.

As a structure of the water leakage detecting means, a pair of conductive wires are arranged close to each other, and at least one of the conductive wires is covered with an insulator, and a small hole is formed in the insulator, or the insulator itself is formed in a string shape. It is formed and covered in the form of a braid so as to have minute voids. In this configuration, if there is water leakage, the water leaks through the gap of the insulator, short-circuits the pair of conductors, and current flows through the short-circuited portion.

As a configuration other than such a linear conductor, the following configuration is also conceivable. That is, the base is formed as a sheet made of an insulator, and a conductor portion is appropriately formed on the sheet via an insulating space. This sheet is also formed as a waterproof sheet, for example, and is arranged so as to be laid under the water container during construction. When water leaks from the container, the water leaking portion of the conductor formed on the sheet is short-circuited, whereby the water leak is detected. If the sheet itself is used as a waterproof sheet, it is possible to prevent water leakage from affecting the structure.

Further, since a magnetic field is formed in a portion which is energized due to water leakage, an energized portion in the conductor can be detected by using a magnetic field detecting means. In addition, it is possible to make a rough examination of the leakage location.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show a specific example of the arrangement of the water leakage detecting means, and FIG. 3 shows a specific example of a member for detecting the water leakage. First, the member for detecting water leakage shown in each figure is composed of a pair of linear conductors, as will be described in detail later. These conductors are insulated by an insulator, and the insulator has a mesh structure or a small hole. With such a configuration, both conductors are short-circuited when water penetrates into the insulator.

First, the structure of the water leakage detecting device will be specifically shown with reference to FIGS. In the drawing, reference numeral 1 denotes a water leakage detecting member composed of a pair of conductive wires insulated by the insulator having the above-described configuration. Have been.
In the case shown, 53a to 53e are placed on the floor corresponding to one room.
Are arranged, and each of the containers 53a to 53
As shown by reference numerals 1a to 1j, two water leakage detection members 1 are arranged on both sides of the e.

The arrangement of the water leakage detecting members 1a to 1j is not limited to the arrangement shown in FIG.
As an example of the breakage, it is considered that the damage caused by the nail driven into the partition member 50 when the floor material is stretched is most likely to occur, so that the water leak in the portion close to the partition member 50 is detected early. , An arrangement method as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of the water leakage detecting members 1 is disposed at a position below the container 53 and close to the partition member 50. Although the container having the illustrated configuration is configured to have substantially the same cross-sectional shape as the cross-sectional shape of the space sectioned by the partition member 50, the container 53 itself is configured to be relatively large in advance, and the partition member 50 is used. There is also a configuration in which even if the space to be partitioned is large or small, it can be handled. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7B described later, the cross section of the container 53 has a recess formed by bending of the bag according to the two rules of the upper portion of the container, and the water leakage detection member 1 is arranged along the recess. You may do so.

Each of the water leakage detecting members 1 is connected to the controller 2 in a state where a predetermined potential is applied in advance. In the configuration shown in the drawing, in order to clearly show the function of each water leakage detection member 1,
Although the configuration is such that a potential is applied to each of the water leakage detection members 1, the configuration may be such that a potential is uniformly applied in the controller 2 instead of this configuration. Reference numeral 3 denotes an alarm, and reference numeral 4 denotes a display panel. Of these, the alarm 3 is configured to issue a water leak alarm by, for example, an electronic sound when water leaks. Is configured to be displayed.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the structure of the water leakage detecting member 1. FIG. 3A shows the first configuration. 5a and 5b are a pair of conductors arranged in parallel, and the pair of conductors 5a and 5b are integrated by a cord-like insulating material 6 as if weaving a braid. In this manner, the conductors 5a and 5b are normally electrically insulated by the insulating material 6. However, since the coating with the insulating material 6 has a mesh shape, there are many gaps. Therefore, when there is water leakage, the leak directly penetrates into each of the conductors 5a, 5b through the gaps, and as a result, the leaked portion of the leak is short-circuited. Form a closed circuit and energize. By detecting this energized state, it is possible to detect water leakage. In this case, a material for improving conductivity, such as salt, is included in the insulating material in advance, and insulation is always performed. It is also possible to configure such that a short-circuit occurs in the.

FIG. 3B is a modified example of the above configuration (A). In this example, one of a pair of conductive wires (5 in the illustrated case) is used.
Only for a), the mesh covering with the insulating material 6 is formed, and the other conductive wire 5b is left bare. With this configuration, of course, the detection of water leakage is possible, but since the pair of conductors 5a and 5b cannot be integrated as in the case of (A) above, by stopping at some places in the longitudinal direction of each conductor with an adhesive tape or the like. The two conductors may be arranged so as to be close to or separated from each other by making use of the fact that they are not integrated or that they are not integrated.

(C) and (D) show the structure of the water leakage detecting member 1 by partially removing the coating of each of the conductors 5a and 5b which are entirely covered with an insulator. First, (C) removes the coating at the upper end of the coating 7,
Part of each of the conductors 5a and 5b is exposed. (D) shows a configuration in which the coating on one side of each of the conductors 5a and 5b is removed to partially expose the side of each of the conductors 5a and 5b. The configuration of the water leakage detection member 1 described above is an example, and the water leakage detection member used in the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, various configurations are conceivable, such as leaving the conductors 5a and 5b bare, and arranging the conductors obliquely so as to intersect at substantially the center of the container 53, and insulating only the intersections with an insulating material.

FIG. 4 shows an example of an electrical connection method of the water leakage detecting member 1 constituted by arranging the conducting wires shown in FIG. 3 in parallel. In this example, common conductors 8a and 8b are arranged at both ends of a pair of conductors 5a and 5b of each water leakage detection member 1, and a configuration is such that a potential is applied between the common conductors 8a and 8b.

FIG. 5 shows a specific example of the configuration of the display panel shown in FIG. The display panel 4 has five water leakage display means 53a 'to 53e' corresponding to the number of containers 53 shown in FIG.
Is provided. Each means is, for example, a water leak detecting member 1a.
And / or 1b when the short circuit current is applied to the display means 53a
So that the display means 53b 'is turned on when the lighting and the water leakage detection members 1c and / or 1d are short-circuited,
If the leak detection members on both sides of each container and the lighting circuit are configured to be connected, the leak display means corresponding to the predetermined container is turned on by short-circuiting of one of the leak detection members 1 of each container, It is immediately apparent which container has leaked.
If the alarm 3 is activated at the same time as the lighting, the display panel 4 is immediately brought to an attention, which is effective.

If a transparent sheet 9 describing the arrangement state of the objects in the room is pasted on the surface of the display panel 4, the arrangement state of the objects in the room and the positional relationship between the containers become clear at a glance. It is possible to more clearly confirm which part of the floor of the room has leaked.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment. In this embodiment, one long leak detecting member (reference numeral 10) is used as the leak detecting member.
) Is used, and the long water leakage detecting member 10 is disposed so as to be bent along the side edges of the containers 53a to 53e, and a potential is applied to this one long water leakage detecting member 10. It is supposed to be. With this configuration, the connection of the water leakage detection member has a simple structure. However, if this state is maintained, water leakage occurs, and it is not possible to detect in which part the water leakage has occurred even if short-circuiting occurs. For this reason, it is more effective to provide the following means so that the leak location can be detected.

For example, assuming that water is leaked from the container 53c as shown by a symbol W as shown in the figure, the long leak detecting member 10 is short-circuited at this portion. That is, since the power is applied from the power source that applied the potential to the long water leakage detecting member 10 to the short-circuited portion, the circuit becomes a closed circuit and is in a conducting state. Therefore, a magnetic field is formed by the current in the conducting portion. Reference numeral 20 denotes a device for detecting the magnetic field. For example, if a water leakage warning is issued by the alarm device 3, the magnetic field detecting device 20 is brought close to or in contact with the floor surface to detect the magnetic field in the energized portion. This detection result is shown in FIG.
As shown in the display panel 4, a portion energized to the panel is lit (a portion indicated by a solid line) and the like.

That is, the bent line of the display panel is drawn in accordance with the arrangement state of the long water leakage detecting member 10 so that the portion where the magnetic field is detected by the magnetic field detecting device 20 is displayed as a solid line. By doing so, it is detected that the leading end of the solid line is a water leakage point. In this case, if a transparent sheet showing the arrangement state of the containers shown in FIG. 5 or the arrangement state of the objects in the room, etc. is attached to the display panel 4, the leak location can be more easily confirmed.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment. In each of the above-described configurations and embodiments, the water leakage detection member is formed in a linear shape, but in this embodiment, the water leakage detection member is formed in a sheet shape. In FIG. 1A, reference numeral 11 denotes a sheet-shaped water leakage detection member (hereinafter, referred to as a "sheet-type water leakage detection member"). This sheet type water leakage detecting member 11
The sheet base 11a forming the main body is made of an insulating material, and it is more effective to have a waterproof property in addition to the insulating property. Hereinafter, a sheet-type water leakage detection member having a sheet base body having waterproofness as a main body will be described as an example.

The conductor 11b is applied to the sheet base 11a.
And 11c are formed. Branches 11b 'and 11c' are respectively connected to the conductors 11b and 11c, and the conductor 11b and the branch 11b 'do not contact the conductor 11c and the branch 11c'. For these conductor portions, an appropriate method such as a method of attaching a conductive wire to the sheet base 11a or a method of printing a conductive paint directly on the sheet base 11a can be adopted. Further, if the sheet-type water leakage detecting member 11 is arranged so that the side edge thereof rises along the partition member 50 as shown in FIG. It is possible to prevent adverse effects due to water leakage on the structure for a certain period.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 7B, the sheet-type water leakage detecting member 11 is disposed above the electric heater EH.
1 and the electric heater EH may be interposed between the sheet-type water leakage detection member 11 and the container 53. Incidentally, the electric heater EH is connected to the sheet-type water leakage detecting member 11.
The electric heater EH is protected from water leakage by the waterproof function of the sheet-type water leakage detection member 11 if it is arranged below the electric heater EH.
On the other hand, if the electric heater EH is disposed on the sheet-type water leakage detecting member 11, the electric heater EH is affected by water leakage.
The thermal efficiency is improved due to direct contact with the surface. In any case, when water leakage occurs, the water leakage causes the conductor 11b side and the conductor 11c
Any part on the side is short-circuited by water leakage and water leakage is detected.

FIG. 7C shows a modification of the configuration shown in FIG. In this example, the sub-branches 11b 'and 11c' are further arranged so as to be orthogonal to the branches.
, 11c '' are formed to increase the sensitivity to water leakage. Note that the sheet-type water leakage detection member 11
However, the configuration pattern of the conductor portion is not limited to the illustrated configuration. It should be noted that it is of course possible to use both the sheet-type water leakage detection member and the above-mentioned linear water leakage detection member.

FIG. 7D shows another example of the structure. Arrow 12 indicates a sheet-type water leakage detection member, and FIG. 12 shows a cross-sectional shape of the detection member. In the drawing, a first conductive portion 12a is formed on the outermost layer portion of the sheet-type water leakage detection member 12. The first conductive portion 12a is made of a conductive material, and is provided with a small hole formed to allow water to permeate into the lower layer of the sheet, for example, a thin metal plate having a large number of small holes, or a metal wire. A net-shaped member or the like can be used. A water-containing layer 12b is formed below the first conductive portion 12a. The water-containing layer is formed of a cloth or a non-woven fabric or the like, and is configured so that water leaking through the first conductive portion 12a is infiltrated. It has the function of electrically insulating. Reference numeral 12c denotes this second conductive portion, which is formed of a conductive metal thin film or the like, and has a waterproof sheet base material 12d at the lowermost layer, like the sheet-type water leakage detection member 11. A potential is applied to the first conductive part and the second conductive part of the sheet-type water leakage detection member 12 having this configuration.

When water leakage occurs in the sheet-type water leakage detection member 12 having the above-described structure, even if a small amount of water leaks, the first conductive portion 1 can be used.
2a, and the leaked water permeates the water-containing layer 12b, so that the first conductive portion 12a and the second conductive portion 12c
Is short-circuited. In this configuration, even a very small leak causes a short circuit, so that it is possible to detect the leak even earlier.

Although the present invention has been described above by exemplifying a case where a water container for heating is arranged under the floor, a configuration in which a water container for cooling and heating is arranged on the ceiling side, or solar energy is used as a heat source other than an electric heater. In any case, such as the case where water is used as a heat medium, it can be easily estimated by those skilled in the art that the present invention can be used.

[0035]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, in an efficient cooling and heating structure using water as a medium which has been proposed by the inventors, this effect can be reduced without any reduction. In addition, since the problem of the water leakage accident of the cooling and heating structure, which has been latent by using water, can be solved, the cooling and heating structure using water as a medium can be implemented more safely and widely.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram of an arrangement state of a water leakage detecting member and a water leakage detecting means according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

3A is a perspective view of a structure of a water leakage detecting member having a mesh type insulating coating, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the structure of the water leak detecting member having a mesh type insulating coating formed only on one conductor. FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view of a water leakage detection member having a configuration in which an upper portion of a coating is removed, and FIG. 4D is a cross-sectional view of a water leakage detection member having a configuration in which a side portion of the coating is removed.

FIG. 4 is a connection diagram illustrating an example of a connection method of a water leakage detection member.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a display panel and a transparent seal showing a configuration example of the display panel.

FIG. 6 is a system diagram of a water leakage detecting means using a long water leakage detecting member.

FIG. 7A is a plan view of a sheet-type water leakage detection member,
(B) is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line BB of (A), (C) is a plan view of a sheet-type water leakage detection member showing a modification of the sheet-type water leakage detection member of (A), and (D) yet another example. It is a sectional partial view of a sheet type leak detection member of composition.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a container arrangement portion of a cooling and heating structure proposed by the inventor previously.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Water leak detection member 2 Controller 3 Alarm 4 Display panel 5a, 5b Conductor 6 Insulation material 7 Insulation material 10 Long water leak detection member 11 Sheet type water leak detection member 11a Sheet base material 11b, 11c Conductor 12 Sheet type water leak detection member 12a First conductive part 12b Water-containing layer 12c Second conductive part 12d Sheet base material 20 Magnetic field detection device 50 Partition material 53 Container (for filling with water) 54 Floor material EH Electric heater

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A cooling and heating structure in which a container filled with water is arranged under a floor or a ceiling of a structure, and heating or cooling is performed by using water as a heat source for heating or a heat medium of a coolant. A water leakage detection member is arranged in proximity to or in contact with a container filled with water, and the water leakage detection member is configured as an open circuit to which a potential is applied, and detects water leakage by detecting a closed circuit formation due to a short circuit in the water leakage portion. A cooling and heating structure having a water leakage detecting means, characterized in that the cooling and heating structure is configured to perform water leakage. 2. The water leakage detection member is composed of a pair of conductors and an insulating material having a gap that insulates the conductors and allows leakage of water, and the pair of conductors is short-circuited by the penetration of water leakage. A cooling and heating structure having a water leakage detecting means according to claim 1. 3. A cooling and heating structure having water leakage detecting means according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the pair of conductive wires is formed of a mesh-like coating with an insulating wire. 4. The water leakage detecting member according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of water leakage detecting members are arranged in proximity to at least one of the two side edges of the container filled with water. Cooling and heating structure having a water leakage detection means. 5. The water leakage detection member is formed as a single long water leakage detection member, and the long water leakage detection member is bent and disposed so as to be located close to each container filled with water. The cooling and heating structure having the water leakage detecting means according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that it is configured as described above. 6. The water leakage detecting member is formed as a sheet-type water leakage detecting member having a conductor portion formed as an open circuit with respect to a sheet-like base formed of an insulating material, and is provided for a container filled with water. 2. The sheet-type water leakage detecting member is arranged close to or in contact with the sheet.
A cooling and heating structure having the water leakage detecting means according to the above. 7. The sheet-type water leakage detection member can be used as a waterproof sheet by forming the sheet-like substrate from a material having a waterproof property in addition to an insulating property. A cooling and heating structure having the water leakage detecting means according to claim 6. 8. The water leakage detection member is connected to a controller, and at least one of a display panel and an alarm device is connected to the controller, and an alarm is generated or a screen is displayed by forming a closed circuit by the water leakage detection member. A cooling and heating structure having a water leakage detecting means according to claim 1, wherein the cooling and heating structure is constituted. 9. The controller is connected to means for detecting a magnetic field, and detects a magnetic field formed in an energized portion of the water leakage detection member when the closed circuit is formed, thereby detecting the energized portion of the water leakage detection member. 9. A cooling and heating structure having a water leakage detecting means according to claim 8, wherein the structure is configured to estimate a water leakage portion by leaking. 10. A display panel is formed with a display section of a container corresponding to each of the containers arranged on the structure, and displays a screen of the section of the container in which the water leakage detection member forming a closed circuit is arranged. 9. The cooling and heating structure having a water leak detecting means according to claim 8, wherein the container in which the water leak has occurred can be visually identified.