JP2006061526A - Steam generator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steam generator for setting a plurality of states in a bathroom which are generated by the blowing of an air fan by controlling the operation state of the air fan and allowing a bathing person to clearly and visually recognize steam to be injected to the bathroom, so as to provide comfortable bathing. <P>SOLUTION: This steam generator comprises a heat exchanger for generating the steam; a hot water circulation means for circulating hot water discharged to the heat exchanger; the air fan for injecting the steam generated by the heat exchanger into the bathroom; and a controlling means for controlling the number of rotation of the air fan so as to set the plurality of stages in the steam to be injected to the bathroom. The controlling means sets the number of rotation of the air fan to a value with which the steam to be injected to the bathroom is visually recognized to be white in a mist heating operation mode. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a steam generator that is installed in a bathroom such as a system bathroom and generates steam in the bathroom.

Conventionally, as a steam generator installed in a bathroom, it is indicated by patent documents 1, for example. In this steam generator, a heat exchanger having a large number of fins connected by a connecting member to which hot water is circulated and supplied is arranged in a vertically long main body case, and a predetermined temperature is supplied from a hot water jet pipe onto the fins of the heat exchanger. Mist (steam) is generated by dissipating hot water from the hot water, and this steam is blown out from the blower outlet onto the bathroom washing area by the operation of the blower fan, and hot water that has flowed from the hot water jet pipe and flowed down along the fins is recovered. It is collected in a tank, pumped up by a circulation pump, and supplied to the hot water jet pipe again.
JP 2003-235930 A

  However, in this steam generator, hot water such as tap water can be circulated and used in a hot water circulation means consisting of a circulation pump, a hot water recovery tank, etc., but the rotational speed of the blower fan for jetting steam into the bathroom is specified. Since it is set to a value, the state (air-conditioning state) in the bathroom formed by the ventilation of the blower fan tends to be monotonous. Also, steam that is blown out from the outlet when the temperature of the hot water that circulates and diffuses onto the fins of the heat exchanger decreases or the difference between the steam blown out and the room temperature in the bathroom becomes small. However, it may be difficult for the bather to recognize the mist heating state, and the visual effect on the bather may not be sufficient.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances. The purpose of the present invention is to control the operation state of the blower fan so that a plurality of states in the bathroom formed by the blower of the blower fan can be set. An object of the present invention is to provide a steam generating apparatus that can perform bathing smoothly. Further, in addition to the above-mentioned purpose, the other purpose is to make the bather more clearly recognizable by making the steam blown into the bathroom visible in white so that the bather can take a more comfortable bath through the visual effect. An object of the present invention is to provide a steam generator that can perform the above-described process.

  In order to achieve such an object, the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention includes a heat exchanger provided with heating means and capable of generating steam when hot water is diffused, and hot water diffused in the heat exchanger. Hot water circulating means for pumping hot water in the tank with a circulation pump and dissipating it again to the heat exchanger, a blower fan for blowing the steam generated in the heat exchanger into the bathroom, And a control means capable of setting the steam blown into the bathroom into a plurality of states by controlling the rotational speed of the blower fan.

  Further, as in the invention described in claim 2, the control means sets the rotational speed of the blower fan to a predetermined value in accordance with a plurality of operation modes such as mist heating, dry heating, and drying. In the mist heating operation mode, it is preferable to set the rotation speed of the blower fan to a value at which the steam blown into the bathroom can be visually recognized as white. Further, as in the invention according to claim 4, the control means sets the rotational speed of the blower fan to a predetermined value based on the manual operation of the operation switch and / or the temperature of the hot water and the bathroom detected by the detection means. It is preferable to set.

  Further, as in the invention described in claim 5, a second heat exchanger having a heating means and capable of generating hot air is provided, and the second heat exchanger and the heat exchanger include a plurality of sheets. The fins are connected by a hot water supply pipe as heating means, and the second heat exchanger is disposed in the case in a substantially horizontal state and the heat exchanger in an inclined state. preferable.

  According to the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention, since the rotation speed of the blower fan for blowing the steam generated in the heat exchanger into the bathroom is varied by the control of the control means, for example, the rotation speed of the blower fan Is set to a plurality of “strong / weak”, the state in the bathroom can be set in a plurality of states according to the preference of the bather, and a comfortable bathing or the like becomes possible.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, the rotational speed of the blower fan is controlled by the control means in accordance with a plurality of operation modes such as mist heating, dry heating, and drying. Is set to a predetermined value, the number of rotations of the blower fan can be set to multiple according to various operation modes, the bathroom can be easily set to a state according to the preference of the bather, and more comfortable bathing etc. It becomes possible.

  Further, according to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, in the operation mode of mist heating, the steam blown into the bathroom by the rotation speed of the blower fan by the control means Is set to a value that can be visually recognized as white, for example, when the temperature of the hot water that circulates in the hot water circulation means and is dissipated on the heat exchanger to generate steam is low, the rotational speed of the blower fan is lowered. The temperature of the circulating hot water is raised, and steam that can be seen in white is blown into the bathroom, allowing the bather to clearly recognize that it is in the mist heating state, and comfortable mist heating bathing through visual effects is possible Become.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the effects of the invention described in claims 1 to 3, the temperature of the hot water detected by manual operation of the operation switch or, for example, detection means provided in the heat exchanger. Based on the control means, the rotation speed of the blower fan is set to a predetermined value by the control means, so the rotation speed of the blower fan can be reliably set by manual setting or automatic setting, and is excellent in operability and usability A steam generator can be obtained.

  Further, according to the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the effects of the invention described in claims 1 to 4, in the same manner as the heat exchanger for generating steam in which a large number of fins are connected by a hot water supply pipe. Since the heat exchanger for generating hot water in which a large number of fins are connected by a hot water supply pipe is arranged in a predetermined form in the case, for example, hot air that has been heat-exchanged by a heat exchanger for generating hot air is used. Steam and hot air can be generated efficiently, such as for use in steam generation, and the external shape of the device can be made thin corresponding to the height of the inclined heat exchanger for steam generation. Thus, by installing the device on, for example, a ceiling portion of a bathroom, steam that can be visually recognized from the ceiling portion can be blown out.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIGS. 1-10 shows one Embodiment of the steam generator concerning this invention, FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram which shows the basic structure, FIG. 2 is a perspective view, FIG. 3 is the outline which shows the installation state in a bathroom FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of the steam generator, FIG. 5 is a block diagram of its control system, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of an operation mode, and FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the steam generator 1 includes a first heat exchanger 3a in which a large number of fins 4a are connected by a hot water supply pipe 5a as a heating means, and a large number of fins 4b as a heating means. The second heat exchanger 3b connected by the hot water supply pipe 5b and water or hot water (called hot water) are circulated and diffused from the hot water jet pipe 6 onto the fins 4a of the first heat exchanger 3a (discharge or jet) (Including injection, spraying, spraying, etc.) to form hot water circulation means 7, blower fan 10 that forms a ventilation path R <b> 1 described later between suction port 8 and blower outlet 9, and ventilation passage R <b> 2 described later. A ventilation fan 11 and the like are provided.

  The hot water circulating means 7 is disposed below the first heat exchanger 3a and collects the hot water flowing down along the fins 4a of the heat exchanger 3a and the hot water in the buffer tank 12 is pumped up. It has the circulating pump 13 and the hot water jet pipe 6 etc. which are arranged at predetermined intervals above the fins 4a of the first heat exchanger 3a and diffuse hot water pumped up by the circulating pump 13 onto the fins 4a. The buffer tank 12 of the hot water circulating means 7 is provided with a lid body portion 12b formed with, for example, a slit-like collection hole 12a for collecting the flowing hot water on the upper surface thereof. One float switch 15 for detecting the upper limit water level of the hot water in 12 is disposed, and a water temperature sensor 16 for detecting the temperature of the hot water is disposed in the buffer tank 12.

  Further, an intake air temperature sensor 17 for detecting the temperature of the air in the bathroom 32 (see FIG. 3) to be sucked in is disposed in the suction port 8, and a support plate of the first heat exchanger 3a or hot water supply is provided. The pipe 5a is provided with a temperature sensor 18 as detection means of the present invention for detecting the temperature of the heat exchanger 3a. Further, a louver 19 that opens the air outlet 9 by rotation of the louver motor 19a is disposed at the air outlet 9 so as to be opened and closed.

  The blower fan 10 is formed of, for example, a cross flow fan, a sirocco fan, a turbo fan, and the like, and the blower fan motor 10a is rotated at a plurality of stages (for example, the strongest, strong, weak) by the control signal of the control board 20 described later. It is designed to rotate. The ventilation fan 11 is formed of, for example, a sirocco fan, and the ventilation fan motor 11a is rotated at a predetermined number of rotations by a control signal from the control board 20. And these members are arrange | positioned in the thin main body case 2 in the horizontal direction, As shown in FIG. 2, the steam generator 1 itself is formed in the flat thin shape. At this time, the main body case 2 is removably mounted with a grill plate 2a at the opening on the lower surface thereof. The grill plate 2a is provided with the suction port 8 and the air outlet 9, and an indicator 45 and the like to be described later. It is arranged.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the control board 20 and the reception / display board 21 to which various cables 14 are connected are arranged in the main body case 2 and are connected to the hot water supply pipes 5a and 5b. The forward piping 22a and the return piping 22b, and a part of the water supply piping 23 and the drainage piping 24 connected to the buffer tank 12 are arranged.

  Among these pipes, a hot water supply solenoid valve 26, a water supply solenoid valve 25, and a drainage solenoid valve 27 are connected in the main body case 2 of the forward pipe 22a, the water supply pipe 23, and the drainage pipe 24. A water heater 29 such as a kerosene boiler with a circulation function and a gas water heater is connected to the ends of the pipe 22a and the return pipe 22b outside the case body 2. In addition, the end of the water supply pipe 23 is connected to a water supply or a water supply pipe in the water heater 29. The buffer tank 12 is connected to a base end portion of an overflow pipe 28 whose tip is connected to a drain pipe 24. The reception / display board 21 in the main body case 2 has a waterproof infrared wireless remote controller. 30 is connected, and a wired remote controller 31 is connected to the control board 20 as necessary.

  This steam generator 1 is installed in a bathroom 32 as shown in FIG. 3, for example. That is, a plurality of main body cases 2 whose outer shape is flat and thin are provided on the ceiling panel 34 above the bathtub 33 forming the bathroom ceiling, for example, on the housing 36 above the bathroom 32 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The suspension port 37 is suspended and the suction port 8 and the air outlet 9 of the grill plate 2 a of the main body case 2 are opened in the bathroom 32. The forward piping 22a, the return piping 22b, and the water supply piping 23 of the steam generator 1 are placed in, for example, a sheath pipe (not shown) and disposed on the upper surface (back of the ceiling) of the ceiling panel 34, and the drainage piping 24 is connected to the ceiling panel 34. From the upper surface of the bathroom 32 through the outer surface of the wall panel 35 of the bathroom 32 and placed on the waterproof pan in the bathtub apron 38. At this time, the water supply pipe 23 guides the condensed water adhering to the outer surface of the water supply pipe 23 into the steam generator 1 by inclining the end of the steam generator 1 side located on the upper surface of the ceiling panel 34 by a predetermined angle α. Set to be.

  Further, by arranging the drain pipe 24 positioned on the outer surface of the wall panel 35 at an angle β with respect to the vertical line, the drain port of the drain pipe 24 is positioned at a predetermined position of the waterproof pan, and the flow rate of the drain is increased. It can be adjusted. The various cables 14 for power supply, remote control or so-called intelligent communication drawn from the steam generator 1 are wired on the upper surface side of the ceiling panel 34, and the ventilation duct 11b of the ventilation fan 11 is also the ceiling panel 34. It is arrange | positioned at the upper surface side.

  FIG. 4 shows a conceptual diagram of a specific structure of the steam generator 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the second heat exchanger 3b is disposed horizontally, for example, on the grill plate 2a side in the partition wall 2b of the main body case 2, and the upper left end side of the second heat exchanger 3b. The first heat exchanger 3a is arranged in a state inclined at a predetermined angle γ with respect to the vertical direction. A buffer pan 12c forming the buffer tank 12 is disposed below the first heat exchanger 3a, and the blower fan 10 is disposed on the lower left side of the first heat exchanger 3a. Has been.

  The grill plate 2a below the blower fan 10 is provided with an air outlet 9 having the louver 19, and the suction port 8 is provided at the grill plate 2a below the second heat exchanger 3b. As a result, when the blower fan 10 is rotated, the suction port 8 → the second heat exchanger 3b → the first heat exchanger 3a → the blower fan 10 as shown by a two-dot chain line in the figure in the main body case 2. → A ventilation path R1 communicating with the air outlet 9 is formed. A ventilation passage R2 that connects the suction port 8 and the ventilation duct 11b of the ventilation fan 11 is also formed in the main body case 2 where the ventilation path R1 is formed. In addition, a filter or the like (not shown) is detachably disposed inside the suction port 8 and the air outlet 9 of the grill plate 2a as necessary.

  Further, the hot water jet pipe 6 is arranged above the first heat exchanger 3a arranged in an inclined state with a predetermined interval, and the hot water supply pipes 5a of both the heat exchangers 3a and 3b, As shown in FIG. 1, two hot water supply pipes 5a and 5b are connected in parallel by connecting both ends of 5b to the forward pipe 22a and the return pipe 22b, respectively. The first heat exchanger 3a arranged in an inclined state is mainly used for steam generation, and the second heat exchanger 3b arranged in a horizontal state is mainly used for hot air generation. It has become.

  The first heat exchanger 3a and the second heat exchanger 3b are formed in substantially the same shape, and a pair of left and right support plates (not shown) and a plurality of sheets arranged in parallel at a predetermined pitch between the support plates. Fins 4a and 4b made of thin plates, and hot water supply pipes 5a serving as heating means for connecting the fins 4a and 4b and the support plates, arranged in a meandering manner in the lateral direction between the fins 4a and 4b and the left and right support plates 5b etc. In the first heat exchanger 3a and the second heat exchanger 3b, the pitch between the fins 4a and 4b is set to be the same or different from each other, or the areas of the fins 4a and 4b are different. By setting in this way, the form of both heat exchangers 3a and 3b themselves can be set to an appropriate shape suitable for steam generation and hot air generation.

  FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a control system of the steam generator 1. This will be described below. Mounted on the control board 20 of the steam generator 1 are a microcomputer 40, a drive circuit 41 for operating a motor, a solenoid valve, and the like, a power circuit 42 connected to an external power source by a power cable 14a, and the like. On the input side of the control board 20, a main body switch 43 for setting the steam generating device 1 in an operable state, the wired remote controller 31, the receiver 55 of the reception / display board 21, the float switch 15, the water temperature sensor 16, An intake air temperature sensor 17, a temperature sensor 18, and the like are connected.

  Also, on the output side of the control board 20, a buzzer 46 that emits an alarm sound when an abnormality occurs, a display 45 consisting of a plurality of LEDs on the reception / display board 21, wind speeds of “strongest” “strong” “weak” The ventilation fan motor 10a, the circulation pump 13, the louver motor 19a, the ventilation fan motor 11a, the three electromagnetic valves 25 to 27, etc. that can be set in three stages are connected. Based on the operation information input from the wireless remote controller 30 or the wired remote controller 31, the motor or solenoid valve connected to the output side of the control board 20 is driven according to the program stored in advance in the microcomputer 40 of the control board 20. A predetermined operation is performed by a drive signal from the circuit 41 or the like.

  The wired remote controller 31 connected to the control board 20 and the wireless remote controller 30 connected to the reception / display board 21 include steam or steam containing steam in the bathroom 32 as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. Mist heating operation switch 47 for blowing air to heat, dry heating operation switch 48 for blowing warm air into the bathroom 32 for heating, drying operation switch 49 for blowing hot air into the bathroom 32 for drying, Various operation switches such as a cool air operation switch 50 for blowing cool air (cool air) into the bathroom 32 and a ventilation operation switch 51 for ventilating the inside of the bathroom 32 are provided.

  Each of the remote controls 30 and 31 is provided with a timer setting unit 52 for setting the time in each operation mode, a display unit 54 for displaying various times, error codes, and the like. Signals and the like are input to the reception / display board 21 and the control board 20. The mist heating operation switch 47, the dry heating operation switch 48, and the cool air operation switch 50 are turned on by, for example, pushing once from the “off” state to be set to the first on state of the normal state, and further pushed. The second ON state is set by pushing twice in total.

  Next, an example of operation | movement of the steam generator 1 by this control board 20 is demonstrated. First, the steam generator 1 can be operated in five operation modes of “mist heating”, “dry heating”, “drying”, “cool air”, and “ventilation” shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the four states of “strong”, “weak”, “strongest”, and “stop” are set, and the circulation pump 13, the louver motor 19 a, and the ventilation fan motor 11 a are Operates (activates or stops).

  When the “mist heating” operation is selected as the operation mode, the operation is performed as shown in FIG. That is, when the main body switch 43 of the steam generator 1 is turned on, the program is started (S100). First, it is determined whether or not the mist heating operation switch 47 is turned on (S101), and this determination S101 becomes “YES”. Repeat until. Then, for example, when the mist heating operation switch 47 of the wireless remote controller 30 is turned on, “YES” is determined in the determination S101, and water supply / circulation processing for supplying water from the water supply pipe 23 into the buffer tank 12 for circulation is performed. (S102) is executed.

  In this water supply / circulation process S102, first, the water supply electromagnetic valve 25 is "opened" by the control signal of the control board 20, and after determining whether or not the float switch 15 is turned on, the water supply electromagnetic valve 25 is set to "closed". The circulation pump 13 is operated by a soft start, for example. When a predetermined time set in advance from the operation of the circulation pump 13 elapses, the water supply electromagnetic valve 25 is again opened, and it is determined again whether or not the float switch 15 is turned on. Let it be “closed” again. As a result, the water supply / circulation process S102 is executed, the hot water circulates in the hot water circulation means 7, and the hot water level in the buffer tank 12 is kept full. During the water supply / circulation process S102, the blower fan motor 10a and the louver motor 19a are maintained in a stopped state, and the blowing of cold air from the outlet 9 is prohibited.

  When the water supply / circulation process is executed in step S102, the hot water circulation process (S103) is executed next. In the hot water circulation process S103, as shown in FIG. 8, first, the hot water solenoid valve 26 is set to “open” (S1031) by the control signal from the control board 20, and the first heat exchanger 3a and the second heat exchanger 2 The hot water supply pipes 5a and 5b of the heat exchanger 3b are respectively supplied with hot water of a predetermined temperature (for example, 80 ° C. or higher) from the hot water supply device 29, and the blower fan 10 is rotated in a predetermined state.

  At this time, the rotation of the blower fan 10 is determined whether or not the setting by the mist heating operation switch 47 is “strong” (S 1032). If “YES” in this determination S 1032, that is, the mist heating operation switch 47 is set to 1. If it is pushed once and set in the first on state, which is the normal state described above, the blower fan motor 10a is rotated at the "strong" rotation speed that is the normal rotation speed (S1033). On the other hand, if “NO” in the determination S1032, that is, if the mist heating operation switch 47 is pushed twice and set to the above-described second on state, the blower fan motor 10a is rotated at the “weak” rotational speed. (S1034). By setting the blower fan motor 10a to “weak”, the wind speed by the blower fan 10 becomes weak, the cooling degree of the hot water flowing between the fins 4a of the first heat exchanger 3a is lowered, and the hot water circulation means 7 Since the temperature of the hot air circulating in the interior rises and the temperature of the hot air blown out becomes high, the hot air blown into the bathroom 32 can be easily viewed in white.

  Note that the setting of the rotation speed of the blower fan motor 10a is not limited to the setting by manual operation of the mist heating operation switch 47 shown in FIG. 8, for example, based on the hot water circulating in the hot water circulation means 7 and the temperature in the bathroom 32. You may make it set automatically. That is, when based on the temperature of the circulating hot water, as shown in FIG. 9, when the hot water solenoid valve 26 is set to “open” (S1031), the temperature Ti of the hot water circulating in the hot water circulation means 7 is set. Is detected by the temperature sensor 18 provided in the first heat exchanger 3a (S1035), and the detected temperature Ti is compared with a reference temperature Ts preset in the microcomputer 40 to determine whether or not Ti ≦ Ts. Is determined (S1036).

  If “YES” in this determination S1036, that is, if the detected temperature Ti is higher than the reference temperature Ts, the blower fan motor 10a is rotated at the “strong” rotational speed (S1033). In this case, since the temperature of the hot water diffused to the first heat exchanger 3a (detection temperature Ti) is a temperature at which steam that can be visually recognized as white can be generated, steam that is visually recognized as white in the bathroom 32. Will be blown out. If “NO” in the determination S1036, that is, if the detected temperature Ti is lower than the reference temperature Ts, the blower fan motor 10a is rotated at the “weak” rotation number (S1034) and circulated in the hot water circulation means 7. The temperature of the hot water is raised to a temperature at which steam that can be visually recognized as white can be generated. As a result, the temperature of the hot water circulating in the hot water circulation means 7 can be automatically set to a temperature at which steam that can always be visually recognized as white can be generated. Moreover, you may control the rotation speed of the ventilation fan motor 10a by the relationship with the temperature in the bathroom 32 in addition to the temperature of this circulating hot water.

  Thus, the fins 4a and 4b of the heat exchangers 3a and 3b are each heated to a predetermined temperature by circulating and supplying the hot water to the hot water supply pipes 5a and 5b, and the blower fan 10 is visually recognized as white. When rotating at a wind speed of “strong” or “weak” that can generate steam, the air sucked into the main body case 2 from the suction port 8 is heated by the second heat exchanger 3b to become warm air, This warm air is supplied between the fins 4a of the first heat exchanger 3a, that is, flows through the ventilation path R1. Further, in this state, when hot water having a predetermined temperature is diffused from the hot water jet pipe 6 onto the fins 4a of the first heat exchanger 3a, the second heat exchanger 3b passes through the ventilation path R1. Part of the hot water that is diffused due to a pressure difference with the air (hot air) supplied between the fins 4a of the heat exchanger 3a of the first heat exchanger 3a becomes steam, and this steam flows through the ventilation path R1 and blows off. As described above, the air is blown into the bathroom 32 from the outlet 9 in a state of being visually recognized as white.

  At this time, the two heat exchangers 3a and 3b are arranged in the main body case 2, and the ventilation path R1 connecting both the heat exchangers 3a and 3b is changed from the second heat exchanger 3b to the first heat exchanger 3a. Therefore, the high-temperature hot air heat-exchanged by the second heat exchanger 3b is supplied to the first heat exchanger 3a, and the steam in the first heat exchanger 3a is supplied. Occurrence is promoted. As a result, the contact time between the diffused hot water and the fins 4a in the first heat exchanger 3a can be shortened, for example, as compared with the prior art, and the first heat exchanger 3a itself can be made smaller and its height can be reduced. Even so, a sufficient amount of steam can be generated.

  Then, when the steam that is visually recognized as white is blown into the bathroom 32, as shown in FIG. 7, the water level control (S104) in the buffer tank 12, the temperature of the steam blown from the blowout outlet 9, the temperature of the hot air, etc. For example, temperature control (S105) is performed in parallel. Of these, the water level control S104, when hot water circulates in the hot water circulation means 7, part of it becomes steam, and when the water level in the buffer tank 12 decreases to a lower limit water level that does not adversely affect the generation of steam, For example, detection is performed at a time corresponding to the evaporation amount of hot water, and when the time has elapsed, the water supply electromagnetic valve 25 is opened, and water is supplied into the buffer tank 12 until the float switch 15 detects full water. Is done by.

  Further, the temperature control S105 compares, for example, a temperature detected by a room temperature sensor (not shown) or an intake air temperature sensor 17 provided in the bathroom 32 with a reference temperature stored in the microcomputer 40 in advance, for example, the circulation pump 13. On / off control, on / off control of the blower fan motor 10a, or by switching the rotational speed of the blower fan motor 10a between strong and weak, etc. to dissipate on the first heat exchanger 3a This is done by increasing or decreasing the temperature and amount of hot water. As the temperature control, the current value of the circulation pump 13 is detected, and the detected value is compared with a reference value set in advance in the microcomputer 40, so that the electrical characteristic value such as the operating current value of the circulation pump 13 is obtained. It is also possible to increase / decrease the amount of hot water circulating by increasing / decreasing the amount of steam and control the amount of steam generated.

  The water level control S104 and the temperature control S105 are repeated until the mist heating operation switch 47 is turned off or the timer time elapses (S106). Then, a stop process (S107) is performed, and then a series of programs are terminated (S108). The stop process S107 at this time, for example, stops the water heater 29 and detects the temperature of the hot water circulating in the hot water circulation means 7 with the water temperature sensor 16, and when the detected temperature falls to a predetermined temperature, This is performed by opening the drain electromagnetic valve 27 or stopping the blower fan motor 10a.

  On the other hand, when the dry heating operation switch 48 is turned on by the remote controllers 30 and 31 and the “dry heating” operation is selected as the operation mode, as shown in FIG. Without performing the water supply / circulation process in step S102 and the water level control in step S104, the hot water circulation process (S103) and the temperature control (S105) are executed to determine whether or not the dry heating operation switch 48 is turned off. (S106). Further, the control of the blower fan motor 10a in the hot water circulation process S103 during the dry heating operation is also performed in the same manner as in the mist heating operation, and the rotation speed is set to either “strong” or “weak”. The temperature (heating temperature) in the bathroom 32 is adjusted by the strong / weak setting of the blower fan 10. Further, the stop processing in step S107 is performed by, for example, turning the hot water supply electromagnetic valve 26 “closed” after stopping the hot water supply device 29 by a control signal from the control board 20.

  In this dry heating operation mode, hot water is supplied to the hot water supply pipes 5a and 5b connected in parallel between the first heat exchanger 3a and the second heat exchanger 3b. The air flowing through R1 can be heat-exchanged by the heat exchangers 3a and 3b to obtain high-temperature hot air, and a predetermined amount of hot air can be efficiently obtained in a short time. In this dry heating operation mode, depending on the required warm air, both the heat exchangers 3a and 3b and the hot water heater 29 are connected by a switching valve, so that only the first heat exchanger 3a or the second heat exchanger 3a is connected. Of course, it is possible to supply hot water only to the heat exchanger 3b and generate hot air only from one of the heat exchangers 3a and 3b.

  Further, when the drying operation switch 49 is turned on by the remote controllers 30 and 31 and the “drying” operation mode is selected, as shown in FIG. 10B, after the hot water circulation process (S103) is performed (or This is performed by rotating the ventilation fan motor 11a at a predetermined rotation speed (substantially in parallel) (S109). The hot water circulation process S103 at this time is performed by, for example, rotating the blower fan motor 10a at the “strongest” rotational speed (S1037) after the hot water supply electromagnetic valve 26 is “opened” (S1031).

  Further, although not shown, when the cool air operation switch 50 of the remote controllers 30 and 31 is turned on and the “cool air” operation mode is selected, for example, the water heater 29 is stopped and the first heat exchanger is stopped. This is performed by circulating tap water having a low temperature supplied from the water supply pipe 23 in the hot water circulation means 7 in a state where the hot water is not circulated and supplied to the hot water supply pipe 5a of 3a. Even in this cool wind operation mode, the blower fan motor 10a is set to a strong / weak rotational speed, and the wind comes into contact with the water diffused on the fins 4a of the first heat exchanger 3a, so that it becomes a cool wind. This is blown into the bathroom 32.

  Further, when the ventilation operation switch 51 of the remote controls 30, 31 is turned on and the "ventilation" operation mode is selected, only the ventilation fan motor 11a is operated as shown in FIG. For example, the air in the bathroom 32 sucked in from the suction port 8, for example, flows through the ventilation passage R2 and is exhausted from the ventilation duct 11b to the outside of the bathroom 32, so that the bathroom 32 is ventilated.

  Thus, in the steam generator 1 of the above embodiment, for example, in the mist heating operation mode, the steam blown into the bathroom 32 by the control signal of the control board 20 is visually recognized as white. Since it can be set to a value of “weak” that is easily performed, for example, when the temperature of hot water that circulates in the hot water circulation means 7 and is dissipated on the first heat exchanger 3a to generate steam is low, The temperature of the circulating hot water can be increased by lowering the rotational speed of the blower fan 10 (blower fan motor 10a). As a result, the temperature of the hot air that is blown out becomes high and steam that is visually recognized as white can be blown into the bathroom 32, allowing the bather to clearly recognize that it is in the mist heating state. It is possible to perform comfortable mist heating bathing through visual effects.

  Further, the steam generator 1 can be operated in a plurality of operation modes such as mist heating, dry heating, drying, and cool air, and the rotation speed of the blower fan 10 is determined by a control signal of the control board 20 according to each operation mode. Since it is set to one of a plurality of states of “strongest”, “strong”, and “weak”, the rotational speed of the blower fan 10 can be set to a desired state according to various operation modes, and the inside of the bathroom 32 can be set by the bather. It can be easily set to a state according to your preference, and more comfortable bathing can be performed. Moreover, by setting to each of these operation modes, for example, clothes drying with dry warm air (during dry operation), bathroom heating with wet warm air (during mist heating operation) with one steam generator 1 Further, bathroom heating with dry hot air (during dry heating operation), ventilation in the bathroom (during ventilation operation), and the like can be performed, and the usability and operability of the steam generator 1 can be improved.

  Further, based on the manual operation of the operation switches 47 to 51 of the remote controllers 30 and 31 and the temperature of the hot water detected by the temperature sensor 18 provided in the first heat exchanger 3a, the control board 20 rotates the blower fan 10. Since the number is set in a predetermined state, if the rotation speed of the blower fan 10 is set by manual setting, for example, the interior of the bathroom 32 can be reliably set to a state according to the preference of the bather. Further, if the rotational speed of the blower fan 10 is set automatically, a complicated operation by the bather becomes unnecessary, and the steam generator 1 that is more excellent in operability and usability can be obtained. As a sensor for detecting the temperature of the first heat exchanger 3a, the temperature of the first heat exchanger 3a is detected, for example, the abnormality of the heat exchanger 3a itself is detected and the apparatus 1 is stopped or the heat exchanger 3a is in a good dry state. The temperature sensor 18 that is used when the apparatus 1 is stopped at a temperature at which can be obtained can be used, and the sensor mechanism can be simplified to obtain an inexpensive steam generator 1.

  Further, a first heat exchanger 3a for generating steam and a second heat exchanger 3b for supplying hot water are set, and these are arranged in a predetermined manner in the main body case 2 and controlled by the control board 20 in a predetermined manner. Therefore, for example, the fin 4a can be efficiently heated by supplying the warm air exchanged by the second heat exchanger 3b to the first heat exchanger 3a through the ventilation path R1. The hot water flowing between the fins 4a can be made into hot water suitable for steam generation in a short time that cannot be obtained conventionally, and steam generation by the first heat exchanger 3a can be performed efficiently, Hot air can be efficiently generated in a short time by using both heat exchangers 3a and 3b.

  Moreover, since both the heat exchangers 3a and 3b for generating steam and hot air are arranged in the flat and thin main body case 2 in a state where the efficiency is improved, the slope where the diffused hot water flows down is provided. The height of the first heat exchanger 3a in the state can be reduced, and the outer shape of the steam generator 1 can be made small, for example, without requiring a large space on the ceiling of the bathroom 32 such as a system bathroom. It can be installed easily and compactly, and steam that is visually recognized as white can be blown out from the ceiling portion during the mist heating operation.

  A buffer tank 12 is provided below the first heat exchanger 3a to collect hot water that has flowed down along the fins 4a. Hot water in the tank 12 is supplied to the hot water of the first heat exchanger 3a by the circulation pump 13. Supply to the jet pipe 6 again, that is, hot water is circulated and used in the hot water circulation means 7, so that the hot water used for steam generation can be reused, and the water (hot water) can be used effectively, saving energy. It becomes possible to provide the steam generator 1 excellent in the effect.

  In addition, in the said embodiment, although the case where one ventilation path | route R1 was provided in the main body case 2 was demonstrated, this invention is not limited to this, For example, the 1st heat exchanger 3a is included in the main body case 2. In the inclined state, the second heat exchanger 3b is disposed in a horizontal state, the blower fan 10 is disposed on the right side of the second heat exchanger 3b, and the blower outlet 9 is provided below the blower fan 10 of the grill plate 2a. By providing a pair of suction ports 8 at the lower part of the first heat exchanger 3a and the second heat exchanger 3b of the grill plate 2a, two (a plurality of) ventilation paths are formed in the main body case 2. Anyway.

  In addition, the steam generator 1 according to the present invention can be applied to a configuration in which a plurality of heat exchangers 3a and 3b are arranged in the same main body case 2, and is also applicable to a steam generator having a configuration substantially similar to the conventional one. Can be applied. Further, the installation position of the steam generator 1 in the bathroom 32 is not limited to the ceiling panel 34, and for example, at a corner portion of the ceiling panel 34 and the wall panel 35 (referred to as a ceiling portion including the corner portion and the ceiling panel 34). Alternatively, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 3, it may be configured to be installed inside the counter 53 of the washing place of the bathroom 32 as in the conventional example.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the blower fan 10 can be set to three rotation speeds has been described. However, the rotation speed can be set to, for example, two strong and weak rotation speeds, or four stages within a predetermined range. A configuration that can be varied in a plurality of steps or in a stepless manner can be adopted, and an appropriate configuration can be adopted as the switching method. Further, the operation mode of the steam generator 1 in the above embodiment is not limited to five modes as long as it has at least a mist heating operation mode, and the shape of the main body case 2 and the entire buffer tank 12 in the above embodiment are sufficient. The shape, the shape such as the position and size of the suction port 8 and the air outlet 9 of the grill plate 2a, the arrangement position of various sensors, the form of each heat exchanger 3a, 3b itself, etc. are also examples, and are related to the present invention. An appropriate configuration can be adopted without departing from the gist of each invention.

  The present invention can be applied not only to a bathroom such as a system bathroom but also to a steam generator such as a sauna room or a shower room.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a basic structure of an embodiment of a steam generator according to the present invention. The perspective view Schematic perspective view showing the installation state in the bathroom Conceptual diagram showing the specific structure of the steam generator The control system block diagram Explanation of each operation mode Flow chart showing basic operation of the mist heating operation mode The flowchart showing the specific operation Flow chart showing another example of the specific operation Flow chart showing basic operations of the dry heating operation mode and the dry operation mode

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Steam generator, 2 ... Main body case, 2a ... Grill plate, 3a ... 1st heat exchanger, 3b ... 2nd heat exchanger, 4a, 4b ... Fins, 5a, 5b ... hot water supply pipe, 6 ... hot water ejection pipe, 7 ... hot water circulation means, 8 ... suction port, 9 ... blower outlet, 10 ... blower fan, 10a ... Blower fan motor, 11 ... Ventilation fan, 12 ... Buffer tank, 12c ... Buffer pan, 13 ... Circulating pump, 18 ... Temperature sensor (detection means), 20 ... Control board (control means), 21 ... reception / display board, 22a ... forward piping, 22b ... return piping, 23 ... water supply piping, 24 ... drainage piping, 25 ... water supply electromagnetic Valve, 26 ... Hot water solenoid valve, 27 ... Drainage solenoid valve, 29 ... Hot water heater, 30 ... Wireless remote control 31 ... Wired remote control, 32 ... Bathroom, 34 ... Ceiling panel, 47 ... Mist heating operation switch, 48 ... Dry heating operation switch, 49 ... Dry operation switch, 50 ... Cool air operation switch, 51... Ventilation operation switch, R1... Ventilation path, R2.

Claims (5)

  A heat exchanger provided with heating means and capable of generating steam by dissipating hot water, and recovering the hot water dissipated in the heat exchanger into the tank and pumping up the hot water in the tank with a circulation pump to heat again A hot water circulation means for dissipating in the exchanger, a blower fan for blowing the steam generated in the heat exchanger into the bathroom, and a plurality of steam blown into the bathroom by controlling the rotation speed of the blower fan And a control means that can be set to a state.   The steam generator according to claim 1, wherein the control means sets the rotational speed of the blower fan to a predetermined value in accordance with a plurality of operation modes such as mist heating, dry heating, and drying.   The steam generator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control means sets the rotation speed of the blower fan to a value at which the steam blown into the bathroom can be visually recognized as white in an operation mode of mist heating. .   The said control means sets the rotation speed of a ventilation fan to a predetermined value based on the temperature in the said hot water and the bathroom detected by the manual operation of the operation switch or the detection means, The Claim 1 thru | or 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The steam generator in any one.   A second heat exchanger having a heating means and capable of generating warm air is provided, and the second heat exchanger and the heat exchanger are connected to a plurality of fins by a hot water supply pipe as a heating means. 5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second heat exchanger is disposed in the case in a substantially horizontal state and the heat exchanger is in an inclined state. Steam generator.

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