JP2007198915A - Detector for drying state of room - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To well detect the drying degree of a wet room like a bathroom by using an electric wave. <P>SOLUTION: A detection point is set at the central region 246 of the floor 224 in the bathroom on which user's feet are placed for the purpose of wash drying or bathtub washing work. The electric wave 196 is projected on the detection point by the electric wave sensor 184 installed on the side wall of ceiling of the bathroom and the reflected wave or transmitted wave 198 from the detection point is received and it is detected whether remaining water is present on the detection point (whether the drying of the detection point is performed) on the basis of the intensity of a receiving wave. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a room dry state detection device that detects the dry state of a room that gets wet with water like a bathroom.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique related to a bathroom air conditioner that can dry the bathroom itself or the laundry dried in the bathroom is known. According to this technology, for example, thin laundry is dried in the initial operation mode by natural air conditioning in the bathroom, but thick laundry is efficiently dried by blowing hot air in the selective operation mode and drying it intensively. In particular, the laundry can be dried (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-254398

  However, the conventional bathroom air conditioner is configured to dry the bathroom itself or the laundry in the bathroom by supplying power for a predetermined time based on the set time of the timer. Therefore, even if the bathroom itself or the laundry in the bathroom is dry, depending on the dry state of the target in the bathroom, wasteful power may be consumed. Therefore, there is a desire to save power consumption by automatically stopping the drying operation when the bathroom itself or the laundry in the bathroom dries. For this purpose, a technique for automatically detecting whether the bathroom itself or the laundry in the bathroom has been dried is necessary.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and it is desirable to make it possible to satisfactorily detect the degree of drying of a wet room such as a bathroom using radio waves.

  According to the present invention, a room dry state detection device for detecting a dry state of a room wetted with water by radio waves transmits a transmission wave to one or a plurality of detection points set in the room, and a reflected wave from the detection point or A radio wave sensor that receives a transmitted wave; and a detection unit that detects a dry state of the detection point based on the intensity of the received wave received by the radio wave sensor, the detection point on a floor surface in the room , It is set to a specific area where the user needs to put his feet for a predetermined work.

  For example, in the case of a bathroom, a specific area where a detection point is set and a user needs to put his foot on for a predetermined work is used for purposes other than bathing and showering, such as washing laundry or washing shoes. It is a place where it is necessary to walk in the work of washing the bathtub, and it is the central area of the bathroom floor. Such a place is a place that the user wants to dry most quickly.

  The radio wave sensor includes an oscillating unit that modulates and outputs a high frequency signal with a modulation signal having a predetermined frequency, a transmission antenna for emitting a transmission radio wave corresponding to the output signal of the transmitting unit to the detection point, and the detection point A receiving antenna for receiving the reflected / transmitted radio wave from the detector, a detector for extracting the modulated signal component of the reflected / transmitted radio wave from the output signal of the receiving antenna, and an alternating current obtained by removing a DC component from the output signal of the detector A component having a direct current cut unit that extracts components and outputs them to the detection means can be employed.

  According to the room dry state detection device of the present invention, a detection point is set in a specific area where a user on the floor in the room needs to put his foot for a predetermined work, and the radio wave sensor reflects from the detection point. A wave or transmitted wave is detected, and the dry state of the detection point is determined based on the detection result. As a result, even if the entire room is not completely dry, it is possible to detect at least the place that the user wants to dry, so that the practical dry state of the room can be improved with a small number of detection points. I can grasp it.

  In addition, a plurality of detection points set in different places in the room may be set, and the dry state may be detected for each detection point. Thereby, the dry state of a room can be grasped in a plurality of stages.

  According to the room dry state detection apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to satisfactorily detect the dryness of a wet room such as a bathroom using radio waves.

  First, the radio wave sensor used in the room dry state detection apparatus of the present invention will be described. In order to detect the dryness of a stationary target such as laundry that has been dried in the bathroom or the floor / wall of the bathroom, the intensity (amplitude) of the reflected wave of the radio wave from the target, or the transmission through the target The intensity (amplitude) of transmitted waves of the transmitted radio waves can be used. For example, the intensity (amplitude) of the detection signal obtained by detecting the reflected wave of the radio wave from the target is the change characteristic of the reflected wave detection signal output level according to the distance between the sensor and the target shown in FIG. It increases as the distance between the sensor and the target gets closer. Although not shown, the intensity of the reflected wave detection signal increases as the radio wave reflectance (or relative dielectric constant) of the target increases.

  First, the radio wave sensor used in the room dry state detection apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. In order to detect the dryness of a stationary target such as laundry that has been dried in the bathroom or the floor / wall of the bathroom, the amount of moisture contained in the target or the amount of moisture adhering to it can be changed. A method of determining the accompanying change in radio wave reflectance or radio wave transmittance (that is, change in relative dielectric constant) based on the intensity (amplitude) of the reflected wave or transmitted wave from the target can be employed. As shown in FIG. 1, the intensity (amplitude) of the reflected wave detection signal obtained by receiving and detecting the reflected wave of the radio wave from the target increases as the distance between the sensor and the target decreases. Although not shown, the radio wave reflectivity increases as the relative dielectric constant of the target increases, so that the intensity of the reflected wave detection signal increases. Conversely, the greater the relative dielectric constant of the target, the lower the intensity of the transmitted wave detection signal.

  However, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the intensity (amplitude) of the detection signal of the reflected wave from the target is a component that is constantly observed regardless of the presence of the target or the presence or absence of the radio wave (hereinafter referred to as a bias component). Vb) is included. This bias component Vb increases as the ambient temperature of the radio wave sensor increases, and also varies depending on the characteristics of individual circuit elements such as a detection diode. While the bathroom air conditioner is operating, the temperature of the bathroom rises, so the bias component Vb also increases, and the intensity of the reflected wave detection signal increases as illustrated in FIG. The bias component Vb of the reflected wave detection signal becomes noise for the purpose of detecting the presence of the target or the reflectance thereof. A similar bias component exists when a transmitted wave is received and detected.

  If the target is a bathroom floor or wall or laundry, the component of the reflected wave detection signal that can be used to detect the presence or absence of the target or its reflectivity (that is, a function of the target distance or reflectivity). Va (a component) (hereinafter referred to as an effective signal component) Va is often much smaller than the bias component Vb as noise described above. One of the causes is that the radio wave reflectance of such a target is considerably small. That is, the relative dielectric constant of water is about 60 to 80, the relative dielectric constant of fiber materials such as clothing is about 1, and the relative dielectric constant of synthetic resin, which is the main material of bathroom floors and walls, is about 2 to 4. It is. Therefore, in the case of laundry, the relative permittivity is about 1 in a dry state and is only about 4 to 5 even in a wet state. In the case of a resin floor or wall, the relative permittivity in a dry state is about 2 to 4, and even when water droplets or a puddle adhere to the surface, the area of the water droplet or the puddle is small compared to the entire area. Therefore, the reflectivity of radio waves is small. Therefore, the S / N ratio of the reflected wave detection signal is small, and therefore it is difficult to accurately detect the presence or absence of the target or a change in radio wave reflectance.

  In the case of a bathroom air conditioner, the floor or wall of the bathroom vibrates or the laundry shakes due to the vibration of the operation of the apparatus and the influence of warm air. Accordingly, the intensity of the reflected wave detection signal constantly fluctuates due to such vibration and shaking. This is also preferably taken into consideration when improving the detection accuracy. In view of these circumstances, the following radio wave sensor is used in the embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a radio wave sensor applied to the room dry state detection apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  3 includes a switching unit 102, an oscillation unit 104, a transmission antenna 106, a reception antenna 110, a detection unit 112, a bandpass filter (BPF) 114, an amplification unit 116, and an output terminal 118. The switching unit 102 generates a switching signal 120 that repeats an on state and an off state at a predetermined period, and applies the switching signal 120 to the oscillation unit 104. Here, the frequency fc of the switching signal 120 is about several hundred Hz to several thousand Hz, and is set to 1000 Hz in this embodiment. The on-duty of the switching signal 120 is, for example, about 40% to 60%, and is 50% in this embodiment.

  The oscillating unit 104 transmits a signal having a predetermined frequency far higher than the on / off frequency fc of the switching signal 120, for example, a high-frequency signal 122 in the order of GHz (for example, 10 GHz) only during a time interval in which the switching signal 120 is in an on state. It outputs to 106. In the time interval in which the switching signal 120 is in the off state, the output of the oscillation unit 104 is zero. The transmission antenna 106 emits a high-frequency radio wave (transmission wave) 124 corresponding to the high-frequency signal 122 having directivity toward a predetermined target 108. The transmission wave 124 is intermittently emitted at the frequency fc (1000 Hz) of the switching signal 120. In other words, the transmission wave 124 is obtained by modulating the carrier wave with the modulation signal using the radio wave of the high-frequency signal 122 as the carrier wave and the switching signal 120 as the modulation signal.

  The target 108 varies depending on the use of the radio wave sensor. For example, if the use is to determine whether the laundry in the bathroom is dry, the laundry is the target 108. Alternatively, if the purpose is to determine the degree of drying of the bathroom itself, the target 108 can be a portion of the bathroom floor, wall, or shelf where water drops or a puddle easily remain.

  The reception antenna 110 is provided separately from the transmission antenna 106. The receiving antenna 110 receives the reflected wave 126 obtained by reflecting the transmission wave 124 on the target 108. As a modification, the receiving antenna 110 may receive a transmitted wave in which the transmission wave 124 has transmitted through the target 108 by selecting the installation location of the receiving antenna 110. However, since the case of receiving the transmitted wave will be described later, it is assumed here that the reception antenna 110 receives the reflected wave 126 from the target.

  The detection unit 112, the bandpass filter 114, and the amplification unit 116 do not operate intermittently like the oscillation unit 104, but operate continuously, that is, always operate even when the switching signal 120 is on. Then, the signal processing described below is performed.

  The detection unit 112 receives only the output signal 128 of the receiving antenna 110, and outputs a modulation component of the output signal 128, that is, a modulation component of the intensity (amplitude) of the reflected wave 126 (hereinafter referred to as a reflected wave detection signal) 130 as a band. Output to the pass filter 114. Here, when the signal passes through a detection circuit element (for example, a detection diode) (not shown) in the detection unit 112, a high-frequency component in the GHz order is removed from the output signal 128 of the reception antenna 110, and the reflected wave 126 is reflected. Only the signal representing the envelope of is extracted as the reflected wave detection signal 130. Therefore, the reflected wave detection signal 130 is turned on and off at the frequency fc (1000 Hz) in synchronization with the reflected wave 126, and the level at the time of turning on is the intensity (amplitude) of the reflected wave 126 (in other words, the intensity of the modulation component of the reflected wave 126). (Amplitude)) is a signal indicating a waveform in which a rectangular wave-shaped AC component corresponding to (amplitude)) and a DC component corresponding to the bias component Vb shown in FIG. 1 are superimposed. The waveform of the reflected wave detection signal 130 will be specifically described later.

  The band pass filter 114 passes only the frequency band in the vicinity including the switching frequency fc (1000 Hz) of the AC component of the rectangular wave of the reflected wave detection signal 130, and cuts other frequency bands. Of the reflected wave detection signal 130, the only component that can pass through the band-pass filter 114 is the switching frequency fc (1000 Hz) and an alternating current component at a frequency in the vicinity thereof, and the direct current component corresponding to the bias component Vb and the switching frequency fc ( The harmonic (2000 Hz, 3000 Hz,...) Component having a frequency higher than 1000 Hz is cut. Accordingly, the output signal 134 of the band pass filter 114 is only the switching frequency fc (1000 Hz) and the AC component in the vicinity thereof in the reflected wave detection signal 130, and this component corresponds to the intensity (amplitude) of the reflected wave 126. It has an amplitude (in other words, an amplitude corresponding to the intensity (amplitude) of the modulated signal component of the reflected wave 126). The output signal 132 of the band pass filter 114 is amplified by the amplifying unit 116, and the amplified signal is output from the output terminal 118 as the output signal 134 of the radio wave sensor 100. As a modification, instead of the bandpass filter 114, a direct current component corresponding to the bias component Vb is cut from the reflected wave detection signal 130 using a direct current cut circuit (for example, direct current cut capacitor), and the intensity of the reflected wave 126. Only an alternating current component having an intensity (amplitude) depending on (amplitude) may be extracted. In any case, the output signal 134 from the output terminal 118 is not affected by the bias component Vb that varies depending on the ambient temperature, circuit element characteristics, etc., and the intensity (amplitude) accurately reflects the intensity (amplitude) of the reflected wave 126. ). Therefore, based on the intensity (amplitude) of the output signal 134, the presence / absence, distance, or state of the target 108 can be accurately detected.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the intensity of the output signal 134 shown in FIG. 3 and the state of the target, taking dry laundry as an example of the use of the radio wave sensor 100.

  That is, FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the water absorption rate of clothes and the output signal intensity when the laundry (clothing) is dried. As shown in FIG. 4, the greater the proportion of moisture absorbed by the garment (the water absorption rate), the greater the relative dielectric constant of the garment (eg, about 1 when dry, 4-5 when wet most). As a result, the radio wave reflectance of the clothing is also increased (the reflectance is uniquely determined from the relative dielectric constant). Therefore, the intensity (output signal intensity) of the reflected wave 126 received increases as the water absorption rate of the clothes increases. As shown in FIG. 4, the intensity of the output signal 134 favorably reflects the change in the intensity of the reflected wave 126 received with such a change in the water absorption rate of the clothing.

  Hereinafter, characteristic portions of the radio wave sensor 100 applied to the room dry state detection device of the present invention will be described in detail.

  5A shows a circuit example of the bandpass filter 114 and the amplifying unit 116, and FIG. 5B shows a circuit example in which a DC cut circuit (for example, a DC cut capacitor) 115 is used instead of the bandpass filter 114. It is. 5A and 5B, as described above, the output signal 134 has the intensity (amplitude) of the reflected wave 126 from which the bias component Vb, which is the main noise, is removed from the reflected wave detection signal 130. ) Accurately reflects the AC component.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating waveform examples of the reflected wave detection signal 130 and the output signal 134. In FIG. 6, reference numbers 130 </ b> A and 130 </ b> B indicate examples of the reflected wave detection signal 130 output from the detection unit 112. The reflected wave detection signals 130A and 130B have the same level of the AC component Vw of the switching frequency fc indicating the effective signal component Va (that is, the intensity of the received reflected wave 126) shown in FIG. 1 (that is, the received reflection). The intensity of the wave 126 is the same), but the level of the DC component Vdc corresponding to the bias component Vb shown in FIG. 1 differs by ΔV. That is, even if the intensity of the received reflected wave 126 is the same (in other words, even if the distance and the state of the target 108 are the same), for example, when the ambient temperature is low, the direct current is reflected as in the reflected wave detection signal 130A. When the component Vdc decreases and the ambient temperature is high, the DC component Vdc increases as in the reflected wave detection signal 130B.

  The reflected wave detection signals 130A and 130B having different DC components Vdc are passed through the band-pass filter 114 having the switching frequency fc as shown in FIG. 5A or the DC cut circuit 115 as shown in FIG. 5B. The DC component Vdc is removed, and as the output signal 134, a signal in which the intensity of the AC component Vw (in other words, the intensity of the received reflected wave 126) is favorably reflected can be obtained. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 134A indicates an example of an output signal 134 obtained by passing the reflected wave detection signals 130A and 130B through the bandpass filter 114 of the switching frequency fc shown in FIG. 6A. An example of an output signal 134 obtained by passing the DC cut circuit (DC cut capacitor) 115 shown in FIG. 5B is shown. Although the output signal 134A has a sinusoidal waveform, the output signal 134B has a distorted waveform obtained by integrating the rectangular-wave AC component Vw by the action of the DC cut capacitor 115. However, the intensity (amplitude) of any of the output signals 134A and 134B is proportional to the intensity of the AC component Vw (in other words, the intensity of the received reflected wave 126).

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the reflected wave detection signal 130, the bias component Vb shown in FIG. 1, which is the main noise, appears as a DC component Vdc, and the effective signal component Vb appears as an AC component Vw. Therefore, the AC component Vw corresponding to the effective signal component Vb can be selectively extracted from the reflected wave detection signal 130 by the band pass filter 114 or the DC cut circuit 115. The reason for enabling such processing is the switching operation for the transmission wave 124 by the switching unit 102 shown in FIG. That is, by the switching operation for turning on / off the transmission wave 124 at the frequency fc, the reflected wave 126 is also turned on / off at the switching frequency fc, and the rectangular wave envelope of the switching frequency fc of the reflected wave 126 is reflected in the reflected wave detection signal 130. , It appears as an AC component Vw having an amplitude corresponding to the effective signal component Vb. On the other hand, the bias component Vb as noise generated regardless of the presence or absence of the reflected wave 126 appears as a DC component Vdc in the reflected wave detection signal 130. In short, by the switching operation of the transmission wave 124, the effective signal component Va and the bias component Vb of the reflected wave detection signal 130 are separated into signals having different properties of an AC component Vw and a DC component Vdc. As a result, the AC component Vw reflecting the effective signal component Va (reflecting the intensity of the reflected wave) can be selectively extracted.

  Now, the switching frequency fc described above has an optimum value range according to the use of the radio wave sensor. In this embodiment, 1000 Hz is adopted as the switching frequency fc, but this value of 1000 Hz is an example of an optimum value when the laundry dryness judgment is used. Hereinafter, the optimum range of the switching frequency fc will be described.

  FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B are diagrams showing the relationship between the fluctuation of the intensity (amplitude) of the reflected wave 126 and the switching frequency fc.

  7A and 7B, a curve 140 shows a waveform of the intensity (amplitude) of the reflected wave 126 that varies with time. The reference symbol T indicates the switching period of the transmission wave 124 and thus the reflected wave 126. One of the main causes of fluctuations in the intensity (amplitude) of the reflected wave 126 is when the application is drying of laundry in the bathroom or automatic faucet, etc., vibration of the wall or shaking of the laundry due to operation of the bathroom air conditioner. Or the vibration of the distance between the radio wave sensor 100 and the target 108 due to shaking of a human hand or the like. Therefore, the reflected wave intensity waveform 140 fluctuates with the period of vibration and shaking that cause the above-described cause.

  FIG. 7A shows a case where the switching period T of the reflected wave 126 is long (the switching frequency fc is low) to be comparable to the fluctuation period of the reflected wave intensity waveform 140. In each switching period T, the intensity of the reflected wave 126 is measured only once during the ON period, and since the detection diode includes a capacitance component in the detection unit 112, the measured reflected wave intensity waveform 140 is flat. Or averaged. Therefore, in the case of FIG. 7A, the average value of the reflected wave intensity fluctuation waveform 140 as shown by the broken line 142 appears as the output signal 134. That is, the intensity of the reflected wave 126 cannot be detected well.

  On the other hand, FIG. 7B shows a case where the switching period T of the reflected wave 126 is much shorter (the switching frequency fc is higher) than the fluctuation period of the reflected wave intensity waveform 140. As the switching period T is shorter, the output signal 134 that more accurately represents the reflected wave intensity waveform 140 can be obtained. However, if the switching period T is shorter than a certain period compared to the fluctuation period of the reflected wave intensity waveform 140, the effect that the reflected wave intensity waveform 140 can be detected almost faithfully even if the switching period T is further shortened. There is an optimum range of the switching frequency fc that is not too low and not too high because the circuit configuration is not so improved and the circuit configuration becomes complicated.

  8A and 8B show, as an example, when the reflected wave 126 is received from the same distance with the laundry as the target 108, the signal 132 (the output signal 134 before amplification) that has passed through the band-pass filter 114 due to the difference in the switching frequency fc The result of observing the difference in intensity (amplitude) of is shown.

  A signal 132A shown in FIG. 8A is a signal 132 obtained when the switching frequency fc is 1000 Hz, and a signal 132B shown in FIG. 8B is a signal 132 obtained when the switching frequency fc is 170 Hz. As can be seen by comparing both signals 132A and 132B, the intensity (amplitude) of the signal 132 varies in either case, but the maximum intensity (amplitude) of the signal 132 is greater when the switching frequency fc is higher. The reason is that, as described above, the intensity of the reflected wave 126 can be extracted more faithfully when the switching frequency fc is higher.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a result of examining a relationship 144B between the switching frequency fc and the strength (relative strength) of the output signal 134 when the target 108 is a laundry (clothing) dried in the bathroom. For reference, FIG. 9 also shows a relationship 144A between the switching frequency fc and the intensity (relative intensity) of the output signal 134, which was examined for the case where the target 108 was handed over to automatic washing. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the target 108 is a laundry (clothing) dried in the bathroom, the switching frequency fc is preferably about 800 Hz or more, and the target 108 is put out to the automatic faucet. In the case of a human hand, the switching frequency fc is preferably about 300 Hz or more. In any case, it is sufficient that the switching frequency fc is about 1000 Hz. In addition, when analyzing the data of this survey result, the frequency of the reflected wave intensity fluctuation is about 30 to 40 Hz in the case of the hand, and the reflected wave intensity fluctuation is in the case of the laundry in the bathroom. The frequency is about 80-100 Hz. By the way, the movement of the hand itself will be about 10Hz, but the reflected wave intensity is due to multipath (influence of not only direct reflection but also reflection of multiple parts of the pottery) due to irregular reflection of radio waves in the handwashing bowl pottery. It is assumed that the frequency of variation will be higher than the actual hand movement. In addition, although the laundry swings more slowly, it is presumed that the frequency of reflected wave intensity fluctuation is as described above due to vibration of the bathroom air conditioner and multipath in the bathroom. For these reasons, it is preferable to set the switching frequency fc to a frequency of about 8 times or more the frequency of the reflected wave intensity fluctuation. On the other hand, the upper limit of the switching frequency fc is desirably a value that is not too high to clearly complicate the device structure and increase the cost. In this respect, when the target is a hand, laundry, bathroom, or the like as exemplified above, it is about several thousand Hz, more specifically, for example, about 2000 Hz, or the frequency depending on the target and circumstances. In consideration of the fact that the voltage may be somewhat higher than the above, it is preferable to set, for example, about 5000 Hz as the upper limit of the switching frequency fc. Alternatively, when there is a possibility that it is necessary to secure a larger safety width, the upper limit of the switching frequency fc can be about 10 KHz.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between the on-duty of the switching signal 120 for switching the transmission wave 124 and the reflected wave 126 and the power ratio of the fundamental wave component (the component of the switching frequency fc) included in the switching signal 120. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 10, when the on-duty is 50%, the ratio of the fundamental wave component is maximized. The greater the ratio of the fundamental wave component, the greater the intensity of the output signal 134 obtained even if the intensity of the reflected wave 126 is the same, and thus the detection accuracy is increased. A preferred on-duty range is in the range of about 40% to about 60%, with 50% being optimal.

  In the following description, some embodiments for realizing the room dry state detection device of the present invention using the above-described radio wave sensor will be introduced.

  FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an example of arrangement in the bathroom of the room dry state detection device according to the embodiment of the present invention using the radio wave sensor as described above.

  As shown in FIG. 11, an antenna unit 166 including at least a transmission antenna and a reception antenna of the above-described radio wave sensor at an appropriate location of a bathroom 162, for example, or an appropriate location of a bathroom air conditioner 164 installed on the ceiling 162. Is attached. Other parts of the radio wave sensor may be built in the antenna unit 166, may be built in the bathroom air conditioner 164, or may be installed in a place different from those. . For the purpose of determining the degree of dryness of the laundry 168 dried in the bathroom, the antenna unit 166 targets the laundry 168 in the bathroom and radiates a transmission wave 170 there, and then the laundry. The reflected wave from 168 is received. Alternatively, in the case of an application for determining the degree of dryness of the bathroom itself, the antenna unit 166 targets a predetermined place in the bathroom, for example, a place 174, 176, or 180 where a puddle or water droplets on the floor 172 or the counter 178 are likely to remain. As a result, a transmission wave 182 is radiated there, and a reflected wave from the place 174, 176 or 180 is received. In any application, as already described with reference to FIG. 4, as the drying of the target proceeds, water in the target decreases, the dielectric constant of the target decreases, and the radio wave reflectance decreases. The signal strength is reduced. The control device in the bathroom air conditioner 164 receives the output signal from the radio wave sensor and determines the degree of drying of the target based on the intensity of the output signal. For example, when the intensity of the output signal is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, it can be determined that the target is sufficiently dry. The control device controls the operation of the bathroom air conditioner 164 based on the determination result. For example, when it is determined that the target has been sufficiently dried, the drying operation of the bathroom air conditioner 164 can be automatically stopped.

  FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a room dry state detection device according to another embodiment of the present invention for determining the degree of drying of laundry in a bathroom using the radio wave sensor as described above.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the radio wave sensor is configured to receive a transmitted wave of the laundry 168 instead of a reflected wave from the laundry 168 as a target. In other words, a transmitting antenna unit 184 incorporating at least a transmitting antenna of the radio wave sensor is installed at an appropriate location in the bathroom, and at least the radio wave sensor is installed at a location opposite to the transmitting antenna unit 184 when viewed from the laundry 168. A reception antenna unit 186 with a built-in reception antenna is installed. The transmission antenna unit 184 emits a transmission wave 188 toward the laundry 168, and the reception antenna unit 186 receives the transmitted wave 190 transmitted through the laundry 168.

  FIG. 13 is a characteristic diagram showing a change in the intensity of the output signal of the radio wave sensor with the progress of drying of the laundry 168 in the room dry state detection apparatus shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 13, as drying of the laundry 168 proceeds (that is, as the water absorption rate 192 decreases), the radio wave reflectance decreases, and conversely, the radio wave transmittance increases and the intensity of the transmitted wave 190 increases. As it increases, the output signal strength 194 of the radio wave sensor increases. When the drying is almost completed, the output signal intensity 194 of the radio wave sensor is saturated at the maximum value. The method of receiving a transmitted wave is easier to detect the completion of drying with higher accuracy than the method of receiving a reflected wave whose intensity decreases with drying.

  FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a bathroom in which a room dryness detection device according to still another embodiment of the present invention is installed. Here, the degree of drying of the bathroom itself is determined.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the radio wave sensor receives a transmitted wave from a predetermined place 174 where water on the floor 172 of the bathroom that is the target is likely to remain. For example, the transmission antenna unit 184 installed on the ceiling 162 radiates the transmission wave 196 toward the predetermined place 174 on the floor 172, and the reception antenna unit 186 installed below the floor of the predetermined place 174, for example, A transmitted wave 198 from 174 is received.

  As the drying of the bathroom proceeds, the water in the predetermined place 174 decreases, the radio wave transmittance increases there, and the intensity of the transmitted wave 198 increases, so that the output signal intensity 200 of the radio wave sensor increases as shown in FIG. . When the drying is almost completed, the output signal strength 200 of the radio wave sensor is saturated at the maximum value. In this way, the completion of bathroom drying can be detected with high accuracy.

  Incidentally, in some embodiments described above, a reflected wave from an object other than the target in the bathroom may enter the receiving antenna as a disturbance, and the detection accuracy of the reflected wave from the target may be reduced. For example, in the room dry state detection apparatus shown in FIG. 11, a part of the transmission wave 170 projected from the antenna unit 166 to the target laundry 168 passes through the laundry 168 and is a side wall of the bathroom (generally, chloride). It is a steel plate coated with vinyl or the like, and the electric wave reflectance is much higher than that of the target and is reflected there, or a metal hanger (many of which is made of metal and hanging the laundry 168, and the electric wave reflectance is the target) May be received by the antenna unit 166. Alternatively, a part of the transmission wave 170 is transmitted through the floor 172 of the bathroom that is the target, and is reflected by a support portion (often made of metal and having a much higher radio wave reflectance than the target) under the floor, It may be received by the antenna unit 166. Thereby, S / N ratio falls and the detection precision of the dry degree of a target falls.

  The ratio between the reflected wave power from the target and the reflected wave power from the above-mentioned disturbance object (for example, wall or support) is the distance from each object to the antenna unit and the relative dielectric constant of each object. Depending on the reflection shape of each object. However, according to the inventor's analysis results, it was confirmed that the reflected wave power as a disturbance is 20% or more with respect to the reflected wave power from the target laundry. In this analysis, the relative permittivity is 4 for wet laundry, 1 for dry laundry, 60 for water accumulated in the bathroom, 1000 for metal hanger. It was assumed that the side wall of the vinyl chloride steel sheet was 1000. Further, regarding the distance from the antenna unit to each object, it was assumed that the distance to the laundry was 300 mm, the distance to the hanger was 500 mm, the distance to the floor was 2000 mm, and the distance to the side wall was 1000 mm.

  FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a bathroom in which a room dry state detection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention in which the above-described measures are taken is installed.

  In the room dry state detection apparatus according to the embodiment, the transmission wave 170 from the antenna unit 166 directly hits the laundry 168, and the reflected wave 171 from the laundry 168 is directly received by the antenna unit 166. Of the antenna unit 166 having a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna so that the side reflected wave 175 that is transmitted through and reflected by the bathroom equipment such as the side wall 183 on the other side is not directly received. The directivity directions of the transmission antenna and the reception antenna are selected. The transmission wave 170 emitted from the antenna unit 166 toward the laundry 168 hits the surface of the laundry 168 with a strong radio wave intensity, and is scattered as reflected waves or transmitted waves in various directions by the unevenness of the fibers of the laundry 168. . At this time, the reflected wave 171 returning toward the antenna unit 166 is directly received by the antenna unit 166, but the reflected wave 171 has a relatively long distance between the antenna unit 166 and the laundry 168. Because it is close, it has a lot of power.

  On the other hand, the transmitted wave 173 that has passed through the laundry 168 from the antenna unit 166 is reflected by the bathroom side wall 183, the bathtub 177, the ceiling 162, and the like, and becomes a sub-reflected wave 175, which is directly received by the antenna unit 166. Rather, the light hits various parts in the bathroom and repeats reflection, and even if a part of the reflection is received by the antenna unit 166, the propagation distance up to that point is long, so the power is reflected from the laundry 168. Weaker than wave 171. Therefore, the S / N ratio of the detection signal is improved.

  FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a bathroom in which a room dry state detection device according to still another embodiment of the present invention in which the above-described measures are taken is installed.

  In the room dry state detection apparatus of this embodiment, the transmission wave 170 from the antenna unit 166 directly hits only the laundry 168 and does not directly hit the metal hanger 169 hanging the laundry 168. Or the arrangement of the antenna unit 166 having a transmission antenna and a reception antenna so that the reflected wave from the hanger 169 is not directly received by the antenna unit 166, and the directivity directions of the transmission antenna and the reception antenna in the antenna unit 166 Is selected. The metal hanger 169 has a small reflection area but is close to the antenna unit 166 and has a high reflectivity. Therefore, if the transmission wave 170 directly hits the metal hanger 169, the power of the reflected wave from there is considerably large. Become. Therefore, the antenna unit 166 is disposed at a position near the laundry 168 such as a bathroom dryer installed on the ceiling 162 or the ceiling 164. Then, the transmission wave 170 from the antenna unit 166 directly hits only the laundry 168 while avoiding the hanger 169, and only the reflected wave 171 from the laundry 168 is received by the antenna unit 166. Directional direction is set. As a result, the antenna unit 166 is not affected by the reflected wave from the hanger 169. Further, even if the transmitted wave 173 that has passed through the laundry 168 is reflected by the bathtub 177, the floor 172, etc. and received by the antenna unit 166, the propagation path is long, so that the power of the sub-reflected wave is from the laundry 168. Compared to the reflected wave 171 of FIG. Therefore, the S / N ratio is improved and the dry state of the laundry 168 can be easily detected.

  FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a bathroom in which a room dry state detection device according to still another embodiment of the present invention in which the above-described measures are taken is installed.

  In the room dry state detection device of this embodiment, only the reflected wave from the laundry 168 is directly received, and the antenna is arranged so as to avoid reception of direct reflection from bathroom facilities and drying facilities other than the laundry 168. Unit 166 is made and arranged to have a plurality of transmit wave radiation directions. For example, the antenna unit 166 is installed in the bathroom air conditioner 164 or near the laundry 168 on the ceiling 162, and the two-way separated heart that avoids the hanger 169 and directly hits the laundry 168 on both sides thereof. A beam-shaped transmission wave 179 is emitted. Then, only the reflected wave from the laundry 168 is directly received by the antenna unit 166.

  FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a bathroom in which a room dry state detection device according to still another embodiment of the present invention in which the above-described measures are taken is installed.

  In the room dry state detection device of this embodiment, the noise other than the laundry 168 is used by using the antenna unit 166 in which the beam direction of the transmitted wave 191 is inclined with respect to the surface of the antenna unit 166. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the reflected wave from the object to enter the antenna unit 166 directly. For example, the transmission wave 191 is emitted from the antenna unit 166 installed on the side wall 183 toward the laundry 168 in a direction inclined with respect to the surface of the side wall 183. The position of the antenna unit 166 is selected so that the transmitted wave 191 directly hits only the laundry 168 while avoiding an object that causes noise. It is to be noted that the antenna unit 166 itself swings its direction or changes so as to swing the direction of the transmission wave 191 using an array type microstrip antenna as a transmission antenna. It is also possible to select a suitable transmission wave radiation direction.

  FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a bathroom in which a room dry state detection device according to still another embodiment of the present invention in which the above-described measures are taken is installed.

  The room dry state detection device of this embodiment is for detecting the dry state of the bathroom itself, not the laundry, in particular, the residual water 193 on the floor 172. In the room dry state detection device of this embodiment, an arrangement of an antenna unit 166 having a transmission antenna and a reception antenna so as not to directly receive the sub-reflection wave 175 from the metal support 195 below the floor 172; The directivity directions of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna are selected. For example, the transmission wave 170 is radiated from the antenna unit 166 installed on the ceiling 162 toward the side wall 183, and the transmission wave 170 is first reflected by the bathroom side wall 183 and then enters the residual water 193 at a predetermined position on the floor 172. . The incident direction of the transmission wave 170 is oblique with respect to the surface of the floor 172. Since the surface of the remaining water 193 is not flat, radio waves are reflected in various directions, and the reflected wave 171 in a specific direction is reflected by the side wall 183 and received by the antenna unit 166 with weak power.

  On the other hand, a part of the transmission wave 170 passes through the remaining water 193 and the bathroom floor 172. A part of the transmitted wave 173 strikes a metal support 195 as illustrated in FIG. 21 below the bathroom floor 172 and is reflected from the upper surface of the support 195. Since the direction of the transmission wave 170 is oblique to the surface of the floor 172, the reflected wave 175 from the upper surface of the support column 195, which is usually parallel to the surface of the floor 172, also appears in the oblique direction to the surface of the floor 172 and the side wall 183. And the antenna unit 166 does not return to the antenna unit 166 or is received by the antenna unit 166 as very small reflected power even if it returns. Thereby, the antenna unit 166 can receive the reflected wave 171 from the residual water 193 with a favorable S / N ratio.

  In the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 20, the antenna unit receives a reflected wave from the target. On the other hand, the room dry state detection device of the present invention can be configured to receive a transmitted wave that has passed through the target and detect the dry state of the target from its intensity. One embodiment has already been described with reference to FIG.

  In the room dry state detection apparatus shown in FIG. 12, the transmitting antenna unit 184 and the receiving antenna unit 186 are installed in the two side walls 172 of the bathroom so that their directivity directions face each other on a straight line. And the laundry 168 is arrange | positioned so that the straight line (beam of the transmission wave 188) which connects the transmission antenna unit 184 and the reception antenna unit 186 may be crossed. Therefore, the reception antenna unit 186 substantially receives only the transmitted wave that has passed through the laundry 168. Preferably, the radial direction of the transmission wave 188 and the surface of the laundry 168 are vertical, so that the area where the transmission wave 188 hits the surface of the laundry 168 is maximized.

  Further, since the laundry 168 is most difficult to dry at the bottom, preferably the transmission wave 188 is directed to the bottom of the laundry 168. When the radiation direction of the transmission wave 188 is variable within a predetermined range, the transmission wave 190 received by the reception antenna unit 186 while scanning the surface of the laundry 168 while shaking the transmission wave 188 within the variable range. By selecting the direction in which the electric power becomes the smallest from the above variable range, the transmission wave 168 is directed to the portion of the laundry 168 that is hard to dry (that is, the portion of the laundry 168 that is most wet and has the highest dielectric constant). be able to. A heart-shaped beam as shown in FIG. 18 can also be used as the transmission wave.

  FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a bathroom in which a room dry state detection apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention configured to receive transmitted waves is installed.

  As shown in FIG. 22, the transmission antenna unit 184 is installed on the ceiling 162 or the bathroom air conditioner 164 on the ceiling, the reception antenna unit 186 is installed in the floor 172 or below the floor 172, and the directivity direction of the transmission antenna unit 184 The radiation direction of the transmission wave 188 and the directivity direction of the reception antenna unit 186 are opposed to each other and are in a straight line. Further, the transmission wave 188 is directly incident only on the laundry 168 while avoiding the hanger 169. Therefore, the reception antenna unit 186 substantially receives only the transmitted wave that has passed through the laundry 168.

  When the radiation direction of the transmission wave 188 is variable within a predetermined range, the power of the transmitted wave 190 received by the reception antenna unit 186 while scanning the laundry 168 by shaking the transmission wave 188 within the variable range. By selecting the direction with the smallest value from the above variable range, the beam of the transmission wave 188 can be directed in a direction in which the degree of drying of the laundry 168 can be more easily detected. In addition, by continuously shaking the transmission wave 188 in the vertical direction and continuing to scan the laundry 168 in the vertical direction, the laundry 168 continues to be detected from dry to wet, and the laundry It is possible to detect the dry state of 168 as a whole.

  In the embodiment using the transmitted wave shown in FIGS. 12 and 22, the transmission wave is narrowed to increase the S / N ratio, and is emitted in a direction to avoid an obstacle such as the hanger 169. However, as a modified example, the transmission wave may be emitted with a beam spread over a wide angular range including not only the target but also obstacles such as the hanger 169. Even in this case, by directing the directivity direction of the receiving antenna unit 186 toward the laundry 168 as a target, substantially only the transmitted wave from the laundry 168 can be received. Also in this case, a high S / N ratio can be obtained by placing the transmitting antenna unit 184, the laundry 168, and the receiving antenna unit 186 on a straight line. The embodiment using the transmitted wave shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 22 can be applied not only to the dry state detection of the laundry 168 but also to the residual water detection of the floor 172.

  In the various embodiments described above, since the relative permittivity and the distance from the sensor vary depending on the type of the target object, the detection threshold for determining whether or not the target is dry is changed according to the type of the target. It is desirable. This will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 23 is a diagram comparing the intensity of the received reflected wave power when the sensor antenna unit is installed on the ceiling of the bathroom and when the objects that can be various targets in the bathroom are dry and wet. is there.

  In FIG. 23, as an object that can be a target, a resinous floor for bathrooms (hereinafter referred to as the “Kariari floor”), which has been subjected to groove processing so that the surface tension of water becomes difficult to work to improve drainage fluidity (hereinafter referred to as “floor”). , Drainage improvement floors), ordinary floors that are not grooved to improve the drainage fluidity of resin for bathrooms, resin counters in bathrooms, and clothes (laundry) Yes. The relative permittivity of the drainage improvement floor, the normal floor, and the counter when dried is equal to the relative permittivity 2 to 4 of the resin that is the material. The relative dielectric constant of the garment when dried is the relative dielectric constant of the fiber material, which is about 1. The distances of these objects from the antenna unit vary depending on the object. As a result, the relative value of the reflected wave power received during drying is approximately 1 for the drainage improvement floor and the normal floor, the counter is approximately 2, and the clothing (laundry) is almost zero. On the other hand, when wet, the remaining water, the water area, and the like vary depending on the object. As a result, the relative value of the reflected wave power received when wet is approximately 3 for the drainage improvement floor, approximately 5 for the normal floor, approximately 4 to 7 for the counter, and approximately 6 to 8 for clothes (laundry). It is.

  Thus, the relative value of the reflected wave power when dry and wet differs depending on the type of object in the bathroom. In addition, it depends on the type of the object, which moisture content should be determined to be dry, and what part of the object is determined to be dry based on the wetness. For example, the laundry should be judged to be dry when it is completely or completely dried, but the bathroom itself is judged to be dry if there is no residual water in the main part even if the floor and counter are not completely dry. You could do it. Therefore, according to the type of target object and the position of the target (that is, the distance from the antenna unit), the detection threshold value that is compared with the reflected wave power is optimized to determine whether or not it is dry individually. It is desirable to set it to a value.

  By the way, when detecting the dry state of the bathroom itself, many detection points are set in many places in the bathroom in order to reliably determine whether every part in the bathroom is completely dry. If the dry state of the point is detected, the structure of the room dry state detection device becomes complicated and the cost increases. Therefore, the room dry state detection apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention for detecting the dry state of the bathroom itself sets detection points at one or a small number of locations in the bathroom, and receives the received waves from the small number of detection points. By observing the strength, it is possible to detect a substantially dry state of the bathroom. For selection of a preferable detection point, for example, the following three methods (1) to (3) can be employed.

  (1) A place where residual water is easily generated intentionally, that is, a place where the water finally dried is formed specially in the bathroom, and a detection point is set there. For example, a recess that inevitably retains water regardless of the installation tolerance of equipment in the bathroom is formed at an appropriate location in the bathroom, and the recess is used as a detection point.

  (2) In the existing structure of the bathroom, a place where residual water is inherently generated, for example, a place where there is no inclination to the drain outlet, a corner of the bathroom, or an inlet door or other inlet to the ventilation fan Set a detection point in a poorly ventilated place that is out of the airflow path.

  (3) When a person enters the bathroom for a purpose other than bathing or showering (for example, washing clothes, washing shoes, or washing a bathtub), the person puts his / her foot on. Set detection points on the floor or where you want the user to dry quickly.

  Below, the specific example of a setting of the detection point in a bathroom is demonstrated.

  24A and 24B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view showing an example in which a part where water tends to remain intentionally is formed on a drainage improvement floor whose surface has been subjected to water repellent treatment, and a detection point is set there.

  As shown in the plan view of FIG. 24A and the cross-sectional view of FIG. 24B, in the drainage improvement floor 210, only the surface of a part of the region 212 is formed as a surface not subjected to drainage improvement processing (hereinafter, this region). 212 is referred to as a non-drainage improvement region). After a while after the drainage improvement floor 210 gets wet, the remaining water 214 is accumulated only in the non-drainage improvement region 212 and the groove 216. In the non-drainage improvement region 212, a detection point of the room dry state detection device according to the present invention is set. The room dry state detection device according to the present invention applies a transmission wave to the non-drainage enhancement region 212, receives a reflected wave or a transmitted wave from the non-drainage enhancement region 212, and then performs non-drainage based on the intensity of the received wave. The degree of drying of the improvement area 212 is determined. If it is determined that the non-drainage improvement area 212 is dried, the entire surface of the drainage improvement floor 210 can be regarded as being substantially dried, and the bathroom can be regarded as being substantially dried.

  25A to 25C are cross-sectional views showing some examples in which a place where water easily collects is intentionally provided on a drainage improvement floor or a normal floor and a detection point is set there.

  In the example shown in FIG. 25A, a recessed portion 217A in which the residual water 214 is easily collected is provided in a partial region of the drainage improvement floor or the normal floor 215A, and a detection point is set there. In the example of FIG. B, a partial region of the inclined normal floor 215B is formed on a horizontal surface 217B where the remaining water 214 is easy to accumulate, and a detection point is set there. In the example of FIG. C, a partial region of the inclined normal floor 215C is formed on the reverse inclined surface 217C inclined to the opposite side where the remaining water 214 is easily collected, and a detection point is set there.

  FIGS. 26A and 26B are a cross-sectional view and a perspective view showing another example in which a place where water easily collects on the floor is intentionally set and a detection point is set there.

  As shown in FIG. 26A, a convex portion 240 is provided on the floor surface 224. As shown in FIG. 26B, the convex portion 240 does not get in the way of a person, such as in the vicinity of the corner 244 of the bathroom, and can be disposed at a place off the path of the conditioned air or ventilation air 242 flowing in the bathroom. . Thereby, the convex part 240 blocks the air-conditioning and ventilation air 242 flowing in the bathroom, and the residual water 214 is easily collected in a region opposite to the convex part 240, and a detection point is set there.

  FIG. 27 is a perspective view illustrating an example in which a place where water easily collects is intentionally provided on the side wall of the bathroom and a detection point is set there.

  As shown in FIG. 27, a convex portion 234 is provided on the side wall 233, and a concave portion 236 in which residual water easily accumulates is formed on the upper surface of the convex portion 234, and a detection point is set in the concave portion 236.

  FIG. 28 is a perspective view of a bathroom showing an example in which a detection point is set in a place where remaining water tends to accumulate in the existing structure of the bathroom.

  As shown in FIG. 28, a place with a black circle mark in the bathroom, for example, a place 220A on the edge of the bathtub, a place 220B on the floor 224 near the drain outlet 222, a place 220C on the counter 226, an equipment stand, etc. Residual water easily collects at the location 220D on the shelf 228, the top surface of the equipment such as the mirror 230 on the side wall surface or the location 220E on the fixture, the location 220F on the shower fixture 232, etc. Detection points are set in any of 220A to 220F.

  Detection points 218 may be set at a plurality of locations 220A to 220F where residual water tends to accumulate. Thereby, even if any one of the detection points is hidden by an article such as a shampoo bottle, the dry state can be detected using the other detection points. In addition, detection points are set at multiple locations with different easiness of drying, the radio wave intensity is detected for each detection point to determine the degree of drying, and as the drying process progresses, radio waves are detected until the drying state is reached. By simply removing the detection points whose intensity has changed from the detection target and then narrowing down the detection target to only detection points that have not yet dried, simply judging whether or not it is dry In addition, the degree of drying can be determined in a plurality of stages.

  FIG. 29 is a perspective view of a bathroom showing an example in which detection points are set in places where the user wants to dry quickly.

  For example, the central portion 246 of the floor 224 is a place where the user needs to walk in order to dry laundry or wash a bathtub, and is a place where the user wants to dry quickly. By setting a detection point in the central portion 246, it is possible to detect that the entire bathroom has been dried to the extent that there is no problem for the user.

  FIG. 30 is a perspective view of a bathroom showing an example in which detection points are set in places with bad wind passages.

  Ventilation air flow 254 that flows from the air inlet 250 such as the entrance door or window of the bathroom toward the ceiling or wall ventilation fan 252 or a place that is out of the path or where the air-conditioning wind is not applied is left behind because the wind passage is bad. Tends to accumulate. For example, the air flow 254 does not pass through the corner location 256 of the bathroom with little inclination on the floor 224, the corner location 258 directly below the counter 226, and the remaining water tends to accumulate. By setting detection points at these places, it is possible to detect that the entire bathroom is almost dry.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this embodiment is only the illustration for description of this invention, and is not the meaning which limits the scope of the present invention only to this embodiment. The present invention can be implemented in various other modes without departing from the gist thereof.

The figure which illustrates the change of the output level of the reflected wave detection signal according to the distance between a sensor and a target. The figure which illustrates the change of the output level of the reflected wave detection signal according to the ambient temperature of a sensor. The block diagram which shows the structure of the electromagnetic wave sensor applied to the room dry condition detection apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. The figure which takes the drying of the laundry as an example of the use of the radio wave sensor 100, and illustrates the relationship between the intensity of the output signal 134 and the state of the target shown in FIG. The figure which shows the circuit example of the band pass filter 114 and the amplifier 116, and the circuit example using the direct current | flow cut capacitor | condenser 115 instead of the band pass filter 114. The figure which shows the example of a waveform of the reflected wave detection signal 130 and the output signal 134. FIG. The figure which shows the relationship between the fluctuation | variation of the intensity | strength (amplitude) of the reflected wave 126, and the switching frequency fc. The figure which shows the result of having observed the difference in the intensity | strength (amplitude) of the signal 132 which passed the band pass filter 114 by the difference in switching frequency fc. The figure which shows the result of having investigated the relationship between the switching frequency fc and the intensity | strength (relative intensity) of the output signal 134 about the case where the target 108 is the laundry (clothing) dried in the bathroom. The figure which shows the relationship between the ON duty of the switching signal 120, and the electric power ratio of the fundamental wave component (component of switching frequency fc) contained in the switching signal 120. The perspective view of the bathroom to which the room dry condition detection apparatus concerning one Embodiment of this invention was applied. The perspective view of the bathroom to which the room dry condition detection apparatus concerning another embodiment of the present invention was applied. The figure which shows the change of the intensity | strength of the output signal of a radio wave sensor accompanying progress of the drying of the laundry in the room dry condition detection apparatus shown by FIG. The perspective view of the bathroom to which the room dry condition detection apparatus concerning another embodiment of the present invention was applied. The figure which shows the change of the intensity | strength of the output signal of a radio wave sensor accompanying progress of drying of the bathroom in embodiment shown by FIG. The perspective view of the bathroom to which the room dry condition detection apparatus concerning another embodiment of the present invention was applied. The perspective view of the bathroom to which the room dry condition detection apparatus concerning another embodiment of the present invention was applied. The perspective view of the bathroom to which the room dry condition detection apparatus concerning another embodiment of this invention was applied. The perspective view of the bathroom to which the room dry condition detection apparatus concerning another embodiment of this invention was applied. The perspective view of the bathroom to which the room dry condition detection apparatus concerning another embodiment of this invention was applied. Sectional drawing of the support | pillar under the floor of a bathroom. The perspective view of the bathroom to which the room dry condition detection apparatus concerning another embodiment of this invention was applied. The figure which shows the comparison of the reflected electric power at the time of the drying of each target in a bathroom, and when residual water exists. The top view and sectional drawing of the floor for showing the example which forms a part of drainage improvement floor in a non-drainage improvement surface, and sets a detection point there. Sectional drawing of the floor for showing some other examples which provide the place where water tends to accumulate on a floor intentionally, and set a detection point there. Sectional drawing and perspective view of the floor for showing the place where water tends to accumulate on the floor intentionally and setting a detection point there, and showing another example. The perspective view of the side wall for showing the example which provides the place where water tends to accumulate on a side wall intentionally, and sets a detection point there. The perspective view of the bathroom for showing the example which sets a detection point in the place where the remaining water tends to accumulate from the existing structure of a bathroom originally. The perspective view of the bathroom which shows the example which sets a detection point in the place which a user wants to dry quickly. The perspective view of the bathroom which shows the example which sets a detection point in the place where a windy path is bad.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Radio wave sensor 102 Switching part 104 Oscillator 106 Transmission antenna 108 Target 110 Reception antenna 112 Detection part 114 Band pass filter (BPF)
116 Amplifier 118 Output terminal 162 Ceiling 164 Bathroom air conditioner 166 Antenna unit 168 Laundry 169 Hanger 170, 188 Transmitted wave 171 Reflected wave 172 Bathroom floor 173 Transmitted wave 175 Sub-reflected wave 177 Bathtub 179 Transmitted wave 183 Side wall 184 Transmitting antenna unit 186 Receiving antenna unit 190 Transmitted wave 191 Transmitted wave 193 Residual water 195 Prop 210 Drainage improvement floor 212 Normal floor 214 Residual water 216 Groove 217A Recess 217B Horizontal surface 217C Reversely inclined surface 218 Detection points 220A to 220F Places where water tends to accumulate originally 222 Drain outlet 224 Floor 226 Counter 228 Shelf 230 Mirror 232 Shower fixture 234 Convex part 236 Concave part 240 Convex part 242 Air conditioning 244 Corner of bathroom 246 Center part of floor 250 Inlet 252 Kiogi 254 location directly below the corners of the location 258 counter little airflow 256 inclined

Claims (4)

A room dry state detection device that detects the dry state of a room wetted by water by radio waves,
A radio wave sensor that transmits a transmission wave to one or a plurality of detection points set in the room and receives a reflected wave or a transmitted wave from the detection point;
Detecting means for detecting the dry state of the detection point based on the intensity of the received wave received by the radio wave sensor;
The detection point is a room dryness detection device that is set in a specific area on the floor surface in the room where the user needs to put a foot for a predetermined work. In the room dry state detection device according to claim 1,
The room dryness detection apparatus in which the detection point is set in a central region of the floor surface in the room. In the room dry state detection device according to claim 1,
A room dry state detection device having a plurality of detection points set at different locations in the room and detecting a dry state for each detection point. In the room dry state detection device according to claim 1,
The radio wave sensor is
An oscillator that modulates a high-frequency signal with a modulation signal of a predetermined frequency and outputs the modulated signal
A transmission antenna for emitting a transmission radio wave corresponding to the output signal of the transmitter to the detection point;
A receiving antenna for receiving reflected / transmitted radio waves from the detection point;
A detector for extracting a modulated signal component of the reflected / transmitted radio wave from an output signal of the receiving antenna;
A room dry state detection apparatus comprising: a DC cut unit that extracts an AC component excluding a DC component from an output signal of the detection unit and outputs the AC component to the detection unit.

Images