JP2008304185A - Heater for bathroom - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a heater for a bathroom capable of executing further comfortable heating by allowing heating by allowing a strong blowing operation of a circulating blower by using a warm-air heater and heating by a weak blowing operation of the circulating blower to be automatically changed over from each other. <P>SOLUTION: This heater for a bathroom is provided with: the circulating blower 2 circulating the air in the bathroom; the warm-air heater 4 warming the air from the circulating blower 2; a human body detection sensor 11 detecting the presence of a human body; and a control part 21 controlling the circulating blower 2 by input of a signal from the human body detection sensor 11. The control part 21 brings the warm-air heater 4 into an on-state as a heating operation before bathing, brings the circulating blower 2 into a strong blowing operation, and changes over the circulating blower 2 to a weak blowing operation as a warming operation during bathing when a signal is input to the control part 1 for a predetermined period from the human body detection sensor 11 having detected the presence of a human body. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a bathroom heater having a function of heating air in a bathroom.

  In recent years, in addition to ventilation in the bathroom, devices that heat the bathroom when taking a bath are rapidly spreading.

  FIG. 6 shows a conventional bathroom heater of this type. In the figure, 101 is a main body of a bathroom heater, which is installed by being embedded in the ceiling of the bathroom. Reference numeral 102 denotes a circulation fan that circulates the air in the bathroom, and forms a hot air path 103 that sucks the air in the bathroom into the main body 101 and blows it back into the bathroom. A warm air heater 104 is provided in the hot air path 103 and warms the air passing through the hot air path 103, and performs heating mainly by circulating hot air. Reference numeral 105 denotes a radiant heater that is provided in the hot air path 103 and performs heating by radiant heat radiation 106.

  107 is a decorative panel that covers the bathroom-side opening of the main body 1, 108 is a suction panel that is formed in the decorative panel 107 and sucks air in the bathroom into the main body 101, and 109 is formed in the decorative panel 107 in the warm air path 103. This is a hot air outlet that blows out warm air. Reference numeral 110 denotes an operation unit that sets operation modes such as heating, ventilation, and drying, and sets an operation time, and is installed on a wall surface of a dressing room adjacent to the bathroom.

  As a heating mode of the conventional bathroom heater configured as described above, the air in the bathroom is heated by the warm air heater 104 and blown with a large amount of air toward the washing area of the bathroom, and the radiant heat from the radiant heater 105 is used. Some of them radiated and circulated air in the bathroom, and sent air to the washing area of the bathroom with a small amount of air.

  Heating by the hot air heater 104 warms the air in the bathroom and heats the air in the bathroom while stirring the air in the bathroom by the circulation fan 102, so that the bathroom can be heated efficiently. When taking a bath due to the airflow from the mouth 109, the body temperature is taken away from the wet body, it feels cold, and it becomes extremely uncomfortable. On the other hand, the heating by the radiant heater 105 uses radiation of radiant heat, and since the amount of air from the hot air outlet 109 is small, the feeling of airflow is reduced and it is suitable for heating during bathing.

  Conventionally, the user operates the operation unit 110 to switch between heating that uses the warm air heater 104 to operate the circulation fan 102 in a strong wind and heating that uses the radiation heater 105 to operate the circulation fan 102 in a low wind. Was going by. In addition, the heating time is set in the operation unit 110, and the stop button of the operation unit 110 is pressed when it is desired to stop after leaving the room.

  As described above, in the conventional bathroom heater, the heating mode is not switched unless the person selects the heating mode by the operation unit 110. Therefore, the heating operation by the warm air heater 104 is performed in advance before bathing. In this case, if the user forgets to switch to the heating operation by the radiation heater 105 at the time of bathing, there is a problem that a cold is felt by the air current at the time of bathing.

  Also, in the conventional bathroom heater configuration, if the heating time is set short, the heating ends and the inside of the bathroom gets cold despite taking a bath, while if set long, the heating continues for a long time after leaving the room. There was a problem of fear.

  The present invention solves the above-described problem, and can automatically switch between heating that uses a warm air heater to operate the circulation fan in a strong wind and heating that operates the circulation fan in a low wind, thereby providing more comfortable heating. The purpose is to obtain a bathroom heater that can be used.

  A bathroom heater according to the present invention includes a circulation fan that circulates air in a bathroom, a warm air heater that heats air from the circulation fan, a human body detection sensor that detects the presence or absence of a human body, and a human body detection sensor And a control unit that controls the circulation fan by input from the control unit, and at the start of automatic operation, the control unit turns on the warm air heater as a heating operation before bathing, turns the circulation fan into a strong wind operation, and detects the presence of a human body. When there is an input from the detected human body detection sensor to the control unit for a predetermined time, the circulation fan is switched to a low wind operation as a heating operation during bathing.

  According to the bathroom heater according to the present invention, comfortable heating can be performed by accurately determining the presence or absence of a bather.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a bathroom heater in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a body of a bathroom heater, which is installed by being embedded in a bathroom ceiling. Reference numeral 2 denotes a circulation fan that circulates the air in the bathroom, and forms a hot air path 3 that sucks the air in the bathroom into the main body 1 and blows it back into the bathroom. A warm air heater 4 is provided in the warm air path 3 and warms the air passing through the warm air path 3, and performs heating mainly by circulating hot air. Reference numeral 5 denotes a radiant heater provided in the hot air path 3 for heating by radiant heat radiation 6. As the warm air heater 4, for example, a sheathed heater is used, and as the radiation heater 5, for example, a halogen heater, a Colts heater, or a carbon lamp heater is used.

  7 is a decorative panel that covers the bathroom-side opening of the main body 1, 8 is a suction port that is formed in a portion of the decorative panel 7 that faces the circulating blower 2, and sucks air in the bathroom into the main body 1. It has become. Reference numeral 9 denotes a hot air outlet that blows out hot air heated in the hot air path 3, and is formed in a slit-like shape at a portion facing the radiant heater 5 of the decorative panel 7 obliquely toward the bathroom washing area. .

  Reference numeral 10 denotes an operation unit for setting operation modes such as heating, automatic heating, ventilation, and drying, and setting an operation time, and is installed on a wall surface of a dressing room adjacent to the bathroom. Reference numeral 11 denotes a human body detection sensor that detects the presence or absence of a human body in the bathroom, and is installed so as to detect the human body using the suction port 8 of the decorative panel 7. Reference numeral 21 denotes a control unit that controls the circulation fan 2, the warm air heater 4, and the radiation heater 5 by input from the operation unit 10 or the human body detection sensor 11. Reference numeral 22 is a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature in the bathroom, 23 is a humidity sensor for detecting the humidity in the bathroom, and 24 is a ventilation fan for discharging the air in the bathroom to the outside of the bathroom.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of the human body detection sensor 11. In this embodiment, a case where an infrared detection sensor such as a pyroelectric human sensor is used as the human body detection sensor 11 will be described. The infrared detection sensor outputs a signal to the control unit 21 when detecting a change in the amount of incident infrared rays due to a predetermined temperature difference. In the figure, 12 is an infrared detection sensor unit, 13 is a display lamp such as an LED, 14 is a circuit element, 15 is an infrared detection sensor unit 12, a substrate on which the display lamp 13 and the circuit element 14 are mounted, and 16 is an infrared detection sensor unit. 12, a case that is formed of a resin that covers the display lamp 13, the circuit element 14, and the substrate 15 and that transmits infrared rays emitted from the human body, and 17 is formed integrally with the case 16 and surrounds the infrared detection sensor unit 12 and the display lamp 13. A rib 18 provided in this manner is a urethane moisture-proof material filled outside the rib 17 in the case 16.

Next, the heating operation of the bathroom heater configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When “automatic heating” is set by the operation unit 10 and a standby time T ₁ (for example, 3 hours), which is a time during which the automatic heating operation is continued, is set, the automatic heating operation is started (step S1). A count of ₁ is started (step S2). At the start of the automatic heating operation, in order to efficiently heat the interior of the bathroom before bathing, preheated bathing for energizing the hot air heater 4 by the controller 21 to turn it on and operating the circulation fan 1 in a strong wind is performed. Performed (step S3).

If you've passed a bathing before heating the while continuing bather without the waiting time T ₁ (step S4), and automatic heating is stopped (step S5). In addition, when there is an input from the human body detection sensor 11 to the control unit 21 for the first predetermined time t ₁ (for example, 2 seconds) during heating before bathing (step S6), the control unit 21 displays the display lamp 16 of the human body detection sensor 11. And the circulation fan 2 is first switched to the low wind operation (step S7). After that, if there is no input from the human body detection sensor 11 for a _second predetermined time t ₂ (for example, 4 seconds) (step S8), the control unit 21 determines that the human body detection sensor 11 has detected noise, The circulation blower 2 is returned to the strong wind operation again, and heating before bathing by the warm air heater 4 is continued (step S3). Further, when an input from a predetermined time t ₂ human body detection sensor 11 (step S8), and the control unit 21 detects the presence of a human, that is, determines that the person has entered, OFF the warm air heater 4 Then, the radiation heater 5 is turned on, the circulation fan 1 is operated with a weak wind, and heating is performed during bathing (step S9).

When there is continuous input from the human body detection sensor 11 thereafter (step S10), the control unit 21 continues heating during bathing (step S9). In addition, when there is no input from the human body detection sensor 11 while heating is being performed during bathing (step S10), the control unit 21 starts counting a preset grace period T ₂ (for example, 10 minutes) (step S11). ). If prior to the expiration of the grace period T ₂ has been input of the human body detection sensor 11 from the third predetermined time t ₃ (eg 2 seconds) (step S13), and stops the counting of the delay time T ₂ (step S14) Then, heating is continued during bathing (step S9). Also, if there is no input from the human body detection sensor 11 and 30 seconds before the grace time T ₂ elapses, the display lamp 16 of the human body detection sensor 11 is turned on to notify the heating stop in the bathroom, and the grace time T _{When 2} has elapsed (step S12), the radiation heater 5 is turned off, the operation of the circulation fan 2 is stopped (step S15), and a standby state is entered. This standby state continues until the standby time T ₁ elapses. During the standby state, whether or not there is an input from the human body detection sensor 11 for a fourth predetermined time t ₄ (for example, 2 seconds), and the standby time T ₁ has elapsed. (Step S16, step S17).

Until the waiting time T ₁ is passed, if an input of a predetermined time t ₄ from the human body detecting sensor 11 (step S16), and determines that there is a human, for circulating the radiant heater 5 in the ON state The air blower 2 is operated in a weak wind to resume heating during bathing (step S9). No input from the human body detection sensor 11 (step S16), and if the standby time T ₁ is elapsed (step S17), and stops the automatic heating operation (step S18). Further, even when the waiting time T ₁ has elapsed, heating is continued while bathing while there is an input from the human body detection sensor 11 (step S9), there is no input from the human body detection sensor 11 (step S10), and a grace period If T ₂ has elapsed (step S12) and there is no input from the human body detection sensor 11 (step S16), the automatic heating operation is stopped (step S18).

Thus, before bathing, the hot air heater 4 is energized and the circulation fan 2 is operated in a strong wind to efficiently warm the bathroom, and during bathing, the radiant heater 5 directly gives the bather radiant heat and the cold due to the strong wind. Since the human body detection sensor 11 automatically switches the heating, the bather's comfort is further improved. In addition, during the waiting time T ₁ , heating is performed during bathing whenever the human body detection sensor 11 detects the presence of a person, and heating is stopped when the presence of a person is not detected, thereby consuming more heating energy than necessary. There will be no energy saving. Furthermore, even if the waiting time T ₁ has elapsed, while the human body detection sensor 11 detects the presence of a person, heating is continued, so that heating does not stop during bathing.

Here, the waiting time T ₁ may be set in advance, or may be set by the user before the automatic heating operation or can be changed during the automatic heating operation. If the user can change the setting, it can be adjusted according to the lifestyle such as the number of family members. By providing the waiting time T ₁ , it is not necessary for the user to stop the heating, and it is not necessary to start the heating each time two or more people take a bath within the waiting time T ₁ .

In addition, since switching from pre-bathing heating to heating during bathing is performed when the input from the human body detection sensor 11 continues for a predetermined time t ₁ + t ₂ (in the above example, 6 seconds), the human body detection sensor 11 To respond to the thermal noise generated by its own hot air or hot water, etc., to prevent the switch to heating during bathing even when there is no bather, and to accurately determine the presence of the bather Can do. In particular, during heating before bathing in which a circulating blower is operated in a strong wind and is filled with water, there is a lot of thermal noise, so it takes about 6 seconds to determine the presence of a bather.

In addition, when switching from pre-bathing heating to heating during bathing is performed stepwise, that is, when the input from the human body detection sensor 11 continues for a predetermined time t ₁ (2 seconds in the above example), the circulation blower is first used. The air volume of 2 is lowered when a person takes a bath naked and when a strong wind continues to appear for a predetermined time t ₁ + t ₂ (6 seconds in the above example) until the presence of the bather is accurately determined. This is because the wind directly hits the skin and feels uncomfortable. Therefore, comfortable heating without feeling cold can be performed by switching from pre-bathing heating to heating during bathing in stages.

In this embodiment, the infrared detection sensor used as the human body detection sensor 11 detects the presence of a person by detecting a change in the amount of incident infrared rays due to a temperature difference. If the difference between the human body temperature and the ambient temperature is small, such as when the inside is 30 degrees or more, detection may be difficult. Therefore, by providing the margin time T ₂ between the human body detection sensor 11 as described above until stops while bathing heating since not detect the human body, while bathing despite the presence of a person in the bathroom Stopping heating can be prevented. Here, the grace time T ₂ is obtained by taking into account the time such a person is soaking in the bathtub.

In addition, since the display lamp 13 is turned on and the bather is notified of the heating stop before the grace period T ₂ elapses, for example, when the bather is in the bathtub, the human body detection sensor When the bather holds the hand over the washing place where 11 easily reacts and continues the heating, it is possible to prevent the heating from stopping unexpectedly.

  If the temperature sensor 22 detects that the temperature in the bathroom has risen to the vicinity of the human body temperature, the control unit 21 can adjust the input sensitivity of the human body detection sensor 11 to increase the human sensitivity even at high temperatures. Detection can be performed accurately.

  Further, by filling the case 16 of the human body detection sensor 11 with the urethane moisture-proof material 18, the circuit element 14 and the infrared detection sensor unit 12 are protected from dew condensation and steam generated in the bathroom, and deterioration and failure of the circuit unit due to moisture. Can be prevented. Therefore, it is possible to use an inexpensive infrared detection sensor whose moisture resistance and water resistance are not guaranteed in an environment such as in a bathroom where condensation or steam constantly occurs.

  In addition, since the human body detection sensor 11 is attached to a position facing the suction port 8 of the decorative panel 7 and the human body detection is performed using the punching hole, there is no need to provide an opening dedicated to the human body detection sensor 11. Appearance is not impaired. Here, the human body detection sensor 11 may be attached to a portion facing the hot air outlet 9 to detect a human body using a slit-shaped opening.

  Further, when a carbon lamp heater is used as the radiation heater 5, since the peak wavelength is in the far infrared region (particularly 2.5 μm to 8 μm), the amount of far infrared radiation increases and the heating efficiency is improved. In addition, the carbon lamp heater has no inrush current, and an inrush current protection circuit and a surge countermeasure are not required. Further, when the Colts heater is used in a vertical state, the coil has fallen due to its own weight, but the carbon lamp heater can be used in any direction since a sintered body of a carbon-based material is used as a heating element. Furthermore, since the heating element of the carbon lamp heater can be shaped freely, such as a flat plate shape or a rod shape, especially when a flat plate carbon lamp heater is used, if the surface is set to face the bathroom washroom, Heating by radiant heat can be performed more effectively.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an attachment structure of a human body detection sensor used in a bathroom heater according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The overall structure of the bathroom heater is the same as that shown in FIG. 4, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 2 denote the same components. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 25 denotes a mounting plate for attaching the human body detection sensor 11 to the main body 1 and is fixed in the main body 1. Reference numerals 26 denote shaft-like protrusions formed on both side surfaces of the case 16 of the human body detection sensor 11, and the human body detection sensor 11 is inserted into a hole formed in the mounting plate 25 so as to be rotatable. The main body 1 is pivotally attached.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing how the detection range of the human body detection sensor 11 changes, and is a view of FIG. 4 viewed from the side. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 27 denotes a detection range of the human body detection sensor 11. As shown in the figure, the angle of the human body detection sensor 11 can be freely changed, and the detection range 27 can be changed from a range indicated by a solid line to a range indicated by a dotted line. Therefore, when the human body detection sensor 11 reacts sensitively in a narrow bathroom, the direction of the human body detection sensor 11 is changed to a direction that is difficult to react, and the orientation of the human body detection sensor 11 is changed in a large bathroom. If the detection range is expanded so as to be automatically changed every predetermined time, the detection accuracy of the human body is improved. In particular, when an infrared detection sensor having a narrow detection range is used as the human body detection sensor 11, the effect is great.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
In the first embodiment, while the human body detection sensor 11 detects the presence of a person, heating is continuously performed during bathing, but according to the detection values of the temperature sensor 22 and the humidity sensor 23. You may make it control heating during bathing. That is, when the temperature sensor 22 detects a temperature equal to or higher than a predetermined value, or when the humidity sensor 23 detects humidity equal to or higher than a predetermined value, or when both the temperature sensor 22 and the humidity sensor 23 exceed a predetermined value. The energization of the radiation heater 5 is stopped. By controlling in this way, it is possible to prevent hot flashes caused by overheating. Here, in addition to stopping the radiation heater 5, the operation of the circulation fan 2 may be stopped.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
In Embodiment 1 described above, once heating during bathing is stopped and a standby state is entered (step S15), heating during bathing does not resume unless there is an input from the human body detection sensor 11 again. It saves energy without doing so, but if there is time before the second and subsequent persons take a bath, the temperature of the bathroom will drop and the cold will be felt. Thus, during the standby state, the hot air heater 4 or the radiant heater 5 may be energized intermittently to operate the circulation fan 2. By controlling the operation in this way, it is possible to realize more comfortable bathroom heating in which the second and subsequent persons do not feel cold.

  Also, a manual button that allows the bather to instruct to perform pre-bath heating (warm air heater 4 is turned on and circulation fan is driven in high wind) when the temperature in the bathroom drops when the second person or later bathes. May be provided in the operation unit 10. By controlling the operation in this manner, the interior of the bathroom can be efficiently warmed before bathing, so that comfortable heating without feeling cold can be performed.

Embodiment 5. FIG.
In the first embodiment, the case where an infrared detection sensor is used as the human body detection sensor 11 has been described. However, an image sensor that detects the presence or absence of a human body with an image or an ultrasonic sensor that detects with a sound wave may be used. If a sensor that is not affected by temperature is used in this way, the human body can be accurately detected even if the temperature in the bathroom increases.

Embodiment 6 FIG.
In the first embodiment, a waterproof structure is formed by filling the case 16 of the human body detection sensor 11 with a urethane moisture-proof material, and the circuit element 14 and the infrared detection sensor unit 12 are protected from condensation and steam generated in the bathroom. However, the case 16 may have a sealed structure, and a moisture absorbing sheet that keeps humidity constant may be accommodated in the case 16. If comprised in this way, even if a water | moisture content may permeate in case 16, the circuit element 14 and the infrared detection sensor part 12 can be protected.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the heater for bathrooms in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the human body detection sensor of the heater for bathrooms in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the heating operation of the bathroom heater in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the attachment structure of the human body detection sensor of the heater for bathrooms in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the detection range of the human body detection sensor of the heater for bathrooms in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the conventional bathroom heater.

Explanation of symbols

  2 circulation fan, 4 warm air heater, 5 radiation heater, 8 suction port, 9 warm air outlet, 10 operation unit, 11 human body detection sensor, 12 infrared detection sensor unit, 13 display lamp, 18 urethane moisture-proof material, 21 Control part, 22 Temperature sensor, 23 Humidity sensor, 25 Mounting plate, 26 Axial projection.

Claims (12)

A circulation fan for circulating the air in the bathroom;
A warm air heater for warming air from the circulation fan;
A human body detection sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a human body,
A control unit that controls the circulation fan by input from the human body detection sensor;
The controller is
At the start of automatic operation, the warm air heater is turned on as a heating operation before bathing, and the circulation fan is operated in a strong wind,
A bathroom heater characterized by switching the circulation fan to a low wind operation as a heating operation during bathing when there is an input for a predetermined time from the human body detection sensor that has detected the presence of a human body. The control unit is set to the standby time for automatic operation,
The controller is
When the waiting time has elapsed since the start of automatic operation, when there is an input to the control unit from a human body detection sensor that detects the presence of a human body, heating operation during bathing,
The bathroom heater according to claim 1, wherein the heating operation is stopped during bathing when the human body detection sensor no longer detects the presence of a human body. The control unit has a grace time,
The controller is
During the heating operation during bathing, a notice is given to stop the heating operation during bathing a predetermined time before the grace time elapses when the human body detection sensor no longer detects the presence of the human body,
2. The bathroom heater according to claim 1, wherein the heating operation during bathing is stopped when the grace time elapses after the presence of a human body is no longer detected. The control unit is set to the standby time for automatic operation,
The controller is
During heating operation during bathing, when the human body detection sensor no longer detects the presence of a human body, the heating operation during bathing is stopped,
Thereafter, until the standby time elapses from the start of automatic operation, the heating operation during bathing or the heating operation before bathing is intermittently performed until there is an input to the control unit from the human body detection sensor that detects the presence of a human body. The bathroom heater according to claim 1. It has an operation unit that accepts instructions for heating operation before bathing,
The control unit is set to the standby time for automatic operation,
The controller is
During heating operation during bathing, when the human body detection sensor no longer detects the presence of a human body, the heating operation during bathing is stopped,
2. The heating operation before bathing is performed according to claim 1, wherein the heating operation before bathing is performed when an instruction for the heating operation before bathing is received from the operation unit from the start of automatic operation until the standby time elapses. Bathroom heater. It has a temperature sensor that detects the temperature in the bathroom,
The human body detection sensor is an infrared sensor,
The control unit
The bathroom heater according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein sensitivity of human body detection of the infrared sensor is adjusted based on a temperature detected by the temperature sensor. A temperature sensor that detects the temperature in the bathroom;
A humidity sensor for detecting humidity in the bathroom,
The control unit
The heating operation during bathing is stopped when the temperature sensor detects a predetermined temperature or higher during heating operation during bathing or when the humidity sensor detects a predetermined humidity. The bathroom heater according to any one of the preceding claims. The bathroom heater according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the human body detection sensor is attached to the bathroom heater so as to rotate. The bathroom heater according to any one of claims 1 to 5, 7, and 8, wherein the human body detection sensor is an image sensor or an ultrasonic sensor. The bathroom heater according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a urethane moisture-proof material is filled in the human body detection sensor. The bathroom heater according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a moisture absorbing sheet for keeping humidity constant is housed in the human body detection sensor. The bathroom according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the human body detection sensor is provided opposite to an opening of a bathroom air inlet or a hot air outlet in the bathroom heater. Heating machine.

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