JP2013083564A - Temperature/humidity controller for weatherometer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To cool and humidify the air introduced in a testing chamber by using water latent heat of vaporization, to suppress the number of opening times of a mode switch valve, to reduce the air to be exhausted, and to widen a controllable temperature/humidity range.SOLUTION: The temperature/humidity controller 1 for a weatherometer 2 provided with a testing chamber 4, an artificial light source 5, and a heater humidifier 6 includes: a black panel temperature sensor 8 and a psychrometer sensor 9; an outside air intake duct 10 and an exhaustion air duct 11; a mode switch valve 12 for switching an outside air intake mode and an inside air circulation mode; an air-conditioning valve 13 for adjusting an amount of air emission from inside the testing chamber 4 and an amount of air to be returned into the testing chamber 4; the heater humidifier 6 installed on an upstream side to the mode switch valve 12 of the outside air intake duct 10; at least one humidifying cooling module 15 at an outside air intake 14; and control means for controlling temperature/humidity inside the testing chamber 4 which performs switch control of the mode switch valve 12 and of opening/closing of the air-conditioning valve 13.

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a temperature / humidity control device for a weather resistance tester, and more particularly, a temperature / humidity control device for a weather resistance tester that performs proper control of black panel temperature and air temperature / humidity in a test chamber. It is about.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, weather resistance testers that control the temperature and humidity of air in a test tank by introducing outside air have conventionally had two types of weather resistance testers of the air replacement type.
One is a type in which the air outside the weather resistance tester is directly taken into a test tank for cooling. (See Patent Document 1)
On the other hand, not only is the mode switching valve opened as necessary to introduce outside air, but air is also circulated between the humidity adjustment air passage and the test chamber provided in the test tank without opening the mode switching valve. This is a type that cools the air in the test chamber with a humidifier installed in the humidity adjustment air passage. (See Patent Document 2)

Utility Model No. 3120304 Japanese Patent No. 3291519

By the way, what was disclosed by said patent document 1 and 2 had the following problems.
(1) When the outside air temperature is high, the black panel temperature rises above the set value, and the black panel temperature may be difficult to decrease. (Patent Document 1)
(2) When the discharge power of the artificial light source increases, the black panel temperature rises from the set value, and the black panel temperature may not easily decrease. (Patent Document 1)
(3) If the temperature in the test chamber or the black panel temperature exceeds the set value due to factors such as high outside air temperature or increased discharge voltage of the artificial light source, the mode switching valve opens and the humidity in the test chamber Escape and humidity dropped rapidly from the set value, making it difficult to control humidity. (Patent Document 1)
(4) If a humidifier using a water-absorbing material is placed in the humidity adjustment air passage, drying and wetting by dripping water will be repeated many times, and the water-absorbing material will expand and contract rapidly. As a result, the water absorption performance deteriorates and the test may be affected. In addition, dirt from the sample may adhere to the water-absorbing material. (Patent Document 2)

  In the present invention, water is dripped onto a material having water absorbability and high air permeability attached to the outside air introduction port, such as a nonwoven fabric, and introduced into the test tank from the outside using the latent heat of evaporation of the water. Using a humidification cooling module that cools and humidifies the air, cools and humidifies the outside air and takes it into the test chamber, reducing the number of times the mode switching valve (outside air intake mode / inside air circulation mode) opens, The purpose is to reduce the amount and widen the controllable temperature and humidity range.

  Therefore, in order to eliminate the above disadvantages, the present invention provides a test tank for performing a weather resistance test of a sample, an artificial light source disposed in the test tank, and a weather resistance test for changing the temperature and humidity in the test tank. In the temperature / humidity control device of the machine, the test tank includes a black panel temperature sensor, a dry / wet bulb sensor, an outside air introduction air passage for introducing outside air, and an exhaust air passage for discharging air. And at least one humidifying / cooling module and control means for controlling the temperature and humidity in the test chamber at the outside air introduction port of the outside air introduction air passage.

As described in detail above, the present invention has the following effects.
(1) The air introduced from the outside air passes through the humidifying and cooling module, and is cooled by the latent heat of evaporation of water dropped on the humidifying and cooling module, and the temperature is lowered. Therefore, since air having a temperature lower than the outside air temperature can be introduced into the test chamber, the black panel temperature can be lowered as compared with a method in which outside air is simply introduced.
(2) When the discharge power of the artificial light source increases, the amount of infrared rays increases and the black panel temperature rises. However, by providing the humidification cooling module described above, the air is cooled and the black panel temperature is reduced compared to the method of simply introducing outside air. Can be lowered.
(3) When the temperature in the test chamber or the black panel temperature exceeds the set value, the mode switching valve opens and the air in the test chamber is exhausted. However, in the present invention, since the air that has passed through the humidifying and cooling module is cooled and humidified, the moisture discharged from the test tank can be supplemented, and a rapid decrease in humidity can be prevented.
Furthermore, air that is cooler than the outside air can be introduced into the test chamber.
(4) In the present invention, by disposing the humidification cooling module outside the mode switching valve, water is always dripped onto the humidification cooling module, and at the same time, the humidification cooling module is used or not used by opening and closing the mode switching valve. Can be controlled. Further, since the water-absorbing material in the humidification / cooling module is not dried and the dirt coming out of the sample does not adhere, the service life of the humidification / cooling module can be extended.
(5) Since the humidification cooling module is placed outside the mode switching valve and the humidity of the air introduced by this humidification cooling module is adjusted, complete water vapor can be used, and the sample in the test chamber can be used. There are no drops of water.
In addition, since it is not a method of humidifying by spraying water droplets on the air passage and evaporating, impurities contained in the water droplets do not adhere to the sample after the water has evaporated.
(6) In the present invention, the outside air humidified by the humidifying / cooling module is introduced, but since there is no sudden decrease in humidity due to the introduction of the outside air, the amount of humidification by the heater humidifier decreases, and the test tank by the heater humidifier Thus, the temperature rise of the test tank can be controlled. When the temperature rise in the test tank is reduced, the frequency of opening the mode switching valve is reduced, the humidity can be prevented from decreasing and changing, and the humidity controllable range is widened.
In addition, the heating time of the heater humidifier is shortened, the amount of power used is reduced, and at the same time, the amount of pure water to be used can be reduced, which can contribute to energy saving.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a temperature / humidity control device of a weather resistance tester. (Example)

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention.

The temperature / humidity control device 1 is mounted on a weather resistance tester 2 for controlling temperature and humidity.
As shown in FIG. 1, the weather resistance tester 2 includes a test tank 4 that performs a weather resistance test of the sample 3, and, for example, an ultraviolet carbon arc, a sunshine carbon arc, a metal halide lamp, and a xenon disposed in the test tank 4. An artificial light source 5 such as a light source used for arc or other weathering test, a heater humidifier 6 that changes the humidity in the test tank 4, and a test tank heater 24 that changes the test tank temperature are provided.
That is, the weather resistance tester 2 has an artificial light source 5 disposed in the central portion in the test tank 4, and a sample support frame 7 is disposed on the outer peripheral portion of the artificial light source 5.
A plurality of the samples 3 are supported on the sample support frame 7.

  The black panel temperature sensor 8 (referred to as “BPT sensor”) is attached to the sample support frame 7 in the same manner as the sample 3.

The test tank 4 includes a wet and dry bulb sensor 9. The test tank 4 is connected to an outside air introduction air path 10 for introducing outside air and an exhaust air path 11 for discharging the air in the test tank 4.
As shown in FIG. 1, the air path of the weather resistance tester 2 is an outside air introduction air passage 10 that communicates the bottom of the test tank 4 and the outside air, and an exhaust air passage 11 that communicates the test tank 4 and the outside air. is there.

  A mode switching valve 12 is provided at a joint portion between the outside air introduction air passage 10 and the exhaust air passage 11, and this mode switching valve 12 is, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 1, the outside air introduction air passage 10 and the exhaust air. While each of the passages 11 is opened to enter the outside air intake mode, the outside air introduction air passage 10 and the exhaust air passage 11 are closed, respectively, as indicated by broken lines in FIG. The switching operation is performed so that the inside air circulation mode for communicating with the passage 10 is set.

  In addition, an air conditioning valve 13 is provided in the vicinity of the mode switching valve 12. This air-conditioning valve 13 switches the communication state between the outside air introduction air passage 10 and the exhaust air passage 11 by opening and closing operations, and the amount of air discharged from the test tank 4 and the amount of air into the test tank 4 are switched. The return amount is adjusted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the heater humidifier 6 is disposed in an outside air introduction air passage 10 that communicates with the bottom of the test tank 4.

At least one humidification cooling module 15 is provided in the outside air inlet 14 of the outside air introduction air passage 10.
The humidifying / cooling module 15 is made of a dripping device for dripping water and a water-absorbing material for dripping water and having a high air permeability, for example, a non-woven fabric. Air passing through the humidification cooling module 15 is cooled and humidified.
At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, the humidification / cooling module 15 includes a water tank 16, a water supply pump 17, and a filter 25 for removing debris in the water in the water supply path 18.

  In the exhaust air passage 11, a blower 19 including a blower fan (also referred to as “blower”) 20 and a blower motor 21 is disposed in the middle of the upstream side of the mode switching valve 12.

The light receiving unit 23 measures the irradiance on the sample surface of the artificial light source 5 (the surface of the sample 3).

The temperature / humidity control device 1 of the weather resistance tester 2 performs at least switching control of the mode switching valve 12 and opening / closing control of the air conditioning valve 13, and the temperature of the black panel temperature sensor 8 or the temperature and humidity in the test tank 4. The control unit 22 is configured to control the above.
More specifically, the control means 22 has the following functions.
(1) Detection function by each sensor A black panel temperature detection signal in the test chamber 4 is input from the black panel temperature sensor 8.
A dry bulb temperature / wet bulb temperature temperature and humidity detection signal in the test chamber 4 are input from the dry / wet bulb sensor 9.
(2) Lighting control function of the artificial light source 5 The lighting state of the artificial light source 5 is controlled, the irradiance is detected by the light receiving unit 23, and the lighting power is adjusted to perform the irradiance control.
(3) Drive control function of the heater humidifier 6 The drive control of the heater humidifier 6 is performed to adjust the humidity in the test chamber 4.
(4) Blower Control Function The blower motor 21 of the blower 19 is driven to rotate the blower fan 20, and the air in the test tank 4 is discharged to circulate the air. Further, the rotation speed of the blower motor 21 in the blower 19 is adjusted based on the detected temperature of the black panel temperature sensor 8 to control the temperature of the black panel temperature sensor 8.
(5) Control Function of Humidification Cooling Module 15 The drive control of the water supply pump 17 in the water supply path 18 is performed to adjust the water supplied from the water tank 16 to the humidification cooling module 15.
(6) Switching control of the mode switching valve 12 Switching control of the mode switching valve 12 is performed to switch between the outside air intake mode and the inside air circulation mode.
(7) Opening / closing control of the air conditioning valve 13 The opening / closing control of the air conditioning valve 13 is performed to adjust the communication / non-communication state between the outside air introduction air passage 10 and the exhaust air passage 11, and the air is discharged from the test tank 4 The amount and the return amount of air into the test tank 4 are adjusted.

  In addition, the temperature / humidity control device 1 of the weather resistance tester 2 has a humidification cooling module 15 in close contact with the inlet portion of the outside air inlet 14 for introducing outside air into the test tank 4 as shown in FIG. In addition, air that has been cooled and humidified by the humidification cooling module 15 is introduced into the test chamber 4.

  Next, the operation will be described.

In the temperature / humidity control device 1 of the weather resistance tester 2, outside air is introduced into the test tank 4 from the outside air inlet 14 of the outside air introduction air passage 10.
At this time, drive control of the water supply pump 17 in the water supply path 18 is performed by the control means 22, and water in the water tank 16 is supplied to the humidification cooling module 15 disposed in the vicinity of the outside air inlet 14, The air cooled and humidified by passing through the humidification cooling module 15 is introduced into the test chamber 4 to lower the temperature in the test chamber 4, thereby lowering the black panel temperature and humidifying.

Further, in the temperature / humidity control apparatus 1 of the weather resistance tester 2, when the temperature in the test tank 4 is raised, the mode switching valve 12 is operated by the control means 22, and the outside air introduction air passage 10 and the exhaust air flow. Each of the passages 11 is closed, and the exhaust air passage 11 is communicated with the outside air introduction air passage 10 as shown by a broken line in FIG.
Then, the temperature is controlled by the control means 22, and the temperature in the test tank 4 is raised by using the test tank heater 24 and the heat of the xenon lamp 5, and humidifying is performed by using the humidifier of the heater humidifier 6.

Further, in the temperature / humidity control device 1 of the weather resistance tester 2, when the temperature in the test tank 4 is lowered, the mode switching valve 12 is operated by the control means 22, and the outside air is introduced as shown by the solid line in FIG. The air passage 10 and the exhaust air passage 11 are opened, and the outside air intake mode is set.
Then, outside air is taken into the test tank 4 through the air passage 10 for introducing outside air.

Furthermore, in the temperature / humidity control device 1 of the weather resistance tester 2, the control means 22 also performs opening / closing control of the air conditioning valve 13.
That is, the air conditioning valve 13 switches the communication state / non-communication state between the outside air introduction air passage 10 and the exhaust air passage 11 according to the temperature in the test tank 4.
In addition, the air-conditioning valve 13 switches the communication state / non-communication state between the outside air introduction air passage 10 and the exhaust air passage 11 by opening / closing operation, and the amount of air discharged from the test tank 4 and the test tank are switched. Although there is a measure to completely switch the air return amount into the test chamber 4, not only the exhaust amount of air from the test chamber 4 and the air return amount into the test chamber 4 are completely switched, but both wind There is also a method of adjusting the ratio between the amount of air discharged from the inside of the test tank 4 and the amount of air returned to the test tank 4 by making the road semi-communication.
For this reason, when the temperature of the outside air is low, even if the air conditioning valve 13 is controlled to open, not all the air in the test tank 4 is exhausted, and the amount of air discharged from the test tank 4 and the air into the test tank 4 The amount of air returned is adjusted to return a part of the air to the test chamber 4 so that the inside of the test chamber 4 is not cooled, and the temperature control is prevented from being disturbed due to a sudden change in the cooling temperature.

Thereby, in the Example of this invention, there can exist the following effects.
(1) The introduced air is cooled by the latent heat of evaporation of water dropped on the humidification / cooling module 15 by passing through the humidification / cooling module 15, and the temperature of the black panel temperature sensor 8 and the test are not simply taken in. The temperature in the tank 4 can be lowered.
(2) When the discharge power of the artificial light source 5 increases, the amount of infrared rays increases and the black panel temperature increases. However, the black panel temperature sensor 8 is more than just taking in the outside air by the outside air that has passed through the humidification cooling module 15. And the temperature in the test chamber 4 can be lowered.
(3) When the temperature in the test tank 4 or the black panel temperature exceeds the set value, the mode switching valve 12 is opened and the air in the test tank 4 is exhausted. Although a decrease may occur, in the present invention, since the air passing through the humidification cooling module 15 is cooled and humidified, the moisture discharged from the test tank can be supplemented to prevent a rapid decrease in humidity.
Further, when the discharge power of the xenon lamp 5 is increased and the black panel temperature is increased, the mode switching valve 12 is opened, and the humidity of the air in the test chamber 4 is decreased.
Further, when the outside air is introduced by opening the mode switching valve 12, the outside air passes through the humidification cooling module 15 so that the outside air becomes cold air and hits the black panel. Thereafter, the mode switching valve 12 can be closed to prevent the humidity of the air in the test chamber 4 from escaping.
(4) In the embodiment of the present invention, the humidification / cooling module 15 is disposed outside the mode switching valve 12, and the use / non-use of the humidification / cooling module 15 is controlled by constantly dropping water and opening and closing the mode switching valve. It is possible to extend the service life of the humidification cooling module 15.
(5) Since the humidification / cooling module 15 is arranged outside the mode switching valve 12 and the humidity of the air introduced by the humidification / cooling module 15 is adjusted, the vapor of complete water is used. No water droplets are formed on the sample 3 (also referred to as “splashing water”).
Further, since the outside air introduction circuit 10 is not humidified by spraying water droplets, the impurities in the water droplets do not fly through the air and adhere to the sample 3 after the water droplets evaporate.
(6) In a xenon weathering tester, an irradiance of 120 W / m ² (300 to 400 nm), a black panel temperature of 63 ° C., a test bath temperature of 37 ° C., and a humidity of 50% under conditions where the outside temperature is 30 ° C. and the xenon lamp is used for 2000 hours. The temperature / humidity control apparatus 1 of the weather resistance tester 2 of the present invention was able to control the air in the test tank in which the humidity of the air in the test tank did not increase at the rh setting.
(7) In the setting of (6) above, control is possible even when the irradiance is 140 W / m ² (300 to 400 nm), the black panel temperature is 63 ° C., and the humidity is 50% rh.
(8) In the embodiment of the present invention, since the humidification amount by the heater humidifier 6 is reduced, the heating of the test tank 4 by the heater humidifier 6 is reduced, and the temperature rise of the test tank 4 can be reduced.
In addition, the heating time of the heater humidifier 4 is shortened, and under the test conditions of irradiance of 100 W / m ² , black panel temperature of 63 ° C. and humidity of 50% rh, the current requirement of 35 A is 25 A, reducing the current of 10 A. At the same time, the amount of pure water to be used can be reduced from 9.5 L (liter) / h to 8.0 L / h and 1.5 L / h, which can contribute to energy saving.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various application modifications are possible.

For example, in the embodiment of the present invention, one humidification cooling module 15 is provided in the outside air introduction port 14 of the outside air introduction air passage 10, but two or more, that is, two or more humidification cooling modules 15 are provided. It is also possible to use a special configuration.
Then, if the same water absorption performance or different water absorption performance is selectively placed, the cooling rate or humidification rate of the passing air can be arbitrarily changed, and it is highly versatile. It is possible to easily realize a temperature / humidity control device for a weather resistance tester.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the outside air introduction air passage 10 of the weather resistance test machine 2 is opened and closed by the mode switching valve 12. However, the bypass for bypassing the mode switching valve 12 to the outside air introduction air passage 10 is provided. It is also possible to adopt a special configuration in which a bypass is provided and a bypass on-off valve that controls opening and closing of the bypass passage by the control means 22 is provided.
In this case, even when the outside air introduction air passage 10 is closed by the mode switching valve 12 and the inside air circulation mode is set, the air cooling and humidification function by the humidification cooling module 15 is utilized by performing the opening / closing control of the bypass opening / closing valve. It is possible.
That is, the amount of humidification by the heater humidifier 6 disposed on the upstream side of the mode switching valve 12 of the outside air introduction air passage 10 can be reduced as much as possible, and an effect such that water droplets from the humidification cooling module 15 do not enter can be enjoyed. It is possible. In addition to a xenon light source, it can also be applied to a weather resistance tester for other light sources.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Temperature / humidity control apparatus 2 Weather resistance tester 3 Sample 4 Test tank 5 Artificial light source 6 Heater humidifier 7 Sample support frame 8 Black panel temperature sensor (it is called "BPT sensor".)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 Dry / wet bulb sensor 10 Air path for introducing outside air 11 Air path for exhaust 12 Mode switching valve 13 Air conditioning valve 14 Outside air inlet 15 Humidification / cooling module 16 Water tank 17 Water supply pump 18 Water supply path 19 Blower 20 Blower fan (" Also called “blower”.)
21 Blower motor 22 Control means 23 Light receiver 24 Test tank heater 25 Filter

Claims (3)

  In a test tank for performing a weather resistance test of a sample, an artificial light source disposed in the test tank, and a temperature / humidity control device of a weather resistance tester that changes the temperature and humidity in the test tank, the test tank includes A black panel temperature sensor near the artificial light source, a wet and dry bulb sensor, an outside air introduction air passage for introducing outside air, an exhaust air passage for discharging air, and an outside air introduction port of the outside air introduction air passage at least A temperature / humidity control device for a weather resistance tester, comprising one humidification cooling module and control means for controlling the temperature and humidity in the test chamber.   A mode switching valve is provided at a joint portion between the outside air introduction air passage and the exhaust air passage, and at least the mode switching valve is controlled to switch between the outside air introduction air passage and the exhaust air passage. Switching between the outside air introduction air passage and the exhaust air passage is closed, and the exhaust air passage communicates with the outside air introduction air passage so that the inside air circulation mode is established. The temperature / humidity control device for a weather resistance tester according to claim 1, wherein   An air conditioning valve is provided in the vicinity of the mode switching valve, and the amount of air discharged from the test tank and the test are adjusted by adjusting the communication / non-communication state of the outside air introduction air passage and the exhaust air passage. Adjusting the amount of air returned to the tank, and at least one heater humidifier upstream of the mode switching valve of the outside air introduction air passage and one outside air introduction port of the outside air introduction air passage. A weather resistance tester according to claim 2, further comprising a control means for controlling the temperature and humidity in the test chamber for controlling the opening and closing of the air conditioning valve. Humidity control device.

Images