JP2014178118A - Environmental test device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an environmental test device which is capable of dehumidifying air to be taken into a detector with the least increase in power consumption.SOLUTION: An environmental test device 1 can evaluate a sample in a desired environment within a test chamber 6 and is provided with a dehumidifier 2 capable of dehumidifying air taken out from in the test chamber 6, in addition to air-conditioning equipment for forming an environment within the test chamber 6. The humidifier 2 can naturally cool the air by a heat exchanger 22 and can condense and remove water vapor in the air when cooling the air. The air dehumidified by the heat exchanger 22 can be guided to a detector 71 for detecting smoke or the like. Condensed water produced by the heat exchanger 22 can be discharged via a drain pipe 45 arranged above the detector 71.

Description

  The present invention relates to an environmental test apparatus capable of changing a test chamber to a desired environment.

  There is an environmental testing device as a device for testing the performance and durability of product materials and the like. This type of environmental test apparatus includes a test chamber on which a specimen to be tested is placed, and adjusts the temperature and humidity in the test chamber to a desired environment. For example, when testing the heat resistance of a sample body, the ambient temperature in the test chamber may be controlled to a high temperature state (for example, 80 degrees Celsius) or higher (hereinafter also referred to as a high temperature test). In some cases, the temperature is controlled to a low temperature below a certain temperature (for example, minus 20 degrees Celsius) (hereinafter also referred to as a low temperature test). In some cases, the temperature is changed from a low temperature environment to a high temperature environment, or the high temperature environment is changed to a low temperature environment.

  That is, the air conditioner provided in the environmental test apparatus needs to be able to adjust the temperature widely from the low temperature region to the high temperature region. For these reasons, environmental test apparatuses are generally equipped with a refrigerator (actually an evaporator that forms part of the refrigeration cycle) and a heater for creating a high-temperature environment. (Patent Document 1).

  By the way, in recent years, the demand for storage batteries (for example, lithium batteries) is rapidly increasing due to the spread of electric or hybrid automobiles and mobile phones. Therefore, in the market, an environmental test apparatus corresponding to the performance inspection of the storage battery is provided. That is, this type of environmental test apparatus is provided with a function that enables energization of the storage battery and can repeatedly charge and discharge the storage battery (hereinafter referred to as a constant temperature and humidity apparatus for charging and discharging). In other words, this constant temperature and humidity device for charging and discharging creates a situation where the storage battery is continuously used for a long period of time, and under that situation, environmental control in the test chamber is possible. And the reliability of a storage battery is evaluated based on the data obtained from such a test.

  However, in the constant temperature and humidity device for charging / discharging, while the charging / discharging of the storage battery is repeatedly performed, there are cases where the battery is abnormally heated or emits smoke or the like due to some factors. Furthermore, there is a risk of causing ignition or explosion so as to follow it. For this reason, conventionally, this type of constant temperature and humidity device has been provided with a detector for detecting smoke and gas (hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane, etc.), and the detector detects smoke and gas. In such a case, a safe operation such as stopping the test operation is performed.

JP 2011-163585 A

  However, if the air in the test chamber is sent directly from a normal constant temperature and humidity device to the detector, the detector may not function normally. That is, although air in the test chamber is introduced to the detector, the air may be in a high humidity state. That is, when highly humid air is introduced into the detector, water vapor in the air may condense inside the detector. If dew condensation occurs in the detector and water droplets at that time adhere to an electronic component such as a sensor, there is a risk of failure or measurement failure.

Therefore, in order to prevent condensation, a measure for forcibly performing the dehumidifying operation before the test chamber is in a high humidity state is considered. That is, it is a measure for dehumidification using an evaporator for cooling the test chamber. However, when the high temperature test is performed, if the moisture is removed by the evaporator, it may take more time than necessary to reach the desired temperature, or may not reach the desired temperature. Therefore, when this measure is adopted, it is necessary to operate the evaporator in a state where the output is higher than the output of the heater in a normal high temperature test.
In addition, when dehumidification is performed by an evaporator, the evaporator and its surroundings are excessively cooled to generate excessive frosting, so that the temperature in the test chamber may not be normally controlled.

  That is, in the high temperature test, when the evaporator was operated to perform dehumidification, there was a dissatisfaction that the power consumption increased dramatically. In addition, when dehumidification by an evaporator is performed in this way, frosting on the evaporator can occur not only during a low temperature test but also during a high temperature test, so the cooling capacity is significantly reduced, and a preferable measure I could not say.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an environmental test apparatus capable of dehumidifying the gas taken into the detector without substantially increasing the power consumption in view of the problems of the prior art.

The invention according to claim 1, which is provided to solve the above-described problem, is an environmental test apparatus including a test space in which a sample body is arranged and capable of bringing the test space into a desired environment. A dehumidifying device that is in direct or indirect communication with the space, the dehumidifying device is a tubular member that exchanges heat between the suction means capable of sucking the gas in the test space, and the gas sucked by the suction means and the external air And a drain pipe for draining the condensed water generated in the heat exchanger, and the suction means and the heat exchanger are connected via a predetermined pipe and pass through the heat exchanger. The condensed gas flows toward the suction means located on the downstream side in the gas flow direction, and at the same time, the condensed water generated in the heat exchanger is discharged from the heat exchanger in the gas flow direction downstream. Environment characterized by being discharged through a pipe It is a test apparatus.
As used herein, “directly or indirectly communicating with the test space” means either a case where there is a communication hole on the test space side or a case where there is a communication hole on the gas adjustment space side. I mean.

  The environmental test apparatus according to the present invention includes a dehumidifier that enables dehumidification of gas taken out from the test space, in addition to equipment that can make the test space a desired environment. That is, the dehumidifying device mainly includes a suction means for extracting gas from the test space, a heat exchanger for exchanging heat energy of the gas extracted from the test space (hereinafter simply referred to as suction gas) with the outside air, and heat exchange. It is the structure provided with the drainage pipe which drains the condensate water produced by this. That is, in the present invention, the gas taken out from the test space is not dehumidified actively using a heat source (for example, an evaporator) or the like as equipment for cooling the test space.

  Specifically, the environmental test apparatus of the present invention guides the gas in the test space into the heat exchanger by the action of the suction means, and the latent heat (state changes to the outside air when the suction gas passes through the tubular member). The energy generated at the time is recovered, and the suction gas is cooled. In other words, according to the present invention, in the heat exchanger of the dehumidifying device, the suction gas is exposed to the outside air by utilizing the temperature difference formed between the high temperature inside the device and the low external temperature (temperature close to room temperature). By natural cooling, water vapor in the gas can be condensed, thereby dehumidifying the gas. Thus, since the excess water vapor | steam is removed by the heat exchanger from the gas which passed the dehumidification apparatus, absolute humidity reduces significantly before and behind a heat exchanger. In other words, the absolute humidity of the gas that has passed through the dehumidifying device is smaller than that of the gas in the test space.

According to the above, in the present invention, if a detector or the like that detects smoke or gas is provided in the environmental test device, and the gas that has passed through the dehumidifier is passed through the detector or the like, the high temperature inside the device and the external temperature By utilizing a temperature difference formed between a low temperature (a temperature close to normal temperature), it is possible to prevent the gas from condensing inside the detector or the like. As a result, there is no possibility of causing a failure or the like due to condensation on the detector or the like.
Further, in the present invention, as described above, the gas in the test chamber is naturally cooled by utilizing the temperature difference formed between the high temperature inside the apparatus and the low external temperature (temperature close to room temperature). Since the dehumidification is performed, the power consumption required for the dehumidification operation can be reduced as compared with the case where the dehumidification is performed using the evaporator.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the environmental test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tubular member is formed in a spiral shape in the flow path direction.

  According to this configuration, since the tubular member is formed in a spiral shape, the installation space for the heat exchanger can be saved. Moreover, since the said tubular member can be efficiently arrange | positioned in the limited area | region (installation space) if a tubular member is made helical, it can lead to the improvement of heat exchange efficiency as a result.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the gas introduced into the heat exchanger flows from the top to the bottom along the shape of the tubular member constituting the heat exchanger, and further passes through the heat exchanger. Flows upward and passes through the suction means, and the condensed water generated in the heat exchanger is discharged downward through a drain pipe disposed between the heat exchanger and the suction means. 3. The environmental test apparatus according to 1 or 2, characterized in that:

  In the environmental test apparatus of the present invention, the heat exchanger is formed of a tubular member, and the suction gas introduced into the heat exchanger is structured to flow from the upper side to the lower side along the shape of the tubular member. For this reason, even if the suction gas passing through the heat exchanger is cooled to produce condensed water, the condensed water does not flow back to the test space side. That is, the condensed water generated in the heat exchanger flows in the same direction (downward) as the flow direction of the suction gas in the tubular member. Specifically, the condensed water flowing in the heat exchanger flows toward the downstream side (downward) in the flow direction of the suction gas by the action of both the shape of the tubular member and the wind pressure of the suction gas.

  If it demonstrates in detail, the condensed water which generate | occur | produced in the heat exchanger will generate | occur | produce in the state adhering to the inner wall of a tubular member. For this reason, the suction gas which passes through the inside of the tubular member flows downstream while the circulation is hindered by the condensed water adhering to the inner wall. In other words, the suction gas passing through the tubular member flows irregularly by turbulent flow due to the condensed water. Condensed water flows in a predetermined direction (the flow direction of the suction gas), but its grains grow greatly with the passage of time. Then, by colliding with this, the collision of the suction gas in the condensed water becomes remarkable. In other words, the condensed water whose grain size has grown in the tubular member is more affected by the wind pressure received from the suction gas, and tends to flow more downstream. Thus, the condensed water flowing in the heat exchanger flows more efficiently toward the downstream side by the action of both the shape of the tubular member and the wind pressure of the suction gas.

  Therefore, according to the environmental test apparatus of the present invention, the condensed water generated in the heat exchanger is flowed not only depending on the shape of the tubular member but also using the action of the wind pressure of the suction gas. The downward inclination along the flow direction of the member can be made relatively gentle. That is, according to the present invention, the size (particularly the height) of the heat exchanger can be made compact, there are few problems with the size of the apparatus, and there is no risk of increasing the cost.

  Further, in the present invention, the condensed water flows in the same direction as the flow direction of the suction gas, but as described above, it functions as a resistor for the suction gas, so that the residence time of the suction gas can be delayed. That is, according to the present invention, by increasing the residence time of the suction gas inside the heat exchanger, it is possible to increase the chance of heat exchange of the suction gas and improve the heat exchange efficiency.

Here, although excluded from the invention described in claim 3, the dehumidifying device has a structure in which the suction gas introduced into the heat exchanger flows upward from below along the shape of the tubular member. Adopting things is also considered. However, when the said structure is employ | adopted, the problem that the condensed water which generate | occur | produced with the heat exchanger will flow backward to the test space side will arise. Furthermore, when the condensed water flows backward to the test space, the condensed water may adhere to the sample body placed in the test space or may act as a humidifying element again in the test space. Further, when the condensed water flows backward, the condensed water and the suction gas flow in directions opposite to each other. That is, in this configuration, the condensed water cannot be pushed out by the wind pressure of the suction gas as in the present invention. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, the discharge of the condensed water depends only on the shape of the tubular member. Therefore, when trying to flow the suction gas from the bottom to the top along the shape of the tubular member, in order to improve the discharge efficiency of the condensed water, the downward inclination along the flow direction of the tubular member is performed. Need to be relatively steep. However, if the drainage efficiency of the condensed water is improved in this way, the size (especially the height) of the heat exchanger will inevitably increase in inverse proportion, and the apparatus itself becomes larger, Increase in cost is inevitable.
In view of such circumstances, it is more efficient to employ a structure in which the gas sucked by the suction means flows downward from above the heat exchanger as in the present invention, and the condensed water can be discharged with high discharge efficiency. The suction gas can be cooled with the cooling efficiency.

  In addition, the environmental test apparatus according to claim 3 is configured such that the suction gas that has passed through the heat exchanger flows upward to reach the suction means, and the condensed water generated by the heat exchanger is discharged to the drain pipe. It has the structure which flows through via. That is, in the present invention, the basic gas-liquid separation principle is used. As a result, it has succeeded in efficiently separating the condensed water generated in the heat exchanger and the gas cooled and dehumidified in the heat exchanger. Thus, by separating the flow direction of the gas dehumidified by the heat exchanger from the flow direction of the condensed water, it is possible to prevent the unreasonable state that the dehumidified gas is humidified again by the condensed water. Furthermore, in the present invention, since the suction gas separated from the condensed water can be supplied to the detector described above, there is no possibility that the condensed water already generated in the heat exchanger flows into the detector. The trouble that may occur in the detector can be prevented more effectively.

By the way, even if the suction gas cooled by the outside air or the like is sufficiently cooled, the temperature is the same as the temperature indicated by the outside air or the like, and the humidity has reached the amount of water vapor that can be maintained at the temperature. In many cases, the saturation state is 100% relative humidity. In general, even in this saturated gas, under the condition that there is almost no temperature change, small condensed water is formed on the surface of the object, or the condensed water is repeatedly evaporated. Therefore, a large amount of condensed water is not generated. However, if the saturated gas that has passed through the heat exchanger is further cooled due to some influence, condensed water is easily generated at a place other than the heat exchanger (for example, the suction means and its surroundings). There is a risk that.
Note that an electronic device (such as a detector) having a built-in electronic component (such as a substrate) that is energized generates heat somewhat when energized, and therefore generally does not easily cause condensation.
Accordingly, in the invention according to claim 4 provided to eliminate such a phenomenon, the dehumidifier is provided with an outside air introduction pipe, and the outside air introduction pipe is downstream of the heat exchanger in the gas flow direction. It is connected to the side, It is an environmental test apparatus in any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to mix outside air having an unsaturated water vapor amount into the suction gas having a saturated water vapor amount via the outside air introduction pipe, so that the relative humidity of the sucked gas can be lowered. it can. That is, the suction gas can be shifted from the saturated state to the unsaturated state. As a result, the water vapor in the gas is suppressed from condensing in a place other than the heat exchanger, specifically in a place downstream of the heat exchanger, in the suction means or in the vicinity of the detector. .

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the environmental test apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the suction gas that has passed through the suction means passes through a detector that measures smoke and / or gas. It is.

  According to such a configuration, since the suction gas dehumidified by the heat exchanger is supplied to the detector, the possibility that water vapor contained in the suction gas is condensed inside the detector is low. In other words, according to the present invention, there is almost no possibility that gaseous water vapor is condensed to cause a failure or the like in the detector.

  In a sixth aspect of the present invention, the dehumidifying device includes a heating unit, and the heating unit heats the gas that has passed through the heat exchanger. This is an environmental test device.

  According to such a configuration, since the temperature of the suction gas saturated in the heat exchanger can be raised by the heating means, the relative humidity of the suction gas can be lowered. That is, the suction gas can be shifted from the saturated state to the unsaturated state. As a result, the water vapor in the gas is suppressed from condensing in a place other than the heat exchanger, specifically in a place downstream of the heat exchanger, in the suction means or in the vicinity of the detector. . In the present invention, since the main purpose is to bring the gas dehumidified by the heat exchanger into an unsaturated state, there is almost no heat required for heating. Therefore, as a heating means, for example, a heat exchanger (heat exchanger for heating) that uses the amount of heat of the gas taken out from the test space before being introduced into the heat exchanger (heat exchanger for dehumidification) is used. It can be suitably used.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the dehumidifying device includes an electronic cooler, and the electronic cooler cools the gas that has passed through the heat exchanger. It is an environmental test apparatus as described in above.

  According to such a configuration, the suction gas that has been saturated in the heat exchanger can be cooled to a room temperature or lower by the electronic cooler, so that the suction gas can be further dehumidified. Moreover, since the gas that has passed through the electronic cooler tends to rise in temperature toward the normal temperature range by the outside air, the relative humidity can be lowered as a result. As a result, the water vapor in the gas is suppressed from condensing in a place other than the heat exchanger, specifically in a place downstream of the heat exchanger, in the suction means or in the vicinity of the detector. . In the present invention, since the main purpose is to bring the gas dehumidified by the heat exchanger into an unsaturated state, there is almost no heat required for cooling. Therefore, the power consumption in the electronic cooler is small, and there is no risk of increasing the running cost.

  Since the environmental test apparatus of the present invention is provided with a dehumidifying device separately from the air conditioning equipment that forms the environment of the test space, it is possible to dehumidify the gas taken into the detector in advance. That is, it is possible to prevent a failure of a device such as a detector that may occur due to high humidity in the test space. Further, since the dehumidifying device performs dehumidification of the gas with a natural cooling type heat exchanger, it is possible to suppress power consumption required for the dehumidifying operation.

It is a perspective view which shows the environmental test apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which showed notionally the environmental test apparatus of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows a dehumidification apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows a coil type heat exchanger. It is sectional drawing to which a part of drainage pipe was expanded. It is the modification of a dehumidification apparatus, and is the conceptual diagram which paid its attention to the principal part. It is another modification of a dehumidification apparatus, and is the conceptual diagram which paid its attention to the principal part. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the modification of the trap in a drain pipe.

Below, the environmental test apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.
The environmental test apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is a so-called constant temperature and humidity apparatus, and the main basic configuration is the same as that of a known one. That is, the environmental test apparatus 1 has a constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 is divided into a test chamber (test space) 6 and an air conditioning passage (gas adjusting space) 7 by a partition wall 8. Are provided with openings 9 and 19 for communicating the test chamber 6 with the air conditioning passage 7.
In addition, the environmental test apparatus 1 of this embodiment does not become a space where the inside of the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 is completely airtight, but the inside and outside of the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 by a joint between members, an opening for wiring, or the like. This is a configuration in which a ventilation portion (not shown) communicating with each other is formed. That is, in the environmental test apparatus 1, air is circulated in and out of the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 through the ventilation part, and the atmospheric pressure is adjusted.

The test room (test space) 6 is a space in which a sample body such as equipment and parts is arranged and a desired test environment is formed when performing an environmental test, and an indoor temperature detection means 24 for detecting the temperature of the space. And an indoor humidity detector 25 for detecting the relative humidity of the space.
In the present embodiment, the indoor temperature detecting means 24 and the indoor humidity detecting device 25 are arranged on the upper side of the test chamber 6.

The air conditioning passage (gas adjusting space) 7 is a portion that generates a gas having a desired temperature and humidity. The humidifier 10, the evaporator 11, and the heater 12 are sequentially formed from the lower side (upstream side in the gas flow direction). The blower 13 is arranged.
The humidifier 10 includes an evaporating dish 30 having a predetermined depth and a conventionally known electric heater 34, and evaporates water stored in the evaporating dish 30 by the electric heater 34.
The evaporator (cooler) 11 is a part of a known cooling device and functions to take part of the refrigeration cycle. That is, the evaporator 11 cools the gas passing through the air-conditioning passage 7 by circulating a phase-change refrigerant therein and changing the cooling capacity and the like.
The heater 12 is a conventionally known electric heater and heats air passing through the air conditioning passage 7.
The blower 13 is a conventionally known fan and forms a circulating air flow in the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1, the environmental test apparatus 1 of this embodiment is provided with the dehumidification apparatus 2 for the purpose of dehumidification of the air (gas) taken out from the inside of the test chamber 6, as shown in FIG. . This dehumidifier 2 cools and dehumidifies the air in the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 by heat exchange with the outside air. As a main component, as shown in FIGS. An air pump (suction means) 21 for sucking air from the air and a heat exchanger 22 for cooling the air (suction air) sucked by the air pump 21. And in this embodiment, the air pump 21 and the heat exchanger 22 are accommodated in the one frame 23, and those apparatuses are connected by various piping.

  The air pump 21 is the same as a known one, and is an electric pump provided with a diaphragm.

  The heat exchanger 22 has one tubular member 31, and the tubular member 31 is formed into a spiral shape. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the heat exchanger 22 winds one tubular member 31 so that the number of turns is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (8 turns in the present embodiment). The winding portions 32 adjacent to each other in the direction are formed so as to be separated by a certain distance s. Moreover, in this embodiment, the inclined flow path is formed by making the tubular member 31 spiral. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the heat exchanger 22 has a posture in which the winding portions 32 of the tubular member 31 are stacked in the vertical direction (a posture in which the spiral axis of the tubular member 31 is in the vertical direction). From the one end part of the tubular member 31 to the other end part, the tubular member 31 has a downward slope or an upward slope.

  In addition, the frame body 23 that houses the air pump 21 and the heat exchanger 22 includes a side wall forming portion 35 having a substantially “U” shape in plan view and a bottom wall forming portion that forms the bottom wall of the side wall forming portion 35. 36. That is, the frame body 23 has a structure in which one side wall and one top wall are open. The frame body 23 has an accommodation space 37 formed by being surrounded by the side wall forming portion 35 and the bottom wall forming portion 36. That is, the frame body 23 accommodates the air pump 21 and the heat exchanger 22 in the accommodation space 37.

  The side wall forming portion 35 is provided with a circular communication hole 50 that communicates the inside and outside of the accommodation space 37. The communication hole 50 is a drain pipe hole through which a drain pipe 45 described later is inserted (hereinafter referred to as a drain pipe hole). Similarly, the bottom wall forming portion 36 is also provided with a rectangular communication hole 51 that communicates the inside and outside of the accommodation space 37. In this embodiment, the communication hole 51 is used as a hole (hereinafter referred to as an introduction pipe hole) through which an air introduction pipe 41 described later is inserted.

  Further, as described above, the dehumidifying device 2 uses various pipes that connect the air pump 21 and the heat exchanger 22. And in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, as the various piping, the gas introduction pipe | tube 41 which guides the air in the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 to the heat exchanger 22, and the air which passed the heat exchanger 22 A pump introduction pipe 42 that guides the air to the air pump 21, a gas return pipe 43 that guides the air discharged from the air pump 21 into the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 again, and an outside air introduction that supplies outside air to the air that has passed through the heat exchanger 22. A pipe 44 and a drain pipe 45 for draining a liquid in which water vapor in the air is condensed (hereinafter simply referred to as condensed water) in the heat exchanger 22 are prepared.

The gas introduction tube 41 is a tube for communicating the inside of the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 and the inside of the heat exchanger 22 so as to straddle the test chamber 6 of the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 and the accommodation space 37 of the dehumidifying device 2. It is arranged. More specifically, the gas introduction tube 41 is in such a posture that its flow path faces in the vertical direction, one end is connected to the heat exchanger 22, and the other end is opened to the test chamber 6. Yes. That is, in the gas introduction pipe 41, when the air in the test chamber 6 goes to the heat exchanger 22 side, the air flows from the lower side to the upper side. In addition, a heat insulating material (not shown) is wound around the gas introduction pipe 41 on the outer periphery of a part of the flow direction (only the dehumidifying device 2 side in this embodiment).
In the present embodiment, a joint having an “L” shape is arranged at a connection portion between the gas introduction pipe 41 and the heat exchanger 22.

  The pump introduction pipe 42 is a pipe for communicating the inside of the heat exchanger 22 and the inside of the air pump 21 and is constituted by a plurality of piping members. The pump introduction pipe 42 is provided with a branch part in the middle of the flow path, and the flow path direction is changed before and after the branch part. That is, the pump introduction pipe 42 is formed by a heat exchange side pipe 55 connected to the heat exchanger 22, a branch pipe 56 having a branch path in three directions, and a pump side pipe 57 connected to the air pump 21. Has been.

The heat exchange side pipe 55 is a flow path arranged in a downwardly inclined posture, one end is connected to the heat exchanger 22 and the other end is connected to one connection port 61a of a branch pipe 56 described later. It is connected.
The branch pipe 56 has a “Y” shape in appearance, and has three connection ports 61a to 61c. In this embodiment, of the three connection ports 61 a to 61 c of the branch pipe 56, two connection ports 61 a and 61 b are used as a part of the flow path of the pump introduction pipe 42. That is, in the pump introduction pipe 42, the air that has reached the branch pipe 56 flows in from one connection port 61a and flows out from the other connection port 61b. And in this embodiment, on the basis of such an air flow, the branch pipe 56 has a branch path on the air inflow side (one connection port 61a side) as a downward slope, and the air outflow side (the other connection). The branch path on the side of the mouth 61b is fixed in an uphill gradient.
The pump side pipe 57 is a flow path arranged in an ascending posture, one end of which is connected to one connection port 61 b of the branch pipe 56 and the other end is connected to the air pump 21. .

  The gas return pipe 43 is a pipe for connecting the air pump 21 and the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5, and is arranged so as to straddle the accommodation space 37 of the dehumidifier 2 and the test chamber 6 of the constant temperature and humidity tank 5. ing. More specifically, the gas return pipe 43 has one end connected to the air pump 21 and the other end opened to the test chamber 6. The gas return pipe 43 is in a posture in which most of the flow path is directed in the vertical direction. That is, in the gas return pipe 43, when the air discharged from the air pump 21 goes to the test chamber 6 side, the air flows from the upper side to the lower side.

The outside air introduction pipe 44 is a pipe for communicating the pump introduction pipe 42 and the outside air, and is connected to the middle of the pump introduction pipe 42. Specifically, the outside air introduction pipe 44 has one end connected to the pump side pipe 57 and the other end opened to the outside.
In the present embodiment, the inside diameter of the outside air introduction pipe 44 is sufficiently smaller than the inside diameter of the pump introduction pipe 42.

The drainage pipe 45 is a pipe for communicating the branch pipe 56 with the outside or a predetermined drainage system, and is arranged in a downwardly inclined posture with the branch pipe 56 side as a starting point toward the outside. Further, the drain pipe 45 is provided with a “U” -shaped trap (hereinafter referred to as “U trap”) 62 and a lift type check valve 63 in the middle thereof.
In the present embodiment, a check valve 63 is disposed on the downstream side of the U trap 62.

  The U trap 62 is similar to a known one, and as shown in FIG. 5, the U trap 62 is a portion obtained by bending the external shape of the drain pipe 45 into a “U” shape. That is, in the U trap 62, the condensed water flows in such a manner as to flow downward from above, and flows out so as to be pushed upward from below.

  The check valve 63 is the same as a known lift type check valve, and has a valve body 65 that can open and close the flow path by its own weight, as shown in FIG. That is, the check valve 63 closes the flow path when no force other than its own weight acts on the valve body 65 or when the action of the force against the dead weight of the valve body 65 is less than a certain value. In addition, when the action of the force against the dead weight of the valve body 65 becomes a certain value or more, an open posture for opening the flow path is taken. That is, the check valve 63 does not allow the condensed water to pass downstream in the closed posture state, and allows the condensed water to pass downstream by switching to the open posture state. More specifically, in the check valve 63 employed in this embodiment, the valve body 65 is pulled to the upstream side of the flow path by the suction force of the air pump 21 while the air pump 21 is driven. When the water flow is generated or the water level difference is caused by the accumulated water, the valve body 65 is lifted by the water and allowed to flow downstream, or the valve body 65 and the flow path Allow leakage from the gap to the downstream side of the water.

Then, the positional relationship of the dehumidification apparatus 2 in the environmental test apparatus 1 and the positional relationship of each member which comprises the dehumidification apparatus 2 are demonstrated.
In the environmental test apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the dehumidifying device 2 is placed on the outer upper portion of the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 (FIG. 1). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the dehumidifying device 2 is disposed directly above the test chamber 6, and the bottom wall forming portion 36 of the frame body 23 is placed on the top surface of the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 at that position. In the contacted state, it is fixed using a fastening element such as a screw. More specifically, a through hole 46 communicating with the outside is provided immediately above the test chamber 6, and the dehumidifier 2 communicates the introduction pipe hole 51 of the bottom wall forming portion 36 with the through hole 46. It is installed in a posture. The gas introduction pipe 41 of the dehumidifying device 2 is inserted into the communicating through hole 46 and introduction pipe hole 51.

Further, the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 is provided with another through hole 47 just above the test chamber 6 and in the vicinity of where the frame body 23 is fixed. A gas return pipe 43 of the dehumidifier 2 is inserted. That is, the gas return pipe 43 is inserted into the through hole 47 at a midway position connecting the air pump 21 and the test chamber 6. Moreover, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, the flowmeter 70 which measures the ventilation | gas_flow amount of air, and the detector 71 which detects smoke are provided in the middle position of this gas return pipe | tube 43. FIG. Yes. The flow meter 70 and the detector 71 are fixed to the side wall forming portion 35 of the frame body 23.
The detector 71 is the same as that known in the art and may be of any type such as a photoelectric type or an ionization type.

In addition, as described above, one end of the drainage pipe 45 is connected to the branch pipe 56 constituting a part of the pump introduction pipe 42, and the other end is illustrated in the environment test apparatus 1. Not connected to the drainage system. The drainage pipe 45 is formed such that a part in the middle thereof is inserted into the drainage pipe hole 50 of the frame body 23 and along the outer shell of the environmental test apparatus 1. Specifically, the drainage pipe 45 has a shape extending from the top surface to the back surface of the environmental test apparatus 1 and is generally “L” -shaped. In this embodiment, the U trap 62 and the check valve 63 provided in the drain pipe 45 are arranged on the back side of the environmental test apparatus 1.
In addition, as for the drainage pipe 45, the part of the top | upper surface side of the environmental test apparatus 1 is made into the downward slope toward the downstream (toward the back side).

On the other hand, in the frame body 23 of the dehumidifier 2, the air pump 21 and the heat exchanger 22 are installed at predetermined positions. Specifically, the air pump 21 and the heat exchanger 22 are disposed on the upper side of the frame body 23, and are in a positional relationship such that a slight distance is formed between them. And each of those apparatuses is being fixed to the frame 23 by the appropriate method. That is, in this embodiment, the air pump 21 and the heat exchanger 22 are fixed to the inside of the frame body 23 using a fixing bracket (not shown). And the pump introduction pipe | tube 42 is distribute | arranged so that the air pump 21 and the heat exchanger 22 of the state may be connected.
As described above, the outside air introduction pipe 44 is connected to the pump side pipe 57 of the pump introduction pipe 42.

Next, the basic operation of the environmental test apparatus 1 will be described.
The environmental test apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment places the inside of the test chamber 6 in a high temperature environment equal to or higher than a predetermined value (high temperature test), or conversely changes the temperature in a low temperature environment below a predetermined value (low temperature test). It is possible to perform an environmental test operation in which the placed sample body is subjected to a cooling / heating cycle and the heat resistance and the like of the sample body is measured.
In the following, an environmental test operation performed in the order of a low temperature test and a high temperature test will be described as an example.

  When the environmental test operation is started, a low temperature test is first performed in accordance with the above. That is, in the environmental test apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when the low temperature test is started, the air in the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 is circulated by the blower 13 and the inside of the test chamber 6 is cooled to a desired ambient temperature. Specifically, the air in the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 is sucked by the blower 13 from the opening 19 on the lower side of the partition wall 8 toward the air conditioning passage 7 and passes through the air conditioning passage 7 vertically upward. The temperature drops. Then, the air that has fallen to a predetermined temperature is sent out from the opening 9 on the upper side of the partition wall 8 to the test chamber 6 side.

More specifically, when the blower 13 is activated, air is discharged from the blower 13 and blown to the test chamber 6 side. Thereby, an air flow is formed along the wall surface in the test chamber 6. Then, the air that has reached the opening 19 on the lower side of the partition wall 8 is again introduced into the air conditioning passage 7. The air introduced into the air conditioning passage 7 passes through an evaporator (cooler) 11 controlled to a low temperature and is cooled at that time. And if the cooled air reaches the air blower 13, it will be again sent by the air blower 13 to the test chamber 6 side. Thus, the test chamber 6 is adjusted to a desired low-temperature environment by supplying low-temperature air.
In the low temperature test, if necessary, the heater 12 is activated to adjust the temperature in the test chamber 6 to the temperature rising side, or the humidifier 10 is operated to reduce the humidity in the test chamber 6 to the humidifying side. It is possible to adjust to.

  On the other hand, paying attention to the pressure environment in the test chamber 6 at this time, when the low temperature test is started and the indoor temperature is lowered, the indoor pressure (static pressure) is lowered accordingly. Specifically, in the test chamber 6, the kinetic energy of the molecule is reduced by cooling the air, and the behavior range of the molecule becomes a narrow range (shrinkage), so the indoor pressure tends to decrease. In other words, in the low temperature test, the pressure in the test chamber 6 tends to decrease, so that the air is likely to flow into the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5. That is, in the low temperature test, external air flows into the test chamber 6 through a seam or the like (a ventilation portion) such as a cable hole or a member (not shown). In this way, the pressure drop is reduced in the test chamber 6 by introducing air from the ventilation portion (atmospheric pressure adjustment function).

  And when predetermined time passes after a low-temperature test is started, the said test will be complete | finished and it transfers to a high-temperature test. When the high temperature test is started, the inside of the test chamber 6 is heated to a desired temperature environment while maintaining air circulation by the blower 13. That is, the air in the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 is drawn into the air conditioning passage 7 side from the opening 19 on the lower side of the partition wall 8 by the blower 13, and the temperature rises while passing through the air conditioning passage 7 vertically upward. . Then, the air heated to a predetermined temperature is sent out from the opening 9 on the upper side of the partition wall 8 to the test chamber 6 side.

If it demonstrates in detail, the flow of the air which follows the wall surface in the test room 6 will be formed by the drive of the air blower 13 like the said low temperature test. Then, the air that has reached the opening 19 on the lower side of the partition wall 8 is introduced into the air conditioning passage 7. The air introduced into the air conditioning passage 7 passes through the heater 12 controlled to a high temperature and is heated at that time. And if the heated air reaches the air blower 13, it will be again sent by the air blower 13 to the test chamber 6 side. Thus, the test chamber 6 is adjusted to a desired high-temperature environment by supplying high-temperature air.
In the high temperature test, if necessary, the evaporator 11 is operated to adjust the temperature in the test chamber 6 to the low temperature side, or the humidifier 10 is operated to change the humidity in the test chamber 6 to the humidification side. It is possible to adjust.

  On the other hand, paying attention to the pressure environment in the test chamber 6 at this time, when the high temperature test is started and the room temperature rises, the room pressure (static pressure) increases accordingly. Specifically, in the test chamber 6, the kinetic energy of the molecules increases as the air is heated, and the range of motion of the molecules becomes wide (air expands), so the indoor pressure tends to increase. In other words, in the high temperature test, since the pressure in the test chamber 6 tends to increase, the air in the test chamber 6 starts to move to the low pressure side. That is, the air in the test chamber 6 flows out to the outside through a ventilation portion (not shown). Thus, in the test chamber 6, the pressure rise is alleviated (atmospheric pressure adjustment function) by discharging air from the ventilation section.

  Then, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the high-temperature test, the test ends, and the test operation for the second cycle is completed, or the environmental test operation itself ends.

  In the environmental test apparatus 1, the current temperature (current temperature) and the current relative humidity (current relative humidity) in the test chamber 6 are monitored by the indoor temperature detection means 24 and the indoor humidity detection device 25. On the basis of the current information obtained by the above and predetermined setting conditions set in advance (target temperature, target humidity, etc. in the test chamber in the environmental test operation), each device (humidifier 10, evaporator 11, heater 12). , Blower 13 and the like) are controlled.

Subsequently, characteristic functions of the environmental test apparatus 1 will be described.
As described above, in the environmental test apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, external air flows into the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 during the environmental test operation, or conversely, outside the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 An air pressure adjustment function is provided to adjust the air pressure in the tank as air flows out. That is, the environmental test apparatus 1 can perform the environmental test operation while maintaining the atmospheric pressure in the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 almost constant by this atmospheric pressure adjustment function. As a result, the inside of the test chamber 6 hardly generates a pressure difference due to a temperature difference, and thus a decrease in test accuracy due to the pressure difference cannot occur.

  On the other hand, the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 has a complaint that it is easily affected by the moisture of the outside air that flows in. That is, in the environmental test apparatus 1, as described above, the low temperature test and the high temperature test are repeatedly performed in a predetermined cycle. Therefore, in the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5, the moisture of the outside air sucked in every low temperature test is frosted in the evaporator 11. Moreover, since the frost attached to the evaporator 11 melts every time the high temperature test is performed, it becomes a humidifying factor in the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5. Thus, in the high temperature test, there has been a problem that the humidity in the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 is excessively increased due to the moisture of the outside air taken into the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 in the low temperature test. As a result, high-humidity air flows into the detector 71 that detects smoke or the like, which may cause malfunction or failure of the detector 71.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when introducing the air taken out from the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 to the detector 71 in order to solve such a problem, a special dehumidifying function that can be dehumidified by the newly provided dehumidifying device 2 is provided. Has been granted. In the present embodiment, the special dehumidifying function is activated (hereinafter referred to as a special dehumidifying operation) from the time when power is supplied to the environmental test apparatus 1.
Hereinafter, the special dehumidifying function will be described in detail.

  When the special dehumidifying operation is performed, the air pump 21 is activated and the suction of air by the pump 21 is started. That is, in the dehumidifying device 2, the upstream side in the air flow direction becomes a negative pressure with respect to the air pump 21, and the air in the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 is sucked from the end side forming the upstream flow path. Specifically, air is taken into the dehumidifying device 2 from the end of the gas introduction tube 41 opened to the test chamber 6. Then, the air that has flowed into the gas introduction pipe 41 (hereinafter also simply referred to as suction air) flows in the pipe 41 from the bottom to the top and is introduced to the heat exchanger 22 side when reaching the top of the pipe 41. Is done.

  In addition, as above-mentioned, the gas introduction pipe | tube 41 is heat-retained by providing a heat insulating material in the outer periphery, and the distance from the top surface of the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 to the heat exchanger 22 is very short. For this reason, the influence of the suction air passing through the gas introduction pipe 41 from the outside air is small. That is, the suction air is hardly cooled in the gas introduction pipe 41.

  And when suction air is introduce | transduced into the heat exchanger 22, it will flow in the inside of the tubular member 31 spirally toward upper direction from the downward direction. At this time, the sucked air is cooled by exchanging heat with air convection to the outside of the tubular member 31 (hereinafter simply referred to as outside air). That is, the temperature of the suction air decreases as it flows through the tubular member 31 downstream. At the same time, as the suction air flows through the tubular member 31 downstream, the relative humidity increases. And the suction air is in a state where water vapor is saturated when the temperature drops to a predetermined value.

And in the heat exchanger 22, the suction air which became the saturated state is further cooled. That is, in the heat exchanger 22, the suction air is naturally cooled by heat exchange with the outside air, and at the same time, water vapor held in the suction air is condensed. That is, in the dehumidifying device 2, the absolute humidity of the suction air can be reduced by the heat exchanger 22.
Hereinafter, the suction air whose absolute humidity has been lowered by the heat exchanger 22 is referred to as dehumidified saturated air.

  In this way, the dehumidified saturated air whose absolute humidity has been lowered flows out into the pump introduction pipe 42 and is introduced into the air pump 21. Specifically, in the process of passing through the pump introduction pipe 42, the dehumidified saturated air is mixed with the outside air that has flowed in via the outside air introduction pipe 44, and becomes a state in which the relative humidity is lowered (dehumidified unsaturated air). In this state, it is introduced into the air pump 21. Then, when the suction air that has become the dehumidified unsaturated air passes through the air pump 21, it flows out to the gas return pipe 43. Then, the dehumidified unsaturated air that has flowed out to the gas return pipe 43 is returned to the test chamber 6 via the flow meter 70 and the detector 71 arranged in the middle of the flow path. That is, the flow meter 70 and the detector 71 are introduced with dehumidified unsaturated air that has been dehumidified by the heat exchanger 22 and that has been brought into an unsaturated state by the outside air. Then, the dehumidified unsaturated air that has passed through these devices is returned to the test chamber 6.

  Thus, in this embodiment, since the air in the test chamber 6 introduced into the detector 71 and the like can be cooled and dehumidified by the heat exchanger 22 using the natural cooling method, the detector 71 In the inside, the possibility that the water vapor contained in the suction air is condensed is low. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the dehumidified saturated air cooled by the heat exchanger 22 is mixed with the outside air to form dehumidified unsaturated air, which is then introduced into the detector 71, so that dew condensation occurs in the detector 71. The possibility to do is infinitely low. As a result, regardless of whether the air in the test chamber 6 is in a high humidity state, there is almost no risk that the detector 71 will be damaged due to condensation.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, since it is the structure which returns the air dehumidified with the dehumidification apparatus 2 in the test chamber 6 again, it is possible to reduce the humidity in the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5. FIG. As a result, the amount of moisture that forms on the evaporator 11 in a low-temperature test or the like can be significantly reduced, so that a problem that the cooling capacity of the evaporator 11 is reduced can be suppressed.

Finally, the dehumidifying capability of the heat exchanger 22 of the dehumidifying device 2 will be briefly described.
In the following, the temperature in the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 is 85 degrees Celsius (° C.) and the relative humidity in the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 at that time is 40 percent (%) by the high temperature test. The case where dehumidification is performed by the heat exchanger 22 of the dehumidifier 2 will be described as an example.
At this time, the outside air is assumed to be 25 degrees Celsius (° C.).
The air pump 21 is assumed to have a capacity of 5 (L / min).

Here, the air density ρ ₀ under the conditions of 0 degrees Celsius (° C.) and 1 atmosphere (atm) is 1.293 (g / L). That is, the air density ρ _t (g / L) under the conditions of t degrees Celsius and P atmospheric pressure can be calculated from the following formula (1).
ρ _t = 1.293 / (1 + 0.00367t) Expression (1)

That is, the air density ρ ₂₅ under the conditions of 25 degrees Celsius (° C.) and 1 atmosphere (atm) is 1.184 (g / L) according to the mathematical formula (1).

Further, as described above, since the capacity of the air pump 21 is 5 (L / min), the actual amount of air flow q (g / min) is, for example, 25 degrees Celsius (° C.) as described above. It becomes as follows.
Air quantity q (g / min) = 1.184 (g / L) * 5 (L / min) ≈6.00 (g / min)
For convenience, when the unit of 6.00 (g / min) is converted, the air amount Q (kg / hr) becomes 0.36 (kg / hr).

  Under such conditions, when the air in the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 is sucked to the dehumidifying device 2 side, the sucked air is heat-recovered to the outside air in the heat exchanger 22 and cooled. That is, the air in the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5 passes through the heat exchanger 22, and the temperature is lowered from 85 degrees Celsius (° C.) to 25 degrees Celsius (° C.). Thereby, the suction air that has passed through the heat exchanger 22 becomes saturated air at 25 degrees Celsius (° C.).

The amount of water vapor v (g / kg) to be dehumidified at this time can be calculated from the following formula (2).
v = absolute weight humidity SH _in the test chamber 6−saturated weight absolute humidity SH _{out at} the outside air temperature Equation (2)
A table showing physical property values such as weight absolute humidity SH of air is shown in Table 1 below.

That is, when the temperature of the suction air is lowered from 85 degrees Celsius (° C.) to 25 degrees Celsius (° C.) in the heat exchanger 22 under the above conditions, the dehumidification is performed according to the mathematical formula (2) and Table 1. The amount of water vapor v (g / kg) is as follows.
Water vapor amount v (g / kg) = 184.16-20.09 = 164.07 (g / kg)

  Further, when the calculated water vapor amount v (g / kg) is converted into the water vapor amount V (g / hr) per hour, 164.07 * 0.36 = 59.06 (g / hr). .

  Thus, it can be seen that sufficient dehumidification can be achieved even with the natural cooling method by the heat exchanger 22. That is, in this embodiment, it is possible to dehumidify the air without using an expensive and energy-consuming apparatus such as a refrigerator.

  In the said embodiment, although the air cooled naturally in the heat exchanger 22 was shown as the structure introduce | transduced into the detector 71 as it is, this invention is not limited to this, The air which passed the heat exchanger 22 is detected. A configuration provided with heating means for raising the temperature by some method before reaching the vessel 71 may be adopted. For example, as the heating means, a heat exchanger that exchanges heat with the air passing through the gas introduction pipe 41, an apparatus that directly heats with an electric heater, or the like can be used. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the dew condensation in the detector 71 can be prevented more effectively.

  In the above embodiment, the branch pipe 56 is arranged between the heat exchanger 22 and the air pump 21, and only the air separated from the gas and liquid in the branch pipe 56 is guided to the detector 71 side. However, instead of or in addition to the branch pipe 56, an electronic cooler 75 having a Peltier element is provided downstream from the heat exchanger 22 to the detector 71. It may be a configuration. According to this structure, the air air dehumidified more effectively can be guide | induced to the detector 71 side. This specific configuration is as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, for example.

That is, as shown in FIG. 6, when an electronic cooler 75 is provided instead of the branch pipe 56, the heat exchanger side pipe 55, the pump side pipe 57, and the drain pipe 45 are connected to the electronic cooler 75. Thereby, in the electronic cooler 75, since the air which passed the heat exchanger 22 is further dehumidified and becomes unsaturated air, further prevention of dew condensation can be expected.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, when an electronic cooler 75 is provided in addition to the branch pipe 56, one connection port 61 a side of the branch pipe 56 is connected to the electronic cooler 75 (even if it is direct, And an auxiliary drain pipe 76 connected to the pump side pipe 57 and the drain pipe 45 is connected. In the case of this configuration, gas-liquid separation is performed in the branch pipe 56, and unsaturated air can be generated by dehumidification in the electronic cooler 75. Therefore, more than in the case of the branch pipe 56 or the electronic cooler 75 alone. Air with a high dew condensation prevention effect can be guided to the detector 71 side. Furthermore, in the case of this configuration, compared to the case where only the electronic cooler 75 is provided, the loss of cooling capacity due to moisture adhesion can be reduced, so that a relatively small size can be adopted.

  In the said embodiment, although the structure which provided the U trap 62 in the drain pipe 45 was shown, this invention is not limited to this, You may employ | adopt the thing of another system. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a configuration in which a water-sealed trap 77 is provided may be used.

  In the above embodiment, the heat exchanger 22 employs a configuration in which the air sucked by the air pump 21 is flowed downward from above, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the heat exchanger is configured to flow upward from below. May be adopted.

  In the said embodiment, although the structure which distribute | arranged the drain pipe 45 to the branch pipe 56 (a part of pump introduction pipe 42) located in the upstream of the air pump 21 was shown, this invention is not limited to this, The configuration may be such that the crossing pipe 55 or the pump side pipe 57 is arranged. However, in this case, it is necessary to make the gradient of the flow path downward toward the downstream so that the condensed water generated in the heat exchanger 22 flows.

  In addition to the above configuration, a configuration in which the drain pipe 45 is disposed in the gas return pipe 43 located on the downstream side of the air pump 21 may be adopted. When this configuration is adopted, the condensed water generated in the heat exchanger 22 may flow into the air pump 21. From the viewpoint of protection of equipment and the like, as in the above embodiment, A configuration in which the drain pipe 45 is arranged on the upstream side of the air pump 21 is suitable.

By the way, in the environmental test apparatus 1, the air etc. which may have a bad influence on an external environment may be contained in the air which circulates between the test chamber 6 and the air-conditioning channel | path 7. FIG. In such a case, it is desirable to return the suction air dehumidified by the dehumidifying device 2 to the test chamber 6 side. However, it is not always necessary to return any of the gaseous components circulating in the environmental test apparatus 1 to the test space side if there is no possibility of adversely affecting the external environment.
Therefore, in view of such circumstances, the present invention may be configured such that the air that has passed through the detector 71 is not returned into the test chamber 6 without providing the gas return pipe 43. That is, the air that has passed through the detector 71 may be released into the atmosphere. According to this configuration, it is not necessary to prepare the gas return pipe 43 for returning air to the test chamber 6 side, and a hole through which the gas return pipe 43 is inserted is provided in the casing forming the constant temperature and humidity chamber 5. Since it is not necessary, unnecessary cost increases can be prevented.
In addition, even when the gas return pipe 43 is provided as in the above embodiment, a flow path switching means such as a valve is provided to determine whether the suction air is returned to the test chamber 6 side or released to the atmosphere. You may make it the structure which can be changed selectively.

  In the said embodiment, although the structure which provided the U trap 62 in the drain pipe 45 was shown, this invention is not limited to this, The structure which does not provide the U trap 62 may be sufficient. Similarly, the check valve 63 may not be provided.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the lift type check valve 63 is provided is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other types of check valves may be used. For example, a swing type check valve or the like.

  In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the detector 71 for detecting smoke is attached to the dehumidifying device 2 is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a detector for detecting gases such as hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and methane. You may be the structure which attached. In addition, there exists a detector provided with the contact-type sensor which detects carbon monoxide in the detector which detects gas, for example. In this contact sensor, a part of the sensor part is made of a substance that generates heat in response to carbon monoxide, and gas detection is performed by monitoring a temperature difference from the remaining part of the sensor part.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the outside air is mixed into the air that has passed through the heat exchanger 22 and introduced into the detector 71 is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the detector 71 is not mixed with the outside air. The air may be guided to the air. That is, the outside air introduction pipe 44 may be omitted.

1 Environmental test equipment 2 Dehumidification equipment 6 Test room (test space)
7 Air conditioning passage (Gas adjustment space)
11 Evaporator (cooler)
21 Air pump (suction means)
22 heat exchanger 31 tubular member 41 gas introduction pipe 42 pump introduction pipe 43 gas return pipe 45 drain pipe 56 branch pipe 62 U trap 63 check valve 65 valve body

Claims (7)

An environmental test apparatus comprising a test space in which a sample body is arranged and capable of making the test space a desired environment,
With a dehumidifier in direct or indirect communication with the test space;
The dehumidifier includes a suction means capable of sucking the gas in the test space, a heat exchanger composed of a tubular member for heat exchange between the gas sucked by the suction means and the external air, and the condensation generated in the heat exchanger. A drain pipe for draining water is provided, and the suction means and the heat exchanger are connected via a predetermined pipe,
The gas that has passed through the heat exchanger flows toward the suction means located on the downstream side in the gas flow direction, and at the same time, the condensed water generated in the heat exchanger is downstream in the gas flow direction from the heat exchanger. Environmental test equipment characterized by being discharged through a drain pipe arranged in   The environmental test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tubular member is formed in a spiral shape in a flow path direction.   The gas introduced into the heat exchanger flows from the top to the bottom along the shape of the tubular member constituting the heat exchanger, and the gas that has passed through the heat exchanger flows upward and is sucked. 1 or 2 characterized in that the condensed water generated by the heat exchanger while passing through the means is discharged downward through a drain pipe arranged between the heat exchanger and the suction means. The environmental test apparatus described in 1.   The dehumidifier is provided with an outside air introduction pipe, and the outside air introduction pipe is connected to the downstream side in the gas flow direction with respect to the heat exchanger. Environmental test equipment.   The environmental test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction gas that has passed through the suction means passes through a detector that measures smoke and / or gas.   The environmental test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dehumidifying device includes a heating unit, and the heating unit heats the gas that has passed through the heat exchanger.   The environmental test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dehumidifying device includes an electronic cooler, and the electronic cooler cools the gas that has passed through the heat exchanger.

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