JP2017173235A - Environmental test device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To develop an environmental test device capable of creating low temperature and high humidity environment.SOLUTION: An environmental test device includes air supply means 38 for humidification while a test room 2 and an air-conditioning device 50 are separately provided. The air supply means 38 for humidification is constituted by an additional humidification device 65, piping 72 for humidification, and an actuator valve 73. The additional humidification device 65 intakes air from an ambient air intake port 70 into a housing 66 to appropriately humidify it by a humidifier 67. The humidified air is compressed by a humidifying blower 68 to be discharged from an air exhaust port 71. The discharged humidified air passes through the piping 72 for humidification to be supplied to a going-side draft air duct 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an environmental test apparatus capable of creating a specific environment in a test chamber and exposing a device under test to a desired environment.
The environmental test apparatus of the present invention is suitable as an environmental test apparatus having a configuration in which a test room and an air conditioner are separate bodies and both are installed at a distance.

Environmental tests are known as tests for examining the performance and durability of products and parts. Environmental tests are performed using equipment called environmental test equipment. The environmental test apparatus artificially creates, for example, a high temperature environment, a low temperature environment, a high humidity environment, and the like. In the present specification, the simple term “humidity” means relative humidity.
Some environmental test apparatuses are divided into an air conditioner for adjusting temperature and humidity and a test room.
For example, the size of the DUT itself may be large, or the device that drives the DUT may be large, and the test room and the air conditioner are separated due to the balance with other devices and layout restrictions. Things may be adopted.
FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of a conventional environmental test apparatus 100. The environment test apparatus 100 can create a ventilation environment in the test room 2.

In the environmental test apparatus 100, the test chamber 2 and the air conditioner 3 are separate bodies as described above, and the circulation channel 5 connects between the two.
The test chamber 2 has a test space 6 in which a DUT is installed. The test space 6 is covered with a heat insulating wall 7.
The test chamber 2 is provided with a temperature sensor 30 for detecting the temperature of the space and a humidity sensor 31 for detecting the humidity of the space in a space in which equipment, parts, and the like serving as samples are arranged when performing an environmental test. ing. The temperature sensor 30 is a temperature sensor such as a conventionally known resistance temperature detector. On the other hand, the humidity sensor 31 is, for example, a conventionally known humidity sensor.
The test chamber 2 has an air inlet 10 and an air outlet 11.

The air conditioner 3 has a ventilation space 17 therein, and an air conditioner 18 is incorporated therein. The air conditioner 18 includes the evaporator 12, the humidifier 13, and the heater 15 of the cooling device 32.
The cooling device 32 realizes a refrigeration cycle using a phase-change refrigerant, and as shown in FIG. 6, the compressor 33, the condenser 35, the expansion valve 36, the evaporator 12, and the refrigerant that connects these in an annular shape. It has a refrigeration circuit 23 constituted by a pipe 26.
Therefore, the air conditioner 3 includes an evaporator 12, a humidifier 13, a heater 15, and a circulation fan (blower unit) 16. The motor of the circulation fan 16 is controlled by an inverter, and the rotation speed can be changed.
The air conditioner 3 has an air supply port 20 that blows air toward the test chamber 2 and an air return port 21 that introduces air returned from the test chamber 2 into the air conditioner 3.
The air conditioner 3 introduces air into the ventilation space 17 from the air return port 21, adjusts the temperature and humidity of the air while passing through the ventilation space 17, and blows air from the air supply port 20 by the circulation fan 16. Have.

In the environmental test apparatus 100, the test chamber 2 and the air conditioner 3 are separate bodies as described above, and both are connected by the circulation flow path 5.
That is, the air supply port 20 of the air conditioner 3 and the air supply inlet 10 of the test chamber 2 are connected by the forward air passage 22. Further, a return side air passage 25 connects between the air discharge port 11 of the test chamber 2 and the air return port 21 of the air conditioner 3. Both the forward-side air passage 22 and the return-side air passage 25 are ducts.

  In the environmental test apparatus 100, the target environment of the test room 2 is set by an input device (not shown). In the environmental test apparatus 100, a set temperature and a set humidity are input.

In the environmental test apparatus 100, the temperature and humidity in the test chamber 2 are fed back to the air conditioner 3, and air adjusted to a desired temperature and humidity by the air conditioner 3 is sent to the test chamber 2 side.
That is, in the environmental test apparatus 100, the temperature and humidity in the test chamber 2 are detected by the temperature sensor 30 and the humidity sensor 31 in the test chamber 2, and the air conditioner 18 of the air conditioner 3 is controlled based on the detection information.
More specifically, when the temperature in the test chamber 2 is detected by the temperature sensor 30 and the detected temperature is lower than the set temperature, the heater 15 of the air conditioner 18 of the air conditioner 3 located at a remote position is detected. The output is increased and the output of the cooling device 32 is decreased. As a result, the temperature of the air blown from the air conditioner 3 rises, and the heated air is sent to the test chamber 2 at a remote location.
Conversely, when the temperature in the test chamber 2 is higher than the set temperature, the output of the cooling device 32 is increased and the output of the heater 15 is decreased. As a result, the temperature of the air blown from the air conditioner 3 is lowered, and the air whose temperature has dropped is sent to the test chamber 2 at a remote position.

Further, the humidity in the test chamber 2 is detected by the humidity sensor 31, and when the detected humidity is lower than the set humidity, the output of the humidifying device 13 of the air conditioner 18 at a remote position is increased. As a result, the humidity of the air blown from the air conditioner 3 increases, and the humidified air is sent to the test chamber 2 at a remote position.
Conversely, when the humidity in the test chamber 2 is higher than the set humidity, the cooling device 32 is operated to condense water vapor in the air on the surface of the evaporator 12 and dehumidify it. As a result, the humidity of the air blown from the air conditioner 3 decreases, and the dehumidified air is sent to the test chamber 2 at a remote position.

As described above, the air conditioner 18 includes the evaporator 12, the humidifier 13, and the heater 15 of the cooling device 32. The cooling device 32 reduces the temperature of the air and reduces the humidity of the air. It is used for purposes. However, the cooling amount and dehumidifying amount of the cooling device 32 are difficult to control with high accuracy. Therefore, in the actual environmental test apparatus 100, the temperature of the air is slightly reduced by the cooling device 32, and the air is heated by the heater 15 to finely adjust the air temperature to the set temperature. That is, the inside of the test chamber 2 is adjusted to the set temperature by balancing the refrigeration output of the cooling device 32 and the heating output of the heater 15.
The same applies to the humidity adjustment. The air humidity is slightly reduced by the cooling device 32, and the air is humidified by the humidifying device 13 to finely adjust the air humidity to the set humidity.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2016-3980

The environmental testing apparatus 100 of the prior art has a problem that it is difficult to create a low temperature and high humidity environment. For example, it may be difficult to create an environment such as minus 10 degrees Celsius and 95% humidity (relative humidity) in the test chamber 2.
This will be described below.
In the environmental test apparatus 100, as described above, air adjusted to a desired temperature and humidity by the air conditioner 3 is sent to the test chamber 2 side.
For example, in order to create an environment such as minus 10 degrees Celsius and 95 percent humidity in the test room 2, the air temperature is adjusted to minus 10 degrees Celsius with the air conditioner 3 and the humidity is adjusted to 95 percent. It is ideal to maintain the test chamber 2 in the target environment by maintaining the test chamber 2 and sending it to the test chamber 2.

However, in the environmental test apparatus 100, since the test chamber 2 and the air conditioner 3 are separated from each other and the two are connected by the circulation flow path 5, the pressure is considerably increased by the circulation blower 16 toward the test chamber 2 side. You may need to send air.
Therefore, the energy given to the air by the circulation fan 16 is large, and the energy is changed to heat. As a result, the temperature of the air discharged from the circulation fan 16 may increase.

Here, relative humidity is the ratio of the amount of water vapor actually contained to the amount of water vapor that can be contained (saturated water vapor amount). The amount of water vapor that can be contained (the amount of saturated water vapor) depends on the temperature of the air, and the amount of saturated water vapor increases as the temperature of the air increases.
The air discharged from the circulation blower 16 receives energy from the circulation blower 16 and rises in temperature, and the saturated water vapor amount is increased. On the other hand, the amount of water vapor contained in the air does not change. For this reason, the air discharged from the circulation fan 16 receives the energy of the circulation fan 16 and the temperature rises, and the reaction lowers the humidity.

In order to compensate for this decrease in humidity, it is necessary to make the humidity of the air conditioner 3 higher than the set humidity (95 percent) and to send air having a higher humidity than the setting from the circulation fan 16.
However, the relative humidity generally has an upper limit of 100 percent, and it is difficult to stably deliver air with higher humidity. When the relative humidity exceeds 100 percent, water vapor is condensed everywhere, and a large amount of condensed water may be generated.
Therefore, the conventional environmental test apparatus 100 has a problem that it is difficult to create a low temperature and high humidity environment.

According to experiments conducted by the present inventors, the temperature of the air before and after the circulation fan 16 has a maximum difference of 2.9 degrees in the environmental test apparatus 100 of the prior art.
As explained in the previous example, since the set temperature of the test chamber 2 is minus 10 degrees, the air conditioner 3 makes air having a temperature of minus 12.9 degrees to supply the temperature to the test chamber 2 to compensate for the temperature rise. There is a need to.
On the other hand, the saturated water vapor amount of minus 12.9 degrees is about 20 percent less than the saturated water vapor amount of minus 10 degrees. Therefore, even if the humidity of the air in the air conditioner 3 is 100%, the humidity of the air that has reached the test chamber 2 decreases by 20% due to the reaction of the temperature rise, and is about 80%.
Therefore, it has been difficult for the environmental test apparatus 100 of the prior art to create an environment such as minus 10 degrees Celsius and 95% humidity (relative humidity) in the test chamber 2.

  An object of the present invention is to develop an environmental test apparatus capable of creating a low-temperature and high-humidity environment by paying attention to the above-described problems of the prior art.

  Invention of Claim 1 for solving an above-described subject has an air-conditioning part and a test room which installs a to-be-tested object, and the air-conditioning part has air-conditioning equipment which controls temperature and humidity, and a ventilation means. An environmental test apparatus for adjusting the test chamber to a desired target temperature and target humidity by blowing air adjusted by an air conditioner to a test chamber by a blower; The air supply means is an environmental test apparatus that introduces air having a water vapor content higher than air blown from the air-conditioning unit to the downstream side of the blower means.

It is desirable that the air conditioning unit and the test room are separate, but they may be integrated.
The humidifying air supply means may be separate from the air conditioning unit and the test room, or the humidifying air supply means may be attached to the air conditioning unit or the test room.
The blower means is a member that actually generates wind. For example, if it is a blower, it is a casing that covers the blades.
The “downstream side of the blower” is, for example, the downstream side of the blower. When the blower has a long outlet, it can be said that the middle part of the blower outlet is also “downstream of the blowing means”.
The environmental test apparatus of the present invention has humidifying air supply means. The humidifying air supply means introduces air having a higher water vapor content than the air blown from the air-conditioning unit to the downstream side of the blowing means. According to the environmental test apparatus of the present invention, air having a high water vapor content is supplied to the downstream side of the air blowing means, so that the supplied air is unlikely to rise in temperature due to the air blowing means.
In addition, as described above, the humidity of the air on the downstream side of the air blowing means decreases with increasing temperature. Therefore, the air supplied by the humidifying air supply means can increase the humidity of the air on the downstream side of the air blowing means. Therefore, the humidity of the test room can be increased.
The humidifying air supply means may supply outside air as it is.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the humidifying air supply means has a humidifying device, and is capable of increasing the water vapor content by humidifying the outside air. It is.

  According to the environmental test apparatus of the present invention, a higher humidity environment can be created.

  The invention described in claim 3 is the environmental test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the humidifying air supply means introduces the outside air as it is downstream of the blowing means.

  When the set temperature is low, the amount of water vapor contained in the outside air may be large. Therefore, the outside air may be introduced as it is downstream of the blowing means.

  The invention according to claim 4 has a cooling device and a heater as air conditioning equipment, drives both the cooling device and the heater, equilibrates them, and lowers the temperature in the test chamber to a target temperature lower than the outside air. After that, air having a water vapor content higher than the air blown from the air-conditioning unit by the air supply means for humidification is introduced to the downstream side of the blower means, and both the cooling device and the heater are driven to equilibrate both and test. 4. The environmental test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an operation for maintaining the room temperature at a target temperature is automatically executed.

When the set temperature of the test chamber is low, the temperature of the air introduced from the humidifying air supply means is higher than the set temperature. Therefore, the temperature of the air supplied to the test chamber is raised by the air introduced from the humidifying air supply means, and the temperature in the test chamber tends to increase.
In order to maintain the temperature of the test chamber at the set temperature, the output of the cooling device may be increased, but the response speed of the cooling device is slow.
Therefore, in the present invention, both the cooling device and the heater are driven to equilibrate both to lower the temperature in the test chamber to a target temperature lower than the outside air, and then the air is supplied from the air conditioning unit by the humidifying air supply means. It was decided to introduce air having a higher water vapor content than air to the downstream side of the blowing means.
According to the present invention, the heater is driven before air is introduced from the humidifying air supply means. When the temperature in the test chamber tends to increase due to the air introduced from the humidifying air supply means, the temperature of the test chamber can be maintained at the set temperature by decreasing the output of the heater.
That is, in the present invention, the heater is driven in advance, the cooling device is operated excessively, the margin for lowering the temperature of the test chamber is ensured, and the heater output is output when air is introduced from the humidifying air supply means. To maintain the test chamber temperature at the set temperature.
The target temperature described above is desirably the same as the set temperature of the test chamber, but may be different.

  The invention according to claim 5 includes a cooling device as an air conditioner, and the cooling device includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion means, an evaporator, and a downstream throttle means capable of changing an opening degree. A series of refrigeration cycles are realized by filling the inside of the cooling device with a phase change refrigerant and controlling the downstream throttle means to change the surface temperature of the evaporator. The environmental test apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising humidity adjusting means for matching the present humidity with a target humidity.

In the present invention, “the surface temperature of the evaporator is changed by controlling the downstream throttle means so that the current humidity in the test chamber matches the target humidity”. The humidity may be matched with the target humidity.
The environmental test apparatus according to the present invention includes humidity adjusting means for changing the surface temperature of the evaporator by controlling the downstream-side throttle means so that the humidity in the test chamber matches the target humidity. That is, by increasing the opening degree of the downstream throttle means, the refrigerant pressure in the evaporator can be lowered and the surface temperature of the evaporator can be lowered.
Conversely, the downstream throttle means can be throttled, the refrigerant pressure in the evaporator can be raised, and the surface temperature of the evaporator can be raised.
And the water vapor | steam contained in the air in space can be condensed on the surface of an evaporator, and the humidity of space can be reduced. Further, the humidity of the space can be maintained or increased by suppressing the amount of condensation of water vapor contained in the air in the space.

The current humidity in the current environment of the test room is monitored, and the humidity adjustment means controls the evaporator surface temperature to be lower than the dew point temperature of the current environment when the current humidity is higher than the target humidity. By condensing water vapor contained in the space on the surface and increasing the humidity of the space by controlling the surface temperature of the evaporator above the dew point temperature of the target environment when the current humidity is lower than the target humidity It is recommended that the humidity in the test room be matched to the target humidity.
In the environmental control device of the present invention, when the current humidity is higher than the target humidity, the surface temperature of the evaporator is controlled to be equal to or lower than the dew point temperature of the current environment, and the water vapor contained in the space on the surface of the evaporator is controlled. Condense. As a result, the current humidity decreases and approaches the target humidity.
On the other hand, when the current humidity is lower than the target humidity, the surface temperature of the evaporator is controlled to be equal to or higher than the dew point temperature of the target environment. Even when the surface temperature of the evaporator is controlled to be equal to or higher than the dew point temperature of the target environment, if the changed evaporator surface temperature is lower than the dew point temperature of the current environment, water vapor is generated on the surface of the evaporator. Condensation reduces absolute humidity. However, when the surface temperature of the evaporator is controlled to be equal to or higher than the dew point temperature of the target environment, the humidity in the test chamber will increase as a result because it does not become lower than the absolute humidity in the target environment.
Of course, when the surface temperature of the evaporator after the change is higher than the dew point temperature of the current environment, only the air temperature is lowered without condensation of the water vapor, so that the humidity in the test chamber is increased.

  The environmental test apparatus of the present invention can create a stable environment in a low temperature and high humidity environment.

It is a block diagram of the environmental test apparatus of embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the driving | operation initial stage of the environmental test apparatus of FIG. It is a block diagram of the environmental test apparatus of other embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the environmental test apparatus of further another embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the environmental test apparatus of further another embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the environmental test apparatus of a prior art.

Embodiments of the present invention will be further described below.
Many of the constituent members of the environmental test apparatus 1 of this embodiment are common to the environmental test apparatus 100. The same members as those in the prior art are denoted by the same reference numerals. Also in this embodiment, the test chamber 2 and the air conditioner 50 are separate bodies, and the two are connected by the circulation flow path 5. The circulation channel 5 is a duct and has a length of 10 m or more. The circulation fan (blower unit) 16 employed in the present embodiment desirably generates a considerable air volume and pressure, and can generate a static pressure of, for example, 1000 pa or more, preferably about 2000 pa. Recommended.

  The circulation fan (blower unit) 16 employed in this embodiment is a sirocco fan, and has a blade 27, a casing 28 covering the blade 27, and a blowout port 29 as shown in FIG. In the present invention, the blade 27 and the casing 28 covering the blade 27 are the air blowing means.

Also in the environmental test apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the air conditioner 50 includes an air conditioner 51 built in the ventilation space 17 inside. The air conditioner 51 includes the evaporator 12, the humidifier 13, and the heater 15 of the cooling device 52.
Since the structure and function of the cooling device 52 employed in this embodiment are different from the conventional ones, they will be described in detail.
The cooling device 52 includes a refrigerant circulation circuit 53 through which a refrigerant that changes phase between gas and liquid flows. The refrigerant circulation circuit 53 executes a series of cycles (refrigeration cycle) in which a phase-change refrigerant is compressed and condensed, evaporated and cooled, and includes a compressor 33, a condenser 35, an expansion valve 36, and evaporation. It is a refrigerator provided with the refrigerant | coolant circulation piping 56 which connects the apparatus 12, the downstream side throttle means 55, and those apparatuses cyclically | annularly.
The expansion valve 36 and the downstream side throttle means 55 can each adjust an opening degree. The downstream throttle means 55 is a diverted valve that is normally used as an expansion valve, and is structurally the same as an electronic expansion valve. The downstream throttle means 55 can change the opening according to the signal voltage. The same applies to the expansion valve 36, and a valve whose opening degree changes according to the signal voltage is used.

A first refrigerant temperature detection means 60 is provided on the upstream side of the evaporator 12. The first refrigerant temperature detection means 60 is, for example, a conventionally known thermocouple or temperature sensor. The first refrigerant temperature detection means 60 can detect the temperature of the refrigerant flowing into the evaporator 12.
On the other hand, a second refrigerant temperature detecting means 61 and a refrigerant pressure detecting means 62 are provided on the downstream side of the evaporator 12. Similar to the first refrigerant temperature detection means 60, the second refrigerant temperature detection means 61 is a conventionally known thermocouple or temperature sensor. The second refrigerant temperature detection means 61 can detect the temperature of the refrigerant gas after passing through the evaporator 12. That is, the evaporator outlet temperature of the evaporator 12 can be detected.
The refrigerant pressure detection means 62 detects the pressure of the refrigerant in the evaporator 12 and is a means for knowing the evaporation pressure of the refrigerant.
The refrigerant pressure detecting means 62 is, for example, a conventionally known pressure sensor.

Next, the operation principle of the cooling device 52 employed in this embodiment will be described.
When the compressor 33 of the refrigerant circulation circuit 53 is started, the gas-phase refrigerant is compressed, cooled by the condenser 35, and liquefied. Then, the liquid refrigerant enters the evaporator 12 through the expansion valve 36 and is vaporized. Then, the temperature of the evaporator 12 is lowered by the refrigerant, and the air passing through the ventilation space 17 can be cooled. The temperature of the refrigerant flowing into the evaporator 12 is detected by first refrigerant temperature detection means 60 provided on the upstream side of the evaporator 12.

  As is well known, when the cooling device 52 is operated with the expansion valve 36 having a large opening, a large amount of refrigerant circulates in the refrigerant circulation circuit 53 and exhibits a large refrigerating capacity. In this specification, this state is referred to as “cooling operation”. In the “cooling operation”, since the opening degree of the expansion valve 36 is largely opened, the amount of refrigerant flowing to the evaporator 12 is increased, and the cooling capacity of the evaporator 12 is increased.

  Further, when the cooling device 52 is operated in a state where the opening degree of the expansion valve 36 is reduced, the evaporation pressure of the refrigerant is lowered and the surface temperature of the evaporator 12 is lowered. On the other hand, the amount of refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circulation circuit 53 decreases, and the refrigerating capacity decreases. In this specification, this state is referred to as “dehumidifying operation”. That is, when the expansion valve 36 is throttled while the above-described “cooling operation” is being performed, the refrigerant discharged through the expansion valve 36 has a very low temperature. As a result, the surface temperature of the evaporator 12 is lowered to the dew point or lower, and water vapor contained in the air is condensed and condensed on the surface of the evaporator 12. At this time, since the opening degree of the expansion valve 36 is reduced, the amount of the refrigerant flowing through the evaporator 12 is small, and the cooling capacity of the evaporator 12 is small.

  In the environmental test apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the downstream throttle means 55 is provided downstream of the evaporator 12, and the outlet of the evaporator 12 can be throttled by adjusting the opening degree of the downstream throttle means 55. is there. In the “cooling operation” or “dehumidification operation”, when the opening degree of the downstream side throttle means 55 is reduced while the refrigerant is continuously being injected into the evaporator 12, the evaporation pressure of the refrigerant in the evaporator 12 increases, The temperature of the surface of the evaporator 12 rises.

On the surface of the evaporator 12 that is performing the “cooling operation” or the “dehumidifying operation”, water vapor in the air condenses or solidifies to adhere moisture. Part or all of the water adhering to the surface of the evaporator 12 evaporates or sublimes as the temperature of the surface of the evaporator 12 rises. As a result, the air passing through the ventilation space 17 is humidified.
In other words, the evaporator 12 serves as a “substantially humidifier”.
In this specification, the humidification operation performed by increasing the surface temperature of the evaporator 12 is referred to as “humidification operation by a refrigerator”.

The environmental test apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has a temperature drop program for controlling the expansion valve 36 so that the surface temperature of the evaporator 12 becomes “near the dew point of the target environment” as a program for performing “cooling operation”. Yes.
Here, “near the dew point” is a temperature in the range of plus or minus 5 degrees of the dew point temperature of the target environment, and more preferably in the range of plus or minus 3 degrees of the dew point temperature of the target environment. The surface temperature of the evaporator 12 is obtained based on the detection signals from the refrigerant temperature detecting means 60 and 61 and the refrigerant pressure detecting means 62 as described above.

  Further, the environmental test apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has a humidity lowering program for controlling the expansion valve 36 so that the surface temperature of the evaporator 12 becomes “below the dew point of the target environment” as a program for performing the “dehumidifying operation”. ing. Here, “below the dew point” is a temperature in a range from the dew point of the target environment to about minus 20 degrees. Note that the temperature “below the dew point of the target environment” is at least lower than the temperature of “near the dew point of the target environment” described above.

Moreover, in the environmental test apparatus 1 of this embodiment, as a program for performing the “humidification operation by the refrigerator”, the expansion valve 36 and the downstream side throttle means are set so that the surface temperature of the evaporator 12 becomes “above the dew point of the target environment”. 55 has a humidity control program for controlling 55. Here, “dew point or higher” is a temperature that is about 2 to 5 degrees Celsius higher than the dew point of the target environment. It is not preferable that the temperature “beyond the dew point of the target environment” is excessively higher than the temperature of the target environment.
Each program described above is stored in a storage unit (not shown) of the control device 40.

The environmental test apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has a humidifying air supply means 38 as a unique configuration. In the present embodiment, the humidifying air supply means 38 includes an additional humidifying device 65, a humidifying pipe 72 and an actuator valve 73.
The additional humidifier 65 includes a humidifier 67 and a humidifying fan 68 in a housing 66.
The casing 66 is provided with an outside air inlet 70 and a humidified air outlet 71, and a series of air flow paths 41 are formed therein. A humidifier 67 and a humidifying fan 68 are arranged in the air flow path 41.
Although the structure of the humidifier 67 is not limited, it is desirable to employ an ultrasonic humidifier.

  In the environmental test apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the air supply port 20 of the air conditioner 3 and the air supply inlet 10 of the test chamber 2 are connected by the forward air passage 22 as described above. Further, an additional humidifier 65 is connected in the middle of the outgoing air passage 22. More specifically, the humidifying air discharge port 71 of the additional humidifying device 65 and the outgoing air passage 22 are connected by a humidifying pipe 72. An actuator valve 73 is provided in the middle of the humidifying pipe 72. The actuator valve 73 is specifically a motor damper and is a device that adjusts the opening degree.

The additional humidifier 65 takes air into the housing 66 from the outside air inlet 70 and moderately humidifies the air with the humidifier 67. In the present embodiment, the humidifier 67 controls the air to have a constant humidity or water vapor content. The humidified air is pressurized by the humidifying fan 68 and discharged from the air discharge port 71. The exhausted humidified air passes through the humidifying pipe 72 and is supplied to the forward air blowing path 22. That is, the humidified air is supplied to the downstream side of the circulation fan 16 and the portion before reaching the test chamber 2. The supply location of the humidified air is not particularly limited as long as it is downstream of the circulation fan 16, and may be immediately after the discharge port of the circulation fan 16. It may be just before the test room 2.
Further, humid air may be supplied in the test chamber 2 until reaching the test space 6. If humidified air is supplied directly to the test space 6, humidity variation occurs in the test space 6, which is not recommended, but this is not prohibited.
When the air circulation port 16 and the air supply port 20 are separated from each other, the humidified air may be supplied into the air conditioner 50.

  In the present embodiment, since the actuator valve 73 is provided between the humidified air discharge port 71 of the additional humidifier 65 and the forward-side air passage 22, supply of humidified air by adjusting the opening degree of the actuator valve 73. The amount can be increased or decreased.

The environmental test apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a temperature / humidity control device 77. In FIG. 1, the temperature / humidity control device 77 is illustrated at a position different from the control device 40, but the temperature / humidity control device 77 may be a part of the control device 40.
The temperature / humidity control device 77 is a control device that performs PID control. In the environmental test apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the temperature sensor 30 provided in the test chamber 2 and the signal of the humidity sensor 31 are input to the temperature / humidity control apparatus 77.
Further, a control signal is output from the temperature / humidity control device 77, and the air conditioner 51 of the air conditioner 50 is controlled by the control signal. That is, the temperature sensor 30 provided in the test chamber 2 and the detection information of the humidity sensor 31 are fed back to the air conditioner 51 by the temperature / humidity control device 77, and the evaporator 12, the humidifier 13 and the heater 15 are controlled. .
Further, an actuator valve 73 provided between the additional humidifier 65 and the forward air passage 22 is controlled by the temperature / humidity controller 77.

Next, functions of the environmental test apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described.
In the environmental test apparatus 1 of this embodiment, general air conditioning control and additional humidification air conditioning control can be performed.
In the environmental test apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, even when general air conditioning control is performed and additional humidification air conditioning control is performed, both the cooling device 52 and the heater 15 are driven, and both are balanced and tested. The temperature in the chamber 2 is adjusted.
The general air conditioning control is a control method similar to the conventional one, and feeds back detection signals from the temperature sensor 30 and the humidity sensor 31 provided in the test chamber 2 to the air conditioning equipment 51 of the air conditioner 50. Focusing on humidity control, in general air conditioning control, the humidifier 13 and the cooling device 52 in the air conditioning equipment 51 are operated so that the humidity in the test chamber 2 becomes the set humidity.

  Moreover, in the environmental test apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the "humidification operation by a refrigerator" can also be performed during general air conditioning control. That is, the environmental test apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes the humidifier 13 in the air conditioner 50, but does not use the humidifier 13 and performs the “humidification operation by the refrigerator” in combination with the humidifier 13. You can also.

The additional humidification air conditioning control is a control method that is preferably performed when the set temperature of the test chamber 2 is low and the set humidity is high. In the additional humidification air-conditioning control, high-humidity air is generated by the air-conditioning device 50, and the high-humidity air generated by the additional humidification device 65 is mixed to increase the humidity to supply air to the test chamber 2.
As described above, when the set temperature of the test chamber 2 is low and the set humidity is high, the air discharged from the air conditioner 50 has high humidity but the temperature is low. Therefore, even if the amount of saturated water vapor in air is small and humidity (relative humidity) is high, the amount of water vapor held by air is small.
Therefore, as described above, when the temperature of the air is raised by the circulation fan 16, the amount of saturated water vapor increases and the humidity (relative humidity) decreases.

On the other hand, although the outside air has a low humidity (relative humidity), the air temperature is higher than the temperature of the air discharged from the air conditioner 50, so that the amount of saturated water vapor is large and the water vapor content is large. The outside air has a relative humidity lower than that of air discharged from the air conditioner 50, but has an absolute humidity higher than that of air discharged from the air conditioner 50.
In the present embodiment, the additional humidifier 65 introduces outside air into the housing 66, humidifies the outside air with the humidifier 67, and discharges it.
Therefore, the air discharged from the additional humidifier 65 has a significantly higher water vapor content than the air discharged from the air conditioner 50.
In the additional humidification air-conditioning control, the high-humidity air produced by the additional humidification device 65 is mixed into the air discharged from the air-conditioning device 50, so that the amount of water vapor held by the air increases and is discharged from the air-conditioning device 50. Air humidity rises. Then, air with increased humidity is supplied to the test chamber 2.

  Next, an initial operation of the environmental test apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The operation program for executing the operation of the flowchart of FIG. 2 is stored in the storage means of the control device 40, and a series of operations are automatically executed.

  When it is confirmed in step 1 of the flowchart that the operation of the environmental test apparatus 1 has been started, the process proceeds to step 2 where the set value of the target temperature and the set value of the target humidity in the test chamber 2 are checked. When the set temperature is low and the set humidity is high, the environmental test apparatus 1 is controlled by a control method including additional humidification air conditioning control. On the other hand, for example, when the set temperature is high, the process proceeds to step 16 and the environmental test apparatus 1 is controlled by another control method.

If the set temperature is low and the set humidity is high, the process proceeds to step 3 and the temperature drop program is executed. That is, the expansion valve 36 is controlled so that the surface temperature of the evaporator 12 becomes “near the dew point of the target environment”.
As a result, the surface temperature of the evaporator 12 becomes “near the dew point of the target environment”. In the temperature drop program, the surface temperature of the evaporator 12 is controlled to be close to the dew point of the target environment, so that the absolute humidity (water vapor concentration) in the test chamber 2 is not excessively lowered. That is, the dew point of the target environment is naturally lower than the temperature in the initial environment. Therefore, the temperature of the test chamber 2 can be lowered by controlling the surface temperature of the evaporator so as to be close to the dew point of the target environment. Further, since the surface temperature of the evaporator 12 is in the vicinity of the dew point of the target environment, there is little condensation of water vapor on the surface of the evaporator 12, and the water vapor concentration in the test chamber 2 is not excessively reduced.
Moreover, since there is little condensation of the water vapor | steam on the surface of the evaporator 12, there is also little frost formation and it is hard to prevent performing a continuous operation.

  When the set temperature is low and the set humidity is high, the dew point temperature is close to the set temperature. For example, if the set humidity is 100%, the dew point temperature matches the set temperature. Therefore, instead of using the dew point temperature as a reference, the surface temperature of the evaporator 12 may be controlled so that the temperature is simply a few degrees lower than the set temperature. For example, the surface temperature of the evaporator 12 may be controlled to be a temperature that is about 1 to 4 degrees Celsius lower than the set temperature.

Subsequently, the routine proceeds to step 4 where the heater 15 is energized. The heater 15 activated in step 4 has a lower limit in output. That is, the output of the heater 15 is controlled so that the actual output of the heater 15 is, for example, an output of 10% or more with respect to the capability of the heater 15. That is, the operation rate of the heater 15 is controlled so as to be an output of 10% or more.
In the present embodiment, the actual output of the heater 15 is set to a constant value based on the ability of the heater 15, but may be defined by the amount of power. Further, compared with the actual output of the cooling device 52, the actual output of the heater 15 may be an output that only cancels a few percent of the actual output of the cooling device 52.

Even in the environmental test apparatus 100 of the prior art, the temperature of the air is slightly reduced by the cooling device 32 and the air is heated by the heater 15 to finely adjust the temperature of the air to the set temperature. The heater 15 is driven with an output larger than the output of the heater 15 that is executed under normal control.
As described above, when performing general air conditioning control, both the cooling device 52 and the heater 15 are driven, and the temperature in the test chamber 2 is adjusted by balancing both of them. In this step, there is a lower limit in the output of the heater 15 and there is a certain amount of heat generation, so the cooling device 52 is driven with a higher output to offset this.
That is, in the environmental test apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the detection information of the temperature sensor 30 is fed back to the air conditioner 51 by the temperature / humidity control device 77 and the cooling device 52 is controlled. If it raises also, the cooling device 52 will follow this and an output will increase.

In step 5, it waits for the temperature in the test chamber 2 to become the set temperature.
When it is confirmed in step 5 that the temperature in the test chamber 2 has reached the set temperature, the process proceeds to step 6 where the operating rate of the heater 15 is 10% or more of the capacity of the heater 15. It is confirmed whether or not there is.
If the operating rate of the heater 15 is 10% or more with respect to the capacity of the heater 15, the process proceeds to step 7, the control method program is switched to the humidity adjustment program, and the “humidification operation by the refrigerator” is performed. Done. As a result, the expansion valve 36 and the downstream throttle means 55 are controlled so that the surface temperature of the evaporator 12 becomes “above the dew point of the target environment”. In the present embodiment, the target environment is a set environment.
Further, part or all of the water adhering to the surface of the evaporator 12 evaporates or sublimes as the temperature of the surface of the evaporator 12 increases. As a result, the air passing through the ventilation space 17 is humidified.

In step 8, it is confirmed that the temperature in the test chamber 2 maintains the set temperature. If the temperature in the test chamber 2 maintains the set temperature, the process proceeds to step 9 and the timer is started. This timer measures the time for waiting for the environment in the test chamber 2 and the operation of each device to stabilize, and measures a time of about 1 to 5 minutes.
If the temperature in the test chamber 2 does not maintain the set temperature, the process returns to step 3 and the above-described process is executed again.
If it is confirmed in step 10 that the timer has been timed, the process proceeds to step 11 where it is confirmed that the temperature in the test chamber 2 maintains the set temperature.
If the temperature in the test chamber 2 does not maintain the set temperature, the process returns to step 3 and the above-described process is executed again.

  Next, it transfers to step 12 and it is confirmed that the humidity in the test chamber 2 is below a setting humidity. If the humidity in the test chamber 2 exceeds the set humidity, it is not necessary to humidify further, so the routine proceeds to step 14 and thereafter normal control is executed.

On the other hand, if the humidity in the test chamber 2 is equal to or lower than the set humidity, the air supplied to the test chamber 2 needs to be further humidified, so the routine proceeds to step 13 where additional humidification air conditioning control is performed.
As described above, in the additional humidification air conditioning control, high-humidity air produced by the additional humidification device 65 is mixed into the air passing through the outgoing air passage 22. In steps 13 and 12, the process waits for the humidity in the test chamber 2 to exceed the set humidity.

Here, the air mixed into the air passing through the forward air passage 22 by executing the additional humidification air conditioning control is humidified air and has a significantly higher water vapor content than the air discharged from the air conditioner 50. . For this reason, the humidity of the air passing through the forward air passage 22 increases due to the mixing of humidified air.
At the time of additional humidification air conditioning control, the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 31 is fed back to the actuator valve 73 by the temperature / humidity control device 77, and the actuator valve 73 is opened so that the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 31 becomes the set humidity. The degree is PID controlled.
Therefore, the humidity in the test chamber 2 converges to the set humidity.

The humidified air mixed in the air passing through the forward air passage 22 by executing the additional humidification air conditioning control has a higher temperature than the air discharged from the air conditioner 50. For this reason, the temperature of the air passing through the forward-side air passage 22 rises due to the mixing of humidified air.
However, in the present embodiment, the detection information of the temperature sensor 30 is fed back to the air conditioning equipment 51 by the temperature / humidity control device 77 even during the additional humidification air conditioning control.

Here, in step 4 described above, the heater 15 was energized, and the output of the heater 15 was maintained higher than usual.
In the additional humidification air conditioning control, the lower limit of the output of the heater 15 is eliminated, and the control of the heater 15 is returned to the normal control.
As described above, in the present embodiment, even during the additional humidification air conditioning control, both the cooling device 52 and the heater 15 are driven, and the temperature in the test chamber 2 is adjusted by balancing both of them. Therefore, the detection information of the temperature sensor 30 is fed back to the air conditioner 51 by the temperature / humidity control device 77, the output of the heater 15 is reduced, and the temperature rise of the air passing through the forward air passage 22 is suppressed.
Prior to the additional humidification air-conditioning control, the heating value of the heater 15 was controlled to be slightly excessive. Therefore, a sufficient lowering margin was secured for the output of the heater 15, and the output of the heater 15 was reduced. The temperature of the air passing through the forward-side air passage 22 can be maintained at the set temperature only by decreasing.

  Since the response speed of the heater 15 is faster than the response speed of the cooling device 52, the thermal energy supplied from the additional humidifier 65 to the air passing through the outgoing air passage 22 reduces the output of the heater 15. And the temperature of the air supplied to the test chamber 2 is maintained at the set temperature. The humidity of the air supplied to the test chamber 2 is also maintained at the set humidity.

In the embodiment described above, a configuration is adopted in which the amount of water vapor supplied from the additional humidifier 65 to the downstream side of the circulation fan 16 is controlled by adjusting the opening of the actuator valve 73. That is, in the previous embodiment, the amount of steam supplied to the downstream side of the circulation fan 16 is controlled by increasing or decreasing the amount of humidified air. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration.
For example, the amount of steam supplied to the downstream side of the circulation fan 16 may be controlled by increasing or decreasing the output of the humidifier 67 built in the additional humidifier 65. In this measure, the amount of water vapor supplied to the downstream side of the circulation fan 16 is controlled by adjusting the water vapor concentration of the humidified air.
Further, the amount of steam supplied to the downstream side of the circulation fan 16 may be controlled by increasing or decreasing the number of rotations of the humidification fan 68 built in the additional humidifier 65.

  In the embodiment described above, the humidifier 67 is built in the additional humidifier 65, but the humidifier 67 is not essential. That is, a configuration in which the outside air is directly supplied to the downstream side of the circulation fan 16 without being humidified may be employed.

In the embodiment described above, the additional humidifier 65 is a separate device from the test chamber 2 and the air conditioner 50. However, for example, the additional humidifier 80 may be built in the air conditioner 81 as shown in FIG. .
In the configuration shown in FIG. 3, a small room 82 is partitioned in the casing of the air conditioner 81, and a humidifier 67 and a humidifying fan 68 are built in the small room 82.
The discharge side of the humidifying fan 68 is connected to the discharge side of the circulation fan 16. A damper 83 with an actuator is provided on the discharge side of the humidifying fan 68, and the amount of water vapor supplied to the downstream side of the circulating fan 16 is controlled by opening and closing the damper 83.
Further, an additional humidifier 80 may be provided on the test chamber 2 side (not shown).

In the embodiment described above, the test chamber 2 and the air conditioner 50 are separate bodies, but the test chamber 2 and the air conditioner 50 may be integrated like an environmental test apparatus 85 shown in FIG.
In the environmental test apparatus 85, an air conditioner 51 is built in the lower part of the test chamber 2. The discharge side of the humidifying fan 68 is connected to the discharge side of the circulation fan 16. In the description of each device of the environmental test apparatus 85, the same device as in the previous embodiment is assigned the same number, and the detailed description is omitted.

  In the embodiment described above, the humidified air is supplied to the downstream side of the circulation fan 16. However, when the outlet 29 is long like the circulation fan 97 employed in the air conditioner 96 shown in FIG. A horizontal hole 98 may be provided in the outlet 29 of the air blower 16 to connect the humidifying pipe 72, and humid air may be supplied into the circulation fan 16. That is, humidified air may be introduced directly to the discharge side of the circulation fan 16.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,85 Environmental test apparatus 2 Test chamber 5 Circulation flow path 12 Evaporator 15 Heater 16 Circulation blower (blower means)
38 Humidification air supply means 40 Control devices 50, 85, 96 Air conditioning device 51 Air conditioning equipment 52 Cooling device 55 Downstream side throttle means 65 Additional humidification device 66 Housing 67 Humidifier 68, 80 Humidifier 68 72 Humidification pipe 73 Actuator valve 77 Temperature and humidity control device

Claims (5)

An air conditioning unit and a test room for installing a test object, the air conditioning unit includes an air conditioner for controlling temperature and humidity, and a blowing unit, and air adjusted by the air conditioning unit is supplied to the test chamber by the blowing unit. In an environmental test device that blows air to adjust the test chamber to the desired target temperature and target humidity,
An environment having humidifying air supply means, wherein the humidifying air supply means introduces air having a water vapor content higher than air blown from the air conditioning unit to the downstream side of the blowing means. Test equipment.   The environmental test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the humidifying air supply means includes a humidifier and is capable of humidifying outside air to increase a water vapor content.   The environmental test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the humidifying air supply means introduces the outside air as it is downstream of the air blowing means. It has a cooling device and a heater as air conditioning equipment,
Drives both the cooling device and the heater, equilibrates both, and lowers the temperature in the test room to a target temperature lower than the outside air,
Thereafter, air having a water vapor content higher than that of air blown from the air-conditioning unit by the humidifying air supply means is introduced downstream of the blowing means, and both the cooling device and the heater are driven to equilibrate both of them. The environmental test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an operation for maintaining the temperature at a target temperature is automatically executed. Has a cooling device as air conditioning equipment,
In the cooling device, a compressor, a condenser, an expansion means, an evaporator, and a downstream throttle means capable of changing the opening degree are connected in an annular shape, and the cooling device is filled with a phase-change refrigerant. To achieve a series of refrigeration cycles,
5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a humidity adjusting unit configured to change the surface temperature of the evaporator by controlling the downstream-side throttle unit to match the current humidity in the test chamber with the target humidity. The environmental test apparatus described.

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