JP2021094284A - Air blower - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technique for increasing prediction accuracy of a time to complete drying of an object.SOLUTION: A moisture quantity calculation unit 56 calculates a moisture quantity in an object. A moisture quantity prediction unit 60 predicts a moisture quantity transition of the object from the time of the calculation by the moisture quantity calculation unit 56 until after a predetermined time period on the basis of the moisture quantity calculated by the moisture quantity calculation unit 56. A dry prediction unit 62 predicts a dry completion time on the basis of the moisture quantity transition predicted by the moisture quantity prediction unit 60. An air blow control unit 57 causes air to be blown from an air outlet in accordance with the dry completion time predicted by the dry prediction unit 62.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present disclosure relates to a blower used to dry an object.

In recent years, with changes in lifestyle, there are many requests to dry laundry indoors at any time. Therefore, it has become widespread to use indoor and non-residential parts as a place for drying laundry by using a blower. In conventional blowers, an infrared temperature sensor is used to distinguish the degree of dryness of laundry from the difference from the ambient temperature (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-12604

When an infrared temperature sensor is used, the degree of dryness of the laundry is determined by detecting the temperature distribution in the room. Therefore, if there is a part different from the ambient temperature such as a cold window in winter or the vicinity of the air outlet where the temperature of the heater becomes high, it will be erroneously detected as laundry. As a result, the drying end time of the laundry cannot be measured accurately.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a technique for improving the accuracy of predicting the drying end time of an object.

In order to solve the above problems, the blower device of a certain aspect of the present disclosure includes a water content calculation unit that calculates the water content of the object and a water content calculation unit based on the water content calculated by the water content calculation unit. Drying prediction that predicts the drying end time based on the water content prediction unit that predicts the transition of the water content of the object from the time of calculation in A unit and a ventilation control unit that blows air from the air outlet according to the drying end time predicted by the drying prediction unit are provided.

It should be noted that any combination of the above components and the conversion of the expression of the present disclosure between methods, devices, systems, recording media, computer programs and the like are also effective as aspects of the present disclosure.

According to the present disclosure, the accuracy of predicting the drying end time of the object can be improved.

It is a perspective view which shows the schematic structure of the dehumidifier which concerns on this Example. It is a side view which shows the schematic structure of the dehumidifier of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure and the object of the light emitting part and the light receiving part of the dehumidifier of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the control structure of the dehumidifier of FIG. It is a figure which shows the absorption spectrum of moisture and water vapor. It is a schematic diagram which shows the detection range and the unit area of the dehumidifier of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the scanning direction of the light emitting part and the light receiving part of the dehumidifier of FIG. It is a figure which shows the table of the water content distribution of the dehumidifier of FIG. It is a flowchart of the water content calculation of the dehumidifier of FIG. It is a figure which shows the group set in the dehumidifier of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the water content prediction part of FIG. It is a data structure of the database stored in the storage part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the outline of processing by the water content prediction part and the dryness prediction part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the processing result of the dryness prediction part of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the prediction procedure by the dehumidifier of FIG.

Hereinafter, the blower device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Each of the examples described below shows a preferred specific example of the present disclosure. Therefore, the numerical values, shapes, materials, components, arrangement of components, connection forms, etc. shown in the following examples are examples, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Therefore, among the components in the following examples, the components not described in the independent claims indicating the highest level concept of the present disclosure will be described as arbitrary components. Further, each figure is a schematic view and is not necessarily exactly illustrated. Therefore, for example, the scales and the like do not always match in each figure. Further, in each figure, substantially the same configuration is designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the dehumidifier 1. FIG. 2 is a side configuration view showing a schematic configuration of the dehumidifier 1. The dehumidifier 1 is an example of a blower device, and includes a main body 2, a blower unit 3, a dehumidifier unit 4, a control unit 5, a display unit 6, a water content detection unit 9, and a louver 12.

The main body 2 is provided with a suction port 10 for sucking the air outside the main body 2 into the main body 2 and an outlet 11 for blowing out the air sucked from the suction port 10 to the outside of the main body 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the suction port 10 is provided below the main body 2, and the air outlet 11 is provided above the main body 2. The air outlet 11 and the suction port 10 are provided so as to relate to the same side surface.

The blower unit 3 guides the indoor air from the suction port 10 to the outlet 11. The indoor air sucked into the main body 2 from the suction port 10 is dehumidified by the dehumidifying section 4 described later. The dehumidified indoor air is blown as dehumidified air from the air outlet 11 to an object in the target range. The dehumidifying unit 4 dehumidifies the air sucked from the suction port 10. The dehumidifying unit 4 only needs to be able to dehumidify the indoor air, and is, for example, desiccant dehumidification using a dehumidifying material such as silica gel, a vapor compression type heat pump, or the like. The indoor air may be dehumidified as well as dehumidified.

The water content detecting unit 9 has a light emitting unit 7 and a light receiving unit 8 and detects the water content of the object 100. The light emitting unit 7 emits light toward the object 100. The light receiving unit 8 receives the light reflected by the object 100. The louver 12 changes at least one air blowing condition such as a dehumidifying air blown from the air outlet 11 and a blowing range and direction of the dehumidified air.

The control unit 5 controls the air blown from the air outlet 11. The control unit 5 includes a light source control unit 51 (see FIG. 4) and a water content calculation unit 56 (see FIG. 4). The light source control unit 51 controls the light emitted from the light emitting unit 7. The water content calculation unit 56 detects the light received by the light receiving unit 8 and calculates the water content. Here, the water content calculation unit 56 calculates the water content of the object 100 by comparing the intensities of two lights having different wavelengths received by the light receiving unit 8. Details will be described later.

The control unit 5 is composed of at least one microcontroller, and includes a non-volatile memory in which a general operation program of the dehumidifier 1 is stored, a volatile memory which is a temporary storage area for executing the program, and a volatile memory. It has an input / output port and a processor that executes programs.

Specifically, the control unit 5 predicts the transition of the water content based on the water content calculated by the water content calculation unit 56, and then predicts the drying end time of the object to blow the air unit. 3 and louver 12 are controlled. Further, the control unit 5 may control the dehumidification unit 4. As a result, the control unit 5 makes an appropriate drying determination and drying control according to the water content of the object 100.

In the following, the configuration of the dehumidifier 1 is described as follows: (1) calculation of water content, (2) prediction of transition of water content, (3) prediction of drying end time, (4) control of ventilation, (5) drying end time. Will be described in the order of display.
(1) Calculation of Moisture Content FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the light emitting unit 7 and the light receiving unit 8 of the dehumidifier 1 and the object 100. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the dehumidifier 1. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the light emitting unit 7 irradiates light toward the object 100 existing at a space. The light emitted from the light emitting unit 7 is reflected by the object 100. The reflected light RA1 which is the reflected light is detected by the light receiving unit 8. Based on the reflected light RA1 detected by the light receiving unit 8, the water content calculation unit 56 shown in FIG. 4 calculates the water content contained in the object 100. The amount of water contained in the object 100 is the water accumulated on the object 100 and the water permeating the surface portion of the object 100.

The light emitting unit 7 includes a detection light including a first wavelength band which is light having a wavelength absorbed by water, and a reference light including a second wavelength band which is light having a wavelength absorbed by water less than the first wavelength band. Is emitted toward the object 100. Specifically, the light emitting unit 7 includes a light projecting lens 21 and a light source 22. The light projecting lens 21 is a condensing lens that collects the light emitted by the light source 22 on the object 100. The floodlight lens 21 is a convex lens made of resin, but is not limited to this. The light source 22 is an LED (Light Emitting Mode) light source that includes a first wavelength band that forms a detection light and a second wavelength band that forms a reference light, and emits continuous light having a peak wavelength on the second wavelength band side. Specifically, the light source 22 is an LED light source made of a compound semiconductor.

FIG. 5 shows the absorption spectra of water and water vapor. As shown in FIG. 5, water has absorption peaks at wavelengths of about 1450 nm and about 1940 nm. Water vapor has absorption peaks at wavelengths slightly lower than the absorption peak of water, specifically at wavelengths of about 1350 nm to 1400 nm and about 1800 nm to 1900 nm. Therefore, as the first wavelength band that forms the detection light, a wavelength band having a high absorbance of water is selected, and as the second wavelength band that forms the reference light, a wavelength band having a smaller absorbance of water than the first wavelength band is selected. select.

As an example, the average wavelength of the second wavelength band is longer than the average wavelength of the first wavelength band. Further, regarding the center wavelength defined by the center value of the wavelength which is the half value of the maximum transmittance of the optical bandpass filter, for example, the center wavelength of the first wavelength band is 1450 nm and the center wavelength of the second wavelength band is 1700 nm. To do. Since the light source 22 irradiates light that continuously includes the first wavelength band and the second wavelength band, the object 100 is subjected to detection light including the first wavelength band that is largely absorbed by water and absorption by water. Reference light including a second wavelength band smaller than the first wavelength band is irradiated.

The light receiving unit 8 of FIG. 3 receives the reflected light RA1 that is irradiated from the light emitting unit 7 and reflected by the object 100. That is, the light receiving unit 8 receives the detection light and the reference light that are irradiated from the light emitting unit 7 and reflected by the object 100. The light receiving unit 8 includes a light receiving lens 71, a half mirror 34, a first light receiving element 73, a second light receiving element 43, a first bandpass filter 72, and a second bandpass filter 42. The reflected light RA1 is condensed by the light receiving lens 71, and is divided into light passing through the first optical path LR01 and light passing through the second optical path LR02 by the half mirror 34.

The light receiving lens 71 is a condensing lens for condensing the reflected light RA1 reflected by the object 100 on the first light receiving element 73 and the second light receiving element 43. The light receiving lens 71 is fixed to the light receiving portion 8 so that the focus is located on the light receiving surface of the first light receiving element 73, for example. The light receiving lens 71 is, for example, a convex lens made of resin, but is not limited to this.

The half mirror 34 is arranged between the light receiving lens 71 and the first light receiving element 73, for example, transmits half of the light collected by the light receiving lens 71, and reflects the rest. A first bandpass filter 72 and a first light receiving element 73 are provided at the tip of the first optical path LR01, which is an optical path of light transmitted through the half mirror 34.

The first bandpass filter 72 is a bandpass filter that extracts light in the first wavelength band, which is detection light, from the reflected light RA1. Specifically, the first bandpass filter 72 is arranged between the half mirror 34 and the first light receiving element 73, and the reflected light RA1 that passes through the half mirror 34 and is incident on the first light receiving element 73. It is provided on the optical path of. The first bandpass filter 72 transmits light in the first wavelength band and reflects or absorbs light in other wavelength bands.

The first light receiving element 73 is a light receiving element that is reflected by the object 100, passes through the half mirror 34, receives light in the first wavelength band that has passed through the first bandpass filter 72, and converts it into a first electric signal. is there. The first light receiving element 73 generates a first electric signal according to the amount of received light (that is, the intensity) of the received light by photoelectric conversion of the received light in the first wavelength band. The generated first electric signal is output to the control unit 5. The first light receiving element 73 is, for example, a photodiode, but is not limited thereto. For example, the first light receiving element 73 may be a phototransistor or an image sensor.

The second bandpass filter 42 is a bandpass filter that extracts light in the second wavelength band, which is reference light, from the light reflected by the half mirror 34. Specifically, the second bandpass filter 42 is arranged between the half mirror 34 and the second light receiving element 43, and is the light of light that reflects the half mirror 34 and is incident on the second light receiving element 43. It is installed on the street. The second bandpass filter 42 transmits light in the second wavelength band and reflects or absorbs light in other wavelength bands.

The second light receiving element 43 is a light receiving element that receives light in the second wavelength band that is reflected by the object 100 and has passed through the second bandpass filter 42 and converts it into a second electric signal. The second light receiving element 43 generates a second electric signal according to the amount of received light (that is, the intensity) of the light received by photoelectric conversion of the received light in the second wavelength band. The generated second electric signal is output to the control unit 5. The second light receiving element 43 is a light receiving element having the same shape as the first light receiving element 73. That is, when the first light receiving element 73 is a photodiode, the second light receiving element 43 is also a photodiode.

The control unit 5 of FIG. 4 includes a light source control unit 51, a first amplification unit 52, a second amplification unit 53, a first signal processing unit 54, a second signal processing unit 55, and a water content calculation unit 56. , A blower control unit 57, a water content prediction unit 60, and a dryness prediction unit 62. The control unit 5 may be housed in the main body 2 or may be attached to the outer surface of the main body 2. Alternatively, the control unit 5 may be divided into a plurality of units.

The light source control unit 51 controls the lighting of the light source 22 of the light emitting unit 7. The light source control unit 51 includes a drive circuit and a microcontroller. The light source control unit 51 includes a non-volatile memory in which the control program of the light source 22 is stored, a volatile memory which is a temporary storage area for executing the program, an input / output port, a processor for executing the program, and the like. Have. The light source control unit 51 controls the light source 22 so that the light source 22 is turned on and off repeatedly at a predetermined light emission cycle. Specifically, the light source control unit 51 outputs a pulse signal of a predetermined frequency (for example, 1 kHz) to the light source 22, so that the light source 22 is turned on and off at a predetermined light emission cycle.

The control unit 5 receives the first electric signal from the first light receiving element 73 and the second electric signal from the second light receiving element 43. The first amplification unit 52 amplifies the first electric signal output by the first light receiving element 73 and outputs it to the first signal processing unit 54. Specifically, the first amplification unit 52 is an operational amplifier that amplifies the first electric signal. The first signal processing unit 54 is composed of a microcontroller. The first signal processing unit 54 executes the program, the non-volatile memory in which the processing program for the first electric signal is stored, the volatile memory which is a temporary storage area for executing the program, the input / output port, and the program. Has a processor or the like. The first signal processing unit 54 limits the pass band of the first electric signal, corrects the phase delay due to the pass band limitation, and then performs multiplication processing with the light emission period of the light source 22. The processing for this first electric signal is a so-called lock-in amplifier processing. As a result, noise based on the disturbance light generated in the first electric signal is suppressed.

The second amplification unit 53 amplifies the second electric signal output by the second light receiving element 43 and outputs it to the second signal processing unit 55. Specifically, the second amplification unit 53 is an operational amplifier that amplifies the second electric signal. The second signal processing unit 55 is composed of a microcontroller. The second signal processing unit 55 executes the program, the non-volatile memory in which the processing program for the second electric signal is stored, the volatile memory which is a temporary storage area for executing the program, the input / output port, and the program. Has a processor or the like. The second signal processing unit 55 limits the pass band of the second electric signal, corrects the phase delay due to the pass band limitation, and then performs multiplication processing with the light emission period of the light source 22. The processing for this second electric signal is a so-called lock-in amplifier processing. As a result, noise based on the disturbance light generated in the second electric signal is suppressed.

The water content calculation unit 56 detects the water content contained in the object 100 based on the first electric signal output from the first light receiving element 73 and the second electric signal output from the second light receiving element 43. Specifically, the water content calculation unit 56 calculates the water content of the object 100 based on the ratio (signal ratio) between the voltage level of the first electric signal and the voltage level of the second electric signal. Here, the water content calculation process in the water content calculation unit 56 will be described in more detail. The water content calculation unit 56 detects the water content contained in the object 100 by comparing the light energy Pd of the detection light contained in the reflected light RA1 with the light energy Pr of the reference light. The light energy Pd of the detection light corresponds to the intensity of the first electric signal output from the first light receiving element 73, and the light energy Pr of the reference light corresponds to the intensity of the second electric signal output from the second light receiving element 43. Corresponds to.

The light energy Pd is represented by the following (Equation 1).
Pd = Pd0 × Gd × Rd × Td × Aad × Ivd (Equation 1)
Here, Pd0 is the light energy of the light in the first wavelength band that forms the detection light among the light emitted by the light source 22. Gd is the coupling efficiency (condensing rate) of light in the first wavelength band with respect to the first light receiving element 73. Specifically, Gd corresponds to the proportion of the portion of the light emitted by the light source 22 that becomes a part of the component diffusely reflected by the object 100 (that is, the detection light contained in the reflected light).

Rd is the reflectance of the detected light by the object 100. Td is the transmittance of the light detected by the first bandpass filter 72. Ivd is the light receiving sensitivity to the detection light contained in the reflected light RA1 in the first light receiving element 73. Aad is the absorption rate of the detected light by the component (moisture) contained in the object 100, and is represented by the following (Equation 2).
Aad = 10-αa × Ca × D (Equation 2)
Here, αa is a predetermined absorption coefficient, and specifically, is the absorption coefficient of the detection light by the component (moisture). Ca is the volume concentration of the component (moisture) contained in the object 100. D is a contribution thickness that is twice the thickness of the component that contributes to the absorption of the detection light.

More specifically, in the object 100 in which the water content is uniformly dispersed, Ca is the volume contained in the component of the object 100 when the light is incident on the object 100, reflected and emitted from the object 100. Corresponds to the concentration. Further, D corresponds to the optical path length from reflection to emission from the object 100. For example, Ca is the concentration of water contained in the liquid phase covering the object 100. Further, D is a contribution thickness converted as an average thickness of the liquid phase covering the object 100. Therefore, αa × Ca × D corresponds to the amount of components (water content) contained in the object 100. From the above, it can be seen that the light energy Pd corresponding to the intensity of the first electric signal changes according to the amount of water contained in the object 100. The absorbance of moisture is extremely low compared to that of moisture and can be ignored.

Similarly, the light energy Pr of the reference light incident on the second light receiving element 43 is represented by the following (Equation 3).
Pr = Pr0 × Gr × Rr × Tr × Ivr (Equation 3)
In this embodiment, the reference light can be considered to be substantially not absorbed by the components contained in the object 100, and therefore, as can be seen in comparison with (Equation 1), it corresponds to the absorption rate Aad due to water. The term is not included in (Equation 3).

In (Equation 3), Pr0 is the light energy of the light in the second wavelength band forming the reference light among the light emitted by the light source 22. Gr is the coupling efficiency (condensing rate) of the reference light emitted by the light source 22 with respect to the second light receiving element 43. Specifically, Gr corresponds to the proportion of the portion of the reference light that becomes a part of the component diffusely reflected by the object 100 (that is, the reference light contained in the reflected light). Rr is the reflectance of the reference light by the object. Tr is the transmittance of the reference light by the second bandpass filter 42. Ivr is the light receiving sensitivity of the second light receiving element 43 with respect to the reflected light.

In this embodiment, the light emitted from the light source 22, that is, the detection light and the reference light are irradiated coaxially and with the same spot size, so that the coupling efficiency Gd of the detection light and the coupling efficiency Gr of the reference light are abbreviated. Become equal. Further, since the peak wavelengths of the detection light and the reference light are relatively close to each other, the reflectance Rd of the detection light and the reflectance Rr of the reference light are substantially equal to each other.

Therefore, the following (Equation 4) is derived by taking the ratio (signal ratio) between (Equation 1) and (Equation 3).
Pd / Pr = Z × Aad (Equation 4)
Here, Z is a constant term and is represented by (Equation 5).
Z = (Pd0 / Pr0) × (Td / Tr) × (Ivd / Ivr) (Equation 5)
The light energies Pd0 and Pr0 are each predetermined as the initial output of the light source 22. Further, the transmittance Td and the transmittance Tr are predetermined by the transmission characteristics of the first bandpass filter 72 and the second bandpass filter 42, respectively. The light receiving sensitivity Ivd and the light receiving sensitivity Ivr are predetermined by the light receiving characteristics of the first light receiving element 73 and the second light receiving element 43, respectively. Therefore, Z represented by (Equation 5) can be regarded as a constant.

The water content calculation unit 56 calculates the light energy Pd of the detection light based on the first electric signal, and calculates the light energy Pr of the reference light based on the second electric signal. Specifically, the signal level (voltage level) of the first electric signal corresponds to the light energy Pd, and the signal level (voltage level) of the second electric signal corresponds to the light energy Pr. Therefore, the water content calculation unit 56 can calculate the water absorption rate Aad contained in the object based on (Equation 4). As a result, the water content calculation unit 56 can calculate the water content based on (Equation 2). Moisture (water vapor) also exists in the space, but it is assumed that the detection light and reference light may be absorbed by the water vapor. The control unit 5 may be provided with a correction unit that corrects the first electric signal and the second electric signal so as to cancel the absorption by the water vapor.

Such processing is performed for each unit area R shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing the detection range A and the unit area R of the dehumidifier 1. The detection range A is preferably equal to or wider than the light receiving range of the light receiving unit 8, and is preferably set to be equal to or wider than the range in which the air dehumidified by the dehumidifier 1 is blown. Further, the unit region R is a region in which light is individually detected by the light receiving unit 8. The unit area R may have the same size as the detection range A or may be smaller than the detection range A. In the latter, the detection range A is divided into a plurality of unit regions R. For example, the unit area R is a size obtained by dividing the detection range A into 6 in the vertical direction and 6 in the horizontal direction. As a method of performing detection for each of S11 to S66 of the unit region R, for example, an image sensor may be adopted for the first light receiving element 73 and the second light receiving element 43.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the scanning directions of the light emitting unit 7 and the light receiving unit 8 of the dehumidifier 1. Further, as another method, as shown in FIG. 7, a method of irradiating light while scanning the irradiation region of the light emitting unit 7 and at the same time scanning the light receiving region of the light receiving unit 8 to receive the reflected light RA1 in each region is adopted. You may. As a scanning method, for example, there is a method in which a pedestal on which a light emitting unit 7 and a light receiving unit 8 are fixed is rotatably arranged on two orthogonal axes by using two stepping motors (not shown). One stepping motor is arranged at an angle at which the irradiation area can be scanned in the main scanning direction of FIG. 7, and the other stepping motor is arranged at an angle at which the irradiation area can be scanned in the sub-scanning direction of FIG. 6 and 7 illustrate a case where 6 points are detected at equal intervals per row and 6 points are detected at equal intervals per column.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a table of water content distribution of the dehumidifier 1. When the detection operation is completed, the water content calculation unit 56 temporarily records the calculation result of the water content for each unit region R in the table T as shown in FIG. “T11” indicates the amount of water calculated in the unit region “R11”. In the following, the unit area “R11” may be referred to as a unit area “T11” for the sake of clarity. That is, "T11" may indicate a unit region or may indicate a water content. The same applies to "T12" and the like. The information in the table T may be individually determined for each unit area R, or may be averaged and processed into one or a small number of pieces of information.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for calculating the water content of the dehumidifier 1. Here, the position of the unit region R in the n rows and 6 columns is defined as Sn6 (n = 1 to 6). That is, S11 is a position in one row and one column of the unit area R. First, the irradiation region of the light emitting unit 7 and the light receiving region of the light receiving unit 8 are moved to S11 in FIG. 7 (n = 1). Next, the designated positions of each region (irradiation region and light receiving region) are set to Sn6 (Step 1). The stepping motor is driven to move the pedestal parallel to the main scanning direction of FIG. 7, and the irradiation region and the light receiving region are positioned at Sn6 (Step 2). At the same time, it is determined whether or not the irradiation region and the light receiving region are located at the center of the unit region R. The determination of whether or not the unit region R is located at the center is calculated from, for example, the number of drive steps of the stepping motor. If the irradiation region and the light receiving region are not located at the center of the unit region R, the process returns to Step 2 and the stepping motor continues to be driven. When the irradiation region and the light receiving region are located at the center of the unit region R, the light receiving intensity is acquired, the ratio of the intensities, that is, the water content is calculated and stored in the table T. After that, it is determined whether or not the unit area R currently located is Sn6, which is the designated position (Step 3). If the unit region R currently located is not Sn6, the process returns to Step 2 and the stepping motor continues to be driven. Here, if the unit region R currently located is Sn6, the driving of the stepping motor is stopped (Step 4). After that, 1 is added to n to move the irradiation region and the light receiving region toward Sn6 in parallel with the sub-scanning direction of FIG.

Next, the designated position is set to Sn1 (Step 5). The irradiation region and the light receiving region are moved in the direction opposite to Step 2 in parallel with the main scanning direction in FIG. 7, and the stepping motor is driven so as to be located at the designated position Sn1 (Step 6). At the same time, it is determined whether or not the irradiation region and the light receiving region are located at the center of the unit region R. The determination of whether or not the unit region R is located at the center is calculated from, for example, the number of drive steps of the stepping motor. If the irradiation region and the light receiving region are not located at the center of the unit region R, the process returns to Step 6 and the stepping motor continues to be driven. When the irradiation region and the light receiving region are located at the center of the unit region R, the light receiving intensity is acquired, the ratio of the intensities, that is, the water content is calculated and stored in the table T.

Next, it is determined whether or not the unit area R at which the current position is currently located is Sn1, which is the designated position (Step 7). If the unit region R currently located is not Sn1, the process returns to Step 6 and the stepping motor continues to be driven. Here, if the unit region R currently located is Sn1, the driving of the stepping motor is stopped (Step 8). If n is not 6, 1 is added to n to move the irradiation region and the light receiving region toward the designated position Sn1 in parallel with the sub-scanning direction of FIG. 7 (Step 9). After that, it returns to Step 1 and repeats the operation. If n is 6, the detection operation is terminated. Return to FIG.

The water content calculation unit 56 outputs the calculated water content to the water content prediction unit 60 as a table of FIG. Such a water content calculation unit 56 is, for example, a microcontroller. The water content calculation unit 56 includes a non-volatile memory in which a signal processing program is stored, a volatile memory which is a temporary storage area for executing the program, an input / output port, a processor for executing the program, and the like. ..

(2) Prediction of transition of water content The water content prediction unit 60 receives the water content for each unit region R from the water content calculation unit 56. The water content prediction unit 60 predicts the transition of the water content of the object 100 from the time of calculation by the water content calculation unit 56 to a predetermined time after the received water content. As shown in FIG. 1, assuming a situation in which the dehumidifier 1 dries the object 100, the transition of the water content differs for each laundry. Therefore, the accuracy of the prediction is higher when the region corresponding to the object 100 corresponding to the same laundry is collectively predicted to predict the transition of the water content. This corresponds to the fact that when a plurality of laundry items are dried, the transition of the water content differs for each laundry, so that the prediction accuracy is higher when the transition of the water content is predicted for each laundry.

In order to deal with this, the water content prediction unit 60 groups two or more unit regions into a group. FIG. 10 shows a group set in the dehumidifier 1. For example, one group X1 is formed by the unit area T11, the unit area T12, the unit area T21, the unit area T22, the unit area T31, and the unit area T32. The same is true for other groups. These groups may be preset in the water content prediction unit 60, or when the water content prediction unit 60 predicts the transition of the water content, the unit regions showing a similar tendency are reorganized as a group. May be good. A unit region showing a similar tendency means that the correlation coefficient of the transition of the water content between the unit regions is higher than the threshold value.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the water content prediction unit 60. The water content prediction unit 60 includes a processing unit 80 and a storage unit 82. The storage unit 82 stores the received water content. FIG. 12 is a data structure of the database stored in the storage unit 82. The unit area for each group is shown in the horizontal axis direction. Further, in the vertical direction, the calculation result of the water content for each unit region and the prediction of the transition of the water content are shown. The number of scans M shown on the vertical axis indicates a discrete drying time, and corresponds to a case where the drying time advances from top to bottom. For example, the number of scans M = 7 indicates the current time, that is, the time when the latest water content is acquired. Therefore, the number of scans M = 1 to 6 indicates the amount of water acquired in the past, and the amount of water when the number of scans M = 1 is the oldest. In FIG. 12, the water content calculated by the water content calculation unit 56 is shown as “learning data”. Return to FIG.

ここで、ｙ_ｉ、ｃ、ε_ｔは、ｎ×１ベクトルであり、Φ_ｉは、ｎ×ｎ行列である。ｎは１つのグループに含まれる単位領域の数であるので、（式６）は、グループに対して実行される予測に相当する。ｃ、ε_ｔ、Φ_ｉは、公知の技術により予め定められていればよい。ｙｔは、予測しようとする水分量であり、ｙｔ−１、・・・、ｙｔ−ｐは既に取得した水分量である。例えば、ｙｔがスキャン数Ｍ＝８のときの水分量である場合、ｙｔ−１がスキャン数Ｍ＝７のときの水分量であり、ｙｔ−２がスキャン数Ｍ＝６のときの水分量であり、ｙｔ−７がスキャン数Ｍ＝１のときの水分量である。 The processing unit 80 executes prediction on the database stored in the storage unit 82, for example, by using a model (multivariate time series model) used in machine learning. An example of a multivariate time series model is VAR (Vector Autoregressive: vector autoregressive model), but is not limited to this. VAR is a model that estimates the current movement of variables from the past values of all variables and is shown as follows.

Here, y _i , c, and ε _t are n × 1 vectors, and Φ _i is an n × n matrix. Since n is the number of unit regions contained in one group, (Equation 6) corresponds to the prediction made for the group. c, ε _t , and Φ _i may be predetermined by a known technique. yy is the amount of water to be predicted, and yt-1, ..., Yt-p is the amount of water already obtained. For example, when yy is the amount of water when the number of scans M = 8, yt-1 is the amount of water when the number of scans M = 7, and yt-2 is the amount of water when the number of scans M = 6. Yes, it is the amount of water when yt-7 is the number of scans M = 1.

For example, by substituting the water content of the unit regions T11 to T32 having the number of scans M = 1 to 7 into (Equation 6) for the group X1, the water content of the unit regions T11 to T32 having the number of scans M = 8 can be obtained. is expected. Following this, by substituting the water content of the unit regions T11 to T32 having the number of scans M = 2 to 8 into (Equation 6) for the group X1, the unit regions T11 to T32 having the number of scans M = 9 Moisture content is predicted. That is, by sliding the number of scans M of the amount of water to be substituted into (Equation 6) by 1 while keeping the number of water amounts to be substituted into (Equation 6) constant, the maximum number of scans M to be substituted can be increased. A large number of scans M of water is predicted. In this way, the water content prediction unit 60 predicts the transition of the water content for each of the two or more unit regions included in the group by executing the prediction for the group with two or more unit regions. The predicted water content is shown as predicted data in FIG.

FIG. 13 shows an outline of processing by the water content prediction unit 60 and the dryness prediction unit 62. This shows the transition of the water content predicted by the processing unit 80. The horizontal axis shows the drying time, and the vertical axis shows the amount of water. Further, FIG. 13 shows the transition of the water content with respect to any three unit regions among the plurality of unit regions, but the transition of the water content with respect to the other unit regions is also shown in the same manner. Return to FIG. When the water content prediction unit 60 receives a new water content from the water content calculation unit 56, the water content of the number of scans M = 1 in the storage unit 82 and the prediction data are deleted. Further, the water content of the scan number M = 2 to 7 in the storage unit 82 is shifted from the scan number M = 1 to 6, and the new water content is stored as the scan number M = 7. The processing unit 80 updates the transition of the water content by executing the same processing as before for such a database.

(3) Prediction of Drying End Time The drying prediction unit 62 predicts the drying end time based on the transition of the water content predicted by the water content prediction unit 60. Such predictions are made for each unit area. The drying prediction unit 62 defines a drying judgment threshold value in advance, compares the transition of the water content for each unit region with the drying judgment threshold value, and the time when the water content becomes smaller than the drying judgment threshold value. Is specified as the drying end time. This can be said to be an absolute value judgment. In FIG. 13, the drying end times Ta, Tb, and Tc are specified.

Further, the drying prediction unit 62 may derive the rate of change of the transition of the water content by differentiating the transition of the water content for each unit region. The dryness prediction unit 62 defines a ratio threshold value in advance, compares the rate of change in the transition of the water content in each unit region with the ratio threshold value, and the rate of change becomes smaller than the ratio threshold value. The time may be specified as the drying end time. This can be said to be a relative value judgment. Further, the drying prediction unit 62 may specify the drying end time by combining the absolute value determination and the relative value determination. For example, the dryness prediction unit 62 may execute the absolute value determination and then the relative value determination. FIG. 14 shows the processing result of the drying prediction unit 62. This is also called table K, and the drying end time for each unit region is shown as K11 or the like. Here, too, K11 and the like may be referred to as a unit area.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a prediction procedure by the dehumidifier 1. The water content calculation unit 56 sets m to 1 (S90), and completes the calculation of the water content (table T) (S100). The water content prediction unit 60 stores the (mth) water content table T in the storage unit 82 (S102). If m is not the learning number L or more (no in S104), the water content prediction unit 60 adds 1 to m (S106) and returns to step 100. When m is the learning number L or more (yes of S104), the water content prediction unit 60 sets i to 1 (S108), and sets the water content of the group Xi from the ML + 1st time to the mth time as the learning data. (S110). The water content prediction unit 60 predicts the water content after the m + 1th time from the learning data (S112), and stores the prediction result in the storage unit 82 (S114). If i is not 6 (no in S116), the water content prediction unit 60 adds 1 to i (S118) and returns to step 108. If i is 6 (yes in S116), the drying prediction unit 62 calculates the drying end time of each unit region R from the water content time series data (S120). This corresponds to updating table K. Return to FIG.

(4) Blower control The blower control unit 57 blows air from the air outlet 11 according to the drying end time predicted by the drying prediction unit 62. At that time, the blower control unit 57 controls the wind direction so as to face the unit region where the drying end time is late. Specifically, the blower control unit 57 blows air at an angle of the louver 12 with respect to a place in K11 to K66 where the drying end time is late. The blower control unit 57 may control the dehumidification unit 4 of FIG. 1 based on the table K of the drying end time. That is, the blower control unit 57 controls the angle of the louver 12 with respect to the unit region where the drying end time is late, and blows the dehumidified air concentrated in the unit region. As a result, evaporation of water is promoted in the unit region having a large amount of water. This corresponds to preferentially blowing air to a place that is difficult to dry. The blower control unit 57 may change the blower amount of the blower unit 3 by controlling the angle of the louver 12 or by changing to controlling the angle of the louver 12.

(5) Display of Drying End Time The drying prediction unit 62 displays the predicted drying end time for each unit area, that is, the table K on the display unit 6. The display unit 6 is a display and displays a table K as shown in FIG. The display unit 6 may display the latest drying end time in the table K, that is, the time when the drying operation is stopped or the remaining time of the drying operation.

The subject of the device, system, or method in the present disclosure comprises a computer. By executing the program by this computer, the function of the subject of the device, system, or method in the present disclosure is realized. A computer has a processor that operates according to a program as a main hardware configuration. The type of processor does not matter as long as the function can be realized by executing the program. The processor is composed of one or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) or an LSI (Large Scale Integration). The plurality of electronic circuits may be integrated on one chip or may be provided on a plurality of chips. A plurality of chips may be integrated in one device, or may be provided in a plurality of devices. The program is recorded on a non-temporary recording medium such as a computer-readable ROM, optical disc, or hard disk drive. The program may be stored in the recording medium in advance, or may be supplied to the recording medium via a wide area communication network including the Internet or the like.

According to this embodiment, based on the calculated water content, the transition of the water content of the object 100 from the time of calculation to a predetermined time later is predicted, and the drying end time is determined based on the transition of the water content. Since it is predicted, the accuracy of predicting the drying end time of the object 100 can be improved. Further, since the prediction is executed for the group in which two or more unit areas are grouped together, the prediction accuracy can be improved. Further, since the wind direction is controlled so as to face the unit region where the drying end time is late, the air can be blown preferentially to the one with the late drying end time. In addition, since the air is preferentially blown to the one with the later drying end time, the drying end time can be shortened. Moreover, since the drying end time is shortened, the power consumption can be reduced. Further, since the amount of air blown is controlled based on the drying end time, the amount of air blown can be increased when the drying end time is late. In addition, since the predicted drying end time is displayed, the user can know a guideline for the time required for drying the object 100. In addition, since the user knows a guideline for the time required for drying the object 100, it is possible to manage the schedule of housework.

The outline of one aspect of the present disclosure is as follows. The blower device of a certain aspect of the present disclosure calculates the water content based on the water content calculation unit (56) for calculating the water content of the object (100) and the water content calculated by the water content calculation unit (56). The water content prediction unit (60) that predicts the transition of the water content of the object (100) from the time of calculation in the unit (56) to the predetermined time later, and the water content prediction unit (60) that predicts the transition of the water content. A drying prediction unit (62) that predicts the drying end time based on the above, and a blower control unit (57) that blows air from the air outlet (11) according to the drying end time predicted by the drying prediction unit (62). ) And.

The water content calculation unit (56) calculates the water content for each of the plurality of unit regions whose detection range is divided, and the water content prediction unit (60) for a group in which two or more unit regions are grouped together. By executing the prediction, the transition of the water content for each of the two or more unit regions included in the group may be predicted.

The blower control unit (57) may control the wind direction so as to face the unit region where the drying end time is late.

The blast control unit (57) may control the blast amount based on the drying end time.

Further, a heating portion arranged in the ventilation path from the suction port to the air outlet (11) may be provided.

A display unit (6) that displays the drying end time predicted by the drying prediction unit (62) may be further provided.

The present disclosure has been described above based on the examples. This embodiment is an example, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible for each of these components or combinations of each processing process, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present disclosure. ..

In this embodiment, the configuration of the dehumidifier 1 is described as an example of the blower. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the blower may be a fan provided with an axial fan. The fan directs the wind so that it faces the unit area where the drying end time is late. Further, the blower may be a bathroom dryer used for drying clothes and drying the bathroom in the bathroom. According to this modification, the degree of freedom of configuration can be improved.

The dehumidifier 1 in this embodiment may include a heating unit arranged in a ventilation path from the suction port 10 to the air outlet 11. The heating unit heats the air sucked from the suction port 10. According to this modification, since the water droplets are evaporated in a short time, the drying end time can be shortened.

1 Dehumidifier, 2 Main unit, 3 Blower, 4 Dehumidifier, 5 Control, 6 Display, 7 Light source, 8 Light receiver, 9 Moisture detector, 10 Suction port, 11 Air outlet, 12 Louver, 21 Throw Optical lens, 22 Light source, 34 Half mirror, 42 Second bandpass filter, 43 Second light receiving element, 51 Light source control unit, 52 First amplification unit, 53 Second amplification unit, 54 First signal processing unit, 55 Second Signal processing unit, 56 Moisture content calculation unit, 57 Blower control unit, 60 Moisture content prediction unit, 62 Drying prediction unit, 71 Light receiving lens, 72 First bandpass filter, 73 First light receiving element, 80 Processing unit, 82 Storage unit , 100 objects.

Claims (6)

A water content calculation unit that calculates the water content of the object,
Based on the water content calculated by the water content calculation unit, a water content prediction unit that predicts the transition of the water content of the object from the time of calculation by the water content calculation unit to a predetermined time later.
A drying prediction unit that predicts the drying end time based on the transition of the water content predicted by the water content prediction unit, and a drying prediction unit.
A blower control unit that blows air from the air outlet according to the drying end time predicted by the dryness prediction unit.
A blower equipped with. The water content calculation unit calculates the water content for each of the plurality of unit regions in which the detection range is divided.
The claim that the water content prediction unit predicts the transition of the water content for each of the two or more unit regions included in the group by executing the prediction for the group in which the two or more unit regions are put together. The blower according to 1. The blower according to claim 2, wherein the blower control unit controls the wind direction so as to face a unit region having a slow drying end time. The blower according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the blower control unit controls the amount of blown air based on the drying end time. The blower according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a heating unit arranged in a ventilation path from a suction port to the air outlet. The blower according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a display unit that displays the drying end time predicted by the drying prediction unit.

Images