JP4754203B2 - Bathroom air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a bathroom air conditioner installed in a bathroom. Specifically, the heater for heating the air is intermittently driven during heating during bathing, so that the temperature in the bathroom is made uniform so that the bather does not feel cold.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there are provided air conditioners for bathrooms having a function of sending warm air to the bathrooms to perform heating. In the bathroom air conditioner, an electric heater such as a PTC heater is disposed in the air passage, and the heater is heated to blow the air and send it as hot air.

  Now, by providing a bathroom air conditioner having a heating function, the bathroom can be heated in winter, and comfortable bathing becomes possible. However, even with warm air, there is a problem of so-called cold draft that feels cold when directly hitting a bather.

  For this reason, the technique which heats the inside of a bathroom until desired bathing time and stops heating after desired bathroom time progress is proposed (for example, refer patent document 1).

  This method can solve the cold draft problem because hot air blowing stops during bathing. However, when taking a bath for a while after completion of heating, the temperature in the bathroom drops, and as a result, there is a problem of feeling cold during bathing.

  For this reason, the technique which reduces an air volume and continues heating during bathing is proposed (for example, refer patent document 2).

Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-43143 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-141684

  By lowering the air volume during bathing and heating, it is possible to suppress the feeling of cold even when the bather receives hot air. However, when a PTC heater or the like is used as the heater, the temperature of the heater rises by lowering the air volume, and the temperature of the hot air blown out rises.

  And when the temperature of the warm air that blows out rises, air that has been warmed and lightened in specific gravity accumulates above the bathroom, and cold air with high specific gravity accumulates in the lower part of the bathroom, causing stratification. There is a problem of feeling.

FIG. 12 is a graph showing a temperature change in the bathroom during a conventional heating operation. Here, as a conventional bathroom air conditioner, the amount of air is set to 260 m ² / h (strong) in preheating before bathing, and the amount of air is set to 180 m ² / h (medium) in heating during bathing. And

  In the graph shown in FIG. 12, the vertical axis represents temperature, the horizontal axis represents time, the blowout temperature at the outlet, the environment (outside air) temperature, the floor surface (0 mm) temperature, and the height of 50 mm from the floor surface. Changes in temperature, temperature at a height of 1150 mm from the floor, and temperature at a height of 1650 mm from the floor.

  First, the air volume is set to “strong” and the heater is energized to perform a preheating operation. The change of the blowout temperature and the temperature in the bathroom in the preheating operation is indicated by “3A” in the graph of FIG. When the heating operation is performed with the air volume being “strong”, the temperature in the bathroom rises as a whole, and it is understood that the bathroom is heated.

  When pre-heating is started and a predetermined time has elapsed, the air volume is switched to “medium” and heating is performed during bathing. Changes in the blowing temperature and the temperature in the bathroom during the bathing heating operation are indicated by “3B” in the graph of FIG. When the heating operation is performed with the air volume being “medium”, the temperature of the heater rises, and the blowing temperature rises. And as the blowout temperature rises, the temperature above the bathroom gradually rises, but the temperature below the bathroom gradually falls, dividing it into a warm air layer above the bathroom and a cold air layer below. So-called layering occurs.

  In this way, when heating is performed with the air volume reduced, stratification is promoted and the temperature difference between the upper and lower bathrooms increases, and even if heating is performed, the temperature below the bathroom decreases, so it feels cold. It turns out that a problem arises.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a bathroom air conditioner that can achieve uniform temperature in the bathroom.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention of claim 1 is configured to drive a blowing unit that sucks air and blows it into the bathroom, a heating unit that heats air blown by the blowing unit, and a blowing unit and a heating unit. In the bathroom air conditioner having a control means for executing a heating operation mode for blowing warm air, the control means is a preheating mode for controlling the air blowing means and the heating means so as to warm the interior of the bathroom before bathing as the heating operation mode. And driving the heating means and driving the heating means, stopping the driving of the heating means before stopping the driving of the blowing means, and alternately repeating the driving and non-driving of the blowing means and driving the heating means and the non-driving and a bath during the heating mode for performing intermittent drive are alternately repeated during bathing, the control means of the plurality of warm Bomo over de in the bath in heating mode, while suppressing the layering in the bathroom ,bathroom The so the whole of the temperature can be kept at a desired temperature, at the time of driving the heating means at a predetermined heating operation time, feel the preliminary heating air flow from the least for bather cold preliminary heating mode the blowing means The bathroom is operated with a heating air volume during bathing so that the bathing means can be suppressed , and when the heating means is not driven, the air blowing means is driven for a predetermined time so that the bather can feel cold. Stirring operation that stirs the air inside and generates convection is performed, and after the stirring operation, the blowing means is stopped until the heating means that suppresses the temperature drop in the bathroom is driven to generate natural convection in the bathroom. It is characterized by that.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the invention of claim 1, the control means, the blowing means to drive in the pre-heating air volume more than during the heating airflow bath, after preliminary heating mode execution you drive the heating means, while bathing A heating mode is executed.

The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 2 , the control means executes the heating mode during bathing when a predetermined time elapses after starting the preheating mode.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a state detecting means for detecting whether or not a person is in the bathroom, and the control means starts the preliminary heating mode and then the person is in the bathroom by the state detecting means. If it is judged, it is characterized by executing the heating mode during bathing.

According to the present invention, in the heating mode during bathing, the supply of hot air is intermittent, so that when hot air is not supplied, the temperature rise above the bathroom is suppressed, and between the upper and lower parts of the bathroom. Convection occurs and the air is agitated. Thereby, the temperature under the bathroom rises and the temperature can be made uniform. Moreover, the temperature drop accompanying the non-supply of hot air can be suppressed during the supply of hot air.

  Thereby, the temperature in the bathroom can be made uniform at a desired temperature, and the bather can be prevented from feeling cold.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a bathroom air conditioner of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Configuration example of bathroom air conditioner>
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a bathroom air conditioner 1 according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the bathroom air conditioner 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is an installation of the bathroom air conditioner 1 according to the present embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example. Here, FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of the bathroom air-conditioning apparatus 1.

  The bathroom air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment includes a fan unit 2 and a heater 3 as shown in FIG. 1 and the like, and has a function of blowing hot air to heat the bathroom 21 shown in FIG. During the heating operation, the heater 3 is intermittently operated, and the air volume of the fan unit 2 is controlled in conjunction with the intermittent operation of the heater 3, so that the temperature in the bathroom 21 is made uniform and the bather is kept cold. Don't let it feel.

  The bathroom air conditioner 1 has a fan unit 2 attached to a main body case 4. The fan unit 2 constitutes a blowing means, and includes a multi-blade fan 5 that is rotationally driven, a fan motor 6 that rotationally drives the fan 5, and a fan case 7 that is mounted with the fan motor 6 and that forms an air passage. .

  In the fan unit 2 of this example, the fan 5 is arranged vertically, and the fan case 7 has a lower surface along the axial direction of the fan 5 opened to form a suction port 8. Further, the fan case 7 includes an air path switching unit 9 that is open on one side surface along the tangential direction of the fan 5.

  The air path switching unit 9 includes a damper 10 that switches the air path. The damper 10 receives a driving force of a damper motor, which will be described later, via a cam 10a, and rotates around the shaft 10b to perform an opening / closing operation. The fan case 7 communicates with the air path switching unit 9 and has a blower outlet 11 on the lower surface thereof, and communicates with the air path switching unit 9 and has an exhaust port 12 on one side surface. An air passage communicating with the air outlet 11 from the air outlet 8 or an air passage communicating with the air outlet 12 is formed.

  FIG. 1 shows a state in which the damper 10 is fully closed. When the damper 10 is fully closed, the air path to the exhaust port 12 is shut off, and a circulation air channel 13 a communicating from the suction port 8 to the blower port 11 is formed. For this reason, the position where the damper 10 is fully closed is referred to as a circulation position of the damper 10.

  As will be described later, when the damper 10 is fully opened, the air passage to the air outlet 11 is blocked, and a ventilation air passage 13b communicating from the suction port 8 to the exhaust port 12 is formed. For this reason, the position where the damper 10 is fully opened is referred to as a ventilation position of the damper 10. Further, when the damper 10 is set at an intermediate position between the circulation position and the ventilation position, both a circulation air passage 13a communicating from the intake port 8 to the outlet 11 and a ventilation air passage 13b communicating from the intake port 8 to the exhaust port 12 are formed. Is done. This intermediate position is referred to as a circulation ventilation position.

  The heater 3 constitutes a heating means and is provided in the above-described air outlet 11. As shown in FIG. 1, when the position of the damper 10 is fully closed and the fan 5 is rotationally driven by the fan motor 6, air is sucked from the suction port 8 and blown out from the blowout port 11 through the circulation air passage 13a. When the heater 3 is energized, the heater 3 is heated to warm the air passing through the air outlet 11, and the hot air is blown out from the air outlet 11.

  Here, as the heater 3, for example, a PTC heater is provided. The PTC heater is a heater having a positive thermistor characteristic, and when the temperature rises, the resistance value rises. As a result, the consumed current is controlled and the temperature rise is moderated. However, it reaches the saturation region and becomes stable, and performs self-temperature control.

  As described above, in the PTC heater, the current consumption decreases as the heater temperature rises, and after that, when the saturation temperature reaches a constant temperature, the current consumption is stable at a low value. There are advantages that power consumption can be saved and that an abnormal increase in temperature of the heating element can be prevented.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the lower surface of the main body case 4 is opened to expose the suction port 8 and the air outlet 11 of the fan unit 2. The main body case 4 includes a front panel 14 in the lower surface opening. The front panel 14 is detachably attached to the main body case 4 and includes a suction port 15 facing the suction port 8 of the fan unit 2 and a blower port 16 facing the blower port 11 of the fan unit 2. The front panel 14 is attached to the back side of the suction port 15 so that the filter 17 can be replaced.

  In addition, the blower outlet 16 may be provided with a blowout grill (not shown) that switches the blowout direction, and the blowout direction from the blowout outlet 16 may be adjusted in the direction in which the blowout grill is attached.

  Furthermore, the main body case 4 includes an exhaust duct connection portion 18 that communicates with the exhaust port 12 of the fan unit 2 on one side surface.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the installation example of the bathroom air conditioner 1 of this Embodiment is demonstrated. The bathroom air conditioner 1 is installed on the ceiling of the bathroom 21. The ceiling panel of the bathroom 21 is formed with an opening for receiving the main body case 4 of the bathroom air conditioner 1 described in FIG. 1 and the like, and the bathroom air conditioner 1 is suspended from the ceiling so that the front panel 14 is exposed. It is attached in the form of being lowered or fixed to the ceiling panel.

  In the bathroom air conditioner 1 attached to the ceiling of the bathroom 21, the exhaust duct 22 is connected to the exhaust duct connection portion 18. The exhaust duct 22 is connected to an exhaust grille 24 attached to an outer wall 23 of a building (not shown), and is configured such that the air in the bathroom 21 taken in by the bathroom air conditioner 1 can be exhausted outside through the exhaust duct 22. .

  Since the bathroom air conditioner 1 also has a function of drying laundry or the like, the bathroom 21 includes a land re-pipe 25 for hanging the laundry or the like. Here, when the air which blows off from the blower outlet 16 shown in FIG. 1 etc. of the bathroom air conditioner 1 hits the bather who comes out of the bathtub 21a and exists in the washroom 21b, it may feel cold. For this reason, it sets so that the blowing direction may face the land pipe 25 side.

  For example, as described above, in the configuration in which the blowing direction can be adjusted by attaching the blowing grille, the blowing direction can be freely adjusted according to the installation position of the bathroom air conditioner 1, and the blowing is directed toward the land re-pipe 25 side. The direction can be set.

  A bathroom door 26 is provided at the entrance of the bathroom 21. The bathroom door 26 is provided with an air intake 27 (gully) 27 so that air in the bathroom 28 and the like adjacent to the bathroom 21 can be taken into the bathroom 21.

<Control example of bathroom air conditioner>
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a control function of the bathroom air conditioner 1. The bathroom air conditioner 1 includes a control unit 31 configured by a CPU, a memory, and the like, a fan motor 6 that drives the fan 5 described in FIG. 1 and the like, a damper motor 19 that drives the damper 10, a heater 3, and an operation unit. 32 etc. are connected.

  The control unit 31 constitutes control means, and executes, for example, a heating operation mode, a ventilation operation mode, a cool air operation mode, and a drying operation mode by a program stored in a memory or the like (not shown). The bathroom air conditioner 1 of this example includes a preheating mode and a bathing heating mode as heating operation modes.

  These operation modes are selected by a user such as a bather operating the operation unit 32, and the control unit 31 controls the fan motor 6, the damper motor 19, the heater 3 and the like according to a program for executing the selected operation mode. Control.

  The operation unit 32 constitutes operation means, and is, for example, a remote control device independent from the main body of the bathroom air conditioner 1 and is attached to the wall surface of the washroom 28 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of the operation unit 32. The operation unit 32 includes a display unit 33 and various operation buttons. As operation buttons, a heating mode button 34 for selecting a heating operation mode, a cool air mode button 35 for selecting a cool air operation mode, a ventilation mode button 36 for selecting a ventilation operation mode, and a drying mode button for selecting a drying operation mode. 37.

  Further, for example, a lamp 38 may be provided corresponding to each button so that the user can confirm the selected operation mode, and the lamp 38 corresponding to the button of the selected operation mode may be turned on. In the heating operation mode, since the preliminary heating mode and the bathing heating mode are provided, in order to be able to recognize which mode is being operated, two lamps 38 are provided, The lamp 38 may be turned on.

  Further, a timer button 39 may be provided so that a desired operation mode can be executed at a set time.

<First operation example of heating operation mode>
Next, a first operation example of the heating operation mode in the bathroom air conditioner 1 will be described. FIG. 6 is a table showing the relationship between the driving of the heater 3 and the air volume control in the first operation example in the heating operation mode, and FIG. 7 is a graph showing the temperature change in the bathroom 21 in the heating operation mode in the first operation example. is there.

Here, in the bathroom air conditioner 1 of the present example, the fan unit 2 makes “strong” as the preheating air volume, “medium” as the heating air volume during bathing, and “weak” as the air volume less than the heating air volume during bathing. The rotation speed of the fan motor 6 can be switched to the third speed so that three levels of airflow can be obtained. For example, “strong” is set to 260 m ² / h, “medium” is set to 180 m ² / h, and “weak” is set to 100 m ² / h.

  Moreover, the graph shown in FIG. 7 takes temperature on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis, the blowing temperature at the outlet 16 shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the environment (outside air) temperature, the temperature of the floor (0 mm), Changes in the temperature at a height of 50 mm from the floor surface, the temperature at a height of 1150 mm from the floor surface, and the temperature at a height of 1650 mm from the floor surface are shown.

  When the heating mode button 34 of the operation unit 32 is pressed, the control unit 31 first executes the preliminary heating mode as the heating operation mode. In the preliminary heating mode, the control unit 31 controls the fan motor 6 so that the air volume of the fan unit 2 becomes “strong” as described above, and energizes the heater 3. In the following description, the state where the heater 3 is energized is referred to as on, and the state where the energization is stopped is referred to as off. Further, in the heating operation mode, the control unit 31 controls the damper motor 19 so that the position of the damper 10 becomes the circulation position shown in FIG.

  When the fan 5 is rotationally driven by the fan motor 6, the air in the bathroom 21 is sucked from the suction port 8 of the fan unit 2 through the suction port 15 of the front panel 14. When the damper 10 is in the circulation position, a circulation air passage 13a from the suction port 8 to the blowout port 11 is formed in the fan unit 2. Therefore, air sucked from the suction port 8 passes through the circulation air passage 13a. The air is blown out from the air outlet 11 into the bathroom 21 through the air outlet 16 of the front panel 14. And since the heater 3 is arrange | positioned at the blower outlet 11 of the circulation air path 13a, when the heater 3 is turned on and the heater 3 is heated, the air which passes along the circulation air path 13a will be warmed, and will blow off from the blower outlet 16. FIG.

  Thereby, the inside of the bathroom 21 can be heated while circulating the air in the bathroom 21 to increase the temperature. Moreover, the temperature of the bathroom 21 can be raised in a short time by setting the air volume of the fan unit 2 to “strong”. Changes in the blowout temperature and the temperature in the bathroom 21 in the preheating mode are indicated by “1A” in the graph of FIG.

  The controller 31 executes the preheating mode and executes the bathing heating mode when a predetermined preheating operation time has elapsed. In this example, the preliminary heating operation time is set to 15 minutes.

  The controller 31 first performs a heating operation in the bathing heating mode. In the heating operation in the bathing heating mode, the fan motor 6 is controlled so that the air volume of the fan unit 2 becomes “medium” as described above, and the heater 3 is kept on. The change in the blow-out temperature during the heating operation and the temperature in the bathroom 21 in the bathing heating mode is indicated by “1B” in the graph of FIG.

  In the heating mode during bathing, by performing the heating operation with the air volume of the fan unit 2 set to “medium”, it is possible to suppress the feeling of cold even if the bather receives wind (warm air). However, when the air volume decreases, the temperature of the heater 3 rises due to the characteristics of the heater 3, so that the temperature of the hot air blown from the outlet 16 rises as indicated by "1B" in the graph of FIG. As a result, the upward movement of the air that has been warmed and lightened in specific gravity is promoted, and stratification occurs in which the temperature difference between the upper side and the lower side in the bathroom 21 increases.

  Therefore, in the first operation example, the control unit 31 executes the air blowing operation when a predetermined heating operation time has elapsed after the heating operation is started in the bathing heating mode. In this example, the heating operation time is set to 3 minutes. In the air blowing operation in the bathing heating mode, the fan motor 6 is controlled so that the air volume of the fan unit 2 becomes “weak” as described above, and the heater 3 is turned off. The change of the blowing temperature during the air blowing operation and the temperature in the bathroom 21 in the bathing heating mode is indicated by “1C” in the graph of FIG.

  Since the heater 3 is turned off in the air blowing operation, the temperature rise of the heater 3 can be prevented. Further, since the temperature of the heater 3 is lowered, the temperature of the hot air blown from the outlet 16 is lowered as indicated by “1C” in the graph of FIG. Thereby, the temperature rise in the bathroom 21 is suppressed and the promotion of stratification in the bathroom 21 is suppressed.

  Further, the air in the bathroom 21 is agitated by the air blown from the air outlet 16, so that air convection occurs between the upper side and the lower side of the bathroom 21, and the warmed air accumulated above the bathroom 21 is It moves below 21 and layering is eliminated.

  In the air blowing operation, by turning off the heater 3, the temperature of the air blown from the outlet 16 is lower than that in the heating operation. For this reason, the feeling of cold is suppressed by setting the air volume of the fan unit 2 to “weak”.

  The control part 31 will perform the heating operation mentioned above, if predetermined | prescribed ventilation operation time passes after starting ventilation operation in the heating mode in bathing. That is, the fan motor 6 is controlled so that the air volume of the fan unit 2 becomes “medium”, and the heater 3 is turned on. In this example, the air blowing operation time is set to 1 minute.

  Then, after a predetermined heating operation time (3 minutes in this example) has elapsed after the start of the heating operation, the control unit 31 performs the air blowing operation described above, and thereafter performs the heating operation and the air blowing until the heating operation mode is stopped. Execute operation alternately.

  In the heating operation, as described above, when the heater 3 is turned on, the temperature of the air blown out from the air outlet 16 increases. Thereby, the temperature fall of the bathroom 21 is suppressed by performing heating operation after ventilation operation. Further, when the heating operation is continued, stratification occurs in the bathroom 21 as described above. Therefore, the stratification in the bathroom 21 is suppressed by performing the air blowing operation when a predetermined heating operation time has elapsed.

  In this manner, the heater 3 is intermittently operated every predetermined time, and the heating operation and the air blowing operation are alternately repeated, thereby suppressing the stratification in the bathroom 21 and setting the entire temperature in the bathroom 21 to a desired temperature. The entire interior of the bathroom 21 can be warmed, the floor surface of the washing area 21b of the bathroom 21 and its vicinity can be warmed, and the bather can take a warm bath.

  In the graph of FIG. 7, compared with the conventional example shown in FIG. 12, the temperature below the bathroom 21 rises and the temperature above the bathroom 21 decreases after the bathing heating mode is executed. It can be seen that the temperature in the bathroom 21 can be made uniform by reducing the difference between the two. In particular, since the temperature below the bathroom 21 rises, it becomes difficult for the bather to feel cold, so that the interior of the bathroom 21 can be maintained at an appropriate temperature without raising the temperature more than necessary.

  Further, since the temperature rise of the heater 3 is suppressed, the number of operations of the safety device is reduced, the heater 3 is prevented from being repeatedly turned on and off in a short time, and the heater 3 and a relay for turning the heater 3 on and off, etc. Life can be extended.

  Furthermore, since the driving time of the heater 3 is reduced, the power consumption can be reduced.

<Modification of First Operation Example in Heating Operation Mode>
In the first operation example described with reference to FIG. 6, the heater 3 is turned off during the air blowing operation so as not to be driven. On the other hand, in the configuration in which the heater 3 is composed of a plurality of heaters, instead of the air blowing operation, a weak heating operation in which the number of energized heaters 3 is reduced and the output (heat generation amount) of the heater 3 is reduced is performed. Alternatively, a heating operation mode during bathing in which the heating operation and the weak heating operation are intermittently controlled may be used.

  When the number of energizations of the heater 3 during the preheating operation is about 3 to 4, it is desirable that the number of energizations of the heater 3 during the weak heating operation is one and the output of the heater 3 is significantly reduced.

<Second operation example of heating operation mode>
Next, a second operation example of the heating operation mode in the bathroom air conditioner 1 will be described. FIG. 8 is a table showing the relationship between the driving of the heater 3 and the air volume control in the second operation example in the heating operation mode, and FIG. 9 is a graph showing the temperature change in the bathroom 21 in the heating operation mode in the second operation example. is there.

  Here, in the bathroom air conditioner 1 of this example, as in the first operation example, the fan motor 6 allows the fan unit 2 to obtain three types of airflows of “strong”, “medium”, and “weak”. The rotation speed can be switched to 3rd speed.

  In addition, the graph shown in FIG. 9 is similar to the graph described with reference to FIG. 7, where the vertical axis indicates temperature, the horizontal axis indicates time, the blowing temperature at the outlet 16 shown in FIG. Changes in the temperature of the floor (0 mm), the temperature of 50 mm from the floor, the temperature of 1150 mm from the floor, and the temperature of 1650 mm from the floor are shown.

  When the heating mode button 34 of the operation unit 32 is pressed, the control unit 31 first executes the preliminary heating mode as the heating operation mode. In the preliminary heating mode, the control unit 31 controls the fan motor 6 so that the air volume of the fan unit 2 becomes “strong” as described above, and turns on the heater 3. Further, in the heating operation mode, the control unit 31 controls the damper motor 19 so that the position of the damper 10 becomes the circulation position shown in FIG.

  When the fan 5 is rotationally driven by the fan motor 6, the air in the bathroom 21 is sucked from the suction port 8 of the fan unit 2 through the suction port 15 of the front panel 14. When the damper 10 is in the circulation position, a circulation air passage 13a from the suction port 8 to the blowout port 11 is formed in the fan unit 2. Therefore, air sucked from the suction port 8 passes through the circulation air passage 13a. The air is blown out from the air outlet 11 into the bathroom 21 through the air outlet 16 of the front panel 14. And since the heater 3 is arrange | positioned at the blower outlet 11 of the circulation air path 13a, when the heater 3 is turned on and the heater 3 is heated, the air which passes along the circulation air path 13a will be warmed, and will blow off from the blower outlet 16. FIG.

  Thereby, the inside of the bathroom 21 can be heated while circulating the air in the bathroom 21 to increase the temperature. Moreover, the temperature of the bathroom 21 can be raised in a short time by setting the air volume of the fan unit 2 to “strong”. The change in the blowout temperature and the temperature in the bathroom 21 in the preheating mode is indicated by “2A” in the graph of FIG.

  The controller 31 executes the preheating mode and executes the bathing heating mode when a predetermined preheating operation time has elapsed. In this example, the preliminary heating operation time is set to 15 minutes.

  The controller 31 first performs a heating operation in the bathing heating mode. In the heating operation in the bathing heating mode, the fan motor 6 is controlled so that the air volume of the fan unit 2 becomes “medium” as described above, and the heater 3 is kept on. The change of the blowing temperature during the heating operation in the bathing heating mode and the temperature in the bathroom 21 is indicated by “2B” in the graph of FIG. 9.

  In the heating mode during bathing, by performing the heating operation with the air volume of the fan unit 2 set to “medium”, it is possible to suppress the feeling of cold even if the bather receives wind (warm air). However, when the air volume decreases, the temperature of the heater 3 increases due to the characteristics of the heater 3, so that the temperature of the hot air blown from the outlet 16 increases as indicated by “2B” in the graph of FIG. 9. As a result, the upward movement of the heated air and the lighter specific gravity is promoted upward, and stratification occurs in which the temperature difference between the upper side and the lower side in the bathroom 21 increases.

  Therefore, in the second operation example, the control unit 31 performs the stirring operation when a predetermined heating operation time has elapsed after the heating operation is started in the bathing heating mode. In this example, the heating operation time is set to 3 minutes. In the stirring operation in the bathing heating mode, the fan motor 6 is controlled so that the air volume of the fan unit 2 becomes “medium” as described above, and the heater 3 is turned off. The change of the blowing temperature during the stirring operation and the temperature in the bathroom 21 in the bathing heating mode is indicated by “2C” in the graph of FIG.

  In the stirring operation, since the heater 3 is turned off, the temperature rise of the heater 3 can be prevented. Further, since the temperature of the heater 3 is lowered, the temperature of the hot air blown out from the outlet 16 is lowered as indicated by “2C” in the graph of FIG. 9. Thereby, the temperature rise in the bathroom 21 is suppressed and the promotion of stratification in the bathroom 21 is suppressed.

  Further, the air in the bathroom 21 is agitated by the air blown from the air outlet 16, so that air convection occurs between the upper side and the lower side of the bathroom 21, and the warmed air accumulated above the bathroom 21 is 21 moves below. And since the air volume of the fan unit 2 is operated at “medium”, elimination of stratification is promoted.

  In the stirring operation, by turning off the heater 3, the temperature of the wind blown from the outlet 16 is lower than that in the heating operation. For this reason, the time for executing the stirring operation is set short. In this example, the stirring operation time is set to 10 seconds to suppress the feeling of cold.

  The control unit 31 stops the operation when a predetermined stirring operation time (in this example, 10 seconds) elapses after the stirring operation starts in the bathing heating mode. While the operation is stopped, the drive of the fan unit 2 is stopped and the heater 3 is kept off. The change of the blowing temperature during the suspension of operation in the bathing heating mode and the temperature in the bathroom 21 is indicated by “2D” in the graph of FIG. 9.

  While the operation is stopped, the heater 3 is kept off, so that the temperature of the heater 3 gradually decreases. Moreover, since the drive of the fan unit 2 is stopped, the blowout from the blower outlet 16 stops. By agitating the air in the bathroom 21 by the agitation operation before the operation is stopped, air convection is generated between the upper side and the lower side of the bathroom 21.

  In addition, even when the driving of the fan unit 2 is stopped, if the ambient temperature is low enough to execute the heating operation mode, natural convection occurs when the blowing of hot air stops. Thereby, the warmed air accumulated above the bathroom 21 moves below the bathroom 21, and the stratification is eliminated.

  In addition, by stopping air blowing during the suspension of operation, bathers are prevented from feeling cold. Here, in this example, the time for stopping the operation is set to 1 minute, for example.

  The control part 31 will perform the heating operation mentioned above, if predetermined | prescribed operation stop time (1 minute in this example) passes after stopping operation. That is, the fan motor 6 is controlled so that the air volume of the fan unit 2 becomes “medium”, and the heater 3 is turned on.

  When the predetermined heating operation time (3 minutes in this example) has elapsed after the start of the heating operation, the control unit 31 executes the above-described stirring operation, and the predetermined stirring operation time (10 seconds in this example) has elapsed. Then, the operation is stopped, and thereafter, the heating operation, the stirring operation, and the operation stop are executed alternately until the heating operation mode is stopped.

  In the heating operation, when the heater 3 is turned on, the temperature of the wind blown from the outlet 16 increases. Thereby, the temperature reduction of the bathroom 21 is suppressed by performing the heating operation after the operation stop. Further, if the heating operation is continued, stratification occurs in the bathroom 21 as described above. Therefore, the stratification in the bathroom 21 is suppressed by executing the agitation operation and the operation stop when a predetermined heating operation time elapses. .

  As described above, the heater 3 is intermittently operated every predetermined time, and the heating operation, the stirring operation, and the operation stop are alternately repeated, thereby suppressing the stratification in the bathroom 21 and the desired temperature in the bathroom 21. The entire interior of the bathroom 21 is warmed, the floor surface of the washing area 21b of the bathroom 21 and the vicinity thereof can be warmed, and the bather can take a warm bath.

  In the graph of FIG. 9, compared with the conventional example shown in FIG. 12, the temperature below the bathroom 21 increases and the temperature above the bathroom 21 decreases after the bathing heating mode is executed. It can be seen that the temperature in the bathroom 21 can be made uniform by reducing the difference between the two. In particular, since the temperature below the bathroom 21 rises, it becomes difficult for the bather to feel cold, so that the interior of the bathroom 21 can be maintained at an appropriate temperature without raising the temperature more than necessary.

  Further, since the temperature rise of the heater 3 is suppressed, the number of operations of the safety device is reduced, the heater 3 is prevented from being repeatedly turned on and off in a short time, and the heater 3 and a relay for turning the heater 3 on and off, etc. Life can be extended.

  Furthermore, since the drive time of the fan unit 2 is shortened while the heater 3 is off, it is possible to prevent the bather from feeling cold.

  As a modification of the second operation example, in the bathing heating mode, the heating operation and the operation stop may be alternately repeated. As described above, when the environmental temperature for executing the heating operation mode is low, natural convection occurs when the blowing of warm air stops.

  Accordingly, by alternately performing the heating operation and the operation suspension, the warmed air accumulated above the bathroom 21 in the heating mode during bathing moves to the lower side of the bathroom 21, thereby eliminating the stratification and the bathroom 21. The floor of the washing area 21b and the vicinity thereof can also be warmed, so that the bather can take a warm bath.

  When a high-power heater is used in the bathroom air conditioner 1 using AC 200V as a power source, the heater 3 is intermittently operated during the bathing heating mode operation described in the first operation example and the second operation example. Control is more effective.

<Modification of switching between preheating mode and bathing mode>
In this example, when the heating mode button 34 is pressed, the preliminary heating mode is first executed, and when the predetermined preliminary heating operation time has elapsed, the heating mode during bathing is executed. On the other hand, the bathroom 21 is provided with a human sensor as a state detecting means, and when the heating mode button 34 is pressed, the preliminary heating mode is executed, and when the human sensor detects a bather in the bathroom 21, the bathing is performed. You may comprise so that a middle heating mode may be performed.

  In addition to the human sensor, the state detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a person receives a switch operation of the lighting of the bathroom 21 and determines that the bather is in the bathroom 21 when the lighting is turned on. May be configured to execute.

  Furthermore, it is good also as a structure which equips a bather with the preliminary heating mode button and the heating mode button during bathing.

<Operation example in other operation modes>
Next, an operation example of another operation mode of the bathroom air conditioner 1 will be described. First, the ventilation operation mode will be described. FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram showing a state of the bathroom air conditioner 1 in the ventilation operation mode. The control unit 31 described with reference to FIG. 4 executes the ventilation operation mode when the ventilation mode button 36 of the operation unit 32 is pressed. In the ventilation operation mode, the control unit 31 controls the damper motor 19 so that the position of the damper 10 becomes the ventilation position shown in FIG. 10, and the fan unit 2 has an air flow of, for example, “weak” as described above. The motor 6 is controlled.

  When the fan 5 is rotationally driven by the fan motor 6, the air in the bathroom 21 is sucked from the suction port 8 of the fan unit 2 through the suction port 15 of the front panel 14. When the position of the damper 10 is the ventilation position, a ventilation air passage 13b from the suction port 8 to the exhaust port 12 is formed in the fan unit 2, so that the air sucked from the suction port 8 flows into the ventilation air passage 13b and the exhaust air. The air is exhausted from the exhaust grill 24 to the outside through the opening 12 and further through the exhaust duct 22 shown in FIG.

  In addition, by exhausting the air in the bathroom 21 to the outside, the air in the bathroom 28 and the like is sucked from the air intake 27 provided in the bathroom door 26.

  Thereby, by performing ventilation operation mode, the steam and moisture in the bathroom 21 are discharged | emitted, dew condensation etc. can be suppressed and generation | occurrence | production of mold | fungi can be suppressed.

  Next, the drying operation mode will be described. FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram illustrating a state of the bathroom air conditioner 1 in the drying operation mode. The control unit 31 described in FIG. 4 executes the drying operation mode when the drying mode button 37 of the operation unit 32 is pressed. In the dry operation mode, the control unit 31 controls the damper motor 19 so that the position of the damper 10 becomes a circulation ventilation position for performing ventilation while circulating the air in the bathroom 21 shown in FIG. For example, the fan motor 6 is controlled so that the air volume 2 becomes “medium” as described above. Further, the heater 3 is turned on in the drying operation mode.

  When the fan 5 is rotationally driven by the fan motor 6, the air in the bathroom 21 is sucked from the suction port 8 of the fan unit 2 through the suction port 15 of the front panel 14. When the position of the damper 10 is the dry position, both the circulation air passage 13a from the suction port 8 to the blowout port 11 and the ventilation air passage 13b from the suction port 8 to the exhaust port 12 are formed in the fan unit 2. A part of the air sucked from the suction port 8 passes through the circulation air passage 13a and is blown out from the blower outlet 11 into the bathroom 21 through the blower outlet 16 of the front panel 14. When the heater 3 is turned on and the heater 3 is heated, the air passing through the circulation air passage 13a is warmed and the hot air is blown out from the outlet 16.

  A part of the air sucked from the suction port 8 passes through the ventilation air passage 13b and the exhaust port 12, and is further exhausted from the exhaust grill 24 to the outside through the exhaust duct 22 shown in FIG.

  In addition, by exhausting the air in the bathroom 21 to the outside, the air in the bathroom 28 and the like is sucked from the air intake 27 provided in the bathroom door 26.

  Thereby, by executing the drying operation mode, it is possible to blow warm air into the bathroom 21 and dry the laundry hung on the land pipe 25. In addition, a part of the air in the bathroom 21 is exhausted to the outside, and ventilation in the bathroom 21 is performed by taking in air from the air intake 27 to the washroom 28 and the like. Drying of the product can be promoted.

  Next, the cool wind operation mode will be described. When the cool wind mode button 35 of the operation unit 32 is pressed, the control unit 31 executes the cool wind operation mode. In the cool air operation mode, the control unit 31 controls the damper motor 19 so that the position of the damper 10 becomes the circulation ventilation position shown in FIG. 11, and the air volume of the fan unit 2 becomes, for example, “medium” as described above. The fan motor 6 is controlled.

  When the fan 5 is rotationally driven by the fan motor 6, the air in the bathroom 21 is sucked from the suction port 8 of the fan unit 2 through the suction port 15 of the front panel 14. If the position of the damper 10 is the circulation ventilation position, a circulation air passage 13a from the suction port 8 to the blowout port 11 is formed in the fan unit 2. Therefore, the air sucked from the suction port 8 passes through the circulation air passage 13a. The air is discharged from the street outlet 11 into the bathroom 21 through the outlet 16 of the front panel 14.

  Accordingly, by executing the cool wind operation mode, the cool air according to the temperature in the bathroom 21 is blown out while circulating and ventilating the air in the bathroom 21, and the bathroom air conditioner 1 is used as a fan in the summer or the like. Can do.

  The position of the damper 10 in the cool wind operation mode may be the circulation position shown in FIG.

  The bathroom air conditioner 1 of the present example described above is configured to include the damper 10 and form the circulation air passage and the ventilation air passage with one fan. However, the bathroom air conditioner 1 is provided with a circulation fan and a ventilation fan, respectively. Also good.

  The present invention is applied to a bathroom air conditioner that is installed in a bathroom and has a function of heating the bathroom.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of the bathroom air conditioner of this Embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view of the bathroom air conditioner of this Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the example of installation of the bathroom air conditioner of this Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the control function of a bathroom air conditioner. It is a block diagram which shows an example of an operation part. It is a table which shows the relationship between the drive of a heater and air volume control in the 1st operation example of heating operation mode. It is a graph which shows the temperature change in the bathroom at the time of the heating operation mode in a 1st operation example. It is a table which shows the relationship between the drive of a heater and air volume control in the 2nd operation example of heating operation mode. It is a graph which shows the temperature change in the bathroom at the time of the heating operation mode in a 2nd operation example. It is a block diagram which shows the state of the bathroom air conditioner at the time of ventilation operation mode. It is a block diagram which shows the state of the bathroom air conditioner at the time of dry operation mode. It is a graph which shows the temperature change in the bathroom at the time of the heating operation in the past.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Bathroom air conditioner, 2 ... Fan unit, 3 ... Heater, 4 ... Body case, 5 ... Fan, 6 ... Fan motor, 7 ... Fan case, 8 ··· Suction port, 9 ··· Air path switching unit, 10 ··· Damper, 10a ··· Cam, 11 ··· Air outlet, 12 · · · Exhaust port, 13a · · · Circulating air channel, 13b · ..Ventilation air channel, 14 ... front panel, 15 ... suction port, 16 ... blower, 17 ... filter, 18 ... exhaust duct connection, 19 ... damper motor, 21. ..Bathroom, 21a ... bath, 21b ... washing area, 22 ... exhaust duct, 23 ... outer wall, 24 ... exhaust grill, 25 ... land pipe, 26 ... bathroom door, 27 ... Air intake port, 28 ... Toilet, 31 ... Control unit, 32 ... Operation unit, 3 ... Display unit, 34 ... Heating mode button, 35 ... Cool air mode button, 36 ... Ventilation mode button, 37 ... Dry mode button, 38 ... Lamp, 39 ... Timer button ,

Claims (4)

A blowing means for sucking air and blowing it into the bathroom;
Heating means for heating air blown by the blowing means;
In the bathroom air conditioner comprising the air blowing device and the control means for driving the heating means to execute a heating operation mode for blowing out hot air,
The control means, as the heating operation mode, a preliminary heating mode for controlling the blowing means and the heating means so as to warm the inside of the bathroom before bathing, driving the blowing means and driving the heating means, The driving of the heating unit is stopped before the driving of the blowing unit is stopped, and the driving and non-driving of the blowing unit are alternately repeated, and the driving unit and the non-driving of the heating unit are alternately repeated during bathing. With a heating mode during bathing to drive,
Wherein, among the plurality of warm Bomo over de in the bath in heating mode, while suppressing the layering in the bathroom, so that the temperature of the entire in the bathroom can be maintained at a desired temperature, a predetermined during driving of the heating means in the heating operation time, drives the blower means in a bath during the heating air amount as may be suppressed to feel bather cold rather less than the preliminary heating air volume of the preliminary heating mode Heating operation,
When the heating means is not driven, the air blowing means is driven for a predetermined time so as to suppress the bather from feeling cold, and the stirring operation is performed to stir the air in the bathroom to generate convection, After the stirring operation, the air blower is stopped until the heating means is driven to suppress a temperature drop in the bathroom to generate natural convection in the bathroom. The control means drives the air blowing means with a preheating air volume larger than the heating air volume during bathing, and executes the heating mode during bathing after execution of the preheating mode for driving the heating means. The bathroom air conditioner according to claim 1. The bathroom air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the control unit executes the heating mode during bathing after a lapse of a predetermined time after starting the preliminary heating mode. A situation detection means for detecting whether there is a person in the bathroom,
3. The bathroom air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein after the preheating mode is started, the control unit executes the bathing heating mode when the situation detection unit determines that a person is in the bathroom.

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