JP6720119B2 - Heating and air conditioning - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a heating device and an air conditioner having a heat generating means, and more particularly to a device having an automatic stop function for automatically stopping operation when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of operation.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, some heating devices and air conditioning devices have a timer that starts timing with the start of operation, and a so-called automatic stop function that automatically stops the operation when the time measured by the timer reaches a predetermined time. This is provided to prevent the heating device, etc. from being continuously used for a long period of time or being left without being turned off. The time to stop is preset. The user can continue the operation by giving an instruction to continue the operation by a button operation or the like before the automatic stop time is reached.

JP, 2015-21674, A

If the time until the automatic stop is long, the number of times the user operates the button or the like is reduced when the user wants to continue driving, which is excellent in convenience. However, the effect of the forgetting to erase function is small, and it is possible to drive unmanned for a long time, so there is concern about safety and economy.

On the other hand, if the time until the automatic stop is shortened, the effect of preventing forgetting to erase is great, so it is excellent in safety and economy, but if the user wants to continue driving, It is necessary to perform a button operation, and it may be annoying that the number of button operations increases.

The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a heating device and an air conditioning device that can be operated safely without impairing the convenience of the user.

The present invention comprises heat generating means and a control section for controlling the operation of the heat generating means based on an operation mode selected by a user, and the control section is a timer means for measuring the time from the start of operation. Further comprising: setting a predetermined operation continuation possible time according to the operation mode, stopping the operation when the time measured by the timer means reaches the operation continuation possible time, and in the operation mode, the heat generation means Including an intermittent operation mode for intermittently operating the heat generating means, and a continuous operation mode for continuously operating the heat generating means, wherein the continuous operation possible time of the intermittent operation mode is longer than the continuous operation possible time of the continuous operation mode. A heating device and an air-conditioning device.

With the above-described configuration, an appropriate operation continuable time is set according to the operation mode, so that it is possible to drive safely without impairing convenience.

It is an appearance perspective view showing an example of a warm air heater in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional block diagram of the warm air heater of this embodiment. It is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control unit. It is a figure which shows the structure of an operation part.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be briefly described by showing the effects of the present invention.

The present invention is a heating device and an air conditioner provided with a plurality of operation modes selected by a user, in which the operation continuation possible time is set according to the operation mode, and the time from the start of operation becomes the operation continuation possible time. It was decided to stop the operation. As a result, the time until the operation is stopped is not uniform and is automatically set to an appropriate time according to the operation mode, so that the operation can be safely performed without impairing the convenience.

The operation modes are configured to include an intermittent operation mode in which the heat generating means is operated intermittently and a continuous operation mode in which the heat generating means is operated continuously. That is, since the operation mode is provided with a mode in which the time and frequency at which the heat generating means operates are different, it is possible to set the operation continuable time according to the operation of the heat generating means. Therefore, the operation-sustainable time can be automatically set to an appropriate time according to the operation mode, and the operation can be safely performed without impairing the convenience.

Further, the intermittent operation mode is configured to include a human feeling mode. The motion detection mode is a very convenient operation mode when used in a relatively narrow space where people are not always present, such as a toilet or dressing room. The convenience can be further improved by setting the continuable time.

In addition, the continuous operation time in the intermittent operation mode is longer than the continuous operation time in the continuous operation mode. The longer the heat generating means is operating, the greater the impact on safety.Therefore, in the continuous operation mode where the heat generating means operates for a long time, the operation continuation time is short and the operation time of the heat generating means is short. In the case of the short intermittent operation mode, the safe operation can be performed by increasing the continuous operation time.

Also, when the operation mode is changed, the time measured so far is reset. As a result, the continuable operation time is set appropriately in accordance with the operation mode, and the time is counted from the time when the operation mode is changed, so that the convenience can be improved.

In addition, by making the continuous operation possible time longer than the continuous humidification possible time, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience that the operation is automatically stopped in a time shorter than the continuous humidification possible time, and convenience is not impaired.

Hereinafter, specific examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a warm air heater with a humidifying function will be described as an example of a heating device.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the warm air heater according to this embodiment. An air outlet 2 that blows out warm air and a human sensor 3 that detects the presence of a person are provided on the front surface of the main body 1, and an operation unit 4 that is provided with operation buttons on the top surface of the main body 1 and that displays the operating state, as illustrated A tank cover 5 that opens and closes when the water supply tank is attached to and detached from the main body 1 is provided.

An insertion port 6 is provided in the lower part of the side surface of the main body 1, and a water tank portion 7 for storing water from a water supply tank is removably attached to the main body 1 through the insertion port 6. Further, the water tank portion 7 is provided with a vaporization filter 8 that absorbs and wets the water supplied from the water supply tank, and the room air taken in from an intake port 15 provided on the back surface of the main body 1 is introduced into the vaporization filter 8. By passing it, the water in the water tank portion 7 is vaporized and discharged as humidified air from the outlet 2. The interior of the water tank portion 7 is partitioned by a partition plate 9 standing from the bottom into a vaporization filter housing portion 10 in which the vaporization filter 8 is installed and a water tank holding portion 11 in which a water tank (not shown) is mounted. There is.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional configuration diagram of the warm air heater. A blower 14 composed of a motor 12 and a sirocco fan 13 is provided above the water tank portion 7, and the blower 14 is driven to blow air to a blower path communicating from an intake port 15 on the rear surface of the main body 1 to an outlet 2 on the front surface of the main body 1. Is done.

Immediately below the blower 14, a warm air heater 16 as heat generating means is arranged. In this embodiment, a PTC heater which is a kind of semiconductor heater that radiates heat according to the ambient temperature and the air volume is used. Further, the capacity of the warm air heater 16 is set to 1200 W by using two 600 W PTC heaters, and by controlling the energization to each of the warm air heaters 16, the output switching of 0 W, 600 W, and 1200 W is performed. Is possible. The warm air heater 16 is not limited to the PTC heater, and may be a sheath heater, a mica heater, or the like, but the PTC heater is superior in terms of power consumption and safety.

Further, the air flow path downstream from the warm air heater 16 is branched into two, one of which is a hot air path 17 which directly communicates with the air outlet 2, and the other of which is passed through the vaporization filter 8 and communicates with the air outlet 2. A humidified hot air path 18 is formed. A damper 19 having a drive mechanism (not shown) is installed at a branch point of the air blowing path, and when the operation mode is switched, the control unit 21 described later switches the position of the damper 19 to warm the heater for warm air. Operation control is performed so that the indoor air heated by 16 is blown to either the warm air passage 17 or the humidified warm air passage 18. The damper 19 is moved to the position A when the air is blown to the hot air path 17, and the damper 19 is moved to the position B when the air is blown to the humidified hot air path 18. As a result, either hot air alone or humidified hot air obtained by vaporizing the water in the water tank portion 7 by passing the hot air through the vaporization filter 8 can be discharged from the outlet 2.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control unit that controls the operation of the warm air heater. On the input side of the control unit 21 including a microcomputer, there are an operation unit 4 for a user to operate a button, a water level detection unit 20 for detecting the water level of the water tank unit 7, a room temperature sensor 22 for detecting the room temperature, and a motion sensor 3. It is connected. On the other hand, the blower 14, the warm air heater 16, and the damper 19 are connected to the output side of the control unit 21. The control unit 21 includes a timer unit 23 that measures the time from the start of operation.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the operation unit. The operation unit 4 is provided with a plurality of operation buttons for instructing an operating state and an indicator lamp for displaying the operating state. As operation buttons, a driving button 41 for instructing on/off of driving, a hot air selection button 42 for setting intensity of warm air, a humidifying button 43 for instructing on/off of humidifying operation, and a human feeling for instructing driving by the human sensor 3 It has a sensor button 44, an on-timer button 45 for starting driving at a designated time, and an off-timer button 46 for stopping driving at a designated time. The selected driving state is displayed by lighting a lamp. It In addition to the above, as a lamp for displaying the operation state, a maintenance lamp 31 for indicating that it is time to clean the water tank portion 7 and the vaporization filter 8 and a water supply lamp 32 for indicating that the water in the water supply tank has run out are provided. Has been.

The control unit 21 determines the heating output from the heating operation mode set by operating the warm air selection button 42, determines the rotation speed of the blower 14 and the output of the warm air heater 16, and drives the motor 12 that drives the blower 14. Also, the energization of the warm air heater 16 is controlled. Further, the position of the damper 19 is controlled in association with the presence or absence of humidification selected by the humidification button 43, and the blower 14, the warm air heater 16, and the damper 19 are also controlled by the water level in the water tank unit 7 detected by the water level detection means 20. Drive is controlled.

The hot air heater according to the present embodiment has a plurality of operation modes, and after the operation button 41 is pressed to start the operation, a predetermined operation mode is set by operating each button of the operation unit 4. To be done. The heating operation mode includes an intermittent operation mode in which heating is intermittently performed by the room temperature detected by the room temperature sensor 22, and a continuous operation mode in which heating is continuously performed. In the present embodiment, the warm air selection button 42 is provided. When operated, the operation mode is switched to "automatic", "strong", and "weak". "Automatic" corresponds to the intermittent operation mode, and "strong" and "weak" correspond to the continuous operation mode. Hereinafter, each operation mode will be described.

<Intermittent operation mode>
When the "automatic" operation is selected by operating the warm air selection button 42, the room temperature becomes higher than a predetermined temperature while switching the output of the warm air heater 16 between 600 W and 1200 W according to the room temperature detected by the room temperature sensor 22. When it becomes, it is controlled to stop the heating operation and wait for the operation. When the heating operation is stopped because the room temperature exceeds the predetermined temperature, first, the energization of the warm air heater 16 is stopped and the after-run that drives only the blower 14 for a predetermined time is performed to set the operation standby state. Become. After the after-run, the blower 14 may be stopped, or the blower 14 may be continuously driven at a rotation speed lower than the rotation speed of the after-run.

<Continuous operation mode>
When the "hot" operation is selected by operating the hot air selection button 42, both of the two hot air heaters 16 are energized to perform heating with an output of 1200 W, and when the "weak" operation is selected, one hot air is blown. The heater 16 is energized to perform heating with an output of 600W. As described above, while "strong" or "weak" is selected, the heating is continuously performed with the set constant output without stopping the energization of the warm air heater 16. However, when the room temperature continues to rise and reaches an abnormally high temperature state (for example, 35° C.), the heating operation may be stopped by stopping energization of the warm air heater 16.

Since the damper 19 is in the position A and the humidified hot air path 18 is blocked when the heating operation mode of "automatic", "strong", or "weak" is selected, the damper 19 is taken into the main body 1 by the rotation of the blower 14. The air in the room passes through the warm air heater 16 to be warmed, and then is discharged from the air outlet 2 through the warm air passage 17.

<Humidification mode>
In addition to the above heating operation mode, this warm air heater has a humidification mode for performing humidification, and pressing the humidification button 43 of the operation unit 3 can set ON/OFF of the humidification mode. it can.

This humidifying mode can be used in combination with the continuous operation mode and the intermittent operation mode of the heating operation to perform the humidifying and heating operation, or the humidifying single operation without energizing the heater 16 for warm air. .. Therefore, when the humidification mode is selected by operating the humidification button 43, the heating operation mode can be selected from the modes of “strong”, “weak”, and “automatic” as well as the mode in which the heater 16 for hot air is not energized. It has become. When the humidification mode is selected, the damper 19 is changed to the position B that closes the warm air passage 17, so that the air taken in by the rotation of the blower 14 passes through the warm air heater 16 and then the humidified warm air passage. When passing through the vaporization filter 8 through 18, it becomes humidified air and is discharged from the air outlet 2.

<Human sensing mode>
In the presence mode, the presence sensor 3 detects the presence of a person, and when it is determined that there is no person, the hot air heater 16 is de-energized and an after-run is performed to drive the blower 14 for a predetermined time. After that, put it in the operation standby state. When the motion sensor button 44 is operated to select the motion mode, when the motion sensor 3 does not detect the presence of a person for a predetermined time, the operation standby state is set as described above. The wind heater 16 and the blower 14 are energized to automatically restart the operation. This human feeling mode is set in combination with the heating operation mode described above. Even if the continuous operation mode (“strong” or “weak”) of heating operation is set, the human feeling mode can be set. It will be operated intermittently. It can also be set in combination with the humidification mode.

Further, in addition to the above-described operation modes, an on-timer operation that starts the operation after a predetermined time and an off-timer operation that stops the operation after the predetermined time can be set. When it is desired to start the operation after a predetermined time, by operating the ON timer button 45, the operation start time can be switched to "6 hours later" or "8 hours later" according to the button operation. On the other hand, when it is desired to stop the operation after a predetermined time, by operating the off timer button 46, the operation stop time can be switched to "1 hour later" or "2 hours later" according to the button operation.

The hot air heater according to the present embodiment has an automatic stop function that automatically stops the operation when a predetermined time (startable operation time) has elapsed from the start of operation. This is a function provided to prevent continuous use for a long time or being left unattended without being erased. When the operation button 41 is operated to start the operation, the timer means 23 is activated to start time measurement. When the time measured by the timer means 23 reaches the operation continuation time, the control section 21 controls the hot air. After the energization of the heater 16 is stopped and the after-run for driving the blower 14 for a predetermined time is performed, the energization of the blower 14 is stopped and the operation is stopped.

If the continuous driving time is long, the convenience is excellent, but the effect as a function to prevent forgetting to turn off is small, and it is possible to drive unmanned for a long time. Therefore, there is concern about safety and economy. On the other hand, if the operation continuable time is short, the effect of preventing forgetting to erase is great, so it is excellent in safety and economy, but if the user wants to continue driving, However, it is inconvenient because a button operation must be performed to continue driving. In this way, if it is attempted to uniformly define the continuous driving time, one of convenience and safety will be selected. Therefore, in the present embodiment, different times are set for the operation continuable time according to the operation mode.

In this way, by setting different operation continuation time depending on the operation mode, it is possible to set an appropriate time until the automatic stop for each operation mode. As a result, the heating device can satisfy both convenience and safety.

In the operation mode, the intermittent operation mode in which the heater 16 for hot air is operated intermittently, like the "automatic" operation, and the heater 16 for hot air, such as the "strong" operation and the "weak" operation, are continuously operated. And a continuous operation mode for operating the same. That is, the intermittent operation and the continuous operation differ in the operating time of the hot air heater 16, which is the heat generating means, and the longer the energizing time of the warm air heater 16 is, the greater the effect on safety is. Therefore, the operation continuable time can be set in consideration of the operation of the heat generating means, such as 12 hours in the intermittent operation mode and 8 hours in the continuous operation mode. In this way, by taking into consideration the operation of the heat generating means, it is possible to automatically set the operation-sustainable time to a more appropriate time, and it is possible to operate safely without impairing convenience.

Further, in addition to the above, even in the same continuous operation mode, the operation continuable time may be changed depending on the magnitude of the output of the warm air heater 16. For example, it is possible to set the possible driving continuation time in the “strong” driving shorter than in the “weak” driving. As a result, even if the driver forgets to turn it off, if the heater output is high, the heater is automatically stopped in a short time, so that wasteful energization is suppressed and the economy is excellent.

Further, as another example of the intermittent operation mode, there is a human sense mode in which the presence of a person is detected and the operation of the warm air heater 16 is controlled. In this motion mode, it is in a standby state when there are no people, so it is very convenient when using it in a relatively narrow space where people are not always on, such as a toilet or dressing room. Even in the mode, if it is automatically stopped in the same short time as in continuous operation, convenience will be impaired. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the drivable time in the continuous operation mode is 8 hours, whereas in the human-sensing mode, it is 23 hours, which is longer than this. The reason for setting 23 hours here is to start the operation by operating the operation switch at least once a day.

In the presence mode, if there is no person, the operation is in a standby state. Even if the driver forgets to turn it off and goes out, the heater 16 for hot air is de-energized after a certain period of time. It will not be continued. Therefore, in the human-sensing mode, it is possible to set the operation-sustainable time longer than that in the continuous operation mode. If the continuous driving time is set to be long, it can be used without impairing the convenience of the motion detection mode.

Even if it is the same intermittent operation mode, it is possible to continue operation in "human motion mode" that detects the presence of people and operates intermittently, rather than "automatic" operation that detects temperature and operates intermittently Can be set longer.

If the operation mode is changed on the way, the timer means 23 is reset when the operation mode is changed. Then, in the control unit 21, the operation continuation possible time corresponding to the newly selected operation mode is set, and the time measurement of the timer means 23 is restarted. Therefore, when the operation continuation possible time elapses after the operation mode is changed. The operation is automatically stopped. For example, when the operation button 41 is operated to start the operation with "strong", the operation continuable time is set to 8 hours, but the human sensor button 44 is pressed before 8 hours have elapsed from the start of the operation. When the operation mode is changed to the human detection mode by operation, the timer means 23 is reset when the human detection sensor button 44 is operated. Then, the operation continuable time is newly set to 23 hours, and the timer means 23 starts time counting. Therefore, the operation is automatically stopped after 23 hours have passed since the mode was changed to the human detection mode.

Further, the warm air heater of the present embodiment has a humidifying function, and when water is put into the water supply tank and attached to the main body 1 and the humidification mode is selected, the water from the water supply tank is vaporized to cause indoor Humidification is performed. When the water in the water supply tank runs out, the water supply lamp 32 is turned on to notify the user that water supply is necessary. When the time until the water in the water supply tank is exhausted, that is, the time during which the humidifying operation can be continuously performed with one water supply is the continuous humidifying time, the operation continuing time is set to be longer than the continuous humidifying time.

The operation when the humidification mode is selected will be described in more detail. When the water tank is attached to the main body 1 with the water tank filled with water, the operation button 41 is operated to start the operation, and the humidification button 43 is operated to select the humidification mode. The humidifying and heating operation is performed with the operation possible time set according to the mode. When the operation is continued, the water in the water supply tank is gradually consumed, and when the continuous humidifying time elapses, the water in the water supply tank runs out. Therefore, the water supply lamp 32 is turned on to notify that water supply is necessary. Here, when the user supplies water and operates the humidification button 43 to instruct to continue the humidification operation, the water supply lamp 32 is turned off and the humidification heating operation is continued. On the other hand, when the water is not supplied, the damper 19 is automatically changed to the position A, so that only the heating operation is continued. That is, the operation is continued regardless of the presence or absence of water supply to the water supply tank. Then, when the operation continuable time elapses, the operation automatically stops.

In this way, by setting the continuous operation possible time longer than the continuous humidification possible time, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience that the operation is automatically stopped in a time less than the continuous humidification possible time and to effectively perform the humidification operation. Can be implemented. Moreover, it is sufficient that the operation continuable time of the operation mode that can be used in combination with the humidification mode is set to be longer than the continuous humidification possible time among the plurality of operation modes. Therefore, when there is an operation mode that cannot be used in combination with the humidification mode, the operation continuable time of the operation mode can be set shorter than the continuous humidification possible time.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, by setting different operation continuation time depending on the operation mode, it is possible to set an appropriate time until the automatic stop for each operation mode, which satisfies both convenience and safety. It becomes a heating device that can. Note that the type of operation mode and the time during which operation can be continued are not limited to this embodiment, and can be set as appropriate. Further, the warm air heater with a humidifying function has been described as an example of the heating device, but the heating device is not limited to this. Further, the present invention can be applied not only to a heating device but also to an air conditioner such as a humidifier that energizes a heater to perform humidification, as long as the device has a heat generation unit and can select an operation mode.

16 Heater for hot air (heat generation means)
21 control unit 23 timer means

Claims (4)

Heat generating means,
A control unit for controlling the operation of the heat generating means based on the operation mode selected by the user,
The control unit further includes timer means for measuring the time from the start of operation,
Set a certain operation continuation possible time according to the operation mode, stop the operation when the time measured by the timer means becomes the operation continuation possible time,
The operation mode includes an intermittent operation mode in which the heat generating means is intermittently operated, and a continuous operation mode in which the heat generating means is continuously operated,
A heating device and an air conditioner, wherein the continuous operation possible time in the intermittent operation mode is longer than the continuous operation possible time in the continuous operation mode . The intermittent in operation mode, heating system and air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a human mode for controlling the operation of the detection to the heat generating means of the presence of human. The heating device and the air conditioning device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the control unit resets the timer means when the operation mode is changed. The heating device and the air conditioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising a humidifying function, wherein the operation continuable time is longer than the continuous humidification time.

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