JPH0335327Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a steam sauna that creates a high humidity environment within a sauna booth.

[Conventional technology]

A conventional steam sauna of this type is shown in FIG. 9. That is, in the conventional steam sauna 91, the exhaust passage 3 is formed in the upper part of the sauna booth 92, and the steam supply pipe 94 is opened and arranged in the lower part. A steam supply pipe 94 supplies steam generated by heating and boiling water stored in a water tank 95 with a heater 96 to an indoor space 97 . On the other hand, fresh air is forcibly blown through a fan 99 to an air supply pipe 98 disposed within the steam supply pipe 94 and is discharged near the outlet side of the steam supply pipe 94 . Then, by mixing the steam and fresh air and ejecting the mixture into the room 99 of the sauna booth 92, the temperature of the steam is lowered and an atmosphere of appropriate temperature and high humidity is created in the room 97. In addition,
The reason for supplying fresh air is that if only the steam generated by boiling the stored water is spouted into the room 97,
This is because the indoor temperature will rise 97 and there is a risk of burns. The air-fuel mixture jetted into the chamber 97 is
The air gradually rises to the upper part of the room and is discharged from the exhaust passage 93 to the outside. While in use,
The air-fuel mixture is continuously injected into the interior 97.

[The problem that the idea attempts to solve]

In this way, in the conventional steam sauna 91, steam generated by boiling and fresh air are mixed and supplied, and this is exhausted from the exhaust passage 93, so that the heat capacity of the exhausted mixture is This resulted in a loss, and it was not possible to utilize sufficient heat capacity effectively.
That is, there were disadvantages in that heat loss was large and the total amount of steam used increased. In addition, since the water stored in the water tank 95 is boiled (heated to 100°C) to generate steam, a large-capacity heater 96 of 3200 W or more is usually required just to boil the stored water. This has caused an increase in the size and cost of the equipment.

In addition, in order to eliminate the above drawbacks, it is possible to use a steam generator with an ultrasonic oscillator, but when using an ultrasonic oscillator, the ultrasonic element deteriorates when the water temperature increases, resulting in the generation of atomized water vapor. Efficiency will drop significantly.

[Means to solve the problem]

The steam sauna according to claim (1) of the present invention comprises: a sauna booth; a water storage container having an air inlet and an air outlet at the upper part; and a steam generator having an ultrasonic oscillator provided at the lower part of the container. ; a gas passage communicating the inlet and a part of the sauna booth; a gas passage communicating the outlet and another part of the sauna booth; passing through these gas passages and the steam generator; A steam sauna comprising: a blowing means for circulating air in the sauna booth; a means for heating gas flowing through these gas passages and the steam generator; A water temperature detector for the stored water is provided; when the water temperature in the container detected by the water temperature detector is equal to or higher than the durability temperature of the ultrasonic oscillation element of the ultrasonic oscillator, the water is discharged from the drainage means. It is characterized by comprising a control device that causes the water supply means to operate and supply water to the water supply means.

The steam sauna according to claim (2) of the present invention includes: a sauna booth; a water storage container having an air inlet and an air outlet at the upper part; an ultrasonic oscillator provided at the lower part of the container; and an upper part in the container. a steam generator having an air heating heater provided in the sauna booth; a gas passage communicating the inlet with a part of the sauna booth; a gas passage communicating the outlet with another part of the sauna booth; A steam sauna comprising: a gas passageway; and a blowing means for circulating air in the sauna booth through the gas passageway and the steam generator; A feature is that a partition plate is provided on the bottom side of the heater to block radiation from the stored water.

[Effect]

In the steam sauna of the present invention, an ultrasonic oscillator is operated to vibrate the water stored in the water tank and generate a mist of water vapor. This atomized water vapor is ejected into the room as a mixed fluid of steam and hot air and circulated. The temperature of the circulating fluid with steam is usually between 38 and 45°C. Since this is a circulating steam sauna, the heat capacity of the circulating fluid does not directly escape to the outside, allowing for effective heat utilization.

In the steam sauna of claim (1), when the temperature of the water stored in the steam generator reaches a predetermined temperature or higher, water is drained from the drainage means and water is supplied from the water supply means. That is, at least a portion of the water stored in the container is replaced with fresh water at a lower temperature. As a result, the temperature of the water stored in the steam generator is maintained to be lower than a predetermined temperature, and atomized water vapor is efficiently generated by the operation of the ultrasonic oscillator.

In the steam sauna of claim (2), the radiant heat from the heater of the steam generator is blocked by the partition plate.
The stored water in the steam generator is prevented from being heated. As a result, the temperature of the water stored in the steam generator becomes difficult to rise, and atomized water vapor is efficiently generated by the operation of the ultrasonic oscillator.

〔Example〕

The present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a steam sauna 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This steam sauna 1 is provided with a seat section 8 in a sauna booth (hereinafter abbreviated as "booth") 2, so that a user can sit down and use the steam sauna 1. A suction port 18 is provided in the upper part of the booth 2, and the air in the booth interior 11 is introduced into a steam generator 37 through a duct 39, a blower 36, and a duct 41, and after being heated and humidified in this steam generator 37. , is blown out from the air outlet 19 into the booth interior 11 through the duct 62,
As a result, the booth interior 11 is configured to have a high temperature and high humidity atmosphere.

The steam generator 37 is provided with an ultrasonic oscillator 52, a sensor 53 for detecting the water temperature of the stored water W, and an air heating heater 46 in the container 37A. The water vapor generated by the atomization of water W is aerated, and
Heating is performed by the heater 46. The hot and humid air is blown out into the booth interior 11 from the outlet 19 through the duct 62.

A partition plate 56 is provided in the steam generator 37 on the lower surface side of the heater 46, and the radiant heat of the heater 46 is
It is configured so that it does not enter directly into the

In the steam generator 37, water is introduced into the container 37A from a water supply pipe 47 equipped with a solenoid valve 48. In addition, the container 37A includes a drain pipe 49 with a solenoid valve 50,
A water temperature sensor 53 and the like are provided. The detection signal of the water temperature sensor 53 is input to the control circuit in the electric circuit box 70, and from the control circuit the solenoid valves 48, 5
A control signal is output to 0. A float switch 54 for water level detection is provided in the container 37A, and its output signal is input to a control circuit in the electric circuit box 70. When the water temperature detected by the water temperature sensor 53 reaches a predetermined temperature or higher, the electromagnetic valve 50 opens and discharge of the high-temperature water in the steam generator 37 is started. As a result, the water level in the container 37A decreases. When this water level drops to a predetermined value, the float switch 54 detects this and the solenoid valve 4
8 is opened and low temperature fresh water is supplied into the steam generator 37. At this time, the solenoid valve 50 is closed, and the supply of fresh water is continued until the water level detected by the float switch 54 reaches the appropriate water level.

Next, the configuration of the booth 2, the steam generator 37, etc. will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8.

Figure 2 is a front view of the booth, Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view showing the detailed configuration of booth 2 (cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' in Figure 2), Figure 4 is a perspective view of booth 2, and Figure 5 is a perspective view of booth 2. The figure is a sectional view taken along line C-C' in FIG. 2, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the bottom of the booth. 7 and 8 are configuration diagrams of the steam generator 37, with FIG. 7 being a sectional view in the longitudinal direction, and FIG. 8 being a sectional view taken along the line -- in FIG.

The bottom of the steam sauna 1 is the base plate 2A
The waterproof pan 4 is placed above the space 3 through the space 3.
is located. This waterproof pan 4 is made of FRP (glass fiber-reinforced synthetic resin), and the support portion 5 shown in FIG. 4 and the side skirt portion 6 shown in FIG. It is integrally molded together with the mounting portion 9 and the like. waterproof pan 4
A drainage trap 10 is provided on the floor portion 7 of the tank.

The inner panel 1 is placed on this side panel mounting portion 9.
2. A frame 13 and an outer panel 14 are erected.

As mainly shown in FIG. 3, the inner panel 12 is provided with a shelf 15 consisting of a concave portion projecting from the booth interior 11 toward the outside, and is configured to store shampoo, conditioner, shaver, etc. . The FRP inner panel 12 has
Openings are provided for inhaling and blowing out gas in the booth chamber, and vent members 16 and 17 having slits are attached to the openings to form an inlet 18 and an outlet 19. Note that the vent member 17 is provided so that the blowing direction can be changed freely. The inner panel 12 has a thermostatic mixing valve 2 equipped with a connection fitting 21 at the base end of the shower hose 20, a hook 23 for the shower head 22, and a handle 24 for adjusting the water amount and temperature of the shower.
5. Temperature of the air blown into the booth interior 11;
Indoor operation panel 27 equipped with switches for controlling humidity and exhaust fan 26 shown in FIG.
is provided. A panel-shaped far-infrared heater 28 (FIG. 5) that irradiates far-infrared rays toward people inside the booth 11 is attached to the inner panel 12.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the FRP frame 13 rises from the four corners of the waterproof pan, and outer panels 1 are provided at three locations between the frames 13.
4 is removably attached, allowing inspection of internal piping, electrical wiring, etc. A door 30 is provided at the remaining location between the frames. A translucent glass 31 is attached to this door 30. An external operation panel 32 is provided adjacent to the door 30. This operation panel 32 includes main switches for electrical equipment in the sauna booth, switches for heating and humidifying, and lights 33 on the ceiling.
A switch for ON and OFF is provided.

A ceiling panel 35 is provided above the frame 13, and a lighting 33 for illuminating the booth interior 11 and a fan 26 for exhausting air from the booth interior 11 are installed. Further, a blower 36 is provided at the top of the booth 2 as a ventilation means. A steam generator 37 is installed below the seat portion 8 of the waterproof pan 4, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. Blower 3
6 is connected to the inner panel 1 through the duct 39.
The discharge port 40 of the blower 36 is connected to the steam generator 37 via a flexible duct 41.

The structure of the steam generator 37 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

Reference numerals 42 and 43 indicate an upper can body and a lower can body, and the flange portions 42a of these can bodies 42 and 43,
43a are overlapped and connected by bolts (not shown) to form a container 37A, in which water W is stored.

The upper can body 42 has an air inlet 44 and an air outlet 45 to which the duct 41 is connected, and is provided with a heater (sheathed heater in this embodiment) 46 as a heating means. Lower can body 43
A water supply pipe 47 is connected as a water supply means via a solenoid valve 48, and a drain pipe 4 is connected as a drainage means.
9 are connected via a solenoid valve 50.

The lower can body 43 is provided with an ultrasonic oscillator 52, a water temperature sensor 53, a float switch 54, and an overflow pipe 55.

Reference numeral 56 denotes a partition plate, which is provided substantially horizontally so as to partition the interior of the container 37A made up of the can bodies 42 and 43 into upper and lower sections. The introduction port 44 of this partition plate 56
The lower part prevents the air introduced from the inlet 44 from being directly blown onto the water surface of the water W and causing the water surface to ripple. That is, if the water surface of the water W ripples excessively, the atomization effect of the water W by the ultrasonic oscillator 52 may be inhibited, and the amount of steam generated may decrease. Therefore, in this embodiment, the partition plate 56 is configured to prevent the airflow from the inlet 44 from being blown directly onto the water surface. The partition plate 56 has
An opening 57 is provided above the ultrasonic oscillator 52 so that atomized water vapor can easily flow toward the exhaust port 45 .

The partition plate 56 is configured to surround the lower portion of the heater 46 so that the radiant heat of the heater 46 is not absorbed by the water W. With this configuration, the temperature of the water W is prevented from rising excessively. Further, the radiant heat emitted downward from the heater 46 is absorbed or reflected by the partition plate 56, and is used to heat the air flowing above the partition plate 56, improving heating efficiency.

A side plate 58 and a ceiling plate 59 are provided on the sides and above the heater 46 , and a gap is interposed between the side plate 58 and the ceiling plate 59 and the upper can body 42 . These side plates 58 and ceiling plate 59 also absorb or reflect the radiant heat from the heater 46, thereby preventing the radiant heat from being transferred from the upper can body 42 to the outside, thereby improving heating efficiency. Further, if the partition plate 56 and the side plate 58 are provided as in this embodiment, the water vapor atomized from the water W passes through the opening 57 and is mixed with the circulating air flow in the zone downstream from the heater 46. . Therefore, water vapor does not come into direct contact with the heater 46,
This prevents water scale from adhering to the surface of the heater 46. As a result, the heat dissipation characteristics of the heater 46 are high over a long period of time. The ceiling plate 59 is fixed to the ceiling surface of the can body 42 with bolts (not shown), and the side plates 58 and the partition plate 56 are suspended from the ceiling plate 59.

Reference numeral 60 indicates a can temperature sensor attached to the upper can body. Further, reference numeral 61 indicates a heater terminal.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, a flexible duct 62 is connected to the outlet 45 of the upper can body 42, and the duct 62 is connected to the outlet 19 provided in the inner panel 14 of the booth 2. Therefore, in this embodiment, the ducts 39, 41, 62 and the steam generator 37 constitute a flow path for circulating the air in the booth interior 11.

As shown in FIG. 3, the inner panel 14 is provided with a fresh air port 63 for introducing fresh air from outside the booth 2 into the booth interior 11. A vent member 63a is provided in the fresh air port 63 so that the blowing direction can be changed freely.
In this embodiment, a is provided toward the vicinity of the face of the user sitting on the seat portion 8. As shown in FIG. 4, the fresh air port 63 is connected to a duct 64 and a damper device 65.
It is possible to communicate with the outside of the booth via. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the exhaust fan 26 also communicates with the outside of the booth via a duct 66, a damper device 67, and a duct 68.

When the exhaust fan 26 is operated with the damper devices 65 and 67 open, the air is exhausted from the booth interior 11, and fresh air is introduced into the booth interior 11 from the fresh air port 63, causing the seat section 8 to be seated. Since fresh air is blown toward the face of the sauna user, it is possible to prevent hot flushes while using the sauna.

An electric circuit box 70 is installed below the waterproof pan 4 as shown in FIG.
A circuit for controlling electrical equipment of the steam sauna such as a blower 36, an ultrasonic oscillator 52, and a heater 46 based on signals from the box 62 is built into the box 62. The circuit inside the electric circuit box 70 also includes a water temperature sensor 53 and a float switch 54.
At the same time, the detection signal of solenoid valves 48 and 5 is input.
A control signal is output to 0. A panel 71 is detachably attached to the side surface of the waterproof pan 4.

In the steam sauna configured in this way, a user opens the door 30 to enter and exit. According to the normal usage method, before entering the booth room 11, the heating/humidifying switch provided on the external operation panel 32 is pressed. As a result, the blower 36, heater 46, and ultrasonic oscillator 52 are activated, and the booth interior 11 becomes warm and sufficiently humid. After this, I went inside the booth to warm up and take a shower.

When the sauna is used, the temperature of the water W increases by operating the heater 46. As mentioned above, by providing the partition plate 56, an increase in water temperature due to radiation from the heater 46 can be prevented to a considerable extent, but the water temperature gradually increases due to heat transfer and the like. When the water temperature detected by the water temperature sensor 53 becomes higher than a predetermined temperature (for example, 45°C), the solenoid valve 4
8 and 50 are opened, the water in the steam generator 37 is replaced with fresh water, and the water temperature becomes lower than a predetermined temperature. At this time, the solenoid valves 48,
The operation of 50 is controlled. At this time, first solenoid valve 5
Although it is preferable to open the solenoid valve 48 to supply low-temperature water after opening the solenoid valve 48 to discharge some high-temperature water, it is also possible to open the solenoid valves 48 and 50 at the same time.

In the booth room 11, the user operates the blower 36 by operating the switch on the indoor operation panel 27.
The rotation of the airflow outlet 19 can be controlled to adjust the flow rate of the airflow blown out from the air outlet 19. Further, by operating a switch on the operation panel 27, the output of the air heating heater 46 can be controlled to adjust the temperature of the blown air stream, and the output of the ultrasonic oscillator 52 can be controlled to adjust the air stream humidity. Similarly, the output of the far-infrared heater 28 can be adjusted and the exhaust fan 26 can be turned on and off. Note that output adjustment also includes turning off the device.
In this steam sauna, while staying in the booth room 11, the temperature and humidity inside the booth can be controlled by the far infrared heater 2.
8 operations, allowing booth users to create the most comfortable environment.

Note that the far-infrared heater 28 allows a sufficiently comfortable use of the steam sauna even without the use of the far-infrared heater 28. Furthermore, by operating the blower 36 and heater 46 without operating the ultrasonic oscillator 52,
It can also be used as a hot air sauna. Further, the electric circuit box 70 may be installed on the upper surface of the ceiling of the booth 2. In this way, the upper surface of the ceiling has good ventilation, so the electric circuit box 70
It can promote heat dissipation from.

[Effects] As mentioned above, in the steam sauna of the present invention, the steam to make the room humid can be obtained using an ultrasonic device, and the stored water can be heated to 100℃ and boiled as in the conventional method. There's no need. Therefore, the heating source only needs to be of a small capacity to heat indoor air to an appropriate temperature, and it is possible to significantly reduce the thermal energy used compared to the conventional case.
In addition, the circulating fluid, which is a mixture of steam and hot air, repeatedly circulates in a closed flow path, so the thermal energy of the circulating fluid does not directly escape to the outside as in the past, which improves thermal efficiency. Are better.

In the steam sauna of claim (1), fresh water is supplied into the steam generator so that the water temperature within the steam generator is below a predetermined temperature. Furthermore, in claim (2), the radiant heat of the heater is prevented from entering the water in the steam generator. In this way, the claim
In the steam saunas (1) and (2), by maintaining the water temperature in the steam generator low, the ultrasonic oscillation element is protected and a mist of water vapor is efficiently generated.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a sauna booth schematically showing the entire steam sauna according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a front view of the sauna booth according to the embodiment, Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A' in Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the assembled state of the steam sauna, and Fig. 5 is the second 6 is a perspective view of the bottom of the steam sauna, and FIGS. 7 and 8 are sectional views of the steam generator. FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a conventional example. 1...Steam sauna, 2...Booth, 11...
...booth interior, 18...inlet, 19...outlet, 26...exhaust fan, 37...steam generator,
37A...Container, 39,41,62...Duct,
46... Heater, 47... Water supply pipe, 48, 50...
... Solenoid valve, 49 ... Drain pipe, 55 ... Overflow pipe, 56 ... Partition plate, 65, 67 ... Damper device.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) A sauna booth, a water storage container having an air inlet and an air outlet at the upper part, and a steam generator having an ultrasonic oscillator provided at the lower part of the container; a gas passage communicating between the inlet and a part of the sauna booth; a gas passage communicating the outlet and another part of the sauna booth; A steam sauna comprising: a blowing means for circulating air in the booth; a means for heating gas flowing through these gas passages and the steam generator; A water temperature detector is provided, and when the water temperature in the container detected by the water temperature detector is equal to or higher than the durability temperature of the ultrasonic oscillation element of the ultrasonic oscillator, the draining means operates and drains water. A steam sauna comprising a control device that controls the water supply operation of the water supply means. (2) A sauna booth, a water storage container having an air inlet and an air outlet at the top, an ultrasonic oscillator installed at the bottom of the container, and an air heating heater installed at the top of the container. a steam generator; a gas passage that communicates the inlet with a part of the sauna booth; a gas passage that communicates the outlet with another part of the sauna booth; these gas passages and the A steam sauna comprising: a blower for circulating air in the sauna booth through a steam generator; A steam sauna characterized by being equipped with a partition plate for blocking.