JPH0342120B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION "Field of Industrial Application" The present invention relates to a room drying method suitable as a means for forcibly drying an indoor space such as a bathroom.

"Conventional Technology" In recent years, with the increase in the number of housing complexes and the streamlining of lifestyles, there has been an increase in the number of methods of drying clothes, etc., forcibly indoors using electricity, etc., instead of drying them outdoors, such as by drying clothes. As an example of such a method of drying clothes, clothes containing moisture are placed in an indoor space such as a bathroom, and an air dryer attached to this indoor space is used to dehumidify and heat the indoor space. There is a known method of drying clothes and the like using this method.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an apparatus for carrying out the conventional method for drying a room such as a bathroom. In Figure 1,
In the bathroom 1 in which the bathtub 2 is installed, an air inlet 9 from the room and an air outlet 10 to the room are installed in the upper part of the bathroom 1. An air passage 4 is arranged so as to communicate with each other. And this air passage 4
An air dryer 3 for dehumidifying and drying the air in the bathroom 1 is attached in the middle.

The air dryer 3 includes an evaporator 6 disposed in the air passage 4, a condenser 8 disposed downstream of the evaporator 6, and a blower 7 disposed downstream of the condenser 8. , a pair of pipes 5a and 5b provided to connect the evaporator 6 and the condenser 8;
Compressor 11 provided in the middle of one pipe 5a
and an expansion valve 1 provided in the middle of the other pipe 5b.
It is roughly composed of 2. Compressor 11, evaporator 6, condenser 8, expansion valve 12, and piping 5a, 5b
The inside is filled with refrigerant. The air dryer 3 also includes an air passage 4 near the air suction port 9.
A humidity sensor (first humidity sensor) 13 for detecting the humidity of the air in the bathroom 1 is provided inside the bathroom 1, and the compressor 11, the blower 7, and the humidity sensor 1
A control circuit 14 is provided that controls the compressor 11 and the like by exchanging signals with the compressor 3.

To dry the inside of the bathroom 1 using the apparatus shown in FIG. Start the compressor 11, and move the refrigerant in the direction of arrow A in Fig. 2, that is, compressor 11→
It is circulated in the order of condenser 8 → expansion valve 12 → evaporator 6. This heats the condenser 8 and cools the evaporator 6. At the same time, the control circuit 1
The blower 7 is started by the signal of 4, and the air passage 4 is
A unidirectional air flow is generated within the air, as shown in the direction of arrow B in FIG. Then, the air in the bathroom 1 is sucked in through the air suction port 9 and cooled as it passes through the evaporator 6, thereby condensing the water vapor in the air and thus dehumidifying the air. Next, when this dehumidified air passes through the condenser 8, the air is heated, and this dehumidified and heated air is returned to the bathroom 1 from the air outlet 10, so that the air inside the bathroom 1 is is dried, and thus the moisture-containing clothing 15 is dried.

Further, the humidity sensor 13 detects the completion of drying the clothes 15. That is, this humidity sensor 1
3 constantly detects the relative humidity of the air flowing in the air passage 4 from the time of starting the device, and when this humidity falls below a preset humidity, a signal is sent from the humidity sensor 13 to the control circuit 14. As a result, the compressor 11 and the blower 7 are stopped, and the drying of the bathroom 1 is completed.

"Problems to be Solved by the Invention" By the way, when trying to dry the inside of the bathroom 1, the means for generating moisture such as the bathtub 2 is
Since the bathroom 1 is usually configured to be highly airtight, the humidity inside the bathroom 1 is often higher than the temperature outside the room. Therefore, if the air dryer 3 is operated in this state, the operating time of the air dryer 3 will be long;
There was a problem in that the power consumption of the compressor 11 and the like increased, leading to an increase in electricity costs.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an indoor dryer that can reduce the operating time of an air dryer in a short period of time and, therefore, reduce electricity costs as much as possible. The purpose is to provide a method.

"Means for Solving Problems" The present invention provides an air dryer that dehumidifies and dries indoors, including a first humidity sensor for detecting indoor humidity and a second temperature sensor for detecting outdoor temperature. A switching means that includes a sensor and a discharge device for discharging indoor air to the outside, and selectively switches the direction of flow of air flowing in the air passage to the discharge device side or the air outlet side. is provided in the air passage, and only when the indoor humidity is higher than the outdoor humidity when the air dryer starts operating, the switching means is switched to the discharge device side and the operation of the discharge device is switched to the discharge device side. This is done prior to the operation of the air dryer, and after the discharge device starts operating, when the temperature inside the room is approximately equal to the humidity outside, the operation of the discharge device is stopped and the switching means is switched to the air outlet side. The above-mentioned problem is solved by an indoor drying method in which the air dryer is switched to the dryer and the air dryer is started.

"Function" According to the present invention, when the indoor humidity is higher than the outdoor temperature, the indoor humidity can be lowered to the outdoor humidity without operating the air dryer.

"Embodiments" Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an apparatus for carrying out a room drying method according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the same components as those of the conventional device are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. The difference between the device shown in FIG. 1 and the conventional device shown in FIG. The point is that a discharge device is provided.

That is, the air passage 4 is provided with an exhaust communication passage 20, and one open end of the communication passage 20 is located between the air passage 4 and the air outlet 10 of the blower 7.
A connection port 16 is provided at the other open end of this communication path 20.
is attached, and this connection port 16 has an exhaust duct 17 whose one end extends outside the bathroom 1.
are connected, thereby communicating the communication path 20 with the outside of the bathroom 1. Further, at one open end of the communication passage 20, a fallable damper 18 having an area approximately equal to the flow passage area of the air passage 4 and an electric damper drive device 19 for driving the damper 18 are provided. . In the above configuration, the blower 7, the communication path 20, the connection port 16, and the exhaust duct 17 are connected to the exhaust device 25 that exhausts the air inside the bathroom 1 to the outside of the bathroom 1.
The damper 18 and the electric damper drive device 19 are
It constitutes a switching means that selectively switches the flow direction of the air flowing through the air passage 4 and the discharge direction to the discharge device 25 side or the air outlet 10 side.

The air dryer 3 also includes a humidity sensor 21 installed outside the bathroom 1 to detect the humidity outside the bathroom 1.
(second humidity sensor) is provided. and,
The electric damper drive device 19 and the humidity sensor 21
is controlled by the control circuit 14 by exchanging signals with the control circuit 14.

Next, a method for drying a room (bathroom 1), which is an embodiment of the present invention, will be described using the apparatus having the above configuration.

First, as in the prior art, moisture-containing clothing 15 such as laundry is placed in the bathroom 1, and the humidity sensors 13 and 21 detect the humidity inside the bathroom 1 and outside the bathroom 1 at this time. Next, when the humidity inside the bathroom 1 is higher than the humidity outside the bathroom 1, the control circuit 14 sends a signal to the electric damper drive device 19, and the drive device 19 turns the damper 18 over, thereby causing the air passage 4 occlude. At the same time, the blower 7 is started in response to a signal from the control circuit 14 to generate a unidirectional air flow in the air passage 4 as shown in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 9, the communication path 20,
It is exhausted to the outside of the bathroom 1 through the exhaust duct 17.
During the air exhaust operation in the bathroom 1, the humidity inside the bathroom 1 and outside the bathroom 1 are detected by the humidity sensors 13 and 21, and the humidity inside the bathroom 1 becomes approximately equal to the humidity outside the bathroom 1. In this state, the air passage 4 is unblocked by the damper 18, the open end of the communication passage 20 is closed by the damper 18, the compressor 11 is started, and the bathroom 1 is opened as in the conventional case. Perform dehumidification and drying work on the air inside.

Further, when the humidity inside the bathroom 1 is already lower than the humidity outside the bathroom 1 at the time of placing the clothes 15, the air exhaust operation by the exhaust device 25 is omitted, and the operation of the compressor 11 is immediately started, and the humidity inside the bathroom 1 is lower than the humidity outside the bathroom 1. Perform dehumidification and drying work on the air inside.

Then, as in the conventional case, the humidity sensor 13 detects the completion of drying the clothes 15, and when the humidity in the bathroom 1 falls below the set humidity, the air dryer 3 (compressor 11, blower 7) is turned on. Then, the drying work in the bathroom 1 is completed.

The room drying method described above detects the humidity in the bathroom 1 and the humidity outside the bathroom 1 when the air dryer 3 is started,
This method operates the exhaust device 25 only when the humidity inside the bathroom 1 is higher than the humidity outside the bathroom 1, and discharges the highly humid air inside the bathroom 1 to the outside of the bathroom 1. Even if the humidity inside the bathroom 1 is higher than the humidity outside the bathroom 1, the humidity inside the bathroom 1 can be lowered to the humidity outside the bathroom 1 without operating the compressor 11. Therefore, the operating time of the air dryer 3 as a whole is shortened, and the power consumption of the compressor 11 required to lower the humidity inside the bathroom 1 to the humidity outside the bathroom 1 can be reduced, reducing electricity costs. is suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to provide a room drying method in which the operating time of the air dryer is short and the electricity bill can be suppressed as much as possible.

Furthermore, if the operation of the air dryer 3 is omitted when only the air in the bathroom 1 is discharged, the air in the bathroom 1 can be ventilated.

Note that the room drying method of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. As an example, the discharge device 25 is provided in communication with the air passage 4, but these may be provided separately from each other. Further, the configuration of the air dryer 3 is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be appropriately selected from known devices as long as it is a dryer capable of dehumidifying and drying air. Further, the application of this room drying method is not limited to the bathroom 1, but can be applied to any room that requires dehumidification and drying, such as a living room or a hall.

"Effects of the Invention" As explained in detail above, according to the present invention,
Only when the indoor humidity is higher than the outdoor humidity when the air dryer starts operating, the switching means is switched to the discharge device side, and this discharge device is operated prior to the operation of the air dryer, and the discharge device is operated. After the device starts operating, when the indoor humidity becomes almost equal to the outdoor humidity, the operation of the exhaust device is stopped, the switching means is switched to the air outlet side, and the air dryer starts operating. Even if the humidity inside the room is higher than the outdoor humidity, the indoor humidity can be lowered to the outdoor humidity without operating the air dryer. Therefore, the operating time of the air dryer as a whole is shortened, and the power consumption of the air dryer required to lower the indoor humidity to the outdoor humidity can be reduced, thereby reducing electricity costs. Therefore, it is possible to provide an indoor drying method in which the operating time of the air dryer is short and electricity costs can be suppressed as much as possible.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an apparatus for performing a room drying method according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an apparatus for performing a conventional room drying method. 1...Bathroom (room), 3...Air dryer, 4...
Air passage, 9...Air inlet, 10...Air outlet, 13...Humidity sensor (first humidity sensor), 1
8... Damper (switching means), 19... Electric damper drive device (switching means), 21... Humidity sensor (second humidity sensor), 25... Discharge device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a room drying method that dehumidifies and dries the room using an air dryer installed in the middle of an air passage that connects the air inlet from the room and the air outlet to the room, the first method is used to detect the indoor humidity. A humidity sensor, a second humidity sensor for detecting outdoor humidity, and a discharge device for discharging indoor air to the outside are provided, and the discharge device controls the flow direction of the air flowing in the air passage. A switching means is provided in the air passage for selectively switching to the side or the air outlet side, and the switching means is configured to switch the air dryer only when the indoor humidity is higher than the outdoor temperature at the time of starting operation of the air dryer. is switched to the discharge device side, and the discharge device is operated prior to the operation of the air dryer, and after the discharge device starts operating, the discharge device is A room drying method characterized in that the operation of the air dryer is stopped and the switching means is switched to the air outlet side, and the operation of the air dryer is started.