JPH04241868A - System bath - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To systematically construct the equipment apparatus of a bathroom having functions of a steam bath in the bathroom, ventilation and drying of the bathroom, additional heating of a bathtub, etc., and to realize them by the minimum number of sets of apparatuses. CONSTITUTION:Vapor generated by a vapor generating machine (steamer) 21 passes through a vapor tube 37 and is supplied to a heat exchanger 27 contained in a ventilation drier 38. This vapor further passes through a piping 39 from an outlet tube of the heat exchanger 27 and is supplied to the inside of a bathroom 1 from a vapor blowout device 25. When an air blower contained in the ventilation drier is stopped in advance, vapor is blown out of the vapor blowout device, therefore, a bathroom can be utilized as a steam bath. Also, when hot air is allowed to circulate to the bathroom by operating the air blower, while supplying the vapor, and moreover, a part of wet air in the bathroom is exhausted from a duct, the bathroom is subjected to ventilation and dried. Such a bathroom having plural functions as the foregoing is realized as a system bath by using only the vapor generating machine as a heat source.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a system bath that supplies water vapor to a bathroom and utilizes the thermal energy of this water vapor.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Hitherto, a bathroom using water vapor has been proposed, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-95371. Figure 8 shows the configuration of a conventional system bus with functions such as a steam bath and a ventilation dryer.

In the figure, 1 is a bathroom, and this bathroom 1
A bathtub 2 is provided inside. 3 is a water heater, and hot water is supplied to the bathtub 2 from a faucet 5 through a pipe 4 connected to a hot water outlet of the water heater 3. Further, a pipe 6 and a pipe 7 for circulating and heating hot water in the bathtub 2 are connected to the water heater 3. Reference numeral 8 denotes a water heater that includes a built-in pump (not shown) and circulates hot water through piping 11 and piping 12 to a heat exchanger 10 of a ventilation dryer 9 provided on the ceiling of the bathroom 1 by the pump 8. The ventilation dryer 9 supplies the air heated by the heat exchanger 10 to the bathroom 1 using the blower 13.
At the same time, the air inside the bathroom 1 is circulated. At the same time, it is ventilated with outside air through the louver 14 and duct 15. Reference numeral 16 denotes a steam generator (hereinafter referred to as a steamer), and the steam generated by this is guided into the bathroom 1 through a pipe 17 and is ejected from an outlet 18 provided in the bathroom 1. Therefore, the interior of the bathroom 1 is filled with steam, making it possible to take a steam bath. A water supply pipe 19 is connected to the water heater 3, the water heater 8, the steamer 16, and a water supply port (not shown) inside the bathroom 1.

As described above, the conventional system bath shown in FIG. 8 has a hot water supply function for supplying hot water to the bathtub 2,
Various convenient functions were added, such as a heat retention function to keep the water temperature constant, a steam bath function, and a function to dry and ventilate the inside of the bathroom.

[0005]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, although the conventional system bath described above is very convenient for the user, on the other hand, it requires a large number of devices such as a water heater 3, a water heater 8, a steamer 16, etc. Moreover, these devices had to be installed outdoors, which required a large installation space. Therefore, there were problems in that the appearance of the exterior of the house was not good, and that the piping associated with the bathroom was complicated and numerous, which made the construction work difficult.

[0006] A first object of the present invention is to reduce the number of outdoor equipment by allowing steam from a steamer used in a steam bath to also serve as a heat source for a bathroom ventilation dryer.

A second object of the present invention is to efficiently control the steam supplied from the steamer when it is used in a steam bath or a ventilation dryer.

A third object of the present invention is to reduce the number of outdoor appliances by using the steam from the steamer as a heat source for reheating the hot water in the bathtub.

[0009]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above-mentioned first object, the present invention provides a steamer that heats water to generate steam, a bathroom having a closed structure, and a steamer installed in the bathroom. A steam ejector that fills the bathroom with steam from the steamer, a ventilation dryer that is installed on the ceiling of the bathroom and dries the bathroom using the heat contained in the steam supplied from the steamer, and a ventilation dryer that controls the steamer and ventilation dryer. The controller has a controller for controlling the controller.

[0010] Furthermore, in order to achieve the second objective, a steamer that heats water to generate steam, a steam pipe that introduces the steam generated by the steamer into the bathroom, and a steam pipe installed in the bathroom. It consists of a steam ejector that is connected to the tip and spews steam into the bathroom, a ventilation dryer installed on the ceiling of the bathroom, and a controller that controls the steamer and ventilation dryer. It has a built-in heat exchanger, and one pipe of this heat exchanger is connected to a three-way switching valve installed in the middle of the steam pipe, and the other pipe exchanges heat and discharges the condensed water into the bathroom or outdoors. The controller has an operation switch that switches the flow of steam to either the steam jet side or the ventilation dryer side using a three-way switching valve.

[0011] Another means for achieving the second objective is to provide a steamer that heats water and generates steam, a steam pipe that introduces the steam generated by the steamer into the bathroom, and a steam pipe that is installed in the bathroom to introduce steam into the bathroom. It controls a steam jet that is connected to the end of a pipe and spews steam into the bathroom, a ventilation dryer that is installed on the ceiling of the bathroom and has an internal heat exchanger and blower, and a steamer and ventilation dryer. The heat exchanger of the ventilation dryer is connected in the middle of the steam passage between the steam jet and the steamer, and the controller has a changeover switch for selecting the drive of the blower of the ventilation dryer.

Furthermore, in order to achieve the third object, there is provided a steamer that heats water to generate steam, a bathroom with a sealed structure, and a bathroom that is provided with a steamer that spouts steam from the steamer into the bathroom. A hot water heating means that uses the heat of the steam to heat the hot water in the bathtub provided in the bathroom, and a controller that controls a three-way switching valve that switches the steam and steam passages.

[0013]

[Operation] With the above-described first configuration, the steam generated by one steamer is supplied to both the bathroom and the ventilation dryer in the case of a steam bath.

Further, according to the second configuration, the steam emitted from the steamer is supplied to either the bathroom side or the ventilation dryer side when the steam is used as a steam bath by switching the three-way switching valve.

Furthermore, in the third configuration, the steam bath mode and the drying mode are switched and the steam is controlled by controlling the blower of the ventilation dryer on and off without changing the steam passage.

[0016] According to the fourth configuration, water vapor generated by one steamer is supplied to a bathroom in the case of a steam bath. In addition, the three-way switching valve is switched to use this steam as a heat source for reheating the bathtub.

[0017]

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be explained using FIGS. 1 to 7.

FIG. 1 shows the first bus in the system bus of the present invention.
An embodiment of the invention is shown below. Note that the same parts as in FIG. 8 will be described with the same numbers. Further, in FIG. 1, only the main parts of the system bus of the present invention are shown, and the description will be made while omitting the water heater, water supply source, etc. In the figure, 1 is a bathroom, and a bathtub 2 is provided inside the bathroom 1. 21 heats the water supplied from the water supply pipe 22 with a gas burner or the like to turn it into steam;
It is a steamer that allows this water vapor to flow into piping 23 or piping 24. The pipe 23 is connected to a steam jet (hereinafter referred to as a steam jet) 25 provided inside the bathroom 1, and the pipe 24 passes through a heat exchanger 27 of a ventilation dryer 26 provided on the ceiling of the bathroom 1, and is connected to the outside. It is connected to the drainage pipe 28 of.

The operation of the steamer 21 and the ventilation dryer 26 is controlled by the controller 29.

When used as a steam bath, water vapor is passed through the piping 23 and is ejected from the steam outlet 25 into the interior of the bathroom 1. As a result, the entire interior of the bathroom 1 is filled with water vapor, creating a steam bath.

At this time, the louver 14 provided on the wall or door (not shown) of the bathroom 1 and the duct 30 of the ventilation dryer 26 are closed, so to speak, the interior of the bathroom 1 is sealed, and water vapor is not released from the outside. leakage is prevented.

When used as a bathroom dryer, the steam in the steamer 21 passes through the pipe 24 and the heat exchanger 27 of the ventilation dryer 26 . At this time, the blower 31 operates to circulate the air inside the bathroom 1 through the heat exchanger 27, heat the air inside the bathroom 1 with the heat of the steam, and flow some of the air into the duct 30 for ventilation. . The water vapor that has passed through the heat exchanger 27 and returned to water is discharged to the drain pipe 28.
is released outdoors.

As explained above, by selectively using the water vapor generated from one steamer, it is possible to realize both the functions of a steam bath and a ventilation dryer. Also, if you look at it from a different perspective, it means that the efficiency of using the steamer 21 has improved.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the second invention. Figure 1
The same parts are given the same numbers and explained.

[0025] Here, the steam supplied from the steamer 21 through the pipe 32 is branched into the pipe 23 and the pipe 24 and switched by the switching valve 33, and the controller 34 is configured to switch between using it as a steam bath or as a dryer. In response to a selection signal from the operation switch 35, a signal is sent to the switching valve 33 to switch the steam supply destination and control the operation of the steamer 21 and the ventilation dryer 26.

The operation switch 35 is actually installed inside the bathroom 1 and enables these controls from inside the bathroom 1.

When the use of the steam bath is selected with the operation switch 35, steam is supplied to the pipe 23 by the switching valve 33, and the steam is spouted into the bathroom 1 from the steam outlet 25. Therefore, the entire interior of the bathroom 1 is filled with water vapor and becomes a steam bath.

At this time, similarly to FIG. 1, the louver 14 and the duct 30 of the ventilation dryer 26 are closed to seal the interior of the bathroom 1, thereby preventing water vapor from leaking to the outside.

If the ventilation mode is selected with the operation switch 35 after using the steam sauna, the operation of the steamer 21 is stopped and at the same time the blower 31 of the ventilation dryer 26 is operated, so that the inside of the bathroom 1 is not filled with water. The water vapor is discharged outdoors from the duct 30.

When used as a bathroom dryer, the switching valve 33 is switched by a signal from the operation switch 35. As a result, the steam supplied from the steamer 21 passes through the pipe 24 and the heat exchanger 27 of the ventilation dryer 26 . At this time, the blower 31 operates to circulate the air inside the bathroom 1 through the heat exchanger 27, so that the air inside the bathroom 1 is heated and a part of the air is ventilated through the duct 30. The water vapor that has passed through the heat exchanger 27 and returned to water is discharged outdoors from the drain pipe 28.

According to this embodiment, the switching valve 33 is provided separately from the steamer 21, and the steam passage is switched by the operation of the controller 34 and the operation switch 35, so the steamer 21 simply generates steam. It just needs to have a function. Therefore, for example, in addition to instantaneous steamers using gas combustion, steamers 2 can also be used with conventional steam boilers.
It can be used instead of 1.

FIG. 3 shows a further improvement of the configuration shown in FIG. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the water vapor that has passed through the heat exchanger 27 of the ventilation dryer 26 returns to water and is discharged outdoors from the water pipe 28. However, in such a configuration, if the drying load conditions differ depending on the size and temperature inside the bathroom 1, water may not necessarily return to water inside the water pipe 28. In such cases, it is dangerous to release water vapor outdoors, so it is necessary to release it into an outdoor drainage canal.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 3, the water that has passed through the heat exchanger 27 is returned to the interior of the bathroom 1, so that it can be connected to the drainage channel (not shown) of the bathroom 1 without providing a separate outdoor drainage channel. Can be drained directly. In this case, as described above, in order to prevent residual water vapor from being discharged into the interior of the bathroom 1 and reducing drying efficiency, the drain pipe 28 is provided with a condenser 36. The water vapor is reliably converted back into water, and this water flows into the pipe 23 through which the water vapor passes when used as a steam bath. therefore,
During ventilation drying, cooling water is discharged into the bathroom 1 from the steam outlet 25.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the third invention. A pipe 37 through which water vapor passes through the steamer 21 passes through a heat exchanger 27 of a ventilation dryer 38, and is connected from a pipe 39 to the steam outlet 25. The controller 40 outputs a drive signal to the steamer 21 and the ventilation dryer 38 based on the signal from the changeover switch 41. Note that the changeover switch 41 is normally installed and operated inside the bathroom 1 or in a changing room (not shown).

In this embodiment, there is no need for two steam pipes to come out from the steamer 21 as shown in FIG. 1, and unlike FIGS. 2 and 3, there is no need for the switching valve 33. The configuration is such that the controller 40 performs these functions.

The operation of the controller 40 will be explained using the flow diagram shown in FIG. 5, and the ventilation dryer 38 will be explained using the configuration diagram shown in FIG. In the figure, I is a routine when using a steam bath. Similarly, II indicates the ventilation mode, III indicates the drying mode, and IV indicates the stop mode.

Now, when the steam bath is selected with the changeover switch 41, Routine I is selected and the steamer 21 starts operating, but since the blower 31 of the ventilation dryer 38 does not operate, the steam passes through the heat exchanger 27. The steam is ejected from the steam outlet 25 into the bathroom 1 through the piping 39. At this time, the controller 40 closes the duct 30 by rotating the damper 42 shown in FIG. Furthermore, the louver 14 of the bathroom 1 is also closed. While the steam bath is in operation, the amount of steam generated by the steamer 21 is controlled so that the temperature inside the bathroom 1 is maintained at a predetermined temperature. Furthermore, a timer function may be added to automatically stop the device after it has been operated for a predetermined period of time, or to notify that a certain period of time has elapsed.

When the ventilation mode is selected with the changeover switch 41, the process goes through the routine II shown in FIG. is sucked in through the suction port 43 and discharged outdoors through the duct 30. By keeping the louver 14 open at this time, fresh air is drawn into the bathroom 1 and ventilated.

When ventilating and drying the bathroom, select routine III shown in FIG. 5 using the selector switch 41. As a result, the steamer 21 and the blower 31 are operated,
The damper 42 is switched to the a side shown in FIG.

The water vapor flows into the heat exchanger 27 from the pipe 37, where the heat is absorbed by the air inside the bathroom 1 sucked in from the suction port 43 by the blower 31, so that it returns to water and is emitted through the pipe 39. Water is drained into the bathroom 1 through the outlet 25.

The air inside the bathroom 1 is heated by the heat exchanger 27 and returned to the bathroom through the air outlet 44. The damper 42 opens the duct 30 at regular intervals to provide fresh air for ventilation. By repeating the above operation cycle, the temperature inside the bathroom 1 is raised, and the air inside the bathroom 1 is ventilated and dried. At this time, room temperature control is performed so that the temperature of the bathroom 1 is maintained at a predetermined temperature, as in Routine I, which is the steam bath mode. Timer control may also be added.

[0042] Here, as the temperature inside the bathroom 1 rises to a certain extent, the load on the heat exchanger 27 decreases.
There is a possibility that some of the water vapor may enter the return pipe 39 without being completely returned to water. Therefore, since water vapor is ejected from the steam outlet 25, the drying efficiency is reduced. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, a condenser 36 is provided to prevent this, but in this embodiment, a valve 45 and an inlet temperature sensor 46 are provided in the steam inlet pipe 37 shown in FIG. A temperature sensor 47 is provided, and the difference between the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature is detected in the steam amount control routine shown in FIG. Reduce steam inflow. This configuration allows full water drainage without the need for a condenser. Note that, in addition to the above configuration using the valve 45, the same effect can be obtained even with a configuration in which the amount of steam generated by the steamer 21 is directly controlled.

In addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 6, the ventilation dryer 38 may have a configuration in which two blowers are provided, one for circulation and one for ventilation.

As described above, by adopting the configurations shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, the related equipment and piping of the bathroom can be greatly simplified.

FIG. 7 is an embodiment for explaining the fourth invention. In the figure, the passage is branched by a switching valve 33 into a passage that passes through the steam piping 23 and reaches the steam outlet 25, and a passage that passes through the reheating piping 48 and reaches a reheating adapter 49 that is a hot water heating means. Switching valve 3
3 and the steamer 21 are driven and controlled by a controller 50, and the passage of water vapor is switched by an operating section 51 provided inside the bathroom 1.

Steam is ejected from the reheating adapter 49 toward the interior of the bathtub 2. Therefore, the heat of the water vapor has the effect of heating the water inside the bathtub 2 and stirring it at the same time. Instead of having the reheating adapter 49 configured to eject steam directly into the interior of the bathtub 1, it may also be configured as a heat exchanger so that the steam passes through it and heats it by exchanging heat with surrounding water. In this case, the water vapor cooled by heat exchange may be released into the bathroom 1.

The case where the steamer 21 is used as a heat source for various devices inside the bathroom 1 has been described above, but since the steamer 21 is configured to heat water and turn it into steam,
Steamer capacity and steam piping durability may vary significantly depending on water quality. Therefore, the water supply pipe 22 of the steamer 21
These inconveniences are solved by installing a water softener or water purifier in the water tank.

[0048]

As described above, the system bus of the present invention provides the following various effects. (1) With the first configuration, in which piping for steam jetting and piping for a ventilation dryer are provided from the steamer, and the steamer and ventilation dryer are controlled by a controller, the heat source of the steamer is used as a steam bath that fills the bathroom with steam. In addition to drying the bathroom, it can also be used to dry the inside of the bathroom. Therefore, one heat source device is used for both humidification and drying, which increases the efficiency of steamer use and reduces the amount of heat source devices installed outdoors, resulting in a smaller space. Furthermore, since the heat source of the ventilation dryer is steam, high-temperature warm air can be obtained and the drying time can be shortened. (2) A three-way switching valve is installed to switch the water vapor emitted from the steamer to the passage used for the steam bath and the passage leading to the ventilation dryer.The steamer and ventilation dryer are controlled by a controller, and the three-way switching can be done by operating inside or outside the bathroom. By providing a configuration with an operation switch that operates the valve, switching between the steam bath and the ventilation dryer can be performed with a single touch of the operation switch, simplifying the operation. (3) Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the heat exchanger of the ventilation dryer is connected in the middle of the steam passage from the steamer to the steam jet, and the steam piping is made into a single series piping. This simplification improves workability, and furthermore, it reduces heat radiation loss, resulting in energy savings. (4) Also, by connecting one side of the three-way switching valve connected to the steam pipe to a steam jet and the other to a hot water heating means for heating the hot water in the bathtub, steam can be used to replenish the hot water in the bathtub. It is also possible to heat the water, making it possible to create a system where a single steamer doubles as a water heater.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the system bus of the present invention to achieve the first objective.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a first embodiment for achieving the second object of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing a second embodiment for achieving the second object of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing a third embodiment for achieving the second object of the present invention.

[Fig. 5] Flow diagram explaining the operation of the system controller in the configuration diagram of Fig. 4.

[Figure 6] Configuration diagram of a ventilation dryer to realize the system in Figure 4

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment for realizing the third purpose of the system bus of the present invention.

[Figure 8] Configuration diagram of conventional system bus

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Bathroom 2 Bathtub 21 Steamer 25 Steam jet 26, 38 Ventilation dryer 27 Heat exchanger 29 Controller 31　Blower 32 Steam pipe 33 Three-way switching valve 34, 40, 50 controller 35 Operation switch 37 Steam pipe 41 Selector switch 49 Hot water heater

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A steam generator for generating water vapor, a bathroom to which the water vapor is supplied, a steam ejector provided in the bathroom for spouting the water vapor into the bathroom, and a steam generator provided in the bathroom for spouting the water vapor into the bathroom. A system bus comprising: a ventilation dryer that dries the interior of a bathroom using the heat of water vapor; and a controller that controls the steam generator and the ventilation dryer. 2. A steam generator that generates water vapor; a steam pipe that introduces the water vapor into the bathroom; and a steam generator that is installed inside the bathroom and connected to the steam pipe to blow out the water vapor into the bathroom. a ventilation dryer installed in the bathroom and having a heat exchanger inside; a controller for controlling the steam generator and the ventilation dryer; A system bus comprising: a three-way switching valve that switches between communicating with the steam generator and the heat exchanger or energizing the steam generator and the heat exchanger; and an operation switch that controls the three-way switching valve via the controller. 3. A steam generator that generates water vapor; a steam pipe that introduces the water vapor into the bathroom; and a steam generator that is installed inside the bathroom and connected to the steam pipe to blow out the water vapor into the bathroom. a ventilation dryer that is installed in the bathroom and has a heat exchanger and a blower inside, and a controller that controls the steam generator and the ventilation dryer, and the steam generator, the heat exchanger , a system bus in which each of the steam ejectors is connected in this order through the steam pipe. 4. A steam generator that generates water vapor, a bathroom to which the water vapor is supplied, a steam jetter installed in the bathroom that spouts the water vapor into the bathroom, and a steam generator that generates water vapor by the heat held by the water vapor. a hot water heating means for heating hot water in a bathtub provided inside the bathroom; a three-way switching valve for switching the water vapor supplied from the steam generator to the steam ejector or the hot water heating means; and the steam generator. and a controller that controls the three-way switching valve.