JPH04273934A - Ventilation fan for bath room - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a bath room ventilation fan capable of detecting the presence of a person in a bath room based on sound and ventilating the bath room in automatic mode or ventilating in automatic mode so as to discharge the moisture in the bath room after every family member has finished their bath. CONSTITUTION:When a person enters a bath room 1, sound is emitted from a human action. Then, this sound is detected by a sound sensor 6, which indicates that ventilating operation is being carried out. When the person leaves the bath room, the sound is ceased and it becomes quiet in the bath room 1, thereby stopping ventilating operation. When no one takes a bath since then, the quiet condition in the bath room is continued for a preset time. Then, ventilation operation is carried out for a specified time. This ventilating operation makes it possible to discharge the moisture in the bath room.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[Object of the invention]

0002

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bathroom ventilation fan whose ventilation operation is automatically controlled using a sound sensor that detects the volume inside the bathroom.

0003

[Prior Art] As a bathroom ventilation fan, for example,
As shown in Japanese Patent No. 3-207931, there is a device equipped with a humidity sensor and a human sensor. In this one,
When the humidity detected by the humidity sensor exceeds a set humidity, ventilation operation is automatically started, and when the human sensor detects the presence of a person during ventilation operation, the ventilation operation is interrupted. The reason why the ventilation operation is interrupted when the human sensor detects the presence of a person is that when the ventilation operation is performed while taking a bath, cold air from outside enters the bathroom, making it feel cold especially in winter. This is to prevent this.

0004

However, conventional human sensors generally use pyroelectric sensors. This pyroelectric human sensor has directionality and has a certain limit in its detection range, so the orientation of the human sensor must be adjusted in relation to the range in which the presence of a person is to be detected and the installation position of the ventilation fan. Moreover, in some bathrooms, the presence of a person cannot be detected because the sensor becomes a blind spot. Furthermore, as is well known, a pyroelectric human sensor emits a detection signal based on changes in thermal energy received by the pyroelectric body, so even if no one is present in the bathroom, a detection signal can be generated by the fluctuation of steam, for example. If it emits or forms condensation, it becomes impossible to detect the presence of a person. Furthermore, in conventional bathroom ventilation fans, when the presence of a person is detected, the ventilation operation is primarily interrupted, which is fine in winter, but conversely, in summer, the bathroom becomes stuffy and hot.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to more accurately detect the presence or absence of a person in the bathroom, and when there is a person in the bathroom, to perform ventilation operation in a timely manner. While eliminating the heat and humidity of the bathroom, it also prevents you from feeling chilly due to the intrusion of outside air in the winter, and when no one is taking a bath, the ventilation operation continues for a specified period of time to remove the moisture in the bathroom. It is possible to provide bathroom ventilation fans.

[Configuration of the invention]

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The bathroom ventilation fan of the present invention is provided with a sound sensor for detecting the sound volume in the bathroom, and a determining means for determining whether the sound volume detected by the sound sensor is equal to or higher than a set level. The determining means includes a timer means for counting the duration of the state in which the sound volume detected by the sound sensor is less than a set level, and when the determining means determines that the sound volume detected by the sound sensor is equal to or higher than the set level, ventilation operation is performed. Additionally, operation control means is provided for performing ventilation operation for a predetermined period of time regardless of the judgment result of the judgment means when the time counted by the timer means reaches a set time.

[0008]

[Operation] When a person enters the bathroom, the sound caused by the person's movements is emitted. Then, when the sound sensor detects this sound, ventilation operation is performed. When people leave the bathroom, the bathroom becomes quiet, so ventilation is not activated. and,
Once everyone in the family has taken a bath and there is no one else to take a bath, the bathroom will remain quiet for a set period of time, and then ventilation will be activated for a specified period of time, and this ventilation will remove the moisture in the bathroom. .

[0009]

[Embodiment] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. First, in FIG.
A ventilation fan body 3 is provided for discharging internal air to the outdoors. As is well known, the ventilation fan main body 3 includes a motor 4 and a fan 5 attached to the rotating shaft of the motor 4. A sound sensor 6 such as a microphone is provided on the ventilation fan main body 3.

Now, as shown in FIG. 2, the output of the sound sensor 6 is digitized by a signal processing circuit 7 and input to a microcomputer 8 as an operation control means. This microcomputer 8 stores a predetermined operation control program in advance. Then, according to the program, the microcomputer 8 is provided with a determination means for determining whether or not the sound volume detected by the sound sensor 6 is equal to or higher than a preset reference level, and a determination means for determining whether the sound volume detected by the sound sensor 6 continues to be below the reference level. It is provided with a function as a timer means for counting time (hereinafter referred to as silent duration time t).

When the detected sound volume of the sound sensor 6 exceeds the reference level, the microcomputer 8 outputs a drive command signal to the drive circuit 9, and when the detected sound volume falls below the reference level, it outputs a stop command signal to the drive circuit 9. Output. When the drive circuit 9 receives the operation command signal, it energizes the motor 4 to perform ventilation operation, and when the stop command signal is input, it cuts off the power to the motor 4 and stops the ventilation operation. ing. Further, the microcomputer 8 outputs an operation command signal when the silent duration time t reaches a set time T1, for example, 60 minutes, and outputs a stop command signal after a predetermined time T2, for example, 180 minutes, so as to perform ventilation operation for 180 minutes. It has become.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Then, power is supplied to the microcomputer 8, and normal initialization is performed. Then, the microcomputer 8 reads the sound volume detected by the sound sensor 6, determines whether or not it is above the reference level, and if it is less than the reference level ("NO" in step B),
Assuming that there is no one in the bathroom 1, the ventilation fan is kept in a stopped state (motor 4 is cut off). In this case, the microcomputer 8 counts the duration of the operation stop as the silent duration time t (steps A to D are repeated).

[0013] When a person enters the bathroom 1 from the changing room, sounds are emitted as the person moves, such as pouring hot water or entering the bathtub. Then, since the sound volume detected by the sound sensor 6 becomes equal to or higher than the reference level, the microcomputer 8 determines "YES" in step B, and outputs an operation command signal in the next step E to start ventilation operation (controls the motor 4). At the same time, in step F, the silent duration time t is cleared to zero. While this ventilation operation continues, the microcomputer 8 constantly judges whether the sound volume detected by the sound sensor 6 is above the reference level, and when the sound volume detected by the sound sensor 6 becomes less than the reference level, it stops at that point. A command signal is output to stop the ventilation operation (motor 4 is cut off), and the duration of the stop is counted as the silent duration time t (steps A~
Repeat D). Such an operation is repeatedly performed each time the sound volume detected by the sound sensor 6 becomes equal to or higher than the reference level while the person is taking a bath.

Now, the above-mentioned silent duration time t is the set time T1.
(for example, 60 minutes), the result is "YES" in step D, which determines whether the silent duration time t has reached the set time T1, and the silent duration time t that has been counted up until then is cleared to zero (step G). Predetermined time T
2 (for example, 180 minutes) (step H). Then, when ventilation operation is performed for a predetermined time T2,
The ventilation operation then stops. In this way, the silent duration time t
The reason why the ventilation operation is performed for a predetermined time T2 when the set time T1 is reached is as follows.

In other words, if the detected sound volume of the sound sensor 6 continues for a certain period of time to be below the reference level, it means that the person has left the bathroom 1, and if this state continues further, it means that all the members of the family It can be interpreted that there are no more people entering the bathroom 1 after taking a bath. Therefore, if the set time T1 is set to 60 minutes, for example, and the silent duration time t is 60 minutes, it is assumed that the entire family has taken a bath, and the predetermined time T2 is set to exhaust the moisture in the bathroom 1. For example, ventilation operation was performed for 180 minutes. In addition, if there are no more people taking a bath, the power switch is usually turned off before going to bed, so there is almost no possibility that ventilation operation will be performed from then on.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the sound sensor 6
Since there is no directionality, unlike detection using conventional pyroelectric sensors, the direction of the sound sensor 6 can be adjusted. In addition, there is no need to detect the presence of a person in any part, and there is no risk of erroneously detecting the presence or absence of a person or making it impossible to detect a person due to fluctuations in steam or condensation.

Generally, a bathroom is located in a corner of a house and is acoustically separated from the living room and kitchen. Moreover, the sound inside the bathroom is likely to be amplified by reverberation. Furthermore, since the sound sensor 6 is located inside the bathroom 1, it is difficult to detect outdoor sounds. Under these circumstances, in order to detect the presence of a person, it is possible to set a low reference level for comparison with the detection volume of the sound sensor 6, and therefore it is possible to reliably detect the sounds generated during bathing. . On the other hand, especially in winter, when people feel chilly due to the intrusion of outside air due to ventilation operation, it is only when they are stationary and not moving, and it does not feel so cold when they are moving their body to wash their hair or the like.

Under these circumstances, in this embodiment, when the sound volume detected by the sound sensor 6 becomes equal to or higher than the reference level, that is, when a sound is emitted by a person's movement, ventilation operation is performed to stop the sound from being emitted. Since the ventilation operation is stopped when the ventilation operation is stopped, it is possible to prevent as much as possible from feeling chilly due to the intrusion of outside air in the winter, and to prevent the feeling of being stuffy and hot in the summer.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, after the silent duration time t reaches the set time T1, the ventilation operation is performed for a predetermined time T2, thereby confirming that all family members have finished bathing. In addition, a ventilation operation for discharging the moisture in the bathroom 1 can be automatically performed. This ventilation operation dries the bathroom interior, which is effective in maintaining the bathroom by preventing the growth of mold and damage.

[0020] In the above embodiment, it was explained that the ventilation operation during bathing and the ventilation operation for removing moisture after bathing are performed only automatically, but a switch for selecting automatic operation and manual operation is If automatic operation is selected, ventilation operation will be performed automatically as explained in the above embodiment, and if manual operation is selected, ventilation operation can be performed manually. You may. Further, in the above embodiment, the ventilation operation is performed while the sound volume detected by the sound sensor 6 is equal to or higher than the reference level.
This may be configured such that when the sound volume detected by the sound sensor 6 becomes equal to or higher than a reference level, the ventilation operation is continued for one minute, for example.

[0021]

As explained above, according to the present invention, when the sound volume detected by the sound sensor exceeds the reference level, it is assumed that there is a person in the bathroom and the ventilation operation is performed. Unlike type sensors that detect the presence of a person, there is no directionality, so there is no need to adjust the direction of the sound sensor, and there are no areas where the presence of a person cannot be detected. There is no risk of erroneously detecting the presence or absence of a person due to fluctuations or condensation. Moreover, since bathrooms are acoustically separated from other areas and the sounds inside the bathroom are likely to be amplified by echo, the reference level for comparing the detected volume of the sound sensor can be set low. Ventilation operation can be performed by reliably detecting the sound emitted by the ventilator. Furthermore, when the sound level detected by the sound sensor exceeds a reference level, that is, when a sound is emitted by a person's movements, ventilation operation is performed, so the intrusion of outside air can make the system feel chilly in the winter or feel hot and humid in the summer. This can be prevented as much as possible.

[0022] In addition, after the silent noise duration reaches the set time, the ventilation operation is performed for a predetermined period of time, so that it is confirmed that all family members have taken a bath, and then the moisture in the bathroom is discharged. This provides excellent effects such as automatic ventilation operation.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

[Fig. 1] Flowchart showing operation control contents in an embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2] Block diagram showing the electrical circuit configuration

[Figure 3] Vertical cross-sectional view of the same bathroom

[Explanation of symbols]

1 is a bathroom, 3 is a ventilation fan body, 4 is a motor, 6 is a sound sensor, and 8 is a microcomputer (operation control means, timer means).

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A device for ventilating a bathroom, comprising: a sound sensor for detecting the volume in the bathroom, a determining means for determining whether the detected volume by the sound sensor is equal to or higher than a set level, and the determining means comprises: a timer means for counting the duration of a state in which the detected sound volume of the sound sensor is below a set level;
When the determining means determines that the sound volume detected by the sound sensor is equal to or higher than a set level, the ventilation operation is performed, and when the count time by the timer means reaches the set time, the ventilation operation is performed for a predetermined time regardless of the determination result of the determining means. A bathroom ventilation fan comprising an operation control means.