JPH0596941A - Vehicle humidifying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a humidifying device which can locally humidify individual passengers in a passenger compartment. CONSTITUTION:A humidifying steam generating mechanism 11 is supported by a flexible support tube 14 so as to arbitrarily set the steam generating direction thereof. This steam generating mechanism 11 incorporates a heater case 12 incorporating a PTC heater 16, and steam generated from this heater case 12 is fed to a nozzle part 23 by way of a steam pipe 24. This steam generating mechanism 11 further incorporates a fan 22 rotated by a motor 21 so as to discharge steam fed to the nozzle part 23 in a predetermined direction. Water is fed under pressure into the heater case 12 from a water tank part provided at a position apart from that of the steam generating mechanism, by way of a water tube 13 set in the support tube 14.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a humidifying device for a vehicle, which is used for improving the humidity inside a vehicle, and in particular, an appropriate humidity is set for an occupant.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a means for improving the living environment in a vehicle compartment, it has been considered to install a humidifying device in the vehicle compartment. As such a vehicle-mounted humidifying device, it is conceivable to install the humidifying device in a control box adjacent to a driver's seat as disclosed in, for example, JP-A-63-145741.
A water tank that stores water as a humidification source and a steam generation unit that generates steam or fine particles of water (hereinafter collectively referred to as steam);
Further, an air blowing mechanism that generates an air flow for sending the generated steam into the vehicle interior is integrally configured.

However, in the humidifying device thus constructed integrally, it is possible to change the discharge direction of the humidified steam by changing the direction of the nozzle that discharges the steam, but the variable range of the direction. Is very limited.
Therefore, if you try to humidify all the passengers in the front and rear seats in the passenger compartment with the humidifier installed in this control box, it is necessary to sufficiently raise the humidity in the entire passenger compartment. Fogging occurs, which is not desirable for safe driving.

In the winter, the vehicle compartment is heated by the air conditioner, and the relative humidity in the vehicle compartment is necessarily 1
It drops to near 0% RH. Therefore, symptoms such as thirst of the occupant and dry eyes occur, and humidification of the passenger compartment is required. However, if the humidity inside the vehicle cabin is increased, the window glass will fog up, and therefore it is necessary for the humidifying effect to be exerted more efficiently than the humidification control for the entire vehicle cabin.
Local humidification is required to humidify only the occupant's face. Generally, in humidification control, a method of incorporating a humidifying mechanism into an air conditioner to humidify the vehicle interior is the main method, and therefore such means cannot achieve local humidification.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to locally humidify all passengers in the front and rear seats in the passenger compartment, which is a comfortable passenger compartment. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle humidifying device in which the environment can be effectively set, and in particular, the humidity of the entire interior of the vehicle is increased so that, for example, a situation in which the window glass becomes cloudy does not occur.

[0006]

In the vehicle humidifying device according to the present invention, the humidifying steam generating means having the steam generating means therein and the water tank for storing the steam generating water are separately configured. However, the steam generating means is set in the vehicle compartment by arbitrarily setting the steam discharge direction by a flexible supporting member, and the steam generating means and the water tank are connected by a water supply tube.

[0007]

In the vehicle humidifier constructed as described above, only the humidified steam generating means is arranged in the vehicle compartment, and the water tank portion requiring a large volume is arranged in an appropriate place in the vehicle. Like Since the humidified steam generating means is supported by the flexible supporting member, the vapor discharge direction can be arbitrarily selected, and the local humidification can be easily performed. Therefore, it is not necessary to increase the humidity of the entire passenger compartment to cause fog on the window glass, and a humidifying device suitable for safe driving can be provided.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the structure of the humidifying steam generating mechanism 11 of the humidifying device, and includes a heater case 12 made of a conductive metal plate such as brass. The heater case 12 is provided with a bottom plate 121 inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, and a water tube 13 is attached to an inlet 122 formed on the side surface thereof.
Are communicated. The suction port 122 of the heater case 12 is configured to include a check valve mechanism 123 with a spring and a ball.

The water tube 13 is made of, for example, a resin tube having an inner diameter of about 3 mm, and is inserted into the hollow portion of a support tube 14 made of a hollow flexible tube made of metal.

The support tube 14 is set to have a length of, for example, about 40 cm and is attached to the tank portion 15 shown in FIG. 2, and supports the humidified steam generating mechanism 11 rotatably within a range of 180 °. ing. Then, the water is pumped from the tank part 15 to the suction port 122 of the heater case 12 through the water tube 12. When the water is pumped, the water is pumped through the check valve mechanism 123. It will be introduced within 12.

On the back surface of the bottom plate 121 of the heater case 12, there is a P
Electrode plates 17 are stacked and set via the TC heater 16, and by connecting a power source between the electrode plates 17 and the heater case 12, the water in the heater case 12 is heated and vaporized. ..

Here, the inclined bottom plate 12 of the heater case 12
A ridge 124 is formed in a portion corresponding to the lower portion of 1 and a compartment is formed in the lower portion of the bottom plate 121, and a water level sensor 18 is provided corresponding to this compartment portion. .. The water level sensor 18 is constructed by arranging, for example, two electrodes side by side at a small interval on a vertical surface, and when both electrodes are submerged in water, the two electrodes are electrically connected to each other. While the water level is lower than that of the sensor 18, the electric circuit between the electrodes is cut off so that the drop in the water level can be detected.

A heater case 12 that produces steam
Is housed in a lower chamber divided into two parts of a case 19 made of, for example, a synthetic resin, and has a plurality of heat-resistant resin case holders.
It is fixedly supported in the case 19 by 20.

A motor 21 is set in the upper chamber of the case 19 so as to be fixedly held in the case 19 by a suitable fixing member. This motor 21 is configured with, for example, a DC 12V specification,
The rotation shaft of this motor 21 has an axial fan of about 32 mm in diameter.
22 is attached, and the fan 21 is rotated by the motor 21 so that the intake flow is taken in from the air hole 191 formed in the case 19.

The intake air flow taken in by the fan 22 passes through the periphery of the motor 21 and is discharged to the outside from a discharge port 192 opened on the opposite side of the air hole 191 of the case 19. A nozzle 23 is coaxially provided at the axial portion of the outlet 192. The nozzle 23 has a structure in which the diameter of the direction of the motor 21, that is, the upstream direction of the intake air flow is increased, and the nozzle 23 is narrowed in a bell mouth shape in the opposite direction.

In this case, the discharge port 19 on the outer periphery of the nozzle 23
2, the inner peripheral surface of which is formed in a bell-mouth shape similar to the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle 23, and the air flow generated by the fan 22 is throttled at the outer peripheral portion of the nozzle 23 to speed up the flow. So that it is released to the outside.

An opening of a steam pipe 24 is set in the axial portion of the nozzle 23, and the steam discharged from the steam pipe 24 is
The air flow in the nozzle 23 allows it to be discharged to the outside, and the vapor flow that is linearly narrowed is generated by being guided by the air flow formed by the discharge port 192 on the outer peripheral portion of the nozzle 23. To do so.

The steam pipe 24 is opened and communicated with the upper portion of the heater case 12 so that the water in the heater case 12 is PTC.
The steam generated as a result of being heated by the heater 16 is discharged to the outside through the steam pipe 24.

A switch 25 for controlling the humidifying device is appropriately provided on the front surface of the case 19, and an LED indicator 26 for displaying an operating state and the like is also arranged to control the humidifying device and the operating state. Confirmation is being made.

Humidified steam generating mechanism 11 having such a configuration
Is supported on the water tank portion 15 shown in FIG. 2 by the flexible support tube 14 as described above. In this case, the water tank portion 15 is installed, for example, on a floor tunnel behind the console box in the vehicle compartment as shown in FIG. 3, and is fixed to, for example, the seat anchor bolt 27 of the passenger seat via the mounting stay 28. There is. And
The humidified steam generating mechanism 11 is supported by a support tube 14 so that its position and the steam discharge direction can be arbitrarily changed.

In the water tank portion 15 shown in FIG. 2, the water tank 31 is mounted in the tank case 32 by opening the lid 30 upward and is detachable. The formed water outlet 311 has a spring
A valve 34 is provided which is set to be normally closed by 33.

That is, this water tank 31 is a tank case.
When removed from 32, valve 34 is closed and outlet 31
Water from 1 does not leak. Then, with the water tank 31 attached to the tank case 32, the pin 35 protruding from the bottom surface of the case 32 resists the spring 33 and opens the valve 34.
Is opened so that the water in the water tank 31 is discharged into the water passage 36 of the case 32. Here, an air hole 37 is formed in the water tank 31 so that this water can be discharged smoothly.

A pump 38 is set in the water passage 36, and the water introduced into the water passage 36 is pressure-fed by the pump 38 to a water tube 13 communicating with the humidified steam generating mechanism 11, and the heater case 12 is heated. This water should be led to the suction port 122 of.

Further, an electric control circuit 39 is set in the case 32 of the water tank portion 15, and an operation signal from the switch 25 is transmitted to the control circuit 39 through a wire passing through the support tube 14. The heating current is supplied to the heater case 12 and the electrode 17 that sandwich the PTC heater 16 and is controlled, and the pump is pumped based on the detection signal from the water level sensor 18.
Control 38. A water level confirmation window 40 for confirming the water level in the water tank 31 is formed on the lid 30.

In the humidifying apparatus thus constructed, by operating the switch 25 of the humidified steam generating section 11 supported by the flexible supporting tube 14 near the occupant so that the position and direction can be changed, Control circuit
According to a command from 39, an electric current is passed through the PTC heater 16 to generate heat.

The current value of the PCT heater 16 is monitored as shown in FIG. 4, and the temperature of the PTC heater 16 rises,
When the value of the current flowing through the PTC heater 16 falls below the specified threshold value, the control for driving the pump 38 is executed.

When the pump 38 is driven, the suction port of the heater case 12 is driven by the water pressure pumped by the pump 38.
The check valve mechanism 123 set to 122 is opened, and water is supplied into the heater case 12. When water is supplied into the heater case 12, the temperature of the PTC heater 16 is lowered by cooling the heater case 12, and the PTC heater 16 is cooled.
The value of the current flowing in the circuit rises, and when this current exceeds the threshold value, the operation of the pump 38 is stopped.

The water in the heater case 12 is the PTC heater 16
Is heated to be steam, which is guided to the axial portion of the nozzle 23 by the steam pipe 24 and discharged. In this case, the fan 22 is driven by the motor 21 in accordance with the operation of the switch 25, and the air sucked by the fan 22 is released.
It is discharged from 192 and blown out from the nozzle 23. That is, the vapor discharged with the air flow from the nozzle 23 is guided by the layer of the air flow blown from the discharge port 192 on the outer periphery of the nozzle 23. That is, the nozzle 23
The air layer around the outer circumference of the air prevents diffusion of the steam discharged from the center thereof, and discharges the steam capable of local humidification.

In this case, the pressure in the heater case 12 rises due to the generation of steam, but the check valve mechanism 123
This prevents backflow of water in the heater case 12. In addition, even when the axis of the nozzle 23 is directed toward the occupant's face and tilted upward, the bottom surface of the heater case 12
Since 121 is set to be inclined, the PTC heater 16 is maintained in a horizontal state, and steam is efficiently generated.

The water level in the heater case 12 is measured by the water level sensor 18
Is being monitored by the water level above the ridge 124 until the electrode section of the sensor 18 is submerged,
This rise in water level is detected by the water level sensor 18 and the pump
38 stop control is executed. Therefore, the heater case
Within 12 the overflow of water is prevented and the proper water level is maintained.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, when the steam is released to some extent, the steam generation is stopped in a specific time range, and then the humidified steam is generated again, the humidifying feeling is effective. And the power consumption can be reduced.

By allowing the humidified steam generating mechanism 11 to be supported by the flexible support tube 14, the humidified steam generating mechanism 11 moves up and down, and further to the left and right, and is 180 ° about the supporting tube 14. Since the vehicle is rotated within the range, local humidification is possible for all passengers in the passenger compartment.

FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment. In this embodiment, the humidified steam generating mechanism 11 is set on the floor tunnel behind the console box as in the previous embodiment. However, the water tank portion 15 is installed below the front of the rear seat 41.

In this embodiment, the humidified steam generating mechanism is used.
The support tube 14 that supports 11 is attached to a metal hollow fixing stay 42 on the floor panel behind the console box. The fixing stay 42 is fixed by the seat anchor bolts 27 of the passenger seat.
The water tank portion 15 and the water tank portion 15 are connected by a resin connecting tube 43.

FIG. 6 shows a water tank portion used in this embodiment.
15 shows the configuration, and the same components as those in FIG. 2 are shown with the same numbers. In this example, the water tank
Since 15 is installed at the lower front part of the rear seat 41, the lid 30 for putting in and taking out the water tank 31 is opened by rotating forward. And pump
Discharged water from 38 is supplied to a water pipe 44 inserted through the connecting tube 43 and communicated with the water tube 13 inside the support tube 14.

FIG. 7 shows a third embodiment. The relationship between the water tank portion 15 and the humidified steam generating mechanism 11 is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. In that case, the blower mechanism is installed in the water tank section 15.

FIG. 8 shows the structure of the water tank portion 15 of this embodiment. In the tank case 32, a water tank 31 having the same structure as the example of FIG. 2 is set. Then, in a region of the tank case 32 that is partitioned from the water tank 31 portion, the motor 45
Provided with a resin sirocco fan 46 rotated by
The airflow generated by the sirocco fan 46 is fed into the flexible support tube 14.

As in the first embodiment, the water tube 13 is passed through the support tube 14, and the water in the water tank 31 which is pumped by the pump 38 is generated by the humidification steam supported by the support tube 14. It is sent to mechanism 11.

FIG. 9 shows the structure of the humidified vapor generating mechanism 11 in this embodiment. In the room below the case 19, the heater case 12, the PTC heater 16, and the electrode 17 are provided as the first part. The steam generating mechanism is housed in the same manner as in the above embodiment. The water level sensor 18 monitors the water level in the heater case 12.

A support tube is provided in the room above the case 19.
An air passage 50 communicating with 14 is formed. The air passage 50 communicates with a discharge port 51 opening on the front surface of the case 19, and a nozzle 52 is held and set at the axial line portion of the discharge port 51. The steam pipe 24 communicating with the upper part of the heater case 12 is opened at the axis of the nozzle 52.

That is, in the humidified steam generating mechanism 11, steam is generated by heating the water in the heater case 12 by the PTC heater 16, and the generated steam is discharged into the nozzle 52 through the steam pipe 24. To be done.

On the other hand, the air flow generated by the sirocco fan 46 of the water tank portion 15 is introduced into the air passage of the humidified steam generating mechanism 11 through the inside of the hollow support tube 14.
It is discharged from the discharge port 52, and the humidified steam discharged from the steam pipe 24 is discharged toward a predetermined portion.

By thus constructing the air blowing mechanism in the water tank section 15, it is not necessary to provide the air blowing mechanism in the humidified steam generating mechanism 11 supported in a flexible and movable state. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the steam generating mechanism 11 and to eliminate the blowing mechanism, which is a noise source, from the vicinity of the occupant's face, and it is possible to substantially reduce noise.

The fan of the blowing mechanism used in the embodiment may have any structure as appropriate, and the steam generating means is not limited to the one using the PTC heater, but heats water to evaporate it. Any mechanism can be adopted. In this case, in the case of the heating means in which the heater current does not change depending on the temperature, means for monitoring the temperature in the heater case is provided, and the water supply pump is controlled in accordance with the detected temperature.

The support tube for supporting the steam generating mechanism is not limited to a flexible tube and may be a hollow link mechanism. In short, the humidifying steam generating mechanism can be supported in a flexible state. Good.

In addition, although the steam generating means is constituted by a mechanism for heating and evaporating water in the embodiment, the steam generating means may be constituted by using an ultrasonic wave generating mechanism. That is, an ultrasonic oscillator is installed in water in a water tank, fine particles of water are generated by the generated ultrasonic waves, and the fine particles of water are used as humidifying steam.

In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the water tank portion 15 is set to the rear seat portion, but it may be installed inside the rear trunk 55 of the vehicle as shown in FIG. it can. Then, the water tank portion 15 and the humidified steam generating mechanism 11 in the vehicle compartment are connected by a connecting tube 56. In this case, it is possible to install a plurality of humidification steam generation mechanisms 11 as shown in the figure, and it is also conceivable to fix the steam generation mechanisms 11 to, for example, a ceiling part.

[0048]

As described above, according to the vehicle humidifying apparatus of the present invention, the humidifying mechanism in the passenger compartment can be sufficiently simplified and the local humidifying control can be executed for the passenger in the passenger compartment. You can also do it. Therefore, it is possible to give a good humidifying feeling to each occupant in a significantly dry state of the passenger compartment, and in this case, the humidity of the entire passenger compartment is not significantly increased. Therefore, there is little fear that the window glass will be fogged, and safe driving will not be hindered.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a humidified steam generating mechanism of a vehicle humidifying device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (A) is a sectional view and (B) is a sectional view.
Is a front view.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a water tank portion similarly (A) is a sectional view,
(B) is a side view.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a situation where the humidifying device is installed in a vehicle compartment.

FIG. 4 is a signal waveform diagram illustrating a control state of the humidifier.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state of a vehicle interior for explaining a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a water tank portion in this embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state of a vehicle interior for explaining a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a water tank portion used in this embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a humidified steam generating mechanism portion.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining still another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 ... Humidified steam generating mechanism, 12 ... Heater case, 13 ... Water tube, 14 ... Support tube (flexible), 15 ... Water tank part, 16 ... PTC heater, 17 ... Electrode, 18 ... Water level sensor,
19 ... Case, 21, 45 ... Motor, 22, 46 ... Fan, 23, 51
… Nozzles, 24… Steam pipes, 31… Water tanks, 38… Pumps.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A humidified steam generating means having a steam generating means inside and set in a vehicle compartment, a flexible support member for supporting the humidified steam generating means, and the humidified steam generating means set separately. And a water tank for storing water used as a steam generation source, and a water supply tube for connecting the water tank and the humidified steam generating means, wherein the humidified steam generating means is located at an occupant position in a vehicle compartment. A humidification for a vehicle, which is set correspondingly so that a vapor discharge direction can be set in an arbitrary direction by the support member, and the water tank is set at a portion which is not affected by an occupant. apparatus.