JPH10201388A - Heating and cooling device for animal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically heat and cool a bed for a pet by the change of an atmospheric temperature by setting a prescribed set temperature. SOLUTION: This device consists of a bed 40 for mounting an animal, etc., inside, a case main body 15 supporting the bed, a heating/cooling plate 20 arranged at a case main body, an electronic cooling member 6 fixed to the heating/cooling plate, a radiation panel 7 with plural fins fixed to the electronic cooling member, an atmosphere detection sensor 61 detecting the atmospheric temperature and a control means switching from a heating mode to a cooling mode by reducing a power quantity to the electronic cooling member 60 of a heating mode, turning off or inverting electric positive/negative at the time of detecting the reaching of the atmospheric temperature by the sensor 61.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner for dogs, cats and other animals.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. Hei 5-7068 discloses an air conditioner for dogs and cats. In this device, an electronic cooling element (Peltier element) is joined to the back surface of a cooling plate having high thermal conductivity, a heat sink is attached to the other surface of the electronic element, and a blower and a power supply for cooling it are arranged at appropriate positions. There is an animal cooling and heating device configured such that the above-described device portion is housed in a bed body frame.

[0003] However, this prior art is based on the power supply section (A).
C100V) is disposed in the case, so that animal and dirt adheres to the outer surface of the cooling unit, so that when cleaning, acid / alkali detergent enters from gaps, and animal urine or the like enters, making maintenance difficult. And the like.

In addition, the cleaning of the cooling plate has to be carried over, which is not only troublesome, but also requires care to prevent moisture during cleaning from entering the case.

Further, the cooling plate is likely to bend due to the weight of the pet, for example, a dog or a cat, and is liable to cause a malfunction of the electronic cooling element. It is known to those skilled in the art that electronic cooling elements are extremely weak against external forces and moisture. To cool the cooling plate well, a thin member with good thermal conductivity is good, but when a pet such as a dog or cat is placed, the cooling plate tends to warp due to its weight and damage the electronic cooling element itself. Give it.

Also, if the cooling plate is far away from the electronic cooling element contact surface even if it is cooled, the cooling degree is poor and the cooling surface becomes uneven,
Also, since there is no active heating function, it is difficult to use in winter. In addition, there is a problem that even though the area directly above the portion in contact with the electronic cooling element is cooled, the surrounding area is poorly cooled and the temperature uniformity is poor.

Further, the electronic cooling / heating apparatus generally has a problem that when the direction of the current is switched, the cooling surface becomes a heating surface and can be used for heating in winter. However, the switching of the electronic cooling / heating apparatus has a problem that the life thereof is significantly shortened. Poor.

In order to solve the above problems, the present applicant has disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 8-94337 that the cooling plate is prevented from bending even if a heavy pet is placed on the cooling plate, and the electronic cooling element is provided. It is possible to prevent the ingress of water, etc. by cooling not only only the part in contact with
A highly reliable animal air-conditioning system was provided.

[0009]

However, even if the pet bed can be warmed by the electronic cooling member (or heater) in the warm state in the present invention, if the atmospheric temperature rises, it is unnecessarily necessary. Because it became hot, I had to manually switch from strong to weak or turn it off. In the spring, autumn, etc., it is necessary to do this every day depending on the weather conditions. In particular, even if the temperature is set to an appropriate temperature at night, it may get cold at dawn, which often causes the owner to worry.

When the temperature changes greatly, for example, when the temperature is cool in the morning, the bed is warmed up. There was a problem that it became hot when it rose.

[0011] Therefore, there are many economical problems, such as that the owner's labor is large and human behavior is constrained as a result, or that the person goes out without leaving the air conditioner for human beings attached.

The present invention has solved the above-mentioned problem.

[0013]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical means (hereinafter referred to as first technical means) taken in claim 1 of the present invention includes an animal or the like therein. , A case body supporting the bed, a heating / cooling plate disposed on the case body, an electronic cooling member fixed to the heating / cooling plate, and a plurality of fixed to the electronic cooling member. A heat sink having fins,
An atmosphere detection sensor for detecting the atmosphere temperature, and when the atmosphere detection sensor detects that the air temperature reaches a predetermined temperature, the power to the electronic cooling member in the heating mode is reduced or turned off, or the power is turned off. Control means for switching the heating mode to the cooling mode by reversing the sign.

The effects of the first technical means are as follows.

[0015] That is, if a predetermined set temperature is set, the pet bed can be automatically cooled and heated based on a change in the atmospheric temperature, so that the owner's mind and restraint are released and the pet's behavior is healthy. It releases the pet and protects the health of the pet, and has the advantage that it is not necessary to uselessly heat and cool the entire room.

[0016]

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

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a pet cooling and heating apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a power supply unit of the pet cooling / heating device, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a relationship between the power supply unit, a load device including an electronic cooling member 6 (Peltier element) and a fan, and a control device. .

The power supply unit D includes a voltage converter D1 and a switching device D2.
And a rectifier D3, and the power supply unit D includes a transformer D11 that converts a commercial power supply of AC100V into a DC low voltage. One of the coil wires of the transformer (right side in the figure) is composed of a contact D21, a contact D22, and a contact D23. The contact D22 supplies a strong electric energy, and the contact D2
Reference numeral 3 supplies a weak electric energy, and a contact D24 is a contact that is turned off. Therefore, by operating the changeover switch D24, the changeover switch D24 and each contact are connected, and the electric energy is changed.

The rectifier D3 is composed of a diode, a capacitor and the like, and rectifies the electric energy. As shown in FIG. 3, the power supply unit D is connected to the load device H including the electronic cooling member 6 and the fan 5. The power supply unit D is connected to a control device S including a CPU.
0 is connected. The fan motor 5 is an electronic cooling member 6
Operates, the fan motor 5 rotates. As shown in FIG. 1, the wiring 3 is connected to the electronic cooling member 6, and the wiring 4 is connected to the fan 5.

The heat radiating plate 7 comprises a base 71 and a plurality of fins 72 formed vertically below. The electronic cooling member 6 is tightly fixed to a heat transfer portion 8 made of a metal aluminum material or the like having good heat conductivity. A heating / cooling plate 20 that covers the entire upper opening 11 of the case body 10 is disposed above the heat transfer section 8. The heat transfer section 8 and the heating / cooling plate 20 are fixed by bolts 81. The heating / cooling plate 20 is also a metal body made of an aluminum material or the like having good thermal conductivity, and is fixed to the bent end 15 of the case body 10.

The case body 10 forms a space 30 for accommodating the electronic cooling member 6 and the heat sink 7.
Has an air hole 1 for inflow and outflow of air from outside
2, 13 are drilled. In this embodiment, an inflow port 12 for inflowing air is formed at the lowermost portion of the case body 10, and an outflow port 13 for outflow of air is formed in a lower side surface of the case body 10. The lower part of the case body 10 is provided with a projection 14 so that air can easily flow in.

On the upper surface of the heating / cooling plate 20, a first heat insulating member 21 is provided. As the heat insulating member 21, a resin member having a large heat insulating effect, such as a vinyl sheet or a urethane foam resin material, is used. A second heat insulating member 22 is also provided below the heating / cooling plate 20, and the second heat insulating member 22 is also made of the same resin material as the heat insulating member 21. The second heat insulating member 22 covers the entire heat transfer section 8.

When the changeover switch 15 is turned on, the fan motor 5 rotates when the electronic cooling member 6 is activated, and the fan motor 5 is rotated by an electric signal from the wiring 3 for the electronic cooling device. An electric current flows through the heat transfer section 8, and the heat is cooled to the heat transfer section 8, and the cooling heat is transmitted to the heating / cooling plate 20 that is tightly fixed. Here, since the heating / cooling plate 20 is surrounded by the first heat insulating member 21 and the second heat insulating member 22, the cooling heat can be kept in a cool state for a long time, and the electronic cooling member 6 is a small capacity device. Good.

A bed 40 having a concave inside capable of storing a pet or the like is placed above the first heat insulating member 21. A soft cloth such as a bore cloth is provided on the surface of the bed 40 so that the pet can sleep well.

The control unit S is connected to a plate temperature detecting sensor 60 provided on the heating / cooling plate 8 via a wiring 61. The plate temperature detecting sensor 60 detects the temperature on the heating / cooling plate 8 and may be provided on the electronic cooling member 6, but is provided on the heating / cooling plate 8 for the reason of easy temperature detection. Has been established. In the control unit S, an air temperature detection sensor 70 for detecting the air temperature is provided in the space 30 in the case main body 10 via a wiring 71.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the control device S. The outside air temperature is measured by the air temperature sensor 70 (F
2) If the outside air temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature XX ° in F3, the changeover switch D24 is switched to the contact D21 (F4), and the electronic cooling member is switched from the heating mode to the strong cooling mode. If the outside air temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature XX °, the next determination unit F5 makes a determination. This determination unit F5
If the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined temperature △△ ° (setting lower than the temperature XX °), the changeover switch D24 is turned on by the contact D2.
2 (F6), and the electronic cooling member is switched from the heating mode to the weak cooling mode. If the outside air temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature △△ °, the contact D24 is connected to the contact 23, disconnected from the heating / cooling plate 8, and no electricity is supplied. The above operation is repeated to control the temperature.

In the embodiment of the present invention, if the outside air temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature XX °, the electronic cooling member is switched from the heating mode to the strong cooling mode, and the predetermined temperature △△
If the temperature is higher than the temperature (setting lower than the temperature XX °), the electronic cooling member is switched from the heating mode to the weak cooling mode or the supply of electricity to the heating mode is cut off. Control may be performed by reducing the amount of power in the heating mode.

FIG. 5A shows a performance curve representing the relationship between the atmospheric temperature and the temperature on the bed 40 according to the present invention when the heater / cooling capacity is large. When the changeover switch D24 is operated to the position of the contact point D21, the electric energy becomes strong, and the electronic cooling member 6 is set in a mode in which a large electric energy is supplied. Since the heating / cooling capacity is large from FIG. 5A, the heating / cooling is performed immediately, and the slope of the linear portion of the performance curve is horizontal as compared with FIG. 5B.

FIG. 5B shows a performance curve representing the relationship between the ambient temperature and the temperature on the bed 40 according to the present invention when the heater / cooling capacity is small. When the changeover switch D24 is operated to the position of the contact point D22, the electric energy is in a weak state, and the electronic cooling member 6 is in a mode in which a small electric energy is supplied. Since the heating / cooling capacity is small from FIG. 5B, the heating / cooling is performed slowly, and the slope of the linear portion of the performance curve is higher than that in FIG. 5A.

When the atmospheric temperature reaches 20 ° C., the electric power is input from the atmospheric temperature sensor 70 to the control unit S via the wiring 61, and the amount of electric power to the electronic cooling member 60 is reduced or turned off, or the electronic cooling member is turned off. The electrical sign of the member 60 is reversed to switch from the heating mode to the cooling mode.

Now, when the atmospheric temperature gradually rises to 20 ° C., the electronic cooling member 60 switches from the heating mode to the cooling mode. Conversely, when the atmospheric temperature starts to decrease and reaches 20 ° C., the electronic cooling member 60 switches from the cooling mode to the heating mode. Therefore, the temperature on the bed 40 continues to maintain the desired set temperature.

[0033]

The invention of claim 1 has the following effects.

That is, when the atmospheric temperature sensor detects that the atmospheric temperature reaches a predetermined temperature, the amount of electric power to the electronic cooling member in the heating mode is reduced or turned off, or the electric polarity is reversed to reverse the heating. And control means for switching from the cooling mode to the cooling mode, so that if a predetermined set temperature is set, the pet bed can be automatically cooled and heated based on a change in the atmospheric temperature. It can release the restraint and protect the pet's health, and has the advantage that it is not necessary to uselessly heat and cool the entire room.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall cross-sectional view of a pet cooling / heating device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a power supply unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a relationship between a power supply unit, a load device, and a control device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the control device of the present invention.

FIG. 5A is a performance curve showing the relationship between the atmospheric temperature and the temperature on the bed according to the present invention when the heater / cooling capacity is large;
b is a performance curve showing the relationship between the atmospheric temperature and the temperature on the bed of the present invention when the heater / cooling capacity is small.

[Explanation of symbols]

 6 ... Electronic cooling member 7 ... Heat radiation plate 8 ... Heating / cooling plate 9 ... Heater 12 ... Air hole 13 ... Air hole 15 ... Case body 20 ... Heating / cooling plate 21 first heat insulating member 22 second heat insulating member 30 space 40 bed 61 atmospheric detection sensor 50 control means

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A bed on which an animal or the like is placed, a case body supporting the bed, a heating / cooling plate disposed on the case body, and an electronic cooling member fixed to the heating / cooling plate. A heat sink having a plurality of fins fixed to the electronic cooling member, an air detection sensor for detecting an atmospheric temperature, and an electronic cooling in a heating mode when the atmospheric detection sensor detects that the atmospheric temperature reaches a predetermined temperature. Control means for switching from the heating mode to the cooling mode by reducing or turning off the electric power to the member or reversing the electrical sign.