JPH1144568A - Water level detecting sensor and water level detector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a water level detecting sensor and a water level detector which are hardly affected by disturbance and bring about little false detection, in regard to the water level detecting sensor which detects a water level in a water tank and the water level detecting device which uses this water level detecting sensor. SOLUTION: This device is equipped with a tubular main-body case 11 which has water holes 13 and air holes 14 in the lateral part, of which the upper part is covered with a cover body 12 and of which the bottom part is opened, a first electrode member 15 fitted on the lower outer peripheral part of the main-body case and a second electrode member 18 fitted inside the main-body case, and the second electrode member 18 is so fitted that a height position of the lower end part can be adjusted by a height adjusting mechanism 20.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a water level detection sensor for detecting a water level in a water tank and a water level detection device using the water level detection sensor, and more particularly, to a condensed water accumulated in a water pan (drain pan) in an air conditioner. It is suitable for detecting the water level.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an air conditioner used for cooling water or air, a drain pan is arranged to receive atmospheric condensed water generated by heat exchange of an evaporator. The water accumulated in the drain pan is discharged to the outside through the drain port. If foreign matter such as dust is clogged in the drain port and the drain pipe, condensed water overflows from the drain pan and damages the vicinity of the air conditioner and the room. In order to prevent this, a water level detection sensor for monitoring the water level of condensed water is conventionally provided in the drain pan.

As a conventional water level detection sensor, a coil-shaped cathode electrode is wound around a rod-shaped anode electrode so as to be spaced apart and opposed to each other. There is one that detects the water level.

[0004]

In the above-described conventional water level detection sensor, the water level is accurately determined by the influence of vibrations generated by the operation of the air conditioner, waves caused by wind current, water droplets falling from the evaporator to the drain pan, and the like. There is a disadvantage that it cannot be detected.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and a water level detection apparatus capable of accurately detecting a water level without being affected by disturbances such as vibration waves and wind current waves generated by an air conditioner. An object of the present invention is to provide a sensor and a water level detection device using the water level detection sensor.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water level detection sensor having a cylindrical main body case having a water hole and an air hole on a side portion, a top portion covered by a lid, and a bottom portion opened. And a first electrode member attached to a lower outer peripheral portion of the main body case, and a second electrode member attached to the inside of the main body case.

According to the present invention, since the inside of the main body case is hardly affected by external influences such as vibration waves and wind current waves, the water level can be always maintained in a stable state. It can be detected accurately. Further, when water flows into the inside of the main body case from the water hole, the inside air is pushed out from the air hole, so that the body case does not float and the water level can be accurately detected. In addition, since both electrode members are arranged separately on the outside and inside of the main body case, a short circuit accident between both electrode members can be prevented.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water level detection sensor according to the first aspect, wherein the second electrode member comprises:
It is mounted so that the height position of the lower end can be adjusted by a height adjustment mechanism.

According to the present invention, since the height position of the lower end of the second electrode member can be adjusted by the height adjustment mechanism, the water level detected in accordance with the depth of the water tank such as a drain pan can be finely adjusted. Can be.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the water level detecting sensor according to the second aspect, the main body case is formed of a transparent member through which the inside can be seen.

According to the present invention, since the height position of the lower end of the second electrode member can be monitored from the outside, fine adjustment of the detected water level can be easily performed.

[0012] The water level detecting device according to claim 4 of the present invention,
A cylindrical main body case having a water hole and an air hole on a side portion, an upper portion covered with a lid, and an open bottom portion; a first electrode member attached to a lower outer peripheral portion of the main body case; A second electrode member attached to the first and second electrodes, a determination circuit for detecting that the first and second electrode members are energized through the water in the water tank and generating a water level detection signal, and a water level detection signal from the determination circuit. And an alarm controller that issues an alarm to the outside in response to the request.

According to the present invention, when the main body case is installed in a water tank such as a drain pan, water flows into the inside from the water hole, and the internal air is pushed out from the air hole, so that the main body case does not float. Can be installed in In addition, since the inside of the main body case is hardly affected by external influences such as vibration waves and wind currents, the water level can always be kept in a stable state, and there is no falling water droplets and scattered water droplets, so the water level can be accurately detected. .

The first electrode member is mounted at a position where it is always submerged in the water tank, but the second electrode member is mounted at a height level of a water level to be detected, so that it is always submerged. Absent. When the water level rises due to some abnormality and the lower end of the second electrode member is submerged, the determination circuit detects that the current is flowing between both electrodes, and issues a water level detection signal to the alarm control unit. In response to this, the alarm control unit issues an alarm to the outside such as by sounding an alarm buzzer. If the output of the alarm control unit is connected to the control power supply or the operation stop input of the air conditioner, the air conditioner automatically stops.

[0015]

1 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of a water level detecting sensor according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view (a) and a side view (b) thereof. In these figures, the water level detecting sensor 1 is composed of a cylindrical main body case 11 made of a transparent insulating member such as acrylic and a columnar lid 12 made of the same insulating member. The bottom of the main body case 11 is open. Has become.

A plurality of groove-shaped water holes 13 cut out upward from the bottom are formed in a lower portion of the side surface of the main body case 11, and when the main body case 11 is installed in a drain pan, this water is formed. It is configured such that condensed water flows into the inside of the main body case 11 from the hole 13.

The upper part of the side surface of the main body case 11 is provided with air for pushing out the internal air to the outside so that the main body case 11 does not float when condensed water flows into the inside of the main body case 11 from the water hole 13. A plurality of holes 14 are formed. The air hole 14 is formed at a position above the highest detectable water level.

The water hole 1 near the bottom of the body case 11
A strip-shaped electrode plate 15 is wound as a first electrode member on the outer peripheral portion above the position 3. Both ends of the electrode plate 15 are fixed by set screws 16, and the electrode plate 15 is fixed to the main body case 11. The electrode plate 15 is made of a conductive member and constitutes, for example, a cathode of a pair of electrodes. The electrode plate 15 is connected to the cathode cable 2a by a set screw 16.

The column-shaped lid 12 is a top plate 1 of the main body case 11.
1a is mounted so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and is positioned in the vertical direction by being pressed down from the side surface of the main body case 11 by an adjusting screw 17 screwed into the inside.

An electrode rod 18 is mounted as a second electrode member on the center line of the lid 12 so as to penetrate the lid 12 in the up-down direction. Fixed. The height position of the lower end portion of the electrode rod 18 can be adjusted by moving the lid 12 in the vertical direction, whereby the water level to be detected, that is, the height position of the lower end portion can be adjusted.

The electrode rod 18 constitutes, for example, an anode of a pair of electrodes, and is connected to the anode cable 2b via a connecting member 19 provided at the upper end. The lid 12 and the adjusting screw 17 constitute a height adjusting mechanism 20 for adjusting the height of the lower end of the electrode rod 18.
Is formed of a transparent member, the height position of the lower end of the electrode rod 18 can be easily adjusted.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing a state in which the water level detecting sensor 1 configured as described above is installed in the drain pan 3. FIG. 3A shows a case where the drain pan 3 is deep, and FIG. The installation situation when the drain pan 3 is shallow is shown.

The height position of the lower end of the electrode rod 18 can be adjusted by loosening the adjusting screw 17 and moving the column-shaped lid 12 in the vertical direction. Therefore, when the drain pan 3 is deep, the detected water level is raised. For this purpose, the lid 12 is fixed upward (FIG. A), and when the drain pan 3 is shallow, the lid 12 is fixed downward to reduce the detection water level (FIG. B).

As shown in FIG. 1, when the water level detection sensor 1 is installed in the drain pan 3, the condensed water 4 flows from the water hole 13 into the main body case 11, and the air inside the body case 11 is removed.
The water flows into the drain pan 3 while being pushed out from the drain pan 4. Thereby, the electrode plate 15 is submerged in the condensed water 4.

Since the inside of the main body case 11 is hardly affected by external direct influences such as vibration waves and wind current waves, the water level of the condensed water 4 can always be kept stable. Further, since there is no falling water drop or flying water drop, the water level of the condensed water 4 can be accurately detected without causing an energization error.

When the drain port 3a of the drain pan 3 is clogged with foreign matter as shown in black in the figure and the water level of the condensed water 4 rises and reaches the lower end of the electrode rod 18, the electrode plate 15 and the electrode rod 18
Are energized through the condensed water 4 and the water level is
8 is detected to have risen to the lower end.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a water level detecting device according to the present invention. The water level of the condensed water 4 has been detected to exceed a predetermined level from the state of conduction between the electrode plate 15 and the electrode rod 18 of the water level detecting sensor 1. And a water leak detector 5 for issuing an alarm or the like.

In the figure, a judgment circuit 51 detects that the resistance value between the electrode plate 15 and the electrode rod 18 of the water level detection sensor 1 has become less than a predetermined value due to the condensed water 4, and the alarm control section 52 detects the water level. Emits a signal. When receiving the water level detection signal, the alarm control unit 52 notifies the worker of the water leakage by sounding an alarm buzzer BZ, and outputs the relay coils X1 and X2.
2 to drive corresponding relay contacts S1 and S2,
Further, the transistor TR is turned on.

The outputs of the relay contacts S1 and S2 and the transistor TR are output as an external alarm signal to an external alarm device (not shown), a control power supply of the air conditioner or an operation stop input to notify a worker of water leakage or to automatically notify the operator of water leakage. It is used to stop the operation of the air conditioner.

The power supply 53 is connected to the fuse F from the AC power supply 54.
1 and AC10 supplied via power switch PS
The AC voltage of 0 to 200 V is converted into a DC voltage of 24 V DC. During operation, the power supply lamp L is turned on, and the DC voltage obtained by the conversion is supplied to each part of the water leak detector 5 and externally. Is output.

The operation section 55 has a sensitivity adjustment volume VR and a test switch TS. The sensitivity adjustment volume VR adjusts the sensitivity so that the water level can be detected with a sensitivity adapted to the quality of the condensed water that varies depending on the installation environment of the air conditioner. In addition, the test switch TS generates a simulated state of the energization detection, so that the alarm buzzer B
An operation check of Z and an operation test of various wired devices such as an external alarm device and an air conditioner are performed.

Next, the operation of the water leak detector 5 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First,
The power switch PS is turned on to set the operation state (step S1), and it is detected whether or not the electrode plate 15 and the electrode rod 18 of the water level detection sensor 1 are energized by the condensed water 4 (step S2).

When current flows between both electrodes of the water level detection sensor 1, the determination circuit 51 detects that the resistance value between the two electrodes has fallen below a predetermined value, and issues a water level detection signal to the alarm control unit 52. In response to this, the alarm controller 52 sounds the alarm buzzer BZ (step S3), and outputs an external alarm signal (step S4).

If the output of the external alarm signal is connected to the control power supply or the operation stop input of the air conditioner (step S
5) The air conditioner stops automatically (step S6),
If it is not connected, the worker recognizes the abnormality by the warning buzzer BZ or the external warning device (step S7), and the worker manually stops the air conditioner (step S7).
8).

Next, the operator turns off the power switch PS of the water leak detector 5 (step S9), and stops the alarm buzzer BZ, the external alarm device and the like (step S1).
0). Thereafter, the abnormal state of the drain port 3a of the drain pan 3 and the drain pipe is checked, and after removing foreign matter such as dust, the air conditioner is restarted, and the power switch PS is turned on to return to the operating state (step S1). .

Next, the mounting state of the water level detecting sensor 1 according to the type of the air conditioner will be described. FIG. 6 is a schematic side sectional view of a wall-mounted air conditioner showing a state where an air conditioner 7 is attached to a wall 6 in a room. FIG. 7 is a top view showing a state where the air conditioner 7 is attached to a wall 8 of a room ceiling. It is a schematic side sectional view of a suspension type air conditioner.

In these figures, when the air conditioner 7 functions as a cooler, the heat exchanger 71 functions as an evaporator, and removes the surrounding heat to evaporate the refrigerant liquid into refrigerant gas.
The blower 72 filters the cool air near the heat exchanger 71
Through the air to cool the indoor air.

The electric box 74 houses a control panel incorporating electric and electronic circuits for driving and controlling the air conditioner 7, and is activated by an operation from an external operation unit 9.
Control such as stop and setting of room temperature is performed.

A drain pan 3 is provided below the heat exchanger 71 so as to receive condensed water condensed on the heat exchanger 71 and flow it to a drain port. The above-described water level detection sensor 1 is installed in the drain pan 3, and the state of energization between both electrodes of the water level detection sensor 1 is detected by a water leak detector 5 installed outside.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of a floor-mounted air conditioner mounted on a floor in a room. Although the heat exchanger and the blower are not shown, the drain pans 3 are installed in two layers, and the water level detection sensors 1 are installed in the respective drain pans 3. The energized state is detected by a water leak detector 5 installed outside.

In the above embodiment, the electrode rod 18
In order to adjust the height position of the lower end of the electrode, the electrode rod 18 is fixed to the lid 12, the adjusting screw 17 is loosened, and the lid 12 is moved up and down. The invention is not limited to this configuration, and the adjustment may be performed by screwing the lid 12 and the top plate 11a and rotating the lid 12 in the vertical direction. The electrode rod 18
May be movably attached to the lid 12, and may be adjusted by moving the electrode rod 18 alone in the vertical direction.

In the above embodiment, the electrode rod 18
Body case 1 so that the height position of the lower end of the
1 is made of a transparent member. However, if the cover 12 or the electrode rod 18 is graduated so that the movement position of the cover 12 or the electrode rod 18 can be checked from the outside, the main body case 11 Need not necessarily be composed of a transparent member.

[0043]

According to the water level detection sensor of the present invention,
Since the inside of the main body case is hardly affected by external influences such as vibration waves and wind currents, the water level can always be kept in a stable state, and since there is no falling water drop or splashing water drop, highly accurate water level detection becomes possible. In addition, since both electrode members are arranged separately on the outside and inside of the main body case, a short circuit accident between both electrode members can be prevented.

Further, according to the water level detecting sensor of the present invention, the height position of the lower end of the electrode rod as the second electrode member can be adjusted by the height adjusting mechanism, so that it can be adjusted according to the depth of the water tank such as a drain pan. Fine adjustment of the water level to be detected.

According to the water level detection sensor of the present invention, the second case is formed by forming the main body case with a transparent member.
The height position of the lower end portion of the electrode rod as the electrode member can be monitored from the outside, and fine adjustment of the detected water level can be easily performed.

According to the water level detecting device of the present invention, the inside of the main body case installed in the water tank such as the drain pan is
The water level can always be kept stable because it is hardly affected by external influences such as vibration waves and wind currents, and there is no entry of falling water droplets and scattered water droplets, thus avoiding energization errors due to the electrode rod as the second electrode member. Water level can be detected with high accuracy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of a water level detection sensor according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view (a) and a side view (b) of the water level detection sensor shown in FIG.

3A and 3B are schematic side views showing a state where a water level detection sensor is installed in a drain pan, wherein FIG. 3A shows an installation state when the drain pan is deep, and FIG. 3B shows an installation state when the drain pan is shallow.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a water level detecting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the water leak detector shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side sectional view of a wall-mounted air conditioner showing a state in which the air conditioner is attached to a wall in a room.

FIG. 7 is a schematic side sectional view of a ceiling-mounted air conditioner showing a state where the air conditioner is attached to a wall of a ceiling in a room.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of a floor-mounted air conditioner attached to a floor in a room.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Water level detection sensor 11 Main body case 12 Lid 13 Water hole 14 Air hole 15 Electrode plate (1st electrode member) 16 Set screw 17 Adjustment screw 18 Electrode rod (2nd electrode member) 20 Height adjustment mechanism 2a Cathode Cable 2b Anode cable 3 Water pan (drain pan) 4 Condensed water 5 Water leak detector 51 Judgment circuit 52 Alarm control unit 53 Power supply unit 54 AC power supply 55 Operation unit 7 Air conditioner 71 Heat exchanger 72 Blower 73 Filter 74 Electric box 9 Operation unit

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A cylindrical main body case having a water hole and an air hole on a side part, an upper part covered by a lid, and a bottom part opened, and a first electrode attached to a lower outer peripheral part of the main body case. A water level detection sensor, comprising: a member; and a second electrode member mounted inside the main body case. 2. The water level detection sensor according to claim 1, wherein the second electrode member is attached so that a height position of a lower end portion can be adjusted by a height adjustment mechanism. 3. The water level detection sensor according to claim 2, wherein the main body case is formed of a transparent member through which the inside can be seen. 4. A cylindrical main body case having a water hole and an air hole on a side part, an upper part being covered by a lid, and a bottom part being opened, and a first electrode attached to a lower outer peripheral part of the main body case. A member, a second electrode member attached to the inside of the main body case, a determination circuit for detecting that the first and second electrode members are energized via water in a water tank and generating a water level detection signal, A water level detection device, comprising: a warning control unit that receives a water level detection signal from the determination circuit and issues a warning to the outside.