RU2452457C2 - Method of ensuring safety of electrical appliances and safety device for implementing such method - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: medicine.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions refers to medicine and concerns a method of ensuring safety of electric appliances for saunas, steam booths, steam baths, etc., and also a safety device for implementing such method according to which the safety device controls an actuation process in such a manner that divergence of the actuation parameters from the preset values of the latter makes the electric appliance to be switched off by a control unit of the safety unit, and at least one temperature sensor measures temperature in the process of heating for the purpose of controlling the control unit operation, while the control unit in case of failure injects a warning signal.

EFFECT: group of inventions enables controlling access to a room, and switching the heater off in case of detection of unauthorised access to the room.

6 cl, 7 dwg

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a method for ensuring safety when driving electric heaters for saunas, steam cabins, steam baths, etc., as well as a safety device for implementing the aforementioned method, the safety device controlling the actuation process in such a way that when the parameters deviate actuating from the set values of the latter, the electric heater is switched off by the control device of the safety device, and at least one heat-sensitive element measures the temperature during heating in order to control the operation of the control device.

State of the art

The safety methods and safety devices for their implementation of the type described above are, in particular, to prevent foreign objects from being left unattended on an electric heater of a sauna, steam cabin, steam bath, etc., which, due to heating of the electric heating device, could be ignited by self-ignition cause a fire. So, for example, the possibility is real when, starting to warm up the electric heating device in the sauna cabin, the user leaves a towel on him unattended. Since the commercially available control devices for the operation of electric heating devices for saunas make it possible to automatically turn on the latter after a specified period of time or allow the electric heating device to be operated without supervision, a towel or other foreign object forgotten on an electric heating device can easily ignite, especially since the surface temperature of an electric sauna heater often reaches values well above 100 ° C .

Known from the prior art, safety methods or safety devices prevent the sauna electric heater from heating up to the temperature of normal use if people are in the sauna cabin or enter it during heating. Thus, people can only be in the sauna cabin after the normal operating temperature is reached, and the sauna’s electric heater is not turned off by the safety device. By and large, they proceed from the assumption that the user will not leave foreign objects unattended on the noticeably warmed-up electric heater of the sauna. However, to implement safety methods known from the prior art, safety devices are used that, due to structural defects, can fail, so that the safety device or the safety method itself ceases to work, which the user or operator of the sauna cabin may not have representation.

Disclosure of invention

Therefore, the basis of the invention is the task of proposing a method of ensuring safety, as well as a safety device for its implementation, which would prevent unattended or spontaneous ignition of foreign objects on electric heaters, and when the safety device fails, this would immediately become noticeable.

The problem is solved by applying a method of ensuring safety with signs according to paragraph 1 and a safety device with signs according to paragraph 4 of the claims.

In the method according to the invention for ensuring safety when commissioning electric heaters for saunas, steam cabins, steam baths and the like. the safety device monitors the actuation process in such a way that when the actuation parameters deviate from the set values, the electric heating device is switched off by the safety device control device, and at least one temperature-sensitive element measures the temperature during heating in order to control the operation of the control device, and when the control device fails, a warning signal is given. Thus, the attention of the user or the operator of the sauna cabin is drawn to the fact that the safety device has failed. This allows you to effectively prevent the use of the sauna cabin with a failed safety device. Warnings can be given in the form of acoustic or light signals in the sauna cabin itself, before entering it or on the control panel at a certain distance from the cabin.

In one embodiment of the method, the safety device has a heating control device, with which the degree of heating of the electric heater is monitored until the normal operating temperature is reached, while the heating control device compares the current temperature during heating with a time-dependent predetermined temperature, moreover, when the limit value of the temperature difference is reached, the electric heater is switched off. The time-dependent pre-set temperature can simply be determined during the heating of the electric heater by measuring the temperature at predetermined intervals, based on which a typical heating characteristic of the electric heater is obtained. If, for example, a towel is located on the electric heating device, then the measured temperature increase per unit time is relatively small, so that it becomes possible to determine the temperature difference.

Particularly preferred is the determination of a predetermined temperature during the initial commissioning of the electric heater. Since for each electric heating device, depending on the design and the place of its installation or the cabin, there is an individual heating characteristic, it seems advisable to determine it already during initial commissioning under the operating conditions that subsequently apply. This allows you to optimally adapt the safety method or safety device for its implementation to the prevailing environmental conditions.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the room temperature in the cabin can be measured by a heat-sensitive element. This makes it easy to establish whether during the heating phase a foreign object is on the electric heater, since this foreign object covers the electric heater and the room temperature rises relatively slowly.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the surface temperature of the electric heating device can be measured non-contact by the heat-sensitive element. This determination can be made especially quickly if a foreign object is laid on the surface of the electric heater, since the temperature of this foreign object during the heating phase rises more slowly compared to the surface temperature of the electric heater.

According to another embodiment of the safety method, the safety device is equipped with a cabin monitoring device that monitors the cabin before putting the electric heater into operation and during its warming up until it enters normal operation, at least one access control sensor controls the entrance to the cabin into the cockpit of the cockpit control device, and when establishing access to the cockpit before heating and during heating up, the control device Ia until a predetermined temperature turns off the electric heating device, wherein the heating is performed only after actuation of the unlocking switch cockpit control unit. Thanks to such a control device of the cabin, it is impossible to find people in the cabin during the heating phase of the electric heater and up to the normal operating temperature in the cabin. Before putting into action, a check is made to determine whether there are foreign objects left unattended on the electric heater, so that the heating of the electric heater can be safely heated even when the cab is remotely controlled.

Especially preferred was the determination of the temperature of the electric heater using a thermosensitive element. This makes it very easy to determine when the electric heater has reached the set temperature and can be switched off by a safety device. The user senses the achievement of the set temperature and can thus easily determine that the electric heater is working properly and there are no foreign objects left unattended.

The safety device according to the first embodiment is equipped with a device for controlling the operation of an electric heating device with a heating control device, which has at least one heat-sensitive element, a storage device for storing time-dependent temperature characteristics, a data processing device for comparing time-dependent actual temperature with a predetermined , as well as an alarm device, and when the heating control device fails with the alarm device gives an alarm. Such a safety device can be easily integrated into the digital control system of the cab or electric heater. In addition, a variety of temperature conditions can be recorded in memory, which provides a very high degree of adaptability of the safety device. In the event of a failure of any structural element of a safety device, for example, a data processing device, this is very easily detected and an appropriate warning signal is given.

According to another embodiment of the safety device, a temperature-sensitive element can be used to determine the room temperature in the cabin. So, for example, a single heat-sensitive element can be part of a safety device and can be used to control the operation of an electric heater in normal operation.

In addition, an infrared sensor can be used as a heat-sensitive element for non-contact determination of the surface temperature of an electric heating device. An infrared sensor located above the electric heater at a certain distance from it can thus determine the temperature of the upper plane of the electric heater, so that it becomes possible to immediately determine if there is an unattended object on this latter. It also becomes easy to determine the surface temperature of the heating elements of an electric heating device, since the surface temperature of a foreign object left unattended over the heating elements is relatively lower.

In another embodiment of the safety device according to the invention, for implementing the safety method, the safety device is equipped with an electric heater control device with a cabin control device, which has at least one temperature-sensitive element for detecting the temperature of the electric heater, a sensitive sensor at the entrance to the cabin for access control into it, a release switch for unlocking the control device I and the signaling device, and when the control device of the cabin fails, the signaling device provides a warning signal. Such a cabin monitoring device can be easily integrated into the digital control system of the cabin itself or of an electric heating device. In the event of a malfunction of the safety device, for example, due to a failure of a structural element or circuit breaker, the safety device may give a warning signal. The release switch may, for example, be implemented as a manually actuated button or key on a control device. A sensitive sensor for access control at the entrance to the cab can be made in the form of a contact switch mounted on the cab door or installed in the cab itself a displacement sensor.

Particularly preferable is such a performance when the closed entrance to the cabin is determined by the control device of the cabin, and at a temperature lower than the set value, a relay with an electromagnetic self-holding actuator is activated by means of a reset switch, so that the electric heater is switched on using the control device, and the relay is the cabin comes into the released state, so that the electric heater can be switched off with the help of the control device, and when e able to attract the armature, for example in case of failure of the relay, carried feed warning signal.

According to another embodiment, the heat-sensitive element can be made in the form of a thermo-bimetallic switch. With the help of such a switch, it is easy to determine the set temperature and convert it into a mechanical switching signal. It is especially advisable to use a thermobimetallic switch to determine the temperature of an electric heater.

Other preferred embodiments of the safety device will become apparent further from the description of the features of the invention in the subclauses dependent on the main claim 1 of the method.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In the following, preferred embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The drawings show:

Figa: a sauna cabin with an electric heater, in partial section;

Fig. 1b: perspective view of the sauna cabin;

Figure 2: block diagram of the operation of the electric heater in normal mode;

Figure 3: block diagram of the initial commissioning of an electric heating device with a safety device according to the first embodiment;

Figure 4: block diagram of the actuation of the electric heating device according to the first embodiment of the method according to the invention with a safety device according to the first embodiment;

5: a block diagram of the actuation of an electric heating device according to a second embodiment of the method according to the invention with a safety device according to the second embodiment;

6: diagram of a safety device according to a third embodiment;

7: a block diagram of the actuation of an electric heating device according to a third embodiment of the method according to the invention with a safety device according to the third embodiment.

The implementation of the invention

If you look at Figa and Fig.1b together, you can clearly see the sauna cabin 10 with an electric heater 11, the entrance door 12 to the cabin, a heat-sensitive element 13 and a control device 14, which includes a safety device connected to a heat-sensitive element 13 and an electric heating device 11.

The block diagram shown in FIG. 2 shows the actuation of the electric heater known from the prior art and its normal operation. After turning on the electric heater, the cabin warms up to a predetermined temperature, and this predetermined temperature is held for a predetermined working time. If the temperature decreases during the working time, the electric heater warms up repeatedly to the preset temperature value. After a predetermined time has elapsed, the electric heater is switched off.

Figure 3 shows a block diagram of the initial commissioning of an electric heater in a sauna cabin with a safety device according to the first embodiment. The initial commissioning shown here serves to determine the heating characteristic of an electric heater in order to use this heating characteristic under subsequent, under certain conditions, runs without supervision, as a measure of temperature increase depending on time, which allows to detect changes in the heating characteristic due to electric heater without the supervision of foreign objects. After turning on the electric heater, within the time interval X necessary for its heating, the first temperature value is determined and recorded in the first long-term storage device, and if the time period X has not expired, the second temperature value is determined and recorded in the memory, etc. The determination and storage of temperature values in the memory continues until the end of the time period X, and according to the temperature values determined during the time period X, an individual characteristic of the heating of the electric heater for environmental conditions provided for normal operation is compiled.

The block diagram of the re-activation of the electric heater and its operation in normal operation according to the first embodiment of the method with a safety device according to the first embodiment is shown in FIG. 4. After turning on the electric heating device, its heating characteristic is first compiled, as explained above with respect to FIG. 3. In contrast to FIG. 3, the heating characteristic is not stored in the long-term storage device, and during the heating process it is constantly compared with the heating characteristic stored in the long-term storage device compiled during the initial commissioning of the electric heater. If both heating characteristics are essentially identical, a transition is made from actuation to operation in normal operation. If the heating characteristics differ from each other by more than the temperature limit value, the control device of the safety device switches off the electric heater.

The block diagram shown in FIG. 5 illustrates the actuation and operation in normal operation of an electric heater according to a second embodiment of the safety method according to the invention or with a safety device according to a second embodiment. After the electric heater is turned on, each time after a predetermined period of time X has elapsed, the surface temperature of the electric heater measured by the infrared sensor is determined and compared with the temperature measured after the initial commissioning of the electric heater and stored in the long-term storage device. If both temperature values are essentially the same, then after the completion of a series of measurements, a transition to the operation of the electric heating device in normal operation is carried out. If both temperature values differ from each other by more than the temperature limit value, the electric heater is switched off.

6 is a diagram of a third embodiment of a safety device for implementing a third embodiment of a safety method. Further, we consider it necessary to pay attention to Fig. 7, which shows a flow diagram of a method according to a third embodiment of the invention. Before turning on the heating, a visual check is made of the electric heater installed in the sauna cabin to make sure that there are no foreign objects left unattended. After performing such a control, the sauna cabin door is closed, and the TC contact switch on the cabin door switches to the "Door is locked" position. After that, the release button S2 is pressed, after which the relay K1 enters the retracted state of the armature and, thanks to the relay contact, the relay K1 is electromechanically held in such an attracted state. To signal the state of the relay, an additional signal lamp L is also provided. In the drawn state, the armature of the relay K1 closes other contacts, which, in turn, close the unlocking jumper F for heating and activating the electric heater. Further, there is also a thermal relay S3, driven by a bimetallic element, which at a temperature below 40 ° C opens the unlocking jumper F parallel to relay K1, and at a temperature above 40 ° C it closes it. Thus, the electric heater is switched off by the safety device after the set temperature of 40 ° C or higher is reached. The electric heater is switched off at a temperature below 40 ° C if the TC contact switch on the cab door is activated, as a result of which relay K1 is no longer held and returns to its original state. This allows you to ensure continued operation of the electric heater in the case when it has not yet warmed up to a predetermined temperature of 40 ° C, and people opened the door to the sauna cabin and entered it. In the event that relay K1 fails and despite opening the door and tripping the contact switch TC of the cab door, it remains in the pulled state, the signaling device SP1 generates a warning acoustic signal, paying attention to the malfunction of the safety device.

Claims (6)

1. The way to ensure safety when driving electric heaters for saunas, steam cabins, steam baths, etc., according to which the safety device monitors the actuation process in such a way that when the actuation parameters deviate from their preset values the electric heating device (11) is switched off by the control device of the safety device, and at least one heat-sensitive element (13) makes a tempo measurement at the time of heating in order to control the operation of the control device, and the control device, in case of failure, provides a warning signal, while the safety device is equipped with a control device for the cabin, and when monitoring access to the cabin before heating and during heating control until it reaches the set temperature turns off the electric heater (11). 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the cockpit control device monitors the cab (10) before putting the electric heating device (11) into operation and during its heating up to return to normal operation, with the input (12) in the cab controls at least one sensor (TC) of access control to the cabin of the cabin monitoring device, and heating is performed only after the release control switch (S2) of the cabin monitoring device is activated. 3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the temperature-sensitive sensor determines the temperature of the electric heating device (11). 4. Safety device for implementing the method of ensuring safety when operating electric heaters for saunas, steam cabins, steam baths, etc., in particular, according to one of the preceding paragraphs 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the safety device equipped with a device for controlling the operation of the electric heating device (11) with a heating control device, which has at least one heat-sensitive element for determining the temperature of the electric heating device, sensors to (TK) access control in the cab of the cab control device (12), a release switch (S2) for unlocking the control device, as well as an alarm device (SP1), and when the cab control device fails with the signal device, an alarm is given. 5. The safety device according to claim 4, characterized in that the closed entrance to the cabin (12) is determined by the control device of the cabin and at a temperature lower than that set by means of a reset switch (S2), a relay (K1) is activated with an electromechanically self-retaining drive, so that the electric heater (11) can be turned on using the control device, and the relay with open access to the cab can be brought into the released state, so that the electric heater using the control device ozhet be switched off and the supply of the warning signal may be performed when the relay armature in the attracted state. 6. A safety device according to one of claims 4 or 5, characterized in that the thermally sensitive element is a thermo-bimetal switch (S3).

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