JP7576736B2 - Dehumidifier - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a dehumidifier that is used, for example, to dry clothes.

Conventionally, this type of dehumidifier has a main body case with an inlet and an outlet, a dehumidifying section that is provided inside the main body case and dehumidifies the air, and a blower section that blows the air sucked in from the inlet through a part of the dehumidifier section to the outlet. The dehumidifier uses the dehumidifier and the blower section to blow dry air onto washed clothes, drying the clothes.

In other words, the indoor air is dried in the dehumidifying section, and this dry air is then blown towards the washed clothes in order to improve the efficiency of drying. This is particularly useful when it is raining or when laundry is difficult to dry during the cold winter months (note that a related prior document is Patent Document 1 below).

JP 2003-42512 A

Dehumidifiers that perform a drying operation to blow dry air onto clothes do not take into account the humidity conditions in the room when the drying operation is performed. Therefore, particularly in winter, when the room environment is such as immediately after hanging out clothes, the moisture in the clothes evaporates and the humidity in the room increases, creating a comfortable humidity environment. However, when a dehumidifier is operated in a drying operation, the humidity in the room decreases, so there is an issue that the drying operation cannot be performed while maintaining a comfortable humidity environment in the room.

The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems of the conventional dehumidifier, and aims to provide a dehumidifier that can keep the humidity environment in the room comfortable by maintaining a specified high humidity threshold humidity during the clothes drying operation while people are present near the dehumidifier, and can dry clothes within a specified time.

In order to achieve this object, a dehumidifier according to the present invention comprises a main body case having an inlet and an outlet, a dehumidifying section provided within the main body case for dehumidifying air, a blower section for blowing air drawn in from the inlet to the outlet via a part of the dehumidifying section , a humidity sensor for detecting humidity outside the main body case, a human presence sensor for detecting a person around the main body case , and a control section for performing a high humidity clothes drying operation and a low humidity clothes drying operation by controlling the dehumidifying section and the blower section in accordance with the humidity detected by the humidity sensor and the detection result of the human presence sensor, and the high humidity clothes drying operation is performed when the humidity reaches a predetermined high humidity threshold. The low humidity clothes drying operation is an operation that operates the air blowing unit and the dehumidification unit when the humidity detected by the humidity sensor is equal to or higher than a high humidity threshold value so as to maintain a constant value, and operates the air blowing unit and stops the dehumidification unit when the humidity detected by the humidity sensor is less than the high humidity threshold value.The low humidity clothes drying operation is an operation that operates the air blowing unit and the dehumidification unit, and the control unit performs the high humidity clothes drying operation, and if the human presence sensor does not detect a person around the main body case for a predetermined time during the high humidity clothes drying operation, switches from the high humidity clothes drying operation to the low humidity clothes drying operation, thereby achieving the initial objective.

The present invention provides a dehumidifier that maintains a specified high humidity threshold humidity while people are present during the clothes drying operation, thereby keeping the humidity environment in the room at a comfortable level.

1 is a perspective view of a dehumidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention; Cross-sectional view of the dehumidifier A flowchart showing the details of the human sensor clothes drying operation of the dehumidifier.

(Embodiment 1)
Fig. 1 is an external perspective view of a dehumidifier according to a first embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the rear side. Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the dehumidifier according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Fig. 1.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the dehumidifier has a box-shaped main body case 1. An air outlet 3 is located at the top of the main body case 1, and an air inlet 2 is located at the back. The air outlet 3 has many bars 3a arranged in a lattice pattern. These bars 3a protect laundry hung above the air outlet 3 from entering through the air outlet 3. The top of the main body case has an operation display unit 20 equipped with several switches.

Inside the main body case 1, a refrigeration cycle is installed in which a compressor 4, a radiator 5, an expander 6, and a heat absorber 7 are connected in a ring shape to circulate the refrigerant, and an air blower 8 is installed to blow indoor air from the intake port 2 to the exhaust port 3. In addition, a dehumidifying rotor 11 is provided with a moisture absorption section 9 that absorbs moisture from the air and a moisture release section 10 that releases moisture into the air, and a heating means 12 is provided to heat the air supplied to the moisture release section 10 and the moisture release section 10.

The dehumidifying rotor 11, heat absorber 7, radiator 5, and blower 8 are arranged in this order within the main body case 1. The upper ends of the heat absorber 7 and radiator 5 are arranged to be at the same height. The dehumidifying rotor 11 is formed in a disk shape and is rotatably erected with its central axis in the horizontal direction, and is rotated by a driving means 13. Furthermore, a heating means 12 is installed on the windward side of the moisture discharging section 10 of the dehumidifying rotor 11. The moisture discharging section 10 and the heat absorber 7 are arranged to face each other.

In addition, within the main body case 1, a funnel-shaped water collection section 14 is provided below the heat absorber 7, and a water collection tank 15 is further disposed below the water collection section 14 so as to be detachable from the main body case 1. In other words, condensation occurs in the heat absorber 7, and the condensed water is collected by the funnel-shaped water collection section 14 and flows into the water collection tank 15.

The main body case 1 includes a first air passage 1A, a second air passage 1B, and a third air passage 1C.

The first air passage 1A is an air passage through which the air blower 8 draws in air from the intake port 2, supplies it to the moisture absorber 9, and exhausts it to the outlet 3 via the air blower 8. In the first air passage 1A, the indoor air drawn in from the intake port 2 is supplied to the moisture absorber 9 of the dehumidifier rotor 11. At this time, moisture in the air is adsorbed by the moisture absorber 9, and the air becomes dry. Furthermore, since heat of adsorption is generated when the moisture is adsorbed, the indoor air is drawn into the air blower 8 mainly through the upper part of the radiator 5 and the heat absorber 7 in a state where the humidity is reduced and the temperature is increased, and the air is then blown into the room from the outlet 3.

The second air passage 1B is an air passage in which air is sucked in from the intake port 2 by the air blowing section 8, supplied to the heating means 12, the moisture releasing section 10, the heat absorber 7, and the radiator 5 in that order, and discharged from the outlet via the air blowing section 8. In the second air passage 1B, the indoor air warmed by the heating means 12 is supplied to the moisture releasing section 10 of the dehumidifying rotor 11. In the moisture releasing section 10, the moisture adsorbed by the moisture absorbing section 9 moves to the moisture releasing section 10 by the rotational drive of the dehumidifying rotor 11, and is released into the air supplied by the heating of the heating means 12. This highly humid air is supplied to the heat absorber 7, where it is cooled to condense, and the moisture is removed as water droplets. The cooled air is then supplied to the radiator 5, which cools it. Then, the air that has absorbed heat from the radiator 5 and has increased in temperature is sucked into the air blowing section 8. In terms of the refrigeration cycle, effectively cooling the radiator 5 increases the cooling efficiency when cooling the heat absorber 7.

The third air passage 1C is an air passage in which air is sucked in from the intake port 2 by the blower 8, supplied to the radiator 5, and exhausted from the outlet 3 via the blower 8. In the third air passage 1C, the indoor air sucked in from the intake port 2 is supplied to the radiator 5 mainly via the heating means 12, the dehumidifier rotor 11, and below the heat absorber 7, and after cooling the radiator 5, is sucked into the blower 8.

There is an optimal air volume for cooling condensation in the heat absorber 7, depending on its surface area and the amount of heat generated by the refrigeration cycle. On the other hand, in terms of the refrigeration cycle, effectively cooling the radiator 5 increases the cooling efficiency when cooling the heat absorber 7. By arranging the third air passage 1C as described above, a larger amount of air can be supplied to the radiator 5, improving the cooling efficiency of the refrigeration cycle and improving the dehumidification efficiency of the dehumidifier. The refrigeration cycle, the dehumidification rotor 11, the heating means 12, and the driving means 13 constitute the dehumidification section.

The dehumidifier is equipped with a temperature sensor 17, a humidity sensor 18, a human presence sensor 21, and a control unit 19. The temperature sensor 17 detects the temperature of the air around the main body case 1, the humidity sensor 18 detects the humidity of the air around the main body case 1, and the human presence sensor 21 detects whether a person is present around the main body case 1.

The control unit 19 performs high humidity clothes drying operation and low humidity clothes drying operation by controlling the air blower 8, the refrigeration cycle which is the dehumidification unit, the heating means 12, and the driving means 13 based on the detection value of the humidity sensor 18, and switches between high humidity clothes drying operation and low humidity clothes drying operation based on the detection result of the human presence sensor 21.

The high humidity clothes drying operation is an operation in which the control unit 19 dries clothes while maintaining a predetermined high humidity threshold in the room where the clothes are dried. If the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 18 is equal to or higher than the high humidity threshold, the control unit 19 operates the air blower 8 and the dehumidifier to maintain the predetermined high humidity threshold, and if the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 18 is lower than the high humidity threshold, the control unit 19 operates the air blower 8 and stops the dehumidifier, thereby drying clothes while maintaining a comfortable humidity environment in the room. In other words, a mild humidity environment can be provided in which the humidity in the room is not too dry and the condition of the skin is not damaged. Note that if the target humidity setting value for the high humidity clothes operation can be set to any value between approximately 40% and 60% relative humidity, the user has a wide range of options and can meet a variety of needs.

Low humidity clothes drying operation operates the air blower section 8 and the dehumidifier section.

Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the operation from the time the user presses the clothes drying operation start switch (not shown) on the operation display unit 20 on the top surface of the main body case 1 until the clothes drying operation automatically ends.

As shown in FIG. 3, in S101, the control unit 19 (microcomputer) detects the temperature Tr and humidity Hr of the surrounding air using the temperature sensor 17 and humidity sensor 18. Next, in S102, the control unit 19 extracts and sets the degree of drying completion Dx that corresponds to the detected Tr and Hr from the Dx table.

After the next step S103, the control unit 19 detects the temperature Tr and humidity Hr of the surrounding air at regular intervals (1 minute) using the temperature sensor 17 and humidity sensor 18, and performs the processing from S105 onwards based on this data.

In S106, the control unit 19 detects the temperature Tr and humidity Hr of the surrounding air. In S107, the control unit 19 calculates the total heat quantity Ir and absolute humidity Xr of the surrounding air from the temperature Tr and humidity Hr of the surrounding air. Next, in S108, the absolute humidity Xc of the air near the clothing is estimated from the total heat quantity Ir and absolute humidity Xr of the surrounding air (in this case, the relative humidity of the air near the clothing is estimated as 100%).

Next, in S109, the control unit 19 calculates the drying speed Tt (=α(Xc-Xr)) by multiplying the difference between the absolute humidity Xc of the air near the clothes and the absolute humidity Xr of the surrounding air by a coefficient α. This drying speed Tt is added and accumulated in S110 and stored in the memory of the microcomputer as an accumulated value ∫Tt.

Next, in S111, if the answer to ∫Tt≧Dx? is YES, the control unit 19 determines that the clothes drying is complete and jumps to S115 to end the clothes drying operation.

In this way, the predetermined value for drying completion is set from the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 18 and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 17. The control unit 19 calculates the drying speed of the clothes based on the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 18 and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 17 at regular intervals, adds and accumulates the drying speed at regular intervals, and when the added and accumulated value reaches the predetermined value for drying completion, it determines that the drying of the clothes is completed and automatically stops the operation of the dehumidification unit and the air blower unit 8, thereby reducing unnecessary power consumption. Also, in S111, if the control unit 19 judges that ∫Tt≧Dx? is NO, it proceeds to S112.

Next, in S112, has 8 hours passed since the start of the clothes drying operation? If the answer is YES, the system switches to low humidity clothes drying operation (S114) and jumps to S105, repeating S105 to S114 until clothes drying is complete. Note that 8 hours is an example of the amount of time during which someone is likely to be present in a room such as the living room. As a result, even if the human presence sensor mistakenly detects something other than a person and determines that there is a person even though there is no one there and continues the high humidity clothes drying operation, the system will switch to low humidity clothes drying operation after 8 hours and the clothes can be dried. In S112, has a predetermined amount of time passed since the start of the clothes drying operation? If the answer is NO, the system moves to S113.

Next, in S113, the human presence sensor 21 detects whether there has been anyone around the main body case 1 for 30 minutes or more. If the result is NO, the process jumps to S105. If the result is YES, the process switches to low humidity clothes drying operation in S114 and jumps to S105.

As described above, the dehumidifier of the present invention, which switches control using a human presence sensor and estimates the dryness of the clothes before terminating the drying operation, is equipped with a means for performing high humidity clothes drying operation and low humidity clothes drying operation during the clothes drying operation, and can dry clothes while maintaining a comfortable humidity environment in the room when people are present, and prioritize clothes drying when no one is present.

The dehumidifier of the present invention is equipped with a means for performing high humidity clothes drying operation during clothes drying operation, and by controlling the dehumidification means, air blower, and regenerative heater based on the detected value of the humidity sensor, the humidity environment in the room can be kept comfortable, so it can be used not only as a home dehumidifier but also for commercial use in hotels and other establishments.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Main body case 1A First air passage 1B Second air passage 1C Third air passage 2 Intake port 3 Outlet port 3a Crosspiece 4 Compressor 5 Heat radiator 6 Expansion device 7 Heat absorber 8 Air supply section 9 Moisture absorption section 10 Moisture discharge section 11 Dehumidification rotor 12 Heating means 13 Driving means 14 Water collection section 15 Water collection tank 17 Temperature sensor 18 Humidity sensor 19 Control section 20 Operation display section 21 Human presence sensor

Claims (5)

a main body case having an inlet and an outlet;
a dehumidifying unit provided within the main body case for dehumidifying air;
a blower section that blows the air drawn in through the suction port to the air outlet through a part of the dehumidifier;
a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature outside the main body case;
a humidity sensor for detecting humidity outside the main body case;
A human presence sensor that detects a person around the main body case;
a control unit for controlling the dehumidification unit and the air blowing unit in accordance with the temperature detected by the temperature sensor, the humidity detected by the humidity sensor, and the detection result of the human presence sensor to perform a high humidity clothes drying operation and a low humidity clothes drying operation,
The high-humidity clothes drying operation is an operation in which the control unit operates the air blower unit and the dehumidifier unit when the humidity detected by the humidity sensor is equal to or higher than a predetermined high-humidity threshold value so as to maintain the predetermined high-humidity threshold value, and operates the air blower unit and stops the dehumidifier unit when the humidity detected by the humidity sensor is lower than the high-humidity threshold value,
The low-humidity clothes drying operation is an operation in which the control unit operates the air blower unit and the dehumidifier unit,
The control unit performs the high humidity clothes drying operation, and if the human presence sensor does not detect a person around the main body case for a predetermined time during the high humidity clothes drying operation, switches the high humidity clothes drying operation to the low humidity clothes drying operation. The dehumidifier according to claim 1 , characterized in that the control unit switches from the low humidity clothes drying operation to the high humidity clothes drying operation when the human presence sensor detects a person around the main body case during the low humidity clothes drying operation. The control unit performs a drying determination to determine whether or not the drying of the laundry is completed based on the humidity detected by the humidity sensor and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor.
A dehumidifier as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when the drying judgment determines that the drying of the clothes is completed, the operation of the dehumidification section and the blower section is automatically stopped, and when the control section determines that the drying of the clothes is not completed based on the drying judgment a predetermined time after the control section starts the high humidity clothes drying operation, the dehumidifier performs the low humidity clothes drying operation. The dehumidifier according to claim 3, characterized in that the control unit automatically stops operation of the dehumidifying unit and the blowing unit when it determines that the drying of the clothes has been completed during the low humidity clothes drying operation, which is performed when the control unit determines that the drying of the clothes has not been completed based on the drying judgment a predetermined time after the start of the high humidity clothes drying operation. The dehumidifier according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the control unit determines the completion of drying by setting a predetermined value for the completion of drying from the humidity detected by the humidity sensor and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor from the start of the initial high humidity clothes drying operation, calculating the clothes drying speed based on the humidity detected by the humidity sensor and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor every certain period of time, adding up and accumulating the drying speed every certain period of time, and determining that the clothes drying is completed when the added and accumulated value reaches the predetermined value for the completion of drying.

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