JP7640837B2 - Bathroom heating and drying equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a bathroom heating and drying device.

A specific example of a bathroom heating and drying device is described in Patent Document 1.
The bathroom heater/dryer described in the document is intended to be installed in the ceiling of a bathroom and is equipped with a fan, a motor for driving the fan, and a heat exchanger for heating, all housed in a case that is open at the bottom. Air from the bathroom is drawn into the case by the fan and sent to the location where the heat exchanger is installed, where it is heated and then returned to the bathroom.

In these bathroom heater/dryer devices, a cross-flow type fan (impeller) is often used, with the fan oriented so that its central axis extends horizontally, a motor is placed next to it, and the output shaft of the motor is connected to the impeller. The motor tends to become a high-temperature heat source when in operation, and this tendency is even stronger in bathroom heater/dryer devices that are installed in high-humidity environments and used for long periods of time. Therefore, in Patent Document 1, a metal vapor deposition film is formed on the inner surface of the plastic case that houses the motor to prevent the spread of fire in the event of a fire starting from the motor.

However, there is still room for improvement in the above-mentioned conventional technology, as described below.

In other words, the entire motor for a fan is not uniformly prone to heat generation and ignition, and the motor's wiring outlet is one of the parts of the motor that is particularly prone to heat generation and ignition. However, in the past, no special measures were taken for such wiring outlets. This has led to concerns about the spread of fire due to heat generation and ignition at the wiring outlets, and it is desirable to appropriately resolve this issue.
In general, the motor has a disk-shaped motor case with a wiring outlet provided on the peripheral wall. However, if a fire occurs at the wiring outlet, the way the flame spreads will differ depending on whether the wiring outlet is located on the upper or lower side of the motor case. Therefore, it is necessary to deal with this situation appropriately.

JP 2020-122586 A

The present invention was conceived in light of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its objective is to provide a bathroom heating and drying device that can appropriately prevent or suppress the spread of fire caused by heat generation and ignition at the wiring outlet of the fan motor.

To solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

The bathroom heating and drying device provided by the present invention is a bathroom heating and drying device comprising a motor for a fan, the motor comprising a motor case having a peripheral wall portion and a wiring outlet portion provided on the peripheral wall portion, and is set in a horizontally placed configuration with the central axis of the motor case extending in a direction intersecting the vertical height direction, the motor is in a specific posture in which the wiring outlet portion is located at one end of the motor case in the left-right width direction and faces approximately horizontally, and further comprises a fire prevention cover which covers the wiring outlet portion and is flame-retardant, the fire prevention cover being provided with a mark for aligning the wiring outlet portion, and the motor can be set to the specific posture by aligning the wiring outlet portion with the mark .
Here, "flame retardant" means that it has the function of showing resistance to flames, delaying the time until ignition, or suppressing the amount or rate of combustion. Therefore, it does not necessarily mean that it complies with a specific standard. In addition, "flame retardant" in the present invention also includes non-flammability.

According to this configuration, the following effects can be obtained.
That is, the motor for the fan is in a predetermined horizontal orientation, but the wiring outlet provided on the peripheral wall of the motor case is located at one end of the motor case in the left-right width direction and is oriented in a substantially horizontal direction. Therefore, even if the wiring outlet ignites, the flame will have a simple shape that spreads forward and upward of the wiring outlet without making much contact with the motor case. Unlike the present invention, if the wiring outlet is located, for example, at or near the bottom of the motor case, the upward flame will hit the motor case and will not have a simple shape.
On the other hand, since the fire prevention cover has flame retardancy and covers the wiring outlet, it is possible to suppress the spread of a flame from the wiring outlet, but in the present invention, as described above, if the wiring outlet ignites, the flame will spread in a simple shape forward and upward from the wiring outlet located at one end of the motor case in the left and right width direction. Therefore, by simply arranging the fire prevention cover along the motor case, it is possible to appropriately block the flame and reliably suppress the spread of the flame. As a result, it is possible to obtain an effect of appropriately preventing or suppressing the spread of a fire caused by heat generation and ignition of the wiring outlet of the motor.
Unlike the present invention, when the wiring outlet is located at or near the bottom of the motor case, as described above, the flame hits the motor case and does not take a simple shape, so it is difficult to adequately block the entire flame with a fire prevention cover. Also, when the wiring outlet is located at or near the top of the motor case, the flame is prevented from hitting the motor case, but it becomes necessary to install a fire prevention cover above the motor case, which makes the structure complicated. According to the present invention, it is possible to avoid such problems.
Furthermore, with this configuration, when assembling the bathroom heating and drying device, the markings on the fire prevention cover can be used to quickly and properly set the motor in the specific position (a position in which the wiring outlet is located at one end of the motor case in the left-right width direction and faces approximately horizontally).

In the present invention, the fire prevention cover preferably has walls located in front of, above, and on both sides of the wiring outlet, covering the wiring outlet.

With this configuration, if the wiring outlet catches fire, the flames that attempt to spread from the wiring outlet can be more effectively blocked by the wall of the fire prevention cover. This further enhances the fire spread prevention effect.

In the present invention, preferably, an opening is provided between the lower part of the fire prevention cover and the peripheral wall of the motor, allowing the wiring of the motor to be pulled out from the inside of the fire prevention cover to the lower outside.

This configuration allows the motor wiring to be properly routed from the inside to the outside of the fire prevention cover.

In the present invention, preferably, the fire prevention cover is a resin molded product, and the mark is a three-dimensional mark integrally molded with the fire prevention cover.

With this configuration, it is not necessary to provide the markings, for example by painting the fire prevention cover or attaching a non-flammable printed material to it, but rather they can be provided when the fire prevention cover is molded from resin. This allows for good productivity and low manufacturing costs.

In the present invention, the mark is preferably a rib that is provided on the inner surface of the fire spread prevention cover and extends in the vertical direction, and the motor can be set to the specific position by aligning the height of a predetermined part of the wiring outlet with the vertical end of the rib.

With this configuration, the end of the rib is easy to recognize as a landmark, and it is easy to align the motor's wiring outlet with this position. Furthermore, when performing such alignment work, there is a risk that the motor will come into contact with the rib, but the rib can be made to be a high-strength part so that it will not be easily damaged.

In the present invention, the fire prevention cover preferably extends below the end of the rib.

With this configuration, the fire prevention cover can be sized to extend downward beyond the motor wiring outlet, further enhancing the fire prevention effect.

In the present invention, preferably, a laminate tape in which glass cloth is laminated and bonded onto a metal foil tape is applied to the area of the motor that is to be prevented from spreading fire.

With this configuration, the laminate tape can effectively prevent ignition from the fire prevention target area of the motor. The laminate tape has the excellent flame retardancy (non-combustibility) of the metal foil tape and is bonded to the glass cloth, so it has the flexibility and ease of handling of the glass cloth. Although the metal foil tape has excellent flame retardancy (non-combustibility), it is prone to tearing when handled alone and workers are prone to injuring their fingers. In contrast, laminating and bonding the glass cloth tape eliminates such risks. This makes it possible to improve the efficiency of the tape application work and the finishing quality.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a bathroom heating and drying device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 along line II-II. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a main part of the bathroom heating and drying device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 3 . 4A is a side view taken along the arrow Va in FIG. 3, and FIG. 4B is a partially cutaway side cross-sectional view of FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a main portion taken along line VI in FIG. 3 . FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the main part of FIG. 6 . FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a fire spread prevention cover, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the fire spread prevention cover of FIG. 2A turned upside down. FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the motor shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the motor shown in FIG. 5A before a laminate tape is applied to the motor. 10A is a cross-sectional view of a main part taken along the line XX in FIG. 9, and FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing an example of the case where the laminate tape shown in FIG. 1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams showing Comparative Examples 1 and 2, respectively.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

The bathroom heater/dryer A shown in Figures 1 and 2 is configured so that a fan 2 (impeller), a motor M (fan motor) for rotating the fan 2, a heat exchanger 3 (shown only in Figure 2) as an air heating means, and a fire-prevention cover 4 are installed inside the main body case 1 that is open at the bottom.

As will be described later, bathroom heating and drying apparatus A of this embodiment is characterized by the configuration of motor M and fire spread prevention cover 4. The basic overall configuration of bathroom heating and drying apparatus A is similar to that of known apparatuses, so this will be explained briefly.
That is, bathroom heating and drying device A is attached to ceiling panel 90 of the bathroom when in use, as shown in Figure 2. When fan 2 is rotated by motor M, air from the bathroom is sucked into main body case 1 through inlet 91 and heated as it passes through heat exchanger 3. This heated air passes through fan 2 and is returned to the bathroom through outlet 92. Heat exchanger 3 is capable of heating the air using hot water supplied from a water heater, for example.
An opening 11 is formed in the side wall 10 of the main body case 1, and a ventilation blower 95 is separately attached to a location corresponding to this opening 11. By operating this ventilation blower 95, air in the bathroom can be exhausted to the outside, thereby ventilating the bathroom.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the fan 2 is, for example, a cross-flow type, and is supported by a support member 5 and set in a horizontally extending position within the main body case 1. The output shaft 66 of the motor M is connected to the fan 2 (see Figures 6 and 7). Although not shown, the support member 5 is attached to the main body case 1 using, for example, a screw fastening means. In addition to a pair of support walls 50a, 50b for rotatably supporting both ends of the fan 2, the support member 5 also has a wall 51 that forms an air passage for the fan 2, and a bracket 52 for holding the motor M. The bracket 52 is, for example, a frame-like member connected to the support wall 50a, and a fire prevention cover 4 is also attached to the bracket 52, as described below.

The motor M is itself a conventionally known motor, and as can be seen clearly in FIG. 9(b), the motor case 6 is generally disk-shaped and contains a rotor, stator, bearings, etc. (not shown), and the motor case 6 has a generally cylindrical peripheral wall 60, which is provided with a wiring outlet 61 through which wiring C serving as lead wires is pulled from the inside to the outside of the motor case 6.

The area around the wiring outlet 61 of the peripheral wall 60 of the motor case 6 corresponds to an example of a fire spread prevention target area in the present invention, and is an area that is likely to generate heat and catch fire among the various parts of the motor M. In contrast, in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9(a), laminate tape 7 (the area with a halftone dot pattern; halftone dot patterns are also appropriately applied in other figures) is affixed to the area.

As shown in Fig. 10(a), the laminate tape 7 is a tape in which an aluminum glass cloth 71 is laminated and bonded onto an aluminum tape 70. The aluminum tape 70 and the aluminum glass cloth 71 correspond to specific examples of the metal foil tape and the glass cloth, respectively, as referred to in the present invention. In the laminate tape 7, the aluminum tape 70 and the aluminum glass cloth 71 are laminated and bonded together before being attached to the motor case 6, and the aluminum tape 70 is provided with an adhesive layer 72 covered with a release paper (not shown). Therefore, as shown in Fig. 10(b), in the attachment work to the motor case 6, the aluminum tape 70 and the aluminum glass cloth 71 can be attached simultaneously.
In this embodiment, the laminate tape 7 is attached to the periphery of the wiring outlet portion 61, but instead of or in addition to this, the laminate tape 7 may be attached to other portions of the motor M.

The motor M is placed horizontally, and as can be seen in FIG. 5(b), the wiring outlet 61 is positioned at one end of the motor case 6 in the left-right width direction (the right end in FIG. 5(b)) and is in a specific posture facing approximately horizontally.
Here, the "horizontal installation" refers to a configuration in which the central axis of the motor case 6 (the central axis CL shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 9) extends in a direction intersecting the up-down height direction (vertical direction). In this embodiment, the central axis CL of the motor M is set to extend in the horizontal direction.
Although not shown in the drawings, the motor M is fixed in a rotation-stopped state so that the motor M does not rotate about the central axis CL and cause a shift in the position of the wiring outlet 61. As a fixing means, for example, a means can be used in which at least one of the protruding stepped portions 67, 68 (see Figs. 6 and 7) protruding from both side surfaces of the motor case 6 is clamped in an unrotatable state by both the bracket portion 52 and the main body case 1, or by a member other than these.

The fire spread prevention cover 4 is made of, for example, a flame-retardant resin, and includes a front wall 4a, left and right side walls 4b, 4c, an upper wall 4d, a rib 40, and a pair of mounting pieces 41a, 41b, as shown in Fig. 8. The flame retardant grade is, for example, 5VA according to the UL94 standard.
As already mentioned in the section "Means for solving the problems," flame retardancy herein means resistance to flames, delaying the time until ignition, or suppressing the amount or rate of combustion, and does not necessarily mean compliance with a specific standard, and also includes the concept of non-flammability.
The front wall 4a and the side walls 4b, 4c are flat plates extending upright in the vertical direction and are connected to each other in a U-shape in a plan cross-sectional view. The upper wall 4d is a plate connected to the upper ends of the front wall 4a and the side walls 4b, 4c so as to close the upper side of the space surrounded by the front wall 4a and the side walls 4b, 4c.

5 to 7, the fire spread prevention cover 4 is attached to the bracket portion 52 of the support member 5 so as to stand beside the motor M and cover the wiring outlet 61. This attachment is achieved by screw fastening means using screws 98 that are inserted through the attachment pieces 41a, 41b. The fire spread prevention cover 4 is provided so that its front wall portion 4a is disposed relatively close to the front of the wiring outlet 61 of the motor M, and the left and right side walls 4b, 4c are located on the left and right sides of the wiring outlet 61 and its vicinity. The top wall portion 4d is provided so as to be located above the wiring outlet 61 and its vicinity.
The fire spread prevention cover 4 has an opening 49 formed in the lower part, and the wiring C is led out from the inside to the outside of the fire spread prevention cover 4 through the opening 49 .

The rib 40 is integrally provided on the inner surface of the fire spread prevention cover 4 and extends uniformly in the vertical direction, for example, with an L-shaped cross section. The rib 40 corresponds to a specific example of a positioning mark for setting the motor M in the specific posture described above. More specifically, the motor M is set to be in the specific posture when the height Ha of the lower end 40a of the rib 40 is matched with the height Hb of a specific portion (for example, the lower end 61b) of the wiring outlet 61 of the motor M. Moreover, the assembly of each member into the main body case 1 is performed from the upper side with the main body case 1 turned upside down.
The fire spread prevention cover 4 is formed to a size that extends downward by an appropriate dimension La from the lower end portion 40a of the rib 40. This is preferable in that the size of the fire spread prevention cover 4 is increased and the fire generated from the wiring outlet portion 61 is more reliably blocked.

Next, we will explain the operation of the bathroom heating and drying device A.

The motor M for the fan 2 is placed horizontally, and as explained with reference to Figures 5 to 7, the wiring outlet 61 is located at one end of the motor case 6 in the left-right width direction and is oriented in a substantially horizontal direction. Therefore, even if a fire were to break out at the wiring outlet 61, the flame would spread in a simple manner, mainly in front of and above the wiring outlet 61, without coming into much contact with the motor case 6. In contrast, the fire spread prevention cover 4 is flame retardant and covers the wiring outlet 61, appropriately blocking the flame. This makes it possible to prevent the fire from spreading.

Unlike this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 11(a), if the wiring outlet 61 is located near the bottom of the motor case 6, the flames that rise upward will hit the motor case 6 and will not have a simple shape. It is difficult to block such a flame entirely using a fire spread prevention cover. Also, as shown in FIG. 11(b), if the wiring outlet 61 is located near the top of the motor case 6, it is possible to prevent the flames from hitting the motor case 6 much, but it becomes necessary to install a fire spread prevention cover 4' above the motor case 6, which makes the structure complicated. In contrast, according to this embodiment, it is possible to avoid the above-mentioned problems, and the fire spread prevention cover 4 can be installed close to the motor M in an upright position in the vertical direction, and it is easy to install.

The fire prevention cover 4 is provided with a rib 40 that serves as a marker for setting the motor M to the specific position, making it possible to facilitate and speed up the work of setting the motor M to a specific position. The rib 40 is formed with an L-shaped cross section, which increases the strength of the rib 40, and the rib 40 is not easily damaged, even if the wiring outlet 61 abuts against the rib 40 during installation of the motor M. In addition, the L-shaped cross section of the rib 40 allows the area of the end face of the rib 40 to be large, which has the advantage that the end face can be easily seen by the worker assembling the motor M. The rib 40 is integrally formed with the fire prevention cover 4, which makes it convenient and eliminates the need to paint or attach tape as a means for providing a marker on the fire prevention cover 4.

As mentioned above, laminate tape 7 is attached to the periphery of wiring outlet 61, which corresponds to the area of motor M that is to be prevented from spreading fire. Laminate tape 7 is made by laminating and adhering aluminum glass cloth 71 onto aluminum tape 70, so it has the excellent flame retardancy (non-combustibility) of aluminum tape 70, as well as the flexibility and ease of handling of aluminum glass cloth 71. Aluminum tape 70 alone has the disadvantage that it is easily torn when handled, but by laminating and adhering glass cloth tape 71, this risk is eliminated.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The specific configuration of each part of the bathroom heating and drying device according to the present invention can be freely designed and modified within the intended scope of the present invention.

The fan is not limited to a cross-flow type, and can be of other types and shapes, such as a sirocco fan type. The fan may be either a circulation fan or a ventilation fan. The motor is a motor that drives the fan, and the specific type (drive/control method, etc.) is not important so long as it is in the horizontal orientation intended by the present invention. The motor is in a specific position in which the wiring outlet is located at one end of the motor case in the left/right width direction and faces approximately horizontally, but the specific mounting means and mounting position are not limited.

The fire prevention cover may be any member that has flame retardancy and covers the wiring outlet of the motor, and may be of a different shape, size, or material from the fire prevention cover of the above embodiment. The fire prevention cover may also be made of metal.
The mark used to set the motor in a specific position can be configured differently from the L-shaped rib provided on the fire spread prevention cover. When configured as a rib, the cross-sectional shape can be a shape other than L, such as a T-shape or a simple rectangle. Also, the mark can be a three-dimensional shape other than a rib, such as a simple protrusion or a scale line. Furthermore, although it is preferable that the mark is provided integrally with the fire spread prevention cover, this is not limited. For example, a flame-retardant paint can be applied to certain parts of the fire spread prevention cover, or a flame-retardant tape can be attached to these parts, and these parts can be used as marks for setting the motor in a specific position.

In the above-described embodiment, the laminate tape is configured as a tape in which an aluminum glass cloth is laminated and bonded onto an aluminum tape, but is not limited to this. The laminate tape referred to in the present invention can also be configured as a laminate in which a glass cloth other than the aluminum glass cloth is laminated and bonded onto a metal foil tape other than an aluminum tape.

A bathroom heating and drying device is a device that has the function of heating and drying the bathroom, and the means for heating the air in the bathroom can be a heating means other than, for example, a hot water heat exchanger.

A Bathroom heating and drying device C Wiring (motor)
M Motor 2 Fan 4 Fire prevention cover 4a Front wall (of the fire prevention cover)
4b, 4c Side wall (for fire prevention cover)
4d Upper wall (for fire prevention cover)
40 Rib (marker)
49 Opening 6 Motor case 60 Peripheral wall 61 Wiring outlet 7 Laminate tape 70 Aluminum tape (metal foil tape)
71 Aluminum glass cloth (glass cloth)

Claims (7)

It has a fan motor,
The motor in this bathroom heating and drying device is provided with a motor case having a peripheral wall and a wiring outlet provided on the peripheral wall, and is horizontally placed so that the central axis of the motor case extends in a direction intersecting the vertical height direction,
the motor is in a specific position in which the wiring outlet is located at one end of the motor case in a left-right width direction and faces a substantially horizontal direction,
The wiring outlet is covered with a fire-retardant cover for preventing the spread of fire .
This bathroom heating and drying device is characterized in that the fire prevention cover is provided with a mark for aligning the wiring outlet, and the motor can be set to the specific position by aligning the wiring outlet with the mark . The bathroom heating and drying device according to claim 1,
The fire prevention cover has wall portions located in front of, above, and on both the left and right sides of the wiring outlet portion, covering the wiring outlet portion, in the bathroom heating and drying apparatus. The bathroom heating and drying device according to claim 2,
A bathroom heating and drying device in which an opening is provided between the lower part of the fire prevention cover and the surrounding wall of the motor, allowing the wiring of the motor to be pulled out from the inside of the fire prevention cover to the lower outside. 4. The bathroom heating and drying device according to claim 1,
A bathroom heating and drying device , wherein the fire prevention cover is a resin molded product, and the mark is a three-dimensional mark molded integrally with the fire prevention cover . The bathroom heating and drying device according to claim 4,
In this bathroom heating and drying device, the marker is a rib that is provided on the inner surface of the fire prevention cover and extends in the vertical direction, and by matching the height of a predetermined point of the wiring outlet with the vertical end of this rib, the motor can be set to the specific position . The bathroom heating and drying device according to claim 5,
A bathroom heating and drying device , wherein the fire prevention cover extends downward beyond the ends of the ribs . 7. The bathroom heating and drying device according to claim 1 ,
In the bathroom heating/drying device, a laminate tape in which a glass cloth is laminated and bonded onto a metal foil tape is affixed to an area of the motor that is to be prevented from spreading fire .

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