JP7650857B2 - Humidification device, humidification apparatus and ventilation apparatus - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a humidification device, a humidification apparatus, and a ventilation apparatus that humidify air by evaporating water.

Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for detecting leakage from a water supply solenoid valve due to mechanical damage to the water supply solenoid valve or an abnormality in the control system of the water supply solenoid valve in an evaporative humidifier that humidifies air by vaporizing water supplied from the water supply solenoid valve. The evaporative humidifier described in Patent Document 1 includes a humidification module that holds the water to be vaporized, a water supply solenoid valve that starts and stops the supply of water to the humidification module, a drain pan that collects water dripping from the humidification module, a water level sensor that detects the level of water accumulated inside the drain pan, a drain pump that discharges water accumulated inside the drain pan, and a control unit that controls the operation of the humidification module, the water supply solenoid valve, and the drain pump. In the evaporative humidifier described in Patent Document 1, the control unit counts the number of times the drain pump has been operated, starting from the time the evaporative humidifier is stopped, and performs an abnormality determination that determines that a leak has occurred in the water supply solenoid valve when a preset threshold value is reached.

JP 2016-114278 A

In the conventional evaporative humidifiers described above, leakage from the water supply solenoid valve is judged by the number of times the drain pump operates. However, there is a problem in that the amount of water leaking from the water supply solenoid valve and the speed of the leakage cannot be determined by detecting the number of times the drain pump operates. For this reason, an abnormality judgment is sometimes made even for a very small leakage amount that does not actually require an abnormality judgment.

The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a humidifier device that can detect the occurrence of a malfunction in a water supply solenoid valve while taking into account the amount of water leaking and the speed of the leak.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objectives, the humidifying device of the present disclosure comprises a humidifying element that evaporates water supplied from a water supply piping, a water supply solenoid valve that adjusts the amount of water supplied from the water supply piping to the humidifying element by opening or closing the valve, a drain pan that stores water discharged from the humidifying element, a water level sensor that detects the level of water accumulated in the drain pan, a drain pump that drains the water accumulated in the drain pan to the outside, and a control unit that controls the water supply solenoid valve and the drain pump. The control unit closes the water supply solenoid valve and stops the operation of the drain pump after water level information indicating the water level detected by the water level sensor falls below a reference value, which is the water level that is the basis for determining whether there is a possibility of a leak.If the water level information becomes equal to or above the reference value within a specified time after stopping the operation of the drain pump, it determines that a malfunction has occurred in the water supply solenoid valve, and if the water level information is below the reference value, it determines that there is no water leaking from the water supply solenoid valve or that the amount of water leaking is so small that it does not require an abnormality determination.

The present disclosure has the effect of being able to detect the occurrence of a malfunction in a water supply solenoid valve, taking into account the amount of water leaking and the speed of the leak.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a humidification device according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the connection relationship between a water supply solenoid valve, a water level sensor, a drain pump, and a control circuit unit in a humidification device according to a first embodiment; A flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure for stop control of a humidification device according to the first embodiment. A flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure for stop control of a humidification device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a control circuit unit of a humidification device according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a humidification device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a humidifier according to a second embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a ventilation device according to a second embodiment. A flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure for stop control of a humidifier and a ventilator according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a humidification device according to a third embodiment.

The humidification device, humidification apparatus, and ventilation apparatus according to the embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1.
1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a humidifying device according to embodiment 1. The humidifying device 1 includes a main casing 11, a water supply pipe 12, a water supply solenoid valve 13, a humidifying element 14, a drain pan 15, a water level sensor 16, a drain pump 17, a drain pipe 18, and a control circuit unit 19.

The main body casing 11 has a box-like structure that forms the outer shell of the humidification device 1. In one example, the main body casing 11 is a hollow rectangular parallelepiped.

The water supply pipe 12 is a pipe that constitutes a water supply path that supplies water to the humidification element 14. One end of the water supply pipe 12 is connected to the humidification element 14, and the other end is connected to a water supply unit (not shown) that supplies water and is provided outside the main casing 11.

The water supply solenoid valve 13 is provided in the water supply pipe 12 and is a component that adjusts the amount of water supplied from the water supply pipe 12 to the humidification element 14 depending on whether it is open or closed. In one example, when the water supply solenoid valve 13 is open, water is supplied to the humidification element 14, and when the water supply solenoid valve 13 is closed, the water supply to the humidification element 14 is cut off. The water supply solenoid valve 13 operates according to a signal from the control circuit unit 19.

The humidification element 14 is an element that humidifies the air by evaporating the water supplied from the water supply pipe 12. The humidification element 14 can be of a natural evaporation type, a heat storage type, a water spray type, an ultrasonic type, or other type.

The drain pan 15 stores the drainage water from the humidification element 14. The drain pan 15 can store a set volume of water.

The water level sensor 16 detects the level of water accumulated in the drain pan 15. The water level sensor 16 transmits the water level information, which is the result of the detection of the water level, to the control circuit unit 19 at a set interval.

The drain pump 17 drains the water accumulated in the drain pan 15 to the outside of the humidification device 1 via the drain pipe 18. The drain pump 17 operates according to a signal from the control circuit unit 19.

The drainage pipe 18 is connected to the drain pump 17 and forms a drainage path for the water pumped up by the drain pump 17.

The control circuit unit 19 controls the operation of the water supply solenoid valve 13 and the drain pump 17. After receiving an instruction to stop the operation of the humidification device 1, the control circuit unit 19 executes a malfunction determination process to determine whether a malfunction has occurred in the water supply solenoid valve 13. Specifically, the malfunction determination process is a leak determination process to determine whether or not there is a leak in the water supply from the water supply solenoid valve 13. Details of the leak determination process will be described later. The control circuit unit 19 corresponds to the control unit.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the connection relationship between the water supply solenoid valve, the water level sensor, the drain pump, and the control circuit unit in the humidification device according to embodiment 1. As shown in Figure 2, the control circuit unit 19 is connected to the water supply solenoid valve 13, the water level sensor 16, and the drain pump 17 via wiring 20.

The control circuit section 19 sends an operation signal for the water supply solenoid valve 13 to the water supply solenoid valve 13 in accordance with a humidification instruction input from an input section (not shown). This causes the water supply solenoid valve 13 to be in an open state. Furthermore, if water is constantly being drained from the humidifying element 14 while the humidifying device 1 is in operation, the control circuit section 19 sends an operation signal for the drain pump 17 to the drain pump 17 in accordance with the operation signal for the water supply solenoid valve 13. This causes the drain pump 17 to start operating.

The control circuit unit 19 sends a stop signal for the water supply solenoid valve 13 to the water supply solenoid valve 13 in accordance with an instruction to stop humidification input from an input unit (not shown). This causes the water supply solenoid valve 13 to close. After sending a stop signal for the water supply solenoid valve 13 to the water supply solenoid valve 13, the control circuit unit 19 also sends a residual operation signal for the drain pump 17 to the drain pump 17, causing the drain pump 17 to perform residual operation for a set time, and stopping the drain pump 17 after the set time of residual operation. This causes the drain pump 17 to stop operating after performing residual operation. In this way, the timing for closing the water supply solenoid valve 13 is made different from the timing for stopping the drain pump 17 in order to drain the remaining water that flows down from the humidifying element 14 to the drain pan 15 and accumulates in the drain pan 15 and is held in the water supply path 12a between the water supply solenoid valve 13 and the humidifying element 14, even after the water supply solenoid valve 13 is closed.

When the humidifying device 1 is in operation, water flows down from the humidifying element 14 and accumulates in the drain pan 15. The control circuit unit 19 acquires water level information indicating the level of water accumulated in the drain pan 15 from the water level sensor 16. When the water level information reaches a predetermined reference value, the control circuit unit 19 sends a close signal to the water supply solenoid valve 13 to close the water supply solenoid valve 13 in order to prevent water leakage from the drain pan 15. This forces the water supply solenoid valve 13 to close, preventing water leakage from the drain pan 15.

The possibility of water leaking from the water supply solenoid valve 13 after the water supply solenoid valve 13 is closed is assumed to be due to garbage in the water supply solenoid valve 13 or malfunction of the water supply solenoid valve 13. Therefore, in the first embodiment, if a specified water level is detected within a specified time after the drain pump 17 is stopped, a flushing operation is performed. If the specified water level is not detected within a specified time after the drain pump 17 is stopped after the flushing operation is completed, it is determined that garbage has been caught in the water supply solenoid valve 13, and if the specified water level is detected within a specified time, it is determined that water is leaking and that the water supply solenoid valve 13 is malfunctioning. The flushing operation is a continuous opening and closing operation of the water supply solenoid valve 13. By such a flushing operation, garbage in the water supply solenoid valve 13 can be discharged. When the control circuit unit 19 determines that the water supply solenoid valve 13 is malfunctioning, it issues an abnormality report to the user of the humidification device 1, indicating that the water supply solenoid valve 13 is malfunctioning. In one example, the abnormality report is issued by displaying information indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the water supply solenoid valve 13 on a display unit (not shown) electrically connected to the control circuit unit 19. In another example, the abnormality report is issued by outputting information indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the water supply solenoid valve 13 to a speaker electrically connected to the control circuit unit 19. In another example, the abnormality report is issued by illuminating or flashing an indicator such as a light-emitting diode (not shown) electrically connected to the control circuit unit 19, indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the water supply solenoid valve 13. In one example, these abnormality reports are continued until they are released by the user of the humidification device 1.

Next, the leak determination process in the control circuit unit 19 will be described. The leak determination process is performed when the operation of the humidifying device 1 is stopped. Below, the process of the stop control of the humidifying device 1, including the leak determination process, will be described. Figures 3 and 4 are flowcharts showing an example of a processing procedure for the stop control of the humidifying device according to embodiment 1. Here, it is assumed that the humidifying device 1 is in an operating state. That is, it is assumed that the water supply solenoid valve 13 is in an open state and the drain pump 17 is in an operating state. When in an operating state, the control circuit unit 19 determines whether a stop command for the water supply solenoid valve 13 of the humidifying device 1 has been received (step S11). In one example, the stop command for the water supply solenoid valve 13 is issued by the user via an operation unit not shown. If a stop command for the water supply solenoid valve 13 has not been received (No in step S11), the control circuit unit 19 continues the current state, i.e., the operating state. When a stop command for the water supply solenoid valve 13 is received (Yes in step S11), the control circuit unit 19 transmits a stop signal for the water supply solenoid valve 13 to the water supply solenoid valve 13 (step S12). This causes the water supply solenoid valve 13 to close. The humidification device 1 also enters a standby state for leak determination control. The control circuit unit 19 also transmits a residual operation signal to the drain pump 17 to stop the pump after continuing operation for a set period of time (step S13). This causes the drain pump 17 to stop after a set period of time has elapsed since the stop command for the water supply solenoid valve 13.

The water level sensor 16 transmits water level information of the drain pan 15 to the control circuit unit 19 at a set time interval. That is, the control circuit unit 19 acquires water level information of the drain pan 15 from the water level sensor 16 at set time intervals (step S14). Next, the control circuit unit 19 judges whether the water level information is equal to or higher than the drain determination reference value, which is the water level that is the criterion for whether or not to perform drainage (step S15). The drain determination reference value is set as the water level at which water may overflow from the drain pan 15 due to water flowing down from the humidifying element 14 if the drain pump 17 is not operated.

If the water level information is below the drainage judgment standard value (No in step S15), it is determined whether the humidifying device 1 has received an operation command (step S16). If the humidifying device 1 has received an operation command (Yes in step S16), the next humidifying operation is performed in accordance with the operation command (step S35), and the process of stopping control of the humidifying device 1 ends. If the humidifying device 1 has not received an operation command (No in step S16), the process returns to step S14, and the standby state of the leak judgment control from step S17 to step S27 described below is maintained.

On the other hand, if the water level information in step S15 is equal to or greater than the drainage judgment standard value (Yes in step S15), it is believed that water has accumulated in the drain pan 15 for some reason. For this reason, the control circuit unit 19 outputs an operation signal for the drain pump 17 to operate the drain pump 17 (step S17). This starts the operation of the drain pump 17, and the water accumulated in the drain pan 15 is drained by the drain pump 17. During this time, the water level sensor 16 also transmits water level information to the control circuit unit 19 at set time intervals. In other words, the control circuit unit 19 acquires water level information of the drain pan 15 from the water level sensor 16 at set time intervals (step S18).

The control circuit unit 19 determines whether the water level information is below the leak determination reference value, which is the water level that is the criterion for determining whether there is a possibility of a leak (step S19). If the water level information is equal to or greater than the leak determination reference value (No in step S19), the process returns to step S18. That is, drainage by the drain pump 17 and acquisition of water level information from the water level sensor 16 are repeatedly performed until the water level information is below the leak determination reference value. If the water level information is below the leak determination reference value (Yes in step S19), the control circuit unit 19 outputs a residual operation signal to the drain pump 17 (step S20). When the drain pump 17 receives the residual operation signal, it performs residual operation for a set period of time. This causes the water in the drain pan 15 to be discharged outside the humidification device 1.

The water level in the drain pan 15 rising above the drain judgment reference value in step S15 may be due to other factors besides leakage from the water supply solenoid valve 13. One of the other factors is the water supply from the humidifying element 14 due to the immediately preceding operation signal of the water supply solenoid valve 13, and the temporary discharge of residual water held in the water supply path 12a between the water supply solenoid valve 13 and the humidifying element 14. For this reason, in embodiment 1, detection of the water level in step S15 alone does not determine that leakage from the water supply solenoid valve 13 is the cause, and after the drain operation in step S17, a check is made to see if there is a leak from the water supply solenoid valve 13 based on the change in the water level in the drain pan 15.

When the residual operation in step S20 is performed for a set time, the drain pump 17 stops operating. When the operation of the drain pump 17 stops, the control circuit unit 19 starts counting the timer (step S21). The control circuit unit 19 determines whether an operation command for the humidifying device 1 has been received during the timer count (step S22). If an operation command for the humidifying device 1 has been received (Yes in step S22), the control circuit unit 19 clears the timer count (step S31) and ends the process of stopping control of the humidifying device 1. If an operation command for the humidifying device 1 has not been received (No in step S22), that is, if the water supply solenoid valve 13 continues to stop operating, the timer continues counting. Then, the control circuit unit 19 determines whether the timer count has reached the upper limit time U, which is the criterion for determining an abnormality in the amount of leaked water (step S23). If the timer count reaches the upper limit time U without the water level sensor 16 detecting the set water level again after the drain pump 17 stops operating (Yes in step S23), this means that there is no water leakage from the water supply solenoid valve 13, or the amount of water leakage is so small that it is not necessary to determine whether there is an abnormality. In other words, there is no abnormality in the water supply solenoid valve 13. Therefore, the control circuit unit 19 proceeds to step S31, clears the timer count, and ends the process of controlling the humidification device 1 to stop.

On the other hand, if the timer count has not reached the upper limit time (No in step S23), the control circuit unit 19 acquires water level information of the drain pan 15 from the water level sensor 16 at a set time interval (step S24). The control circuit unit 19 determines whether the water level information is equal to or greater than the leak determination reference value, which is a set water level (step S25). If the water level information is less than the leak determination reference value (No in step S25), the process returns to step S23.

If the water level information is equal to or greater than the leak judgment reference value, the water supply solenoid valve 13 is stopped in step S12, and the drain pump 17 is operated in steps S17 and S20, but the water level is rising again. In other words, there is a possibility that water is leaking from the water supply solenoid valve 13. As described above, the possibility that water is leaking from the water supply solenoid valve 13 is that the water supply solenoid valve 13 has dust or the water supply solenoid valve 13 is malfunctioning. If the water level information is determined to be equal to or greater than the leak judgment reference value in step S25 after the water supply solenoid valve 13 has stopped operating and the flushing operation described below has not been performed, it is difficult to determine whether the water supply leak from the water supply solenoid valve 13 is due to dust or malfunction, and it is determined that the water supply solenoid valve 13 has either dust or malfunction. Therefore, in the first embodiment, after the operation of the water supply solenoid valve 13 has been stopped, if the water level information is determined to be equal to or greater than the leak determination reference value in step S25 when the flushing operation described below has not yet been performed, a process is performed to determine that there is a possibility of garbage in the water supply solenoid valve 13, and it is determined whether the leak is due to garbage or a malfunction. Specifically, if there is garbage in the water supply solenoid valve 13, a flushing operation is performed in which the water supply solenoid valve 13 is continuously opened and closed to discharge the garbage in the water supply solenoid valve 13. If the water supply leak from the water supply solenoid valve 13 is eliminated by the flushing operation, it can be determined that garbage is the cause.

Therefore, if the water level information is equal to or greater than the leak judgment reference value (Yes in step S25), the control circuit unit 19 judges whether the flushing operation of the water supply solenoid valve 13 has not been performed since the operation of the water supply solenoid valve 13 was stopped in step S12 (step S26). If the flushing operation has not been performed (Yes in step S26), the control circuit unit 19 outputs a flushing operation signal to the water supply solenoid valve 13 to perform a flushing operation that continuously opens and closes the water supply solenoid valve, and clears the timer count (step S27). As a result, the water supply solenoid valve 13 performs the flushing operation. After the flushing operation is performed, the water supply solenoid valve 13 is closed, and the drain pump 17 is caused to drain the water generated from the water supply solenoid valve 13 to the outside of the humidification device 1, and the process returns to step S17 to determine whether the water supply leak from the water supply solenoid valve 13 has been fixed.

On the other hand, if the process is restarted from step S17, the flushing operation has been performed. In other words, if the water supply leak from the water supply solenoid valve 13 has not been fixed even though the flushing operation has been performed, it can be determined that the water supply leak from the water supply solenoid valve 13 is not caused by garbage but by a malfunction. In other words, if the flushing operation has been performed in step S26 (No in step S26), the control circuit unit 19 issues an abnormality alert indicating that a malfunction has occurred in the water supply solenoid valve 13 (step S28).

Then, the control circuit unit 19 determines whether the user of the humidifying device 1 has cleared the error in response to the abnormality report (step S29). In one example, the error is cleared by pressing a clear button electrically connected to the control circuit unit 19. If the error has not been cleared (No in step S29), the system waits until the error is cleared. If the error has been cleared (Yes in step S29), the control circuit unit 19 clears the abnormality report (step S30). The control circuit unit 19 then clears the timer count (step S31). Then, the process of stopping the humidifying device 1 is terminated.

In the example of FIG. 4, the upper limit time U in step S23 is set to the same time regardless of whether or not the flushing operation in step S27 is performed, that is, regardless of whether or not the water level information is determined to be equal to or greater than the leak determination reference value after the operation of the water supply solenoid valve 13 is stopped in step S12 or step S27. However, the upper limit time U may be changed depending on whether or not the flushing operation is performed. When the flushing operation is not performed, the upper limit time U is set to the first upper limit time U1, which is the criterion for determining an abnormality in the amount of leaked water, and when the flushing operation is performed, the upper limit time U is set to the second upper limit time U2, which is different from the first upper limit time U1 and is the criterion for determining an abnormality in the amount of leaked water. In one example, the second upper limit time U2 after the flushing operation can be set longer than the first upper limit time U1 before the flushing operation. That is, the first upper limit time U1 < the second upper limit time U2. By setting in this way, the first upper limit time U1 can be used to detect an abnormality in the water supply solenoid valve 13 in which the leak rate, which is the amount of leaked water per unit time, is large and the time required to fill the drain pan 15 is short. The second upper limit time U2 can be used to detect a water leak from the water supply solenoid valve 13 in which the leak rate is not as large as the abnormality in the water supply solenoid valve 13 detected using the first upper limit time U1, but is larger than the leak rate that does not require active abnormality determination, such as a minute leak. In this case, the maximum value of the leak rate that is determined to be not abnormal is predetermined, and the time to reach a water level determined when leaking at the maximum leak rate that is not abnormal, for example, the leak determination reference value, is set as the second upper limit time U2. Instead of the maximum value of the leak rate that is determined to be not abnormal, the minimum value of the leak rate that is determined to be not abnormal may be used. Note that the amount of water that accumulates during the first upper limit time U1 and the second upper limit time U2, i.e., the water level, varies depending on the size of the drain pan 15, so the first upper limit time U1 and the second upper limit time U2 are set for each humidification device 1.

Here, we will explain the hardware configuration of the control circuit unit 19 of the humidification device 1. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control circuit unit of the humidification device according to embodiment 1.

The control circuit unit 19 can be realized by the control circuit 400 shown in FIG. 5, that is, the processor 401 and the memory 402. An example of the processor 401 is a CPU (also called a central processing unit, processing unit, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, processor, or DSP (Digital Signal Processor)) or a system LSI (Large Scale Integration). An example of the memory 402 is a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory).

The function of the control circuit unit 19 is realized by the processor 401 reading and executing a control program stored in the memory 402, which is a program for executing processing in the control circuit unit 19. This control program can also be said to cause the computer to execute a control method including the control of stopping the humidification device 1 in the control circuit unit 19. The control program executed by the control circuit unit 19 has a modular configuration that modularizes the process of determining whether there is a leak in the water supply from the water supply solenoid valve 13, and these are loaded onto the main memory device and generated on the main memory device.

The memory 402 stores data used to determine whether there is a leak in the water supply from the water supply solenoid valve 13. The memory 402 is also used as a temporary memory when the processor 401 executes various processes.

The control program executed by the processor 401 may be provided as a computer program product by being stored in a computer-readable storage medium in an installable or executable file format. The control program executed by the processor 401 may also be provided to the control circuitry 19 of the humidification device 1 via a network such as the Internet.

The control circuit unit 19 may also be realized by dedicated hardware. Also, some of the functions of the control circuit unit 19 may be realized by dedicated hardware and some by software or firmware.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the control circuit unit 19 can detect the leakage of water from the water supply solenoid valve 13 using the water level information acquired by the water level sensor 16. Specifically, after closing the water supply solenoid valve 13, the control circuit unit 19 stops the operation of the drain pump 17 and starts timing with a timer, and when the specified water level is detected within the specified first upper limit time U1, the control circuit unit 19 causes the water supply solenoid valve 13 to perform a flushing operation. After the flushing operation is performed, the control circuit unit 19 stops the operation of the drain pump 17 and starts timing with a timer, and when the specified water level is detected within the specified second upper limit time U2, the control circuit unit 19 issues an abnormality report as a malfunction of the water supply solenoid valve 13. By making a judgment based on the presence or absence of flushing in this way, it is possible to prevent the erroneous judgment that garbage, which is one of the causes of leakage, is a malfunction of the water supply solenoid valve 13. In addition, by determining the water level detection by time, specifically by making the second upper limit time U2 longer than the first upper limit time U1, the leak rate can be classified into a large case and a small case, and it becomes possible to use different abnormality determinations depending on the leak rate. The control circuit unit 19 can end the leak determination process if it determines that there is no leak. In this way, by making a determination using a set water level, the amount of water leaking from the water supply solenoid valve 13 is taken into consideration, and by making a determination using the first upper limit time U1 and the second upper limit time U2, the speed of the leak from the water supply solenoid valve 13 is taken into consideration. In other words, it is possible to obtain a humidification device 1 that can detect the occurrence of a malfunction in the water supply solenoid valve 13 taking into consideration the amount of water leaking and the speed of the leak. In addition, the control circuit unit 19 can start the leak determination again by performing water level detection after the leak determination process is completed. In this way, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to provide a humidification device 1 that detects a water supply leak from the water supply solenoid valve 13.

Embodiment 2.
In the second embodiment, a humidifying device including a blower that continuously supplies air to the humidifying element 14 will be described.

Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a humidification device according to embodiment 2. Note that the same components as those of humidification device 1 in embodiment 1 are given the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted. With the configuration of humidification device 1 described in embodiment 1, it is not possible to continuously supply humidified air to the room in which humidification device 1 is placed. In embodiment 2, a blower 22 is used to continuously supply humidified air to the room. Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, humidification device 1a further includes a blower casing 21 and a blower 22 in addition to the configuration of embodiment 1.

The blower casing 21 is connected to the main casing 11 and has a box-like structure that forms the outer shell of the humidification device 1a. In one example, the blower casing 21 is a hollow rectangular parallelepiped. The blower casing 21 houses the blower 22. The blower casing 21 has an intake port 212a on the surface 212 opposite the surface 211 that connects to the main casing 11, and a connection port 211a on the surface 211 that connects to the blower casing 21. The intake port 212a is an opening that draws in air from outside the humidification device 1a. The connection port 211a is an opening that allows the flow of air blown out from the blower 22 to be blown out from the blower casing 21.

The blower 22 is housed inside the blower casing 21 and generates an air flow that passes through the humidification element 14. Specifically, the blower 22 is a device that takes in air from the outside of the blower casing 21 through the suction port 212a, blows the taken-in air out of the connection port 211a, and supplies it to the humidification element 14 inside the main casing 11. In other words, the blower 22 is positioned on the upwind side of the humidification element 14. The blower 22 is connected to the control circuit unit 19 via wiring (not shown).

A connection port 111a is provided on the surface 111 of the main casing 11 that is connected to the blower casing 21, and an outlet port 112a is provided on the surface 112 opposite the surface 111. Air that enters through the connection port 111a by the blowing of the blower 22 is blown out from the outlet port 112a into the room. Since the humidification element 14 is disposed between the connection port 111a and the outlet port 112a of the main casing 11, the air humidified by the humidification element 14 is blown out from the outlet port 112a into the room by the air flow from the blower 22. This humidifies the room.

In addition to the control described in embodiment 1, the control circuit unit 19 also controls the operation of the blower 22.

In the humidifying device 1a configured as described above, when the blower 22 is operated, air is sucked in through the suction port 212a by the operation of the blower 22, and the sucked air is blown out from the connection port 211a into the main casing 11. Inside the main casing 11, air flows from the connection port 111a toward the outlet port 112a. At this time, since the humidifying element 14 is disposed between the connection port 111a and the outlet port 112a, the air humidified by the humidifying element 14 mixes with the air from the blower 22 and is blown out from the outlet port 112a. Such a humidifying device 1a is used in a humidifying device or a ventilation device. Therefore, the following describes a humidifying device and a ventilation device equipped with the humidifying device 1a.

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a humidifier according to embodiment 2. Figure 7 shows an example in which a humidifier 51 humidifies the air in an indoor space 70. The indoor space 70 is a space surrounded by a partition member 71 such as a wall, a floor 72, and a ceiling 73. As an example, the indoor space 70 may be a space such as a room where people enter and exit, or a space such as a warehouse where items requiring humidity control are stored. The humidifier 51 is provided in the attic 75.

The humidifying apparatus 51 includes a humidifying device 1a having a blower 22 as described in FIG. 6, an intake duct 31, and an exhaust duct 32. One end of the intake duct 31 is connected to a return air port 731 provided in the ceiling 73, and the other end is connected to an intake port 212a of the humidifying device 1a. In this way, the intake duct 31 forms a path for sucking air from the indoor space 70 to be humidified into the humidifying device 1a. One end of the exhaust duct 32 is connected to an exhaust port 112a of the humidifying device 1a, and the other end is connected to an air supply port 732 provided in the ceiling 73. In this way, the exhaust duct 32 forms a path for blowing out the air humidified by the humidifying device 1a into the indoor space 70.

When such a humidifier 51 is operated, air from the indoor space 70 is sucked in from the return air port 731 via the intake port 212a and intake duct 31 by the operation of the blower 22. In addition, the air humidified by the humidifying element 14 of the humidifying device 1a is mixed with the air blown out by the blower 22, and is blown out from the intake air port 732 into the indoor space 70 via the exhaust port 112a and exhaust duct 32. This process is performed continuously, so the indoor space 70 is humidified.

Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a ventilation device according to embodiment 2. Figure 8 shows an example in which a ventilation device 52 humidifies the air in an indoor space 70. Note that components that are the same as those in Figure 7 are given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted. The ventilation device 52 is provided in the attic 75.

The ventilation device 52 includes a humidifying device 1a having a blower 22 as described in FIG. 6, an intake duct 31, and an exhaust duct 32. The humidifying device 1a differs from the humidifying device 51 in FIG. 7 in that the humidifying device 1a draws in outside air, specifically outdoor air, rather than air in the indoor space 70. That is, one end of the intake duct 31 is connected to an outside air intake port 771 provided in the exterior wall 77 of the building. In this way, the intake duct 31 forms a path for drawing outdoor air into the humidifying device 1a.

When such a ventilation system 52 is operated, outdoor air is sucked in from the outside air intake 771 via the intake 212a and intake duct 31 by the operation of the blower 22. In addition, air humidified by the humidifying element 14 of the humidifying device 1a is mixed with outdoor air blown out by the blower 22, and is blown out from the air supply 732 via the outlet 112a and outlet duct 32 into the indoor space 70. This process is performed continuously, so the indoor space 70 is humidified.

Next, the leak determination process in the humidifier 51 and ventilation device 52 according to the second embodiment will be described. As in the first embodiment, the process of stop control of the humidifier 51 and ventilation device 52, including the leak determination process, will be described. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the process procedure for stop control of the humidifier and ventilation device according to the second embodiment. Note that the same step numbers as those in Figure 3 of the first embodiment are assigned the same step numbers, and their description will be omitted. Here, it is assumed that the humidifier 51 or ventilation device 52 is in an operating state.

First, the control circuit unit 19 determines whether a stop command for the humidifier 51 or the ventilation device 52 has been received from the user of the humidifier 51 or the ventilation device 52 (step S51). In one example, the stop command is output to the control circuit unit 19 by instructing the humidifier 51 or the ventilation device 52 to stop using an operation unit (not shown) of the humidifier 51 or the ventilation device 52. If a stop command for the humidifier 51 or the ventilation device 52 has not been received (No in step S51), the control circuit unit 19 continues the current state, i.e., the operating state. If a stop command for the humidifier 51 or the ventilation device 52 has been received (Yes in step S51), the control circuit unit 19 transmits a stop signal for the blower 22 to the blower 22 to stop the blower 22 (step S52). This stops the blower 22. The process then proceeds to step S12.

After step S21, the control circuit unit 19 determines whether an operation command for the humidifier 51 or the ventilation device 52 has been received during counting by the timer (step S53). If an operation command for the humidifier 51 or the ventilation device 52 has been received (Yes in step S53), the process proceeds to step S31. If an operation command for the humidifier 51 or the ventilation device 52 has not been received (No in step S53), the process proceeds to step S23. Note that the process from step S23 onwards in embodiment 2 is the same as that in FIG. 4.

Furthermore, if the water level information is less than the drainage judgment standard value in step S15 (No in step S15), it is determined whether the humidifier 51 or the ventilation device 52 has received an operation command (step S55). If the humidifier 51 or the ventilation device 52 has received an operation command (Yes in step S55), the humidifier 51 or the ventilation device 52 is operated in accordance with the operation command (step S56), and the process of stopping the humidifier 51 or the ventilation device 52 ends. If the humidifier 51 or the ventilation device 52 has not received an operation command (No in step S55), the process returns to step S14, and the standby state of the leak judgment control from step S17 to step S27 is maintained.

In step S52, the water supply solenoid valve 13 and the blower 22 may be stopped simultaneously, or the time for stopping may be different. In one example, in order to perform a drying operation of the humidification element 14 wetted with water by the humidification operation, the operation of the blower 22 may be continued for a set time after the water supply solenoid valve 13 is stopped, and the blower 22 may be stopped after the set time has elapsed. In addition, even after the drying operation of the humidification element 14 is performed or when the water supply solenoid valve 13 is not used, only the water supply solenoid valve 13 may be stopped and the blower 22 may continue to operate for the purpose of circulating indoor air, constant ventilation when no one is present at night, or cooling with outside air. In this case, since the water supply solenoid valve 13 continues to be stopped, the flow of the leak determination process may be executed.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, by using the humidification device 1a further having the blower 22 to form the humidification device 51 or the ventilation device 52, it is possible to provide the humidification device 51 or the ventilation device 52 that can continuously supply humidified air and can perform a leak determination for the water supply solenoid valve 13 simultaneously with a stop command for the humidification device 51 or the ventilation device 52. In addition, by separating the stop signals for the water supply solenoid valve 13 and the blower 22, it is possible to perform the leak determination process for the water supply solenoid valve 13 even while the blower 22 is operating. This makes it possible to simultaneously provide a comfortable environment by operating the blower 22 and improve the reliability of the leak determination process.

Embodiment 3.
In the third embodiment, a case will be described in which the humidifier 51, the ventilator 52 and the remote controller have a cooperative control function.

Figure 10 is a diagram showing a schematic example of the configuration of a humidification device according to embodiment 3. The same components as those of the humidification devices 1 and 1a according to embodiments 1 and 2 are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. The humidification device 1b according to embodiment 3 further includes a remote controller 41 and a communication line 42 in addition to the configuration according to embodiment 2. The remote controller 41 is hereinafter referred to as a remote control 41. The remote control 41 has an operation unit 411, a communication unit (not shown), and a display unit 412. The operation unit 411 accepts an operation of an operation or stop command by a user of the humidification device 1b, more specifically, the humidification device 51 or the ventilation device 52, which is an apparatus having the humidification device 1b. The communication unit transmits the operation or stop command accepted by the operation unit 411 to the control circuit unit 19 via the communication line 42. The display unit 412 displays information necessary for operation, an abnormality report notifying an abnormality of the water supply solenoid valve 13, and the like. The communication line 42 transmits information sent and received between the remote control 41 and the control circuit unit 19. The communication line 42 is a communication cable, a wired or wireless network, etc.

The control circuit unit 19 has a communication means (not shown) capable of communicating with the remote control 41 via a communication line 42. When the control circuit unit 19 receives a command from the remote control 41 operated by the user, it controls the operation of the water supply solenoid valve 13, the drain pump 17, and the blower 22 in the humidification device 1b according to the command. The control circuit unit 19 also instructs the remote control 41 to display an abnormality alert due to the leak determination process. As a result, an abnormality alert notifying an abnormality in the water supply solenoid valve 13 is displayed on the display unit 412 of the remote control 41. Note that the control circuit unit 19 cancels the abnormality alert when the user who sees the abnormality alert display operates the operation unit 411, i.e., performs an operation to cancel the abnormality alert.

In response to a stop command from the remote control 41, the control circuit unit 19 stops the water supply solenoid valve 13 and the blower 22 and starts the leak detection process. In response to an operation command from the remote control 41, the control circuit unit 19 ends the leak detection process and returns to normal operation.

Note that the operation command and the stop command are not limited to being issued by operating the remote control 41. In one example, if the control circuit unit 19 or the remote control 41 has a timer function, the stop command may be automatically issued at a preset time to start the leak determination process. The humidification system may also include multiple humidification devices 1b and a centralized controller that centrally operates and manages the multiple humidification devices 1b. In this case, the multiple humidification devices 1b may be humidifiers 51 or ventilators 52. In this case, the centralized controller plays the role of the remote control 41.

The determined upper limit time U may be a value preset in the control circuit unit 19, or may be any value given from an external device such as the remote control 41 or a centralized controller. Even if the determined upper limit time U is divided into a first upper limit time U1 and a second upper limit time U2, the first upper limit time U1 and the second upper limit time U2 may be similarly specified values that are values preset in the control circuit unit 19, or may be any value given from an external device. In the latter case, the external device has the function of setting the first upper limit time U1 and the second upper limit time U2 in the control circuit unit 19.

Furthermore, the control circuit unit 19 or the remote control 41 may have a schedule management unit that manages the operation of the humidification device 1b or the humidification apparatus 51 or ventilator 52 having the humidification device 1b according to a preset schedule. In one example, the total time before and after the flushing operation, i.e., the total time of the first upper limit time U1 and the second upper limit time U2, may be set to less than the stop time set by the schedule management unit, so that the leak determination can be completed within the stop time. The stop time is the time from the stop time set by the schedule management unit to when the humidification device 1b is stopped.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, the humidifier 51 or the ventilator 52 is made using the humidifier device 1b having the remote control 41 or the central controller. This allows the start and end of the leak determination process to be changed by a stop command and an operation command, and makes it possible to perform the leak determination process from a preset stop time. In addition, by setting the total time from the start of timing by the timer before and after the flushing operation to the determination that the flushing operation has not been performed to be less than the stop time set by the remote control 41 or the central controller, the leak determination process can be completed within the stop time. As a result, it is possible to provide the humidifier 51 and the ventilator 52 that can change the judgment conditions of the leak determination process depending on the installation situation.

The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and may be combined with other known technologies, or the embodiments may be combined with each other. In addition, parts of the configurations may be omitted or modified without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Various aspects of this disclosure are summarized below as appendices.

[Appendix 1]
a humidification element for evaporating water supplied from a water supply pipe;
a water supply solenoid valve that adjusts the amount of water supplied from the water supply pipe to the humidification element by opening or closing the solenoid valve;
A drain pan for storing drainage water from the humidifying element;
a water level sensor that detects the level of water accumulated in the drain pan;
A drain pump that drains water accumulated in the drain pan to the outside;
a control unit for controlling the water supply solenoid valve and the drain pump;
Equipped with
A humidification device characterized in that the control unit determines that a malfunction has occurred in the water supply solenoid valve when water level information indicating the water level detected by the water level sensor becomes equal to or exceeds a predetermined reference value within a predetermined time after the water supply solenoid valve is closed and the operation of the drain pump is stopped.
[Appendix 2]
The control unit, after closing the water supply solenoid valve and stopping the operation of the drain pump, causes the water supply solenoid valve to perform a flushing operation in which the water supply solenoid valve is repeatedly opened and closed when the water level information becomes equal to or greater than the reference value for the first time after the water supply solenoid valve is closed within a first upper limit time that is the criterion for determining an abnormality in the amount of leaked water.
[Appendix 3]
The humidification device described in Appendix 2, characterized in that the control unit determines that the water supply solenoid valve is malfunctioning if, after the flushing operation is performed and the operation of the drain pump is stopped, the water level information becomes equal to or exceeds the reference value within a second upper limit time that is the criterion for determining an abnormality in the amount of leaked water after the water supply solenoid valve is closed after the flushing operation is performed.
[Appendix 4]
The humidification device according to claim 3, wherein the control unit issues an abnormality alert indicating a malfunction when it determines that the water supply solenoid valve is malfunctioning.
[Appendix 5]
The humidifying device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the second upper limit time is set to be equal to or greater than the first upper limit time.
[Appendix 6]
The control unit has a schedule management unit that manages the operation of the humidification device according to a preset schedule,
A humidifying device described in any one of Appendices 3 to 5, characterized in that the total time of the first upper limit time and the second upper limit time is less than or equal to a stop time, which is the time from the stop time set by the schedule management unit to the time when the operation of the humidifying device is stopped.
[Appendix 7]
A remote controller is further provided that receives an operation command to operate or stop the humidification device and is connected to the control unit via a communication line.
The remote controller has a schedule management unit that manages the operation of the humidification device according to a preset schedule,
A humidifying device described in any one of Appendices 3 to 5, characterized in that the total time of the first upper limit time and the second upper limit time is less than or equal to a stop time, which is the time from the stop time set by the schedule management unit to the time when the operation of the humidifying device is stopped.
[Appendix 8]
6. The humidifying device according to claim 3, further comprising an external device that sets the first upper limit time and the second upper limit time.
[Appendix 9]
9. A humidification device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a blower generating an air flow passing through the humidification element.
[Appendix 10]
A humidification device according to claim 9;
an intake duct that constitutes a path for drawing air from a room space to be humidified into the humidifying device;
an outlet duct that configures a path for blowing out the air humidified by the humidifying device into the indoor space;
A humidifier comprising:
[Appendix 11]
A humidification device according to claim 9;
an intake duct that constitutes a path for drawing outdoor air into the humidification device;
an outlet duct that configures a path for blowing out the air humidified by the humidification device into an indoor space to be humidified;
A ventilation device comprising:

1, 1a, 1b humidification device, 11 main body casing, 12 water supply pipe, 12a water supply path, 13 water supply solenoid valve, 14 humidification element, 15 drain pan, 16 water level sensor, 17 drain pump, 18 drain pipe, 19 control circuit section, 20 wiring, 21 blower casing, 22 blower, 31 suction duct, 32 blowing duct, 41 remote control (remote controller), 42 communication line, 51 humidification device, 52 ventilation device, 70 indoor space, 71 partition member, 72 floor, 73 ceiling, 75 ceiling space, 77 exterior wall, 111a, 211a connection port, 112a blowing port, 212a suction port, 411 operation section, 412 display section, 731 return air port, 732 Air intake, 771 outside air intake.

Claims (11)

a humidification element for evaporating water supplied from a water supply pipe;
a water supply solenoid valve that adjusts the amount of water supplied from the water supply pipe to the humidification element by opening or closing the solenoid valve;
A drain pan for storing drainage water from the humidifying element;
a water level sensor that detects the level of water accumulated in the drain pan;
A drain pump that drains water accumulated in the drain pan to the outside;
a control unit for controlling the water supply solenoid valve and the drain pump;
Equipped with
The control unit closes the water supply solenoid valve, stops operation of the drain pump after water level information indicating the water level detected by the water level sensor falls below a reference value that is a water level that is the basis for determining whether there is a possibility of a leak, and determines that a malfunction has occurred in the water supply solenoid valve if the water level information becomes equal to or above the reference value within a specified time after the operation of the drain pump is stopped, and determines that there is a malfunction in the water supply solenoid valve if the water level information is below the reference value.The control unit closes the water supply solenoid valve, stops operation of the drain pump after water level information indicating the water level detected by the water level sensor falls below a reference value that is a water level that is the basis for determining whether there is a possibility of a leak, and determines that there is a malfunction in the water supply solenoid valve if the water level information becomes equal to or above the reference value within a specified time after the operation of the drain pump is stopped, and determines that there is no leak in the water supply from the water supply solenoid valve or that the amount of leaking water is so small that it does not require an abnormality determination. The humidification device according to claim 1, characterized in that, after the control unit has closed the water supply solenoid valve and stopped the operation of the drain pump, if the water level information first exceeds the reference value within a first upper limit time that is a criterion for determining an abnormality in the amount of leaked water after the water supply solenoid valve is closed, the control unit causes the water supply solenoid valve to perform a flushing operation in which the water supply solenoid valve is repeatedly opened and closed. The humidification device according to claim 2, characterized in that the control unit determines that the water supply solenoid valve is malfunctioning if, after the flushing operation is performed and the operation of the drain pump is stopped, the water level information becomes equal to or exceeds the reference value within a second upper limit time that is a criterion for determining an abnormality in the amount of leaked water after the water supply solenoid valve is closed after the flushing operation is performed. The humidification device according to claim 3, characterized in that, when the control unit determines that the water supply solenoid valve is malfunctioning, it issues an abnormality report indicating the malfunction. The humidification device according to claim 3, characterized in that the second upper limit time is set to be equal to or greater than the first upper limit time. The control unit has a schedule management unit that manages the operation of the humidification device according to a preset schedule,
The humidifying device according to claim 3, wherein the sum of the first upper limit time and the second upper limit time is equal to or less than a stop time, which is the time from a stop time set by the schedule management unit to when operation of the humidifying device is stopped. A remote controller is further provided that receives an operation command to operate or stop the humidification device and is connected to the control unit via a communication line.
The remote controller has a schedule management unit that manages the operation of the humidification device according to a preset schedule,
The humidifying device according to claim 3, wherein the sum of the first upper limit time and the second upper limit time is equal to or less than a stop time, which is the time from a stop time set by the schedule management unit to when operation of the humidifying device is stopped. The humidification device according to claim 3, further comprising an external device that sets the first upper limit time and the second upper limit time. The humidification device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a blower that generates a flow of air passing through the humidification element. A humidification device according to claim 9;
an intake duct that constitutes a path for drawing air from a room space to be humidified into the humidifying device;
an outlet duct that configures a path for blowing out the air humidified by the humidifying device into the indoor space;
A humidifier comprising: A humidification device according to claim 9;
an intake duct that constitutes a path for drawing outdoor air into the humidification device;
an outlet duct that configures a path for blowing out the air humidified by the humidification device into an indoor space to be humidified;
A ventilation device comprising:

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