JP7724399B2 - Indoor ventilation system - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an indoor ventilation system.

Ventilation devices that are fixed to the attic or under the floor of a house are known. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a ventilation device that includes a heat exchange unit, a first blower unit with a first blower, a second blower unit with a second blower, first and second ducts that can be oriented, and a control unit that controls the first and second blowers. In this device, the heat exchange unit, first and second blower units, and control unit are sized to be removable through an inspection hatch provided on the interior wall surface of the ceiling, floor, etc., and are fixed to the structure of the house.

JP 2014-095541 A

The inventors of the present application have come to the following new realization regarding indoor ventilation systems. For example, there are cases where ventilation equipment installed in the attic or under the floor of a house requires maintenance or repair (hereinafter referred to as "maintenance") at specified intervals.

In the ventilation device described in Patent Document 1, the heat exchange unit, first blower unit, second blower unit, and control unit are sized to be removable through an inspection hatch to facilitate installation. However, with this device, when performing maintenance on each unit, the unit must be removed through the inspection hatch, which increases the amount of work required. In other words, there is room for improvement in this device in terms of improving the ease of maintenance through the inspection hatch.

This disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an indoor ventilation system that can improve the ease of maintenance work through inspection hatches.

In order to solve the above problems, an indoor ventilation system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a heat exchange unit for exchanging heat between outdoor air taken in from outdoors and indoor air taken in from indoors, an intake air blower unit for blowing outdoor air from the heat exchange unit to indoors, an exhaust air blower unit for blowing indoor air from the heat exchange unit to outdoors, and a humidity adjustment unit for adjusting the humidity of the outdoor air supplied to the indoors from the intake air blower unit.
The heat exchange unit, the air intake and exhaust blower unit, and the exhaust blower unit are sized to be able to be inserted and removed through an inspection hatch and are independently arranged around the inspection hatch, and the heat exchange unit, the humidity adjustment unit, the air intake and exhaust blower unit, and the exhaust blower unit each have a maintenance opening on the inspection hatch side that allows predetermined maintenance target elements to pass through. The maintenance opening of the heat exchange unit is arranged opposite the maintenance opening of the humidity adjustment unit, with the inspection hatch in between.

In addition, conversions of the expressions of this disclosure into methods, devices, systems, recording media, computer programs, etc. are also valid aspects of this disclosure.

This disclosure provides an indoor ventilation system that can improve the ease of maintenance work through inspection hatches.

FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing an indoor ventilation system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view of the heat exchange unit as seen from the inspection hatch side. FIG. 3 is a side view of the air supply and blowing section as seen from the inspection hatch side. FIG. 4 is a side view of the exhaust air blower section as seen from the inspection hatch side. FIG. 5 is a side view of the humidity adjusting section as seen from the inspection hatch side.

The following describes embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the embodiments and variations, identical or equivalent components and parts are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted where appropriate. The dimensions of the parts in each drawing are enlarged or reduced as appropriate to facilitate understanding. Some parts that are not important for explaining the embodiments are omitted from the drawings.

In addition, terms including ordinal numbers such as first and second are used to describe various components, but these terms are used only to distinguish one component from another and do not limit the components.

An indoor ventilation system 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically illustrating the indoor ventilation system 10. The indoor ventilation system 10 is fixed to a predetermined location in a building. FIG. 1 shows an example in which the indoor ventilation system 10 is installed above the ceiling 84 above the attic of a building 70. The indoor ventilation system 10 supplies outdoor air OA taken in from outside to a room 81 inside, such as a living room, and exhausts indoor air RA taken in from the room 81 to the outside, while also exchanging heat between the outdoor air OA and the indoor air RA.

The indoor ventilation system 10 includes a heat exchanger 2, an air intake/outlet unit 3, an exhaust air outlet unit 4, a humidity adjustment unit 5, and a control circuit unit 6. The heat exchanger 2, air intake/outlet unit 3, exhaust air outlet unit 4, and humidity adjustment unit 5 are collectively referred to as "component units." Each component unit is sized to fit through an inspection hatch 90 and is independently positioned around the inspection hatch 90 to surround it. The inspection hatch 90 is a rectangular opening in plan view, and is large enough, for example, to allow a maintenance worker to enter the ceiling space with their head and upper limbs. The heat exchanger 2 is positioned opposite the humidity adjustment unit 5 across the inspection hatch 90, and the air intake/outlet unit 3 is positioned opposite the exhaust air outlet unit 4 across the inspection hatch 90. When the inspection hatch 90 is rectangular, one component unit is positioned in each of the four regions defined by the diagonal extensions La and Lb of the inspection hatch 90.

The heat exchange unit 2 exchanges heat between outdoor air OA taken in from outdoors and indoor air RA taken in from indoors. The intake air blower 3 blows outdoor air OA from the heat exchange unit 2 to the room 81. The exhaust air blower 4 blows indoor air RA from the heat exchange unit 2 to outdoors. The humidity adjustment unit 5 humidifies or dehumidifies the outdoor air OA supplied to the room 81 from the intake air blower 3 to adjust the humidity. The humidity adjustment unit 5 can use known humidification or dehumidification means. In this example, the humidity adjustment unit 5 includes a centrifugal crushing disk 55, a drive motor 56 that drives the centrifugal crushing disk 55, and a water tank 57, and humidifies the outdoor air OA based on the principle of centrifugal crushing. The humidity adjustment unit 5 has a temperature and humidity sensor 53 that detects the temperature or humidity of the air passing through it.

The control circuit unit 6 receives operation signals corresponding to user operations from a remote control 68. The control circuit unit 6 controls the operation of each component unit based on the operation signals from the remote control 68.

The heat exchange unit 2 has a heat exchange element 25 that exchanges heat between a first air passage 27 that connects the OA port to the SA port and a second air passage 28 that connects the RA port to the EA port. The heat exchange unit 2 has a temperature and humidity sensor 23 that detects the temperature or humidity of air passing through the first air passage 27 or the second air passage 28. The OA port is connected to an outdoor air intake 78 via a duct 71. The SA port is connected to the intake port 38 of the air supply/blower unit 3 via a duct 72. The air outlet 39 of the air supply/blower unit 3 is connected to the intake port 58 of the humidity adjustment unit 5 via a duct 73. The air outlet 59 of the humidity adjustment unit 5 is connected to the air supply port 82 of the room 81 via a duct 74.

The air supply/blower unit 3 has a blower fan 35 and a fan motor 36 that drives the blower fan 35. The air supply/blower unit 3 has a temperature/humidity sensor 33 that detects the temperature or humidity of the air passing through it. When the fan motor 36 rotates the blower fan 35, outdoor air OA taken in from the outdoor air intake is drawn into the air supply/blower unit 3 through duct 71, the OA port, the first air passage 27, the SA port, and duct 72. The outdoor air OA drawn into the air supply/blower unit 3 passes through duct 73, the humidity adjustment unit 5, and duct 74, and is supplied into the room 81 through the air supply port 82.

The RA port of the heat exchange unit 2 is connected to the air intake 83 of the room 81 via duct 75. The EA port of the heat exchange unit 2 is connected to the air intake 48 of the exhaust blower 4 via duct 76. The air outlet 49 of the exhaust blower 4 is connected to the outdoor exhaust outlet 79 via duct 77.

The exhaust blower 4 has a blower fan 45 and a fan motor 46 that drives the blower fan 45. The exhaust blower 4 has a temperature/humidity sensor 43 that detects the temperature or humidity of the air passing through it. When the fan motor 46 rotates the blower fan 45, indoor air RA taken in through the air intake 83 of the room 81 is drawn into the exhaust blower 4 through the duct 75, the RA port, the second air passage 28, the EA port, and the duct 76. The indoor air RA drawn into the exhaust blower 4 passes through the duct 77 and is exhausted to the outdoors from the exhaust port 79.

The operation of one or more of the heat exchange unit 2, air supply/blower unit 3, air exhaust/blower unit 4, and humidity adjustment unit 5 may be controlled in accordance with the detection results of one or more of the temperature and humidity sensors 23, 33, 43, and 53.

The maintenance openings 22, 32, 42, and 52 will be described with reference to Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5. Figure 2 is a side view of the heat exchange unit 2 as viewed from the inspection hatch 90. Figure 3 is a side view of the air intake and blower unit 3 as viewed from the inspection hatch 90. For convenience, Figure 3 shows the controller box 62, which is fixed to the inspection hatch 90 side of the air intake and blower unit 3, above the air intake and blower unit 3. Figure 4 is a side view of the exhaust and blower unit 4 as viewed from the inspection hatch 90. Figure 5 is a side view of the humidity adjustment unit 5 as viewed from the inspection hatch 90. These figures show the unit with the cover R removed. It is possible to remove the unit from the inspection hatch 90 to perform maintenance on its main components. In this case, a significant amount of work is required to separate the ducts, wiring, and main body fixings.

In this embodiment, the heat exchange unit 2 has a maintenance opening 22 on its side facing the inspection hatch 90, through which specified maintenance target elements 24 can pass. The air intake and blower unit 3 has a maintenance opening 32 on its side facing the inspection hatch 90, through which specified maintenance target elements 34 can pass. The exhaust and blower unit 4 has a maintenance opening 42 on its side facing the inspection hatch 90, through which specified maintenance target elements 44 can pass. The humidity adjustment unit 5 has a maintenance opening 52 on its side facing the inspection hatch 90, through which specified maintenance target elements 54 can pass. In these cases, the maintenance target elements can be removed and serviced through the maintenance opening.

Maintenance openings 22, 32, 42, and 52 are collectively referred to as maintenance openings. A maintenance opening is an opening that allows a predetermined range of the interior to be exposed during maintenance of a component unit. There are no restrictions on the shape of the maintenance opening as long as it allows the element to be serviced to pass through, but in this embodiment it is rectangular. The maintenance opening is normally covered by a lid R. The lid R can be easily attached and detached to the component unit body by screwing or the like. In this example, the lid R has a rectangular shape.

From the perspective of reducing the amount of work required, it is desirable to position each maintenance opening around the inspection hatch 90. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, in the indoor ventilation system 10, the maintenance opening 32 of the intake air blower unit 3 is positioned opposite the maintenance opening 42 of the exhaust air blower unit 4, with the inspection hatch 90 in between. Furthermore, the maintenance opening 22 of the heat exchanger unit 2 is positioned opposite the maintenance opening 52 of the humidity adjustment unit 5, with the inspection hatch 90 in between. In these cases, maintainability can be improved.

Maintenance target elements 24, 34, 44, and 54 are collectively referred to as "maintenance target elements." A maintenance target element is a major part of a component unit's built-in elements that can be removed from the main body of the component unit for maintenance such as servicing, repair, or replacement. If a maintenance target element malfunctions, it can be replaced with a replacement maintenance target element through the maintenance opening, thereby reducing on-site work time.

An example of an element to be serviced will now be described. The air intake/blowing unit 3 has, as elements to be serviced 34 that can pass through the maintenance opening 32, a blower fan 35, a fan motor 36 that drives the blower fan 35, and a temperature/humidity sensor 33 that detects the temperature or humidity of the air. In other words, the maintenance opening 32 has a size and shape that allows the blower fan 35, fan motor 36, or temperature/humidity sensor 33 to pass through. The exhaust/blowing unit 4 has, as elements to be serviced 44 that can pass through the maintenance opening 42, a blower fan 45, a fan motor 46 that drives the blower fan 45, and a temperature/humidity sensor 43 that detects the temperature or humidity of the air. In other words, the maintenance opening 42 has a size and shape that allows the blower fan 45, fan motor 46, or temperature/humidity sensor 43 to pass through.

The heat exchange unit 2 also has a heat exchange element 25 and a temperature/humidity sensor 23 that detects air temperature or humidity as maintenance target elements 24 that can pass through the maintenance opening 22. In other words, the maintenance opening 22 has a size and shape that allows the heat exchange element 25 or temperature/humidity sensor 23 to pass through. The humidity adjustment unit 5 also has a centrifugal crushing disk 55, a drive motor 56 that drives the centrifugal crushing disk 55, a water tank 57, and a temperature/humidity sensor 53 that detects air temperature or humidity as maintenance target elements 54 that can pass through the maintenance opening 52. In other words, the maintenance opening 52 has a size and shape that allows the centrifugal crushing disk 55, drive motor 56, water tank 57, or temperature/humidity sensor 53 to pass through.

It is possible to provide a control circuit unit for each component unit, but this would be disadvantageous in terms of cost due to additional material and manufacturing costs. Therefore, in this embodiment, a single control circuit unit is configured to control the operation of multiple component units. In particular, in the example of Figure 1, the control circuit unit 6 controls the operation of the heat exchanger 2, air supply blower 3, exhaust blower 4, and humidity adjuster 5. This is advantageous in terms of manufacturing costs.

To improve maintainability of the control circuit unit 6, it is desirable to position the control circuit unit 6 so that it can be seen from the inspection hatch 90. Therefore, in this embodiment, the control circuit unit 6 is disposed on the inspection hatch 90 side of one of the heat exchanger 2, air intake/blower 3, exhaust/blower 4, and humidity adjuster 5. In the example shown in Figure 1, the control circuit unit 6 is disposed in a controller box 62 fixed to the inspection hatch 90 side of the air intake/blower 3. The control circuit unit 6 can be separated from other elements by removing the wiring connector (not shown). If the control circuit unit 6 malfunctions, it can be separated from the air intake/blower 3 and replaced with a replacement control circuit unit through the inspection hatch 90, thereby shortening on-site work time.

With the indoor ventilation system 10 of this embodiment, the maintenance target element can be replaced with a replacement maintenance target element through the maintenance opening. As a result, the work is easier than removing the component unit body through the inspection hatch 90, and the on-site work time for maintenance via the inspection hatch 90 can be reduced.

An overview of one aspect of the present disclosure is as follows. An indoor ventilation system (10) according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a heat exchange unit (2) for exchanging heat between outdoor air taken in from outdoors and indoor air taken in from indoors, an air intake unit (3) for blowing outdoor air from the heat exchange unit (2) to the indoors, and an exhaust unit (4) for blowing indoor air from the heat exchange unit (2) to the outdoors. The heat exchange unit (2), air intake unit (3), and exhaust unit (4) are sized to be accessible through an inspection hatch (90) and are independently arranged around the inspection hatch (90). The heat exchange unit (2), air intake unit (3), and exhaust unit (4) each have maintenance openings (22, 32, 42) on the inspection hatch (90) side that allow predetermined maintenance target elements (24, 34, 44) to pass through.

In the indoor ventilation system (10), the maintenance opening (32) of the air intake/blower section (3) is positioned opposite the maintenance opening (42) of the exhaust/blower section (4) across the inspection hatch (90).

The indoor ventilation system (10) has a maintenance opening (52) and further includes a humidity adjustment unit (5) that adjusts the humidity of the outdoor air supplied indoors from the air supply/discharge unit (3). The maintenance opening 22 of the heat exchange unit (2) is positioned opposite the humidity adjustment unit (5) across the inspection hatch (90).

In the indoor ventilation system (10), the air supply/blower section (3) and the exhaust/blower section (4) have, as maintenance target elements (34, 44) that can pass through the maintenance openings (32, 42) of each blower section, blower fans (35, 45) and fan motors (36, 46) that drive the blower fans (35, 45).

In the indoor ventilation system (10), the heat exchange unit (2) has a heat exchange element (25) as a maintenance target element (24) that can pass through the maintenance opening 22 of the heat exchange unit (2).

The indoor ventilation system (10) has a maintenance opening (52) and further includes a humidity adjustment unit (5) that adjusts the humidity of the outdoor air supplied indoors from the air supply/discharge unit (3). The humidity adjustment unit (5) has a centrifugal crushing disk (55) and a drive motor (56) that drives the centrifugal crushing disk (55) as a maintenance target element (54) that can pass through the maintenance opening (52) of the humidity adjustment unit.

The indoor ventilation system (10) has a control circuit unit (6) that controls the operation of the heat exchange unit (2), air supply/blower unit (3), and exhaust/blower unit (4). The control circuit unit (6) is disposed on the inspection hatch (90) side of one of the heat exchange unit (2), air supply/blower unit (3), and exhaust/blower unit (4).

The present disclosure has been described above based on examples. These examples are merely illustrative, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications are possible in the combination of each component or each treatment process, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present disclosure.

[Modification]
The following describes the modified examples. In the drawings and descriptions of the modified examples, the same or equivalent components and members as those in the embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals. Explanations that overlap with the embodiment will be omitted as appropriate, and the description will focus on the configurations that differ from the first embodiment.

In the description of the embodiment, an example was shown in which the indoor ventilation system 10 includes a humidity adjustment unit 5, but including the humidity adjustment unit 5 is not essential, and the indoor ventilation system 10 does not have to include the humidity adjustment unit 5.

In the description of the embodiment, an example was shown in which the humidity adjustment unit 5 was equipped with a humidifying means, but the humidity adjustment unit 5 may also be equipped with a dehumidifying means. Examples of such dehumidifying means include dehumidifying means that utilize the principle of a heat pump.

In the description of the embodiment, an example was shown in which the indoor ventilation system 10 was installed in the attic, but the indoor ventilation system 10 can also be installed in locations other than the attic, such as under the floor, inside a wall, or between walls.

A diagnostic terminal capable of outputting monitor information related to the element being serviced can be installed in the heat exchanger 2, air intake/outlet 3, exhaust/outlet 4, or humidity control unit 5 within a range visible from the service opening. Monitored information includes the element's temperature and humidity history, rotation history, vibration history, operating time, and other historical information, as well as information related to its state of deterioration. By connecting a designated tester to the diagnostic terminal, workers can easily ascertain the historical information and state of deterioration of the element being serviced.

Any combination of the above components is also valid as an embodiment of the technical idea that abstracts the embodiments and modified examples. For example, any description of another embodiment may be combined with an embodiment, or any description of an embodiment and another modified example may be combined with a modified example.

The above describes the examples and modifications. When understanding the abstract technical concepts of the examples and modifications, the technical concepts should not be interpreted as being limited to the content of the examples and modifications. The examples and modifications described above are merely illustrative examples, and many design changes are possible, such as changing, adding, or deleting components. In the examples, content that allows such design changes is emphasized by adding the notation "Example." However, design changes are also permitted even in content that does not have such notation.

The indoor ventilation system disclosed herein can be used to ventilate indoor spaces.

2 Heat exchange unit, 3 Air intake/outlet unit, 4 Exhaust air outlet unit, 5 Humidity adjustment unit, 6 Control circuit unit, 10 Indoor ventilation system, 22, 32, 42, 52 Maintenance opening, 24, 34, 44, 54 Maintenance target element, 25 Heat exchange element, 35, 45 Blower fan, 36, 46 Fan motor, 55 Centrifugal crushing disc, 56 Drive motor, 90 Inspection hatch.

Claims (6)

a heat exchange unit for exchanging heat between outdoor air taken in from outdoors and indoor air taken in from indoors;
an air supply/blowing unit that blows the outdoor air from the heat exchange unit into the indoors;
an exhaust air blower that blows the indoor air from the heat exchanger to the outdoors;
a humidity adjusting unit that adjusts the humidity of the outdoor air supplied from the air supply/blowing unit to the indoors;
Equipped with
The heat exchange unit, the air intake and exhaust blower units are formed to a size that allows them to be inserted and removed through an inspection hatch, and are independently arranged around the inspection hatch,
Each of the heat exchange unit, the humidity adjustment unit, the air intake and exhaust blower unit has a maintenance opening on the inspection hatch side through which a predetermined maintenance target element can pass,
The maintenance opening of the heat exchange unit is disposed opposite the maintenance opening of the humidity adjustment unit across the inspection hatch.
Indoor ventilation system. The indoor ventilation system of claim 1, wherein the maintenance opening for the air supply/blower section is positioned opposite the maintenance opening for the exhaust/blower section, across the inspection hatch. 2. The indoor ventilation system according to claim 1 , wherein the intake air blower and the exhaust air blower have, as maintenance target elements that can pass through the maintenance openings of the respective blower sections, a blower fan and a fan motor that drives the blower fan. The indoor ventilation system according to claim 1 , wherein the heat exchange unit has a heat exchange element as a maintenance target element that can pass through a maintenance opening of the heat exchange unit. The indoor ventilation system according to claim 1 , wherein the humidity adjustment unit has a centrifugal crushing disk and a drive motor for driving the centrifugal crushing disk as maintenance target elements that can pass through the maintenance opening of the humidity adjustment unit. a control circuit unit for controlling the operations of the heat exchange unit, the air supply blower unit, and the air exhaust blower unit;
The indoor ventilation system according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuit unit is disposed on the inspection hatch side of any one of the heat exchanger, the humidity adjuster, the air supply blower, and the air exhaust blower.