JP7749176B2 - Bathroom sterilization and cleaning system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a bathroom sterilization and cleaning system that uses ozone water.

A specific example of a bathroom sterilization and cleaning system is one that includes an ozone water spraying device that can spray ozone water into a bathroom, as described in Patent Document 1, for example.
Ozone water has a sterilizing effect. Therefore, according to the above configuration, various parts of the bathroom, such as walls, can be sterilized by spraying ozone water, thereby suppressing the growth of mold and bacteria. Ozone water spray can also be used to remove dirt.

However, the above-mentioned conventional technology still leaves room for improvement, as follows:

That is, there is a risk that someone may accidentally enter the bathroom while ozone water spraying is being performed and be exposed to ozone water. Because ozone water has a bactericidal effect as well as a bleaching effect, it is desirable to appropriately avoid this type of occurrence. Furthermore, while ozone water spraying is being performed, ozone gas is liberated from the ozone water, and it is highly likely that the ozone gas concentration in the bathroom will be high. Therefore, when a person enters the bathroom, they will be exposing their body to this ozone gas, so it is even more desirable to avoid this type of occurrence.

In Patent Document 1, spraying of ozone water and spraying of regular water (non-ozonated water) are alternately performed, so that even if a person is exposed to ozone water, the ozone water is washed away with regular water, thereby minimizing the effects of the ozone water. However, this method results in a significant waste of spraying regular water. Furthermore, it is not a method that can prevent people from being exposed to ozone water.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-48858

The present invention was conceived in light of the circumstances described above, and its objective is to provide a bathroom sterilization and cleaning system that can appropriately prevent or mitigate problems such as people being inadvertently exposed to ozone water or being exposed to a high-concentration ozone gas atmosphere.

To solve the above problems, the present invention takes the following technical measures.

The bathroom sterilizing and cleaning system provided by the present invention comprises an air blower capable of blowing air into a bathroom, a ventilation device capable of ventilating the bathroom by exhausting air from the bathroom to the outside, and an ozone water sprayer capable of spraying ozone water into the bathroom to perform a sterilizing and cleaning process. The bathroom sterilizing and cleaning system further comprises a bathroom entry determination means capable of determining whether or not a person has entered the bathroom, and is configured so that when the bathroom entry determination means determines that a person has entered the bathroom while the ozone water spraying operation is being performed, the ozone water spraying operation is interrupted and the air blowing and ventilation are performed.

This configuration provides the following effects.
That is, if someone enters the bathroom while the ozone water spraying operation is being performed to sterilize and clean the bathroom, the ozone water spraying operation is interrupted, thereby preventing the person entering the bathroom from being exposed to too much ozone water.
Another important effect is that when the ozone water spraying operation is stopped, air is blown into the bathroom and ventilation is performed, so that the high concentration of ozone gas that was present in the bathroom due to the ozone water spraying operation can be quickly discharged from the bathroom, thereby appropriately preventing people who enter the bathroom from being exposed to a high concentration of ozone gas atmosphere for a relatively long period of time.

In the present invention, preferably, the bathroom entry determination means is capable of determining whether or not a person has left the bathroom, and when the bathroom entry determination means determines that a person has left the bathroom after the ozone water spraying operation is suspended, the air blowing and ventilation are terminated and the ozone water spraying operation is resumed.

With this configuration, spraying ozone water into the bathroom resumes when a person leaves the bathroom, effectively avoiding the problem of the ozone water spraying operation being interrupted. Furthermore, when the ozone water spraying operation resumes, the air supply and ventilation into the bathroom are stopped, preventing problems such as a reduction in the efficiency of the bathroom's sterilization and cleaning process due to this air supply and ventilation.

In the present invention, preferably, the air blower and the ventilation device are controlled to operate at a higher air flow rate and ventilation rate than normal during the interruption of the ozone water spraying operation.

With this configuration, when the ozone water spray operation is interrupted due to a person entering the bathroom and air is blown into and ventilated into the bathroom, the high concentration of ozone gas present in the bathroom can be more quickly expelled outside the bathroom. Meanwhile, under normal circumstances, the air blowing and ventilation volumes are suppressed, making it possible to keep the operating noise of the air blowing and ventilation devices low.

In the present invention, preferably, the bathroom has a bathtub and a washing area, and louvers for the air blower and an air intake port for the ventilation device are provided above the bathtub. The air blowing performed when the ozone water spraying operation is interrupted is configured to blow air diagonally downward from the louvers toward the washing area, and the air that rises to the top of the bathroom due to the air blowing reaches the ventilation device via the air intake port and is exhausted outside the bathroom.

This configuration provides the following effects.
In other words, if the bathroom is filled with ozone gas when the ozone water spraying operation is interrupted, air can be blown diagonally downward from the louvers above the bathtub toward the washing area, causing the ozone gas to rise around the air blowing area and smoothly guide it to the air intake located above the bathtub, where it can reach the ventilation system. This allows the ozone gas to be efficiently exhausted to the outside, and the ozone gas concentration to be reduced more rapidly.
Another important effect is that the bathroom door is located on the washing area side, opposite the bathtub. Therefore, when the door is open and air is blown out from the louvers above the bathtub toward the washing area, ozone gas is discharged from the door, reducing the ozone gas concentration. Furthermore, when the door is closed and air is blown out, the ventilation system efficiently exhausts ozone gas to the outside, also reducing the ozone gas concentration.

In the present invention, preferably, a bathroom drying device capable of bathroom drying operation for drying the bathroom is provided, and this bathroom drying device is equipped with the air blower, the ventilation device, and the ozone water spray device.

This configuration provides the following effects.
In other words, bathroom dryers are generally equipped with air blowers and ventilation devices. Using such a bathroom dryer as a component of the bathroom disinfecting and cleaning system of the present invention makes the overall configuration rational and is preferable for reducing costs.

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

1 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of a bathroom sterilization and cleaning system according to the present invention. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of a bathroom drying device, which is a component of the bathroom sterilizing and cleaning system shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the state of air blowing and ventilation in the bathroom in the bathroom sterilization and cleaning system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation procedure executed in the bathroom sterilization and cleaning system shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Below, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

The bathroom sterilization and cleaning system SY shown in Figures 1 and 2 is equipped with a bathroom drying device A. The bathroom drying device A is configured by combining a main body A0 installed above the bathtub 11 in the ceiling 10 of the bathroom 1 with a separate remote control 2, and the main body A0 incorporates an ozone water spray device 4, which will be described later. In addition, a human presence sensor Sa (human body detection sensor) is incorporated into the bathroom remote control 81A of the hot water supply device 8, which will be described later.

The bathroom drying device A is configured to receive hot water from a water heater 8. The water heater 8 is capable of supplying hot water to the bathtub 11 via piping 80, and also has a general hot water supply function for the kitchen, etc., and is equipped with a control unit 82 that controls the operation of each part of the water heater 8 and executes various data processing. In addition to the bathroom remote control 81A mentioned above, the kitchen remote control 81B is also communicatively connected to this control unit 82.

The main body A0 of the bathroom drying device A includes a blower fan 30 (also called a circulation fan), a heat exchanger 31 for heating air, a ventilation fan 32, a mist ejection nozzle 33, an ozone water spray device 4, a control unit 5, and a housing 34 that covers all of these parts.
The blower fan 30 and the ventilation fan 32 are specific examples of the blower device and the ventilation device, respectively, of the present invention.

Blower fan 30 draws air through air inlet 35a located on the underside of housing 34 and delivers it into bathroom 1 via louver 36 located at the air outlet. Heat exchanger 31 heats the air drawn into blower fan 30 through air inlet 35a. Heated hot water is supplied to heat exchanger 31 from water heater 8 as a heating medium. When blower fan 30 is running, heated hot water is supplied from water heater 8 to heat exchanger 31, heating the air drawn through air inlet 35a, and warm air is delivered to bathroom 1 via louver 36. During bathroom drying operation of bathroom dryer device A, the aforementioned warm air delivery and ventilation by ventilation fan 32 are performed in parallel.
When the supply of heated hot water to the heat exchanger 31 is stopped, unheated air (unheated air) is blown into the bathroom 1 through the louvers 36.

The direction of the louvers 36 can be changed by a motor (not shown), and the air blowing angle when blowing air into the bathroom 1 can be changed as appropriate.
During a specific period (when the ozone water spraying operation is interrupted), as will be described later, louvers 36 are configured to blow air diagonally downward toward washing area 1a of bathroom 1, as shown in Figure 3. Preferably, the air blowing direction is set at an angle of 30 to 60 degrees relative to vertical line VL (the range of α1 to α2 in Figure 3, where α1 = 30 degrees and α2 = 60 degrees).
In Figures 1 and 3, reference numeral 18 indicates the entrance to the bathroom 1, which can be opened and closed by a door 17.

Ventilation fan 32 is a fan for exhausting air from bathroom 1 to the outdoors. When ventilation fan 32 is operated, air from bathroom 1 is drawn into housing 34 through air intake port 35a, enters the area where ventilation fan 32 is installed, and is then exhausted to the outdoors through exhaust port 37.
The operating speeds of the blower fan 30 and the ventilation fan 32 are variable, and during normal blowing and ventilation, they are operated at a relatively low speed so as to reduce drive noise. On the other hand, during a specific period (when the ozone water spraying operation is interrupted), which will be described later, the blower fan 30 and the ventilation fan 32 are operated at a high speed (for example, maximum speed) so that the blowing volume and ventilation volume are greater than normal.

The mist spray nozzle 33 is a nozzle that sprays a mist of hot water into the bathroom 1 when a bather wishes to take a mist shower. The water supply piping 60, which supplies hot water to the mist spray nozzle 33, is equipped with an on-off valve Va, such as a solenoid valve, and a heat exchanger 61. When the on-off valve Va is open, a mist of hot water is sprayed from the mist spray nozzle 33. Heated hot water is supplied from the water heater 8 to the heat exchanger 61, which can heat the hot water supplied to the mist spray nozzle 33. Like the louver 36, the orientation of the mist spray nozzle 33 can be changed by a motor (not shown). The mist spray nozzle 33 can be omitted if desired.

The ozone water spray device 4 includes a piping section 40 branched off from the water supply piping section 60, an on-off valve Vb such as an electromagnetic valve provided on the piping section 40, an ozone water generator 42, and a nozzle 43 for spraying ozone water. The ozone water generator 42 can be of a conventionally known configuration, such as one that generates ozone by electrolyzing water using electrodes, or one that generates ozone gas from air and dissolves it in water. Any method is acceptable. When the on-off valve Vb is set to an open state, the ozone water generated by the ozone water generator 42 is sprayed from the nozzle 43 toward the bathroom 1. The ozone water is sprayed from the nozzle 43 toward, for example, the side walls 12 and floor 13 of the bathroom 1.

Control unit 5 is configured using a microcomputer and other components, and controls the operation of each component of bathroom drying device A, including drying operation of bathroom 1 and, as will be described later, sterilizing and cleaning bathroom 1. Control unit 5 can wirelessly communicate data with remote control 2 via communication unit 50.
The remote control 2 is, for example, portable, and includes a communication circuit (not shown) for wirelessly communicating with the control unit 5 via the communication unit 50, a plurality of operation switches 20 for issuing various operational commands, a display unit 21, and a speaker 22 capable of outputting sounds such as voice messages.

As mentioned above, bathroom remote control 81A is equipped with a human sensor Sa (human body detection sensor). This human sensor Sa is used to detect people entering and leaving bathroom 1, and is, for example, an image sensor using a pyroelectric element. The output signal of this human sensor Sa is input to control unit 5 of bathroom drying device A via control unit 82 of water heater 8, and this control unit 5 determines whether a person has entered bathroom 1 and whether a person has left bathroom 1. The combination of human sensor Sa and control unit 5 corresponds to a specific example of the bathroom entry determination means referred to in this invention.
Alternatively, the determination of whether or not a person has entered bathroom 1 based on the output signal of human sensor Sa may be made by a control unit (not shown) provided in bathroom remote control 81A, for example. The determination of whether or not a person has entered bathroom 1 does not necessarily have to be made by control unit 5 of bathroom drying device A, but may be made by another location.

Next, an example of the operational processing procedure executed by the bathroom sterilization and cleaning system SY described above will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in Figure 4. Its operation will also be explained.

First, when the remote control 2 is used to operate the sterilization and cleaning process for the bathroom 1, the ozone water sprayer 4 is activated and begins spraying ozone water into the bathroom 1 (S1: YES, S2). At this time, the blower fan 30 and ventilation fan 32 are stopped. This prevents problems such as a reduction in the efficiency of the sterilization and cleaning process using the ozone water spraying process due to the blowing of air or ventilation into the bathroom 1.

The above-mentioned ozone water spraying operation is terminated by the control of the control unit 5 when the total operating time reaches a predetermined time (S3: YES, S4). However, if a person enters the bathroom 1 before the ozone water spraying operation has finished and this is detected by the control unit 5 via the human presence sensor Sa, the ozone water spraying operation will be interrupted (S3: NO, S7: YES, S8). This prevents people entering the bathroom 1 from being exposed to too much ozone water.

Following the interruption of the ozone water spraying operation, blower fan 30 and ventilation fan 32 are driven to start blowing air (unheated air) into bathroom 1 and ventilating bathroom 1 (S8). While the ozone water spraying operation is being carried out, a large amount of ozone gas liberated from the ozone water accumulates in bathroom 1, causing the ozone gas concentration to increase. However, by blowing air into bathroom 1 and ventilating the bathroom, the ozone gas concentration can be rapidly reduced.
In this case, the driving speeds of the blower fan 30 and the ventilation fan 32 are set higher than usual, and the blower and ventilation volumes are increased. This allows the ozone gas concentration to be reduced more quickly. While it is undesirable for people to remain in the bathroom 1 for a long period of time when a high concentration of ozone gas remains, the above-described blower and ventilation can appropriately resolve such a situation.

Ozone gas has a higher specific gravity than air, so it is difficult to smoothly exhaust it to the outside through the ventilation fan 32 installed on the ceiling 10 of the bathroom 1. In contrast, if air is blown using the blower fan 30 as shown in Figure 3, ozone gas can be efficiently raised around the air blowing area (the area where the blowing air flow is generated) and guided to the air intake 35a, where it can be smoothly exhausted to the outside using the ventilation fan 32. When a person opens the door 17 and air is blown out through the louver 36 toward the washing area 1a, ozone gas is exhausted from the entrance/exit 18, reducing the ozone gas concentration.

When a person subsequently leaves bathroom 1 and control unit 5 detects this via motion sensor Sa, ozone water spraying resumes and air supply and ventilation to bathroom 1 are stopped (S9: YES, S10). This control prevents ozone water spraying from remaining stopped, allowing for proper sterilization and cleaning of bathroom 1. After ozone water spraying resumes, when the total time of ozone water spraying reaches a predetermined time, ozone water spraying ends at that point, as in the case described above (S3: YES, S4).

After the ozone water spraying operation is completed, bathroom drying device A is driven to perform bathroom drying operation (S5). As previously mentioned, during bathroom drying operation, warm air is blown into bathroom 1 and bathroom 1 is ventilated by ventilation fan 32 in parallel. In this case, blower fan 30 and ventilation fan 32 are driven at normal speed, for example. Bathroom drying operation ends, for example, when the humidity in bathroom 1, detected using a humidity sensor (not shown) attached to bathroom drying device A, drops below a predetermined value, or when a preset timer time has elapsed (S6: YES). By performing the bathroom drying operation described above, bathroom 1 can be quickly transformed into an atmosphere free of ozone water and ozone gas.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The specific configuration of each component of the bathroom disinfection and cleaning system according to the present invention can be freely designed and modified within the intended scope of the present invention.

The ozone water spray device need only be configured to be able to spray ozone water into the bathroom, and there are no limitations on the specific method for generating the ozone water or the ozone concentration of the generated ozone water. As can be understood from the above-described embodiment, the number of nozzles for spraying ozone water is not limited to one, and multiple nozzles may be used, with no specific number being an issue. Ozone water spraying does not only involve continuous spraying, but may also involve intermittent spraying at predetermined short intervals, for example.

In the above embodiment, the human presence sensor Sa is attached to the bathroom remote control 81A, but the present invention is not limited to this and the human presence sensor Sa may be provided in a location different from the bathroom remote control 81A, for example, attached to the bathroom drying device A. Multiple human presence sensors Sa may also be used.
The bathroom entry determination means of the present invention is not limited to a means using a human sensor configured using a pyroelectric element, etc. For example, it may be configured to capture images of the bathroom using an imaging camera such as a CCD imaging camera, and determine whether a person has entered or left the bathroom by analyzing the captured images.

In the above-described embodiment, the bathroom sterilizing and cleaning system is configured by further providing an ozone water sprayer in addition to a bathroom drying device equipped with a blower fan and a ventilation fan, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the ozone water sprayer could be installed in a location separate from the bathroom drying device. Furthermore, although less practical, the bathroom sterilizing and cleaning system of the present invention could also be configured without using a bathroom drying device. When a bathroom drying device is used, an electric heater, for example, could be used as air heating means for generating the warm air used in the bathroom drying operation.
The specific configuration of the air blower and ventilation device referred to in the present invention is not limited.

SY Bathroom sterilization and cleaning system Sa Human presence sensor (bathroom entry determination means)
A Bathroom drying device 1 Bathroom 1a Washing area 11 Bathtub 30 Blower fan (blower device)
35a Air intake port 36 Louver 32 Ventilation fan (ventilation device)
4 Ozone water spray device 5 Control unit (bathroom entry determination means)

Claims (5)

a blower capable of blowing air into the bathroom;
a ventilation device capable of ventilating the bathroom by exhausting air from the bathroom to the outside;
an ozone water spraying device capable of spraying ozone water into the bathroom to perform a sterilization and cleaning treatment of the bathroom;
A bathroom disinfection and cleaning system comprising:
The bathroom entrance determining means may further include means for determining whether or not a person has entered the bathroom.
This bathroom sterilization and cleaning system is characterized in that when the bathroom entry determination means determines that a person has entered the bathroom during the period in which the ozone water spraying operation is being performed, the ozone water spraying operation is interrupted and the air blowing and ventilation are performed. The bathroom disinfection and cleaning system according to claim 1,
the bathroom entry determination means is capable of determining whether or not a person has left the bathroom;
The bathroom sterilization and cleaning system is configured so that when the bathroom entry determination means determines that a person has left the bathroom after the ozone water spraying operation has been interrupted, the air blowing and ventilation are terminated and the ozone water spraying operation is resumed. The bathroom disinfection and cleaning system according to claim 1,
The bathroom sterilization and cleaning system is configured such that the air blower and the ventilation device are driven and controlled so that the air blowing volume and ventilation volume are greater than normal during the interruption of the ozone water spraying operation. The bathroom disinfection and cleaning system according to claim 1,
The bathroom has a bathtub and a washing area.
A louver for blowing air from the air blower and an air intake port for the ventilation device are provided above the bathtub,
This bathroom sterilization and cleaning system is configured so that the air blowing that is performed when the ozone water spraying operation is interrupted is blown diagonally downward from the louvers toward the washing area, and the air that rises to the top of the bathroom due to the air blowing reaches the ventilation device through the air intake and is exhausted outside the bathroom. The bathroom disinfection and cleaning system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A bathroom drying device capable of performing a bathroom drying operation for drying the bathroom is provided.
The bathroom sterilization and cleaning system comprises the bathroom drying device, the air blower, the ventilation device, and the ozone water spray device.