JP6298712B2 - Humidifier - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a humidifier that performs humidification by heating water to generate steam.

  There are various types of humidifiers such as a vaporization type, an ultrasonic type, and a vapor type. The steam-type humidifier is configured to heat water to generate steam and supply the steam to a target space for humidification.

  Steam-type humidifiers include a type in which a heating source such as a heater is directly placed in a heating tank that stores water, or primary steam generated by an external device such as a boiler in a heating tank via a heating coil or the like. There is an indirect type that introduces and heats the water in the tank by the heat to generate secondary steam (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In large-scale facilities such as factories, hospitals, and commercial facilities, a large-capacity humidifier may be required. In such a case, a humidifier of a type having a plurality of heating tanks in one humidifier is used. Alternatively, a plurality of humidifiers having one heating tank are prepared, and any one of them is connected as a master unit and the rest as a slave unit so as to be communicable, and each humidification amount is controlled.

JP 2001-141269 A

  In such a steam-type humidifier, water evaporates during operation, and the water level in the heating tank gradually decreases. Therefore, a water supply tank is provided to detect water level drop and replenish water. Since this water supply tank maintains a constant water level in the heating tank, steam can be continuously generated in the heating tank.

  However, although water evaporates in the heating tank, impurities such as calcium contained in the water do not evaporate. Therefore, if the amount of water evaporated is replenished as it is, the impurities contained in the water are concentrated and the scale is deposited. The deposited scale adheres to the inner wall of the heating tank and the heating source, causing deterioration of the humidification performance and failure of the humidifier itself. Therefore, in such a steam humidifier, control is performed so as to keep the impurity concentration of the water in the tank constant by periodically discharging the water in the heating tank.

  In a humidifier equipped with a plurality of heating tanks or a humidifier system equipped with a plurality of humidifiers, the start of drainage is controlled at the same timing. However, when water is supplied for the amount of drained water, the temperature of the heating tank is temporarily lowered, and at the same time, the amount of generated steam is also reduced. Here, if the water is discharged simultaneously in a plurality of heating tanks, the amount of generated steam is greatly reduced, which may affect the humidification performance.

  In view of the above-described problems, the present invention prevents a temporary decrease in the amount of steam generated by water supply after drainage by controlling the drainage timing of each tank in a humidifier or a humidification system having a plurality of heating tanks. An object of the present invention is to provide a humidifying device and a humidifying system excellent in humidifying performance and reliability.

  In order to achieve the above object, a humidifier according to the present invention includes a plurality of storage units that store water and a heating unit that is provided in each of the plurality of storage units and generates steam by heating the water. A water supply unit that supplies water to the plurality of storage units so that water levels in the plurality of storage units are constant, and at least a part of the water in which impurities are concentrated by generation of the steam And a drainage control unit that controls the drainage unit so that the drainage start timing from at least one storage unit is different from the drainage start timing of the other storage units.

  As one aspect of the present invention, the drainage control unit may control the drainage unit so that the drainage start timings of all the storage units are different from each other.

  As another aspect of the present invention, the drainage control unit may control the drainage unit so that the drainage time from the drainage start to the drainage end of all the storage units does not overlap.

  The humidification system according to the present invention is configured such that a plurality of humidifiers are communicably connected, and each of the humidifiers is provided in a storage section for storing water and the storage section, and heats the water. A heating unit that generates steam, a water supply unit that supplies water to the storage unit so that a water level in the storage unit is constant, and at least a part of the water in which impurities are concentrated by generation of the steam A drainage unit that discharges from the storage unit, and a control unit that controls the drainage operation of the drainage unit, and the control unit of any one humidifier is a drainage start timing of at least one humidifier as a drainage control unit Is determined to be different from the drainage start timing of other humidifiers, and the drainage timing is determined and transmitted to the control unit of each humidifier.

  As one aspect of the present invention, the drainage control unit may determine the drainage start timing of each humidifier so that the drainage start timings of all the humidifiers are different from each other.

  As another aspect of the present invention, the drainage control unit controls the timing of drainage start and drainage end of each humidifier so that the drainage time from the drainage start of all the humidifiers to the end of drainage does not overlap. good.

  According to the present invention, in a humidifying device or a humidifying system having a plurality of heating tanks, the drainage timing from at least one heating tank is made different from the others, so that a decrease in humidification amount due to simultaneous drainage can be prevented. It is possible to provide a humidifying device and a humidifying system that have excellent performance and high reliability.

It is a schematic diagram which shows schematic structure of the humidifier which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control part which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the waste_water | drain process which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation example of the waste_water | drain process in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation example of the waste_water | drain process in 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows schematic structure of the humidification system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control part which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the waste_water | drain process which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, a humidifying device and a humidifying system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
[1. Constitution]
1st Embodiment is related with the humidification apparatus provided with the some heating tank. As shown in FIG. 1, the humidifier 1 includes a plurality of heating tanks 2A and 2B. The number of heating tanks is not particularly limited as long as it is 2 or more, and can be determined in consideration of the installation space or the like. In the present embodiment, a case where two heating tanks 2A and 2B are provided will be described.

  For example, when the inside of a facility such as a hospital or factory is a humidification target space, the humidifier 1 can be arranged in an air conditioning room that manages the air conditioning of the facility. A humidity detection device 9 such as a Humidistat is installed in the humidification target space. The humidifier 1 acquires the humidity information of the humidification target space from the humidity detection device 9 and performs humidification according to the humidity of the humidification target space.

  The humidifying device 1 has heating tanks 2A and 2B as storage units, a heating body 21 as a heating unit, a water supply tank 3 as a water supply unit, and a drain pipe 13 as a drainage unit in each of the heating tanks 2A and 2B. It has. The humidifier 1 further includes a control unit 5 that controls the operation of each unit.

  The heating tanks 2A and 2B are cylindrical containers with bottoms at both ends, and store water therein. Since the heating tanks 2A and 2B have the same configuration, only the configuration of the heating tank 2A will be described here, and the description of the heating tank 2B will be omitted. The heating tank 2A is provided with a heating body 21 for heating the water in the tank. Thermal energy is supplied from the heating element 21 to the water, and vapor is generated in the tank as the water vaporizes. On the ceiling surface of the heating tank 2, a steam hole 22 for releasing steam generated in the tank to the outside of the heating tank 2A, and a hose 23 for introducing this steam into a room to be air-conditioned or other air-conditioning equipment. Is provided.

  The heating element 21 is provided with a heat amount adjusting mechanism (not shown) so that the heat generation amount can be adjusted. The heat amount adjusting mechanism of the heating body 21 is connected to the control unit 5 disposed outside the heating tank 2 </ b> A, and adjusts the heat generation amount according to a command from the control unit 5. The heating body 21 is disposed in the water in the heating tank 2A. As the heating body 21, for example, a sheathed heater, a heating coil, an electrode rod that directly heats water by applying electric power, or the like can be used.

  Steam holes 22 are provided in the ceiling surface of the heating tank 2A. The steam hole 22 is connected to a hose 23, and secondary steam generated in the tank is introduced into the humidification target space via the steam hole 22 and the hose 23.

  The heating tank 2 </ b> A communicates with the water supply tank 3 through two systems of pipes, a makeup water pipe 11 and a pressure equalizing pipe 12. The water supply tank 3 is a container for storing water supplied to the heating tank 2A.

  One end of the replenishing water pipe 11 is connected to the bottom surface of the water supply tank 3 and the other end is connected to the lower part of the side surface of the heating tank 2A so that water can flow from the water supply tank 3 into the heating tank 2A. The pressure equalizing pipe 12 has one end connected to the ceiling of the water supply tank 3 and the other end connected to the upper side of the heating tank 2A. By the pressure equalizing pipe 12, the air pressure in the heating tank 2A and the water supply tank 3 is evenly distributed, and the water levels in the heating tank 2A and the water supply tank 3 become equal.

  An automatic water tap 31 is provided inside the water supply tank 3 to regulate the amount of water supplied from the outside so as to keep the water level in the water supply tank 3 constant. The automatic water tap 31 is, for example, a ball tap water supply type water tap in which the opening degree of the valve is adjusted in conjunction with the operation of the float that moves up and down according to the water level. When the water level of the heating tank 2A drops, the water supply tank 3 causes the water to flow into the heating tank 2A via the makeup water pipe 11 so that the water levels of both tanks coincide with each other. The automatic water tap 31 detects this water level drop and takes in water from the outside so as to return the water level in the water supply tank 3 to a predetermined water level. In this way, the water supply tank 3 maintains the inside of the heating tank 2A at a constant water level.

  One end of the drain pipe 13 is connected to the lower part of the heating tank 2 </ b> A, and the other end is drawn out of the humidifier 1. The drain pipe 13 is provided with a drain valve 4 that regulates the discharge of water in the heating tank 2A. The drain valve 4 is opened / closed or adjusted by the controller 5. For example, an electromagnetic valve can be used as the drain valve 4. When the heating body 21 is heated and the evaporation of water proceeds in the heating tank 2A and the amount of water decreases, water is supplied from the water supply tank 3. On the other hand, since impurities such as calcium contained in water do not evaporate, the impurities are concentrated. Therefore, the drain valve 4 is opened periodically, the water in the heating tank 2A is discharged from the drain pipe 13, and the impurity concentration of the water in the tank is kept constant. The control part 5 mentioned later performs the opening / closing control of the drain valve 4. FIG.

  The control unit 5 includes, for example, a dedicated electronic circuit or a microcontroller (MCU) that operates with a predetermined program. The control unit 5 also includes a communication device 8. The communication device 8 periodically receives the humidity information H of the humidification target space from the humidity detection device 9 installed in the humidification target space. The humidity information H includes the humidity of the humidification target space detected by the humidity detection device 9 and information on the required humidification amount.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 5 includes a heating control unit 6 that performs heating control of the heating body 21 and a drainage control unit 7 that performs drainage control of the heating tanks 2 </ b> A and 2 </ b> B.

  The heating control unit 6 is a processing unit that manipulates the heat generation amount of the heating body 21 according to the required humidification amount. The heating control unit 6 calculates the required steam generation amount of each of the heating tanks 2A and 2B from the required humidification amount included in the humidity information H transmitted from the humidity detection device 9. For example, when the amount of water stored in the heating tanks 2A and 2B is uniform, the required amount of generated steam may be calculated by simply dividing the required humidification amount into two. Further, for example, when the amount of water stored in each of the heating tanks 2A and 2B is different, a necessary humidification amount may be allocated according to the amount of storage, and a different required steam generation amount may be calculated for each. Further, for example, when the heating tank B is provided as a spare tank, etc., if the required humidification amount is less than a predetermined value, the necessary humidification amount is all set as a necessary steam generation amount in the heating tank 2A, and the predetermined value or more. In such a case, the humidification amount in a portion exceeding the predetermined value may be set as the required steam generation amount in the heating tank 2B.

  The heating control unit 6 further calculates the heat generation amount Q of the heating body 21 of each heating tank 2A, 2B from the necessary steam generation amount allocated to each heating tank 2A, 2B. The amount of heat generated is adjusted by inputting to the heat amount adjusting mechanism of the heating body 21 of 2A and 2B. The obtained calorific value Q is also input from the heating control unit 6 to the drainage control unit 7.

  The drainage control unit 7 is a processing unit that performs drainage control on a heating tank in which steam is generated. As described above, the drainage control unit 7 receives the input of the heat generation amount Q of each heating tank 2A, 2B from the heating control unit 6. About the heating tank which input calorific value Q, it judges that steam has generated and performs drainage control. For a heating tank that does not receive a calorific value Q, it is determined that no steam is generated, and drainage control is stopped. When the heating tank 2B described above is used as a spare tank, steam is generated only in the heating tank 2A when the required humidification amount is less than a predetermined value, so that the drainage control is performed only on the heating tank 2A. become.

  When drainage control is performed only on the heating tank 2A, the drainage control unit 7 simply drains a predetermined amount of water every predetermined drainage cycle. On the other hand, when there is an input of the calorific value Q from both heating tanks 2A and 2B and it is determined that steam is generated, the drainage is performed so that there is a time difference in the drainage start timing for each heating tank 2A and 2B. Take control.

  For this purpose, the drainage control unit 7 includes a drainage timing determination unit 71, an output unit 72, a timer unit 76, and a storage unit 75. The time measuring unit 76 measures time, and can be constituted by, for example, a timer or a real time clock.

The storage unit 75 stores various data necessary for performing drainage control of the plurality of heating tanks 2A and 2B. In the present embodiment, data of the drainage order information O, drainage cycle _Tc , drainage time _Td, and drainage time difference _Tdif of each heating tank is stored.

  The drainage order information O indicates that the drainage order of the plurality of heating tanks installed in the humidifying device 1 is nth (n is a natural number satisfying 1 ≦ n ≦ N, and N is the total number of heating tanks). It is data. In the present embodiment, two heating tanks 2A and 2B are installed. For example, when the heating tank 2A is set to be drained first, the heating tank 2A is the first in the drainage order information O. Yes, the data that the heating tank 2B is second is recorded.

One cycle of the drainage cycle _Tc is set to a time from the start of operation to the upper limit steam generation amount or a shorter time when the humidifier 1 is operated to the maximum. “Maximum operation” means when the amount of heat generated by the heating element 21 becomes the maximum set value, and the amount of steam generated per unit time of the humidifier 1 becomes maximum. Note that the maximum set value of the heat generation amount of the heating element 21 is appropriately determined in consideration of safety and the like. The upper limit steam generation amount means an amount that may cause reduction in humidification performance if steam is continuously generated without draining. The upper limit steam generation amount can be determined in consideration of the amount of water stored in the heating tanks 2A and 2B, the amount of water supplied from the water supply tank 3, the quality of the supplied water, the allowable concentration of impurities, and the like. By setting the drainage cycle _Tc in this way, it is possible to prevent the concentration of impurities contained in the water in the heating tanks 2A and 2B and to prevent the precipitation of scale.

The drainage time _Td is the opening time of the drainage valve 4 that is necessary for discharging the drainage pipe 13 from the drainage pipe 13 for the amount of drainage necessary for the upper limit steam generation amount. This opening time is determined from the amount of drainage and the drainage speed of the drainage valve 4. The amount of drainage required for the upper limit steam generation amount means the amount of drainage necessary for preventing concentration of impurities and keeping the concentration constant. This drainage amount can be determined in consideration of the ratio of the drainage amount to the water supply amount, that is, the blow rate.

The drainage time difference _Tdif is a time provided between the drainage start timings of the plurality of heating tanks 2A and 2B. Considering the number of heating tanks 2A and 2B installed in the humidifying device 1 and the time taken to recover the temperature after the water temperature drops due to the water supply after draining, the drainage time difference T _dif The time to be provided between the start of drainage of the heating tanks 2A and 2B is determined in advance so that the amount of generated steam is not greatly reduced. For example, when the time required for temperature recovery is relatively long, the drainage time difference _Tdif may be set so that the drainage times do not overlap at all in the heating tanks 2A and 2B. In that case, as shown in the following equation (1), the drainage time difference _Tdif is equal to or longer than the drainage time _Td and is shorter than one cycle of the drainage period _Tc. (T _c > T _dif ≧ T _d ).

In addition, for example, if the time required for temperature recovery is relatively short and the drainage start timing is adjusted, the drainage time may partially overlap if the humidification performance is not greatly reduced. In that case, the drainage time difference _Tdif is shorter than the drainage time _Td .

  The drainage timing determination unit 71 refers to the measurement time of the timing unit 76 and each data of the storage unit 75, and starts draining the heating tank in which the calorific value Q is input, that is, the heating tank in which steam is generated. Determine the time and drainage end time.

In the case where steam is generated only in any one of the tanks, for example, the heating tank 2A, the drainage timing is determined so that drainage is simply performed in the drainage cycle _Tc for the heating tank 2A. Specifically, with reference to the measurement time of the time measuring unit 76, the time after the same time T as the one cycle of the drainage cycle _Tc has elapsed as the drainage start time _t1start, and the drainage time _{Td has} elapsed from the drainage start time. The time is set as the drainage end time _t1end .

When steam is generated in both tanks, the drainage timing determination unit 71 refers to the drainage sequence information O and determines the drainage timing from the heating tank whose drainage sequence is earlier, here the heating tank 2A. For the heating tank 2B having the next drainage sequence, the drainage timing is determined by providing the drainage time difference _Tdif . That is, the drain start time t _1start and the drain end time t _1end of the heating tank 2A are determined in the same manner as when steam is generated only in the heating tank 2A, while the drainage starts from the drain start time t _1start of the heating tank 2A. The time after the elapse of the time difference T _dif is set as the drainage start time t _2start of the heating tank 2B. The time after drainage time _{Td has} elapsed is _defined as drainage end time _t2end .

  The determined drainage timing is temporarily stored in the storage unit 75. If the operation of the humidifier 1 is continued, drainage is continued. That is, as long as the heat generation amount Q is input, the determination of the drainage timing is continued. Specifically, when the drainage timing of the heating tank 2B having the latest drainage timing is determined, the process returns to the drainage timing determination of the youngest drainage sequence again.

  The output unit 72 generates and outputs an open / close control signal S1 for the drain valve 4 so that water is discharged from the drain pipes 13 of the heating tanks 2A and 2B at the drain timing determined by the drain timing determination unit 71. To do. The open / close control signal S1 includes drainage start time, drainage end time, and drainage time as command values.

[2. Operation]
Next, an operation example of drainage control of the humidifier 1 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Here, the operation in the case where steam is generated in both of the two heating tanks 2A and 2B and drainage control is performed with a time difference will be described.

First, when there is an input of the calorific value Q of the heating body 21 of each of the heating tanks 2A, 2B from the heating control unit 6 (step S01), the drain control unit 7 performs an initialization process for setting the variable n indicating the drainage order to 1. Perform (step S02). Drainage timing determining section 71, the input time of the calorific value Q, defined as the start time t ₀ of the steam generator.

The drainage timing determination unit 71 refers to the drainage order information O stored in the storage unit 75 (step S03). After the initialization process, in order to determine the drainage timing of the heating tank 2A having the first drainage order (step S04: No), the process proceeds to step S05. Drainage timing determining section 71, shown in the following equation (1), from the start time t ₀ of the steam generator, to determine the time after the same time T has passed and a cycle of the drainage period T _c as waste starting time t _nStart ( Step S05).
t _nstart = t ₀ + T (1)

Further, as the following equation (2), the time after the drainage time _{T d} elapses from the drainage start time _{t nStart,} determined as drainage end time _{t nend} (step S06).
t _nend = t _nstart + T _d (2)

The drainage timing determination unit 71 temporarily stores the determined drainage start time t _nstart and drainage end time t _nend of the heating tank 2 _{</ b> A} in the storage unit 75.

  The drainage timing determination unit 71 performs an addition process of n = n + 1 (step S07), returns to step S03, refers to the drainage sequence information O, and determines the drainage timing of the heating tank 2B having the second drainage sequence. .

For the second and subsequent heating tanks (step S04: Yes), the drainage timing in which the drainage time difference _Tdif is provided in the drainage timing of the _immediately preceding heating tank is determined.

Specifically, the drainage timing determination unit 71 _{calculates the} time after the drainage time difference _{Tdif has} elapsed from the drainage start time t _{(n-1) start} of the heating tank 2A of the previous drainage order, as in the following equation (3). Then, the drainage start time t _nstart of the heating tank 2B is set (step S08).
t _nstart = t _{(n−1) start} + T _dif (3)

Further, as the following equation (4), the time after the drainage time _{Td has} elapsed from the drainage start time _tnstart of the heating tank 2B is determined as the drainage end time _tnend (step S09).
t _nend = t _nstart + T _d (4)

The drainage timing determination unit 71 temporarily stores the determined drainage start time t _nstart and drainage end time t _nend of the heating tank 2B in the storage unit 75.

  When the drainage order of the heating tanks that have determined the drainage timing has not reached the total number N (step S10: No), the drainage timing determination unit 71 performs an addition process of n = n + 1 (step S11), and returns to step S03. In addition, the drainage timing of the heating tank in the next drainage sequence is also determined sequentially. In this embodiment, since the total number N of heating tanks is 2 and there is no heating tank in the next drainage sequence (step S10: Yes), when the drainage timing of the heating tank 2B is determined, the output unit 72 determines each heating An open / close control signal S1 including the time of draining start and draining end of the tanks 2A and 2B is output to each drain valve 4 (step S12).

While the heat generation amount Q is input from the heating control unit 6, the wastewater treatment of the humidifying device 1 is continued. After the second cycle of the drainage cycle _Tc , the drainage timing is obtained by sequentially adding the same time T as the first cycle of the drainage cycle _Tc to the drainage timing of the heating tanks 2A and 2B calculated in the first cycle. To decide.

4 and 5 show further specific examples of the operation of the humidifying device 1 described above. The specific example of FIG. 4 is controlled so that the drain times of the heating tank 2A and the heating tank 2B do not overlap. That is, the drainage time difference _Tdif is set to be longer than the drainage time _Td . Heating tank 2A starts draining at time _{t 1 start,} and terminates the wastewater at time _{t 1end.} Although the storage amount of the heating tank 2A is reduced, the amount of drained water is supplied from the water supply tank 3, and returns to the original storage amount after the water supply time T _{s has} elapsed. The water temperature of the heating tank 2A is lowered by the water supply, and the end point of the water supply time T _s becomes the lowest point L of the water temperature. When the water supply is completed, the water temperature is recovered because the heater 21 is heated.

Heating tank 2B starts draining the time _{t 2Start} after draining time difference _{T dif} elapsed from the time _{t 1 start,} complete drainage at time _{t 2end.} Similarly, in the heating tank 2B, the amount of water corresponding to the reduced storage amount is supplied from the water supply tank 3 and returns to the original storage amount. The water temperature of the heating tank 2B is lowered by the water supply, and the end point of the water supply time T _s becomes the lowest point L ′ of the water temperature.

  As can be seen from FIG. 4, by controlling so that the drainage times of the plurality of heating tanks 2A and 2B do not overlap, the time during which the water temperature decreases due to the water supply after drainage shifts. Therefore, the steam generation amounts of the two heating tanks 2A and 2B are not greatly reduced at the same time, and a large reduction in the humidifying performance of the entire humidifier 1 can be prevented.

In the specific example of FIG. 5, the drainage start timings of the heating tank 2A and the heating tank 2B are different, but the drainage time difference _Tdif is set to be relatively short, so that the drainage times partially overlap. Show. In this case, the time zone during which the water temperature decreases increases, but the lowest point L, L ′ of the water temperature does not match. Therefore, the steam generation amount of the two heating tanks 2A and 2B is not greatly decreased at the same time, and a large decrease in the humidifying performance of the entire humidifier 1 can be prevented.

[3. effect]
(1) The humidifier 1 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of heating tanks 2A and 2B. Each heating tank 2A, 2B is provided with a heating body 21, a water supply tank 3, and a drain pipe 13. The heating body 21 heats the water stored in the heating tanks 2A and 2B to generate steam. The water supply tank 3 supplies water so that the water levels of the heating tanks 2A and 2B are constant. The drain pipe 13 discharges at least a part of the water in which impurities are concentrated by the generation of steam from the heating tanks 2A and 2B. The humidifier 1 further includes a drain control unit 7 that controls the drain valve 4 of the drain pipe 13 so that the drain start timing of the heating tank 2B is different from the drain start timing of the heating tank A.

  In the humidifying apparatus 1 having a plurality of heating tanks 2A and 2B, the drainage start timing of the heating tank 2A is different from that of the other heating tanks 2B, so that the water temperature lowering points L and L of the respective heating tanks 2A and 2B are different. 'Can be staggered. For this reason, the large fall of the humidification quantity by simultaneous drainage can be prevented, and the humidification apparatus which is excellent in humidification performance and high in reliability can be provided.

(2) When the humidifying device 1 includes three or more heating tanks, the drainage control unit 7 may control the drainage valves 4 so that the drainage start timings of all the heating tanks are different from each other. This makes it possible to more efficiently disperse the time zone in which the humidification amount decreases due to a decrease in the water temperature due to the water supply after drainage, and improve the humidification performance.

(3) The drainage control unit 7 may control the drainage valve 4 so that the drainage time _Td from the start of drainage of the heating tanks 2A and 2B to the end of drainage does not overlap. This makes it possible to more efficiently disperse the time zone in which the humidification amount decreases due to a decrease in the water temperature due to the water supply after drainage, and improve the humidification performance.

[Second Embodiment]
[1. Constitution]
The humidification system which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated with reference to FIG.6 and FIG.7. In the second embodiment, only points different from the first embodiment will be described, and the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  In the first embodiment, the control of the drain timing of a plurality of heating tanks provided in one humidifying device 1 has been described. However, in the second embodiment, a humidifying system 1 including a plurality of humidifying devices 100A and 100B. The control of the drain timing of the plurality of heating tanks 20A and 20B provided in the respective humidifiers 100A and 100B will be described.

  The number of humidifying devices constituting the humidifying system is not particularly limited as long as it is two or more, but here, as an example, a humidifying system composed of two humidifying devices will be described. Further, the number of heating tanks provided in each humidifying device is not particularly limited, and a different number of heating tanks may be provided for each humidifying device. However, here, as an example, the humidifying devices each provided with one heating tank. Will be explained.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the humidification system 200 includes two humidifiers 100A and 100B, and these humidifiers 100A and 100B are connected to each other so as to communicate with each other by wire or wirelessly.

  Each of the humidifiers 100A and 100B has the same configuration as the humidifier 1 of the first embodiment except that there is one individual heating tank. The control units 50A and 50B of the humidifiers 100A and 100B have the same configuration as the control unit 5 of the first embodiment, and each humidifier can be controlled independently. In the humidification system 200, the control unit of any of the humidifiers serves as a master unit. That is, the control unit of the humidifying device of the master unit receives the humidity information H from the humidity detecting device 9 installed in the humidifying target space, determines the heat generation amount and drainage timing necessary for each humidifying device, and sends the command It transmits to the humidifier which becomes the cordless handset.

  In the present embodiment, as an example, a case in which the humidifier 100A is a master unit and the humidifier 100B is a slave unit will be described. That is, the control unit 50A of the humidifying device 100A receives the humidity information H from the humidity detecting device 9 installed in the humidifying target space, determines the heat generation amount and drainage timing necessary for each humidifying device, and sends the command to the humidifying device. It transmits to the control part 50B of 100B.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, in the control unit 50A of the humidifying device 100A, the heating control unit 60A determines each humidifying device 100A from the necessary humidification amount included in the humidity information H transmitted from the humidity detecting device 9. , 100B, the necessary steam generation amount of the heating tanks 20A, 20B is calculated, and the calorific value Q of each heating element 21 is calculated. The steam generation amounts of the heating tanks 20A and 20B may be equalized, or different amounts may be allocated according to the storage amount. Further, for example, the humidifier 100B may be a preliminary humidifier, and when the required humidification amount is less than a predetermined value, all the required humidification amount is equal to or greater than the predetermined value as the necessary steam generation amount of the heating tank 20A. In that case, the humidification amount in a portion exceeding the predetermined value may be set as the required steam generation amount of the heating tank 20B.

  The heating control unit 60A inputs the calculated calorific value Q of the heating tank 20A to the heating body 21 of the heating tank 20A. On the other hand, the calorific value Q of the heating tank 20B is transmitted to the humidifier 100B. The heating control unit 60B of the humidifying device 100B inputs the received calorific value Q to the heating body 21 of the heating tank 20B as it is.

The calorific value Q of each heating tank 20A, 20B is also input to the drainage control unit 70A of the humidifier 100A. The storage unit 75 of the drainage control unit 70A of the humidifier 100A stores various data necessary for performing drainage control of the heating tanks 20A and 20B of the humidifiers 100A and 100B. In the present embodiment, the data of the drainage order information O, the drainage cycle _Tc , the drainage time _Td, and the drainage time difference _Tdif of the heating tanks 20A and 20B are stored.

Each data can be determined in the same manner as in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, for example, when setting to drain the heating tank 20A of the humidifying device 100A of the master unit first, the heating tank 20A of the humidifying device 100A is the first in the drainage order information O, Data that the heating tank 20B of the humidifying device 100B of the slave unit is second is recorded. The drainage time difference _Tdif is determined as the time provided between the drainage start timings of the heating tanks 20A and 20B of the humidifiers 100A and 100B.

  The drainage timing determination unit 71 of the drainage control unit 70A refers to the measurement time of the timekeeping unit 76 and each data of the storage unit 75, and inputs the calorific value Q from the heating control unit 60A as in the first embodiment. The drainage start time and drainage end time are determined for the heating tanks 20 </ b> A and 20 </ b> B that have had, that is, the heating tank in which steam is generated.

  The output unit 72 generates the opening / closing control signal S1 of the drain valve 4 of each heating tank 20A, 20B from the drain timing determined by the drain timing determination unit 71. The opening / closing control signal S1 of the heating tank 20A is input to the drain valve 4 as it is. The opening / closing control signal S1 of the heating tank 20B is transmitted to the humidifying device 100B. The drainage control unit 70B of the humidifier 100B inputs the received opening / closing control signal S1 as it is to the drainage valve 4 of the heating tank 20B.

[2. Operation]
An operation example of the humidifier 1 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Here, the operation in the case where both of the two humidifiers 100A and 100B are operated to perform drainage control with a time difference between the heating tanks 20A and 20B will be described.

When the heat generation amount Q of each of the heating tanks 20A and 20B is input from the heating control unit 60A of the humidifying device 100A (step S01), the drain control unit 70A performs an initialization process for setting the variable n indicating the drainage order to 1 ( Step S02). Drainage timing determining section 71, the input time of the calorific value Q, defined as the start time t ₀ of the steam generator.

The drainage timing determination unit 71 refers to the drainage order information O stored in the storage unit 75 (step S03). After the initialization process, the process proceeds to step S05 in order to determine the drainage timing of the heating tank 20A having the first drainage order (step S04: No). Drainage timing determining section 71, shown in the following equation (1), from the start time t ₀ of the steam generator, to determine the time after the same time T has passed and a cycle of the drainage period T _c as waste starting time t _nStart ( Step S05).
t _nstart = t ₀ + T (1)

Further, as the following equation (2), the time after the drainage time _{T d} elapses from the drainage start time _{t nStart,} determined as drainage end time _{t nend} (step S06).
t _nend = t _nstart + T _d (2)

Drainage timing determining section 71, the determined effluent start time _{t nStart} and drainage ending time _{t nend} heating tank 20A, is temporarily stored in the storage unit 75 of the control unit 50A.

  The drainage timing determination unit 71 performs an addition process of n = n + 1 (step S07), returns to step S03, refers to the drainage sequence information O, and determines the drainage timing of the heating tank 20B having the second drainage sequence. .

For the second and subsequent heating tanks (step S04: Yes), the drainage timing in which the drainage time difference _Tdif is provided in the drainage timing of the _immediately preceding heating tank is determined.

Specifically, the drainage timing determination unit 71 _{calculates the} time after the drainage time difference _{Tdif has} elapsed from the drainage start time t _{(n−1) start} of the heating tank 20A in the previous drainage order, as in the following equation (3). Then, the drainage start time t _nstart of the heating tank 20B is set (step S08).
t _nstart = t _{(n−1) start} + T _dif (3)

Further, as shown in the following equation (4), the time after the drainage time _{Td has} elapsed from the drainage start time _tnstart of the heating tank 20B is determined as the drainage end time _tnend (step S09).
t _nend = t _nstart + T _d (4)

The drainage timing determination unit 71 temporarily stores the determined drainage start time t _nstart and drainage end time t _nend of the heating tank 20B in the storage unit 75.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the drainage timing determination unit 71 performs an addition process of n = n + 1 when the drainage order of the heating tanks whose drainage timing has been determined has not reached the total number N (step S10: No) (step S11). Returning to step S03, the drainage timing of the heating tank in the next drainage sequence is sequentially determined. In this embodiment, since the total number N of heating tanks is 2 and there is no heating tank in the next drainage order (step S10: Yes), when the drainage timing of the heating tank 20B is determined, the output unit 72 determines each heating An open / close control signal S1 including the time of the start and end of draining of the tank is generated. The opening / closing control signal S1 for the heating tank 20A is output to the drain valve 4 of the heating tank 20A (step S12).

  Further, an open / close control signal S1 including the determined drainage start time and drainage end time of each heating tank 20B is transmitted to the humidifier 100B (step S13). The drainage control unit 70B of the humidifier 100B inputs the received opening / closing control signal S1 as it is to the drainage valve 4 of the heating tank 20B.

While the heat generation amount Q is input from the heating control unit 60A, the waste water treatment of the humidification system 200 is continued. After the second cycle of the drainage cycle _Tc , the drainage timing is obtained by sequentially adding the same time T as the one cycle of the drainage cycle _Tc to the drainage timing of the heating tanks 20A and 20B calculated in the first cycle. To decide.

[3. effect]
(1) In the humidification system 200 of the present embodiment, a plurality of humidifiers 100A and 100B are connected to be communicable. Each of the humidifiers 100A and 100B includes heating tanks 20A and 20B, respectively, and a heating body 21, a water supply tank 3, and a drain pipe 13 are provided in each of the heating tanks 20A and 20B. The control unit 50A of the humidifying device 100A acts as a drainage control unit for both the humidifying devices 100A and 100B. That is, the drainage control unit 50A of the control unit 50A determines the drainage timing so that the drainage start timing of the humidifying device 100A is different from the drainage start timing of the humidifying device 100B, and transmits the drainage timing to the control unit 50B of the humidifying device 100B.

  By configuring the humidification system 200 from a plurality of humidifiers, a large volume of humidification can be achieved. However, if drainage is simultaneously performed in a plurality of humidifiers, there is a possibility that the humidification performance is greatly reduced temporarily. However, as in this embodiment, the drainage start timing of one humidifier 100A is different from the drainage start timing of the other humidifier 100B, thereby shifting the lowest temperature drop point of each heating tank 20A, 20B. Can do. For this reason, the large fall of the humidification quantity by simultaneous drainage can be prevented, and the humidification apparatus which is excellent in humidification performance and high in reliability can be provided.

(2) When the humidification system 1 includes three or more humidifiers, the drainage control unit 7 makes the drainage start timings of all the heating tanks different from each other when each humidifier includes two or more heating tanks. The drain valve 4 may be controlled as described above. This makes it possible to more efficiently disperse the time zone in which the humidification amount decreases due to a decrease in the water temperature due to the water supply after drainage, and improve the humidification performance.

(3) The drainage control unit 7 may control the drainage valve 4 so that the drainage time _Td from the start of drainage to the end of drainage of the heating tanks 20A and 20B provided in each humidifier does not overlap. This makes it possible to more efficiently disperse the time zone in which the humidification amount decreases due to a decrease in the water temperature due to the water supply after drainage, and improve the humidification performance.

[Other Embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and the constituent elements can be appropriately modified without departing from the gist thereof. Moreover, you may combine suitably the some component currently disclosed by the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, some constituent elements may be deleted from the constituent elements shown in the above-described embodiments, and constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

  The timing of draining the plurality of heating tanks provided in the humidifying device 1 or the humidifying system 200 does not need to be different from each other. For example, when there are a large number of heating tanks, they are grouped into a certain number. The heating tank or the humidifier in the same group may be controlled at the same drain start timing.

  In the above-described embodiment, a heating body such as a heater is installed in the heating tank, and the heating body generates heat to heat the water, but an indirect humidifier may be used. In an indirect humidifier, an internal hollow heating coil is disposed inside a heating tank, steam generated in a boiler or the like of an external device is introduced into the heating coil, and water is heated by this steam. In this case, since the amount of steam generated by the humidifier is determined by the amount of steam supplied, the heating control unit 6 of the control unit 5 may be omitted.

  In the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which the humidity information H transmitted by the humidity detection device 9 includes a command value for the required humidification amount. However, the humidity information H does not include the required humidification amount. The control unit 5 may calculate the required humidification amount from the humidity detected by the humidity detection device 9.

In the embodiment described above, the drainage time _Td is a constant value of the time required to drain the required drainage amount corresponding to the upper limit steam generation amount, but the drainage time may be variable according to the required humidification amount. For example, when the humidity of the humidification target space is relatively high and the humidifier 1 is operated with half the amount of steam generated during maximum operation, the drainage time may be halved. Alternatively, the drainage time, that is, the opening time of the drainage valve 4 may be constant, and instead the drainage rate (L / s) may be changed by adjusting the opening degree of the drainage valve 4 to control the drainage amount.

  Each structure of the humidification apparatus 1 is not restricted to what was demonstrated by the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, the shape of the heating tank 2 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and any shape can be used as long as it can store water inside the box or a sphere, and the heating body 21 can be disposed. Good.

  Although the example using the water tap of a ball tap was demonstrated to the water level control of the water supply tank 3, it is not restricted to this. For example, a float switch may be used.

1,100A, 100B Humidifier 200 Humidification system 2A, 2B Heating tank 3 Water supply tank 4 Drain valve 5, 50A, 50B Control unit 6, 60A, 60B Heating control unit 7, 70A, 70B Drain control unit 8 Communication device 9 Humidity detection Device 11 Supplementary water pipe 12 Pressure equalizing pipe 13 Drain pipe 21 Heating body 22 Steam hole 23 Hose 3 Water tank 31 Automatic water tap 71 Drain timing determination section 72 Output section 75 Storage section 76 Timekeeping section

Claims (6)

A plurality of reservoirs for storing water;
A heating unit that is provided in each of the plurality of storage units and generates steam by heating the water;
A water supply unit for supplying water to the plurality of storage units, so that the water level in the plurality of storage units is constant;
A drainage unit for discharging at least a part of the water enriched by the generation of the steam from the plurality of storage units;
A humidification device comprising: a drainage control unit that controls the drainage unit so that a drainage start timing from at least one storage unit is different from a drainage start timing of other storage units.   The humidification device according to claim 1, wherein the drainage control unit controls the drainage unit so that the drainage start timings of all the storage units are different from each other.   The humidification device according to claim 1, wherein the drainage control unit controls the drainage unit so that drainage times from the drainage start to the drainage end of all the storage units do not overlap. A humidification system in which a plurality of humidifiers are communicably connected,
Each individual humidifier is
A reservoir for storing water;
A heating unit that is provided in the storage unit and generates steam by heating the water;
A water supply unit for supplying water to the storage unit so that the water level in the storage unit is constant;
A drainage part for discharging at least a part of the water enriched by the generation of steam from the storage part;
A control unit for controlling the drainage operation of the drainage unit,
The control unit of any one of the humidifiers determines, as the drainage control unit, the drainage timing so that the drainage start timing of at least one humidifier is different from the drainage start timing of the other humidifiers. The humidification system characterized by transmitting to the control part.   The humidification system according to claim 4, wherein the drainage control unit determines the drainage start timing of each humidifier so that the drainage start timings of all the humidifiers are different from each other.   The humidification according to claim 4, wherein the drainage control unit controls the timing of drainage start and drainage end of each humidifier so that drainage time from drainage start to drainage end of all humidifiers does not overlap. system.

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