Heating device

Abstract

To provide a heating device which allows a user to feel more warmth by increasing a movable range in a downward direction of a louver.SOLUTION: A heating device has: heat generation means 7; an air outlet 4 which blows out heat generated by the heat generation means 7 as hot air; and a louver 20 rotatably provided in the air outlet 4. In the louver 20, a plurality of blades 21 extending in a horizontal direction and a rotary shaft 22 are integrally formed, and a center Y of the rotary shaft 22 is provided below a center X of a height of the louver 20. The structure increases a movable range in a downward direction of the louver 20, and thus the heating device allows the user to feel more warmth.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a heating device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a heating device that has a heat generating means, such as a heater, inside the main body and blows out the heat generated by the heat generating means from an outlet provided on the front side of the main body. The outlet is provided with multiple thin plate-like members called louvers, which rectify the flow of hot air and determine the angle at which it is blown out. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-203760 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned configuration, if the louvers are rotatable, the angle at which the warm air is blown out can be adjusted according to the user's needs, which is convenient. However, since warm air has a tendency to move upwards, if the louvers are turned too far up, the reach of the warm air may be shortened, making it difficult to feel the warmth. In other words, if the angle of the louvers is adjustable, rotating them downwards rather than upwards will allow the warm air to reach a greater distance, making it easier to feel the warmth.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a heating device that allows the user to feel even greater warmth by increasing the downward movement range of the louvers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention comprises a heat generating means; An outlet for blowing out the heat generated by the heat generating means as hot air; A louver rotatably provided at the air outlet, The louver is formed integrally with a plurality of horizontally extending blades and a rotating shaft, The heating device is such that the center of the rotation shaft is located below the center of the height of the louver. Effect of the Invention

[0007] With the above-mentioned configuration, the range of downward movement of the louvers is increased, resulting in a heating device that allows the user to feel even greater warmth. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is an external perspective view of a heating device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an internal configuration of a heating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a front panel in the heating device of the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] 11A to 11C are schematic diagrams illustrating differences in the movable range of the louvers. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described below, showing the operation of the present invention.

[0010] The present invention relates to a heating device having a heat generating means, an outlet that blows out the heat generated by the heat generating means as warm air, and a louver rotatably provided at the outlet, in which the louver is integrally formed with a plurality of horizontally extending blades and a rotation shaft, and the center of the rotation shaft is provided below the center of the height of the louver. This makes the range of motion of the louver in the downward direction larger than that in the upward direction, resulting in a heating device that can blow warm air farther and provide a greater sense of warmth.

[0011] The louvers can also be rotated manually and have a resistance change means for changing the resistance associated with rotation when the louvers are in the reference position, which changes the resistance when the louvers reach the reference position while being rotated, allowing the user to feel that the louvers are in the reference position, improving operability when adjusting the louvers.

[0012] In addition, the resistance change means is formed on the rotating shaft, which makes it possible to change the resistance simply and reliably without providing an additional component.

[0013] In addition, the resistance change means is formed by making the cross section of the rotating shaft into a shape with a part of a circle missing, which makes the resistance change means resistant to breakage and wear, etc., and improves durability. EXAMPLES

[0014] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] Fig. 1 is an external view of the heating device of this embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the heating device of this embodiment. The main body 1 has a front panel 2 and a rear panel 3 that constitute the exterior, the front panel 2 is provided with an outlet 4 for blowing out warm air, and the rear panel 3 is provided with an inlet 5 for taking indoor air into the main body 1. A louver 20 having a plurality of blades 21 extending horizontally is attached to the outlet 4 provided in the front panel 2. In addition, a water tank 6 is detachably provided on the main body 1, and supplies water to a humidifying section 11 described below.

[0016] Inside the main body 1, there are provided a heater 7 as a heat generating means, a blower 10 consisting of a motor 8 and a fan 9 that draws air into the main body 1 by the rotation of the fan 9, and a humidifier 11 that generates humidified air. Furthermore, inside the main body 1, an air passage 12 is formed from the intake port 5 to the outlet 4, and indoor air taken in from the intake port 5 by the rotation of the fan 9 passes through the heater 7 and the humidifier 11 and is blown out from the outlet 4 as warm air.

[0017] Heater 7, which is heat generating means, is disposed downstream of blower 10 in air passage 12, and in this embodiment, a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heater, which is a type of semiconductor heater that dissipates heat according to the surrounding temperature and air volume, is used. The capacity of heater 7 is 1200 W in total by using two 600 W PTC heaters, and this makes it possible to switch between outputs of 0 W, 600 W, and 1200 W by controlling the power supply to each heater 7. Note that heater 7 is not limited to a PTC heater, and may be a sheath heater, mica heater, etc., but a PTC heater is superior in terms of power consumption and safety.

[0018] The humidifying section 11 is composed of a water tank section 13 that stores a certain amount of water supplied from the water supply tank 6, and an evaporative filter 14 that is erected in this water tank section 13 and has water-absorbent properties. A portion of the evaporative filter 14 is immersed in the water in the water tank section 13, and becomes moist by sucking up this water.

[0019] In addition, air passage 12 from intake port 5 to outlet 4 branches into two directions downstream of heater 7, one of which is humidification passage 15 leading to outlet 4 via humidifier 11, and the other is hot air passage 16 leading directly to outlet 4 without passing through humidifier 11. This air passage 12 is opened and closed by damper 17, and the operation mode is changed by switching the position of damper 17 in response to an instruction from the user.

[0020] Specifically, when damper 17 is at position A, humidification path 15 is closed and hot air path 16 is open, so that hot air is blown out from outlet 4, and when damper 17 is at position B, hot air path 16 is closed and humidification path 15 is open, so that humidified air is blown out from outlet 4. Note that damper 17 may not only be positioned to block one of the paths as in A or B in the figure, but may also be positioned at an intermediate position. Damper 17 can be driven by a drive mechanism consisting of, for example, a stepping motor.

[0021] 3 is an exploded view of the front panel in the heating device of this embodiment. An air outlet body 30 and a retaining member 40 are attached to the front panel 2 that constitutes the front surface of the main body 1. A horizontally elongated opening 2a is formed in the lower part of the front panel 2, and the air outlet body 30 is attached so as to close this opening 2a to form the air outlet 4. After the air outlet body 30 is attached to the front panel 2, the retaining member 40 is attached to the inside of the front panel 2 by engaging with the air outlet body 30.

[0022] A louver 20 is rotatably attached to the air outlet main body 30. The louver 20 is an integrally molded product in which two blades 21 extending in the horizontal direction (width direction of the main body 1) and a rotating shaft 22 are integrally formed. The angle of the louver 20 in the vertical direction can be manually changed, and by changing the angle of the louver 20, the direction in which the warm air is blown out can be adjusted.

[0023] Furthermore, the air outlet body 30 is formed with a through hole 34 into which the rotation shaft 22 of the louver 20 is inserted, and a rotation restriction wall 35 that restricts the angle at which the louver 20 rotates. When the louver 20 is rotated in the vertical direction to a predetermined position, an end of the louver 20 abuts against the rotation restriction wall 35, and the louver 20 cannot be rotated any further. The rotation restriction wall 35 places a restriction on the maximum rotation range of the louver 20 in the vertical direction.

[0024] However, since warm air has a tendency to move upwards, if the louvers 20 are turned upwards, the reach of the warm air will be shortened, and people who are far from the heating device may not feel warm as easily. Therefore, if the angle of the louvers 20 is adjustable, the warm air will reach a farther distance if the louvers 20 are turned downwards rather than upwards, making it easier to feel the warmth from a farther distance. Therefore, the louvers 20 of this embodiment are shaped to have a larger range of movement downwards than upwards.

[0025] 4 is a rear view of the louver. The louver 20 has a connecting portion 23 that connects two blades 21, and a pivot shaft 22 is formed at the connecting portion 23. In the figure, the blades 21 are shown by hidden lines (dashed lines), and the center of the height H from the upper end to the lower end of the blade 21 is shown by X (dash line), and the center of the pivot shaft 22 is shown by Y (dash line). In this embodiment, the pivot shaft 22 is arranged so that its center Y is lower than the center X of the height of the louver 20. This allows the range of motion in the downward direction to be larger than that in the upward direction. Note that, although an example of the louver 20 in this embodiment having two blades 21 is shown, three or more blades 21 may be provided.

[0026] The range of motion of the louver 20 will be described in more detail. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the difference in the range of motion of the louver. (A) is a state in which the louver 20 is in the reference position (the user has not adjusted the angle of the louver 20), and the blades 21 are horizontal. (B) is a state in which the louver 20 has been rotated upward until the upper end 20b abuts against the rotation restriction wall 35, and the rotation angle of the louver 20 with respect to the reference position is indicated by θ1. (C) is a state in which the louver 20 has been rotated downward until the lower end 20c abuts against the rotation restriction wall 35, and the rotation angle of the louver 20 with respect to the reference position is indicated by θ2. Comparing θ1 and θ2, it can be seen that θ2 is larger than θ1, and the range of motion in the downward direction is larger. In this way, by forming the center Y of the rotation axis 22 of the louver 20 below the center X of the height, the length from the rotation axis 22 to the lower end 20c is shortened, and the rotation angle θ2 until the lower end 20c abuts against the rotation control wall 35 can be increased.

[0027] If the center Y of the rotation shaft 22 and the center X of the height H are in the same position, a separate angle restriction structure is required to change the range of motion in the vertical direction, which leads to increased material costs and manufacturing costs. In contrast, in this embodiment, the center of the rotation shaft 22 is located downward, making it possible to change the range of motion in the vertical direction without increasing costs. Furthermore, since the rotation shaft 22 is not visible from the outside of the main body 1, there is no risk of the angle restriction structure marring the appearance.

[0028] Furthermore, the heating device of this embodiment has a resistance changing means for changing the resistance associated with rotation when the louver 20 is in the reference position (the state shown in (A) of FIG. 5). By providing the resistance changing means, the resistance changes as the louver 20 is rotated, so that the user can be informed by the feel of their hand that the louver 20 is in the reference position. This allows the user to know the reference position without having to check it with their eyes, improving operability when adjusting the louver 20.

[0029] This resistance change means can be formed on the rotating shaft 22. This makes it possible to easily form the resistance change means without the need to provide a new part for changing the resistance.

[0030] Next, the resistance changing means will be described with a concrete example.

[0031] 6 is a cross-sectional view of a rotating shaft, showing an example of a resistance changing means. The shape of the rotating shaft 22 is approximately circular, but a flat portion 24 is formed on the outer periphery with a part of the circle missing, and this flat portion 24 plays the role of a resistance changing means. The rotating shaft 22 is arranged so that its outer periphery is always in contact with the air outlet body 30. Therefore, the resistance when rotating the louver 20 is different when the part other than the flat portion 24 is in contact with the air outlet body 30 and when the flat portion 24 is in contact with the air outlet body 30. Therefore, the user can notice whether the louver 20 is in the reference position from the difference in resistance.

[0032] 7 is a cross-sectional view of a rotating shaft, showing another example of the resistance changing means. A curved portion 25 is formed on the rotating shaft 22 by cutting out a part of a circle, and the curved portion 25 serves as the resistance changing means. The curved portion 25 contacts the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 22 at two points (a and b in the figure), and when these two points contact the air outlet main body 30 at the same time, the resistance when the louver 20 is rotated changes, so that it is possible to tell from the difference in resistance whether the louver 20 is in the reference position.

[0033] 6 and 7 are merely examples of the resistance changing means, and therefore the shape of the cross section of the rotating shaft 22 formed by cutting out a part of a circle may be other than the above.

[0034] Furthermore, the resistance changing means may have any structure that has the effect of changing the resistance, and the change in resistance may be either an increase or a decrease. Therefore, the resistance changing means is not limited to the flat portion 24 or the curved portion 25, and may be, for example, a protrusion provided on the rotating shaft 22, or a member that increases friction during rotation may be attached to the rotating shaft 22. However, considering the risk of breakage, wear, peeling, etc., the flat portion 24 and the curved portion 25, in which the cross section of the rotating shaft 22 has a shape with a part of a circle missing, are superior in terms of durability compared to other methods. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 4 Air outlet 7 Heater (heat generating means) 20 Luba 21 Feather 22 Rotating shaft 24 Planar portion (resistance changing means) 25 Curved portion (resistance changing means)

Claims

1. A heat generating means; An outlet for blowing out the heat generated by the heat generating means as hot air; A louver rotatably provided at the air outlet, The louver is formed integrally with a plurality of horizontally extending blades and a rotating shaft, A heating device in which the center of the rotation axis is located below the center of the height of the louver.

2. The louvers are manually rotatable; 2. A heating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a resistance changing means for changing the resistance caused by the rotation of said louvers when said louvers are in a reference position.

3. 3. The heating device according to claim 2, wherein the resistance changing means is formed on the rotary shaft.

4. 4. The heating device according to claim 3, wherein the resistance changing means is formed by making the cross section of the rotating shaft into a shape with a part of a circle missing.

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