Bath room sterilization system

Abstract

To provide a bath room sterilization system capable of obtaining excellent sterilization effect by suppressing inconvenience of deterioration of a sterilization effect caused by ozone water, due to high temperature of raw material water for generating ozone water.SOLUTION: A bath room sterilization system SY containing an electrolytic ozone water generator 42 and provided with an ozone water spray device 4 capable of dispersing ozone into a bath room 1, comprises water temperature detection means Sa capable of detecting the supply water temperature of the raw water used for generating ozone water supplied to the ozone water generator 42, a cooling device B that can cool the raw water, and control means 5 that when the ozone water spraying into bathroom 1 starts, determines the supply temperature of the raw water, and if this supply temperature is higher than the specified temperature, executes a raw water cooling process using the cooling device B to cool the raw water, and can execute control to supply this cooled raw water to the ozone water generation device 42.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a bathroom disinfection system capable of spraying ozone water into a bathroom to perform disinfection treatment of the bathroom.

Background Art

[0002] As a specific example of a bathroom disinfection system, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, there is one provided with an ozone water spraying device that generates ozone water having a disinfection effect and can spray this ozone water into the bathroom. According to such a configuration, when ozone water is sprayed into the bathroom, a disinfection treatment is performed on each part such as the wall surface of the bathroom, and an effect of suppressing the growth of mold and various bacteria can be obtained.

[0003] However, in the above prior art, as described below, there is still room for improvement.

[0004] That is, as a means for generating ozone water, for example, an electrolytic ozone water generator that uses tap water as raw material water, electrolyzes this raw material water, and generates ozone at that time to generate ozone water is often used. In such an ozone water generator, the amount of ozone generated is affected by the temperature of the raw material water. The higher the temperature of the raw material water, the smaller the amount of ozone generated. For this reason, when the disinfection treatment of the bathroom is performed, for example, in summer and the temperature of the raw material water is high, the ozone water sprayed into the bathroom may have a low ozone concentration, and there is a risk that an excellent disinfection treatment effect cannot be obtained.

[0005] As a means for solving this, it is conceivable to adopt a means of changing the voltage for electrolysis according to the temperature of the raw material water when generating ozone water in the ozone water generator. However, by adopting such a means, even if the voltage for electrolysis is increased when the temperature of the raw material water is high, the ozone concentration of the ozone water cannot be sufficiently increased, and there is a risk that the disinfection effect will be reduced.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] The present invention has been conceived under the circumstances as described above, and when performing disinfection treatment of a bathroom using ozone water, it suppresses the problem that the disinfection effect by ozone water decreases due to the high temperature of the raw water for generating ozone water, and provides as its problem a bathroom disinfection system capable of obtaining an excellent disinfection effect.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention takes the following technical means.

[0009] The bathroom disinfection system provided by the present invention includes an electrolytic ozone water generator, and ozone water generated by the ozone water generator for performing disinfection treatment of the bathroom is sprayed into the A bathroom disinfection system provided with an ozone water spraying device capable of spraying into the bathroom, the system further comprising water temperature detection means capable of detecting the supply water temperature of the raw water for generating ozone water supplied to the ozone water generator, a cooling device capable of cooling the raw water, and when ozone water spraying into the bathroom is started, determining the supply water temperature of the raw water, and when this supply water temperature is higher than a predetermined temperature, performing a raw water cooling process of cooling the raw water using the cooling device and executing control to supply the cooled raw water to the ozone water generator.

[0010] According to such a configuration, the following effects can be obtained. That is, when the ozone water spraying into the bathroom is started, if the feed water temperature of the raw water to the electrolytic ozone water generator is high, this raw water is supplied to the ozone water generator after being subjected to raw water cooling treatment. For this reason, it becomes possible to generate ozone water in a state where the temperature of the raw water is low, and it becomes possible to generate ozone water with a high ozone concentration. As a result, unlike the prior art, it is possible to prevent the problem that the sterilization effect of ozone water is reduced due to the high temperature of the raw water for generating ozone water, and it is possible to appropriately perform a sterilization treatment that provides an excellent sterilization effect.

[0011] In the present invention, preferably, the cooling device includes a piping section for supplying the raw water to the ozone water generator, a heat exchange section provided in this piping section, and a fan capable of blowing air to this heat exchange section.

[0012] According to such a configuration, the cooling device for cooling the raw water for generating ozone water can be made into a simple configuration that utilizes the air blowing action of the fan, and it is possible to reduce the size and weight of the entire device and reduce the manufacturing cost.

[0013] In the present invention, preferably, the fan is a ventilation fan for the bathroom.

[0014] According to such a configuration, the ventilation fan for the bathroom is also used as a component of the cooling device, and its configuration is reasonable. There is no need to provide a dedicated fan for the cooling device.

[0015] In the present invention, preferably, the piping section has the heat exchange section and is branched into a first flow path that receives air blowing from the fan and a second flow path that does not have the heat exchange section and does not receive air blowing from the fan, and switching between these first and second flow paths is possible. When ozone water spraying into the bathroom is started, if the supply temperature of the raw water is higher than the predetermined temperature, the raw water flows through the first flow path, and if not, the raw water flows through the second flow path.

[0016] According to such a configuration, when ozone water spraying into the bathroom is started, if the supply temperature of the raw water is high, the raw water flows through the first flow path of the piping section and is appropriately cooled by the air blowing action from the fan, and this cooled raw water is appropriately supplied to the ozone water generator. On the other hand, if the supply temperature of the raw water is not high and there is little need for cooling, the raw water flows through the second flow path and is supplied to the ozone water generator without being unnecessarily cooled.

[0017] In the present invention, preferably, the ozone water spraying device can spray the raw water into the bathroom instead of the ozone water. When ozone water spraying into the bathroom is started, if the supply temperature of the raw water is higher than the predetermined temperature, the raw water is sprayed into the bathroom during or before the execution of the raw water cooling treatment, and the room temperature of the bathroom is configured to decrease.

[0018] According to such a configuration, when ozone water spraying into the bathroom is started, due to the high supply temperature of the raw water, the raw water is sprayed into the bathroom during or before the execution of the raw water cooling treatment, and the room temperature of the bathroom decreases. For this reason, the temperature of the air blowing from the fan also decreases, and it becomes possible to increase the cooling efficiency of the raw water using this air blowing.

[0019] In the present invention, preferably, the fan has a variable operating speed and is set to the maximum speed during the execution of the raw water cooling treatment.

[0020] According to such a configuration, it is preferable for enhancing the cooling efficiency when the raw water cooling treatment is executed.

[0021] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0023] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[0024] The bathroom sterilization system SY shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a bathroom drying device A incorporating an ozone water spraying device 4 and a cooling device B. The bathroom drying device A has a configuration in which a main body part A0 installed on the ceiling part 10 of the bathroom 1 where the bathtub 11 is installed and a remote control 2 separate from this are combined. Here, in the present embodiment, "tap water" is used as the raw water for generating ozone water having a sterilizing action. As will be described later, the ozone water spraying device 4 can spray ozone water into the bathroom 1, but instead of ozone water, it can also spray tap water.

[0025] Bathroom drying device A is configured to receive hot water supply from the water supply device 8. The water supply device 8 can supply hot and cold water to the bathtub 11 via the piping section 80, and also has a general hot water supply function to places such as the kitchen, and is equipped with a bathroom remote control 81A and a kitchen remote control 81B.

[0026] The main body A0 of the bathroom drying device A includes a blower fan 30 (also referred to as a circulation fan), a heat exchanger 31 for heating air, a ventilation fan 32 for the bathroom 1, a control unit 5, and housings 34, 34a that cover these components. It also includes a temperature sensor Sb and a humidity sensor Sc for detecting the room temperature and humidity of the bathroom 1. The blower fan 30 can suck in the air in the bathroom 1 from the air intake 35a provided on the lower surface of the housing 34, and blow the air into the bathroom 1 through the louver 36 provided at the air outlet. The direction of the louver 36 can be changed by a motor (not shown), and the air blowing angle during blowing can be changed as appropriate. The heat exchanger 31 is for heating the air sucked in by the blower fan 30 from the air intake 35a. As a medium for this heating, heated hot water can be supplied to the heat exchanger 31 from the water supply device 8. When the heated hot water is supplied from the water supply device 8 to the heat exchanger 31 during the driving of the blower fan 30, the air sucked in from the air intake 35a is heated, and warm air is blown into the bathroom 1 from the louver 36. During the bathroom drying operation of the bathroom drying device A, the above-mentioned warm air blowing and ventilation by the ventilation fan 32 are executed in parallel. In a state where the supply of heated hot water to the heat exchanger 31 is stopped, non-warm air (unheated air) can be blown into the bathroom 1 from the louver 36.

[0027] The ventilation fan 32 is a fan capable of exhausting the air in the bathroom 1 (including the ozone gas described later) to the outside. In this embodiment, as will be described later, it is a component of the cooling device B. When this ventilation fan 32 is operated, the air in the bathroom 1 is sucked into the housing 34 from the air intake port 35a and enters the installation area of the ventilation fan 32, and is exhausted to the outside from the exhaust port 37. The rotational speed of this ventilation fan 32 is variable, and the ventilation air volume in the bathroom 1 can be increased or decreased and changed.

[0028] As described above, the ozone water spraying device 4 is a device (raw water spraying device) capable of selectively spraying either ozone water as sterilized water or tap water as its raw water. This ozone water spraying device 4 includes a water supply pipe section 60 that receives tap water supply from the outside, an on-off valve Va such as a solenoid valve provided in the middle of this pipe section 60, a temperature sensor Sa for detecting water temperature (an example of water temperature detection means), an ozone water generator 42 provided downstream thereof, and a nozzle 43 provided at the end of the pipe section 60.

[0029] The ozone water generator 42 is, for example, an electrolysis method that generates ozone by electrolyzing water and generates ozone water. When the on-off valve Va is in the open state and the ozone water generator 42 is driven on, the ozone water generated in the ozone water generator 42 is sprayed from the nozzle 43 toward the bathroom 1. The ozone water is sprayed, for example, over substantially the entire area other than the vicinity of the upper ends of the respective side wall surfaces 12 of the bathroom 1, the bathtub 11, and substantially the entire floor surface 13. In a state where the ozone water generator 42 is driven off, tap water can be sprayed from the nozzle 43.

[0030] A part of the water supply pipe section 60 branches into a first flow path 60a provided with a heat exchange section 61 and a second flow path 60b that is a different flow path and is not provided with a heat exchange section 61. A direction control valve Vb is provided at these branch portions.

[0031] The cooling device B is configured by combining the heat exchange part 61 of the first flow path 60a and the ventilation fan 32. The heat exchange part 61 is a part that can cool the tap water in the heat exchange part 61 by receiving the blown air from the ventilation fan 32, and is configured using, for example, a metal pipe in a spiral shape or a meandering shape. When the tap water is made to flow through the first flow path 60a by switching the direction control valve Vb, the tap water can be cooled using the heat exchange part 61 and then supplied to the ozone water generator 42. In contrast, when the tap water is made to flow through the second flow path 60b, the tap water can be supplied to the ozone water generator 42 along the shortest path without passing through the heat exchange part 61.

[0032] The control unit 5 is configured using a microcomputer or the like, and executes operation control and data processing of each part of the bathroom drying device A. Further, it controls the ozone water spraying device 4 and executes an ozone water spraying process for spraying ozone water into the bathroom 1, a tap water spraying process into the bathroom 1, and other processes described later. In addition, the control unit 5 can perform wireless data communication with the remote controller 2 via the communication unit 50. The remote controller 2 is, for example, a portable type, and includes a communication circuit (not shown) for wireless communication with the control unit 5 via the communication unit 50, a plurality of operation switches 20 for performing various operation commands, and a display unit 21 and the like.

[0033] Next, an example of the operation processing procedure executed in the above-described bathroom disinfection system SY will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 3. The operation will also be described.

[0034] For example, when the remote controller 2 is used by the user and an operation is made to start the disinfection process of the bathroom 1, the driving of the ventilation fan 32 is started (S1: YES, S2). The driving speed at that time is, for example, a predetermined normal speed (standard speed). Although omitted in FIG. 3, the driving of the ventilation fan 32 continues until the end of the bathroom drying process in step S14, for example.

[0035] On the one hand, based on the signal from the temperature sensor Sa, the control unit 5 detects the supply water temperature of tap water (raw water) (S3). As a result, when the supply water temperature is higher than a predetermined temperature, a tap water spraying process for spraying tap water into the bathroom 1 is started (S4: YES, S5). This tap water spraying process is mainly aimed at reducing the room temperature of the bathroom 1, lowering the air blowing temperature from the ventilation fan 32, and enhancing the cooling efficiency of the tap water by the cooling device B, and is started by setting the on-off valve Va to the open state. Also, a preliminary cleaning effect of washing away the dirt on each part of the bathroom 1 using tap water can be expected. The tap water spraying process ends when the spraying time or spraying amount of tap water reaches a predetermined value (S6: YES, S7). The end of this tap water spraying process is, for example, achieved by setting the solenoid valve Va to the closed state.

[0036] Next, a tap water cooling process (raw water cooling process) using the cooling device B is started (S8). This tap water cooling process is performed by flowing tap water through the first flow path 60a and applying the air blowing from the ventilation fan 32 to the heat exchange part 61. At that time, preferably, the rotation speed of the ventilation fan 32 is set to the maximum speed, and the cooling efficiency is raised to the maximum.

[0037] Simultaneously with the start of the above-described tap water cooling process, or when a predetermined delay time has elapsed thereafter, an ozone water spraying process is started (S9). Preferably, in this ozone water spraying process, voltage control of electrolysis in the ozone water generator 42 is performed according to the supply water temperature of tap water (S10). By this ozone water spraying process, disinfection cleaning (ozone cleaning) of each part of the bathroom 1 is performed. When the temperature of the tap water, which is the raw water of the ozone water, is high during the execution of this ozone water spraying process, there is a possibility that the amount of ozone generated in the ozone water generator 42 will be low, and ozone water with a low ozone concentration will be generated. In contrast, in this embodiment, since the tap water is cooled using the cooling device B, the above-mentioned problem can be appropriately solved, and the advantage of being able to appropriately spray ozone water with a high ozone concentration into the bathroom 1 is obtained. The ozone water spraying process ends when the ozone water spraying time or the ozone water spraying amount reaches a predetermined value (S11: YES, S12).

[0038] In contrast, if the supply temperature of tap water in step S4 is not higher than a predetermined temperature, the tap water spraying process and the tap water cooling treatment are not executed. In this case, the ozone water spraying process is immediately implemented (S4: NO, S15). Also, since there is no need to cool the tap water at that time, the tap water flows through the second flow path 60b and is supplied to the ozone water generator 4. The rotation speed of the ventilation fan 32 remains at a predetermined normal speed. Therefore, even though the temperature of the bathroom 1 is low and it is not originally necessary to execute the tap water spraying process, the unnecessary execution of the tap water spraying process is appropriately eliminated. Steps S16 and S17 are the same as steps S10 and S11 described above.

[0039] After the ozone water spraying process ends, an ozone water rinsing process of spraying tap water from the nozzle 43 into the bathroom 1 is executed (S13). Although not shown in FIG. 3, simultaneously with the end of the ozone water spraying process, the tap water cooling treatment also ends, and when the ozone water rinsing process is executed, preferably, the tap water flows through the second flow path 60b. The ozone water rinsing process is the same as the above-described tap water spraying process in that tap water is sprayed from the nozzle 43, but the main purpose of this tap water spraying process is to lower the room temperature of the bathroom 1 and increase the cooling efficiency of the tap water, while the main purpose of the ozone water rinsing process is to drain the ozone water from the bathroom 1. In this ozone water rinsing process, the ozone water adhering and remaining on each part of the bathroom 1 is washed away and drained to the outside from the drain outlet of the bathroom 1. This avoids the unnecessary long-term retention and adhesion of ozone water on each part of the bathroom 1. The ozone water rinsing process ends when the spraying time or the spraying amount of tap water reaches a predetermined value. This avoids the unnecessary long-term retention and adhesion of ozone water on each part of the bathroom 1. The ozone water rinsing process ends when the spraying time or the spraying amount of tap water reaches a predetermined value.

[0040] After the completion of the ozone water flushing process, a bathroom drying process accompanied by warm air blowing into Bathroom 1 is executed (S14). Immediately after the completion of the ozone water flushing process, there is a possibility that ozone water or ozone gas remains in Bathroom 1. However, by executing the bathroom drying process, it is possible to efficiently and quickly discharge the ozone water and ozone gas to the outside of Bathroom 1. The bathroom ventilation process ends when the execution time or the ventilation volume of the bathroom drying process reaches a predetermined value, or when the drying of Bathroom 1 progresses and its humidity drops to a predetermined value. In this way, by executing the ozone water flushing process and the bathroom drying process after the ozone water spraying process, it is possible to make Bathroom 1 in a hygienic state without residual ozone water or ozone gas and without an ozone odor.

[0041] The ozone water spraying device 4 in this embodiment is configured to also function as a tap water spraying device. Therefore, compared with the case of providing a tap water spraying device separately from the ozone water spraying device 4, the configuration of the entire system can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Further, since ozone water and tap water are sprayed from the same nozzle 43, it is possible to make the spraying area of the ozone water coincide with the spraying area of the tap water for flushing the ozone water, thereby enhancing the flushing effect of the ozone water.

[0042] Figure 4 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, elements identical or similar to those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as in the above embodiment, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0043] In the cooling device Ba in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a heat exchange unit 61 and a flapper 62 for controlling the air flow are provided at the air suction side position of the ventilation fan 32. When the flapper 62 is in the posture shown in FIG. (a), the ventilation fan 32 sucks in the air passing through the heat exchange unit 61. Therefore, it is possible to cool the tap water flowing through the heat exchange unit 61. On the other hand, when the flapper 62 is switched to the posture shown in FIG. (b), air does not flow through the location where the heat exchange unit 61 is disposed, and the air passing through the opening 63 is sucked into the ventilation fan 32. In this case, ventilation of the bathroom 1 is performed without the blowing air hitting the heat exchange unit 61, and it is possible to reduce the exhaust resistance.

[0044] The present invention is not limited to the content of the above-described embodiment. The specific configuration of each part of the bathroom sterilization system according to the present invention can be variously designed and changed within the scope intended by the present invention.

[0045] In the above-described embodiment, when the supply water temperature of the tap water to the ozone water generation device is higher than a predetermined temperature, the tap water spraying step is executed and the tap water cooling treatment is also executed. However, the specific value of the predetermined temperature is not limited. The cooling device for cooling the tap water is not limited to the one using the ventilation fan of the bathroom, and can be configured to use a fan different from that. Also, a cooling means different from the fan can be adopted. The ozone water spraying step is not limited to being started by a predetermined switch operation, and may be started by program control other than user operation, such as timer setting.

[0046] The ozone water generation device is an electrolysis method, but its specific configuration is not limited. The raw material water for the ozone water is not limited to tap water, and water other than tap water, such as well water pumped up by a pump, can also be used.

[0047] In the above-described embodiment, the ozone water spraying device is configured to also function as a raw water spraying device (tap water spraying device), but the present invention is not limited to this. A raw water spraying device may be provided separately from the ozone water spraying device. The spraying of ozone water and the raw water amount may be intermittent at a predetermined short cycle instead of continuous spraying.

[0048] In the above-described embodiment, the ozone water spraying device 4 is incorporated into the bathroom drying device including the blowing fan and the ventilation fan, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the ozone water spraying device is installed at a location different from the bathroom drying device.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0049] SY Bathroom disinfection system Sa Temperature sensor (temperature detection means) B Cooling device 1 Bathroom 32 Ventilation fan 4 Ozone water spraying device 42 Ozone water generator 5 Control unit (control means) 60 Pipe section 60a, 60b First and second flow paths 61 Heat exchange section

Claims

1. A bathroom disinfection system comprising an electrolytic ozone water generator and an ozone water spraying device capable of spraying ozone water generated by the ozone water generator into the bathroom for disinfection treatment of the bathroom, water temperature detection means capable of detecting the water supply temperature of raw water for ozone water generation supplied to the ozone water generator, a cooling device capable of cooling the raw water, control means capable of determining the water supply temperature of the raw water when ozone water spraying into the bathroom is started, and when the water supply temperature is higher than a predetermined temperature, executing a raw water cooling process of cooling the raw water using the cooling device and supplying the cooled raw water to the ozone water generator, The bathroom disinfection system is further characterized by comprising the above.

2. The bathroom disinfection system according to claim 1, wherein the cooling device comprises a piping section for supplying the raw water to the ozone water generator, a heat exchange section provided in the piping section, and a fan capable of blowing air to the heat exchange section.

3. The bathroom disinfection system according to claim 2, wherein the fan is a ventilation fan for the bathroom.

4. The bathroom disinfection system according to claim 3, wherein the piping section has the heat exchange section and branches into a first flow path that receives air blowing from the fan and a second flow path that does not have the heat exchange section and does not receive air blowing from the fan, and switching between these first and second flow paths is possible, when ozone water spraying into the bathroom is started, when the water supply temperature of the raw water is higher than the predetermined temperature, the raw water flows through the first flow path, and when it is not, the raw water flows through the second flow path.

5. The bathroom disinfection system according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the ozone water spraying device is capable of spraying the raw water into the bathroom instead of the ozone water, when ozone water spraying into the bathroom is started, when the water supply temperature of the raw water is higher than the predetermined temperature, the raw water is sprayed into the bathroom during or before the execution of the raw water cooling process, and the room temperature of the bathroom is configured to decrease.

6. The bathroom disinfection system according to claim 3 or 4, The bathroom sterilization system in which the fan has a variable operating speed and is set to the maximum speed when the raw water cooling treatment is executed.

Images