Bathroom sterilization system

Abstract

To provide a bathroom sterilization system capable of appropriately preventing or suppressing water droplets from falling from a nozzle of a sterilizing-water / non-sterilizing-water spraying device onto a person entering a bathroom or the like after completion of a sterilizing water spraying step or a non-sterilizing water spraying step.SOLUTION: A bathroom sterilization system SY comprises a sterilizing / non-sterilizing water spraying device 4 capable of executing a sterilizing water spraying step and a non-sterilizing water spraying step for respectively spraying sterilizing water and non-sterilizing water from a nozzle 43 located at an upper part of the bathroom 1, into the bathroom 1, and an air blowing device 6 capable of blowing air into the bathroom 1. After at least one of the sterilizing water spraying step and non-sterilizing water spraying step is completed, the air blowing device 6 executes a water droplet removal operation in which air is blown toward the nozzle 43 for at least a predetermined period of time so as to remove or reduce water droplets adhering to the nozzle 43.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a bathroom sterilization system that can sterilize a bathroom using sterilizing water such as ozone water. [Background technology]

[0002] Specific examples of bathroom sterilization systems include those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2. The bathroom sterilization systems described in these documents are equipped with a sterilizing water / non-sterilizing water spraying device that can perform a sterilizing water spraying process in which ozone water, which is sterilizing water, is sprayed into the bathroom from a nozzle located at the top of the bathroom, and a non-sterilizing water spraying process in which ordinary water, such as tap water, which is non-sterilizing water, is sprayed. According to this configuration, after disinfecting the bathroom using ozone water, ordinary water (non-ozone water) can be sprayed into the bathroom to rinse away the ozone water. This prevents a large amount of ozone water and the ozone gas liberated from the ozone water from remaining in the bathroom for a long period of time. If the ozone gas concentration in the bathroom is high, the odor characteristic of ozone may become strong, causing discomfort to the user and potentially harming the user's health. In contrast, the above configuration can mitigate such risks.

[0003] However, the above-mentioned prior art still has room for improvement, as will be described below.

[0004] That is, after the disinfecting water spraying process or the non-disinfecting water spraying process using the disinfecting water / non-disinfecting water spraying device is completed, there is a risk that water droplets adhering to the outer surface of the nozzle will fall downward. Meanwhile, the nozzle is installed at the top of the bathroom. Therefore, there is a risk that water droplets on the outer surface of the nozzle will fall onto a person in the bathroom, such as a bather, causing discomfort to the person in the bathroom. It is desirable to be able to appropriately eliminate such a risk. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-48858 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-166278 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present invention was devised in light of the circumstances described above, and its objective is to provide a bathroom sterilization system that can appropriately prevent or suppress water droplets from falling from the nozzle of a sterilizing water / non-sterilizing water spraying device after the sterilizing water spraying process or non-sterilizing water spraying process has been completed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following technical solutions.

[0008] The bathroom sterilization system provided by the present invention is a bathroom sterilization system comprising a nozzle located above a bathroom, a sterilized water / non-sterilized water spraying device capable of carrying out a sterilized water spraying step and a non-sterilized water spraying step for respectively spraying sterilized water and non-sterilized water from the nozzle into the bathroom, and an air blower capable of blowing air into the bathroom, wherein after at least one of the sterilized water spraying step and the non-sterilized water spraying step has been completed, the air blower blows air toward the nozzle for a predetermined time to remove or reduce water droplets adhering to the nozzle. The device is characterized by being configured to perform the water droplet removal operation by blowing air as described above.

[0009] This configuration provides the following effects. That is, after at least one of the disinfecting water spraying process and the non-disinfecting water spraying process is completed, the air blower performs a water droplet removal operation, and the water droplets adhering to the nozzle of the disinfecting water / non-disinfecting water sprayer can be removed or reduced by blowing air. This makes it possible to appropriately prevent or suppress problems such as water droplets falling from the nozzle onto bathroom occupants and causing discomfort to them.

[0010] In the present invention, preferably, after the disinfecting water spraying process is carried out as a disinfection process for the bathroom, the non-disinfecting water spraying process can be carried out as a process for rinsing off the disinfecting water sprayed into the bathroom, and the water droplet removal operation is configured to be carried out after the disinfecting water rinsing process is completed.

[0011] This configuration provides the following effects. That is, as part of the bathroom sterilization process, not only is a sterilized water spraying process carried out, but a non-sterilized water spraying process can also be carried out thereafter as a process for rinsing away the sterilized water, so that after the bathroom sterilization process is completed, there will be no large amounts of sterilized water, and no high concentrations of free gas (e.g., ozone gas) or volatile gas from the sterilized water will be present in the bathroom. Also, because the water droplet removal operation is carried out after the bathroom sterilization process is completed, there is no waste and it is rational.

[0012] In the present invention, it is preferable that the device further includes a ventilation fan for the bathroom, and after the disinfecting water rinsing process is completed, the ventilation fan operates to perform a bathroom ventilation process in which the bathroom is ventilated, and the water droplet removal operation is performed during the bathroom ventilation process.

[0013] With this configuration, the bathroom ventilation step is performed after the sterilizing water rinsing step is completed in the bathroom sterilization treatment, so that the presence of high concentrations of free gas or volatile gas from the sterilizing water in the bathroom can be more quickly eliminated.In addition, the water droplet removal operation is performed during the bathroom ventilation step, which is rational.

[0014] In the present invention, preferably, the air blowing device is equipped with a movable louver that can change the air blowing direction, and the louver is configured to be fixed in a direction such that the air blown from the louver directly hits the nozzle during the water droplet removal operation.

[0015] According to this configuration, the direction of the movable louvers of the air blower can be controlled to easily and accurately remove water droplets.

[0016] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of a bathroom sterilization system according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of a bathroom drying device, which is a component of the bathroom sterilization system shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the bathroom sterilization system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. [Figure 4] 3(a) and 3(b) are block diagrams showing specific examples of operations executed in the bathroom sterilization system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0019] The bathroom sterilization system SY shown in Figures 1 and 2 includes a bathroom drying device A incorporating a sterilized water / non-sterilized water sprayer 4. The bathroom drying device A is configured by combining a main body A0 installed on the ceiling 10 of a bathroom 1 in which a bathtub 11 is installed, with a separate remote control 2. In this embodiment, ozone water is used as the sterilized water, and tap water is used as the non-sterilized water, which will be described later. As will be described later, sterilized water / non-sterilized water sprayer 4 can selectively spray either ozone water or tap water from nozzle 43 into bathroom 1.

[0020] Bathroom drying apparatus A can receive hot water from water heater 8. Water heater 8 can supply hot water to bathtub 11 via piping 80, and also has the function of supplying general hot water to the kitchen and other areas. It also has bathroom remote control 81A and kitchen remote control 81B.

[0021] The main body A0 of the bathroom drying device A includes a blower 6 having a blower fan 60 (also called 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 house these components.

[0022] By driving the blower fan 60, the blower device 6 draws air from the bathroom 1 through an air inlet 62 provided on the underside of the housing 34 and blows the air into the bathroom 1 via a louver 61 provided at the air outlet. The louver 61 is rotatable around a support shaft 61a, and the angle of rotation (air blow direction) can be freely changed using a motor (not shown) as a drive source. In this embodiment, the air blown from the louver 61 can be used to remove water droplets from the nozzle 43, as will be described in detail later.

[0023] Heat exchanger 31 heats the air drawn into blower fan 60 through air inlet 62, and heated hot water can be supplied to heat exchanger 31 from water heater 8 as the heating medium. When blower fan 60 is driven and heated hot water is supplied from water heater 8 to heat exchanger 31, the air drawn in through air inlet 62 is heated, and heated air (warm air) is blown into bathroom 1 through louver 61. When bathroom drying device A is in bathroom drying mode, the warm air blowing and bathroom ventilation by ventilation fan 32 are carried out in parallel, as described below. When the supply of heated hot water to heat exchanger 31 is stopped, unheated air (unheated air) can be blown into bathroom 1 through louver 61.

[0024] Ventilation fan 32 is a fan that exhausts air (including ozone gas, described below) from bathroom 1 to the outdoors. When ventilation fan 32 is operated, air from bathroom 1 is drawn into housing 34 through air inlet 62, enters the area where ventilation fan 32 is installed, and is exhausted to the outdoors through exhaust outlet 37. Preferably, the rotation speed of ventilation fan 32 is variable, so that the ventilation air volume of bathroom 1 can be increased or decreased.

[0025] As described above, the disinfected water / non-disinfected water spraying device 4 is a device that can selectively perform either a disinfected water spraying step of spraying ozone water as disinfected water into the bathroom 1, or a non-disinfected water spraying step of spraying tap water as non-disinfected water into the bathroom 1. This disinfected water / non-disinfected water spraying device 4 is equipped with a water supply piping section 7 that receives tap water from the outside, a water sealing section 7A provided in this water supply piping section 7, an ozone water generator 42 provided in the water sealing section 7A, and a spray nozzle 43 located at the end of the water supply piping section 7. The water supply piping section 7 is also equipped with an on-off valve Va such as a solenoid valve, a flow rate sensor Sa, a temperature sensor Sb for detecting water temperature, a pressure reducing valve 79, and Further provided are first and second atmosphere release valves V1, V2.

[0026] Ozone water generator 42 generates ozone water by, for example, electrolyzing water. When on-off valve Va is opened and ozone water generator 42 is turned on, the ozone water generated in ozone water generator 42 is sprayed from nozzle 43 toward bathroom 1 (a disinfecting water spraying process is executed). In this disinfecting water spraying process, the disinfecting water (ozone water) is sprayed toward, for example, almost the entire area of ​​each side wall surface 12 of bathroom 1 except for the upper portions thereof, bathtub 11, and almost the entire floor surface 13 of washing area 1a. On the other hand, when the ozone water generator 42 is turned off, tap water is sprayed from the nozzle 43 toward the bathroom 1 (the non-sterilized water spraying process is executed).

[0027] 3, nozzle 43 has a hollow nozzle body 43a into which ozonated water or tap water flowing through water supply piping 7 flows, and a plurality of small-diameter nozzle holes 43b for spraying water are provided in the approximately cylindrical peripheral wall of nozzle body 43a. Nozzle 43 is supported by an appropriate bracket 38, and the entirety or a lower region of nozzle body 43a protrudes downward from panel 35 on the bottom side of bathroom drying device A.

[0028] The water sealing section 7A of the water supply piping 7 is a section where water is stored when the on-off valve Va is closed and water supply to the water supply piping 7 is stopped. It has a falling section 70 that decreases in height toward the downstream side, and a rising section 72 that is connected to the downstream side via a connecting section 71 and increases in height toward the downstream side. Because the ozone water generator 42 is provided in the water sealing section 7A, the inside of the ozone water generator 42 (the water flow chamber in which the electrodes for water electrolysis are provided) can be filled with water even when water supply to the water supply piping 7 is stopped. If the chamber is drained and becomes dry, the amount of precipitates from the ozone water or tap water increases, which can cause clogging or reduced electrode conductivity. However, this embodiment can prevent such problems.

[0029] The first and second atmosphere release valves V1 and V2 are both valves that are set to an open state when the on-off valve Va is in a closed state. The first atmosphere release valve V1 serves to prevent water from backflowing upstream from the water seal section 7A when negative pressure occurs upstream of the water supply piping section 7, and is positioned at a height of at least an appropriate dimension H above the highest water level of the water seal section 7A (the height of the piping section 74 connected to the water seal section 7A). The second atmosphere release valve V2 serves to drain water from the piping section 73 connected downstream of the water seal section 7A to the outside through the nozzle 43.

[0030] Control unit 5 is configured using a microcomputer and other components, and performs operational control and data processing for each component of bathroom drying device A. Control unit 5 is also capable of wireless data communication with remote control 2 via communication unit 50. Remote control 2 is, for example, portable, and includes a communication circuit (not shown) for wirelessly communicating with control unit 5 via communication unit 50, control unit 22, multiple operation switches 20 for issuing various operational commands, display unit 21 configured using an LCD or other device and capable of displaying various data, and speaker SP. Control unit 5 and remote control 2 can also be configured to communicate via a wired connection. Control unit 22 and control unit 5 cooperate with each other to control operations such as the sterilization process of bathroom 1 using sterilized water / non-sterilized water sprayer 4, and to process various data, the details of which will be described later.

[0031] Next, a specific example of the operational process executed in the bathroom sterilization system SY and its operation will be described.

[0032] In the bathroom sterilization system SY, by performing specific operations using the remote control 2, This allows the sterilization process of bathroom 1 to begin. In this sterilization process of bathroom 1, a number of predetermined steps are carried out in sequence, as shown in Figure 4(a). Specifically, a non-sterilized water spraying step S1, a sterilized water spraying step S2, a non-sterilized water spraying step S3 as a sterilized water rinsing step, a bathroom ventilation step S4, and a bathroom drying step S5 are carried out in this order.

[0033] Here, the non-sterilized water spraying step S1 corresponds to a preliminary cleaning step in which tap water is sprayed onto the bathroom 1 to wash away dirt from various parts of the bathroom 1 prior to the sterilized water spraying step S2. This non-sterilized water spraying step S1 also serves to lower the room temperature of the bathroom 1 if the room temperature is high. If the room temperature of the bathroom 1 remains high and ozone water is sprayed as described below, there is a risk that the ozone gas concentration in the bathroom 1 will become excessively high. In contrast, the non-sterilized water spraying step serves to lower the room temperature of the bathroom 1 before the sterilized water spraying step is executed, thereby eliminating the risk of the ozone gas concentration becoming excessively high. If the room temperature of the bathroom 1 is high, such as immediately after a user has finished bathing, the non-sterilized water spraying step can be executed to sufficiently lower the room temperature of the bathroom 1. The non-sterilized water spraying step S1 ends, for example, when its execution time reaches a predetermined time. This also applies to the other steps S2 to S5, but other conditions can also be used as the end conditions (for example, when the amount of spraying reaches a predetermined amount, when the degree of dryness reaches a predetermined state, etc.).

[0034] The disinfecting water spraying step S2 is a step of spraying ozone water into the bathroom 1, and therefore disinfects the bathroom 1 using the ozone water. The non-sterilized water spraying step S3 corresponds to a sterilized water rinsing step in which the ozone water sprayed into the bathroom 1 is washed away with tap water and then discharged to the outside through a drain (not shown) of the bathroom 1. This step S3 prevents the sterilized water from remaining on various parts of the bathroom 1 for an unnecessarily long period of time. Bathroom ventilation step S4 is a step of ventilating bathroom 1 to reduce the ozone gas concentration in bathroom 1. If the ozone gas concentration in bathroom 1 is high, ozone gas may leak outside bathroom 1, causing discomfort to residents with its ozone odor or posing a risk to the health of anyone who unexpectedly enters bathroom 1. Bathroom ventilation step S4 can appropriately reduce such risks. Ventilation fan 32 is kept on continuously from the start to the end of the sterilization process of bathroom 1, but during bathroom ventilation step S4, the driving speed of ventilation fan 32 is set higher than before. Bathroom drying step S5 is a step in which warm air is blown into bathroom 1 to dry bathroom 1, which is preferable for keeping bathroom 1 hygienic. During this step, ventilation fan 32 is driven at the same speed as when bathroom ventilation step S4 is performed, for example.

[0035] Meanwhile, the blower fan 60 of the air blower device 6, like the ventilation fan 32, is kept on from the start to the end of the bathroom 1 sterilization process. However, during the bathroom ventilation step S4, the nozzle 43 performs a water droplet removal operation. During this water droplet removal operation, the louver 61 is set and fixed at an angle so that the air blown from the louver 61 directly strikes the nozzle 43, as shown by the solid lines in FIGS. 1 to 3 . Before or at the start of the bathroom ventilation step S4, tap water droplets adhere to the outer surface of the nozzle 43. However, the water droplet removal operation actively removes these droplets or reduces their amount. As a result, the phenomenon of the water droplets falling from the nozzle 43 can be prevented, preventing problems such as the water droplets falling on people who subsequently enter the bathroom 1.

[0036] During steps S1 to S3 and S5 other than bathroom ventilation step S4, louvers 61 swing over a relatively large angle range to blow air over a wide area of ​​bathroom 1. However, during bathroom drying step S5, louvers 61 can be oriented in a direction set by the user to focus air on specific areas of bathroom 1, such as areas that are difficult to dry.

[0037] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the specific configuration of each part of the bathroom sterilization system according to the present invention can be freely designed and modified within the intended scope of the present invention.

[0038] In the above-described embodiment, when the disinfecting water spraying step is performed, the non-disinfecting water spraying step is performed prior to the disinfecting water spraying step, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the disinfecting water spraying step may be performed without the non-disinfecting water spraying step. Furthermore, although it is preferable that the disinfecting water rinsing step and the bathroom drying step be both performed after the disinfecting water spraying step, it is also possible to omit either or both of these steps.

[0039] The disinfecting water is not limited to ozone water as long as it is a liquid that has a disinfecting effect. For example, other types of disinfecting water, such as hypochlorous acid water, can also be used. The non-sterilized water is not limited to tap water. For example, water other than tap water, such as well water pumped up by a pump, can also be used.

[0040] In the disinfecting water / non-sterilizing water sprayer 4 of the above-described embodiment, disinfecting water / non-sterilizing water sprayer 4 can spray both disinfecting water and non-sterilizing water from a single common nozzle 43 by switching on / off the drive of ozone water generator 42, but the present invention is not limited to this. The disinfecting water / non-sterilizing water sprayer of the present invention may be configured, for example, by combining a disinfecting water sprayer capable of spraying disinfecting water from a first nozzle with a non-sterilizing water sprayer configured as a separate device from the disinfecting water sprayer and capable of spraying non-sterilizing water from a second nozzle. The disinfectant water / non-sterilized water sprayer may be configured to spray disinfectant water and non-sterilized water into a bathroom, and the specific method for generating the disinfectant water and the concentration of specific components in the generated disinfectant water are not limited. The nozzle may be configured differently from the above-described embodiment, and multiple nozzles may be used instead of a single nozzle, and the specific number of nozzles is not important. Furthermore, disinfectant water and non-sterilized water may be sprayed intermittently, for example, at a predetermined short interval, instead of continuously.

[0041] In the above-described embodiment, the disinfected water / non-disinfected water spraying device is incorporated into the bathroom drying device, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to configure it so that it is not incorporated into the bathroom drying device. The air blower in the present invention is not limited to a ventilation fan (circulation fan) provided in a bathroom drying device, but may be any configuration that can blow air into the bathroom and perform the water droplet removal operation intended by the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] SY Bathroom Disinfection System 1 bathroom 32 Ventilation fan 4 Sterilized water / non-sterilized water spraying device 43 nozzle 6. Blower 61 Louver

Claims

1. a disinfected water / non-disinfected water spraying device that is equipped with a nozzle located above the bathroom and that is capable of performing a disinfected water spraying step and a non-disinfected water spraying step of spraying disinfected water and non-disinfected water, respectively, into the bathroom from the nozzle; a blower capable of blowing air into the bathroom; A bathroom sterilization system comprising: A bathroom sterilization system characterized in that, after at least one of the sterilizing water spraying process and the non-sterilizing water spraying process is completed, the blower device is configured to perform a water droplet removal operation by blowing air toward the nozzle for a predetermined period of time or more to remove or reduce water droplets adhering to the nozzle.

2. The bathroom sterilization system according to claim 1, As a sterilization treatment for the bathroom, after the sterilized water spraying step is executed, the non-sterilized water spraying step can be executed as a step of rinsing off the sterilized water sprayed in the bathroom, The bathroom sterilization system is configured so that the water droplet removal operation is performed after the rinsing process of the sterilizing water is completed.

3. The bathroom sterilization system according to claim 2, Further provided is a ventilation fan for the bathroom, After the sterilizing water rinsing step is completed, a bathroom ventilation step is executed in which the ventilation fan is operated to ventilate the bathroom, The bathroom sterilization system is configured so that the water droplet removal operation is performed during the bathroom ventilation process.

4. The bathroom sterilization system according to claim 1, The air blowing device includes a movable louver that can change the air blowing direction, The louver is configured to be fixed in a direction such that the air blown from the louver directly hits the nozzle during the water droplet removal operation, in this bathroom sterilization system.

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