Blower

Abstract

To provide a device that suppresses mold growth by blowing air that inhibits mold growth onto both the ceiling surface and the area behind the ceiling. [Solution] The blower 2 provides airflow to the ceiling 10 and comprises a casing 22 mounted on the ceiling and having a fan 21 inside; a first intake port 221a and a first outlet port 222b provided in the casing and communicating with the attic space S1; a second intake port 222a and a second outlet port 222b provided in the casing and communicating with the indoor space S2; and an intake port switching means 3 that opens one of the first intake port and the second intake port and closes the other, with the first and second intake ports being normally open.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a blower device that provides an air flow to a ceiling.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, due to the influence of rising temperature and humidity accompanying climate change, problems such as condensation and mold occurring in buildings have frequently occurred. There are also many cases where mold occurs not only on the indoor side surface of interior materials but also on the surface of hidden parts such as the ceiling back. As a general countermeasure, the use of a circulator (such as an air conveyance fan) that discharges indoor air along the ceiling surface can be mentioned.

[0003] As such a circulator, for example, the blower device of Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2020-204293) is installed on the ceiling surface, and sends out the fluid (air) in the room along the ceiling surface to move the air containing moisture accumulated near the ceiling surface, aiming to suppress the occurrence of condensation and mold on the ceiling surface.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Generally, it is said that the temperature in the growth conditions of mold is 20 to 30°C and the relative humidity is about 70%. Since the device of Patent Document 1 blows out indoor air, the temperature environment is within a range where mold is likely to grow. Also, although it blows air along the ceiling surface on the indoor space side (hereinafter referred to as the "ceiling surface"), it is not disclosed that air is blown to the ceiling back surface facing the attic space side, and the effect of suppressing mold occurring on the ceiling back cannot be expected.

[0006] The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its objective is to provide a device that suppresses mold growth by blowing air that inhibits mold growth onto both the ceiling surface and the area behind the ceiling. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The blower according to the present invention is a blower that provides airflow to the ceiling and comprises a casing mounted on the ceiling and having a fan installed inside; a first intake port and a first outlet provided in the casing and communicating with the attic space; a second intake port and a second outlet provided in the casing and communicating with the room space; and an intake port switching means for opening one of the first intake port and the second intake port and closing the other. The first and second outlets are normally in an open state.

[0008] Preferably, the casing is composed of a cylindrical member extending vertically, with a first intake port formed at the upper end of the casing, a first outlet port formed on the side of the casing, a second intake port formed at the lower end of the casing, and a second outlet port formed on the side of the casing.

[0009] Preferably, a first opening / closing member is provided at the first intake port, and a second opening / closing member is provided at the second intake port. The intake port switching means opens the first opening / closing member and closes the second opening / closing member when the air in the attic space reaches a predetermined temperature or higher.

[0010] Preferably, the first and second outlets are formed along the circumferential direction of the casing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, since the air from the high-temperature attic space and the dehumidified air from the indoor space can be selectively blown to both the ceiling surface and the space behind the ceiling, mold growth is suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a schematic front view showing the arrangement of the blower according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic exploded perspective view showing the blower device. [Figure 3] This is a schematic front view of the blower device. [Figure 4] This is a schematic front cross-sectional view of the blower. [Figure 5] This is a schematic perspective view showing the opening and closing member according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] (A) is a schematic front cross-sectional view showing the closed state of the opening / closing member, and (B) is a schematic front cross-sectional view showing the open state of the opening / closing member. [Figure 7] This is a schematic front cross-sectional view showing the airflow from the attic space in the blower according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a schematic front cross-sectional view showing the airflow from the indoor space in the blower. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will not be repeated.

[0014] (Overview of the layout configuration) Figure 1 shows an example of the arrangement of the blower 2. In Figure 1, the vertical direction is indicated by the symbols Y1 and Y2, and the horizontal direction is indicated by the symbols X1 and X2. The same applies to the other figures.

[0015] In this embodiment, the blower 2 is installed in a single-story building 1. In building 1, the air temperature in the attic space becomes high due to the influence of sunlight. Building 1 has an attic space S1 partitioned by the ceiling 10, walls 11 and roof 12, and an interior space S2 partitioned by the ceiling 10, walls 11 and floor 13. The attic space S1 and the interior space S2 are separated vertically by the ceiling 10, and the blower 2 is fixed through a through-hole 10a (Figure 7) formed in the ceiling 10.

[0016] Building 1, for example, has a ceiling surface area of about 100 to 200 m 2 and is a section where a frozen and refrigerated showcase in a supermarket is installed. As an example, the air blower 2 is installed at a rate of about one unit per 5 m × 5 m (4 units for 100 m 2 ).

[0017] (Regarding the air blower) FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the air blower 2. The air blower 2 includes a fan 21 and a casing 22 in which the fan 21 is provided inside.

[0018] The fan 21 includes an upper ring 21a, a lower ring 21b, and blades 21c provided between the upper ring 21a and the lower ring 21b. The blades 21c are rectangular with a long side in the vertical direction, the upper end is attached to the upper ring 21a, the lower end is attached to the lower ring 21b, and a large number of them are provided along the circumferential direction of the upper and lower rings 21a, 21b.

[0019] The casing 22 is composed of a cylindrical member extending in the vertical direction. The casing 22 includes a first suction port 221a formed at the upper end portion 221 and a second suction port 222a formed at the lower end portion 222.

[0020] A first blowout port 221b and a second blowout port 222b are formed on the side portion 223 of the casing 22. The first and second blowout ports 221b, 222b are respectively formed along the circumferential direction of the casing 22.

[0021] The casing 22 includes an upper portion 22a including the first suction port 221a, a lower portion 22c including the second suction port 222a, and an intermediate portion 22b between the first suction port 221a and the second suction port 222a.

[0022] As will be described later, the intermediate section 22b is the part that is attached to the through-hole 10a of the ceiling 10, and is larger in the vertical direction (height) than the upper section 22a and the lower section 22c. The upper section 22a and the intermediate section 22b, and the lower section 22c and the intermediate section 22b are each connected to each other via connecting sections 224.

[0023] Figures 3 and 4 show the fan 21 rotatably supported in the casing 22. The fan 21 and the casing 22 are mounted coaxially, and the fan 21 is mounted inside the casing 22 via a rotating shaft (not shown). In Figures 3, 4, 7, and 8, the blades 21c of the fan 21 are shown in gray.

[0024] As shown in Figure 3, a portion of each blade 21c of the fan 21 is exposed from the first and second outlets 221b and 222b. When the fan 21 rotates, (if the opening / closing members described later are not provided at the intake) air is drawn in from the upper and lower first and second intakes 221a and 222a, as indicated by the white arrows, and air is blown out horizontally from the first and second outlets 221b and 222b. As shown in Figure 2, since the first and second outlets 221b and 222b open along the circumferential direction of the casing 22, the blown-out air spreads out radially.

[0025] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the blower 2 is provided with a first opening / closing member 31 at the first intake port 221a and a second opening / closing member 32 at the second intake port 222a. By selectively opening and closing the first and second opening / closing members 31 and 32, air is drawn in from only one of the first and second intake ports 221a and 222a. The airflow will be described later.

[0026] First, an example of the structure of the first and second opening / closing members 31 and 32 will be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6. Since the first and second opening / closing members 31 and 32 have the same structure, the first opening / closing member 31 will be described as a representative example.

[0027] The first opening / closing member 31 is composed of a fixed plate 30a attached to the upper end portion 221 of the casing 22 and a sliding plate 30d that horizontally overlaps the fixed plate 30a. The fixed plate 30a has plate portions 30b and slits 30c alternatingly at equal intervals in a certain direction (for example, the horizontal direction). The sliding plate 30d also has plate portions 30e and slits 30f alternatingly at equal intervals in a certain direction.

[0028] Figure 6(A) shows the closed state of the first opening / closing member 31. With the fixed plate 30a and the sliding plate 30d overlapping each other, the slit 30f of the sliding plate 30d is blocked from below by the plate portion 30b of the fixed plate 30a. Therefore, even if air flows into the slit 30f of the sliding plate 30d from above, the flow is blocked by the plate portion 30b of the fixed plate 30a and does not flow downstream.

[0029] Figure 6(B) shows the open state of the first opening / closing member 31. The slide plate 30d has been slid horizontally (to the left of the paper) from the position shown in Figure 6(A). The slit 30f of the slide plate 30d and the slit 30c of the fixed plate 30a are in communication. Therefore, the air flowing into the slit 30f of the slide plate 30d from above passes through the slit 30c of the fixed plate 30a and flows downstream.

[0030] (Regarding the installation status of the blower) As shown in Figure 7, the blower 2 is installed by penetrating through the through-hole 10a in the ceiling 10 and is fixed to the ceiling 10 at the intermediate section 22b by a fastener (not shown).

[0031] The first intake port 221a and the first outlet port 221b are connected to the attic space. The second intake port 222a and the second outlet port 222b are connected to the interior space. In this embodiment, the blower 2 is installed such that the second outlet port 222b is closer to the ceiling 10 than the first outlet port 221b.

[0032] A fixing plate 30a for the first opening / closing member 31 is attached to the upper end 221 of the casing 22, and a fixing plate 30a for the second opening / closing member 32 is attached to the lower end 222 of the casing 22. In this embodiment, the first and second opening / closing members 31 and 32, together with the control unit 300 and the temperature sensor 301, constitute an intake port switching means.

[0033] When the control unit 300 detects from the temperature sensor 301 that the air in the attic space is below a predetermined temperature (for example, 30°C), it closes the first opening / closing member 31 and opens the second opening / closing member 32.

[0034] On the other hand, when the control unit 300 detects from the temperature sensor 301 that the air in the attic space has reached a predetermined temperature or higher, it opens the first opening / closing member 31 and closes the second opening / closing member 32.

[0035] (Regarding ventilation from the attic space) Referring to Figure 7, an example of a case where the blower 2 draws in air from the attic space and blows it out into the attic space and the interior space will be explained.

[0036] For example, in the summer, if the air temperature in the attic space rises to 30°C or higher due to the effects of sunlight, the control unit 300 opens the first opening / closing member 31 from the closed state (Figure 8) and the second opening / closing member 32 from the open state (Figure 8) to the closed state. The first and second air outlets 221b and 222b are normally in the open state.

[0037] When the first opening / closing member 31 is in the open position, the first intake port 221a communicates with the attic space. Air from the attic space is drawn in through the first intake port 221a by the rotation of the fan 21 and blown out through the first outlet port 221b and the second outlet port 222b.

[0038] Since the first and second air outlets 221b and 222b are formed along the circumference of the cylindrical casing 22, the blown air spreads radially and covers a wide area. Also, since the second air outlet 222b is located near the ceiling surface, the air flows along the ceiling surface. On the other hand, since the first air outlet 221b is located away from the back of the ceiling, it can distribute air over a wide area even if there are obstacles such as ceiling substrate materials.

[0039] As air is blown out from the first and second outlets 221b and 222b, a continuous airflow is provided not only to the ceiling surface but also to the underside of the ceiling, thereby preventing mold from adhering to and growing on both the surface and underside of the ceiling.

[0040] Furthermore, by blowing air at temperatures above 30°C, which is incompatible with mold growth, it is possible to prevent mold growth on both the surface and underside of the ceiling. In addition, by utilizing the high-temperature air in the attic space, there is no need to install heating means such as heaters, thus saving energy.

[0041] Furthermore, if Building 1 is a supermarket ice cream section, it is possible to suppress the growth of mold in the attic space directly above the refrigerated display cases.

[0042] (Regarding ventilation from indoor spaces) Referring to Figure 8, an example of a case where the blower 2 draws in air from the indoor space and blows it out into the attic space and the indoor space will be explained.

[0043] For example, in the summer, when the air temperature in the indoor space drops due to the use of an air conditioner, and as a result the air temperature in the attic space falls below 30°C, the control unit 300 closes the first opening / closing member 31 from the open state (Figure 7) and the second opening / closing member 32 from the closed state (Figure 7) to the open state. The first and second air outlets 221b and 222b are normally in the open state.

[0044] When the second opening / closing member 32 is in the open position, the second intake port 222a communicates with the indoor space. Air from the indoor space is drawn in through the second intake port 222a by the rotation of the fan 21 and blown out through the first outlet port 221b and the second outlet port 222b.

[0045] The dehumidified indoor air from the air conditioner is blown into the attic space from the first outlet 221b, which lowers the humidity in the attic space and helps prevent mold growth. In addition, the air is blown along the ceiling surface on the indoor side from the second outlet 222b, which prevents mold growth on the ceiling surface.

[0046] (Regarding airflow) The airflow from the second outlet 222b may be greater than the airflow from the first outlet 221b. For example, if the surface area of ​​the ceiling 10 is 100-200 m² 2 In this case, the airflow rate at the first outlet 221b (attic space side) is set to 100 m³. 3 Set the airflow rate to approximately / h, and the airflow rate at the second outlet 222b (indoor space side) to 200m 3 It can be set to approximately / h.

[0047] The ceiling surface on the interior space side is flat and free of obstructions, so the air blown out from the second outlet 222b flows easily along the ceiling surface. On the other hand, the underside of the ceiling facing the attic space has base materials and the like installed there, which may obstruct the airflow of the air blown out from the first outlet 221b.

[0048] When drawing in warm air from the attic space and blowing it out from the first and second outlets 221b and 222b, increasing the airflow from the second outlet 222b allows the air to travel further along the ceiling surface, which helps to suppress mold growth on the ceiling surface over a wide area (it is thought that a mold suppression effect can be obtained if the airflow is around 0.2 m / s).

[0049] Furthermore, even if the airflow from the first outlet 221b is smaller than that from the second outlet 222b, if it can prevent air stagnation in the attic space, it will help suppress mold growth on the ceiling surface.

[0050] On the other hand, when dehumidified air is drawn in from the indoor space by the air conditioner and blown out from the first and second outlets 221b and 222b, the air blown out from the second outlet 222b can be delivered far along the ceiling surface, which helps to suppress mold growth on the ceiling surface over a wide area.

[0051] Furthermore, by blowing dehumidified air from the first outlet 221b, the attic space can be dehumidified, which helps to suppress mold growth on the ceiling surface.

[0052] The airflow from the first outlet 221b is set to 100 m 3 By setting the airflow to approximately 3 times per hour, when supplying dehumidified air from the indoor space to the attic space, a sufficient airflow (approximately 3 times per hour) can be obtained for ventilation in the attic space, bringing the temperature and humidity environment of the attic space closer to that of the indoor space. Therefore, it becomes possible to improve the temperature and humidity environment of the attic space.

[0053] The difference in airflow can be adjusted by changing the opening areas of the first and second outlets 221b and 222b. Specifically, the opening area of ​​the second outlet 222b may be larger than that of the first outlet 221b.

[0054] Furthermore, although one fan 21 is provided in this embodiment, the airflow may be adjusted by providing a fan for each of the first and second air outlets 221b and 222b, and making the rotation speeds of the pair of fans different from each other. Specifically, the airflow of the fan provided at the second air outlet 222b may be set to be greater than the airflow of the fan provided at the first air outlet 221b.

[0055] (others) In this embodiment, the temperature sensor 301 and the control unit 300 selectively open and close the first and second opening / closing members 31 and 32, but the system is not limited to this configuration.

[0056] For example, without using a temperature sensor 301 and a control unit 300, a shape memory alloy material that expands and contracts with temperature may be attached to the slide plate 30d of the first opening / closing member 31 and the slide plate 30d of the second opening / closing member 32, respectively, so that the first and second opening / closing members 31 and 32 selectively open and close when the temperature exceeds a predetermined level.

[0057] Furthermore, although the temperature was measured using the temperature sensor 301 in this embodiment, a temperature and humidity sensor may be used instead. In this case, the mold index may be calculated by referring to necessary information such as temperature and humidity, and the decision on which intake port to open or close may be made based on the mold index.

[0058] Furthermore, although the first and second air outlets 221b and 222b of the embodiment are each formed by four arc-shaped openings, multiple elongated arc-shaped slits may be provided vertically instead of each opening. Alternatively, each opening of the first and second air outlets 221b and 222b may be divided into multiple through holes along the circumferential direction.

[0059] According to this embodiment, the risk of condensation and mold growth can be reduced on both the surface and underside of the ceiling. This leads to a reduction in the risk of health problems caused by mold. Furthermore, when applied to stores, it can lead to an improvement in the quality of goods sold in the store.

[0060] Furthermore, while the embodiment uses a section of a single-story supermarket as an example of Building 1, it is not limited to this, and can also include single-story nursing homes, the top floor of an apartment building, or any other building where the temperature of the attic space becomes high due to the effects of sunlight.

[0061] Although embodiments of this invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, this invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments. Various modifications and variations can be made to the illustrated embodiments within the same scope as this invention, or within the equivalent scope. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0062] 10 Ceiling, 11 Roof, 2 Blower, 21 Fan, 22 Casing, 221 Upper end, 221a First intake port, 221b First outlet port, 222 Lower end, 222a Second intake port, 222b Second outlet port, 223 Side, 3 Intake port switching means, 31 First opening / closing member, 32 Second opening / closing member, S1 Attic space, S2 Interior space

Claims

1. A ventilation device that provides airflow to the ceiling, A casing mounted on the ceiling with a fan inside, The casing is provided with a first intake port and a first outlet port that communicate with the attic space, The casing is provided with a second intake port and a second outlet port that communicate with the interior space, The system includes a suction port switching means that opens one of the first suction port and the second suction port and closes the other, The first and second outlets are kept open at all times in this blower.

2. The casing is composed of cylindrical members extending vertically, The first intake port is formed at the upper end of the casing, and the first outlet port is formed on the side of the casing. The blower according to claim 1, wherein the second intake port is formed at the lower end of the casing and the second outlet port is formed on the side of the casing.

3. A first opening / closing member is provided at the first suction port, and a second opening / closing member is provided at the second suction port. The air blower according to claim 2, wherein the intake port switching means opens the first opening / closing member and closes the second opening / closing member when the air in the attic space reaches a predetermined temperature or higher.

4. The blower according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the first outlet and the second outlet are formed along the circumferential direction of the casing.

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