Bathroom sterilization and cleaning system

Abstract

To provide a bathroom sterilization cleaning system which can appropriately prevent or suppress defects that a person is carelessly exposed to ozone water and puts themselves in a highly concentrated ozone gas atmosphere.SOLUTION: A bathroom sterilization cleaning system SY includes a blower 30, a ventilation device 32, and an ozone water spray device 4 capable of performing ozone water spray operation to a bathroom 1 so as to perform sterilization cleaning treatment of the bathroom 1, further includes bathroom entry determination means Sa, 5 capable of determining presence / absence of entry of a person into the bathroom 1, and is configured to stop the ozone water spray operation and execute blowing and ventilation, when the bathroom entry determination means Sa, 5 determines that the person enters the bathroom 1 during an execution period of the ozone water spray operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a bathroom sterilization and cleaning system that uses ozone water. [Background technology]

[0002] A specific example of a bathroom sterilization and cleaning system is one that includes an ozone water spraying device that can spray ozone water into a bathroom, as described in Patent Document 1, for example. Ozone water has a sterilizing effect. Therefore, according to the above configuration, spraying ozone water can sterilize various parts of the bathroom, such as walls, and suppress the growth of mold and bacteria. Spraying ozone water can also remove dirt.

[0003] However, the above-mentioned conventional techniques still have room for improvement as follows.

[0004] That is, there is a risk that someone may accidentally enter the bathroom while the ozone water spraying operation is being performed and be exposed to the ozone water. Since ozone water has a bactericidal effect as well as a bleaching effect, it is desirable to appropriately avoid such a situation. Furthermore, while the ozone water spraying operation is being performed, ozone gas is liberated from the ozone water, and the ozone gas concentration in the bathroom is likely to be high. Therefore, when a person enters the bathroom, they will be exposing themselves to the ozone gas, so it is even more desirable to avoid such a situation.

[0005] In Patent Document 1, spraying of ozone water and spraying of regular water (non-ozonated water) are alternately performed, so that even if a person is exposed to ozonated water, the ozonated water is washed away with regular water, thereby minimizing the effects of the ozonated water. However, such a method results in a considerable waste of spraying of regular water. Furthermore, it is not a method that can prevent people from being exposed to ozonated water. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-48858 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The present invention was conceived under the circumstances described above, and its objective is to provide a bathroom sterilization and cleaning system that can appropriately prevent or suppress inconveniences such as people being inadvertently exposed to ozone water or being exposed to a high-concentration ozone gas atmosphere. [Means for solving the problem]

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

[0009] The bathroom sterilization and cleaning system provided by the present invention is a bathroom sterilization and cleaning system comprising an air blowing device capable of blowing air into a bathroom, a ventilation device capable of ventilating the bathroom by exhausting air from the bathroom to the outside, and an ozone water spraying device capable of spraying ozone water into the bathroom to perform a sterilization and cleaning process for the bathroom, and further comprising a bathroom entry determination means capable of determining whether or not a person has entered the bathroom, and is configured so that when the bathroom entry determination means determines that a person has entered the bathroom during the execution of the ozone water spraying operation, the ozone water spraying operation is interrupted and the air blowing and ventilation are performed.

[0010] This configuration provides the following effects. That is, if someone enters the bathroom while the ozone water spraying operation is being performed to sterilize and clean the bathroom, the ozone water spraying operation is interrupted, thereby preventing the person entering the bathroom from being exposed to too much ozone water. Another important effect is that when the ozone water spraying operation is stopped, air is blown into the bathroom and ventilation is performed, so that the high concentration of ozone gas that was present in the bathroom due to the ozone water spraying operation can be quickly discharged from the bathroom, thereby appropriately preventing people who enter the bathroom from being exposed to a high concentration of ozone gas atmosphere for a relatively long period of time.

[0011] In the present invention, preferably, the bathroom entry determination means is capable of determining whether or not a person has left the bathroom, and when the bathroom entry determination means determines that a person has left the bathroom after the ozone water spraying operation is interrupted, the air blowing and ventilation are terminated and the ozone water spraying operation is resumed.

[0012] With this configuration, spraying of ozone water into the bathroom resumes when a person leaves the bathroom, thereby appropriately avoiding the problem of the ozone water spraying being interrupted. Furthermore, when spraying of ozone water resumes, the air supply and ventilation to the bathroom are stopped, which prevents problems such as a decrease in the efficiency of the bathroom sterilization and cleaning process due to the air supply and ventilation.

[0013] In the present invention, the air blower and the ventilation device are preferably controlled to have a larger air volume and ventilation volume than normal during the interruption of the ozone water spraying operation.

[0014] With this configuration, when the ozone water spraying operation is interrupted due to a person entering the bathroom and air is blown into and ventilated in the bathroom, the high concentration of ozone gas present in the bathroom can be expelled more quickly. On the other hand, under normal circumstances, the air blowing and ventilation volumes are suppressed, allowing the operating noise of the air blowing and ventilation devices to be kept low.

[0015] In the present invention, preferably, the bathroom has a bathtub and a washing area, and above the bathtub are provided louvers for blowing air from the blower device and an air intake port for the ventilation device, and the air blowing performed when the ozone water spraying operation is interrupted is configured to blow air diagonally downward from the louvers toward the washing area, and the air that rises to the top of the bathroom due to the air blowing reaches the ventilation device through the air intake port and is exhausted outside the bathroom.

[0016] This configuration provides the following effects. In other words, if the bathroom is filled with ozone gas when the ozone water spraying operation is interrupted, air can be blown diagonally downward from the louvers above the bathtub toward the washing area, causing the ozone gas to rise around the air blowing area and smoothly guide it to the air intake located above the bathtub, where it can reach the ventilation system. This allows the ozone gas to be efficiently exhausted to the outside, and the ozone gas concentration to be reduced more rapidly. Another important effect is that the entrance / exit in the bathroom is located on the washing area side, opposite the bathtub. Therefore, when the entrance / exit door is open and air is blown out from the louvers above the bathtub toward the washing area, ozone gas is discharged from the entrance / exit, thereby reducing the ozone gas concentration. When the entrance / exit door is closed and air is blown out, the ventilation device efficiently exhausts ozone gas to the outside, and in this case too, the ozone gas is efficiently discharged. This can reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide.

[0017] In the present invention, it is preferable that a bathroom drying device capable of performing a bathroom drying operation for drying the bathroom is provided, and this bathroom drying device is equipped with the air blower, the ventilation device, and the ozone water spray device.

[0018] This configuration provides the following effects. In other words, bathroom dryers are generally equipped with air blowers and ventilation devices. Using such a bathroom dryer as a component of the bathroom disinfecting and cleaning system of the present invention makes the overall configuration rational and is preferable for reducing costs.

[0019] 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]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of a bathroom sterilization and cleaning system according to the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of a bathroom drying device that is a component of the bathroom sterilizing and cleaning system shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the state of air blowing and ventilation in the bathroom in the bathroom sterilization and cleaning system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. [Figure 4] 3 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation procedure executed in the bathroom disinfecting and cleaning system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0022] The bathroom sterilization and cleaning system SY shown in Figures 1 and 2 is configured with a bathroom drying device A. Bathroom drying device A is configured by combining a main body A0 installed above bathtub 11 on ceiling 10 of bathroom 1 with a separate remote control 2, and an ozone water sprayer 4 (described later) is built into main body A0. In addition, a human sensor Sa (human body detection sensor) is built into bathroom remote control 81A of hot water supply device 8 (described later).

[0023] Bathroom drying apparatus A is configured to receive a supply of hot water from water heater 8. Water heater 8 is capable of supplying hot water to bathtub 11 via piping 80, and also has a general hot water supply function for the kitchen, etc., and is equipped with control unit 82 that controls the operation of each part of water heater 8 and executes various data processing. In addition to the bathroom remote control 81A already mentioned, kitchen remote control 81B is also communicatively connected to control unit 82.

[0024] The main body A0 of the bathroom drying device A includes a blower fan 30 (also called a circulation fan), a heat exchanger 31 for heating air, a ventilation fan 32, a mist ejection nozzle 33, an ozone water spray device 4, a control unit 5, and a housing 34 that covers all of these parts. The blower fan 30 and the ventilation fan 32 correspond to specific examples of the blower device and the ventilation device, respectively, of the present invention.

[0025] Blower fan 30 draws in air through air inlet 35a provided on the underside of housing 34 and can blow the air into bathroom 1 through louvers 36 provided on the air outlet. Heat exchanger 31 heats the air drawn into blower fan 30 through air inlet 35a, and heated water can be supplied to heat exchanger 31 from water heater 8 as a medium for this heating. When blower fan 30 is driven, heated water is supplied to heat exchanger 31 from water heater 8, and the air is drawn in through air inlet 35a. The air drawn in through opening 35a is heated, and warm air is blown into bathroom 1 through louvers 36. When bathroom drying device A is in bathroom drying operation, the warm air blowing and ventilation by ventilation fan 32 are carried out in parallel. When the supply of heated hot water to heat exchanger 31 is stopped, unheated air (unheated air) is blown into bathroom 1 through louver 36.

[0026] The direction of louver 36 can be changed by a motor (not shown), and the air blowing angle when blowing air into bathroom 1 can be changed as needed. During a specific period (when the ozone water spraying operation is interrupted), which will be described later, louver 36 is configured to blow air diagonally downward toward washing area 1a of bathroom 1, as shown in Figure 3. Preferably, the air blowing direction has an angle of 30 to 60 degrees relative to vertical line VL (the range of α1 to α2 in Figure 3, where α1 = 30 degrees and α2 = 60 degrees). 1 and 3, reference numeral 18 denotes the entrance to the bathroom 1, which can be opened and closed by a door 17.

[0027] Ventilation fan 32 is a fan for exhausting air from bathroom 1 to the outdoors. When ventilation fan 32 is operated, air from bathroom 1 is drawn into housing 34 through air intake port 35a, enters the area where ventilation fan 32 is installed, and is then exhausted to the outdoors through exhaust port 37. The operating speeds of the blower fan 30 and the ventilation fan 32 are variable, and during normal blowing and ventilation, they are operated at a relatively low speed so as to reduce driving noise. On the other hand, during a specific period (when the ozone water spraying operation is interrupted) described below, the blower fan 30 and the ventilation fan 32 are operated at a high speed (for example, maximum speed) so that the blowing volume and ventilation volume are greater than normal.

[0028] The mist spray nozzle 33 is a nozzle for spraying a mist of hot water into the bathroom 1 when a bather wishes to take a mist shower. A solenoid valve Va and a heat exchanger 61 are provided in the water supply piping 60 for supplying hot water to the mist spray nozzle 33. When the valve Va is open, a mist of hot water is sprayed from the mist spray nozzle 33. Heated hot water is supplied from the water heater 8 to the heat exchanger 61, which heats the hot water supplied to the mist spray nozzle 33. Like the louver 36, the orientation of the mist spray nozzle 33 can be changed by a motor (not shown). The mist spray nozzle 33 can be omitted if desired.

[0029] Ozone water spray device 4 includes piping 40 branched from water supply piping 60, an on-off valve Vb such as a solenoid valve provided in piping 40, ozone water generator 42, and nozzle 43 for spraying ozone water. Ozone water generator 42 may be of a conventionally known configuration, such as one that generates ozone water by electrolyzing water using electrodes or one that generates ozone gas from air and dissolves it in water. When on-off valve Vb is set to an open state, ozone water generated by ozone water generator 42 is sprayed from nozzle 43 toward bathroom 1. The ozone water is sprayed from nozzle 43 toward, for example, each sidewall 12 and floor 13 of bathroom 1.

[0030] Control unit 5 is configured using a microcomputer and other components, and controls the operation of each component of bathroom drying device A, causing it to perform drying operations for bathroom 1 and, as will be described later, also sterilizing and cleaning processes for bathroom 1. Control unit 5 can wirelessly communicate data with remote control 2 via communication unit 50. The remote control 2 is, for example, portable and includes a communication circuit (not shown) for wirelessly communicating with the control unit 5 via the communication unit 50, a plurality of operation switches 20 for issuing various operational commands, a display unit 21, and a speaker 22 capable of outputting sounds such as voice messages.

[0031] As mentioned above, bathroom remote control 81A is equipped with a human sensor Sa (human body detection sensor). This human sensor Sa is used to detect people entering and leaving bathroom 1, and is, for example, an image sensor using a pyroelectric element. The output signal of human sensor Sa is input to control unit 5 of bathroom drying device A, for example via control unit 82 of water heating device 8, and control unit 5 determines whether a person has entered bathroom 1 and whether a person has left bathroom 1. The combination of human sensor Sa and control unit 5 corresponds to a specific example of the bathroom entry determination means defined in the present invention. Alternatively, however, the determination of whether or not a person has entered bathroom 1 based on the output signal of human sensor Sa can be made, for example, by a control unit (not shown) provided in bathroom remote control 81A. The determination of whether or not a person has entered does not necessarily have to be made by control unit 5 of bathroom drying device A, but may be made in another location.

[0032] Next, an example of the operational processing procedure executed in the bathroom disinfecting and cleaning system SY will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Figure 4. The operation of the system will also be described.

[0033] First, when remote control 2 is used to operate to start the sterilization and cleaning process for bathroom 1, ozone water sprayer 4 is activated and begins spraying ozone water into bathroom 1 (S1: YES, S2). At this time, blower fan 30 and ventilation fan 32 are stopped. This prevents problems such as a decrease in the efficiency of the sterilization and cleaning process by ozone water spraying due to air blowing or ventilation into bathroom 1.

[0034] The above-mentioned ozone water spraying operation is terminated by control of control unit 5 when the total operation time reaches a predetermined time (S3: YES, S4). However, if a person enters bathroom 1 before the ozone water spraying operation is terminated and this is detected by control unit 5 via human presence sensor Sa, the ozone water spraying operation is interrupted (S3: NO, S7: YES, S8). This prevents the person entering bathroom 1 from being exposed to too much ozone water.

[0035] When the ozone water spraying operation is interrupted, blower fan 30 and ventilation fan 32 are driven to start blowing air (unheated air) into bathroom 1 and ventilating bathroom 1 (S8). While the ozone water spraying operation is being performed, a large amount of ozone gas liberated from the ozone water accumulates in bathroom 1, causing the ozone gas concentration to increase. However, by blowing air into bathroom 1 and ventilating the bathroom, the ozone gas concentration can be rapidly reduced. In this case, the driving speeds of blower fan 30 and ventilation fan 32 are set higher than usual, and the blowing and ventilation volumes are increased. This allows the ozone gas concentration to be reduced more quickly. While it is undesirable for people to remain in bathroom 1 for a long period of time when a high concentration of ozone gas remains, the above-described blowing and ventilation can appropriately resolve such a situation.

[0036] Because ozone gas has a higher specific gravity than air, it is difficult to smoothly exhaust it to the outside through ventilation fan 32 installed on ceiling 10 of bathroom 1. In contrast, if air is blown by blower fan 30 as shown in Figure 3, ozone gas can be efficiently raised around the air blowing area (the area where the blowing airflow is generated) and guided to air inlet 35a, and then smoothly exhausted to the outside using ventilation fan 32. When a person opens door 17 and air is blown out from louver 36 toward washing area 1a, ozone gas is exhausted from entrance / exit 18, reducing the ozone gas concentration.

[0037] After that, the person leaves the bathroom 1, and this is detected by the control unit 5 via the human sensor Sa. When this is notified, the ozone water spraying operation is resumed, and the air supply and ventilation to bathroom 1 are stopped (S9: YES, S10). This control prevents the ozone water spraying operation from remaining stopped, allowing the sterilization and cleaning process of bathroom 1 to be carried out appropriately. After the ozone water spraying operation is resumed, when the total time of the ozone water spraying operation reaches a predetermined time, the ozone water spraying operation ends at that point, as in the case described above (S3: YES, S4).

[0038] After the ozone water spraying operation is completed, bathroom drying device A is driven to perform bathroom drying operation (S5). As previously mentioned, during bathroom drying operation, warm air is blown into bathroom 1 and ventilation fan 32 ventilates bathroom 1 in parallel. In this case, blower fan 30 and ventilation fan 32 are driven at normal speeds, for example. Bathroom drying operation ends when the humidity in bathroom 1, detected by a humidity sensor (not shown) attached to bathroom drying device A, drops below a predetermined value, or when a preset timer time has elapsed (S6: YES). By performing the bathroom drying operation, bathroom 1 can be quickly transformed into an atmosphere free of ozone water and ozone gas.

[0039] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the specific configuration of each part of the bathroom disinfecting and cleaning system according to the present invention can be freely modified in various ways within the intended scope of the present invention.

[0040] The ozonated water spray device may be configured to spray ozonated water into a bathroom, and the specific method for generating ozonated water and the ozone concentration of the generated ozonated water are not limited. As can be understood from the above-described embodiment, the number of nozzles for spraying ozonated water is not limited to one, and multiple nozzles may be used, and the specific number is not important. The ozonated water may not only be sprayed continuously, but also intermittently at a predetermined short interval, for example.

[0041] In the above-described embodiment, the human presence sensor Sa is assembled to the bathroom remote control 81A, but the present invention is not limited to this and the human presence sensor Sa may be provided in a location different from the bathroom remote control 81A, for example, assembled to the bathroom drying device A. Multiple human presence sensors Sa may also be used. The bathroom entry determination means of the present invention is not limited to a means using a human sensor configured with a pyroelectric element, etc. For example, it may be configured to capture images of the bathroom using an imaging camera such as a CCD imaging camera, and determine whether a person is entering or exiting the bathroom by analyzing the captured images.

[0042] In the above-described embodiment, the bathroom sterilizing and cleaning system is configured by further providing an ozone water sprayer in addition to a bathroom drying device equipped with a blower fan and a ventilation fan, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the ozone water sprayer could be installed in a location separate from the bathroom drying device. Furthermore, although less practical, the bathroom sterilizing and cleaning system of the present invention could also be configured without using a bathroom drying device. When a bathroom drying device is used, an electric heater, for example, could be used as air heating means for generating the warm air used in the bathroom drying operation. The specific configuration of the air blower and ventilation device referred to in the present invention is not limited. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] SY Bathroom Sterilization and Cleaning System Sa Human presence sensor (bathroom entry determination means) A Bathroom drying device 1 bathroom 1a Washing area 11 Bathtub 30 Blower fan (blower device) 35a Air intake 36 Louver 32 Ventilation fan (ventilation device) 4. Ozone water spray device 5 Control unit (bathroom entry judgment means)

Claims

1. a blower capable of blowing air into the bathroom; a ventilation device capable of ventilating the bathroom by exhausting air from the bathroom to the outside; an ozone water spraying device capable of spraying ozone water into the bathroom to perform a sterilization and cleaning treatment of the bathroom; A bathroom disinfection and cleaning system comprising: The bathroom entrance determining means may further include means for determining whether or not a person has entered the bathroom. This bathroom sterilization and cleaning system is characterized in that when the bathroom entry determination means determines that a person has entered the bathroom during the period in which the ozone water spraying operation is being performed, the ozone water spraying operation is interrupted and the air blowing and ventilation are performed.

2. The bathroom disinfection and cleaning system according to claim 1, the bathroom entry determination means is capable of determining whether or not a person has left the bathroom; The bathroom sterilization and cleaning system is configured so that when the bathroom entry determination means determines that a person has left the bathroom after the ozone water spraying operation has been interrupted, the air blowing and ventilation are terminated and the ozone water spraying operation is resumed.

3. The bathroom disinfection and cleaning system according to claim 1, The bathroom sterilization and cleaning system is configured such that the air blower and the ventilation device are driven and controlled so that the air blowing volume and ventilation volume are greater than normal during the interruption of the ozone water spraying operation.

4. The bathroom disinfection and cleaning system according to claim 1, The bathroom has a bathtub and a washing area. A louver for blowing air from the air blower and an air intake port for the ventilation device are provided above the bathtub, This bathroom sterilization and cleaning system is configured so that the air blowing that is performed when the ozone water spraying operation is interrupted is blown diagonally downward from the louvers toward the washing area, and the air that rises to the top of the bathroom due to the air blowing reaches the ventilation device through the air intake and is exhausted outside the bathroom.

5. The bathroom disinfection and cleaning system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, A bathroom drying device capable of performing a bathroom drying operation for drying the bathroom is provided. The bathroom sterilization and cleaning system comprises the bathroom drying device, the air blower, the ventilation device, and the ozone water spray device.

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