Warm air heater

Abstract

To solve a problem that energy is wasted due to escape of heat to the outside when heating is performed with a combustion amount as it is after a window is opened to carry out necessary ventilation of a room during a heating operation.SOLUTION: In a hot air heater comprising a low firepower operation switch receiving an instruction of shifting a heating operation to a low firepower operation, a controller shifts the heating operation to the low firepower operation upon receiving an instruction to start a ventilation operation from the low firepower operation switch, and finishes the low firepower operation to restart the heating operation when a room temperature reaches a temperature lower than a set temperature by a prescribed value, whereby excessive combustion heat can be prevented from escaping outside due to an automatic operation, and energy necessary for starting the automatic operation again can be saved.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a hot air heater that blows out hot air to heat a room. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in this type of device, combustion-type warm air heaters burn indoors, so if they are operated for a long period of time in a closed space, the carbon dioxide concentration will rise, and so users are advised to open windows to ventilate the room, and ventilation of the indoor air is essential for a comfortable stay.

[0003] Also, for example, as in Patent Document 1, a warm air heater is known that counts the time that the indoor ventilation level is below a preset level, and stops heating operation (automatic operation) when this count reaches a predetermined required ventilation time (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 62-202934 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, with this conventional system, if automatic operation is stopped to ventilate, the energy required to re-ignite the unit must be consumed when automatic operation is resumed, resulting in unnecessary energy costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, claim 1 of the present invention , burna control unit that controls an automatic operation for heating by adjusting the combustion amount so that the indoor temperature detected by the room temperature detection means becomes the set temperature set by the room temperature setting means, and a low-heating operation for heating by reducing the combustion amount compared to the automatic operation; and a low-heating operation switch that receives an instruction to switch from the automatic operation to the low-heating operation. When an instruction to start the low-heating operation is given by the low-heating operation switch, the control unit sets a predetermined value according to the indoor temperature when the low-heating operation switch is operated, switches the automatic operation to the low-heating operation, and when the indoor temperature becomes a temperature lower than the set temperature by the predetermined value, completes the low-heating operation and resumes the automatic operation.

[0007] Also, a control unit that controls an automatic operation for heating by adjusting the amount of combustion so that the indoor temperature detected by the room temperature detection unit becomes the set temperature set by the room temperature setting unit, and a low-heating operation for heating by reducing the amount of combustion compared to the automatic operation; and a low-heating operation switch that receives an instruction to switch from the automatic operation to the low-heating operation. The control unit switches the automatic operation to the low-heating operation when an instruction to start the low-heating operation is received from the low-heating operation switch, and completes the low-heating operation when the indoor temperature becomes a temperature lower than the set temperature by a predetermined value, and resumes the automatic operation. The control unit presets an upper limit time from the start to the end of the low-heating operation, and when the upper limit time is reached, the control unit completes the low-heating operation even if the low-heating operation is in progress, and switches to the automatic operation. . [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to this invention, when the low heat operation switch is operated, low heat operation is performed with the combustion heat set to a low level, and the user can open windows and doors to ventilate the room during this low heat operation, thereby preventing excess combustion heat from escaping during automatic operation and saving the energy required to start up automatic operation again.

[0010] Furthermore, according to this invention, the completion of low heat operation is set to occur when the indoor temperature detected by the room temperature detection means falls below a predetermined low temperature that varies depending on the indoor temperature, making it possible to determine that ventilation has been performed appropriately in accordance with the indoor temperature state and preventing insufficient ventilation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is an external perspective view of a warm air heater showing an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] The same configuration diagram. [Figure 4]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a combustion fan motor drive means and a convection fan motor drive means. [Figure 5] Graph showing the relationship between indoor temperature and a specified value [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the low-power operation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a warm air heater 1 according to this embodiment is a heating device that blows out warm air to raise the temperature inside a room.

[0013] As shown in Figure 2, the warm air heater 1 includes an appliance body 2, a combustion unit 3 that burns fuel, a convection fan 4 that blows out warm air, a warm air outlet 5, a warm air outlet frame 6, a movable louver 7, an oscillation device 8 that oscillates the movable louver 7 within a predetermined oscillation angle range, and a control unit 9 that controls operation. For ease of explanation, the warm air heater 1 is referred to as having left and right, front and rear, and up and down directions as seen from the user.

[0014] 1, the appliance body 2 is equipped with a front panel 10, an operation section 11 on which various switches are arranged, and a display section 12 consisting of a liquid crystal panel that displays operation details, etc. The operation section 11 is equipped with an operation switch 13, a low heat operation switch 14, a room temperature setting switch 15 which is a room temperature setting means for setting the room temperature, and various other switches.

[0015] The operation switch 13 is a switch that gives a command to the control unit 9 to perform automatic operation (heating operation) of the warm air heater 1. The control unit 9 adjusts the amount of combustion based on the temperature difference between the set temperature set by the user and the current indoor temperature, and automatically switches between three operation levels: high-power operation with maximum combustion amount, which is performed when the difference between the set temperature and the indoor temperature is large or when operation starts so that the set temperature is reached quickly; medium-power operation, which is performed when the difference between the set temperature and the indoor temperature is small and the indoor temperature is slightly low; and low-power operation with minimum combustion amount, which is performed when the set temperature and the indoor temperature are almost the same.

[0016] The low heat operation switch 14 is a switch that issues a command to the control unit 9 to perform low heat operation with the minimum combustion amount regardless of the temperature difference between the set temperature and the room temperature.

[0017] This low-heat operation switch 14 temporarily reduces the amount of combustion, allowing the user to ventilate the room by opening a window or door. If automatic operation is in progress, the room will be heated at maximum combustion power if the room temperature drops due to ventilation, but if the window is open for ventilation, heat will escape outside, reducing the amount of wasted combustion. Furthermore, automatic operation resumes under specified conditions, eliminating the need to operate the operation switch 13 when ventilation is complete, and the control unit 9 resumes automatic operation under conditions that determine that ventilation is sufficient, preventing the room from becoming too cold.

[0018] The combustion unit 3 is a device for burning fuel, and includes a vaporizer 16 for vaporizing the fuel, a vaporization heater (not shown) for heating the fuel to vaporize it, an ignition means 17 for igniting by spark discharge, a burner 18 for burning the vaporized fuel such as petroleum, a combustion tube 19 for forming a combustion space, a combustion fan 20 for blowing combustion air to the burner 18, a combustion fan motor 21 consisting of a DC motor for driving the combustion fan 20, and an air duct 22.

[0019] The convection fan 4 is attached to a convection fan motor 24, which is a DC motor attached to a fan guard 23 at the warm air intake on the back. A blower box 25 is arranged from the convection fan 4 to the warm air outlet 5. The blower box 25 has a blower box opening 26 on the front, and guides the warm air blown by the convection fan 4 from the blower box opening 26 to the warm air outlet 5. The hot air outlet 5 is an opening that blows hot air forward into the room, and is provided in the front panel 10.

[0020] The movable louvers 7 are arranged at the hot air outlet 5 and comprise a first movable louver 27 arranged at the upper level and a second movable louver 28 arranged below the first movable louver 27, and are moved by a louver driving means 29. In the following description, the movable louvers 7 (27, 28) will be collectively referred to as the movable louvers 7 when there is no need to distinguish between the first movable louvers 27 and the second movable louvers 28.

[0021] The movable louvers 7 have a closed state, a fixed position in which they blow warm air in a predetermined stationary position, and a movable position in which they swing within a predetermined swing angle range. The closed state is a state in which operation is stopped. The fixed position is a state in which the movable louvers 7 are fixed at a predetermined angle and operated. The movable position is a position in which the louvers perform a swinging operation.

[0022] The electromagnetic pump 30 supplies fuel to the burner 18 and is driven by an electromagnetic pump driving means 31 . The room temperature detection means 32 detects the room temperature and outputs a signal to the control unit 9, and the flame detection means 33 outputs a signal to the control unit 9 when the combustion unit 3 ignites and stops outputting the signal to the control unit 9 when the fire is extinguished.

[0023] The timer means 34 for timing a predetermined time T starts timing in response to a signal from the control unit 9, and outputs a signal to the control unit 9 when a predetermined upper limit time has been reached.

[0024] The combustion fan motor 21 is driven by a combustion fan motor driving means 35, and the convection fan motor 24 is driven by a convection fan motor driving means 36. As shown in FIG. 4, both the combustion fan motor drive means 35 and the convection fan motor drive means 36 comprise a rotation speed setting circuit 37 that sets the rotation speed of the motor, a rotation speed detection circuit 38 that detects the actual rotation speed of the motor based on a signal from the motor, a motor control circuit 39 that controls the motor based on signals from the rotation speed setting circuit 37 and the rotation speed detection circuit 38, and a motor drive circuit 40 that drives the motor based on a signal from the motor control circuit 39.

[0025] In the warm air heater 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, the operation of the control unit 9 when the low heat operation switch 14 is operated to temporarily switch from automatic operation to low heat operation and then resume automatic operation, and the effect of low heat operation will be described below.

[0026] The conditions for resuming operation from low heat power to automatic operation are when the timer means 34 has counted a predetermined time T since the start of low heat power operation, and when the room temperature detected by the room temperature detection means 32 has fallen below a predetermined temperature Th, which is the set temperature minus a predetermined value.

[0027] The formula for calculating the predetermined temperature Th is shown below. First, a predetermined value corresponding to the room temperature is determined using the graph in FIG. Set temperature (℃) - Predetermined value = Predetermined temperature Th (℃) (Formula)

[0028] This predetermined value is a value that varies depending on the room temperature detected by the room temperature detection means 32 when the low heat operation switch 14 is operated. As shown in Fig. 5, for example, when the room temperature is 20°C, the predetermined value is 5, and when the room temperature is 18°C, the predetermined value is 4. The higher the room temperature, the larger the predetermined value, and the lower the room temperature, the smaller the predetermined value.

[0029] Here, the variation of the predetermined value will be explained. The greater the temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the outdoor temperature, the greater the natural convection and the faster the air exchange. Conversely, the smaller the temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the outdoor temperature, the smaller the natural convection and the slower the air exchange. Therefore, by varying the predetermined value according to the indoor temperature, the control unit 9 can perform ventilation according to the indoor temperature and determine whether the ventilation is sufficient or insufficient.

[0030] In other words, when the indoor temperature is low, the difference between the indoor temperature and the outside temperature when the window is opened is small, so the indoor temperature drops gradually, and it can be determined that sufficient ventilation can be achieved before the predetermined temperature Th is reached. However, if the predetermined temperature Th when the indoor temperature is low is treated as a fixed value and the predetermined temperature Th when the indoor temperature is high is also treated as the predetermined temperature Th, the difference between the indoor temperature and the outside temperature will cause the indoor temperature to drop too quickly, and the system may switch to automatic operation before ventilation is sufficient.

[0031] Therefore, by varying the predetermined value depending on the room temperature, it is possible to determine whether ventilation is sufficient or insufficient depending on the room temperature.

[0032] Next, the operation when the low heat operation switch 14 is operated during automatic operation will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, when the low heat operation switch 14 is operated by a user (not shown) during automatic operation (S1), the control unit 9 starts low heat operation (S2).

[0033] At this time, the control unit 9 detects the room temperature using the room temperature detection means 32 and determines a predetermined value (S3).

[0034] The control unit 9 calculates the predetermined temperature Th by subtracting the predetermined value determined in S3 from the set temperature set by the room temperature setting switch 15 (S4).

[0035] Furthermore, the control unit 9 outputs a signal to the timer means 34 to start counting the predetermined time T (S5). This predetermined time T is the upper limit time for low heat operation, and in this embodiment, for example, is 180 seconds.

[0036] Next, the control unit 9 sets the combustion amount to the combustion amount during low-power operation, which is the same as the minimum combustion amount during automatic operation (S6). As a result, the electromagnetic pump driving means 31 sends fuel to the electromagnetic pump 30 during low-heat-power operation, and the combustion fan motor driving means 35 and the convection fan motor driving means 36 drive the combustion fan motor 21 and the convection fan motor 24 at the rotation speed during low-heat-power operation.

[0037] Then, the control unit 9 checks whether the room temperature detected by the room temperature detection means 32 has dropped below the predetermined temperature Th calculated in S4 (S7), and if it has not yet dropped below the predetermined temperature Th, proceeds to S8 (S7 is Yes).

[0038] The control unit 9 checks whether the predetermined time T measured by the timer means 34 has reached 180 seconds (S8), and if 180 seconds has not yet been measured, returns to S7.

[0039] Then, when the indoor temperature detected by the room temperature detection means 32 drops below the predetermined temperature Th calculated in S4 (S7 is No), the control unit 9 ends the timing of the timer means 34 (S9), ends the low heat operation, notifies the display unit 12 that the low heat operation has ended (S10), changes the operation from low heat operation to automatic operation, sets the combustion amount to high heat operation with the maximum combustion amount, and quickly brings the indoor temperature, which has been lowered by ventilation, closer to the set temperature (S11).

[0040] In this way, when the low heat operation switch 14 is operated, low heat operation is performed with a small combustion amount set, and the user can open windows and doors during this low heat operation to ventilate the room, thereby preventing excessive heat from escaping by automatically operating at the maximum combustion amount due to the drop in the indoor temperature during ventilation, and also saving the amount of heat required to start up automatic operation again.

[0041] Furthermore, by setting one of the conditions for resuming automatic operation as when the indoor temperature detected by the room temperature detection means 32 falls below a predetermined temperature Th that varies depending on the indoor temperature, it is possible to determine that ventilation has been performed appropriately in accordance with the indoor temperature state, and to prevent insufficient ventilation.

[0042] Furthermore, by setting a predetermined time T, it is possible to prevent the temperature from ever dropping below the predetermined temperature Th and continuing low heat operation, and when the predetermined time T has elapsed, the low heat operation is automatically terminated and automatic operation is resumed.

[0043] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications are permitted within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the present invention, the predetermined value and the predetermined temperature Th are described using specific numbers and applied to Fig. 5, but the present invention is not limited to this. The predetermined temperature may be varied according to the indoor temperature, with a large predetermined value when the indoor temperature is high and a small predetermined value when the indoor temperature is low. Furthermore, the predetermined value may be varied within a predetermined range by setting a maximum predetermined value and a minimum predetermined value.

[0044] Furthermore, if the indoor temperature is significantly lower than the set temperature, it is conceivable that the operation will switch to automatic operation immediately after low heat operation has begun. However, by setting a minimum predetermined time Ts (for example, 120 seconds) in addition to the predetermined time T measured by the timer means 34, and preventing the operation from switching to automatic operation until the minimum predetermined time Ts has been measured, the problem of switching to automatic operation immediately after low heat operation has begun can be eliminated.

[0045] Furthermore, although the display unit 12 is used to notify the user of the end of low heat operation, this is not limited to this. For example, if the notification is by sound, the user can be notified reliably even if they are some distance away, and if the notification is linked to a mobile phone such as a smartphone, the user can be notified reliably even if they are in a different room. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 3 Combustion section 4 convection fans 9 Control Unit 13 Operation switch 14 Low heat operation switch 15 Room temperature setting switch 32 Room temperature detection means 34 Timer means

Claims

1. A combustion unit that burns fuel; a convection fan that releases the combustion heat generated by the combustion in the combustion section into the room either directly or after heat exchange; A room temperature detection means for detecting a room temperature; a room temperature setting means for setting a room temperature setting; a control unit that controls an automatic operation for heating by adjusting the combustion amount so that the room temperature detected by the room temperature detection means becomes the set temperature set by the room temperature setting means, and a low-power operation for heating by reducing the combustion amount compared to the automatic operation; a low-heating operation switch that receives an instruction to switch from the automatic operation to the low-heating operation, When the low heat operation switch is operated to instruct the start of the low heat operation, the control unit sets a predetermined value according to the indoor temperature at the time the low heat operation switch is operated, and switches the automatic operation to the low heat operation, When the indoor temperature becomes lower than the set temperature by the predetermined value, the low heating power operation is completed and the automatic operation is resumed. The warm air heater is characterized in that the higher the indoor temperature when the low heat operation switch is operated, the larger the predetermined value.

2. A combustion unit that burns fuel; a convection fan that releases the combustion heat generated by the combustion in the combustion section into the room either directly or after heat exchange; A room temperature detection means for detecting a room temperature; a room temperature setting means for setting a room temperature setting; a control unit that controls an automatic operation for heating by adjusting the combustion amount so that the room temperature detected by the room temperature detection means becomes the set temperature set by the room temperature setting means, and a low-power operation for heating by reducing the combustion amount compared to the automatic operation; a low-heating operation switch that receives an instruction to switch from the automatic operation to the low-heating operation, When the low heat operation switch is instructed to start the low heat operation, the control unit switches the automatic operation to the low heat operation, When the indoor temperature becomes lower than the set temperature by a predetermined value, the low heating power operation is completed and the automatic operation is resumed. The control unit presets an upper limit time from the start to the end of the low heat operation, The warm air heater is characterized in that, when the upper limit time is reached, the control unit completes the low heat operation even if the low heat operation is in progress, and switches to the automatic operation.

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