Ventilator/dryer assembly

Abstract: A ventilator/dryer assembly for drying wet air comprising a treatment chamber (7), a rotary drying device and a forced circulation mechanism housed in a case main body provided with an air inlet port (3) and an air outlet port (4) exposed to the outside is characterized in that the treatment chamber (7) is divided into a primary side section (7A) and a secondary side section (7B) with the rotary drying device (20) disposed therebetween, that the forced circulation mechanism draws air from the room where the ventilator/dryer assembly is installed via said air inlet port (3) to the primary side section (7A) of the treatment chamber (7), passes it through the rotary drying device (20) and sends it back into the room through the secondary side section (7B) of the treatment chamber (7) and the air outlet port (4) by means of a single blower (10) and that the rotary drying device (20) is adapted to take a drying position (20A), a regenerating position (20B) and a heat recovering position (20C) sequentially in the sense of rotation, the device adsorbing moisture from the air passing therethrough from the primary side section (7A) of the treatment chamber (7) in the drying position (20A), hot air being made to pass through the device in the regenerating position (20B) to remove moisture adsorbed by the device in said drying position, cooled air being made to pass through the heated device in the heat recovering position to cool the device heated in said regenerating position (20B). With such an arrangement, the operation of drying wet air in the room where the assembly is installed by means of the rotary drying device and that of regenerating the rotary drying device can be carried out on a continuous basis in the drying mode of operation. Additionally, since the forced circulation mechanism of the ventilator/dryer assembly comprises a single blower (10) that draws and discharges air both for air circulation in the room and for regeneration of the rotary drying device (20), the overall configuration of the ventilation system of the room can be simplified for downsizing to realize a lightweight apparatus at reduced cost. Finally, the assembly can significantly reduce the contamination of the rotary drying device (20) as compared with a comparable conventional apparatus that use ambient air as regenerating air.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a ventilator/dryer assembly provided with a rotary drying device and a simple blower that can suitably be used for drying the inside of a highly humid and closed room such as a bathroom, a closet, a toilet room, a changing room, a cellar or the like in a building as it allows efficient regeneration of the rotary drying element. 2. Background Art It is a common practice to provide a wet room in a house such as a bathroom with a vent arranged on the wall or the ceiling and fitted with a grille on the inside and a ventilating fan on the outside within the frame of the vent. Alternatively, a wet room may be provided with an air outlet port and an air inlet port separately arranged on the wall or the ceiling so that wet air in the room is drawn out through the air outlet port by means of a ventilator/dryer assembly arranged outside the room for drying while dried air is blown into the room through the air inlet port. This arrangement is particularly effective for a bathroom or a laundry where washed wet cloths are hung for drying. A conventional ventilator/dryer assembly of the type under consideration typically comprises a rotary drying device housed in a case main body and a forced circulation mechanism that circulates air by drawing wet air from the room via the air outlet port, passing it through the rotary drying device for drying by adsorption of moisture and then blowing dried air back into the room via the air inlet port and, at the same time, feeds the moisture containing rotary drying device with hot air in order to regenerate the drying device by removing out of it. A conventional ventilator/dryer assembly as described above requires two blowers for operation, one dedicated to the forced circulation mechanism for drawing wet air from and blowing dried air back into the room and the other dedicated to feeding air to and discharging air out of the rotary drying device in order to regenerate it. With such a complicated air feeding system, the overall cost of the entire ventilator/dryer assembly would be inevitably high. Additionally, when air directly taken from the outside is used for regenerating the rotary drying device, such air is hardly controllable in terms of temperature and humidity if heated by means of a heater because it is subject to remarkable changes in temperature and humidity throughout the year. If air is polluted to a significant extent, it can adversely affect the drying performance and the durability of the rotary drying device with time as the latter is gradually smeared with the former. Another ventilator/dryer assembly has been disclosed in the US-A-5147420, having a forced circulation mechanism, a treatment chamber and a rotary drying device, which assembly however is operated continuously in order to provide dry air at the outlet port. In view of these circumstances, it is therefore the object of the invention to provide a ventilator/dryer assembly comprising a rotary drying device that operates for drying wet air in a room with a simple air feeding system and can be efficiently regenerated for operation. With such a ventilator/dryer assembly, the size and the cost of the entire assembly are significantly reduced and the operation of drying air in the room is carried out in a remarkably simplified manner. This object is solved by the features of claim 1; dependent claim 2 shows further advantageous features of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a preferred embodiment of ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic partial perspective view of a bathroom of a building provided with a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention. Fig. 3 is a schematic transversal cross sectional view of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention fitted to the frame of a vent. Fig. 4 is a schematic longitudinal cross sectional view of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention fitted to the frame of a vent. Fig. 5 is a schematic frontal view of the rotary drying device of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention. Fig. 6 is a schematic illustration conceptually showing the drying/circulating operation of the rotary drying device and the operation of regenerating the rotary drying device by feeding it with regenerative air in a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention. Fig. 7 is a schematic partial perspective view of a bathroom of a building provided at a sliding window thereof with a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention. Fig. 8 is a schematic perspective view of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention fitted to an inward-opening vertical swing window. Fig. 9 is a schematic lateral view of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention fitted to a jalousie window. Fig. 10 is a schematic perspective view of the rotary drying device and the blower of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention, showing a possible functional and positional relationship between them. Fig. 11 is a schematic perspective view of the rotary drying device and the blower of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention, showing another possible functional and positional relationship between them. Fig. 12 is a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention. Fig. 13 is a schematic perspective view of the rotary drying device and the blower of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention, showing still another possible functional and positional relationship between them. Fig. 14 is a schematic diagrammatic view of the rotary drying device and the blower of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention, showing still another possible functional and positional relationship between them. Fig. 15 is a schematic diagrammatic view of the rotary drying device and the blower of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention, showing still another possible functional and positional relationship between them. Fig. 16 is a schematic diagrammatic view of the rotary drying device and the blower of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention, showing still another possible functional and positional relationship between them. Fig. 17 is a schematic diagrammatic view of the rotary drying device and the blower of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention, showing still another possible functional and positional relationship between them. Fig. 18 is a schematic diagrammatic view of the rotary drying device and the blower of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention, showing still another possible functional and positional relationship between them. Fig. 19 is a schematic diagrammatic view of the rotary drying device and the blower of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention, showing still another possible functional and positional relationship between them. Fig. 20 is a schematic diagrammatic view of the rotary drying device and the blower of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention, showing still another possible functional and positional relationship between them. Fig. 21 is a schematic diagrammatic view of the rotary drying device and the blower of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention, showing still another possible functional and positional relationship between them. Fig. 22 is a schematic diagrammatic view of the rotary drying device and the blower of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention, showing still another possible functional and positional relationship between them. Fig. 23 is a partial transversal cross sectional view of the rotary drying device and the driving belt of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention, showing their mutual engagement. Fig. 24 is a partial longitudinal cross sectional view of the rotary drying device and the driving belt of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention, showing their mutual engagement. Fig. 25 is a schematic perspective view of the rotary drying device and the regenerating and discharging shells of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention, showing how the shells are secured to the rotary drying device. Fig. 26 is a schematic longitudinal cross sectional view of part of the rotary drying device and the regenerating and discharging shells of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention, showing how the shells are secured to the rotary drying device. Fig. 27 is a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention. Fig. 28 is a schematic perspective view of the rotary drying device and the regenerating and discharging shells of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention, showing how the shells are secured to the rotary drying device. Fig. 29 is a schematic longitudinal cross sectional view of part of the rotary drying device and the regenerating and discharging shells of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention, showing how the shells are secured to the rotary drying device. Fig. 30 is a schematic perspective view of the grille of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention, fitted to the vent of the assembly. Fig. 31 is a schematic transversal cross sectional view of part of the grille of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention. Fig. 32 is a schematic plan view of the control panel of the wired remote control unit of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention. Fig. 33 is a circuit diagram of the control circuit of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention. Fig. 34 is another circuit diagram of the control circuit of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention. Fig. 35 is a flow chart for switching the operation of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention from the ventilation mode to the drying mode. Fig. 36 is another flow chart for switching the operation of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention from the ventilation mode to the drying mode. Fig. 37 is another circuit diagram of the control circuit of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring firstly to Fig. 1, schematically showing a preferred embodiment of the invention, it comprises a case main body 1 having a front panel 1a provided with a rectangularly parallelepipedic joint section 2 typically having a height and a width of 150mmx200mm and projecting from the front panel 1a. An air inlet port 3 and an air outlet port 4 are arranged vertically side by side within the joint section 2 so that air can be drawn in and blown out through a single limited area on a single side of the case main body 1. More specifically, as shown in Figs. 2 to 4, the joint section 2 of the case main body 1 is so dimensioned that it can be tightly fitted from the outside into the frame 102 of an existing vent arranged on a wall 101 of a bathroom 100 of a building that serves as a laundry where washed wet cloths are hung for drying with the joint section 2 directed to the inside of the room. The case main body 1 is anchored to an adaptor plate 50 rigidly secured to the outer surface of the wall of the bathroom 100. Thus, the air inlet port 3 and the air outlet port 4 of the case main body 1 are located side by side on the wall 101 and exposed to the inside of the bath-room 100. The adaptor plate 50 comprises a base plate section 51 having a surface area smaller than that of the front panel 1a of the case main body 1 and rectangularly projecting section 52 to be tightly fitted into the frame 102 of the vent. Thus the adaptor plate 50 is rigidly anchored to a beam or some other secure member of the building by appropriate fastening means such as screws after inserting the projecting section 52 into the frame 102 of the vent. The adaptor plate 50 is also provided with a plurality of hooks 53 for hanging the case main body 1 at the front panel 1a thereof. The case main body 1 that is hanging from the hooks 53 is then rigidly secured to the adaptor plate 50 by appropriate fastening means such as screws. Reference numeral 103 in Figs. 2 to 4 denotes a grille removably fitted to the frame 102 of the vent from the inside of the bathroom and having a lower air outlet port 104, where a wind shifting mechanism 105 comprising a plurality of vertically rotatable guide vanes and horizontally rotatable guide vanes is provided. Fig. 7 shows an alternative arrangement for fitting the embodiment to the frame of not a vent but a sliding door of a bathroom 100. In this case, the sliding window 107 is half opened and the case main body 1 is rigidly secured to a support frame 108 from the outside of the bathroom 100. The support frame 108, which may be a panel or the like, is by turn secured to the frame 106 of the sliding window 107 in such a way that the joint section 2 is directed to the inside of the room. Still alternatively, the embodiment may be fitted to the frame 106 of an inward-opening vertical swing window as shown in Fig. 8 or to a jalousie window 107 as illustrated in Fig. 9. With any of the above described arrangements, the embodiment of ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention can be fitted to the outside of a room simply by securing the joint section of the front panel to the frame or a support member of the frame of a vent of the room without requiring a cumbersome operation of installing a ventilation duct or a drain system. On the other hand, the grille 103 is preferably provided at the lower opening 104 thereof with a wind shifting mechanism 105 as shown in Figs. 30 and 31 in greater detail. Such a wind shifting mechanism 105 preferably comprises in combination a first set of vertically rotatable guide vanes 109 and a second set of horizontally rotatable guide vanes 110. Still preferably, the grille 103 is additionally provided at the lower opening 104 thereof with a horizontal guide rail 111 and a pair of bellows-type shutters 112, 112 arranged on the guide rail 111 and capable of expanding and contracting laterally. With these shutters 112, 112, it is possible to select a desired open area for allowing air to pass through the opening 104. The shutters 112, 112 are housed in respective left and right shaded storage areas 103a, 103a in Fig. 31 when they are fully opened. It would be understood that, with a grille having a configuration as described above, the flow of dry air blown out of the air outlet port of the embodiment can be controlled in terms of both rate and direction in order to maximize the effect of drying the inside of the room. The inside of the case main body 1 is divided into a lead-in path 5 communicating with the air inlet port 3 of the joint section 2 and a treatment chamber 7 communication with the lead-in path 5 via a communication opening 6 arranged downstream relative to the lead-in path 5. The communication opening 6 may be provided with a damper 8 that can be opened and closed by means of a step motor. If such is the case, the damper 8 is remotely controlled by way of a wired remote control unit 60 and, in the ventilation mode of operation, the communication opening 6 may be automatically or manually blocked by the damper 8 so that wet air drawn in from the bathroom 100 through the air inlet port 3 by means of a forced circulation mechanism, which will be described later, is directly discharged out of the case main body 1 through a vent 9 arranged on a lateral side of the case main body and at the downstream end of the lead-in path 5 without passing through the treatment chamber 7. In the drying mode of operation, on the other hand, the vent 9 of the lead-in path 5 is blocked by the damper 8. Said forced circulation mechanism typically comprises a single centrifugal type blower 10 such as a sirocco fan having an inlet 11 arranged vis-a-vis the air inlet port 3 of the case main body and an air outlet port 12 arranged vis-a-vis the lead-in path 5. With this arrangement, it draws wet air A out of the bathroom via the air inlet port 3 and forwards it to the treatment chamber 7. Said treatment chamber 7 is by turn divided into a primary side section 7A communicating with said lead-in path 5 and a secondary side section 7B communicating with the air outlet port 4 with a rotary drying device 20 arranged therebetween to separate them. The rotary drying device 20 is a stand-type device that is driven to rotate by rotary drive means, which will be described later, with its rotary shaft O arranged horizontally and rectangularly relative to the direction of the stream of wet air A drawn into the blower 10 so that the device rotates clockwise in a vertical plane perpendicular to its rotary shaft O . While the rotary shaft O of the rotary drying device 20 of the above embodiment is horizontal and rectangular:relative to the direction of the stream of wet air A drawn into the blower 10 so that the device rotates clockwise in a vertical plane perpendicular to its rotary shaft O as illustrated in Fig. 10 and described above, it may alternatively be arranged horizontally and in parallel with the direction of the stream of wet air A taken into the blower 10 as illustrated in Fig. 11. Still alternatively, it may be arranged vertically and rectangularly relative to the direction of the stream of wet air A taken into the blower 10 so that the device rotates clockwise in a horizontal plane perpendicular to its rotary shaft O as illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13. Figs. 14 through 22 show possible alternative positional arrangements the rotary drying device and the blower of a ventilator/dryer assembly according to the invention and corresponding routes of circulation of wet air. As shown in Figs. 5, 23 and 24, on the other hand, the drive means for rotating the rotary drying device 20 comprises in combination a number of teeth 21 arranged with regular intervals on the outer peripheral surface and in a same radial plane of the rotary drying device 20, a drive motor 22 and an endless driving belt 23 fitted to the rotary shaft of the drive motor 22 and having a number of indentations 24 arranged on the inner surface thereof, at least one of the teeth 21 of the rotary drying device 20 being engaged with one of the indentations 24 of the driving belt 23 to drive the rotary drying device 20 to rotate at a predetermined rate of rotation. The drive means additionally comprises a tension spring 25 constantly urging the driving belt 23 to constantly keep the latter under pressure. With the above described arrangement, the rotary drying device 20 can be driven to rotate for certainty without causing any slippage on the part of the driving belt if it does not carry teeth arranged over the entire outer peripheral surface thereof with a pitch same as that of the indentations 24 of the driving belt 23 for mutual engagement. The rotary drying device 20 is adapted to take a drying position 20A, a regenerating position 20B and a heat recovering position 20C arranged sequentially in the sense of rotation X . A regenerating shell 31 is arranged in the secondary side section 7B of the treatment chamber 7 vis-a-vis the heat recovering position 20C of the rotary drying device 20 in order to branch the flow of wet air A fed into the primary side section 7A of the treatment chamber 7 and turn the branched air flow round toward the regenerating position 20B so that a flow of regenerating air C is produced, running opposite to the flow of wet air A . An electric heater (PTC heater) 32 is arranged in the regenerating chamber 31. On the other hand, an air discharging shell 33 is arranged in the primary side section 7A the treatment chamber 7 vis-a-vis the regenerating position 20B of the rotary drying device 20 at a position exactly opposite to the regenerating shell 31 and connected with an exhaust pipe 34 for discharging exhaust air D that has been used for heating and regenerating the rotary drying device 20 in the regenerating position 20B is discharged out of the case main body 1 via the bottom or a lateral side thereof. The exhaust pipe 34 is provided in the inside with a filtering member (not shown) such as a metal meshwork for blocking rain drops entering the pipe and preventing it from being damaged by wind. Note that the amount of wet air A discharged from the apparatus in the ventilation mode or the amount of exhaust air D discharged in the drying mode of operation is offset by the same amount of fresh air entering the bathroom 100 through a door gallery or a louver thereof. The air discharging shell 33 is disposed exactly opposite to the regenerating shell 31 with the rotary drying device 20 and the partition 13 arranged therebetween as shown in Figs. 25 and 26. The air discharging shell 33 and the regenerating shell 31 are coupled together by means of three long bolts 35 passing through the flange 33a of the air discharging shell 33 and the corresponding flange 31a of the regenerating shell 31 such that they are resiliently pulled toward each other due to springs 37 arranged around the respective bolts 35 and confined by nuts 36 held in engagement with the respective bolts 35. Consequently, the rotary drying device 20 is resiliently pressed against the partition 13 and the flange 33a of the air discharging shell 33 and the flange 31a of the regenerating shell 31 are held in close contact with the respective operative surfaces of the rotary drying device 20 by the biasing force of the springs 37. In Figs. 26 and 29, reference numeral 38 denotes sealing members respectively arranged between the flange 33a of the air discharging shell 33 and the corresponding operative surface of the rotary drying device 20 and between the flange 31a of the regenerating shell 31 and the corresponding operative surface of the rotary drying device 20. As shown in Figs. 27, 28 and 29, the exhaust pipe 34 connected to the air discharging shell 33 is preferably arranged in the primary side section 7A of the treatment chamber 7 along the outer periphery of the rotary drying device 20 in the sense of rotation X thereof and inclined from the inlet side toward the outlet side. Additionally, it is preferably provided on the outer peripheral surface thereof with a number of fins 34a. With such an arrangement, the exhaust pipe 34 heated by hot air coming from the regenerating position of the rotary drying device 20 emits by turn heat to raise the temperature of dried heat in the room and consequently improve the efficiency of drying the inside of the room so that an electric heater with a relatively low capacity may be used. The air inlet port 3 in the joint section 2 of the case main body 1 is provided with an air filter 41. With the embodiment of ventilator/dryer assembly as described above, wet air A drawn out of the bathroom 100 into the case main body through the air inlet port 3 by means of the blower 10 is made to enter the lead-in path 5 and then the primary side section 7A of the treatment chamber 7 via the communication opening 6 in the drying mode of operation. Wet air A in the primary side section 7A of the treatment chamber 7 is then forced to pass through the rotary drying device 20, where the moisture contained therein is adsorbed to the device to produce dry air B , which is driven into the secondary side section 7B of the treatment chamber 7 and then forced out into the bathroom 100 via the air outlet port 4 to complete a closed circle for air circulation in the bathroom 100. More specifically, the drying position 20A of the rotary drying device 20 has a function of allowing wet air A drawn into the primary side section 7A of the treatment chamber 7 to pass through the rotary drying device 20 for drying it by adsorption of moisture and feeding dried air B into the secondary side section 7B of the treatment chamber 7. On the other hand, the regenerating position 20B of the rotary drying device 20 operates to allow hot air (regenerating air) C to pass through the rotary drying device 20 that has adsorbed moisture in the drying position 20A and remove the moisture on the rotary drying device 20 in order to regenerate the latter. Finally, the heat recovering position 20C has a function of allowing air to pass through the rotary drying device 20 that has been heated in the regenerating position 20B to cool the device 20. The flow of wet air A introduced into the primary side section 7A of the treatment chamber 7 is branched in order to utilize the air partly as regenerating air C that is made to pass through the rotary drying device 20 that has been heated in the regenerating position 20B to recover heat from the device 20. Thereafter, regenerating air C is heated by the electric heater 32 and sent to the regenerating position 20B. The rotary drying device 20 is a cylindrical device produced by polymerizing metal silicate gel prepared from silica gel and a plurality of different metals such as cobalt, iron and manganese in a ceramic honeycomb laminate, regulating the profile of the micropores of the prepared metal silicate gel to make it adapted to water molecules and depositing a large number of hydroxyl groups in the micro-pores to enhance the hydrophilic property of the device so that it can adsorb and release moisture effectively and efficiently. The device typically has a diameter of 20cm and is rotated at a rate of a half revolution per minute. When the surface areas of the rotary drying device 20 adapted respectively to the drying position 20A, the regenerating position 20B and the heat recovering position 20C that are arranged sequentially in the sense of rotation of the device 20 are defined in terms of central angles 1, 2 and 3, these angles preferably show a relationship of 1>=2>=3. Typically, the relationship may be defined by 1:2:3=5:2:1. The rate of air flow in the drying position 20A to the corresponding rate in the regenerating position 20B may be 200(m 3 /h):20(m 3 /h). It may be understood that the diameter, the rate of rotation, the ratio of the central angles of the drying position 20A and the regenerating position 20B and the heat recovering position 20C or 1:2:3 as well as the ratio of the rate of air flow (m 3 /h) in the drying position 20A and the corresponding rate in the regenerating position 20B may be other than those cited above depending on the required drying capacity of the apparatus. The capacity of the electric heater 32 for heating regenerating air C in the heat recovering position 20C may typically be 450W to raise the temperature of dry air B blown out into the room through the air outlet port 4 by about 6 degrees from the room temperature. In order to improve the effect of sterilizing the air and the washed cloths in the room, an ozone generator may be arranged within the case main body 1 so that ozone can be blown into the room with dry air B . While the embodiment is fitted in a bathroom of a detached house in the above description, it may alternatively be installed in an apartment house having a unitized bath-room. If such is the case, the joint section 2 of the case main body 1 of the ventilator/dryer assembly is fitted into the vent of the bathroom facing a corridor or a veranda while a pair of ducts respectively connected to the air inlet port 3 and the air outlet port 4 may be made to communicate with a vent arranged in the ceiling. Now, the control system of the forced circulation mechanism of the embodiment will be described by referring to Figs. 32 through 37. Fig. 32 is a schematic plan view of the control panel of the wired remote control unit of the embodiment. The control panel carries thereon switches 61 including an OFF switch 61A, an automatic (AUTO) operation switch 61B, an air discharging switch 61C, a drying switch 61D and a timer selection switch 61E (e.g, 1H, 2H, 3H) and indicators 62 such as an air discharging mode indicator 62A, a drying mode indicator 62B and timer indicators 62C1 through 62C3. Each of the indicators contains a light emitting diode that flashes whenever energized. Fig. 33 is a circuit diagram of the control circuit for controlling the operation the embodiment by means of the above wired remote control unit and Fig. 34 shows an alternative circuit diagram of the control circuit. Referring to Figs. 33 and 34, it is designed to control a humidity sensor 71 arranged near the air inlet port of the grille 103, a protection sensor 72 that stops the operation of the apparatus upon detecting any abnormal temperature in exhaust air, a solenoid 73 of a stepping motor (not shown) for driving the damper 8, a bimetal 74 for opening the power supply circuit of the electric heater (PTC heater) 32 whenever the heater shows extraordinary high temperature, a drive power source (AC 100V) 74, an electric fuse 76 and a power source 77 for feeding the different mechanisms of the apparatus. The wired remote control unit 60 operates to switch from the ventilation mode to the drying mode or vice versa in a manner as described below by referring to the flow chart of Fig. 35. Assume that the automatic (AUTO) operation switch 61B is turned on and an operation of two hours is selected by using the timer selection switch 61E. Then, the apparatus starts operating and the solenoid 73 of the damper drive motor is energized to drive the damper to block the communication opening 6 between the lead-in path 5 guiding wet air A from the room and the primary side section 7A of the treatment chamber 7 and opening the vent 9 so that wet air drawn out of the room into the lead-in path 5 of the case main body 1 by the blower 10 is directly discharged through the vent 9. (Note that the air discharging mode indicator 62A and the timer indicator 62C2 flash under this condition). At the same time, relay switch R1 is turned on by micro-computer 81 by way of buffer 82 connected thereto to drive the blower 10 at low speed (L) under the control of relay switch R2 that is also turned on. As the apparatus operates in the air discharging mode, the humidity T1 in the bathroom 100 falls and, when the humidity sensor 71 senses that T1 is lower than a predetermined humidity level T (T1<=), the solenoid 73 of the damper 8 is energized again to drive the latter to open the communication opening 6 and, at the same time, close the vent 9 so that wet air A from the room is led into the primary side section 7A of the treatment chamber 7 via the communication opening 6 and the apparatus operates in the drying operation mode. Under this condition, the air discharging mode indicator 62A is turned off and the drying mode indicator 62B starts flashing. At the same time, relay switch R3 is turned on to energize the electric heater 32 and, at the same time, the relay switch R2 is turned on again to shift the operation of the blower 10 to high speed operation (H). When a duration of two hours is over, the apparatus automatically stops operating in the drying mode. Fig. 36 shows a flow chart of an alternative operation of switching from the air discharging operation mode to the drying operation mode of the wired remote control unit and Fig. 37 shows a circuit diagram of the control circuit for the operation. Here, the humidity sensor of Fig. 33 is replaced by a timer relay TM that makes the apparatus operate in the air discharging operation mode for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 30 minutes). The circuit is designed to control a clockwork type OFF timer 91 for selecting an overall operation time, a bimetal 92 for opening the power supply circuit of the blower whenever it senses extraordinary high temperature in the air being discharged, a solenoid 93 of a stepping motor (not shown) for driving the damper 8, an electric fuse 94 for opening the power supply circuit of the electric heater (PTC heater) 32 whenever it shows extraordinary high temperature, an air discharging operation indicator 95A and a drying mode operation indicator 95B, each of said indicators containing an incandescent lamp. An induction motor IM is used for the blower 10.

Claims: A ventilator/dryer assembly for drying wet air in a room comprising: a forced circulation mechanism (10) housed in a case main body (1) provided with an air inlet port (3) and an air outlet port (4) to communicate with the interior of the room (100); a drying mechanism (20) including a rotary drying device for drying wet air taken in by the forced circulation mechanism (10) through said inlet port (3); a regenerating mechanism (31) for removing moisture out of the rotary drying device; and an air discharging mechanism (8, 9) located between said air inlet port and said drying mechanism for discharging air taken in through the air inlet port to a location outside the room; characterized by an operation control mechanism (60) for causing the air discharging mechanism (8, 9) to directly discharge air taken in by said forced circulation mechanism before it can be applied to said rotary drying device (20) for a predetermined period of time or until the relative humidity in ambient air is reduced to a predetermined level. A ventilator/dryer assembly according to claim 1, further comprising: a treatment chamber (7) in said main body divided into a primary side section (7A) and a secondary side section (7B); wherein said rotary drying device (20) is disposed between said primary and secondary side section, the forced circulation mechanism (10) comprising a single blower for drawing air from said air inlet port (3) to the primary side section (7A) of the treatment chamber (7), passing it through the rotary drying device (20) and sending it back into the room through the secondary side section (7B) of the treatment chamber and the air outlet port; the rotary drying device having a drying position (20A), a regenerating position (20B) and a heat recovering position (20C) sequentially in the sense of rotation, the rotary drying device (20) adsorbing moisture from the air passing therethrough form the primary side section of said treatment chamber (7) in the drying position, hot air being made to pass through the rotary drying device (20) in the regenerating position to remove moisture adsorbed by the device in said drying position, cooled air being made to pass through the heated device in the heat recovering position to cool the device heated in said regenerating position, wherein a guide path is provided in said case main body to guide air drawn from the room through the air inlet port to the primary side section of the treatment chamber, wherein said air discharging mechanism comprises a damper provided downstream to the guide path to discharge wet air directly out of said case main body (1) without passing it through said treatment chamber.

Inventors: HASHIMOTO MASUYUKI, KAYAMA KUNIO, NAKAYAMA TOSHIO, NAMATAME TATUO, HASHIMOTO, MASUYUKI, KAYAMA, KUNIO, NAKAYAMA, TOSHIO, NAMATAME, TATUO
Applicants: SANYO ELECTRIC CO, SANYO ELECTRIC CO. LTD
Application year: 1995
Main classification: F24F3
IPC codes: F24F3