Patent Publication Number: US-7896319-B2

Title: Sauna apparatus

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a sauna apparatus which allows a room, such as a bathroom, to function as a sauna space with a high temperature and a high humidity. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 6  is a sectional view of mist apparatus  103  disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-336327. Mist apparatus  103  is a conventional sauna apparatus which is mounted onto a ceiling of a bathroom and cause the bathroom to function as a sauna room. Circulation fan  101  and movable louver  102  are provided in case  103 A. Case  103 A is covered with grill board  104 . Circulation air path  107  is provided in case  103 A. Air in the bathroom is sucked through circulation air path  107  via inlet  105 , and is blown out from outlet  106 . Circulation fan  101  causes the air to pass in circulation air path  107 . Heat exchanger  108  heats the air passing through circulation air path  107 . Movable louver  102  changes a blowing direction in which the air is blown out from outlet  106 . Ventilation fan  110  sucks the air in the bathroom and exhausts the sucked air outside via exhaust duct  109 . Mist spouting section  111  spouts mist in the bathroom from a side of inlet  105 . 
     Mist apparatus  103  blows only heated air from outlet  106 , and spouts the mist from mist spouting section  111  separately. Thus, the heated air and the mist are not mixed each other, hence preventing the air from having temperature and humidity uniformly distributed. Further, the mist is spouted separately from the heated air in the bathroom, hence preventing a user from reading books in the bathroom, and causing waterdrops to adhere to his/her glasses. Furthermore, whole temperature and humidity in the bathroom can not be controlled easily. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A sauna apparatus includes a heating section for heating air to generate heated air, a heated-air-blowing section for sending the heated air, a humidifying section for humidifying air to generate humidified air, a humidified-air-blowing section for sending the humidified air, a merging chamber for mixing the sent heated air and the sent humidified air to generate heated and humidified air, and an outlet for blowing the heated and humidified air generated. 
     This sauna apparatus provides air having uniform temperature distribution and uniform humidity distribution, and allows temperature and humidity to be controlled easily. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a room having a sauna apparatus mounted thereto in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic sectional view of the sauna apparatus in accordance with the embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the sauna apparatus in accordance with the embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram of the sauna apparatus in accordance with the embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional view of a humidifying section of the sauna apparatus in accordance with the embodiment. 
         FIG. 6  is a sectional view of a conventional mist apparatus. 
     
    
    
     DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of room  1  having sauna apparatus  1001  mounted thereto in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is placed. Sauna apparatus  1001  includes case  3  having lower surface  3 A having opening  4  formed therein. Case  3  of sauna apparatus  1001  is provided in space  2  of the back of the ceiling at room  1 . Opening  4  formed in lower surface  3 A of case  3  communicates with room  1  via ceiling-opening  5 . Case  3  is coupled with feed pipe  6  and drain pipe  7 . Feed pipe  6  supplies cold or hot water into case  3 . Drain pipe  7  drains water from case  3 . Water heater  8 , a heat source, heats water to generates hot water, and is coupled with outward pipe  9  and return pipe  10  which provide a circuit to circulate the hot water therein. In the case that room  1  and the inside of case  3  are heated, hot water is supplied from water heater  8  to case  3  via outward pipe  9 , then, is heat-exchanged with the inside of case  3 , and then, returns to water heater  8  via return pipe  10 . Tap water is sent into case  3  via feed pipe  6 . A part of the sent water is used for humidifying room  1  or the inside of case  3 , and the rest of the sent water is drained via drain pipe  7 . 
     In the case that room  1  or the inside of case  3  is heated and humidified, hot water is supplied from water heater  8  to case  3  via outward pipe  9 , and tap water is sent into case  3  via feed pipe  6 . The hot water is heat-exchanged with the inside of case  3 , and then returns to water heater  8  via return pipe  10 . Apart of the tap water supplied from feed pipe  6  is used for humidifying, and the rest of the supplied water, which is not used for the humidifying, is drained from drain pipe  7 . 
       FIGS. 2 and 3  are a schematic sectional view and a bottom view of sauna apparatus  1001 , respectively. Case  3  has a box shape having lower surface  3 A having opening  4  formed therein. Case  3  accommodates therein humidifying section  11 , heating section  12 , and controller  13 . Ventilating section  14  communicates with the inside of the case at side surface  3 B of case  3 . Controller  13  is electrically coupled with humidifying section  11 , heating section  12 , and ventilating section  14 . Inner panel  19  is provided at opening  4  of lower surface  3 A. Outer panel  21  is located away from inner panel  19  by predetermined distance D 1 . Inlet  15  for humidifying, inlet  16  for heating, outlet  17  for humidifying, and outlet  18  for heating are formed in inner panel  19 . Outer panel  21  covers inlet  15  for humidifying and inlet  16  for heating of inner panel  19  while being distanced from the inlets by a predetermined distance D 1 , thereby providing sucked-air flow path  20  and inlet  22 . Sucked-air path  20  communicates with inlet  15  for humidifying and inlet  16  for heating. Sucked-air flow path  20  opens at inlet  22 . Upper end  51 A of cylinder  51  is fixed to lower surface  19 A of inner panel  19  so as to surround outlet  17  for humidifying and outlet  18  for heating. Lower end  51 B of cylinder  51  is fixed to outer panel  21 . Outlet  23  for blowing heated and humidified air to room  1  is provided in outer panel  21 . Lower end  51 B of cylinder  51  opens via outlet  23  of outer panel  21 . Cylinder  51  placed before outlet  23  provides merging chamber  24  in which the humidified air blown from outlet  17  for humidifying and the heated air blown from outlet  18  for heating are merged to be mixed. 
       FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram of sauna apparatus  1001 . Humidifying section  11  includes humidified-air-blowing section  25 , water-shattering section  26 , vapor-liquid separating section  27 , water-feeding section  28 , water-drain section  29 , and hot-water circuit  30 . Humidified-air-blowing section  25  causes air to be sucked from room  1  to inlet  15  for humidifying. The sucked air passes through water-shattering section  26  and vapor-liquid separating section  27 , and is blown to merging chamber  24  through outlet  17  for humidifying. Hot water is sent from water heater  8 , a heat source of water-shattering section  26 , passes through an inlet-connecting section for the hot-water circuit via outward pipe  9  for the hot-water circuit, and sent to heat exchanger  31 . Heat exchanger  31  changes the tap water sent from water-feeding section  28  into hot water by heat-exchanging the hot water to the tap water. The hot water is injected from injecting section  32  of water-shattering section  26  communicating with water-feeding section  28 . 
       FIG. 5  is a sectional view of humidifying section  11  of sauna apparatus  1001 . The hot water injected from injecting section  32  collides with collision section  34  including collision fan  33  provided in water-shattering section  26 , and is shattered into waterdrops. The waterdrops flows on airflow generated by humidified-air-blowing section  25 , and pass through vapor-liquid separating section  27 . When the waterdrops with the air pass through vapor-liquid separating section  27  with air, the waterdrops are separated into large waterdrops and fine waterdrops smaller than the large waterdrops. Then, humidified air  81  including only fine waterdrops is sent from outlet  17  for humidifying to merging chamber  24 . The separated large waterdrops are drained from humidifying section  11  as water  82 . 
     Heating section  12  includes hot-water coil  35  for heating and heated-air-blowing section  36 . Heated-air-blowing section  36  sent the air from room  1  into heating section  12  via inlet  16  for heating. Hot water is supplied from water heater  8  to hot-water coil  35  for heating through the inlet-connecting section for the hot-water circuit via outward pipe  9  of the hot-water circuit and open/close section  37  for heating. Open/close section  37  opens and closes a flow of water. Heated air is generated by heat-exchanging air and hot water in hot-water coil  35 . The heated air passes through heated-air-blowing section  36 , and is sent from outlet  18  for heating to merging chamber  24 . Humidified air is blown into merging chamber  24  from outlet  17  for humidifying. The heated air is merged into the humidified air, and heated and humidified air is blown into room  1  from outlet  23 . 
     Heated-blow adjusting section  38  for changing the amount of the heated air is provided at heated-air-blowing section  36 . Humidified-blow adjusting section  39  for changing the amount of humidified air is provided at humidified-air-blowing section  25 . 
     Water-shattering section  26  includes injecting section  32  and collision section  34 . Water-feeding section  28  for applying a pressure to water or hot water is linked with a nozzle of injecting section  32 . The water or hot water having the pressure is injected from the nozzle toward collision fan  33  of collision section  34 . Humidified-air-blowing section  25  includes motor  40  for blowing humidified-air, and collision fan  33  linked with a shaft of motor  40  for blowing humidified-air. Collision fan  33  may be a centrifugal fan, such as a scirocco fan. 
     Collision section  34  includes collision fan  33  having a function of making waterdrops by colliding water or hot water and a function of blowing. The water or hot water injected from the nozzle of injecting section  32  collides with vanes (e.g., plural collision boards  41 ) of collision fan  33  rotated by motor  40  for blowing humidified air, thereby becoming waterdrops. 
     An operation of sauna apparatus  1001  will be described below. When sauna apparatus  1001  provided at ceiling surface  42  of room  1  operates, air in room  1  is sucked from inlet  22  communicating with sucked-air flow path  20  provided between inner panel  19  and outer panel  21 . The air is sucked into case  3  from inlet  15  for humidifying and inlet  16  for heating both of which are provided in inner panel  19 . The air sucked into case  3  is humidified by humidifying section  11  and passes through humidified-air-blowing section  25 , and is sent from outlet  17  for humidifying provided in inner panel  19  to merging chamber  24  provided before outlet  23 . 
     The air sucked into case  3  from inlet  16  for heating provided in inner panel  19  is heated by heating section  12 . The heated air passes through heated-air-blowing section  36 , and is sent from outlet  18  for heating formed at inner panel  19  to merging chamber  24  provided before outlet  23 . The humidified air and the heated air both of which have been sent to merging chamber  24  are merged to be mixed, thus providing heated and humidified air. The heated and humidified air is sent into room  1  from outlet  23  provided in outer panel  21 , thereby allowing room  1  to function as a sauna room. 
     The heated and humidified air blown into room  1  has a uniform temperature and a uniform humidity, accordingly allowing sauna apparatus  1001  to makes the temperature and humidity in room  1  uniform. 
     In humidifying section  11 , vapor-liquid separating section  27  separates fine waterdrops from waterdrops, and collects large waterdrops. Accordingly, the humidified air includes only fine waterdrops, and is merged with the heated air in merging chamber  24 , thus providing the heated and humidified air with uniform temperature/humidity distribution. This arrangement provides room  1  where a user does not feel waterdrops. Consequently, the user can read books in room  1 , so that room  1  can be used for various purposes. Water-shattering section  26  exhibits Lenard effect for making waterdrops fine due to the collision of water, and sends air including a lot of negative ions to room  1 . 
     Heated-air-blowing section  36  includes heated-blow adjusting section  38  for changing the amount of heated air. Humidified-air-blowing section  25  includes humidified-blow adjusting section  39  for changing the amount of humidified air. The amount of humidification increases substantially in proportion to an airflow within a certain range. Therefore, sauna apparatus  1001  can control the amount of humidification easily, and control the temperature and the humidity easily within a range from low-temperature and low-humidity to high-temperature and high-humidity. 
     Rotatable collision fan  33  of water-shattering section  26  has a function of humidified-air-blowing section  25  and a function of collision section  34 , thus having high cost-performance. Collision fan  23  provides water-shattering section  26  utilizes a space effectively. If the waterdrops are made fine only by the nozzle, the amount of humidification depends on a pressure to the water. However, a force for shattering the water depends on the number of revolutions of collision fan  33 , so that sauna apparatus  1001  can supply a constant amount of humidification which does not depend on the pressure to the tap water or the hot water supplied. 
     Openings other than outlet  23  functions as inlet  22  communicating with the sucked-air flow path, so that all openings other than outlet  23  can be used as inlet  22 . This structure reduces resistance during the sucking at inlet  22 , accordingly allowing humidified-air-blowing section  25  and heated-air-blowing section  36  to operate efficiently. 
     In an extreme cold area, heating in winter needs humidifying, so that sauna apparatus  1001  can be applied for an air conditioner including a heating apparatus unitarily having a humidifying apparatus.