TWI890206B - Humidity control system and control method - Google Patents

Abstract

A humidity control system has a proportional valve, a humidification device, and a mixing device. The proportional valve is connected to the humidification device and the mixing device. The humidification device is also connected to the mixing device. The humidity control method includes the following steps in sequence: 1. Supply a gas through a proportional valve to a humidification device and a mixing device; 2. The gas entering the humidification device is humidified and then enters the mixing device; 3. The gas entering the mixing device is mixed and supplied to a target space. After the gas enters the proportional valve, part of the gas enters the humidification device and then enters the mixing device, and the other part of the gas directly enters the mixing device. Finally, the gas entering the mixing device can be discharged to the target space. Therefore, the amount of humidified gas is accurately controls by the proportional valve.

Description

Humidity control system and control method

This work relates to a humidity control system and control method.

Conventional technology primarily controls humidity in spaces by using humidifiers to raise the humidity level. However, these humidifiers simply vaporize water at a fixed power level and then release it into the space. Therefore, even when the humidity in the space is excessively high, they continue to supply moisture. In other words, these humidifiers are unable to adjust the humidification intensity in response to environmental changes. Furthermore, these humidifiers vaporize water at a fixed power level, with no way to adjust the humidification speed. Users can only manually control the humidification level by turning it on or off.

In view of this, proposing a better improvement solution is an urgent problem that needs to be solved in this industry.

The main purpose of this work is to propose a humidity control system and humidity control method that can accurately control the humidity of the supplied gas.

To achieve the above objectives, the humidity control system proposed in this invention comprises: a proportional valve connected to an air source; a humidifying device connected to the proportional valve; and a mixing device connected to both the proportional valve and the humidifying device. Gas can enter the proportional valve from the air source and then enter the humidifying device or the mixing device, or a portion of the gas can enter the humidifying device and another portion can enter the mixing device. The gas that entered the humidifying device can then enter the mixing device, and finally, the gas that entered the mixing device can be discharged into a target space.

To achieve the above objectives, the humidity control method proposed in this invention sequentially includes the following steps: supplying a gas to a humidifying device and supplying a gas to a mixing device via a proportional valve; the gas entering the humidifying device is humidified and then enters the mixing device; and the gas entering the mixing device is mixed and then supplied to a target space.

Therefore, the advantage of this invention lies in that, through the humidity control system and humidity control method of this invention, the amount of humidified gas can be precisely controlled through the proportional valve, so that the humidity of the discharged gas can be precisely controlled.

In the humidity control system described above, the mixing device comprises: an outer tank capable of containing water and maintaining the water at a specific temperature; and an inner tank housed within the outer tank, which is capable of containing water. The inner tank comprises an air inlet, an air inlet pipe, and an air outlet. The air inlet is connected to the proportional valve; one end of the air inlet pipe is connected to the air inlet, and the other end extends below the surface of the water contained in the inner tank; and the air outlet is connected to the mixing device.

The humidity control system described above further includes a constant temperature water tank connected to the external tank and configured to circulate water at a specific temperature to the external tank.

In the humidity control system described above, the other end of the air intake pipe extends to the bottom of the inner tank.

In the humidity control system described above, the humidifying device has a water level sensing assembly disposed within the inner tank and configured to sense the amount of water within the inner tank. The water level sensing assembly comprises: a rail extending vertically within the inner tank; and a float connected to the rail and capable of moving along the rail.

The humidity control system described above further includes a hygrometer, which is connected to the proportional valve signal and is used to sense the humidity of the target space. The proportional valve can thereby control the amount of gas entering the humidifier based on the hygrometer.

In the humidity control method described above, the humidifier contains water. When the partial pressure of water vapor in the gas entering the humidifier reaches the saturation vapor pressure, it enters the mixing device.

The humidity control method described above further includes maintaining the water in the humidifying device at a specific temperature.

The humidity control method described above further includes sensing the humidity of the target space with a hygrometer and transmitting the measured humidity to the proportional valve. The proportional valve controls the amount of gas entering the humidifier based on the measured humidity.

10: Proportional valve

20: Humidifier

21: Outer groove

22: Inner groove

221: Air Inlet

222: Exhaust port

223: Intake pipe

23A: Water level sensor assembly

231A: Track

232A: Float

30: Mixing device

40: Constant temperature water tank

50: Hygrometer

A: Air source

B: Target Space

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the humidity control system of this invention.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the humidification device of the humidity control system of this invention.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a humidifying device in another embodiment of the humidity control system of this invention.

First, please refer to Figure 1. This invention proposes a humidity control system comprising a proportional valve 10, a humidifying device 20, and a mixing device 30, and optionally a constant temperature water tank 40 and a hygrometer 50. The opening of a fluid port valve (not shown) of the proportional valve 10 can be controlled by controlling the magnitude of an electronic signal input to the proportional valve 10 (e.g., controlling the input voltage and/or current), thereby controlling the magnitude of the fluid flow, flow velocity, and/or pressure. The magnitude of the electronic signal is substantially linearly proportional to the magnitude of the fluid flow, flow velocity, and/or pressure. In one embodiment, the proportional valve 10 can control the magnitude of the fluid flow, flow velocity, and/or pressure steplessly.

The proportional valve 10 is connected to a gas source A via a gas inlet (not shown), while the humidifier 20 is connected to the proportional valve 10 at one end and to the mixing device 30 at the other end. The mixing device 30 is connected to both the proportional valve 10 and the humidifier 20 and to a gas outlet (not shown). In one embodiment, the mixing device 30 may include a chamber, allowing the gas input through the proportional valve 10 and the gas input through the humidifier 20 to come into contact within the chamber. Since the gas input through the humidifier 20 has a higher humidity, the humidity is transferred from the high-humidity gas to the low-humidity gas, causing mixing. In other embodiments, the mixing device 30 may further include a fan disposed in the chamber, so that the gas entering the chamber can be agitated by the fan and the mixing is accelerated.

Next, please refer to Figure 2. In this embodiment, the humidifying device 20 has an outer tank 21 and an inner tank 22, and the inner tank 22 is housed in the outer tank 21. The outer tank 21 can hold water and maintain the contained water at a specific temperature. For example, the outer tank 21 can be provided with a heating device such as a heating coil and/or a cooling device such as a cooling coil, or can be connected to a constant temperature circulation system to maintain the water in the outer tank 21 at a specific temperature. In this embodiment, the outer tank 21 is connected to a constant temperature water tank 40, and the water in the outer tank 21 and the water in the constant temperature water tank 40 can circulate, allowing the constant temperature water tank 40 to supply higher/lower temperature water to the outer tank 21, and the cooled/heated water flows back from the outer tank 21 to the constant temperature water tank 40. In this way, regardless of how the outside temperature changes, even in summer and winter, the water in the outer tank 21 can be kept at the same temperature through circulation, and the water in the inner tank 22 can also be maintained at a specific temperature.

The inner tank 22 can hold water. When the inner tank 22 is filled with water or the unfilled space within the humidifying device 20 reaches a saturated vapor pressure at a specific temperature, the inner tank 22 has an air inlet 221 and an air outlet 222. The air inlet 221 is connected to the proportional valve 10, and the air outlet 222 is connected to the mixing device 30. In this embodiment, the humidifying device 20 also has an air inlet pipe 223. The air inlet pipe 223 is disposed within the inner tank 22, with one end connected to the air inlet 221 and the other end extending below the surface of the water contained within the inner tank 22. As a result, when the gas enters the inner tank 22 through the air inlet 221 and the air inlet pipe 223, it is located below the surface of the water contained in the inner tank 22. Therefore, the gas forms bubbles and can contact the water in the inner tank 22 during the buoyancy process. Preferably, the air inlet pipe 223 extends to the bottom of the inner tank 22, allowing the bubbles to more fully contact the water in the inner tank 22 during the buoyancy process, thereby helping the partial pressure of the water vapor in the gas reach the saturation vapor pressure.

In one embodiment, the humidifier 20A may also include a water level sensor assembly 23A. The water level sensor assembly 23A is disposed within the inner tank 22 and is used to sense the water level within the inner tank 22. This ensures that the water level within the inner tank 22 is within an ideal range, allowing gas entering the inner tank 22 to come into contact with the water, thereby facilitating the partial pressure of the water vapor in the gas to reach saturation vapor pressure. In this embodiment, the water level sensor assembly 23A includes a rail 231A and a float 232A. The rail 231A extends straight within the inner tank 22, and the float 232A is connected to the rail 231A and can move along the rail 231A.

Please continue to refer to Figure 1. The hygrometer 50 is connected to the proportional valve 10 signal and is used to sense the humidity of the target space B. The proportional valve 10 can thereby control the amount of gas entering the humidifier 20 based on the hygrometer 50 and respond immediately to the humidity of the target space B.

The present invention also proposes a humidity control method, which can be implemented by the above-mentioned humidity control system, but is not limited thereto. The humidity control method of the present invention includes the following steps in sequence: (1) supplying a gas to a humidifying device 20 and supplying a gas to a mixing device 30 through a proportional valve 10. (2) The gas entering the humidifying device 20 is humidified and then enters the mixing device 30. (3) The gas entering the mixing device 30 is mixed and then supplied to a target space B. In other words, in step (3), the gas entering the mixing device 30 includes humidified gas and unhumidified gas. In this embodiment, the proportional valve 10 can control the ratio of the gas entering the humidifying device 20 to the gas not entering the humidifying device 20. In other words, the proportional valve 10 controls the humidified gas and the non-humidified gas.

In this embodiment, the humidifier 20 contains water. For example, the humidifier 20 can be completely filled with water, or a space can be left unfilled within the humidifier 20. The water vapor in the unfilled space reaches its saturation vapor pressure at a specific temperature. Therefore, when the gas entering the humidifier 20 comes into contact with the water, the partial pressure of the water vapor in the gas reaches the saturation vapor pressure before entering the mixing device 30. To maintain a stable water content in the humidified gas (i.e., a constant partial pressure), the water in the humidifier 20 is maintained at a specific temperature to keep the saturation vapor pressure of the water vapor in the gas constant. This allows precise control of the humidity of the target space B.

The following describes the humidity control method of this invention, using the humidity control system. First, gas enters the humidity control system from a gas source A through the gas inlet. Then, based on the humidity of the target space B sensed by the hygrometer, a proportional valve 10 distributes a portion of the gas to the humidifier 20 and another portion to the mixing device 30. The gas entering the humidifier 20 then comes into contact with the water in the inner tank 22, causing the partial pressure of the water vapor in the gas entering the humidifier 20 to reach the saturation vapor pressure. The gas then enters the mixing device 30. The gas entering the mixing device 30 is mixed there and discharged into the target space B.

However, in extreme cases, if the humidity of target space B is too high, all gas entering the humidity control system can be discharged directly into target space B via mixing device 30 without passing through humidification device 20. If the humidity of target space B is too low, all gas entering the humidity control system can also pass through humidification device 20 before being discharged into target space B.

Additionally, air source A and target space B can be the same space. In other words, if air source A is also target space B, air can be extracted from target space B, humidified, and then discharged back into target space B.

The humidity control system and method of this invention precisely controls the amount of humidified gas through a proportional valve 10, thereby precisely controlling the humidity of the discharged gas. Furthermore, the mixing device 30, which includes an inner tank 22 and an outer tank 21, is connected to a constant-temperature water tank 40. This maintains the water in the inner tank 22 at a specific temperature, thereby maintaining a stable partial pressure of water vapor in the discharged gas and enabling precise control of the humidity of the target space B.

10: Proportional valve 20: Humidifier 30: Mixing device 40: Constant temperature water tank 50: Hygrometer A: Air source B: Target space

Claims (8)

A humidity control system comprises: a proportional valve connected to an air source; a humidifying device connected to the proportional valve; a mixing device connected to the proportional valve and the humidifying device; a hygrometer connected to the proportional valve signal; A gas can enter the proportional valve from the gas source and then enter the humidifier or the mixing device, or a portion of the gas can enter the humidifier and another portion of the gas can enter the mixing device. The gas that entered the humidifier can then enter the mixing device. Finally, the gas that entered the mixing device can be discharged into a target space. The hygrometer is used to sense the humidity of the target space, so that the proportional valve can control the amount of gas entering the humidifier based on the hygrometer. The humidity control system of claim 1, wherein the mixing device comprises: an outer tank capable of containing water and maintaining the contained water at a specific temperature; and an inner tank housed within the outer tank and capable of containing water; the inner tank having an air inlet, an air inlet pipe, and an air outlet; the air inlet being connected to the proportional valve; the air inlet pipe having one end connected to the air inlet and the other end extending below the surface of the water contained in the inner tank; and the air outlet being connected to the mixing device. The humidity control system as described in claim 2 further comprises a constant temperature water tank connected to the external tank and used to circulate water of the specific temperature to the external tank. A humidity control system as described in claim 2, wherein the other end of the intake pipe extends to the bottom of the inner tank. The humidity control system of claim 2, wherein the humidifying device includes a water level sensing assembly disposed within the inner tank and configured to sense the amount of water within the inner tank; the water level sensing assembly comprises: a rail extending vertically within the inner tank; and a float connected to the rail and capable of moving along the rail. A humidity control method comprises the following steps: Supplying a gas to a humidifying device and a mixing device via a proportional valve; The gas entering the humidifying device is humidified and then enters the mixing device; The gas entering the mixing device is mixed and then supplied to a target space. Simultaneously, a hygrometer is used to sense the humidity of the target space and transmit the measured humidity to the proportional valve. The proportional valve controls the amount of gas entering the humidifying device based on the measured humidity. The humidity control method as described in claim 6, wherein the humidifying device contains water, and when the partial pressure of water vapor in the gas entering the humidifying device reaches the saturation vapor pressure, it enters the mixing device. The humidity control method as described in claim 7 further includes maintaining the water in the humidifying device at a specific temperature.