초록 ▼

The invention provides a variable cycle moisturizing control circuit for a gas-liquid contact pad (8, 18) in humidifiers (1), precoolers (17) and the like, supplied with fluid from a solenoid valve (34). Temperature sensitive electric circuit means (FIG. 4) cyclically actuates the valve between ON a

The invention provides a variable cycle moisturizing control circuit for a gas-liquid contact pad (8, 18) in humidifiers (1), precoolers (17) and the like, supplied with fluid from a solenoid valve (34). Temperature sensitive electric circuit means (FIG. 4) cyclically actuates the valve between ON and OFF states for intermittently moisturizing the pad with an intermittent flow of liquid, and includes means (26, 30) for variably changing the intermittent flow in response to temperature by changing the relative timing of the ON and OFF timed intervals such that the duration of one increases relative to the other. User accessible preadjustment means (38, 40) manually changes the length of one of the timing intervals, to preset the initial relative timing of the intervals according to pad size to afford a relatively longer ON time for larger pads, whereafter the other interval is automatically varied in response to increasing temperature.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A variable cycle moisturizing control circuit for a gas-liquid contact pad in precoolers, humidifiers and the like, comprising: liquid supply means for said pad; valve means in said liquid supply means for controlling the supply of fluid to said pad; temperature sensitive electric circuit me

1. A variable cycle moisturizing control circuit for a gas-liquid contact pad in precoolers, humidifiers and the like, comprising: liquid supply means for said pad; valve means in said liquid supply means for controlling the supply of fluid to said pad; temperature sensitive electric circuit means for actuating said valve means between ON and OFF states for intermittently moisturizing said pad with an intermittent flow of liquid, and including means for variably changing said intermittent flow in response to temperature comprising timing means having a first disabled mode below a given temperature maintaining said valve means in said OFF state, and a second enabled mode above said given temperature providing ON and OFF cyclic timed intervals for said ON and OFF states, respectively, said timing means in said enabled mode changing the relative timing of said ON and OFF timed intervals such that the duration of one increases relative to the other in response to changing temperature; and water volume adjustment means enabling the user to manually preadjust the initial relative timing of said ON and OFF intervals according to differing pad sizes, whereby to afford a universal control circuit for a plurality of different pads, which can be customized by the user for his particular pad size. 2. A variable cycle moisturizing control circuit for a gas-liquid contact pad in precoolers, humidifiers and the like, comprising: liquid supply means for said pad; valve means in said liquid supply means for controlling the supply of fluid to said pad; temperature sensitive electric circuit means for actuating said valve means between ON and OFF states for intermittently moisturizing said pad with an intermittent flow of liquid, and including temperature responsive varying means for variably changing said intermittent flow in response to temperature comprising timing means for varying the duration of one of said states in response to sensed ambient temperature, to adjust the amount of fluid supplied to said pad; and means independent of said temperature responsive varying means and presettable by the user according to different sizes of said pad for varying the duration of the other of said states to increase the amount of fluid supplied for larger pads. 3. A variable cycle moisturizing control circuit for a gas-liquid contact pad supplied with fluid from controllable valve means, comprising: switch means for controlling said valve means and actuatable between ON and OFF states; timing means for actuating said switch means and having cyclic ON and OFF timed intervals respectively controlling said ON and OFF states of said switch means; temperature sensitive means responsive to ambient temperature for changing the relative timing of said ON and OFF timed intervals such that the duration of one increases relative to the other in response to changing temperature, said timing means having a first disabled mode below a given temperature maintaining said switch means in said OFF state, and having a second enabled mode above said given temperature providing said ON and OFF timed intervals; and means for user preadjustment of the initial relative timing of said intervals according to pad size to afford a relatively longer ON timed interval for larger pads, whereafter the relative timing of said intervals is varied in response to ambient temperature based on the initially preadjusted longer ON time for larger pads, whereby to afford a universal control circuit for a plurality of different pad sizes, which can be customized by the user for his particular pad size. 4. A variable cycle moisturizing control circuit for a gas-liquid contact pad supplied with fluid from controllable valve means, comprising: switch means for controlling said valve means and actuatable between ON and OFF states; timing means for actuating said switch means and having cyclic ON and OFF timed intervals respectively controlling said ON and OFF states of said switch means; temperature sensitive means responsive to ambient temperature for changing the relative timing of said ON and OFF timed intervals such that the duration of one increases relative to the other in response to changing temperature; wherein said timing means has a first disabled mode below a given temperature and maintains said switch means in said OFF state, and has a second enabled mode above said given temperature providing said ON and OFF timed intervals; wherein said relative timing of said ON and OFF intervals is changed by an RC network in circuit with said timing means, and comprising a temperature sensor connected in circuit with said RC network to change the resistance value in the latter in response to changing temperature; and comprising: a plurality of comparators; means for supplying different respective reference voltages to said comparators, and supplying voltage to said temperature sensor; and wherein: said RC network has a plurality of branches for different temperature thresholds above said given temperature, one branch for each of said comparators; said temperature sensor has a resistance which changes as a function of sensed ambient temperature, to thus provide a temperature dependent variable voltage thereacross; said comparators compare said different respective reference voltages against said temperature dependent voltage from said temperature sensor for generating respective output signals to respective said branches for changing the timing constant of said RC network. 5. The invention according to claim 4 comprising a further enabling comparator sensing the temperature dependent voltage from said temperature sensor and comparing it to a given reference level for outputting a signal to said timing means to activate the latter to said enabled mode at said given temperature sensed by said temperature sensor. 6. The invention according to claim 4 wherein said timing means comprises an integrated circuit chip having a first output pin connected to said switch means, and a second output pin connected to said RC network, said first pin transitioning high and low without delay to turn ON and OFF said switch means, said second pin transitioning high without delay but having a delayed transition low determined by said RC network, said first pin being unable to transition high until said second pin is low, such that said switch means cannot be turned back ON until said second pin has decayed low, whereby the duration of said OFF timed interval is controlled by the RC time constant decay rate of said second pin which in turn is controlled by the resistance value of said plurality of branches which in turn is controlled by said plurality of comparators as controlled by said temperature sensor. 7. A variable cycle moisturizing control circuit for a gas-liquid contact pad supplied with fluid from controllable valve means, comprising: switch means fo controlling said valve means and actuatable between ON and OFF states; temperature sensor means responsive to ambient temperature; and timing means for actuating said switch means and having cyclic ON and OFF timed intervals respectively controlling said ON and OFF states of said switch means, said timing means having two time constants, a first time constant determining ON time, and a second time constant determining OFF time, one of said time constants being manually preadjustable by the user in accordance with programmed instructions keyed to differing pad sizes, the other of said time constants being automatically varied by said temperature sensor means in response to sensed ambient temperature. 8. The invention according to claim 7 wherein said timing means has a first disabled mode below a given temperature and maintains said switch means in said OFF state, and has a second enabled variable cycle moisturizing mode above said given temperature providing said ON and OFF timed intervals, said one time constant being provided by an RC network manually preadjusted by the user to preset the initial relative timing of said intervals to afford relatively longer ON timed intervals for larger pads, said other time constant being provided by another RC network automatically varying the relative timing of said intervals in response to sensed ambient temperature based on the initially preadjusted relatively longer ON time for larger pads.